She was his ACHILLES ROCK.

He was her ROCK.

“I was a thief. A thief who’d stolen his best friend’s dream.”

If you’re already a fan of Chanel Cleeton’s Wild Aces series, then you know what the story is about. And if you haven’t read it… well, what are you waiting for? Go and one-click this series because I’m not telling you shit.

And if you, like me, fell crazy in love with Alex “Easy” Rogers from the moment he was mentioned in the first book…

“I loved her, and loving someone was more about them than you, so it didn't matter what I wanted. If she wanted me around, if she wanted to be friends, then I’d give her that. I’d give her everything I could.”

YES!!!!!!! You will love him even MORE ❤!!!!! Because if you’re expecting the typical manwhore, just turn around because you are not getting it here. Alex is more than that. So much more. His love, his heart, his feelings, belong to Dani and I didn’t want anything but all of that to belong to me. Reality is a bitch.

As for Dani, well, it was hard. I know that she didn't want to hurt Easy; it wasn’t her intention, but she did it. And I hated her for that. The feeling didn't last but it was there, in the bottom of my black heart.

With a pair of engaging characters, an addictive writing style and a story that will leave you feeling like your heart no longer belongs to you, On Broken Wings explores the power of a tragic loss and the human ability to overcome it… Contemporary Romance at its finest.

Words can’t describe all of my feels for this book, so I will stop my attempt to a review here and go back to get lost in Chanel Clayton’s words. Again!.

I’ve been seeing reviews of Chanel Cleeton books for some time on Goodreads and my curiosity was certainly piqued. I now understand why so many of her books have received such high ratings. Normally it takes me a few days to read a book of this length, but I literally devoured this book in less than a day!! I honestly was sucked in from the very first page. I’ve never read any romances involving Airforce fighter pilots, and now I am wondering why I waited so long!! I mean Top Gun is one of my favorite movies from the 80s!! All I kept doing was picturing “ICEMAN” while reading this book!! SIGH!! Well, let me tell you, ladies, there is an even hotter fighter pilot in town and he goes by call sign “EASY”!! He’s sure to melt the panties off of every woman who ends up reading this one! This is the third book in the WILD ACES series but can be read as a standalone. It’s a “friends-to-lovers” with a bit of the forbidden romance aspect to it.


Dani Peterson is a woman who has suffered so much loss in a short amount of time – losing her unborn child during a miscarriage and then her beloved husband during an accident while on a mission. It’s been a year and yet the pain is still very crushing. She hasn’t been able to get passed her grief. But she has found some solace from her friendship with her husband’s best friend, Alex “EASY” Rogers. The man is the hottest fighter pilot in “Wild Aces” and is a well-known ladies’ man but there is such a sweetness about him when it comes to Dani. What she doesn’t know is that EASY has been in love with her from the very first moment he saw her. But when he found out she was his best friend's girl, he kept all of his feelings buried deep inside. He was happy just being able to be a good friend to her and he’s been there for her through some of the darkest moments of Dani’s life.



Now, after a year has passed since Joker’s death, something is shifting between Dani and EASY. Dani is starting to see Easy in a different light and she doesn’t know what to do with these new feelings. She struggles with guilt over her love for her dead husband and her fear of opening her heart up to someone new--someone who could be taken away from her just like her husband. Dani isn’t willing to go through that kind of heartbreak again.




Alex is also struggling with the new developments in his relationship with Dani. He feels as if he is betraying his best friend by going after Dani and he fears that if he pushes her too soon for something more that he could lose her all together and that’s something he wouldn’t be able to endure.

I fell so hard for Alex and every time Dani seemed to reject him, my heart broke for him. The heroine definitely had her head up her butt for most of the story but I was so engrossed and could hardly wait to see how the story would end for this couple!

I have been waiting for Easy and Dani’s story from the moment I met them in the first book. I was hoping the author would write about them and as the second book rolled around and Easy’s feelings towards Dani showed a little more, I knew we were going to get his story before the series was over. I just can’t believe the series is only three books long though. However, if you are going to out with a bang, this is definitely the story to wrap it all up with.

