Lauren Layne’s New Adult novel tells the story of a girl with secrets, a guy with scars, and a love that could save them both... or destroy them.
When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.
Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.
Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.
Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.
Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Broken was so good!!! I loved the plot, loved the characters
and I can’t wait to read more from the author. I’ve been really into damaged
hero books lately and Broken was one of the best ones I’ve read in a long time.
I liked the female lead Olivia right away. She has her
issues: she’s grown up entitled and has never had to own up to her mistakes. As
a way to remedy her sins, she takes on a caretaking job for an injured vet
named Paul.
Paul isn’t your typical dreamy romance lead. He’s scarred
from war—both physically and mentally. Paul has so much hate inside of him and
I was really hoping he’d eventually let Olivia in as a way to heal from the
past. Olivia and Paul had so much chemistry that the pages sizzled each time
they were together.
I sped through this book. The pace was exceptional and I
never felt the plot drag at all. Because Paul and Olivia are pretty isolated,
the sole focus was mostly on his recovery and her quest for redemption. This
kept the story from getting bogged down with too many subplots.
I liked the resolution although I did want a little more. I
didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters that I fell in love with! I saw
there are standalone spin-offs, so I’m hoping the duo pop up again.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
