{"id":34586,"date":"2018-07-17T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=34586"},"modified":"2025-07-12T02:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T06:45:13","slug":"book-tour-arc-review-excerpt-giveaway-broken-love-story-love-series-3-by-natasha-madison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=34586","title":{"rendered":"Book Tour, ARC Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Broken Love Story (Love series, #3) by Natasha Madison"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 Amazon US\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/b><\/h4>\n
\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Samantha:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had the perfect life; a husband who loved me, and two kids who were my world.<\/p>\n

Until someone else answered his phone and my perfect life shattered.<\/p>\n

When he died, I was left with answers he couldn’t give me and a box full of lies.<\/p>\n

He left me broken.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blake:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I fell in love when I was fifteen, knowing she was the one.<\/p>\n

For five years, she was my everything\u2014my every breath, every heartbeat, every thought.<\/p>\n

She made me promise to move on, promise to find love again, but I broke those promises because I can’t move on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two broken souls brought together by tragedy and heartbreak.<\/p>\n

Can a broken love story be fixed?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\n

Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cYou think you know? You have no idea!\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4.5 loved-up stars<\/b><\/p>\n

Ooooohhhhhhh, so beautiful!!! The ending of this series was gearing up to be a good one, and Natasha Madison did not disappoint! She has given us a heartfelt, emotional story that is sweet, swoony and so freaking romantic! With a slow burn romance, a whole lot of surprises and all the feels, I devoured this book in one sitting and I absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n

This is Blake and Samantha\u2019s story, and it gives us the other<\/i> side of the drama that began this series, and I was captivated from start to finish! Just a note \u2013 you could read this as a standalone, but it will be SO much more meaningful if you read the books in order and enjoy it as a whole. Oh, and randomly \u2013 that cover is so, so perfect! *dreamy sigh*.<\/p>\n

Samantha thought she had a great life. After growing up alone in the system, she married Eric, a man she loved with her whole heart, she was loved by his family who she claimed as her own, and they had two beautiful girls that she cherishes. Sure, things have been a bit strained between them over the last year or so, and things aren\u2019t as perfect as they once were, but still she treasures the happiness she has found and the life they built together. Until it\u2019s all ripped away. Her husband has been killed in an accident, and it appears he has a second family \u2013 a secret wife he married only six months previously, and her whole life is a lie.<\/p>\n

Blake is the protective older brother of Hailey \u2013 the \u2018second\u2019 wife of Eric. He is torn apart at seeing his sister so devastated, and when he goes to see Samantha for answers, he is shocked to see a woman who is just as much a victim as his sister, but who is somehow holding it together, and her resilience impresses him. And when, in desperation, Samantha reaches out to him looking for answers, he is there for her.<\/p>\n

I freaking LOVE these two together! Things are a little strained between them at first, but the phone calls and texts as Samantha sorts out the truth from the lies are honest and respectful, and slowly become friendly. That friendship soon becomes a flirtation, which soon becomes a whole lot more.<\/p>\n

But as broken as Samantha is, Blake is just as shattered. He gave his heart away to his first love, and he\u2019s never been able to move on, and OMG, I ached for him! His loyalty to his lost love is so beautiful. He knows he\u2019s never been able to get over her, he hasn\u2019t even tried, but finally here is somebody in front of him that makes him start to see a different future for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t love anyone. I\u2019m broken,\u201d I tell her the truth. \u201cHalf of me is broken.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat if you find someone who is just as broken as you are and\u201d – she swallows, and her hand comes to my face ans she cups my cheek in her hand – \u201ctogether, you\u2019re whole.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s beautiful, heartfelt and so freaking swoony as slowly, honestly, openly and unreservedly, Blake and Samantha begin to fall for each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you change if you could?\u201d
\n\u201cI would have kissed you tonight before I left.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love both Blake and Samantha so much! And I love how so much of this story was about their individual journeys. They both had a lot of healing to do, and though they helped each other to do that, they had to stand strong on their own as well, and I loved that that became such a big part of the story. There is drama that they need to deal with \u2013 for Samantha in particular, who gets plenty of opportunities to shine – and when the unthinkable happens, it\u2019s going to take all of their strength to get through it.<\/p>\n

This is such a special story. It\u2019s well written, the drama is heartfelt and intense without becoming angsty and frustrating, and it\u2019s all so functional! There\u2019s no lies or game playing, it\u2019s just two people figuring things out and slowly moving forward, and I love that! And the twists and surprises kept me on my toes as it all played out.<\/p>\n