Okay, first off, you have GOT to read these books in order. Trust me, Easy’s story has been building from the start and it’s not an easy ride for him. Heck, it’s a rough one on Dani as well. Her world shatters in the first book when her husband passes away, and it’s throughout the series that you see their story building up to this moment. In all honestly, throughout the whole time you are just as confused as they are. I mean, you are rooting for them to get together but at the same time, you feel for both of their losses and can understand their guilt over trying to move forward.
“I wanted to hold on to him, and if life had taught me anything, it was that the things you clutched to your chest were the first things to be ripped away from you.”

Easy has been in love with Dani since the moment he saw her at a pilot event. He saw her from across the room and was about to make his move when he saw his best friend and squad leader, Joker, walk up to her and kiss her. Then he got whammied when Joker introduced her as his wife. So, Easy has been trying so hard to not pine away for Dani but throughout the books you get glimpses of the looks he gives her. They are fleeting at the beginning but in this book they are amplified. Not to mention he has become her rock and best friend since the passing of her husband. They’d always been close due to his relationship with her husband but he really steps up when she needs him during the tough times.

Meanwhile, Dani is buried under all this grief. She still wears her wedding rings, she still talks and thinks as a “we” instead of an “I”. However, she starts to slowly try to move on in this book. She puts their house on the market, she goes out to pilot gatherings, and she even goes on a blind date. It isn’t until she starts developing confusing feelings towards Easy that she her grief and the guilt of trying to move on really hits her. In all honesty, I felt for her. I mean, I don’t know what I’d do if my husband passed away. People always say that the other person would “want you to be happy” but it would be so hard to not feel guilty for moving on, and that’s exactly the kinds of things Dani struggles with. Not only does she feel guilty for moving on, but with her husband’s best friend. Then to add onto that, he’s a fighter pilot, too. So, everyone knows her as Joker’s wife. There was just so much to this that it was hard not to feel bad for all parties involved.
“I had a crush on Easy.
Panic hit me, followed by guilt, so much guilt that I found myself gasping for air as I drowned in it. What kind of person developed a crush on one of their dead husband’s best friends? What was wrong with me? The time we’d spent together, the toughthing, all if it-
Fuck.“

I honestly can’t put into words how amazing this series is. I will be honest and say that I wasn’t sure about fighter pilots. I know I have said this in the previous reviews but I have such a hard time with military romances because the authors just don’t get it right. However, Chanel hits the nail on the head EVERY SINGLE TIME. She doesn’t make the guys into some weird robotic macho-men that walk around swearing all the time and using acronyms in every sentence. That just drives me nuts, which is why I don’t read military romances. Man, I am just so glad that I took a chance with Wild Aces because I’ve loved every moment of it. Chanel really knows how to write a romance that will leave you swooning all over the place while still keeping true to the characters.

Now one thing I do want to say is that I cried. Unless you lack the ability to feel emotions, you will cry. This is an emotional moment for Dani… and Easy, too. We relive that moment when she got the news that her husband crashed his jet. She’s unsure about moving on and has a conversation with her late husband while looking at her wedding rings. However, the moment I balled my eyes out was when Easy went to a plaque that was dedicated to Joker and talked to him. He told him how Dani was doing, told him about how they were getting closer, how they would never forget him, and throughout the whole conversation, he hears Joker responding to him and giving him his acceptance. I just lost it. Heck, I’m tearing up now just thinking about it.

Okay, I need to stop talking about this book because you need to go out and get a copy of it. Seriously, you will not be disappointed. There is nothing that I would have wanted the author to have done differently… except maybe triple the length of the book. I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t have minded more time with Dani and Easy.

In all honesty, I was a bit worried about the theme of this book going in. While I do like the dead ex trope, most of the books I’ve read and enjoyed, it was the hero who needed to get over the loss of a wife or a girlfriend or fiancée and not the other way around. I always find it harder to read when the heroine is the one who lost the love of her life because I feel like women feel more deeply and takes a lot more time to get over a relationship especially when that relationship was a loving one. I know it’s prejudiced to think this way but I cannot help it. Hence, my worry that I won’t be able to enjoy it as much.
I was wrong.
I repeat. I WAS WRONG!
This book slayed me. Chanel Cleeton found a way to make this story shine. And there are a couple of things (really smart decisions on her part) the author did that really made this book work for me.
One, she made this book messy.

