I absolutely loved everything about The Strongest Steel, from how well the plot flowed to the well developed, and extremely likeable characters and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book and I found The Fractured Heart to be just as amazing, if not better than the first in series. Once I started I was totally hooked and had an extremely difficult time putting it down. 
 Cujo aka Brody had been the guy that interested me the most in The Strongest Steel, he was charming, sexy had a wicked sense of humor and a protective streak a mile wide and I loved seeing all that more in this book. Learning about his past and what made him tick had me wanting to give him a hug, even as I wanted to Gibbs smack him, because of the cage he'd put himself in. Were his issues warranted and heartbreaking? Yes, but after witnessing him with his nieces I could see the man he could be if only he let himself. 
 Drea, spunky, sassy, determined and, outside of Cujo, I swear has the patience of a saint. Going into this I knew her life was not all wine and roses, though the woman put on a great front, but good God what she goes through with her mother truly has me wanting to nominate her for sainthood because while she wished her life had turned out differently, she never whined about it outloud. There may have been a pity party or two going on in her head, but she kept it there and did what was necessary to make ends meet, even when the floor gave out from under her. 
 There was no denying that sparks would fly, sexual or otherwise, when Cujo and Drea occupied the same space, nor that they'd face quite a few bumps in the road considering that they had both put themselves in their own forms of purgatory, so to be able to witness them coming to terms with not only how they felt about each other, but themselves through the process, was a true delight. Each step, whether it be heartwrenchingly painful or sweet and sexy, proved that they are definitely better together. 
 As with the first book, I felt that the writing was engaging and flowed well and I loved how the characters, both main and secondary, came to life on the page. These are all people that you can believe are a tight knit group of friends, and family, and I want to spend time with them and get to know better as the series progresses, but what I think was actually done better in this book than in the first is the whole mystery/suspense aspect of it. The abduction of the woman from the cafe and the various twists and turns that came out of it were tighter and really added another layer to Cujo and Drea's story, both to show the kind of people they are as well as help their relationship evolve, because they were intimately involved in it from the beginning. Now, I have to admit that I figure a few things out, but I loved the anticipation of waiting to see when everyone else would and what their reactions were going to be. 
 The Bottom Line: This series is just getting better with each book and I can't wait to see what Ms. Cole has in store for Dred and Pixie! 
 ~ ARC provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~