Samantha\u2019s daughters are just adorable, and bring so much to the story. Samantha\u2019s relationship with them is so gorgeous, and of course seeing Blake with them will have ovaries quivering everywhere! And Blake\u2019s family absolutely rocks. We\u2019ve met them before, of course, but his parents are up close and personal in this one, and I love them! And we get to catch up with the characters from previous books, which I really enjoyed.<\/p>\n

This is a story of heartache and healing, of finding yourself and opening yourself up to love again. It\u2019s a beautifully slow burning, functional romance with well-written drama and a whole lot of sweet, funny moments and swoon, and it ends beautifully with an epilogue that had me grinning madly and hugging my kindle to my chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were my lifeline, and you didn\u2019t even know \u2026 and then you took the broken in me and mended me \u2026 My lifeline became my salvation \u2026 And my salvation became love.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Madison totally did these characters justice with this story, and I loved it \u2013 4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Love series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/h4>\n

Perfect Love Story (#1) <\/strong>(Jensen & Hailey)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Unexpected Love Story (#2) <\/strong>(Gabe & Crystal)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Broken Love Story (#3) <\/strong>(Blake & Samantha)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\n

Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Samantha<\/p>\n

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I smooth down my black skirt. My
\nblond hair is tied up in a ponytail, my cheeks are sunken in more than normal, and the
\nblackness around my eyes indicates I haven\u2019t slept well since this whole thing happened.
\nSince I found out that not only did my husband die, but that he also married someone
\nelse.
\nI sit on the made bed and look down at my wedding band. My thumb of my right hand
\ntouches it, and the lone tear that falls out of my eye lands straight on it. \u201cMommy.\u201d I look
\nback at Lizzie, who is standing in the doorway wearing a black one-piece dress similar to
\nmine with ballerina flats.
\nMy mother-in-law went shopping yesterday and bought us all new outfits for today. \u201cWe
\nneed to put our best foot forward,\u201d she said as I watched her walk in with the six bags.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t let people talk.\u201d
\nI turned around and walked out of the room, going upstairs. Shutting myself in my
\nbathroom with my back against the door, I cried quietly, trying to hide my sobs. \u201cWe
\ncan\u2019t let people talk,\u201d I whispered to myself. The hatred I had begun feeling when I
\nremembered my husband.
\nLizzie walks to the side of my bed and sits next to me. \u201cI hate this dress,\u201d she says when I
\nput my hand around her shoulder and bring her to me, kissing her head.
\n\u201cI know, baby,\u201d I whisper, \u201cbut after today, it\u2019s going to be all over.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what Grandpa A said.\u201d She mentions the name she calls my father-in-law.
\nGrandpa A because you can\u2019t get better than an A.
\n\u201cIs everyone ready?\u201d I hear Ethan yell from downstairs. \u201cThe limo is picking us up in
\ntwenty.\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s go, baby,\u201d I tell her, getting up and holding her hand while we walk downstairs. My
\nin-laws are both sitting in the kitchen. My mother-in-law in a black skirt and top while
\nmy father-in-law has on a black suit. \u201cWhere is Daisy?\u201d I ask them.
\n\u201cElliot is upstairs changing her. She spilled milk on her dress,\u201d Judy tells me, looking at
\nLizzie. \u201cYou look like such a big girl.\u201d She blinks her tears away.
\nElliot comes down the stairs with Daisy on his hip, smiling at me when he walks in.
\n\u201cOkay, you girls go sit in the living room while us grown-ups talk,\u201d my father-in-law says,
\nand the girls both know to leave the room. When he knows they are both out of earshot,
\nhe starts. \u201cToday is going to be tough, tough for us all, but we have to stand together. We
\nhave to be the family that we are.\u201d I lean against the counter while he talks. \u201cThe
\nsituation with the other one has been taken care of, and she has been served papers.\u201d I
\nlook at him and then at Elliot and Ethan, both of them looking down when our eyes meet.
\nIt\u2019s almost as if they feel guilty for meeting this woman. My father-in-law continues,
\n\u201cAfter all this is done today, we are meeting with the lawyers in person, so we can go
\nover the will, start the paperwork for the insurance, and make sure she doesn\u2019t touch a
\nthing that belongs to him.\u201d I stop listening at this point, turning to look out the window at
\nthe backyard.
\nThe swing set that he built in one day to make sure the kids could use it when he left the
