The Fragile One

The Ones #2

by Kate Randall

Her life was shattered and she’s desperate to find peace. He’s living with the ghosts of his past mistakes, refusing to let anyone too close. Can one broken heart heal another, or will they only break each other more?

Genres: Contemporary

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2022

About the author

Kate is a lover of all things books. It doesn’t matter what genre, as long as there’s a HEA, she’s in. She started reading romance in high school and would hide novels in textbooks to read during class. Becoming an author was always a dream she had and finally decided to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and write what she loves. She grew up in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan then became a West Coast girl where she lives with her amazing husband and hilarious son. She would love to hear from readers so check out all her socials and sign up for her newsletter so she can keep you up to date on her books and whatever other ramblings come to mind.

Reviews

[Bookishbish84 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the lucky ones to get an ARC from Net galley of this awesome book. I had previously gotten and ARC of the first book of the series which was THE GOOD ONE and I really liked that book. I liked Donovan and Kasey in the first one, but I LOVED Aiden and Lindsey in this one WAY more.
I really enjoyed their relationship for the get go and how Aiden was around Lindsey and how he was always concerned for her wellbeing even from the first book.
I loved how he called her sunshine and I just thought it was the cutest nickname ever!
The book wasn't too crazy spicy but had just the right enough spice to make your cheeks turn a little pink and make you want to fan yourself.
The side characters which I liked as well were Jackson and Abigail. I really really hope that they get their own book because there is definitely some sexual tension going on there and I need them to just get it on already!
I am a HUGE fan of Kate Randall and am looking forward to more books from her in the future!

[Marissa Atchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsey is recovering from being held prisoner by a crazy stalker, but her sister wants to move in with her man! Aiden has so much trauma from his past. Not only in his personal life, but from his military life as well! This grumpy/sunshine story is full of heartache, fear, and so much emotion! These two get past so much that no one should have happen to them! But they bring out the best in each other! While also pushing each other’s buttons!! I couldn’t put this down! Amazing job Kate you have done it again!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsey was kidnapped and for over a week she was in hell. Finally, someone named Aiden found her and saved her life. Since then Lindsey hasn’t been able to leave her apartment and has panic attacks. He sister has been living with her and helping her deal with everything. Now that Kasey and Donovan are ready to move onto the next step in their relationship that means Kasey, Lindsey’s sister, is moving out of the apartment. Donovan decided that having Aiden move in would be best. He was someone that Lindsey trusted and also would keep her safe. Aiden was not thrilled at the idea of moving in to life with Lindsey since he likes his solitude. Aiden is getting to see the opening up and the slowing coming back into her own Lindsey and he loves this part of her. She is his little ray sf Sunshine and he is also showing her who he when he is being his relaxed self. They start to develop a relationship very quickly and things are going perfect until he has to go on an assignment and Lindsey decides to push her progress way to far. Will Lindsey be able to bounce back and still have her relationship with Aiden? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Lindsey and Aiden’s story!! There was so much character growth, which I always appreciate while reading. The spice in this book was just perfect for the plot, not too much, and definitely not too little. I absolutely loved getting snippets into Kasey and Donovan’s life. Overall, I really enjoyed and hope there is a book three in this series!

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this incredible series, and this is Aiden and Lindsey’s journey. Both characters are haunted by the past. Lindsey is recovering from a traumatic ordeal, from which she was rescued from by Aiden, who refused to leave her side when she was in hospital. Lindsey is the light to Aiden’s darkness, and even though they know how to push each other’s buttons, they bring out the best of each other, and they complement each other perfectly. This is a well written story which has emotion, family, friendships, intrigue, tension, healing, and love, which leads to an addictive page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Devons book corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Lindsey was just kidnapped and held prisoner for a week until a guy named Aiden finds her and rescues her. Now, Lindsey is trying to deal with the aftermath and trauma of that nightmare when Kasey, Lindsey's roommate and sister, decides that she is going to move out and take the next step with her boyfriend Donovan. But Donovan has a plan. He will have Aidan move in with Lindsey. Lindsey trusts him and feels safe with him, plus she won't be all alone. But Aiden isn't keen on that idea. He enjoys his solitude. Reluctantly though, he agrees. A relationship starts to happen between Lindsey and Aidan, along with other things. Can they make this work between them? I really enjoyed this book. It was entertaining, had a solid storyline, and solid characters.

[Luvleepati · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
Dual POV/insta-love/HEA

She was kidnapped and not only did he rescue her, but he stayed at her hospital door while she was there. They had feeling for each other, but they had their own demons to deal with before they can follow through with their emotions. They develop a friendship, but he sees more that the fragile girl everyone else, Aiden sees the strong happy girl she used to be before she was kidnapped. Aiden and Lindsay are perfect for each other.

