Review: Broken by Lauren Layne

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?

ebook, 270 pages

Expected publication: September 2nd 2014 by Flirt 

Genre: New Adult

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This is the second book by Lauren Layne that I have read and I have to say that I was not disappointed. In fact, the main character Olivia, was introduced in Isn't She Lovely which happens to be the other book that I read by this author. Don't worry...you don't need to read it in order to follow along. In fact, I was a little nervous because I didn't really like Olivia in Isn't She Lovely but that quickly changed after reading only a couple of pages of Broken.

This book is the story of what happens when you put two rich and privileged people together who have issues, ghosts and strong personalities that are broken in more ways than one. Olivia is running from her life in an attempt to seek penance for a mistake that she made that hurt people and left her feeling like she was a terrible person. Paul is hiding from life while battling his physical and psychological scars. He wants nothing more than to be left alone. The last thing he wants is his father sending a beautiful young woman to care for him that would have been the type he would have dated before his time in Afghanistan forever changed his life.

The story is told from both Paul and Olivia's point of view, letting the reader get inside both of their head. I loved that! Paul is mean, nasty and self loathing but at the same time he is hot and sexy in an utterly damaged kind of way. Olivia's character starts out kind of weak and vulnerable but gains strength and depth with each turn of the page. The chemistry between these two are off the charts and makes from some incredible reading.

I absolutely adored this book. I was glued to the pages and finished it in half a day. There was so much pain, emotion and depth to the characters and story that I couldn't wait to find out how it would all play out. This is not the sweet, romantic love story that you typically read about. It is filled with pain and regret and is hauntingly dark at times. For this, I thought it was beautiful and recommend it to any fans of this genre.

About the Author

Lauren Layne is a snarky smartass with a serious weakness for happily ever afters.

Marrying her high school sweetheart was a good start. *cue Disney soundtrack.*

But Lauren wanted all romance, all the time.

Now she writes fictional happy endings, and considers her job done well if you swoon while reading her books.

Don't worry. You will.

Once upon a time she lived in a Manhattan high-rise, but now she's on the laid-back train in the Seattle area. If you ever find yourself in Issaquah, she'll probably buy you a drink. Maybe.

Connect with Lauren

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads