I had high hopes for this book, mostly because I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress and a reformed bad boy. Bowen struggled at times with his priorities, and the internal dialogue was a little repetitive ("I want her, but I need to focus on my recovery" blah blah blah). Overall I enjoyed Bowen and Gabby's love story and will be looking to read more from Ms. Lane.

This book isn't your typical romance novel. I didn't read the previous books in this series when I received this book for review from NetGalley. I have enjoyed every movie I have watched about friends with benefits and do they fall in love or not. This was no different. I loved this. Now I need to read the first books to get a better idea of the characters and come back and read this again. I think I would be attracted to the characters more.

copy received for honest review
The story started out pretty good but fell off toward the end. There was a good plot/mystery going with the foster father with just fizzled. I know the author used that to get Gabby and Bowen together but the resolution was a bit of a let down. Also the mom drama fizzled too. I was all ready to get into these dramas but nothing really happened. The romance was the usual, he feels he is not good enough for her/she deserves better trope.Bowen wanted to focus on keeping clean and paying his sister back for helping him. He was still in recovery and a relationship is frowned upon. Gabby does not want a relationship. She has trust issues. They compromise with a temporary friends with benefit arrangement. Of course, feelings get in the way. I liked both characters. I just felt that there should have been more. Something was missing for me.

I enjoyed this story and felt it went at a good pace. I always like when there is a little danger in a storyline that requires two people to be together. I guess you could say I am a sucker for the cheesy story lines.

Love, love, loved this book!! Heart touchingly sweet and lovely but also hot and sexy, with great characters and story!

Gabby and Bowen's story may be a pretty common romance trope, but that doesn't make it any less charming to read. Gabby is the innocent in need of protection and Bowen is the tattooed bad boy with a dark past who can't keep himself away from Gabby. Read if you're looking for a traditional romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bowen is a reformed bad boy, a tattoo artist and he also plays in a band with friends. He seems to be too perfect. However, Bowen has a lot of issues that he is working through. He's currently 6 months sober and trying to stay that way. He feels he has been a disappointment to his family and still somewhat is. Maybe he was right at one point buts he's working to fix himself and that's a beautiful thing to read about.

Gabby's a friend of the family. She's an amazing women with trust issues and has them for good reason. As a person that has addiction in the family, I agree when she said "once an addict, always an addict". It's true, but with the right support system an addict can stay recovered (or recovering). It takes alot of hard work.
She has her own issues but just appears to be better adjusted to the world then Bowen.

They come together when Gabby wants a very special tattoo. He helps her out when a stalker from her past comes back to haunt her.

I loved the romance and tension between Gabby and Bowen; however the plot revolving the stalker was not well written. I've read similar subplots that were better written. It felt like it was just a writing tool to force the couple together and not something the plot really needed.

Overall, I loved the story. I would read the book again and would at least try other books by the author again.

Loved this book so much.

This is the first book I've read from Kasey Lane. It definitely wont be the last.

I loved Gabrielle and Bowen. Such amazing and loveable characters xx

I was disappointed and this time not with myself but with this book. I have read the previous books and though this can be read a standalone I always encourage you to read it. I was disappointed because I felt that they was just too much drama and heartache, now dont get me wrong these things happen and I do enjoy love stories that are sad sometimes I just felt that this was a little too much and I really didn't feel their chemistry, yeah I am sad because I really liked the series until this book..

Gabby is in Portland trying to start a new life after a troubled past. Bowen is her hot neighbor and has a troubled past of his own. After a stalker threatens Gabby, she ends up staying with Bowen for safety. These two chemistry but can they find their way from the past to have a future together? A wonderful read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

ARC received for review

This is book three in a series, and I didn't know that when I requested it. It can be read as a stand alone. If you've read the first two and are involved with the all the characters you might not be happy with one of the story lines. I knew nothing about them and didn't care.

Gabby's a great match for Bowen. She has lots of family drama to sort out and how it will affect Bowen. Crazy stalker pushes them together and caused their chemistry to explode.

I'm sure there's going to be more stories in this series.

I found Beautiful Wreck to be a compelling look at climbing back up from rock bottom, believing in yourself when no one else can, and the hard, difficult journey it truly is to get clean… and stay clean.

