The Stillness Of You (Beautifully Damaged #1) by Julie Bale
New Adult
March 12, 2013
Self Published

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Ben Lancaster was going to break me and I didn’t care. I didn’t care at all “

The Stillness of you is a raw, emotional, turbulent, and honest contemporary romance that addresses mental illness and the stigma that unfortunately follows it. Well written with a smooth storyline, well plotted conflicts, and some smoking hot romance. Strong characters will sweep you up and break your heart as you follow their tremulous love story.

Georgia King is bipolar. She spent a year spiraling down the rabbit hole in a dark destructive haze of drugs, alcohol, sex, and an eventual suicide attempt. When she is able to bring herself out of the darkness, with the help of her brother, medication, and a small stint in a recovery facility, she finds herself finally feeling like she may survive the fall. That is until she meets Ben Lancaster.

Ben is a newly signed hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers; the team her brother coaches. Gorgeous, hot, and undeniably sweet, he is instantly smitten the first time he lays eyes on Georgia. Georgia also feels an instant connection with him yet struggles to keep him at arms length. She is not in a good place and knows that it wouldn’t take much for her to fall again and she refuses to drag him down with her.

Told in alternating voices, it’s interesting and heartfelt as we see Georgia through her own eyes and Ben’s. She sees herself as broken and potentially dangerous while Ben sees a beautiful seductive young lady with whom he wants to build a life. While the romance is sensual and hot with some pretty sexy scenes, it’s Georgia’s journey that speaks to your heart. Georgia carries around a lot of guilt and self loathing. Her childhood set the stage for her destructive nature and a tragic event is the catalyst that tears her world apart. As she begins her path towards wellness, she is unable to match the person Ben sees with the person she feels she is.

My heart overflowed with emotion for Georgia. I am intimate with bipolar disorders and it’s a hard disease for everyone involved. She is trying her best to reconcile her past behavior and find the necessary tools to lead a productive well balanced life. Her increasing feelings for Ben scare her to death. She is sure once he meets the real Georgia, he will leave her. And she feels she deserves that. She refuses to share all of herself with Ben and this causes most of the conflict in their relationship.

I ruined things. I ruined people. I was my mother’s daughter through and through.

Ben is fantastic with Georgia. He keeps digging and holding on; trying to get to the heart of her and constantly reassures her that he is there for the long haul. His love for her is a shining star in her bleak outlook on her life and their relationship. His own happy childhood doesn’t give him the knowledge to completely understand Georgia and her issues but he tries so hard. When he is finally privy to all of Georgia’s secret, I wanted to kiss him all over for his reaction.

“You’re wrong you know. I love you. All of you, even the pieces that you won’t show because all that stuff makes up that circle and I don’t give a flying fuck if it’s broken. I love every cracked and fragmented piece of you.”

The ending isn’t traditional for a romance; there is no resolution. We are left with a strong feeling that Ben and Georgia’s relationship stands a strong chance if they are both willing to try. I thoroughly enjoyed The Stillness Of You and look forward to the next book in the series-The Chaos In Me which is slated to release Spring/Summer 2013.

Overall Rating: B+

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