There are few books in my collection that I find where I am texting every reader in my phone telling them you need to read THIS. Doesn't matter the genre you prefer, doesn't matter if you are man or woman, I was texting. I only hope that they listen.

I opened All Beautiful Things by Nicki Salcedo knowing it was inspired by Beauty and the Beast with a twist. The heroine, Ava, is the beast. As you read on the back cover, she was attacked and left scared.

The Prologue starts out with a few letters from the hero to the heroine. She never writes back but he never stops writing. I think that in itself tells you the kind of man he is. From chapter one, you can see that Ava is detached. A ghost moving through life but unsure how to live it anymore. She goes through the motions, she knows what she wants - to be a normal person for her nieces, to take care of the men at her homeless shelter - but she's never been the same since her attack and now her presumed attacker is back on the streets and the man who has been writing her letters for the last seven years is suddenly standing in front of her, flesh and blood.

There are a lot of fairy tale references, some obvious, some a little hidden, that, of course, had me fan-girling a bit because I love fairy tales.

Every writer out there has a message to send. We all have those authors who designate with us. By the time I closed this book, my heart was warm and my eyes were watery.

I find myself having a difficult time doing this review without spoilers which is unusual for me but I'm just so eager to discuss it. I need those people I text to get reading.

For me, the overlaying message is that all of us have scars and sometimes we get so lost in our own pain we forget that bad things happen to other people too. Its not about saying my pain is worst than yours, its about just trying to find those people who can help us heal.

This is a book I think everyone needs to read. - And then write me so we can discuss it!

Remember, All Beautiful Things is our book of the month for Book Brunch. On February 28, we'll discuss this great story. So make sure you go and get it, read it and come back!

This savory delight was served up to you by Bryonna Nobles.

Kari and I wanted to do something a little different on this review blog. We're readers above all else and love discussing books.  We've decided to create our own Book Club called Book Brunch.

At the beginning of every month, we'll select a book that we can all read and at the end of the month, we'll set up a Book Brunch on the blog to discuss! This is a great way to expand your literary horizons and find new authors to adore.

Since we're already halfway through January, the following book will be discussed at the end of February. So to kick off our first Book Brunch, we have:

Debut novelist, Nicki Salcedo

Seven years ago, a knife-wielding stranger left socialite Ava Camden for dead on the sidewalk of an upscale Atlanta restaurant. She survived, but her face was brutally scarred. The police, the courts, and the powerful Camden family pinned the assault on only one suspect: Joel Sapphire, a twenty-year-old star athlete on the cusp of a pro football career. Too drunk to remember any details, Joel was found over Ava’s body, holding the bloody weapon.

Graham Sapphire grew up fighting on the city’s tough southside, and he’ll never let the Camdens crush his family. Now a wealthy hotelier, he’s determined to clear his brother’s name—and to find the monster responsible for Ava’s scars. Graham started writing to Ava the day his brother entered prison, asking her to give him a chance and offering his help. She never answered—but she never stopped reading.


Now Joel has been paroled, only to vanish before Graham can reach him. Is he lurking in the shadows or on the run from death threats? Ava is the lure that will bring him back, but she’s not alone in the fight. Graham will give his life—and even his brother’s—to protect her. The bond between them is hot, tender, and almost as dangerous as the hunter who waits in the shadows of the city’s darkest streets.


Kari and I hope you'll join us on February 28 to discuss this amazing novel. It promises to be quite an experience. Maybe we'll even get lucky and the author herself will drop by. You never know!