Kimber and Ava 
 KIMBER'S Review - 
 If this book were a play, I'd be a standing ovation. 
 Have you ever dreaded and wanted something at the same time? That's how I felt about Broken Juliet. I wanted to read it with everything in my being because I loved the first story so much, but I also knew it would be an agonizing and heartbreaking read. I put it that way because these star-crossed lovers have an arduous journey to their happy ever after. Our Juliet, Cassie has been damaged beyond repair. She's accepted this as her life. Three years after a soul crushing break-up during her senior year of drama school and she is still completely broken, a shell of her once vibrant, outgoing, and optimistic self. If you've ever experienced heartache at that level you can appreciate and empathize right along with her because to witness that in full detail was painful. It takes our Romeo, Ethan to pull out all the stops, show her he's changed while attempting to put the broken pieces back together. WOW! WOW! WOW! is all I can say. I ask myself if I've ever read a book with this depth of emotion- days, even weeks after reading it and I'm still affected by its magnitude. I honestly don't think I have..... 
 Broken Juliet is written like the previous book in the series, in that we flip from past to present with dual viewpoints. The intertwinings of this from chapter to chapter keeps the story moving at a nice pace that holds you on the edge of your seat, privately watching as the pieces of a broken heart are mended. At the beginning of our story, older, mature, has his head on straight Ethan is at the door of our broken and bruised Cassie, pleading for another chance. You would think after, not one but two failed tries where she was hurt both times by his "I can't be with you because I don't deserve you" kind of attitude, it would be a no brainer for her and she'd shut the door in his face, but Ethan is determined to prove beyond a doubt he's a different person than he was in college. After a personal tragedy and years of intense therapy he's done a complete turn-around from his younger days, and I gotta say this Ethan melts my heart and turns me inside out. There is nothing more attractive to me than a man who will fight for his woman and fight for her, for them, is exactly what he does. He's relentless, determined, and tenacious, and as unsure as I was about giving him another chance, he won me over by proving his undying love. 
 Cassie is so different from the girl she was BTH (before the heartbreak). 
 Before, she would have done anything to keep Ethan. Now, it's him who would do anything to get her back. They've basically switched roles. Ethan was once the scared one, ruled by insecurities, afraid of being abandoned. Now, it's Cassie. It would kill her if she allowed herself to be hurt by him again. I'm glad she wanted to take it slow and that she recognized she needed help to move on. She's an amazing character whom I felt I watched grow up in a way. 
 Have you read this series? If not, come along for the ride as their beautiful journey unfolds and see how these two find their way back to each other. I love love love reading stories like this. Broken Juliet has everything I want in a romance (albeit tragic) along with the most perfect and beautiful ending I could have asked for. Not only was I engrossed in the love story and the main characters I also loved all the secondary characters and laughed so hard at their group of friends, especially Ruby, Cassie's best friend and roommate. She is a true gem and an awesome friend to Cassie. I needed the comic relief for sure so thank you for that Ms. Rayven. This series is most definitely at the top of my 2015 reads. 
 Favorite Quotes- 
 Cassie ~ This man represents so many things to me. He was my first true friend. My first love. First lover. The master of more pleasure than I knew existed, and the architect of more heartache than I thought I could endure. 
 Ethan ~ I wanted to consume her. Brand my name on every part of her body. 
 By the time we were done, I think I had succeeded. 
 The trouble is, she also branded me. 
 With her words, Leisa Rayven has the power to put me on my knees, rendering me helpless while I weep uncontrollably for her fictional characters. I bow down to her and the immense talent she has shown with her first two books, and I look forward to her bright and promising future. 
 5++++++ stars 
 AVA'S REVIEW 
 My friend Kimber tricked me into reading Bad Romeo... she teased me with a text message_ "OMG you're gonna love this book, Go. Buy. It. NOW" Of course I snagged it, I mean your book girls give an emergency text you must help them out! So I binge read that book, and my heart was utterly broken. I mean I had the book hangover with major depression and a cliffhanger!!! ARGH! And my FRIEND Kimber did this to me... but she was so right. I could not stop thinking about that book. It haunted me. I couldn't flipping wait to read Broken Juliet. This is one of those times it totally pays to review books! So this time we got to read the conclusion of Bad Romeo together in Broken Juliet! 
 I guess first I must say despite this being a two part story (duolgoy?) with a cliffhanger at the end of the first book, it's two complete full length books. The story is broken at the fulcrum of events and does make sense to have them told separately. Still gut wrenching and totally a bummer if you have to wait, but you my friend can read them back to back. 
 Cassie and Ethan have a rocky history. They are soulmates, that have split apart. Interestingly their story begins with a freshman Cassie trying to tame a bad boy Ethan Holt. But for Broken Juliet we've come full circle and they've almost swapped roles. Ethan hoping to heal the love of his life by being the man she always wanted. Cassie feeling too broken to be of use to him. It's a tragic tale throwing back to it's Shakespearean namesake. 
 Leisa Rayven's writing is funny and warm and full of all this excellent dialog and heartfelt moments you see with a more seasoned author. I'm so impressed these books are her debut into the romance world. She has a great talent for capturing both the youthful college scenes we often see tagged New Adult and the present day contemporary Broadway lives of the characters. That's the best blend of both sub-genres I must say! I loved the concept of the story telling flashing between past and present to complete our love story. It felt fresh and interesting and I was hooked right from the first pages. So, now I'm telling you, Go Buy. It. NOW! Kimber's always right, don't know why I doubted her for torturing me. ~Broken Ava 
 Review copy provided for an honest review.