{"id":72696,"date":"2023-12-01T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=72696"},"modified":"2025-08-29T01:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T05:26:03","slug":"release-arc-review-broken-dreams-whitlock-family-2-by-corinne-michaels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=72696","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Broken Dreams (Whitlock Family, #2) by Corinne Michaels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Broken Dreams by Corinne Michaels is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I loved this book! A fun, emotional, swoony and sexy friends-to-lovers, fake dating romance between two widowed single parents. I was so completely wrapped up in this story, and I loved every moment!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Audio<\/a>\u00a0coming 2 December (<\/strong>Narrated by Sebastian York & Kit Swann)<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

What could possibly go wrong fake dating the gorgeous single dad in a small town?
\nThe answer, you fall for him.<\/p>\n

It started out perfect. Grady Whitlock needed a plus one for his business meetings, and I needed a date for a wedding.<\/p>\n

We had a plan. It was a good one.
\nUntil it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I was not supposed to have feelings for him. I was not going to let my heart race when his soulful blue eyes stared into mine. No way should I have noticed his smile or the dimple on his right cheek or his strong arms when he held me close. I especially wasn\u2019t going to melt when I saw him play with my daughter.<\/p>\n

Most of all I was not going to sleep with him.<\/p>\n

Nope. None of that was supposed to happen, but it does.<\/p>\n

Now I find myself dreaming of him every night. Wishing we were really a couple because the way he kisses me doesn\u2019t feel as if it\u2019s pretend.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019ve both watched our dreams shatter, and I can\u2019t handle another broken heart.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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

5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

I loved this book! A fun, emotional, swoony and sexy friends-to-lovers, fake dating romance between two widowed single parents. I was so completely wrapped up in this story, and I loved every moment!<\/p>\n

This is the second book in the Whitlock Family<\/i> series, and while it could be read as a standalone, it\u2019s set in the same world as the Arrowood<\/i> series, so we see a bit of that family, and it\u2019s a genuine crossover with the Rose Canyon<\/i> series. If you\u2019re a Corinne fan, you\u2019ll be in cameo heaven, and I loved seeing so many beloved characters again.<\/p>\n

Grady Whitlock is a former military pilot, now a single dad to an adorable three-year-old son. It\u2019s been three years since his wife died, and he has left the military and returned to his home town to be near his siblings and give his son the stable, settled life that he\u2019s dreamed of. And part of his plan to do that includes staying away from relationships.<\/p>\n

We first met Addison in [book:Help Me Remember|61028316] (Rose Canyon, #1) when she was newly widowed, and during the course of that series she packed up her life and her baby girl and moved to Sugarloaf for a fresh start. She\u2019s created a great life for herself and little Elodie, and after three years of grieving, she feels ready to get out there and find love again. But entering the dating pool is not as easy as it sounds.<\/p>\n

Grady and Addison meet because their kids attend the same pre-school and have become instant best friends. They\u2019re also tied together through friends and family (as is the case in a small town). When Grady realises that he needs to be seen as a stable \u2018relationship man\u2019 in order to woo an investor into his new business, and he learns that Addy needs a date for an upcoming wedding, he proposes that they pretend to date. Bonus that it gets their well-meaning, matchmaking friends and family off their backs.<\/p>\n

It’s a great set-up, made all the more awesome because Grady and Addison share an instant connection as friends, but they\u2019re also wildly attracted to each other. They\u2019re honest from the very beginning about how they\u2019re feeling and what they want, and they know they want different things. But the fake dating gives them plenty of opportunity to spend time together, and the chemistry becomes harder and harder to ignore\u2026 until they can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I wish this wasn\u2019t fake. That all of this was real.\u201d
\n\u201cThere is nothing fake about desire.\u201d
\n\u201cNo?\u201d
\n\u201cWant me to show you?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Holy freaking hell, this book is SO freaking steamy! Grady is bossy and a little bit wild in the bedroom. He\u2019s a filthy talker, is supremely confident, and man, he delivers in all the ways. Addison is shy, but Grady shows her things she\u2019s only dreamed of, and the two of them are on fire together. The sex leaves both of their worlds are well and truly rocked, which just makes their situation all the more complicated.<\/p>\n

It’s friends-with-benefits, but not. They\u2019re pretty much in a real relationship, but not. They say and do all of the right things, and God, Grady is a dream partner \u2013 caring, supportive, funny and so, so damn hot. They both know they\u2019re developing real feelings for each other, but given their circumstances, they\u2019re also holding back.<\/p>\n

Addison rests her hand on my chest, right over my heart. \u201cHope is what keeps us going forward. Don\u2019t ever lose it, Grady.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd what do you hope for?\u201d
\nShe pulls her lower lip between her teeth for a second. \u201cLove. I hope for love.\u201d
\nI wish I could be the one to give it to her. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s not easy, but it\u2019s never angsty, because they\u2019re completely honest with each other every step of the way. The emotion is beautiful as they are both coming out of their grief and moving on with their lives in a realistic way \u2013 putting their kids first while figuring out what they want and what they need. They talk about all of it, and it\u2019s such a beautiful journey for both of them.<\/p>\n

I want this man. I want this man to want me \u2013 forever.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love these characters so much. I love their easy banter and the way they so deeply care for each other and their children. I love that their stories and their feelings are realistic, I love that there\u2019s no unnecessary drama, and I love that they find their way to each other without too much heartache. It\u2019s beautiful and heartwarming, and I was swept up in all of it as they both get the happy ending that they deserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou love me?\u201d \u2026
\n\u201cMore than I ever knew I could. More than I ever wanted to. I love you \u2026 and I was a fool to ever think I could stop myself.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Along the way, there are lots of fun little moments between them, their friends and families. I loved catching up with characters from previous books, and I loved getting to know Grady\u2019s siblings better, and I\u2019m so looking forward to continuing on with this series.<\/p>\n

This is a gorgeous read, and a fave for 2023.<\/p>\n

5 huge stars!<\/p>\n

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

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Whitlock Family<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forbidden Hearts (#1)<\/strong> (Asher & Phoebe)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Broken Dreams (#2)<\/strong> (Grady & Addison)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Tempting Promises (#3)<\/strong> (Rowan & Charlotte)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Forgotten Desires (#4) <\/strong>(Carson & Brynlee)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meet Corinne\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.<\/p>\n

Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.<\/p>\n

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NEWSLETTER<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0WEBSITE<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0<\/strong>FB GROUP\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>|\u00a0\u00a0GOODREADS<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

AMAZON\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>INSTAGRAM\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0TWITTER\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0PINTEREST\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0BOOKBUB<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0TIKTOK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0VERVE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Check out more great reads on our\u00a0Corinne Michaels Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

  Broken Dreams by Corinne Michaels is live! I loved this book! A fun, emotional, swoony and sexy friends-to-lovers, fake dating romance between two widowed single parents. I was so completely wrapped up in this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,1132,50,49,9,1036,29],"tags":[59,164,48,1488],"class_list":["post-72696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-fake-relationship","category-favourite","category-feeeeeeels","category-romance","category-single-parent","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-corinne-michaels","tag-review","tag-whitlock-family"],"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\/2023\/10\/Broken-Dreams.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-iUw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72696","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=72696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}