Spin-off Saturdays: Damaged by H. M. Ward (Ferro Family #2)

Spin-off Saturdays: On Saturdays, I will review a series that is a spin-off series. It is recommended that you read the original series first in order to get the most out of the spin-off series. Here is this week’s offering:

Damaged Series is a spin-off of the The Arrangement Series

Series: Damaged, Part of the Ferro Family (Full List Here)
Author: H.M. Ward
# of Books: 2 (Damaged, Damaged 2)

This is a spinoff of the The Arrangement and Ferro Family Series. It intersects The Arrangement Series at Part 7

Book Order: Chronological; Connected to the Ferro Family, specifically the Arrangement Series
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Serial, Romance, Contemporary, Drama
Heat Rating: Hot (Damaged), Really Warm (Damaged 2)
Point of View: First Person

Thoughts:

My previous exposure to H.M. Ward’s work when I picked up Damaged was Collide, the first part of the Secret Life of Trystan Scott Series. While I had enjoyed that book, I found it riddled with typos and it significantly lowered my expectations for all future books by this author. I mean, the book boasts that the author is a New York Times Bestseller and yet the writing was very unprofessional! For example: the POV would shift from first person to third person within a paragraph when it was in a particular characters POV section. Because I was on a kick to read a majority of my books on my Kobo over Christmas break, I decided to get Damaged over with.

I’m glad that I did because this book was much more than I expected. First off, the typos and the shifty POVs didn’t exist so that immediately restored my hope in these books. I also liked the maturity of the characters and how they handled the situations. I didn’t find Sydney annoying when she easily could have been given the type of story that this is. What really won me over was the fact that Sydney could get a laugh out of me every once and a while. While not as much as a humor book as Losing It (which features a similar plot line), I enjoyed Sydney’s wit and spunk while I was reading.

I also liked the relationship between Peter and Sydney. It wasn’t just an attraction thing between them. They had a lot in common and they built the emotional side of their relationship very well–so it didn’t seem like a shallow relationship.

I didn’t know that this was a part of the Ferro Family until the 2nd book. If I had known that going in, I probably would have read it after reading the Arrangement but I don’t think it gives too much–if anything–away about what happens with those characters in that series. It actually made me really excited to read that series and its follow-up. I am actually going to rescind that previous statement. I originally wrote this review before I started The Arrangement series. After reading the Arrangement, I think I should have read these two books after–it did reveal a few major plot details that I would have enjoyed more if I didn’t know about going into the first story. In other words, they give some spoilers about the series (though to be fair a good chunk I had already assumed would happen in the series) as specific character pasts were ruined by reading this series first.

Overall, Damaged 2 was more drama based than romance. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t any romance, I just felt like Peter and Sydney’s relationship takes a back seat to the events that unfold around them. I felt like it was a good place to end their story but I’m hoping that they will appear in the other series as well.

Conclusion:

If you like strong characters who find themselves in a bit of a forbidden love situation that is more on the dramatic side, these two books are for you! A great way to get introduced to the Ferro Family, but I have a feeling it would be more worthwhile if you have read the previous series prior to this. You should definitely read the Arrangement prior to reading this series!

Rating: 4/5

Similar Reads: Losing It by Cora Carmack (Losing It #1)

WARNING: IF YOU HAVE not FINISHED The Arrangement SERIES THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY HAVE SPOILERS!

Synopsis for Damaged (from Goodreads):
Life sucks. And, as soon as Sidney picks up the pieces something always knocks her back onto her butt. It’s never pretty, but this time is different. This time pretty isn’t even the right word.

Peter is the personification of perfection. It’s like he fell off his angel perch in purgatory, because let’s face it–any guy that hot has got to be naughty. He was probably sent here to ruin her life.

Peter is beyond beautiful with his sexy blue eyes, dark hair, and toned body. Add in his charming wit and Peter is everything Sidney ever wanted in a man, but when things get hot and heavy Peter shows her the door. Sidney takes the walk of shame and leaves. It’s the end of the worst blind date ever. Her life couldn’t possibly reach higher levels of suckage, but it does.

The next morning everything comes crashing down. The insanely hot guy from last night, the one that saw her half naked, is teaching at the front of the class room.