[Wo0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was very well done and I love the characters but it just didn’t grab and hold me as well as the first book… still a great read and I love the authors writing style, the stories don’t draw out twice as long as they need to describing every little detail which makes for a great read as a busy mom, love it!

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fragile one by Kate Randall.
The one series book 2.
Her life was shattered and she’s desperate to find peace. He’s living with the ghosts of his past mistakes, refusing to let anyone too close. Can one broken heart heal another, or will they only break each other more?
Another great read in this series. Not as good as the first one. I did love how Jackson and Abi were together. And her nickname for him Prince of Darkness. Fitted him nicely. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.

[Anshul (stories.buddy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading indie authors and here I found another good writer Kate Randall. This is the first book I read from her and I’m already looking forward to reading her other books. The story addresses trauma and the loss of someone close to the characters. I appreciate the plot and it came out beautifully with Lindsey and Aiden, both the names are beautiful. Lindsey's self-talk is the highlight of the story, she’s a fighter, and overcoming the trauma is her goal. She just has to have some faith in the people around her, a good heartfelt talk can do that. Aiden is the bodyguard who has his issues and needs to deal with them too but the connection they both are feeling is wow. I loved how the story progresses and could relate to the events. Just a suggestion if you have not read book one in the story then please read it because the characters overlap here and will give you a delightful experience of the story if you read book one.

[Kirsten_BookRants · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Some of my favorite Kate Randall spicy scenes)

I wondered how Lindsey and Kasey living together worked out with Donavon around...I definitely got my answer on the first page 🤣.

I loved how detailed Lindsey's mental health journey was post kidnapping. I liked that therapy is being advocated and we get to see her become a new person.

I already liked Aiden from the other books, I simply love him now. Making Linsey feel safe and heard. Ugh swoon!

Abigail and Jackson have great banter. It's hilarious and helps balance out the tough subjects in this story.

I usually don't like conflict but I ate up the entire scene where Aiden goes off on Abigail and Jackson. Protective Aiden was on a different level. Though in that moment he was being more of a father figure, rather than her boyfriend. Which was the opposite of what Lindsey needed in that moment.

Unpopular opinion but I feel both these characters were broken people, however Lindsey was the only one who was allowed to express that. Whenever Aiden had to do something to help him through his issues, Lindsey was always like "but what about me". And when she said that stuff about Liam and Aiden's relationship I physically cringed. Because yikes.

My heart broke for both Aiden and Lindsey while reading this story. But especially for Aiden since it seems like he didn't have much of a support system. Hence the savior complex.

Nevertheless I can easily see this being my favorite Kate Randall book. And it's definitely going on my favorite reads of 2024. Such a page turner, even though I wanted to throw my kindle a few times 🤣.

This book hit me on an emotional and spiritual level. Lindsey and Kasey's mother talking about not giving up and moving forward was inspiring. And definitely something I needed to read.

I'm giving this book four stars because a life or death situation is not a good conflict resolution. And I feel Lindsey and Aiden have a series communication issue, that wasn't really addressed fully.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was.. interesting. Not bad, just interesting.
First, this is the second book in the series. While I was able to piece together what happened in the first book, it is probably best that you read the first book before this one. I didn't realize that until I was already in this one. I don't want that to effect my review, because that isn't the author's doing, I should have paid attention.
Now, on to the story itself.
I wasn't a huge fan. The sex was good, it's a spin on a friends-to-lovers situation, but I feel like the story was lacking something. Problem is, I have no idea what. Maybe the story is written how it was supposed to be written. I like my romance much darker, so maybe it's just my crazy ass, lol. Overall, it was okay. Just not one of my top reads for the year.

[Molli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not disappoint!

[Ashley (ashpattreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story and characters overall. It was just a little too fast-paced for me. I usually don’t mind insta-love books, but for a roommates situation, it just happened a little soon. I like a little bit of a slow burn first with more tension and will they/won’t they. A lot of the conflicts between the characters were also resolved too quickly for me as well. Always need a few chapters of angst first. The spice was great though, a good mix of spice and plot.

[Nrsk8tireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Randall delivers another steamy romance with an HEA!!

Lindsey is trying to get over the trauma of being kidnapped and held captive for a week by a crazed stalker. Aiden was assigned as her protector after her rescue. After Lindsey's sister moves out to move in with her boyfriend Donovan, (read The Good One for their story) Aiden moves in with Lindsey so she feels safe and protected. They can't deny their attraction to each other and Aiden helps Lindsey overcome her trauma.
It's an addictive page-turner and I finished this book in less than a day! So excited to see what Kate Randall writes next!!