Review ~ Pieces of You (Shattered Hearts #2) by Cassia Leo

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: January 21st 2014

Publisher: Random House UK, Transworld Publishers

Description:
Claire Nixon and Adam Parker each have a painful past too heavy to carry alone. Claire once tried to push Adam away but his relentless pursuit of her heart made her walls come crumbling down, and now they know they’re much stronger together than apart. 

But now Claire's attending college a hundred miles away from Adam, and the distance is forcing a crack. To add to the strain, Adam is sent to Hawaii on business, and doubts start creeping into both their hearts. 

Claire’s also dealing with her ex, rock star Chris Knight, being back in her life. Chris wants Claire more than anything, and he knows just how to get her: only he has the power to mend the final missing piece of Claire's broken heart. How can Claire ever choose between taking a chance on new love, or a second chance at having a family and a home?

My Opinion

I was glad that I requested all three books at once when I saw them as after finishing Relentless I moved straight onto reading Pieces of You. This book did worry me slightly as Relentless gives a clear indication of how this story was going to go and it was the emerging love triangle that had me slightly worried as I didn't know where the main focus would be. However, I did find myself enjoying the book.

I found Pieces of You more emotional than the first as with the re-introduction of Chris as a main character it brought more baggage and old memories up as they try to deal with what Claire did when they were apart. I was torn between liking Chris for the way he coped with everything as he becomes a vital part of Claire's life again and disliking him because I favoured Adam. By the end I still preferred Adam, but I didn't find Chris annoying like with the first book as he seemed to have matured and was there at the right moments. The character development in this book was great.

As you can probably see from my vagueness, I'm trying not to give anything away in case you haven't read Relentless. I always find reviewing sequels hard as I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone so I'm going to limit most comments. However, one thing I liked was the point of view switch. Unlike in Relentless, you get Adam, Claire and Chris's point of view in Pieces of You. When I saw this in the table of content I was slightly hesitant and wondered if three people telling the story was going to be too much and overwhelming with information. However, I was surprised at how well the book flowed. Three people were just about right and it gave and insight into every important character what with being written in first person. It definitely gave you a lot of detail and it also created minor stories within the bigger picture to keep things interesting.

Overall Pieces of You was a good sequel. It was just as fast-paced and engaging, so much so that I didn't realise how long I had been reading it when I stopped. The love triangle does not overshadow the emotional content and it was great to read about the characters developing.

Oh, and it also leaves you on a terrible cliffhanger so you may want to get the third book at the same time to avoid shouting in frustration!