Bowen had it all and lost it. He’s recently out of rehab and fighting every single day to stay sober. It’s not easy but he’s determined that he’ll never go back into that hell that his life was ever again. Gabby is looking for a fresh start. She’s leery of most men, and due to her own past can never trust someone with an addiction problem… solved or not. Yet these two broken people come together as friends, friends with sexy benefits… and if they’re lucky and can learn to trust they just might find a love to last a lifetime.

I enjoyed my time in this world. I might have wanted to sit both Bowen and Gabby down for a serious talk a time or two, but overall I had a good time with Beautiful Wreck, and really that’s the whole point. If you’re in the mood for a romance that mends two broken people then add this one to your reading list.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

3,5 stars

I picked this book mostly for the amazing cover and because I loved the synopsis!It has interesting characters and enough drama to keep me entertained.There were some moments though that the angst was too much for me!

Gabby and Bowden's beautiful. I just loved these characters, the friends to lovers isn't one of my favourite tropes, but I liked it a lot during this story.

These two characters are both so beautifully broken, and their journey to their ending was heartbreaking at times, but overall enjoyable to read.

Tragic pasts, broken souls, skeptical thoughts, healing. This story has a lot to offer a reader.

Beautiful Wreck

**received an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved Gabby and Bowen’s story. The struggles that they both have to endure make them that much more better as a couple. They have to fight for what they want and they both deserve to be happy. Bowen’s openness to his faults will pull you in and how he wants to make sure he keeps on the right path, steals a piece of you. And when he takes in Gabby you will be rooting for them to make a go of it. This was the perfect installment to the Rock ‘n’ Ink series.

Gabby wants a tattoo to cover up the scars from what happen to her early on in life. She knows that Bowen does amazing work but at the same time she is attracted to him and doesn’t know if she has enough guts to have him do it.

Bowen is attracted to Gabby but knows he should stay away from her while he is trying to get his life back together. But when she wants to get a tattoo from him, he continues to fall for her and when her apartment is broken into it’s the perfect opportunity for him to get to know her better.

Gabby is grateful to Bowen for all that he has done for her and when they take their relationship to a new level she can’t let herself get caught up in the what if. They only have now and she needs to cherish what little time they have. But will it be enough? Or is their attraction and chemistry too much to ignore?

DNF @ 19%
This book had so much potential. And it failed so miserably.
Now, this is the third in a series and I had not known that before I read it. Maybe I should have before I picked this up.

I had to DNF for this two reasons. One was that both of these characters annoyed the living daylights out me. I was sick of Gabby’s attitude and Bowen’s pushiness. Two, it was seriously lacking chemistry between Bowen and Gabby. I’m okay to try and push through a book if I don’t like the characters, but a romance with no chemistry? No deal.

The premise sounded great but I kept getting bored or distracted.

