REVIEW: Beautifully Fractured by Michele Lenard (Front Range University #1)

BEAUTIFULLY FRACTURED

Front Range University - Book One

by Michele Lenard

Release Date: April 30, 2024

Review

New-to-me author Michele Lenard delivered a truly compelling and emotional story between two young men who deserved some brightness in their lives and someone in their corner.

“Getting me to smile is diabolical. It ruins my whole brooding vibe.” “Why do you want a brooding vibe?” “Everyone loves a bad boy, duh.”

Grief and loneliness are big themes for both these men, it’s part of what connects them. It’s what helps Cruz, our golden retriever caretaker, to see Liam’s grumpiness and walls for what they are.

It’s full of exploration but also playfulness, which is exactly why I love a good college-age story. Ultimately it’s sweet and caring, with a bright future laying in front of them.

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Synopsis

Ever have someone get you so well it’s like looking in a mirror?

Cruz

Starting over is not what I had planned.

Those stories about magically becoming best friends with the person assigned to live with you… Yeah, that won’t be me. I already have a best friend. Even if I wanted a new one, Liam wouldn’t be it. He’s permanently grouchy, carrying a negative energy I don’t need since I’m finally in a good place. But I’ve never been good at ignoring when people need help, so I paste on a smile and play nice.

Predictably, Liam isn’t much of a talker, but after an unexpected accident he needs my help in other ways. Ways that offer me answers about myself. Ways that raise new questions about the football dreams I’ve been chasing since I was a kid. Ways that make me relive the past I want to ignore.

To say I’m confused is an understatement, but there’s one thing I know for certain…Liam is either the key to one door or the bolt that could prevent another from ever opening. And I have to choose which I want him to be.

Liam

Starting over is exactly what I need.

I can’t get any more invisible than I’ve been for the past few years, and I figure rooming with another person means at least one human on the planet can’t ignore me. Unfortunately, that human is Adonis personified, and not gay, so it’s looking like my invisibility streak might continue.

Then I suffer a minor accident, and Cruz’s hero complex comes out in full force.

I should be grateful to have someone to open my door and carry my books, but when you pair his selfless personality with that body… My mind starts to blur the roommate line, which makes his blur the line of not being gay.

My heart is already battered, and I doubt it can take rejection from the one person who broke down all the walls I’d built around it. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to give it to him anyway.

**Beautifully Fractured is a high-heat MM romance with medium angst that features a grumpy/sunshine relationship, forced proximity, hurt/comfort situations and a bi-awakening. This is book one in a series of interconnected standalones. Though the main characters are athletes, this is not a sports romance. Rather, it's a romance that happens to feature people who play sports.

About Michele Lenard

Hi! I'm Michele-or at least that's the name I write under-because my parents and my kids are not allowed to read my books. Ever. Though sports romance is my guilty pleasure, I like to dabble in all tropes, genres and genders. My books are set in my home state of Colorado, because to me the mountains are the only thing that can compete with a good book. My favorite food is Mexican, my favorite shoes are flip-flops, and my drink of choice is whiskey, the same as virtually every character I've ever written.

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