By Tee Smith
Broken Masterpiece is a self-published (Indie) book by West Australian author Tee Smith. I was fortunate enough to meet Tee at an author book signing event in the Barossa Valley in May 2019 where I purchased a copy of her book. I was so impressed that I introduced her to Beauty and Lace admin to discuss including her work as a Book Club read. I hope those of you who have been selected to read and review her book enjoy it as much as I did.
Smith lists herself as a writer of romantic suspense, but I think this book fits more into the genre of domestic noir. Broken Masterpiece is a beautifully written psychological thriller while also being a no holds barred expose of the realities of domestic abuse.
The story centres on a young woman by the name of Charlie who having experienced a life-threatening incident has woken with only a few scattered memories of her childhood. Although she feels safe in the arms of Harris, the man who says he is her husband, says he found her after she was carjacked, beaten and left for dead and says they are celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary, there are many things that don’t feel quite right, or make sense.
Judy, the woman she met in the bookstore and has developed a friendship with, questions the scarring on Charlie’s neck and other marks on her body, and hints that Harris has been violent towards her. Charlie doesn’t believe her but has to admit she can’t remember anything of the 10 years of their marriage. Harris has made no secret of his dislike of Judy and that he doesn’t want Charlie spending time with her. Judy questions why Harris is controlling who Charlie can or can’t see, wonders why Charlie doesn’t remember receiving any medical treatment after she was “found” and why there doesn’t appear to be any police report associated with the incident.
Judy’s questioning awakens Charlie’s curiosity about who she really is and what happened to her and so she turns to the internet to find some answers.
What Charlie finds will make her question everything Harris has told her, but the decisions she makes as a result of the information found will turn her life into a living hell, as she fights to regain not only her memories, but also her safety and life.
Broken Masterpiece is an intense, powerful and disquieting novel that keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.
Highly recommended, I give it 5 stars.
20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading Broken Masterpiece by Tee Smith. You can find out what they thought in the comments section below. Please note it may contain spoilers!
I love to read, for many years my passion has been science fantasy but recently I’ve discovered many fabulous Australian women authors and am devouring all the new genres I am being exposed to.
In addition to reading and reviewing books I enjoy photography, spending time with my husband, daughter, grandson, 2 dogs and a cat and am an aspiring author.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace Book Club and Tee Smith I was lucky enough to get chosen to read Tee Smith’s self published book, ‘Broken Masterpiece’
Firstly I was impressed that Tee has published her novel herself and was willing to send them to 20 of us readers to read. I wonder why she is self published? It can’t be because a publishing company wouldn’t publish her book because it is good!
The story is about Charlie who woke up after an assault not remembering anything. Not remembering her name, her husband, her house then she worked out that maybe life was different then the people around her were telling her.
The story unfolds from there and twists and turns with her memory returning little by little and it is very suspenseful and I couldn’t stop reading wondering where and how it was going to end.
I was satisfied with the ending, although I felt it was a little rushed and could of explained a bit more as it is a short 200 odd page book and the story could of been longer.
Well worth a read!
Chardonnay Black. A brutal, twisted and manipulated story of love, loss, money and power.
I felt drawn in and compelled from the moment I picked it up, until I finished the last word.
Tee Smith has written a beautiful novel, one which is full of hurt, confusion, strength and courage. Tee has touched on subjects which are often overlooked, misrepresented and misunderstood or understood when sadly, it is too late for justice to be served.
Charlie is a strong woman who has forgotten how to be strong. She is attacked and wakes to find that she can no longer remember her past or the life she had. Snippets are fed to her by her husband Harris.
A series of events leave Charlie confused and confronted with stories that don’t add up, with health concerns which need answers and with the underlying feeling hat things are not right. A friend helps Charlie and she fights to regain control of her life and her past, though things are not always as they seem.
The story line at times left me breathless, frustrated and angry. Tee has captured the feelings and pain that comes with such events and has done justice to the story line she has chosen. She has provided a series of angles and a put a lot of feelings into the characteristics of Charlie and Harrison.
Well done Tee and thank you Beauty and Lace for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderfully written novel.
Just when you think you figured out who the bad guy is, you turn the page!
I really enjoyed this book! It was short, and an easy read, but it packed a punch and kept you guessing! The topics were confronting, and even if you haven’t dealt with those situations in your own life, you can see how people get caught in the web and find it difficult to escape.
It actually opened my eyes to certain things that are going on around me too.
I really enjoyed the book and hope to read more from Tee Smith!
Broken Masterpiece is a short book with the theme of domestic violence and betrayal. Charlie or Chardonnay is the main character who suffers from amnesia but slowly begins to question her life and relationships until a particular event triggers her investigation into her true identity. Her real life begins to come back to her, making the existence she had a farce, causing more questions than answers.
The theme of the story is interesting, and at times suspenseful, but is sometimes difficult to read due to the flow of the sentence structure, causing the reader to re-read to see if there was something missed. At times the description of thoughts and emotions, along with events, appears to be superficial. With greater exploration of these issues the book would be one that readers are unable to put down.
Thank you Beauty and Lace Book Club for the opportunity to read and review Tee Smith’s Broken Masterpiece.
Broken Masterpiece is a short book with the theme of domestic violence and betrayal.
I could not put this book down I wanted to find out what happens to her. I had a couple of late nights reading it.
A good read .