Yup. You heard me right. This book didn’t shy away from all the messy emotions involved in trying to get over someone you love. You feel Dani’s emotion from pain and devastation to guilt to lust to guilt to love and everything else in between. The same goes for Easy.

To anyone who’s not familiar with the Wild Aces series, Dani lost her fighter pilot husband during a routine exercise. He was part of the Wild Aces which includes the previous two heroes in the series and Easy, the sexy and wild pilot who carried a torch for Dani for years. When Dani lost her husband, her Air Force family rallied behind her, especially Easy. As much as Easy wanted to be there for Dani, he has to deal with the fact that he’s in love with her and feels guilty for being the one alive instead of Joker.

I loved how the author didn’t shy away from all these things. Everything was laid out for readers to experience. My heart hurt for Easy. You feel his pain of always loving someone who can’t love him back. You’re there when he tried so hard to reel in his feelings and failing. To be perfectly honest, I was torn between wanting him to find someone else to love him completely and wanting him to find his HEA with Dani.

It was a beautiful mess. And I loved every single word of it.

Another thing that the author did with this book aside from not shying away from messy emotions was how natural the progression of Dani and Easy’s relationship was. It wasn’t an easy journey. Their HEA was hard won. I kept looking at the percentage of my Kindle device noting that even towards the end, things are still shaky between them.

Now with any other book, that would’ve infuriated me. But again, this book was able to convince me that Easy and Dani have a strong enough foundation that despite the uncertainty now, that everything will turn out amazing. I mean, how awesome is that? And the whole credit goes to how well written this book is. Don’t worry though, their HEA was definitely solid and like I said hard won, which made it even more precious.

My new year is off to a good start because holy smokes, this book was amazing! I highly recommend that you guys read this book. It can be read as a standalone but I would recommend that you guys read the other two in the series, especially book one. You’ll appreciate their story more if you get a glimpse of what these characters have been through before they could get their happily ever after.

An ARC was provided by the publisher for this review.

On Broken Wings was an emotional story of both finding love after loss, and of unrequited love. I’ve been waiting for Easy’s story for a while since witnessing his yearning for the one woman he couldn’t have from the beginning of this series, and I was not disappointed!

Easy’s been in love with Dani ever since he laid eyes on her not knowing at first that she was the wife of his squadron commander, Joker. Upon finding that out Easy resigned himself to loving Dani from afar, knowing he’d never move on a married woman. Since the death of Joker it’s been both heaven and hell to be around Dani, thinking she’ll never feel the same for him. But Dani needs him now more than ever, and Easy’s determined to be there for her even as it breaks his own heart.

Dani was drowning in grief, never thought she’d feel desire again, but the stirrings of it surface when she starts to look at Easy in a new light. She’s always felt a special bond with him, especially since he’s been there for her during the roughest times in her life, but only ever thought of him as a friend. Hanging around with him, taking comfort in their closeness gradually changes her feelings, and she’s blindsided by the lust she feels for him.

This romance was a slow buildup; something that crept up on Dani before she even realized and took root in her heart. I cried several times, but I think my heart went out to Easy even more, maybe because I’ve had his side of things from the beginning; felt his painful longing for a women he thought he could never have. Unrequited love brings a special kind of torture, and I wanted Easy to get his HEA so badly!

I read On Broken Wings in one sitting consumed by Easy and Dani’s story! I’ve loved this series so much reading all three books within a week! I hope this isn’t the last book of the series, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world yet!

I may have discovered this book late in the year, but as soon as I did, On Broken Wings soared to the very top of my most anticipated list. And I was not disappointed. This was one of those books where it was so damn good I just know my review isn’t going to do it justice. Every word was beautiful, seeping with emotion and breaking my heart more than the last. But don’t despair, reader friends. My heart was (barely) intact by the end of this read.

