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The Davenport Dynasty #2

A Beautiful Distraction

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Justin Davenport’s effortless swag and business prowess make him a hot commodity in Haven Pointe. The second oldest son of the Davenport family dynasty, Justin is a man who is all work and a little play, with many disturbances. Tortured by traumatic loss, he copes by entertaining distractions in the form of beautiful women. Justin always delivers a good time but never promises a tomorrow with him, let alone a lifetime. He is who he is; take him or leave him, but women rarely want to depart. But what happens when emotionless distractions are no longer enough to mask the hurt?

Elori Maxey is a single mom, dancer, and yoga instructor hustling hard to rebound in a familiar, yet new city after the death of her biggest supporter, her daddy. Elori’s effortless beauty, zen spirit, and Brooklyn swagger doesn’t go unnoticed in Haven Pointe. She’s looked for love in all the wrong places but still hopes to find a kindred soul connection. Elori’s free spirit begins to play tricks on her when she finds herself desiring to be more than just a diversion.

Justin and Elori find themselves in unsuspecting territory - battling between restored passion and empty adoration. What happens when two anguished souls collide? Is it a beautiful distraction or a catastrophic disruption?


210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2023

115 people are currently reading
460 people want to read

About the author

Robbi Renee

22 books1,181 followers
Hey Loves! I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri (in the words of Nelly, “I’m from the Lou and I’m proud!) with incredible parents and two amazing older sisters. Born Stacey Renee, I was the baby of the bunch and always had a vivid imagination – was wise beyond my years (to grown for my own good) if you ask my mother!

My love for talking too much (ha!), journaling, daydreaming, reading & watching various genres of movies, books I went to journalism school, determined to become Oprah! After finishing my degree, I did everything but becoming a journalist. I dishonored my childhood dreams of being in some form of entertainment but found a way to use this big mouth for good in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space.

I rekindled my love for reading and writing during the 2020 pandemic where my alter ego & pen name, Robbi Renee was born. Robbi is my daddy’s nickname so my pen name pays homage to him. (Yep! I’m still a daddy’s girl!) Renee, as you can see is my middle name – Robbi Renee!

I started Love Notes by Robbi Renee as an outline to release all of the stories that live in my head. I was challenged to write and publish my first novella, French Kiss Christmas, published December 2020.

Robbi Renee draws upon personal experiences with life and love. My written works are inspired by my adoration for Black love, and stories of romance, heartache, trauma, intuition, and redemption.

Stacey/Robbi Renee enjoys her own Black family love story with her husband George and teenage son.

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5 stars
318 (61%)
4 stars
147 (28%)
3 stars
39 (7%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Annette Williams.
1,213 reviews439 followers
October 27, 2024
Opening his heart to another woman was a hard no for Justin. After a painful loss he has yet to grieve, he’s become a workaholic with no work life balance whatsoever. Justin works 16 hour days because, home is no longer a place of peace for him. And he’s okay with that because, it helps him to forget the painful memories from his past that lives rent free in his head. Over the last four years, he’s become detached and emotionally unavailable and, work is the only thing that keeps his demons at bay. Outside of the women in his family, Justin doesn’t deal with any female on a personal level. Until he met her. Elori is a free-spirited yoga instructor who has moved back to St. Louis to recalibrate her life and figure some things out after the death of her dad. During their first encounter, there’s an instant connection between them that neither of them can deny. Elori is the breath of fresh air Justin didn’t know he needed but, letting go of the trauma and pain from his past proves difficult melting the ice that has formed around his heart. A Beautiful Distraction was a beautiful read. It was raw, intense, and emotional. Your heart will break for Justin and the loss he's endured. These characters were polar opposites and shouldn’t have worked but, fate stepped in and showed them that opposites really do attract.
Profile Image for Dahyana.
697 reviews88 followers
October 16, 2023
Elory x Justin

I just knew I was going to love this. Justin was emotionally unavailable. Meaningless sexual encounters were all he had to offer. His past hurt and trauma were very heartfelt. Justin met Elory, and he felt something. Something he hadn’t felt in a while. She was a free spirited yoga instructor and mother to the most precious little boy. On paper, Elory and Justin really don’t go together. He’s in the corporate world, and he came from money. She’s free, she’s struggling financially, she’s the yoga and dancing in the park kinda gal. Both were dealing with heartaches in their own ways, but the sparks between them were flying hella high. Justin did all he could to keep El at arm’s length. But something about her wouldn’t let him stay away. When it came to El, we got to experience a new side of him. The caring, sweet, patient, and gentle and protective side. Justin and Elory gave me all the feels. El was absolutely perfect for Justin. Their HEA left me smiling with all the butterflies 
Looooved it!
Profile Image for Kameel.
1,078 reviews306 followers
September 25, 2023
Justin & Elori

We Finally Got Justin’s story….The nature and organic chemistry between Justin and Elori was immediate. I love the way Justin came in an instantly developed a relationship with Loyal. I’m a sucker for a story that involves children….I’m anticipating another Davenport story the oldest brother or even maybe one of the sisters.
Profile Image for Toya  Davis-Stokley.
2,623 reviews106 followers
October 9, 2023
Whew, Miss Robbi, you hit me right in the heart, and disrupted my tear ducts with this one ma'am! Justin an astute businessman, who seemed to have it all together, but he was holding onto trauma, that could break the strongest individual. Love, hmmmmm... out of the question! He hid behind the distractions of escorts, until he met Elori.

