Broken Echoes: A Second Chance Romance with a widower and single dad, finding love through the heartache (Fragments of Love Book 4)

'Broken Echoes' by Mireille Martinelli is part four of a series, Fragments of Love. It follows Tommy, a widower and a single dad, and Dee, who is also a widower and an abuse survivor. The story revolves around how they find their way back to love. The first half of the book had me completely excited and invested. The book has a strong start, with the prologue being so emotional. Like, really strong. Martinelli makes you believe in her characters. A sign of a great author. Both Dee and Tommy have such original personalities and experiences, but you find yourself instantly rooting for them to come together. It is so sweet to read their first few shy and awkward dates. Their careful attempts to navigate a relationship with each other are sweet. Eventually, they develop feelings, which is portrayed with such authenticity and makes you go 'aww'. It also makes you smile, which it did. You just want to be with both of them in the story. Connected. I also loved how the author adds a funny situation like a sibling fight or a kid situation after a few heavy or emotional moments in the book (I don't know if I was the only one who saw that). Maybe to lighten the mood. I also loved Tommy's family and the dynamics of sibling love and rivalry. So true for my family. Then the twist comes, and they fall apart, and it's when the book kind of loses its momentum. The middle part of the book just drags on for no reason. The story loses its flow and goes directionless. The story would improve if those chapters were trimmed or removed entirely. Also, the thing that bothered me is how Dee's past wasn't given so much attention. She is the FMC of the story. It isn't like I stopped reading the story because of it or anything. But her past have added another layer to the story. Like, 'what bad thing' was her ex doing when he died? On the technical part of the book. The editing needs a lot of work. Sometimes the grammatical mistakes and spelling mistakes are right there, pulling you out of the story when you are finally getting back into it (not ideal timing). Also, the repetition in some chapters needs to be worked on. However, the good news is that the ending is actually nice. The pace is back on track, the loose ends are tied, and you close the book with a smile. I like how the author did not add too much drama, no weird or unnecessary characters, but also a hint of what might be the next story (I see what you did there, author, bravo)! This story gets a good 3 out of 5 stars for me. The book has great characters and a really good story. But it also has a slow middle, and the editing needs a few passes. This book has potential just needs a bit more work. I would recommend the book to people who love second-chance romance and a family-style love story but please be careful for abuse trigger however small it might be.

This book had a compelling start. The story introduces the reader to the protagonists of the story, and the author does an incredible job describing each of the characters, their emotions, and personality. However, I personally feel that the author perhaps overdid with the descriptions and they became too lengthy. Therefore, it may seem that part of the story progressed at a slower pace than would be expected from the plotlines unfolding. The relationship between Dee and Tommy was, without a doubt, my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed observing the development of it, dating, and learning about each other. From the beginning to the point when Dee and Tommy decided to date, the story was very engaging, interesting, and filled with various emotions. Until that point, it was difficult for me to imagine that the story could have become boring at any point. However, the point when Dee and Tommy broke up marked, for me, the turning of the story toward becoming less engaging and, honestly, I find that the second half of the book contains parts that seem somewhat dragging. To my mind, some of the book’s parts could have been shorter or removed entirely because their presence made the story feel like it was dragging too much. Therefore, from that point onward, the story lost some of its interest for me. On the other hand, the interesting pace in which the plot progressed was restored in time for the ending. In the later parts of the story, the plot regained some of its momentum and intrigue, and I found it enjoyable to observe how it all concluded. The final parts of the book also restored my interest in the plot, as well as making me happy for the overall conclusion and how the story’s end came to pass. Thus, while the middle part of the book seemed dragging, the restoration of the engaging pace before the end of the book helped make it a positive experience overall. Overall I found this book had both great and mediocre parts. The start of the book was extremely positive in that regard: the characters had amazing personalities, and Dee and Tommy were a great couple to follow. The middle part dragged too much, but the last part of the story improved the pace and gave the book a fitting finish to resolve all of the plotlines and leave the reader satisfied by the outcome.

Okay, straight to it. You know how regular romance movies or stories are protrayed, you know the regular cliché. This is taking another road actually, the author decided to focus on the gradual progression from friendship into romance.   Honestly, using this angle, the author kind of tries to show us that romance is not really a fairy tale, not focusing on the highs always being shown to us but a slow and steady process built through trust, comfort and support. When reading, you would see that it follows the life of Tommy, a single father raising three children after losing his wife, Rachel. He then meets a woman, Dee, who is still recovering from an abusive marriage. They both meet at a grief support group where they start to get closer through shared experiences and later, you know, fall in love. I really like how the story is executed, as the energy and flow are something you and I have experienced in our day-to-day lives. You know that heavy feeling in your heart when you like someone, yh you can feel it here too. Now, well, I have to end the review before I ramble on and on about love, but trust me, you cannot go wrong with this book, it makes you feel like you are 12 all over again. Trust me, the slow burn is really something. I am giving this book a full and unfiltered 5 stars.

Sometimes life happens, but we choose the outcome. Broken Echoes by Mireille Martinelli follows a widow and a widower. Tommy and Diane, one loss is a blessing, the other not so much. Yet they both grieve having lost someone. When they meet at a bereavement group, a connection is formed between the two. Where one is battling the effects of being oppressed for so long, the other feels guilty from moving on from the love of his life and the mother of his three kids. This story carries so much weight portrayed through each character. Its realness adds to the emotional depth. Tommy’s family being in a state of awkwardness after his son asks if Diane will replace their mommy moments like this made the book feel heavy in its own way. It carries the grief that people hold, yet it also gives hope to those that are still struggling with the reality of loss. Tommy’s mom and Diane’s sister are the voice of reality that says it’s okay to have a future. Martinelli also writes with consideration and care when mentioning domestic violence. Having strong themes such as death, grief, and reclamation makes the book worth reading. The romance is also a slow burn, making it entertaining and intriguing. This book is well written with good pacing and interesting dialogues. Romance lovers would love it.

Broken Echoes by Mireille Martinelli, the fourth book in the Fragments of Love series, is a compelling narrative that depicts the complexity of a life shattered by grief even in the presence of blazing love. Which raises the question: will fear be chosen over love? Tommy Doyle, a dedicated father of three, is suddenly thrown into an unexpected loss, which leaves him with a painful new reality. But what happens when his monotonous lifestyle is tilted by the sudden appearance of a beautifully striking woman in his group therapy? Diane Callahan, having lived a life in the hands of spousal abuse, is ready to take in an unknown future. With the advent of a group therapy she had to attend, it never dawned on her that this might be an entry to a new future. But what happens when a present bliss seems to bring in the ghost of a painful past? Mireille Martinelli describes this crescendo in Broken Echoes. The author has a penchant of writing the Fragments of Love series in a descriptive pattern that starts with the major grief incidence and then the entry of a new romantic entry that disrupts the narrative. I thought Broken Echoes would follow this pattern, but it soon turned out that the narrative is more established than the previous series. I liked how the author gave the reader a glimpse into the blossoming life of Andi and Gavin, which we left behind in the previous book of the series. I deeply enjoyed how the author narrates the joint familial love from Tommy's family, the constant support of Lauren towards Diane even in the present state of loss and grief. For readers who enjoy stories which depicts the journey from grief to recovery, Broken Echoes by Mireille Martinelli is a certain wholesome read I would recommend. I received an advance reader copy from the author, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.