Reviews

Broken by Trish Heinrich

potalian's review

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Murder, and Kidnapping

nevena_k's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

🔥 “I know what ya want. And I’ll rut ya until ya believe me.”
~~~
Lowell is the cocky and flirty MacDonald brother. He might appear carefree and irresponsible, but there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Because Lowell is incredibly loyal, strong and fiercely protective of the people he cares about. And he also has such a sweet, soft and caring side. For years he’s been so heartbroken after the woman he loves disappears from his life. But faith might give him a second chance. I couldn’t help but adore every single thing about this charming and irresistible Scottish werewolf.

Selene is absolutely amazing! Her life hasn’t been easy but she’s so strong and resilient to deal with everything thrown her way. Even more, she’s such a caring and amazing mother, willing to do everything to protect her daughter and give her the best life she could. And even not being able to shift like the other female werewolves, she’s one tough cookie. But, being hurt and abandoned in the past has made Selene lose faith in love and build high walls around her heart to protect herself. Nevertheless, she’s one incredible woman and I loved her so much!

Everything that happened between Lowell and Selene was a wild ride! Ten years ago, their young love was torn apart by the feud between their families. And all this time both have been truly suffering… until a wedding happened. Even after all the time that’s passed, the moment those two met again, their attraction was undeniable but so much hurt and pain stood between them. Even more, Selene has been keeping a secret all this time that will forever change their lives. I just adored those two together. The constant push and pull, the animosity, the longing, how they craved each other and, yet, denied themselves… I absolutely adored Lowell’s determination to prove that he’s a worthy male that will never abandon Selene. All the ways he took care of her melted my heart. And the spice… it was off-the-charts hot and, oh, so knotty and I couldn't get enough!!! Their road to happiness was not an easy one, but after everything those two went through, they more than deserved to find love together again. And that train station scene… imnotcryingyourecrying🥺! Just perfect!

In addition, the storyline was spectacular. These three words - “Smoking-hot Scottish Werewolves” should be enough to grab your attention. But there’s more! The feud between the Campbells and the MacDonalds, the power games, the intrigues and the unexpected turns of events kept me glued to the pages, excited to see how everything will be resolved. And, with every next page, I loved every member of the MacDonald Clan more and more.

Overall, the story is a spectacular start of the series! It’s filled with so much emotion, action, danger, suspense, violence, angst, twists, drama, blazing hot passion and magnificent characters.

I couldn’t put it down and absolutely loved every page of it!

cloudstan's review

fast-paced

4.5

 4.5 stars ⭐️ This was my first book by Trish Heinrich and it was pretty darn good. I haven’t read a ton of Were books not to be confused with werewolf shifter books that I love to read. The premise of the book was pretty good, although I would have love to have seen more of a backstory between Lowell and Selene and even the clan feud between the MacDonalds and the Campbells. The spice was really good although I also would have love to have seen those scenes extended out a bit more.

All in all, a pretty good read. I highly recommend if you’re looking for something short and spicy. 

mixedishshelby's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lady_h_reads's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you are looking for some monster smut that will bring you to tears, look no further. This second chance, secret child, werewolf romance is high angst but blessed with a healthy allotment of steam. Plus, the MMC is sporting a Scottish accent, which is so hot! I loved this book and raced through it.

 

Let’s talk about the heartache – I loved that this was told in dual 1st person POV. I ached as I read each of the MC’s feelings of betrayal and loss. It was an emotional push and pull as their former feelings of love battled against the hurts from their separation to rekindle their relationship. They had to navigate the lies their families told them, learning not only how to love, but how to trust again. I cheered them on the entire time and cried when I reached their HEA.

 

I found myself drawn most to the MMC, Lowell. He put so much effort into making the relationship work and never gave up, even when the FMC, Selene, was being a bit obstinate. Once he realizes what efforts were made to keep them apart, he refuses to let that happen again. And knowing that he has a child, he immediately takes up the mantle of a supportive father. Cue the heart eyes for the soccer dad. 

 

The smut is GOOD. For us true monster lovers, we are gifted with mating in were form. That’s right, Lowell wears his true form during the performance. It is wonderful! We are blessed with mating bites and the tendency to drive the male into a rut, and knotting. It does take the couple a little time to get together, so I would classify this as a medium burn.

 

I really enjoyed reading this standalone in the Monsters & Artifacts universe. It seems we have another MacDonald brother’s story to look forward to, and I hope the characters from this book make an appearance.