Bowen was at his sister Kaven’s wedding. He was practically coming out of his skin. The heat the tux, the party and all these people. People he loved but now everything had changed especially him. Bowen wasn’t quite sure where he fit into anymore. Bowen pulled his jacket off and put it over his arm before pulling out his shirt again. Then Gabbu, a new addition to his tight-knit group said she felt the same way about her dress. Gabby was also Bowen’s new neighbor and hot. Gabby started hanging out with Bowen’s best friend-Jax’s- fiance. Bowen had even worked with her a couple times at the Portland Community Women’s Center also known as Quirk where they both volunteered like the rest of their group. Bowen thought of Gabby’s eyes- they were deep and dark like she saw things inside him that Bowen didn’t want people to see. Dark full of stories she had never shared with anyone. Bowen wondered what the usually quiet and often sarcastic Gabrielle Alvarez his behind those green eyes and her her ironic smirk. He knew it was probably a little ugly and a little sad. So for not the first time Bowen thought he and Cabby should steer clear of each other because two people with secrets and smoky pasts didn’t mix well. Bowen’s days of charming anything female was over. When mentioning his sisters wedding instead of rainbows and butterflies floating around in Gabby’s head, he seen a mix of dark heartache and distaste. Bowen hadn’t noticed how attractive Gabby really was when he had seen her before. Lust shot from his chest to his celibate penis. Bowen had gotten out of rehab six months ago. If there was anyone Bowen trusted with the most important person in his life-Kevan it was her new husband Mason. Kevan and mason owned a entertainment marketing company together. Kevan thought Bowen to be a bad boy. Now she knew his sister called him Bobo …. But gabby thought once addict always an addict add that to his unnerving good looks and the man was a recipe for disaster. Yet here she was dancing with him Gabby couldn’t remember the last time she’d let a man touch her in anything more than a quick hug or professional handshake. But surprisingly bowens hands on her didn’t fill her with the need to run. Gabby actually wanted to lean into Bowen’s embrace. Cabby’s skin sizzled, her nerve endings crackled to life and sent threads of electricity through her body where Bowen’s calloused hands touched her skin. Was that what other women felt when a man touched them? It wasn’t normal for Gabby. Gabby had no interest in any kind of sexual attraction in men. No doubt bowen was the most attractive man she had ever met. Gabby almost forgot for a minute she wasn’t interested in bad boys. Or boys of any persuasion for that matter. Bowen told gabby to relax as they danced again but Gabby hadn’t been held by a man like this in a long time. Or maybe ever. Bowen was also a metalhead- into heavy metal. Bowen said he was a reformed bad boy sid there was no such thing as gabby didn’t believe people could change. Because the opposite had been proven to her time and time again. Bowen played guitar and base and was a tattoo artist. He had given Kaven most of her ink. Gabby had a scar she wanted covered up and had mentioned it at Kaven’s bachelor/bachelorette party and Kaven volunteered Bowen for the work. Bowen told gabby the work she needed done would take several settings and Gabby didn’t want to think what it would do to her head to have Bowen’s hands on her for all that time. Bowen worked at Taleggio as a tattooist as did some of his best friends. Bowen wanted to know more about this beautiful odd woman. Jax then called bowen on stage to play his guitar and he saw gabby slip out of the reception. Bowen loved the way everything changed became hyper-focused when he held his guitar or bass, music was something he could control in his mess of a life. Bowen had been practicing with his band Toast- other bandmates besides Jax was Nathan and Declan. and for the last couple of months. But it was hard to get in front of people and play. Bowen went to Gabby’s apartment after he got home from the reception . She somehow agreed to meet him next day at the shop so he could see her scar and discuss ways to cover it up. After Bowen had left Gabby noticed on the glass table on her balcony was a pile of blood- red flower petals arranged in a neat circle. The next day she went to the shop as she pulled up her shirt and tucked it under her bra her palms grew damp and her heart raced. But this was the next step in getting better, getting over her past and moving forward. Gabby thought Bowen wasn’t a lover, he wasn’t there to judge her body, he was there to fix it. To help. He was an artist and she was just a flawed canvas. Bowen was the first non-medical person to touch her scars. The first man, -other than the man who hurt her with the knife- to touch her there. She had the scars for six years. Then when Bowen walked Gabby from the shop to her car they seen the word BITCH on her window in red. Bowen had tried keeping Gabby out of his head since the day before but she keeps popping up. After seeing Bowen’s idea to cover her scars she loved it. She also gave him a big smile that ,made Bowen want to believe in love and redemption, and second chances. Gabby usually want anyone to touch her , hadn’t for a very long time. So Gabby didn’t quite know what to do with these new feelings. Feelings of desire, want, lust. Whatever it was called Gabby suddenly wanted it with Bowen. Gabby got lost in codes-numbers, patterns, beautiful logic- everything just worked. Gabby’s work had always been her happy place, her salvation, the one place in her world that made sense. Gabby’s apartment had been broken into and everything was basically destroyed. She was now staying with Bowen until she could get another place and get everything settled. She was working on a project for work- Ultra moda project. Gabby was very smart. Then her mother Alam called but when she called Gabby knew she always wanted something, this time she said she was being transferred from jail to a treatment program. Then she asked about Gabby’s life, as gabby started to open up to her mother the phone went dead in her ear the time to talk from jail was up. Gabby and Bowen became lovers and bowen was her first as gabby had been a virgin but hadn’t told Bowen and he hadn’t been happy about that. But there was to be no strings and as soon as Gabby was safe again and settled they would go back to being just friends.
I loved this story. Although it was filled with heartache it still had a beautiful romance that grew as this book continued. I was so happy with the end!! I loved Gabby and Bowen together and how they interacted with each other. Two broken people who so needed each other they just didn’t know it. I loved how the author portrayed Bowen's addiction as well as Gabby being a survivor and letting Bowen know what she had went through. I loved the arthur showed how hard recovery can be to stay on the straight and narrow and work your program and try to have a life also. Also how much gabby had suffered even after she had been scarred. This was well written as far as I am concerned. I loved how their group just accepted and cared about gabby. But also how they cared about Bowen even after he had messed up so much. I happily couldn’t find anything to criticize in this book. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