Elori, was dealing with grief, moving back to her mother's house, raising a young king alone, all while trying to make ends meet. However, all those things did not stop her cheery disposition, and her positive impact on the world.

When Justin met Elori, the connection was immediate. He was captivated by everything that was her, and it scared the hell out of him! He felt comfortable in her presence, although he felt she could really "see" him and knew the pain he carried. Elori thought, so this is Justin Davenport huh? Damn he fine! 🤩 They seemed to be in sync from the very beginning, but he was holding back.

Justin felt the need to care for and protect Elori, making her adore him. Then he would get in his head, and back off, upsetting her. This was so hard to read, and I could feel the pain and sense the battling that Justin was going through, to allow himself the grace to love again. Just a beautiful story. ❤️
Profile Image for Mary Mimi Brown.
117 reviews10 followers
October 3, 2023


If she writes it I am going to read it. If you read Beautiful Surprise you know the MMC Justin is Jameson ‘s brother and also from Pretty Shattered Soul he is King Cartwright homie. We do see Gisele and Jameson and also Syncere and King in this book which I loved.

In this book we have Justin and Elori and from their first encounter there is connevtion between them neither can deny. Both are hurting from different situation from their past. Elori’s pain comes from losing her father whom she was real close to and then relocating with her 9year old son Loyal who she is very close to. Justin’s grief comes from a past relationship which I won’t go into detail about but when he released all the trauma that was involved he needed to heal properly. Elori was the perfect person for him to help heal and move forward. The relationship Justin built with Loyal was so cute. I’m a big sucker for this 😊There’s minimal drama and the right amount of spice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for 'The Book Queen'.
6,087 reviews122 followers
September 29, 2023
I liked this distraction

Hi honey I'm home. That was the feeling I had with this story. It was raw, emotional, aggravating, and a good read. I wanted Justin to get out of his head about his past hurt. Elori was almost too accommodating for Justin when he was being windy- washy. I guess they needed to take the long way home instead of taking a shortcut through the woods. Elori was weakness and strong at the same time. She had to be mommy and daddy for Lol homie... So I got it. I wished she would have protested harder when Justin bossed-up on her. Overall, I enjoyed this story...
Profile Image for DeWanna.
300 reviews9 followers
September 29, 2023
This book felt so organic and comfortable. I love when a writer grabs your attention so much you feel like you have been in the city they are writing about. Justin has such layered character and storyline. Elori made a decision to care for her child, but did not loose her stubborn free spirit nature. Lo was the bright spot in the book.
Justin and Elori had such a natural attraction that sparked their trajectory.
But that Baby Daddy , Camille, low key Elori's mom also can go have several seats. Camille empathy for your situation but you are very selfish.
Glad that Elori and Justin grew together.
Profile Image for Ashley Nicole .
26 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2023
I loved Justin and Elori’s love story. I enjoy watching the characters grow in love. Seeing how Elori was able to get into Justin’s heart and tear those walls down was amazing. The way Justin immediately showed love to Loyal proved that he had a big heart. Without hesitation he took Loyal in and became a positive role model in his life. My heart ached for him as he was revealing his trauma to El. He needed that release and time to heal before he could fully love Elori.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for martha fountain.
838 reviews18 followers
October 10, 2023
Beautiful love story. It was so emotional that I found myself cheering for Elori and Justin. Loyal is a great kid. The author delivered again!
16 reviews
November 24, 2023
Second chances

Wow! My goodness I shed heavy tears for Justin and cried tears of joy for Elori.

This book was so emotional. Justin was holding on to something so heartbreaking, so deep and it would not allow him to love or be loved. Elori was dealing with a heartache of her own. Two battered , tethered hearts come together and become exactly what the other needs.

531 reviews
September 24, 2024
I love me some Robbi Renee!!!

This book is not in a series but it’s follows the Davenport brother and girl friend from A beautiful surprise. Haven Pointe has men baby and I want to know where I need to be to find them.

Justin Davenport’s was a man about his business and solely taking care of business. With a all work and no play the man still had needs but never let on that it was anything more than just that. His haunting past would not allow him to do or be anything but determined and focused on his business. Staying guarded due to his traumatic loss. But that’s all comes to a head when he runs into Elori.