\nnext day. The patio set he had delivered to us, so I could have somewhere to sit while I
\nwatched the girls while he was living with another woman. I shake my head, walking out
\nof the room. I sit on the couch, and the girls come to sit next to me, one on each side.
\n\u201cToday is going to be really hard,\u201d I whisper to them, \u201cbut we have to be strong for
\nDaddy.\u201d They both look at me, their eyes exactly like their father\u2019s. \u201cBut, if at any time,
\nyou need to leave or you need me… I don\u2019t care who is talking to me or who is around;
\nyou come and get me.\u201d
\n\u201cGrandpa A said we had to sit and wait,\u201d Daisy whispers just as Elliot comes into the
\nroom and kneels in front of us.
\n\u201cWhat is this meeting about?\u201d he asks, smiling at us. The circles around his eyes are just
\nas black as ours. He hasn\u2019t left our house since this happened.
\n\u201cMommy said if we need her that we can go to her,\u201d Daisy says, looking at him and then
\nme, \u201ceven if Grandpa A said no.\u201d
\nHe leans in, whispering, \u201cYou can come to me too, and I\u2019ll make sure that you get
\nMommy.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay,\u201d Lizzie and Daisy both whisper at the same time, and then the doorbell rings.
\nWe get up, put our jackets on, and one by one file into the black limo that has come to
\ntake us to the funeral home. We arrive before everyone else. \u201cWe get an hour with him,
\nand then they will open the door,\u201d Adrian says as Judy grabs her tissue and dabs her
\neyes.
\nI look around the funeral home. I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019m looking for, not sure where he is. I
\nhaven\u2019t seen him since he kissed me goodbye four days earlier. His last words to me
\nwere, \u201cCall you when I can.\u201d That phone call never came.
\nI follow my in-laws to the big brown door that is closed. \u201cI want to go in before the girls.\u201d
\nEveryone turns to look at me.
\n\u201cWe can keep them in the lobby,\u201d says the lady who greeted us at the door. She told me
\nher name, but I just didn\u2019t listen.
\nI nod at her as she turns to ask the girls if they want hot chocolate. Daisy\u2019s eyes get big as
\nLizzie turns to look at me. I nod my head, giving her permission, so she can go with the
\nwoman.
\nThe doors open, and I don\u2019t even know what to expect. I\u2019ve never been to a funeral.
\nNever known anyone well enough to pay my last respects. Judy and Adrian walk in first,
\nfollowed by Ethan, and Elliot waits with me. I step foot into the room, and it\u2019s so cold that
\nI shiver. The smell of flowers hits me right away, making me turn my head. The number
\nof flowers and wreaths shocks me; the whole room is almost full. Some wreaths blocking
\nothers. Rows and rows of brown chairs line the room, all facing toward the front of the
\nroom. My eyes land on the brown wooden casket at the front of the room. The open half
\nshowing you the white satin inside. I walk down the aisle toward him, and then my eyes
\nland on him. Eric. I can\u2019t take another step forward because my knees give out, and I fall.
\nElliot isn\u2019t fast enough to hold me up, and my knee lands with a thud. But the pain
\ndoesn\u2019t matter because nothing could take the place of the pain in my heart. The sound
\nof wailing fills the room as I look up at my dead husband.
\nI feel arms around me; I feel myself lifted; I feel myself almost floating. He isn\u2019t the Eric
\nwho kissed me goodbye; he isn\u2019t the Eric who I made promises to; he isn\u2019t the Eric who
\nmade all my dreams come true. This isn\u2019t him.
\nThe man with makeup caked on his face isn\u2019t my Eric. My sobs overtake my body as I
\nlook at him, expecting him to open his eyes. Expecting something, anything but this. \u201cI
\nwant the casket closed,\u201d I say, my voice soft. \u201cI want it closed.\u201d
\n\u201cSamantha,\u201d my father-in-law starts, \u201cit\u2019s\u2014\u201d
\nI shake my head. \u201cI don\u2019t want the kids to see him like that,\u201d I say softly. I know that for
\nme they wouldn\u2019t even consider it, but for the girls, they would move heaven and earth.
\n\u201cThey need to remember him alive and smiling, not like that,\u201d I say, pointing at the
\ncasket.
\n\u201cDad,\u201d Ethan says after me, \u201cI agree.\u201d
\n\u201cMe too,\u201d Elliot says from beside me. \u201cClose it.\u201d
\nHe just nods at us, then walks to the man standing in the corner. The man looks at him as
\nthey have a hushed conversation and then just nods his head. \u201cDo you need some
\nwater?\u201d Ethan says to me, and I nod. I don\u2019t bother listening to what else he says; instead,
\nI get up and go to the casket. Standing before the brown box, I look at him, really look at
\nhim. You see some bruising under the makeup, and his nose is a little swollen. His hands
\nare folded over his stomach, resting on his black suit. The suit he wore when we got
\nmarried. Why? I ask him in my own head. Why did you do it? I ask him, hoping I can
\nhear him whisper something to me, whisper anything back. To answer my questions, to