First off – I love a story where the widow’s previous marriage was a happy one. Not only because I feel like it’s not the norm, but because you suspect someone who was that content isn’t going to settle for anything less the second time around. Dani and her first husband, Joker, were incredibly happy together, but she didn’t have this man on a pedestal. She loved their marriage as it was, imperfections and all. She just didn’t think she could find that happiness again. Luckily for her, Alex ‘Easy’ Rogers is out to prove her wrong. (Even if he doesn’t know it yet.)

Dani and Easy’s road was a rough one and a long one (especially for Easy,) but boy was it ever comfort food to my reader’s soul. There were things that happened in this story that frustrated me, but not in a way that made me angry with the actual writing. It was more like, ‘man. I know it needs to go down this way, but why, oh why?’ One of my frustrations was Easy’s friends telling him to be careful with Dani. As if he would ever do anything to intentionally hurt her. And I know, I know. They were looking out for their brother Joker’s widow. But I just wanted to reach into the book and shake them and say ‘can’t you see how much this man loves this woman? Leave him alone! He is broken, damn you!’ I don’t say this often because I don’t feel this often, but I feel like Easy was made to love Dani. That his one purpose on this Earth was to love that woman. And he was so damn good at it. I love the way he appreciated every single moment with Dani, no matter how ordinary that moment might seem. Nothing about her was inconsequential to him.

And there was one scene with Dani that broke my heart, but even while I was frustrated with her character, I knew exactly where she was coming from and understood her choice. For me, that’s what separates a good writer from a great one. When the character makes choices that kill you, but you can’t possibly be mad at them because the author has so clearly communicated their motivation. To be honest – when I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure Dani could possibly be in a place at the end of the story where she was ready to move on, but the events that took place really made me believe she was. And I think it helped Dani that Easy loved Joker, too, and wanted to treat his friend’s memory with respect. At the end of this story, I was convinced that the way things went down were the only way they could have for Dani and Easy to find their way together. This story was absolute perfection. And the title of this book...wowza. It could not be more aptly named.

While this book is amazing, I don’t recommend reading it as a stand-alone. You could, for sure, and appreciate Dani and Easy’s story on its own. But there are things in the first two books that lead up to this one, and I guarantee that if you read this book and love it (which you will, love it, that is,) and then decide to go back and read the others, you will be kicking yourself in the ass for reading them out of order. (Thanks to Birdie Bookworm for keeping my ass straight and making sure I did not read book three before book one!) There are appearances from previous characters in the series, and I loved seeing them. They were pertinent to the story going on, and, of-course, I am always up for a Noah-sighting! (Psst...things happened in this story that made me love him more than I already did. Can you even believe that's possible???!??!??!)

I know this review has already just been one big endorsement for On Broken Wings, but wait! There’s more. This series has reinvigorated my love for Contemporary Romance. It had everything I love, and it has made me so excited to read more from the genre I’ve always loved most. I would feel 100% confident in recommending this series, knowing that while this series keeps its momentum, each story's circumstances are so different that even with the reappearance of previous characters, they remain new and fresh. My only complaint? These books are not in audio yet, and as that is the best way for me to re-read, I need them! I plan on rereading this series. Often. Let’s make this happen!

To recap - read this series! You won't be disappointed.

I have finished this book in one sitting, since this story is the one that I have been waiting for – the one that I have been dying to read since I knew about Easy. I am so glad that Chanel Cleeton didn’t disappoint because this book was indeed worth waiting for. She had saved the best for last.

This selfless guy – who is a great friend to everyone, who stood there watching as the woman he loves and wanted be a wife to his friend, and he did nothing for years to jeopardize her relationship with Joker. He was loyal, even though it killed him. His love for Dani started the first time he saw her, and yet he didn’t stop when all she wanted for him was to be her friend.

Their friendship meant a lot to Dani, as it gave her the strength to endure the most difficult times in her life. He respected her grief and still didn’t act on his feelings (which made me love him more). But their relationship grew, their friendship blossomed as they try to get pass their grief and the guilt that Easy has been feeling because of his love for Dani.

I loved this book, and it has become one of my favorite reads last 2016 – I couldn’t wait to post my review. The two characters deserve their happy ending after what they have been through, and it was a relief, that finally after all this time, fate has brought them together.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.

