Breakable (Contours of the Heart, 2) MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, May 6, 2014

Great read! There were some overlapping parts with the first book which helped to jog your memory and add more context in the story. I wish there were a 3rd!

Landon Lucas Maxfield lost everything as a child. His mother was brutally murdered while his father was out of town and he can't help but blame himself for it. If only he could have freed himself from his bindings. He has finally gotten his life together, going to a good school, living with family friends, and has met a girl that just might change everything. Can he keep it up or will his new life crumble like his old one did.I have been avoiding this review for quite a while. I am not a pre-order person. I know pre-ordering a book helps the sales and promotions and that is awesome, but I typically just wait for the book to release and then pick it up somewhere. This, however, was an exception. I pre-ordered this book months in advance and I waited impatiently for it to show up on my doorstep. This is Lucas' story. LUCAS. I loved Easy. I loved Easy so much that I couldn't imagine this novel being anything but perfect. I devoured this thing as soon as it arrived. I ignored the books I was supposed to be reading to lose myself in Lucas' head. And that is why I've been avoiding it. While reading, I loved it. I adore Lucas and his perspective and I couldn't get enough. Now, trying to think up what to say here, I'm not so sure. Was it as great as I wanted it to be? And within lies the rub. I don't want to say anything about this that detracts from it's awesome. I wanted to be in Lucas' head desperately while and after reading Easy. I can't fault Webber for giving me what I want, right?We finally get to see through Lucas' eyes in this novel. It's everything I imagined it to be and more (and maybe less). It felt like an honest look into his head, not hiding or leaving out things that the reader might not like. I know going in, I knew it was him and Jacqueline against the world, so it was difficult for me to read scenes where he was crazy about a different girl. I think that was my biggest issue. As much as I wanted to know more about his past and his teenage years, I found myself not caring about him. Every time we switched perspectives, I had a huge urge to skip over his youthful indiscretions back to the next chapter about college Lucas and his journey with Jacqueline. I applaud Webber for trying to add something different. We have gotten too many novels that just tell the exact same story as the previous one through a new perspective. That's what we really want, but at the same time, it is a bit dull to rehash the same events, even in someone else's head. So I get what she was trying to do and I loved seeing his past and history, but I just didn't care. Teenage Lucas got on my nerves. Teenage Lucas irritated me. I get that it's his past and it shaped him into the guy I love, but I didn't like him as a character.Jacqueline is obviously the same character we had in Easy. Nothing about her has changed. She's smart and tough and so very vulnerable. So I have nothing new to say about her. If you want her story, read Easy.My problem is, as I touched on above, this is told in alternating chapters. We get a bit from Lucas retelling Easy and then a bit from his past and then more from Easy and more of his past and so on and so forth. I don't know if it would have worked better if it was told in a more linear fashion, because like I said, teenage Lucas irritated me. I wasn't really his biggest fan. I can say that I found myself skimming the "Landon" chapters to get to more Lucas.For me, the Lucas chapters are just as swoon-worthy as he was in Easy. I've read several reviews talking about how he is a creeper in this and it's ruins Easy for them, but I whole-heartedly disagree. I don't find him creepy in this. It's not like he is actually stalking Jacqueline. He just observes her while in class and if/when he sees her on campus. I don't see a problem with that. Now if he was actively following her around and saving her trash, that would be creepy and I would have problems, but who hasn't paid attention to a crush? If there is someone in one of your classes that catches your attention, aren't you likely to watch them? Sneak glances and notice them if you see them elsewhere? Aren't you likely to pay a bit more attention to them?If you are a fan of Easy, I think you'll love this. If you haven't yet read Easy, I think you should do that first. I think it's written in a way that you can understand it if you haven't read Easy, but I don't think you'll love it as much if you read out of order. Seeing through Lucas' eyes is truly a treat and despite my issues, I do recommend this. I think it is a highly enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what else Webber has in store for us (in this fictional world or any other).