\ngive me something; anything to make me understand why he did what he did. Why he
\nleft me with so many fucking questions and not one answer.
\nThe man comes over to close the casket. Eric\u2019s face disappears slowly, the shadow filling
\nhis face till the casket finally shuts. \u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loss,\u201d the man says, nodding at
\nme. \u201cIf at any time you want it open, we can open it back up.\u201d I turn around now, looking
\nat the chairs that will fill up as soon as the people start coming in. Ethan consoles my
\nmother-in-law, and Elliot stands where we were just sitting, his hands in his pockets.
\n\u201cI\u2019m getting the girls,\u201d I tell them and then walk out with my head held high but my
\nshoulders slumped. Defeated is a word that you use so many times not really
\nunderstanding what can actually defeat you. I know now, my husband dying, him
\ncheating on me, my kids without a father, my dreams of growing old with him gone.
\nBeaten straight down to my core, straight down to my bones.
\nI walk over to them as they look up. \u201cLet\u2019s go, girls,\u201d I tell them as they both get up and
\nwalk to me. Lizzie takes one hand, Daisy takes the other, and we walk back into the room
\nthat holds a piece of our hearts. The room where their father lies, with no answers and
\nno tomorrow.
\nWe stand in that room for four hours while people come up to me and give me their
\ncondolences. I nod my head and play the part of the grieving wife. I am the grieving wife,
\nbut I\u2019m also the wife whose husband didn\u2019t love her enough to just be with her. The wife
\nwho knew her husband was slipping away but couldn\u2019t catch it in time. The wife he said
\nhe would love and protect. The wife who stands here between his girls wishing that for
\none second he suffered horribly. The wife who has to pick up the fucking pieces and lie
\nto her girls about what a great guy he was. The wife who, at the end of the day, just
\nwasn\u2019t good enough.
\nWe listen as people tell us how amazing he was, how much he loved his family, and how
\nmuch he loved his girls. The whole time, I\u2019m yelling on the inside, ready to stand in the
\nmiddle of the room, throw my head back, and yell at the top of my lungs. But I don\u2019t do
\nwhat I want. I don\u2019t tell them what a fraud my husband was. I don\u2019t tell them that it was
\nalmost all lies. I don\u2019t tell them that the day he died, they called his other wife and not
\nme. I don\u2019t tell them that I wasn\u2019t the one with him when he died.
\nI stand here thinking about this other person\u2014his other wife\u2014and wonder how she
\nwould handle this. How she would be with my in-laws. Would she just let them control
\nher and do everything for her? Would she want it to be open and weep for him beside
\nthe casket instead of standing next to it?
\nI look around the room at all the people who came to pay their respects, and my eyes
\nfind someone I\u2019ve never met before. Someone I\u2019ve never seen before, and our eyes
\nconnect. His green eyes stare into mine as I watch him nod to me and turn to walk out.
\nAs he walks out of the crowded room, I strain my neck to watch his back. I don\u2019t have
\nlong to think because Elliot comes up and whispers, \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Giveaway<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To celebrate the release of Broken Love Story, the author is giving away the chance to win one of three signed copies of the Love series, a Kindle Paperwhite or a $10 Amazon Gift Card!<\/h4>\n

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Abou<\/strong>t the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"When her nose isn\u2019t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she\u2019s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It\u2019s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn\u2019t listen to her\u2026<\/p>\n

Goodreads<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <\/strong>Twitter<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0<\/strong> Facebook<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Website\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0<\/strong> Instagram<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Newsletter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/b>Amazon<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  \u00a0 Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback   Blurb Samantha: I had the perfect life; a husband who loved me, and two kids who were my world. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,49,25,9,29],"tags":[59,129,581,48],"class_list":["post-34586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-feeeeeeels","category-friends-to-lovers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-love","tag-natasha-madison","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Broken-Love-Story-1.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-8ZQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}