How much did I love this book? Well, I've read it twice since I got my review copy and even still, as I was pulling out quotes to use in my review, I wanted to drop everything and read it again. I've been putting off my review of On Broken Wings forever because I'm just not sure how I can possibly express my love and appreciation for this book in any way that will do it justice.

THIS is the story I was waiting on since Joker died in Fly With Me. Don't get me wrong, I loved Jordan and Noah and Thor and Becca. Their stories made my heart happy. But I've been waiting to see what would happen between Easy and Dani since the beginning. I knew it wouldn't be an easy read — no pun intended — and that my emotions would be all over the place, just like Dani's would, but I NEEDED these two to find the happiness they each deserved. I desperately hoped that's the story Chanel would give us and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was the furthest thing from disappointed that I could possibly be. Total satisfaction. That's what this book gave me.

Having already fallen head over heels for Easy and Dani, they were so easy to root for. I knew there was a chance Dani wouldn't be ready or that Easy's pain and (unnecessary) guilt over Joker's death would keep them from getting the second chance they both deserved, but thankfully that wasn't the case. It took them a little while to get there, but that's part of what I loved so much about these two. I can't even begin to explain the number of feels I had as Dani and Easy struggled with their deepening friendship and developing feelings for each other, all while trying to remain respectful of Joker. I felt like my heart was being torn in two at times because, while I wanted Dani and Easy to work out, I recognized how painful it had to be to let go and move on. The emotions and feelings — both from the characters AND me — were so real and raw. More than a few tears were shed along the way — and I had to turn to wine, too.

There's not one single thing I would change about On Broken Wings. It's easily one of the most beautiful books I read in 2016 and definitely in my top three. (If I'm being honest, it's probably my number one.) I was totally sucked into the characters, the story and the words. I think I highlighted roughly half the book as I was reading. I can't think of a more perfect ending to the Wild Aces series. Not only did it do justice to the relationship between Easy and Dani, but it never dismissed for a second what Joker and Dani had before his death. Seriously, y'all... I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about a couple scenes in the book as I'm typing this, so I'm going to wrap this up. Fans of the series will find this totally satisfying. If you've not yet picked up the Wild Aces, you need to get on that. You have no idea what you're missing.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES
The thing about being a widow was that you never knew when the tears would come. You could have a string of good days, and them something would set you off — the scent of your husband's cologne on a stranger, the sound of a jet screaming overhead, your wedding song playing on the radio.

I closed my eyes for a beat, trying to drown her out, to throw the wall back up, attempting to push her out of the cracks and crevices of my heart where she'd snuck in and taken up permanent residence in my chest.

Some women slid under your skin so deep, you couldn't carve them out no mater how hard you tried.

Grief didn't allow for "happy," instead it yanked the rub from under your feet and knocked you on your ass until you were drowning in quicksand with no one there to pull you out.

This was everything. The dream. Coming home to the woman you loved after going to war. Maybe it didn't look exactly as I'd imagined it, but it was enough.

I'm happiest with my feet planted firmly on the ground. But my heart — it flies.

This is a worthy finale book in Chanel Cleeton’s Wild Aces series. This is Dani and Easy's story . Dani is still trying to move on from the death of her husband while Easy , who was her husband’s friend and part of the elite military fighter pilots, deals with the secret attraction he still feels for her and the pain from his friend's death.
In this book we see how deep the depression is that Dani is suffering from and how Easy is always there for Dani. She has been trying hard to find a semblance of new normal in her life after her husband’s death but its overwhelming . The only person who seems to understand and not placate her is Easy. Whenever she is around him, life is simple and she feels like how she was before she lost her husband, like a normal woman. Things are simple and easy, she feels free and normal, not out of control and wild with grief. She starts to notice that she is developing feelings for Easy and feels very guilty. What she doesn’t know is Easy has always been in love with her and has hidden those feelings because she was married then she was drowning in the despair of her grief and didn’t see him in that light. When they both let go and let those feelings go, When those feelings escalate they have to face the consequences they didn't see coming. Oh their actions were very predictable but in a very good way. I loved how they were there for each other and kept coming back around to each other. Both of these characters were amazing and together they were passionately explosive with each other. Their relationship is one that I was very much rooting for and the story had twists and turns that keep you on your toes until the very end.
On Broken Wings is an emotional read that I highly recommend to be read, one I hope everyone does read because it is that great. It is book 3 in the series and the final one which goes out with a Boom. There is angst, heartbreak, pain, love, passion, joy and forgiveness , not necessary in that order. This is one story that you will find you will need tissue for.