Sometimes ugly pasts can paint a beautiful future. Bowen's in recovery; an addict with bottom of the barrel vices who's almost crawled his way out. The last thing he needs is the distraction of his cute friend/neighbor Gabby. Bowen's own past was filled with women and his penchant for being a charmer. He charmed me and he'll charm readers but Gabby will be a tougher cookie.

Gabby's running from a past that's dark and terrible. Keeping her head down and moving forward is all she can handle right now. But temptation lives in her building and he's also Prince Charming. So when that dark past threatens, Bowen comes running to the rescue. Through weeks of back and forth, these two tortured souls learn more about each other and why they're each a total wreck. But as they peel back the layers, it becomes harder and hard to mix the romance with the tough stuff. Gabby has trust issues, as any woman should with her past. So Bowen is tempting but can he fight for her while fighting for his own self?

I loved the whole notion of this book. Two people colliding when it seems they can never find their HEA; where the readers just want to scream at the hero/heroine for being stupid and just LOVE each other! Bowen was so charming but I didn't feel the true struggle a recovering addict goes through with him. There didn't seem to be temptation to use very much (which props to him) but it made me feel like his struggle wasn't as difficult as Gabby's was on the page. Gabby's past coming back to haunt her was strange as well, the threats seemed to happen in quick succession and then petered out for weeks with almost an anti-climactic resolution. That mixed with their change-on-a-dime feelings for one another (Gabby would get so mad at Bowen, like breakup mad, but then 5 minutes later go on a date with him) made the story fall a little flat for me for a bit. A story with a great beginning and wonderful characters that I wanted to see so much growth with but the pull wasn't as strong for me. A quick redemption romance read for those who love the trope.

Beautiful Wreck by Kasey Lane. A enjoyable story, great characters, dialogue, storyline. Also a beach setting. And a perfect cover on the book to top it all off. Looking forward to reading more books by Kasey Lane.

This is my first book by Kasey Lane and it won't necessarily be my last, because the book had a lot of promise. Most all of my issues with the book had to do with the heroine, Gabby, though I will say that the subplot that had her get close to and move-in temporarily with Bowen—that a mystery person from her past is threatening her—was not super well done.

Bowen was a great character, and I thought very well done. He appears in the previous books (I assume), or at least the one featuring his sister, and I'm guessing we see him very differently in those books. At this point when we meet him, he's been out of rehab for 6 months and has been staying sober and clean—there was some drug use, though it does seem like alcohol was the main issue. He's been working really hard on getting his life back together, becoming the reliable friend and brother he aspires to be, and focusing on work and recovery.

He used to be a bad-boy player, but has stayed away from women (in addition to all the other stuff) since he's been in recovery. His developing attraction to Gabby has therefore come at an inconvenient time, but he finds himself very drawn to her and given the circumstances that they find themselves in, she at the moment really needs someone to be there for her. She's not very trusting and has a prickly disposition, which is initially part of what intrigues him about her; he wants to see behind the mask and image she projects and get to know the woman underneath. When she's faced with her apartment being broken into and destroyed, he wants to be the dependable guy she can turn to (though don't get me wrong, there's also plenty of physical attraction and lust involved).

Gabby was annoying and my main problem. I understood what Lane was going for, but for me, Gabby came off as too unlikable. She was prickly and distant, though then sometimes she started softening Bowen, but then would go back and forth. She was inconsistent, sent mixed messages, wasn't very nice to Bowen (though at the end, he's the one who all-of-a-sudden pulls the asshole move and throws up the last obstacle). She could have used more fleshing out and more ... I don't know, more ... something.

Recommendation. The following contemporary romances offer much better versions of prickly heroines that are very worth reading:
— Wild & Sweet by Rhenna Morgan
— Holding the Dream by Nora Roberts
— Rock Hard by Nalini Singh (though she's not that prickly)

*This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.