Pretty Wreck, Pretty Broken #3 by J.R. Gray

Pretty Wreck is an angsty rock star romance, with lots of heat and an ending that will have you cheering.

From the blurb:

Alister Fox

The pretty boy. The loner. Old Hollywood.

I had all kinds of names as the least known member

of the most famous band in the world.

Behind all the hype and masks, I'm just a Pretty Wreck.

No one knows the disaster I am,

my secrets hidden behind style and a smile.

I've been running for as long as I can remember,

but I can't get away from the gilded cage of fame.

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep it together.

I'm forced to go back on tour to play the summer concert circuit,

and so is the guy I've avoided for two years.

Ten years older than me, he's the bassist for the hottest punk band.

He beds a different girl every night,

but while the rest of the world slept, he'd crawl into my bed.

He's the only person who has ever felt safe,

but he's straight, so I ran from him, too.

Now I have to face him and it's all unraveling.

I'm afraid I'll be the first to break,

bringing our fame crashing down.

Kingsley Cole

My words have gotten me in trouble for as long as I can remember.

They got me suspended from eighth grade

and banned from online forums,

but they also made us famous beyond our wildest dreams.

Poetry and scorn.

My deepest thoughts, raw and exposed for the fans to consume.

They spawned rumors and ruin, and they’re about to do worse.

He hasn’t spoken to me in years.

But our secret keeps bleeding into my songs.

My next album is a ticking time bomb and when it hits,

it will be the end of us.

What will be left but a pretty wreck?

Sheena's Review:

Pretty Wreck is the third in the Pretty Broken series, and it's the turn of Alister and Kingsley.  This should be read as part of a series, there's a lot of continuing threads from the first two books.  It really is best read as part of the series, not a standalone.

It seems like ages ago that I read the second book, and in hindsight I perhaps should have re-read the first two before going in to this one, because I felt kind of lost at the start when it throws you right into the story.  I did initially feel like I'd missed something but I soon picked up the story.  I barely remembered Alister from the first two books, honestly (that's probably more on me though, than anything else).  This book is rock star angst at its' finest though.  Alister is isolated from the band, and from the guy he loves more than anything.  Turns out the band manager is a lying, manipulative, gaslighting tool who's deliberately set out to create most of the issues within the band and has played on Alister's emotions for years.

I loved seeing Alister turn things around though, seeing him reconnect with Kingsley was a joy, and seeing their relationship develop was an utter joy.  Also, I loved seeing Alister reconnect with Iris (who I love so much ❤️) and seeing the band connect again together in a united front was great too.  I loved Alister and Kingsley's story, they've been through so much to be together and I was there for every single moment.  

I hope the next book is the band sticking it to the manager, because he's an utter waste of a human and deserves all that karma throws at him.  Honestly, by the end I was cheering for the Pretty Broken boys.  Can't wait for Cas' story.

Rating: 4 Stars

Heather's Review:

Alister... Alister.. so much trauma in your past and so many bad decisions... was Kingsley one of them?  Let's read and see... As the third book in the Pretty Broken series, this one deals with themes of past abuse, horrible families, drugs, manipulation and that's just the first few chapters...

This book was angsty, steamy, sweet and an excellent read.  You'll be lost if you try to jump into the series now, since a lot of the storyline with Alexander creeps in from the first two books, but if you really need to read it as standalone, you'll still enjoy the interactions between Alister and Kingsley, but you'll miss the bigger picture and want to go back and read the first two books!

Rating: 5 Stars

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"I'll always miss the way you made me believe you loved me."

"That wasn't a lie."

"All of it was."

These two absolutely killed my heart. Alister and Kingsley just could not get out of their own way. Both of them just can't stop hurting each other. Every time they get together, it's pain. The worst part is that they are both feeling pain over the same thing, the loss of the other. Now you have to remember these men are both rock stars. They live life hard and they come from nothing. The guys in the bands are not the picture of mental health. Their coping mechanisms range from drugs to sex to running away from it all. Trust is far from easy to give, so even when it's staring them in the face that they both want the same thing, they're blind to it. How do people who've never known real love recognize it when they finally have it?

"I couldn't keep meaning nothing to the person who meant everything to me."

There were numerous times I wanted to smack the MCs on the head, but I knew they had to figure things out in their own time. And while they did their soul searching, they also engaged in an enormous amount of filthy, dirty sex. It was fabulous. I love a good ol' fashioned possessive and passion fueled romp in the hay. And we get several.

"Leave marks on me."

"Before you go on stage?"

"Yes, I need them. I told you I hated when they fade."

I mean seriously. 🔥🔥 Also, I knew that fuck Alexander was no good. Though I didn't know just how much of a predator he'd turn out to be. He was always awful when it came to Iris. Speaking of Iris, that man is the glue that holds that band together. His life is spiraling, yet he never fails to be there for his friends. I hate that he thinks so little of himself. It did make me happy that the band seems to be getting back to the friendship they had when they started. 

We have 2 books left, and the next one stars Cas. I'm guessing, well, hoping, that's because it's going to take 2 full books to fix what's broken with Cas and Iris. There's a truckload of baggage there and it's definitely gonna take some time to wade through.

Rating: 5 Stars

Pretty Wreck is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.