My Rating: 4.6 stars *****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

4.5 ‘everything we wanted’ stars

“We got this, okay?”
“Okay.”

We’ve both loved this series. From book one to On Broken Wings, Chanel Cleeton has ensured we’ve been completely invested in her characters, readily taking them into our hearts and eagerly devouring their stories. Every book has been a winner. We’ve laughed, cried and swooned all the way through, and this was the one we had longed for, the one we were desperate to read. Whilst the Wild Aces series can be read as standalone’s, we’re happy we read all three books as each gave us an insight into each fighter pilot, Noah (call sign Burn), Eric (Thor), with so much heartbreaking insight into Alex (Easy) and Dani’s friendship throughout the series. Was Dani and Easy’s story everything we’d hoped for? It sure was!

‘Love was different once you’d known loss.’

From the outset, Easy had loved Dani from afar. She had captured his heart from the first time he met her, but Dani was married to Easy’s squadron leader and friend, Michael (Joker) and was definitely hands off because despite his gallivanting, Easy was not the type to chase after a married woman and he respected and loved Dani way too much to show his hand and let her know his true feelings, suffering an unrequited love after giving his heart to her completely.

‘I loved her, and loving someone was more about them than you, so it didn’t matter what I wanted.’

We’ve felt his desperation, longing and his love from day one and always hoped he would one day find a love that was returned and yes, we hoped it would be with Dani. This was one of our most anticipated releases this year, and we have to say, Chanel Cleeton delivered on this one. We absolutely loved it. Easy and Dani’s story is easily our favourite of the series!

Easy had been there for Dani every step of the way. He was her friend and greatest supporter. He’d been there for her during her best of times and her worst, painful times. When Joker was killed on duty, it was Easy who was there for Dani, he was her rock, but being so close to Dani, loving her as deeply and intensely as he did became too difficult for him and he backed away. However, as much as Easy tried to stay away, his feelings repeatedly led him back to Dani as her friend.

‘There was no wall now. Only emotion. So much emotion – raw and naked, staring back at me – more than I knew what to do with. ‘

On Broken Wings begins a year after Jokers death with Dani navigating through life without Joker which is hard when her future and all her plans revolved around Joker. Struggling to pick up the pieces, it is her friendship with Easy that lifts her and helps her face the day. He gets her, understands her and knows her pain. Easy has faced war and unimaginable challenges, but it is his feelings for Dani and laying his soul bare that would be his biggest challenge.

‘Some women slid under your skin so deep, you couldn’t carve them out no matter how hard you tried.’

The pacing to this story was perfect, the relationship built beautifully and believably and we especially appreciated how Chanel Cleeton never once disrespected the memory of Joker nor did she diminish Dani’s feelings for him in any way to ‘sell’ the love between Dani and Easy. Dani loved Joker with all her heart, but she had to move on. We’re lucky to find love once, finding it twice is a miracle. As their friendship evolves into deeper feelings our romantic hearts soared. Seriously, the ‘aha’ moment left us completely breathless. It was so beautifully crafted, so searing and emotional it gave us goosebumps and made us tear up, yet Chanel Cleeton didn’t make it easy on them in anyway, ensuring we felt every single moment!

‘My heart, my love, my life was somewhere out there, and I couldn’t rest until I knew he was safe.’

Spending time with these sexy, swoony, romantic and alpha fighter pilots, who put their life (and hearts) on the line and experiencing them finding love has been an absolute joy and it’s a series we’ve truly devoured, making it a definite TBB recommendation! Romance, emotion, passion and swoon with vulnerable yet alpha fighter pilots…..What could be better?