Review: Cold-Blooded Beautiful (Beautiful, #2) by Christine Zolendz

Buy: Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback



Review

“Her demons, well, they played very well with mine, and when we were together, neither of us had to babysit them, they went off on their own, leaving us be.”

Christine Zolendz takes us right back into the mood of Brutally Beautiful for the continuation of Kade and Samantha’s story. And like the first book – it’s dark, traumatic, cynical, and sinisterly funny.

Kade and Sam are both still struggling with their demons, but finding happiness together, and I loved seeing them all loved-up and committed. There are still secrets between them though, as Sam hasn’t revealed all of her past to Kade yet…

“You need to tell me what’s going on. Tell me something, babe. I can’t do this anymore, this sick twisted worrying, I need more of the story.” The sad smile he offered me pulled at my insides, “I don’t want half of you, or bits and pieces, baby. I bloody want all of you.”

Well, he gets all of her – in horrifically, excruciating detail. And OMG, it’s some VERY hard reading as Sam’s full backstory is finally revealed. And as the horror from her past comes screaming back into her present, we get a very dark, somewhat brutal book that shows us how people cope with their own traumas, as well as with the trauma endured by a loved one, and OMG, the feels are INTENSE! This is a really emotional read as we watch both Kade and Sam suffer through some very dark times – in their own unique ways.

“Sod off! Psych 101. There are five stages of grief and I’m owning that shit. They ARE my bitches.”

The story is told in a conversational writing style – like Kade and Samantha are telling us their stories, and I really liked it. It not only gets us right inside of their heads, making things really personal, but with Kade’s brilliant snarkiness, and Sam’s sarcasm, it helps gives the story some lightness. There is actually a really good mix of humour in with all of the darkness. And it’s been done really well. I wouldn’t have thought I would be laughing in the middle of all that goes on in this book, but I did. What can I say, I like my dark humour, and Kade does it so well!

“You should be getting dressed too, instead of slumming it in your sexy-pjs all day, cuddling up under those covers. Sniffing my soap,” she smirked.
Fuuuuck. She knew I sniffed her soap? Cinnamon-motherfucking-apples. I bet she doesn’t know about her underwear…Yeah, can you see my smirk?

God, I love him! He’s rude and nasty, but something about him just appeals to me!

Come on, it’s me, Mr. Dark and intriguing with a side of fucked up. Yeah, I’m pretty much priceless.

Yeah, he is! And it doesn’t hurt that he loves and adores Sam with a fierce passion that had me swooning madly.

“I had told her I was falling in love with her, a few moments before my body claimed hers for the first time months ago, the utmost bloody disgusting cliché for a writer, but I did it. It was pure deception. Because I wasn’t falling, I had plummeted the minute I saw her, and have been lying at her feet ever since.”

The conversational style also brings a touch of voyeurism to the story, and I confess I felt really awful when Sam tells us this:

“Oh, my God. Your warped curiosity wants to know anyway, doesn’t it? Fuck it. As long as it’s not you, right? As long as the story is about someone else and you can get to feel bad, get to be part of the experience a bit, and then walk away without all the years of anger and fear that really comes with it.”

Yeah, I felt totally smacked down after that one! But you’ve gotta hand it to Sam, she totally deserves to stand proud the way she does. You think you’ve read domestic violence stories? You haven’t seen evil, sinister and downright sadistic until you meet her ex-David. OMG, it’s a wonder the woman is alive and mentally intact after all that she has endured! It’s actually a really hard read at times. The brutality is so openly and graphically depicted, that I found it quite disturbing. But it all paints a very clear picture of the absolute hell that Sam suffers, and shows us just what an amazingly strong and resilient woman she is.

“I earned my strength when a sick psychotic man took the perfect world I built for myself, shook it like a snow globe, and smashed it up against a wall. I have earned every breath I’ve ever took, while being choked at the hands of a madman.”

Truly, truly horrifying!

But it’s all woven into an all-consuming and passionate romance and an amazing relationship. Yes, it may be a little obsessive at times, but the way that Kade and Sam are together, trying so hard to protect and heal each other, despite what they are going through themselves, is truly beautiful. And I loved watching the changes in them as they continue to heal together.

“It’s not my job to change or fix you…my job is to love you with no expectations of you ever being anything more than what you are. If you change at all, I will love what you become, whatever it may be.”

Yet through it all they still maintain who they are, and the banter and teasing continues throughout.

“Hey, love? Guess what today is?”
“Smack Kade in the fucking face day?”
… “Oh, you’re bloody brilliant, love. No that only happens on Sundays.”

This book is shocking, funny, sad, and swoonily romantic. The writing is beautiful and the story is full on from start to finish, with some really big moments – both good and bad – that took my breath away. I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down, and with my emotions all over the place the entire time. I felt completely wrung out after finishing it.

While I think that technically, Brutally Beautiful could be read as a standalone, this is definitely going to appeal to the fans out there who want more of Kade and Samantha. And the ending… if you want to know…

Spoiler

Yes, it’s a HEA. Thank God! And we even get an epilogue that is set two years after the HEA. Honestly, I found it a bit cheesy, and OTT on the happy considering where the two of them were at during the book, and all that they endured. It seemed a bit unreal, and I must confess I did roll my eyes. But I was happy to get it, so I’m not going to be took picky about it.

4 stars.

 

The Beautiful series

Brutally Beautiful  Cold-Blooded Beautiful

Brutally Beautiful (#1)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

Cold-Blooded Beautiful (#2)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *