Beneath, You're Beautiful (Beneath #2) by Tori Madison

 Four words continue to haunt me . . . 

You. Have. Breast. Cancer.

I associate them with the upheaval of my life to this point. The last few months have been a test of my strength . . . mentally, emotionally, and physically. Cancer is a monster. It preys on your mind and it consumes you, consistently reminding you of how your life used to be. Life before cancer. I was a successful business woman, running my own design firm, and was happily married to my college sweetheart. My life seemed perfect. Until it suddenly came crashing down all around me.

So, here I am, in the midst of treatment, incinerating the remnants of my shattered marriage and attempting to piece the rest of my life back together. With three amazing friends pushing me forward, the ‘post-chemo’ finish line is coming into view.

And then . . . there’s him. The man I never anticipated. The one who breathes hope and meaning back into my life. A man who kisses my scars and shows me that I’m beautiful. I never expected him. Hell, I never expected cancer. I’m finally ready to write my future, a future I never planned on, but one that is sure to exceed anything I ever imagined.

4 Emotional stars

Beneath You’re Beautiful follows Victoria on her journey right after the ending on Beneath it All. She had been in a difficult period of her life, not only fighting breast cancer, but also discovering who was worthy on being on her side and who wasn’t.

At the point comes Dr. Blake Forrester, her plastic surgeon, who was one of the people who supported her in this journey and now comes to request for a chance to be in her life, but not only as her doctor. Victoria needs to think about it, because she was dealing with a lot of shit lately and she’s not certain if she’s ready for something new, especially in her current situation, mid-chemo, bald and weak. She wonders why he picked her, when a hot, smart man like him could have anyone.

Blake made me feel normal. It was like we had known each other for longer than a few months, and I forgot that I was a woman with breast cancer.

Meanwhile, her past hits on her door again and she doesn’t know how to deal with that, when her wounds are still raw. At the same time, a similar fate seems to strike one of her friend’s life and Tori has to live all over this again, even though she’s ready to move on and forget about cancer.

My life had revolved around cancer for what felt like forever. It was nice to just be Victoria.

I really enjoyed Tori’s journey in the continuation of her story. I have to admit that this book made me more emotional and I cried until I turned numb. This book gave me a book hangover, but I’m a softie so don’t judge me. It was really beautiful watching how she was dealing with everything. Victoria is a strong woman, but even strong persons have their weak moments and it was really wonderful to join her in this self-exploration journey and how she was trying to buld back her broken pieces.

"You have to believe me when I tell you that beneath all the physical and emotional scars, you're beautiful. I want to be part of your life and I want you to be part of mine."

I loved once again her friendship with the girls, I generally love how this series shows the power of the friendship and how important friends can be in our lives. Because let’s face it. We all have a friend who will push everyone away when they get a new boyfriend-fiance-husband. Victoria had her friends on her side throughout her journey, not only when shit hit the fan, but before that and after that and I admired that in this book.

Also, Dr. Blake, man, he was so lovely, hot and caring. He was just so perfect and I think we all need a Blake in our lives. He was understanding and you couldn’t help but fall in love with him. As for Noah, all I have to say is

Last but not least, I would rather have more details about Tori's & Blake's relationship than details about cocktails and candy, but this didn't make me enjoy it any less. And yes this book speaks about cancer and it won't be the lightest read you've ever read, but it's realistic, educational, since I've learnt a lot about breast cancer through this and emotional.

PS: If you're wondering if this book has a HEA: YES IT DOES!! :D[ YES IT DOES! :D (hide spoiler)]

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