Elori Maxey is a yoga instructor that has to move back home after a loss of her own. As single mom, dancer, determined to build a life for herself and her son was a rough struggle trying to make ends meet. Moving from New York she stands out but in the best way. With a free spirt and go with the flow she finds it hard to find her place while trying to gain clients. While she is doing temp jobs she is lead to work for Justin while he is on vacation.

El leaves her mark on Justin without even trying and when she meets him in person she is simply being her self. The two dance this contradicting dance while being hot and cold leave the other only wanting more and confused as to why it is what it is. When they both speak on the loss they have suffered through both realizing they need to heal before they can make room for the other person. Both try to restore what’s broken in the other with all of the adoration. Both bring each others beautiful distraction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for NeneReads.
21 reviews
April 19, 2025
I wanna start by saying that this book kept my attention until the very end. I loved Elory's character and felt she brought a lot of value to the story. The dynamic between her and loyal was a beautiful addition. Also, can I just say how bomb the cover is? Its honestly what drew me to the book, I found it to be very captivating.

That said, there were certain aspects of the story that left me a bit disappointed.

Before I dig into that, I wanna rag on Justin and his baggage for a minute. I hate how Elory had to pry and pull information out of him. He was so hot and cold, and it got old really fast. Like why did your escort have to be the one to reveal what's been weighing on you all this time? Then, when they finally had the long awaited conversation, he didn't tell her that he'd spoken to Camille and received the closure that he later told her about in the hospital. You could've said that days ago, buddy. It honestly felt like he and emory would've never spoken again if not for her getting into a car accident and being pregnant.

That was some odd writing to me. Like why place her in the same exact circumstances as his fiancee/ wife? That's what brought them together? A car accident and a baby?

Some of the editing mistakes also went into my rating. All in all, it was a solid 3 and I did enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Crystal Luckey.
763 reviews31 followers
November 14, 2023
Justin Davenport don't have time for falling in love, he has his relief and work hard everyday. When his brother and sister-in-law have their gender reveal, he meets Elori Maxey, a woman he can't get out of his mind. Elori has been trying to settle in being back home, but didn't expect to meet the man of her dreams. Both dealing with past hurts, Elori and Justin gravitate to each other and can't seem to let go. When things get to tough for Justin and drudge up memories from his past he runs.
I have been waiting for Justin story since I was first introduced to him in Pretty Shattered Soul. I wasn't ready for his story, he was a man who knew what he wanted and he was the perfect gentleman. Justin loved hard which caused him hurt in his past. Elori was a breath of fresh air that Just needed, it was like she knew what he needed to feel again and be who he used to be. They were perfect for each other. I loved this story and was rooting for them from the beginning. I loved how Robbi, had Justin as the one struggling to figure out if he wanted this relationship. It showed that men who love hard, can also be hurt. A beautiful distraction, was a distraction I needed!!!
Profile Image for Celesté.
295 reviews4 followers
December 18, 2024
What’s the point of dual POV if you’re not going to give the reader the tea early?? Every time the story switched to Justin’s POV I waited to learn what his story was but got nothing but breadcrumbs. It was hard to connect with Justin’s character because he appeared to be a wishy washy man. I hated that for Elori because HE stepped to HER with interest. Don’t come playing in her face if you’re not serious or ready to face your trauma. Go on back to Hazel Dazzle Frazzle if that’s the case 😂

My guard was up higher than Elori’s 😂 I just didn’t trust Justin, until the big reveal. He was getting way too cozy with Elori and her son while STILL hiding vital info about his past trauma and current lifestyle.

In the end, I was rooting for Justin because of course, he and Elori were just right for one another. Everyone deserves a second chance at happiness ❤️

P.S. We deserved a scene where Everleigh slapped Hazel on Elori’s behalf 😂
Profile Image for Jerrica (Mrsmar10Reads) Martin .
1,700 reviews10 followers
February 16, 2024
Only Beautiful Distractions

Elori walked into Justin's life and completely turned his world inside out. He really wanted to take care of her and the lil homie Loyal. While he meant well and his intentions were very good, opening his heart was something that was hard from him because he wasn't truly whole. In order to be consistent and intentional, you can't have something as heavy and soul stirring as.Justin had weighing you down. Elori needed consistency because she was a single mom, with an impressionable son, she was doing it all on her own, and she deserved no less. I can tell you I was giving Mrs. Davenport the side eye at first how she was coming for my girl, but she got right. This was a great book and a recommended read from me.💋
324 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2024
.

