I like the premise of The Broken One but it failed to deliver for me. I struggled with the storyline cohesiveness and the characters development. ~ Paige Turner – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Synopsis:
Single mom Heather Ellis would do anything for her adopted daughter, Ava. Even post an online reward for anyone who found the girl’s lost stuffed animal. Who’d have guessed it’d be returned by a drop-dead-sexy man with such sadness in his eyes that she had to reach out to him? To Ava, he’s a hero. To Heather, he’s a fantasy that puts at risk the happy life she’s made for herself.
It’s been five years since billionaire developer Sebastian Romano lost his wife and unborn child in a tragic accident. Now he’s all business. No room for emotion. Until he stumbles across that damn stuffed wolf and the beautiful single mother looking for it. Is he ready to give love a second chance?
But there’s more to Sebastian, his family, and his past than Heather knows. More than even Sebastian knows. Will the life they’re building together be challenged when the truth is finally revealed?
I typically enjoy Ruth Cardello’s books but I struggled with The Broken One. It’s the first in her new Billionaire series but the prologue and the epilogue could have been blended with the rest of the novel a little better. I didn’t see how either helped tell Heather and Sebastian’s story.
Sebastian turned into a ruthless business man even more so after the loss of his wife and unborn child. He doesn’t need anyone but this family until he finds a missing stuffed animal. I struggled to like his character at times. He was portrayed as a loner but jumped in when Heather needed help. A few chapters later he’s running off to Italy only to find he can’t live without Heather and her daughter and declared his undying love.
Heather is a single parent who has carved out a good life for her and her daughter. She has friends who watch out for her and support her. The issue I had with her is she was too wishy washy with Sebastian. I didn’t like how he treated her but she kept reaching out to him. Despite her initial reaction, she didn’t hesitate bringing him into her life.
The drama that was created lacked any angst. I had a hard time with the certain storylines. One being his business and the store takeovers. why someone would visit Heather to discuss his business. They didn’t know it other. The storyline with her father was a bit disjointed for me as well. I still didn’t understand why he contacted her only to berate her life choices.
Since this is the beginning of a series, I’m hopeful the storylines and character development may flow better in the later books. Show the reader how this book and their relationship blends with the prologue and the epilogue.
