Beautifully Broken Spirit (The Sutter Lake Series)

Another great read from this author that I couldn’t put down! Love her romantic suspense books! Tuck has been best friends with Walker from a young age. Jensen is Walker’s younger sister who has hung out with them through their years of growing up and both boys were protective of Jensen. Jensen is a single mom who has been through some tough emotional turmoil recently and Tuck is at a loss of how to bring the spark back to her eyes again. Both begin to realize that they have more than friendship feelings for each other. Tuck has to deal with his childhood traumas and his feelings of not being good enough for Jensen. Then, Jensen gets kidnapped and Tuck and Walker need to find her when Tuck realizes his love for her. This book had love, friendship, laughter, suspense all wrapped up in this story. I love Grandma Irma in these stories!

This is the third book in the series and it’s fantastic. Different then the other two, the love interest have loved each other their entire lives. They have always been there for each other. And the twist and turns lead us to that happy ending we all love.

But that isn’t why I’m writing this review.

My girl Irma is perfection. Throughout each of these three books, she has been my absolute favorite character. She’s the out of pocket, say anything that comes to her mind grandmother. Irma is the lady who will protect her own and worries about her family, but she is also the one that breaks up the book and will always give you a laugh. If Irma told me to get in the car and drive, I wouldn’t ask questions. I would follow this lady to the ends of the Earth. If she needs a bestie, this is me submitting my application. I came for the romance with a dash of what will happen, and I’m staying to see what psychic predictions she has next!

⭐ 10/5 🌶️ 2.5/5 🚫Content warnings include, but are not limited to: -Violence/death -Addiction (Secondary character)

I'll just have to accept that I'll love every book in this series! I probably sound like a broken record but I really loved it. My heart can't take it, I cried so much in this book and laughed and everything in one. It was just perfect!

In this book we follow Tuck and Jensen, we get to see their friendship love turn to more but that's not all.... There are some angry ranchers involved and someone from the past!

It was really interesting and each time when the bad guy is revealed I gasp. It's that good! I feel like it's the wild wild west but in a modern way you know. I love the horses and how connected Jensen is with them.

I really really loved the relationship between Tuck and Jensen. They fit so well together, Jensen being kind and wild hearted at the same time and Tuck being this overprotective cinnamon roll and golden retriever boyfriend all in one! They made me tear up so many times. Both of them have a lot of guilt dragging them down and it's beautiful to see how they start living.....and all 3 of them together? Perfect family! I love little Noah.

I can't end this review without saying that Irma is my spirit animal, you'd have to read it to understand it😂🤞🏼

Don't forget about the bonus scene!

Tropes:

• Brother's Best Friend
• Friends-to-lovers
• Single Mom
• Romantic Suspense
• Small Town
• One bed

I'm so glad this amazing story landed in my Kindle and introduced me to Catherine Cowles and the Sutter Lake Series! I love a book that grabs me on page one and doesn't let go, and OMG! Tuck and Jensen's story did exactly that. I literally held my breath in places, and the beautiful epilogue left me in tears. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, since the folks of Sutter Lake almost feel like family to me now.

Here's a bit of the plot, but no big spoilers. As the title implies, this is a story of two broken people--Jensen and Tucker (Tuck)--who grew up on adjoining Oregon ranches and were close friends as children. Tuck called her "Little J," and he always tried to protect her from harm. But Jensen grew up and made bad choices in her romantic relationships, and now--as the single mother of a 9-year-old son (Noah)--she's determined to never trust another man. She lives in a guest house on her parents' ranch, owns a tea shop in town, and cares for her son and a small herd of rescued mustangs. (I loved her close connection with those magnificent horses!)

Tuck--an officer with the Forest Service--is a one-night stand guy who avoids serious relationships, afraid he'll become just like his father, a drunken womanizer who hurts Tuck's mother with his philandering. Tuck swears he'll never marry, and he tries to resist his feelings for Jensen as their friendship slowly changes into something more intense. After all, Jensen is the little sister of Tuck's best buddy (Walker), and therefore strictly off limits. A romance between them is unthinkable, right?

Nature has other plans, of course. When Jensen and Tuck take refuge from a snowstorm at a bed and breakfast with only one vacant room, nature takes over and our best friends become lovers, entering into a secret "friends with benefits" relationship. But it's hard to keep secrets in a small town like Sutter Lake. How will Walker react when he learns of their love affair?

You'll find plenty of steamy sex in this romance, but the story is also wrapped in several layers of danger and suspense. Jensen's ex-boyfriend (Cody)--the jerk who ran off when she became pregnant with Noah--suddenly resurfaces to stir up trouble. And she gets involved in the conflict between local ranchers who lease grazing land, and animal rights activists who seek to protect the wild horses on those lands. It doesn't take long before certain men decide that killing mustangs isn't enough; they need to eliminate Jensen, the woman who loves and protects the horses. Will Tuck arrive in time to save her life, only to lose his own?

I'm going no further with this. Grab a copy of this unforgettable story about two best friends who find love and healing in each other's arms. With immersive scenery, realistic dialogue, likeable characters (except the bad guys, of course), and a gripping plot, this book is a keeper! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

So this one has frustrated me with the character developments from previous books in the series. Jensen started the series being pretty protective of Walker and her family. Tuck and Walker are supposed to be tight. But it's been made that Jensen is a pain in the butt, one minute she's feisty and strong. The next she can't handle anything. Then her relationship with her brother, their supposed to have been close. Yes brothers are protective, but he was portrayed to fly off the handle more then he should've been. It just ruined it a bit for me. And Jensen and Tucks story for the most part was ok, how Walker finds out and that part was written a little lame. Obviously he's hurt, the person he considered a brother and then his sister hiding it, after all Tuck was with a lot of women. Said he never settle. I just feel this part was written poorly. Overall good book, but felt like it ruined how you started the series with the other characters.