Laura's Reviews > Shattered Glass

He could shatter my soul right now, it was so fragile sitting there in his palm.”

This review has been rattling around the ‘ole noggin for weeks now, but I cannot get my feelings down and out on the page. Draft after draft thrown out.

So, this is me free-balling it—so to speak. :D

Mystery, romance, wit, humor, freckles, and bunny slippers! I have such a huge crush on this book! Love, love, love every single thing about it! Haha…Let me give it another go without using the word love 50 times! (Yeah right)

Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander is a fast moving, complex, hilarious mystery touched with sadness and filled from top to bottom with characters to adore. Austin, Peter, Darryl, Cai, Luis, and so many more captured my imagination, smile, and heart. I fell in love with Austin from the jump. What’s not to like about a rich, cocky, smartass? :)

Detective Austin Glass appears to have his life, career, and love all planned out. That is until he sets eyes on Peter. Everything from the case to his love life turns upside down from there. How long can you hide and deny your true self and identity? Austin’s world blows up with such speed and hilarity it will leave you in awe and giggles. Over and over again whether he puts his foot in his mouth or someone comes walking in at just the right time, Austin truly thrives on a priceless gift of embracing the moment and pieces of his shattered life. A crime and case brings Peter into Austin’s life, but will the case now tear them apart?

The back and forth battle for trust, information, leverage, and love between Austin and Peter made me dizzy! At times I was in complete awe of Austin—the way he could just throw caution to the wind and put his feelings out there after hiding for so long. But other times, I was a complete mess, stomach in knots, hands in fists—just waiting for Peter to crush his heart. My heart went from awe to anger in a blink of an eye. Yelling at my kindle over and over—“I can’t believe he said that!” or “Just kiss him!” haha…I loved it!

But it was the writing that had me swooning! This book pulled me right in and kept me there. I can’t tell you how many times I almost missed my train stop. :D The back and forth barbs and comebacks snap, snap, *SNAP* readers around from one word to the next. Dani Alexander’s world, words, and wit required and captured my full attention. Once I fell into these pages, it took a physical force to yank me out. The “snap-crackle-and-pop” between the characters, action, words, and scenes grabbed a hold of my reading heart and never let go! The energy pushed the story along at such a maddening pace and mix of relief, pain, fear, love, and lust--it was dazzling! A one of a kind read.

I want to give you a taste here, but it is nearly impossible and a bit unfair to pull a conversation or quote out of the flow, magic and energy of the story…but I’m going to give it a go. But really it feels like cutting off a limb somehow. Every time I went to pull a couple of lines it would turn into a few and then the whole scene. The words and energy just flow. To take one piece out, somehow felt wrong to me. But hell—I do love to contradict myself. :)

This is just one of my favorite scenes:

(view spoiler)[“Let me buy you coffee? Or loafers? Or goddamned sunscreen.

I thought you couldn’t—

Yeah, I’m not supposed to pay for hookers or go home with guys. There’s a lot I keep doing around you that I’m not supposed to.

Am I going to finish a sentence on this date?

Depends on how often your lips are in range of mine. Where that came from, I didn’t know. Didn’t care either, because Peter smiled. He rolled his eyes, but he did smile.” (hide spoiler)]


So that’s it. Please excuse my tenses, spelling, punctuation, and babbling. I do hope my enthusiasm and love of the book came through though.

Shattered Glass is an original, one of a kind reading experience. One I plan to visit again and again.

Now GO..go read it! :D


Christina—You did it again! Another book I would not have found without ya! Thank you. :)