First Impressions...I love Tammara Webber books. Every one I've read has been so good. If I picked one from her books that I loved the most, it would be Easy. Lucas was the reason I loved that book so much. When I found out there would be another book, I was super excited. When I saw the cover, I was in love. Not only do I love this book and the cover, but I love the model for Lucas. It's the same model for both covers! He is perfect for Lucas. When the publisher contacted me to be part of the tour, I was seriously jumping. When the book got here, I was a little nuts.But the real clue is WHEN I read this book. You see, I have a reading schedule. I read books in the order they are to appear on my blog. I rarely have time to sneak anything else in. But this book, this book was read almost as soon as it arrived, throwing my schedule out the window. And no regrets.I pre-ordered the audio so I could listen to it again and again. Some books get that status for me. When I'm personally struggling, driving, or doing busy work, I often listen to a short list of books over and over again. Easy was already on that list but Breakable has now joined it.The Characters...I'm drawn to tortured souls in books. Lucas certainly had a tortured past. But what made this book so special was that we met Landon too. He's a happy little boy, only to experience the worst possible pain. His father is buried in his own grief and forgets the little boy he has charge over. Landon needs so much and gets so little. It broke my heart but I was also so impressed with how strong he is. He keeps going. The evil principal of his high school does not stop him. The cruel rich kids try to make him unimportant but he's so important. As Landon and Lucas wrapped into one, I was deeply in love with him. He's brilliant, sexy, sensitive, caring, fierce, protective, and lovable. He is Lucas and I would be his friend for real if I could. But I will settle for reading and re-reading his story.I do love Jacqueline, too. While she is very much a part of this story, this is Lucas' story. I love how she cares for him. He needed that.All the characters are still there and I loved that. We learn more about Charles and his family. We learn more about Landon's Grandpa and father. We meet Boyce, a "friend" from his teen years. I'd love to hear Boyce's story, by the way. He should have his own book.The Story...The thing that always make me nervous about reading a story a second time from a different characters point of view, is that well I already know the story. There needs to be more. The first time I read this type of book and loved it was when I read Colleen Hoovers Hopeless and Losing Hope. I was blown away with how Dean Holder's story was different yet the same. I can now add Easy and Breakable to that same pedestal. Yes, this is a re-telling of Easy, but it's also the prequel and it's brilliantly different because it's Lucas' story.The Writing...How is it different? It flips back and forth between Lucas and Landon. Yes, they are the same person but Landon is his past and Lucas is his now. Tammara brilliantly blends that past and present into something new. All of what happened to Landon was there. From before to the event to the hard after and not necessarily in order. Then there was the present. While I knew what happened with Jacqueline, there was so much I didn't know. Tammara adds those details without re-writing scenes word for word. Summary is used to keep from reading the same dialogue from Easy keeping everything fresh and new. It was perfect.Could I Put It Down...No. I stayed up reading much too late on nights I had to get up for work the next day. I did read it over two days but not because I wanted to put it down. AND I can't wait to re-read it.In The End...If you loved Easy, then this is an automatic read for you. If you love the tortured soul stories with a sexy guy in the mix, then this series needs to be on your next to read list.

I’ve been burned in the past by reading books that show the same story as the original, just shown from a different viewpoint <levels a squinty look at Walking Disaster>, and given how much I loved Easy, I was kind of nervous to read Breakable. What if Breakable was essentially going to be Lucas mooning about after Jacqueline, with his piercings and tattoos, riding around on his motorbike, flexing his biceps........<shakes self awake> I’m back. I so totally didn’t need to worry. Breakable is definitely a novel in its own right. It does tell the Easy story from Lucas’s POV, but that really only makes up 50% of the book and it doesn’t just re-hash what we already know. The rest of the book is Lucas’s back story, which was heartbreaking and compelling in equal measure. Rude, too. Goodness, that boy got around before he met Jacqueline. My word. I should also point out at this juncture that Unbreakable is most definitely a New Adult book, not Young Adult.The story starts off where Lucas has just noticed Jacqueline in their economics class and starts sketching her. It’s a testament to Tammara Webber’s writing that she manages to make Lucas not sound like a creepy stalker all the time when he’s admiring Jacqueline from afar. From there, the book alternates between present day and a few years ago in the aftermath of his mum’s death. Getting in his head and seeing all his guilt, insecurities and self-doubt made for an emotional whirlwind.You also see a lot of new characters - there’s a bit more about Lucas’s relationship with Dr Heller and the other Hellers, the girls at the coffee shop and even some brand new characters. So yeah, for a re-telling, Tammara Webber has managed to keep the story very fresh.I rarely re-read books, so the fact that I’ve re-read this and skimmed through it a third time speaks highly. If you enjoyed Easy, you should definitely take a look at this one.

I absolutely LOVED Easy when I read it awhile back and it has been a book that I've read several times since because of how much I enjoyed the story and the characters and the romance. And while I was very excited to hear of this new story by Tammara Webber, Breakable, telling us the events of Easy but from Lucas's perspective, I was both excited and a little bit wary. Wary because for the most part, the books I've read of a familiar story but told from the man's perspective have been a little bit disappointing. They didn't seem to offer anything new and they felt repetitive and a bit anti-climatic when it came to the romance or emotional highs of the original story. And I was wary because I didn't want to be disappointed by this book or by Lucas, who is one of my favourite fictional men to read about.I'm incredibly happy to report that Breakable by Tammara Webber was in no way disappointing or anti-climatic. It was really good. Instead of just regurgitating the events of Easy but from a different perspective, Tammara Webber gave us more. She gave us a much fuller and more interesting back story that really helped to fill in all of those details and holes in my mental picture of who Lucas Maxwell is as a person. And I loved that. His was a really interesting story and I found it fascinating to read and witness this journey he takes.He's quite a broken and grieving young person after his mother's tragic death and Breakable shows us how he turns to drugs and girls and violence in order to get through it all. I loved seeing the friendships and relationships that have a big impact on him and to see why there is such a big divide in his head between who he was as Landon and who he has become as Lucas. It was really interesting!And of course the narrative splits between Lucas as a teen and also there is everything with Jacqueline as well from the beginning of the school year before they meet, the attack, their relationship and also a sneaky look at their relationship after as well. It was so well done. Even with things that were familiar from Easy, like when Lucas draws Jacqueline in her dorm room, it still feels fresh in that we are now privy to what Lucas is thinking and feeling in these moments.Reading Breakable made me fall in love with Lucas all over again. I really recommend this wonderful companion novel to fans of Easy and of contemporary romances!

