This series is not for the faint of heart but you can't help loving Kas and Gemma. I really enjoyed (I almost find that hard to say) how this story continued from the previous book. Kas is such a tortured soul and Gemma keeps trying to find ways to help him. There were times in this story when Kas is remembering all that happened to him, I wonder how anyone can survive this. I'll definitely be reading on to find out how this all ends.

I felt like this story could have been shortened, I still enjoyed the book but felt it went on a little long.

**audiobook review**
Book 2 of Fable of Happiness was just as interesting as book 1. Kas is intense and dominating as ever even more so since the unexpected situation from the ending in book 1. Despite being treated horrible and held against her will, Gemma has found herself having strong feelings for the beast. Narrators did another job well done. They bring so much emotion to the characters.

I am loving this series. It is intense and beautiful. It is dark and twisted. It is surprising and suspenseful. It hit all the emotions and still gave even more. I love the complex characters and the journey they are on. I am left wanting more and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I am dying to find out what will happen next and what Pepper Winters has in store for us. I need more.

Any time I read a new book by this author, I always struggle with how to write a review for a book that, quite frankly, has left me not only speechless but bereft of words. This book made that happen again but for a wide plethora of reasons. Did this book have everything that makes this writer extraordinary? ABSOLUTELY. However, this book had something more that I wasn't prepared for and that took it to a whole new level.

In previous series that this author has written, she has touched on the darker sides of the world. She has never been one to shy away from touching upon the atrocities or evil that is sadly in the world. This book was no different except it truly was. The flashbacks of this story are HEARTBREAKING. I cannot even begin to imagine what it was like for Kas. Anyone else should have, and most likely would have, shattered or been a shell of a man/person. Watching him battle with his mind or rationalize what he was feeling toward Gemma hurt me on a level that I didn't know I could even feel from a book. This wasn't a case of having a villain having a change of heart and suddenly be redeemable. Things that Kas did were way out of line in many ways, especially for a man that had been through what he had been through. Yet, seeing his internal struggle and the pain that leapt off the pages because of his actions proved why this author is the queen at what she does. Kas is both a victim and a villain at the same time and I don't even like to use the word villain to describe him because the denotation of the word truly doesn't describe him as a person when I factor in the circumstances that bring me to who he is in this book, but there is lack of a better word to use here. If Kas was a color he wouldn't be black or white but rather gray because he cannot be put into a box.

The same can be said about Gemma but in reverse. In many ways she was naive but in other ways she was worldly. The way that she was able to see the reasons why Kas acted out and was able to decipher the horrors of what he and his family experienced in this god-awful house of horrors was beautiful, albeit painful, to watch. How do you show love to someone and help them when they have never known kindness and been taught that love is a weapon?

Learning about these characters and then watching them grow from just static characters to dynamic 3-D characters was truly an experience. Just when they would take a step in the right direction, they would hit a roadblock and take three steps back. Knowing the love was there despite the tumultuous times made this portion of the story bittersweet. It was a rough ride from the beginning to the end. The cliffhanger that this book left on made it even more painful knowing that October feels forever away. August is my birthday month and I normally relish it but this time, I find myself seeing it as a long obstacle in the months before the conclusion to Cas and Gem's story is complete. The steamy times were intense. Some were brutal and some were poignant and raw. Experiencing the wide array of feelings that these encounters caused only made the moments that much more emotional for a variety of reasons. When reading this, you will understand.


Looking forward to the conclusion of this story and hopefully finding a happily ever after for Kas and Gemma. These characters deserve it. Huge praise to the author for not shying away from writing a story that not only shocks you but makes you empathetic to characters and a story that are not cookie-cutter. This book will stay with me for a very long time.

⭐️ 4 "Broken Beast" Stars ⭐️
I wasn't totally convinced by Fable of Happiness Book One, but how this second book in the trilogy changed my thoughts. I loved how Gemma and Kassen's relationship progressed in this novel. Pepper Winters's prose is always stunningly emotional and this time around I felt it played a huge part in me appreciating this story even more.

Through Winters's poetic writing, I felt Kassen's brokenness so profoundly. After meeting an unfeeling savage in the first part, we got to see a deeply scarred man so ambivalent in his behavior this time around. He was so damaged and haunted by his past and traumas, but the way Gemma was bringing light into his world was inspiring. His fragility was utterly poignant! Yes, he still acted like the cold-blooded creature we previously met, but it seems that this side of his personality is an aspect that made him even more attractive in some ways.

Gemma was resilient confronted by her situation as a captive. As much as Kas hurt her with his words and wild actions multiple times, she was such a compassionate heroine toward him. She saw the wounded man with demons and was understanding of his harshness, because she felt the caring man hiding inside.

The ever-changing status of their relationship gave me whiplashes. I got so frustrated from all the back and forth between them. Their chemistry was so palpable and the sexual tension highly potent, delivering some intensely steamy scenes.

This book was a nice improvement from the first one in my opinion, although I felt it could have been shorter to keep my even more invested. At times I lost a little interest with redundant events happening. Overall, I enjoyed this read a lot and I'm so intrigued about the conclusion of The Fable of Happiness Trilogy. The ending of book two was definitely intriguing for what's coming next!

** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **

If I had not been at work when I finished this, I would have screamed! I expected a cliff-hanger, but not THIS cliff-hanger!

Gemma chooses to go back after Kassen falls off the cliff at the end of Book 1. She is compassionate and it may be her undoing! Kassen has dreams and hallucinations while he is unconscious that makes Gemma wonder about what happened to him, so she looks around and finds evidence of the horror he has lived through. He compassion grows with every day she cares for him. When he regains consciousness, it’s not as the same Kassen he was when he chased her… he’s different, kinder, more open.. for awhile. She doesn’t know who he will be each time he sleeps.

This book! I can’t begin to tell how how engaging it is…. I am so enamored of this couple, engulfed in their story and I NEED to know what’s next!?

Do I recommend this?? With every single fiber of my soul! I could not stop once I started it!! Pepper Winters continually gives us characters and stories that grab me, pull me into them, and hold me there because I want more! Kassen is broken, and we don’t, yet understand the true depth of his brokenness…. But there’s also something about him that won’t stop making me want to know more about him. I understand why Gemma doesn’t leave…

I don’t have the words to say how much I’m already loving this series. The Fable world is dark and twisted, but Gemma is bringing the light Kas needs I just hope she succeeds in the end, as for Kas I just want to give him the world. With everything the characters have gone through, are dealing with in this book, and will go through my heartbreaks with them. After that cliffhanger I’ve still got so many questions, can’t wait to see how deep the next book takes us.

Common sense isn’t so common, I guess. If I have to summarize this sequel in one word: idiotic. The heroine’s decision making skills are basically nonexistent. Why did I keep on reading this