Elori didn't recognize the hurt and pain in Justin before that initial conversation about Amore when she asked about the tattoo as well I can't stand when people say let me fix you. Because the truth is you can't. You can help alleviate someone's pain but can't no one earth fix another person with a loss so profound as that of a child. It just irked me to no end. And how Elori came to Justin on some bullshit after the run in with Hazel was just tacky and disrespectful as fuck. Instead of throwing a temper tantrum in public she should of pulled him in private to talk to him. It pissed me right off. For someone to be so zen Elori was quick to get physical.
446 reviews5 followers
October 7, 2023
Jus & El

This one had stressed and swooning. Justin was a workaholic battling some serious trauma and El was the balm he needed to soothe his achy heart—only if he was ready to let her. The man was too darn hot and cold for me. Had my girl and lil homie stressed for a bit with his indecisiveness. I loved when El comforted him when all was revealed, but also chose to step back for her own sanity. That space was needed, but the reconnect scared me for a minute. I’m glad everything worked out for them, and now I’m anxious to see what’s up with the rest of the Davenport fam!
1 review
November 30, 2023
Lovely read

This is my first time reading a book by this author and she made me write my first review lol. I loved the way it flowed, no unnecessary fill in information. I loved how we focused on Justin grief, it really zeroed in on how men grieve. Elori was able to help him refocus with support & encouragement instead of trying fix him like most women do. She allowed him to heal within. Such a great read!
13 reviews
July 9, 2024
Rollercoaster of Love

Dealing with real trauma, learning to open up and enjoy feelings, all while being dominant. Justin was a joy to read about. A rollercoaster, but a joy nonetheless. His growth was wonderful. Elori was a beautiful rainbow and sunshine from start to finish that Justin had to feel worthy of in his own. A redemption story for men and single mothers that deserved to be told.
242 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2024
I cried so muchhhhhh!

This is my first Robbi Renee book and will definitely not be my last. From start to finish, A Beautiful Distraction beamed with love. There were parts where I cringed because the love was so palpable between Elori and Justin but they just couldn’t align… until they did. I must’ve shed a bucket of tears for the last 20 pages. I cannot wait to find another Robbi Renee book to cry over 🥹❤️
259 reviews5 followers
September 30, 2023
💜💜💜💜💜

Justin and Elori are so freaking cute. Justin has some deep emotional issues he needs to work through. Elori is a free spirit that blows with the wind. Justin feels alive and at peace when he is with Elori. She has money issues but she doesn't let them get her down. I love how they were able to work through their issues and find love and Happiness together.
Profile Image for Felicia Green.
53 reviews
October 13, 2023
You’ve done it again

Of course I would expect nothing but the best from. From start to finish with every page turned I enjoyed Justin and Elori love story.I give up I don’t know which one of these men I’m in love with. You always leave me wanting more.Thank you for keeping us entertained with your books!
Profile Image for Shahtia Gay-hairston.
3,473 reviews27 followers
October 15, 2023
Beautiful Distraction

Justin fell for Elori instantly. Really before he even met her 😊 Elori was really different. It was hard to relate to her personality and ways but easy to see how she was perfect for Justin spiritually and physically. Justin had a lot of hang ups and healing to do.
Profile Image for Jasmin Watson.
1,367 reviews
October 18, 2023
A Beautiful Distraction

This was my first time reading a book by this author and I must say that I wasn't disappointed at all. I love the story from the beginning. I love the bond that Justin and Elori built. They both need each other. I definitely will reading more of this author work.
Profile Image for Tarsha Woods.
1,243 reviews
November 13, 2023
Delirium

Sometimes we need distraction to heal from things that obviously aren’t beneficial or good. Unhealthily distractions are burdens that will keep us from growing into a positive future. Letting go allowing God to prosper throughout our grief will help process the pain and loss.
Profile Image for Breeana.
637 reviews7 followers
November 25, 2023
Second chance at life...

Justin got a second chance at not just love, but living he was just existing after his trauma. In walks Elori and Loyal giving Justin a reason to live and what a life they created together. This is such a great read, I'm about to explore the authors entire catalog just off the strength of this novel alone!
Profile Image for Ondria  Bacon.
554 reviews3 followers
September 30, 2023
Adorable

I enjoyed reading this beautiful love story. This one was well written. The words flowed and the characters were awesome. Lori and Justin were great to read about. This is a good one!

Happy Reading‼️
Profile Image for Michelle.
308 reviews5 followers
October 2, 2023
Beautiful Story!!

Another winner!!! Imma sucker for new relationships with kids in need of parental support. Blended families make amazing stories!! And as always, the dialog was fire!!
Profile Image for LaKista Berry.
55 reviews
October 6, 2023
Robbi does it again!!!

I feel like a broken record but this woman knows how to write a beautiful love story. She makes you laugh, cry, talk to yourself.....lol! 10s across rhe board
Profile Image for Kendra Broomfield.
379 reviews
October 13, 2023
Wow! Just wow! A beautifully written story of healing from past relationships and trauma. Life is so fragile and such a gift, we should always remember to cherish it and keep living it. I love a good happy ending and Robbi Renee did not disappoint!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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