Easy was one of the first NA books that I read and is one of the reasons I fell in love with NA. It was a story that completely blew me away so when I heard Tammara Webber was doing a companion novel, I was both excited and nervous. I was worried that Breakable wouldn’t live up to the hype of the first book and also worried that I just wouldn’t like it. But I also ached to hear Lucas’ story so I knew that I would read it regardless. And boy am I glad that I did! Breakable is a terrific novel that is able to stand on its own. It isn’t simply Easy told from Lucas’ side, but an entirely new story – with small similarities from Easy of course – and I thought this was the best way to deal with this story.Breakable, as mentioned above, was Lucas’ story but what really worked is that the story was split between his days before university and his days during it. This occurred throughout the book in a dual narrative way that I really enjoyed. As someone who can lose focus easily, this really helped to keep my attention on the page and is one of the reasons that I continued reading this book. I love that this style of writing made it that much easier to get a rounded picture of Lucas. It was the perfect way to get to know him and follow his journey.In case you missed it, I adore Lucas but I have to admit that in this book, Landon was my favourite character. I loved how much he dealt with and how he got through it all. It was easy to love him because he was fragile while also being incredibly strong. (Translation: he was a human.) I really enjoyed finding out more about Landon and following his life story on the page. I think I enjoyed reading about him so much because he was also a new addition to the Easy story. He felt fresh and new, and I just really loved that. I also feel he is the perfect character to help you know Lucas better. It was a great way to see a new side to the story.Another reason this book was very enjoyable was due to the writing style. Once again Tammara Webber managed to pull me into the story and really love everything about it. Tammara has a very easy-to-read style that sucks you into the story and makes you completely forget about everything around you. She is also someone who is able to evoke emotions in you that go incredibly deep. She truly makes you connect with the story and characters and I think that she is incredibly talented. I cannot wait to read more of her work, be it NA or YA.Needless to say, I found this book exceptionally entertaining. It was emotional, compelling, and full of heart. Once more Tammara Webber has dealt with a very deep and dark topic in a sensitive and enlightening way. What I will say is that if you enjoy contemporary books that are rich, deep, dark, and powerful but also lovely, somewhat light and fun, then you should give this book a try, even if you haven’t read Easy. Breakable is a remarkable book that is simply stunning and should be read time and time again. It is simply a masterpiece that you will fall in love with.

I waited what felt like forever for this book, clapped my hands like a demented seal every time a teaser was posted on FB, and became increasingly anxious I'd built it up so much that disappointment with it would be inevitable.Thankfully, nope. No disappointment to report. Tammara pulled through for me. Again. Love her!Love Landon Lucas Maxfield more.This is most definitely NOT Easy told again with a few minor adaptions and additions.Lucas is given so much depth in Breakable. Such a tortured soul; he has not had it easy. He's incredibly flawed, with a host of bad choices behind him -far from perfect and yet more perfect because of that.(That said, though, a small part of me mourns the loss of his mystery).Also, there's a brilliant cast of new side characters introduced. All well drawn out and interesting, used to good effect in fleshing out Lucas' life.However, much like Lucas, I can't say this book is without fault:I didn't feel quite such a connection with Jacqueline in this; I thought, occasionally, the passages of introspection became a little repetitive; the final scene of their reunion took the story one scene too far; and (view spoiler)I must also say, this book is quite some way more explicit than Easy.Worth the wait :)

Oh my goodness.. I did wonder how wise it was to buy this book as soon as I'd finished Easy. I really enjoyed this story from Jacqueline's perspective in Easy and I have read some books from the male point of view that have basically been the same book barring a couple of scenes, which is massively disappointing. That isn't the case with Breakable. Here, you really get to understand how Lucas thinks - and why - via a series of flashbacks to his teens and his often confused, but sometimes painfully clear, thoughts about Jacqueline. He's a much quieter, cleverer and more intuitive man in Breakable than is apparent in Easy, to the extent I kind of feel that you don't know the Easy story until you've read Breakable.If we're being philosophical, I'd add that it's terrific to see a young man portrayed in a complex and emotional way. I am so *over* alpha males/billionaires/sexually aggressive male characters.However, I now have a major book hangover. I can't get the story out of my head and can't start another book until I do! :P