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mila_readsmm 's review for:
Bruised But Not Broken
by Nicole Dykes
***3.5 rating***
Trigger warning: this review mentions topics and themes that may be sensitive and triggering to some. Viewer/reader discretion is advised.
"He sees me. The real me. And I don’t want to push him away anymore. I only want to hold on as tightly as I possibly can."
Brief Summary:
Bruised But Not Broken is a new book by Nicole Dykes, its the first book of her new upcoming series. The series is meant to discuss different traumas and how the characters cope with them and eventually recover from trauma (obviously no one is ever fully recovered from trauma, but hey baby steps).
This book focuses on Ben and Colby. Ben was a married "straight" guy with a hero/savior complex to his then wife Summer, a social media influencer. One sudden night, Summer is attacked by her stalker. Shocked by the turn of events, Ben is of course worried for his wife. He is no stranger to trauma and violence. They are indeed the ghosts of his past. For many reasons, it is told to the reader that the marriage between Summer and Ben is strained and has turned into a routine. There is no passion or romance. They may as well be roommates. On the night of her attack, Summer decides that its been a long time that she has been unhappy and the attack solidified the truth of her strained marriage. Summer wants out and decides its time to cut Ben loose.
Newly divorced Ben, who is a proud gym owner is somewhat depressed after his failed marriage but his brother Roman (a cop and a proud member of the lgbtq2s+ community) does not let Ben mope around for long. In fact, his brother and their friend a therapist named Andrew, want Ben's help to run a group therapy for people who have experienced trauma. Ever the skeptic, Ben is reluctant and not a fan of therapy but he does help out his friend and agrees to have the group therapy at the gym twice a week. With the gym now being very busy Ben needs help and is looking to hire a new employee. That is when Colby walks into Ben Price's life.
Colby a DV victim, has recently fled from his abusive ex. With no place to go or anyone to turn to, he stumbles upon Ben's gym and sees the poster for the job. This is when the story of our MCs begin.
Bruised but Not Broken is about two people with traumatic pasts who some how found each other and became each other's support, friend and eventually lover.
Verdict:
This is my second read by Nicole Dykes, my first read was Hostile, a book which I very much enjoyed. I saw that she had a new book coming up and well because I enjoyed Hostile, I decided to give this a chance. Unfortunately, this one was not as good as Hostile. It was a fast-paced, light read with not much angst and fast-paced romance, where I failed to feel the connection between Colby and Ben. I think whenever authors try to cover trauma or abuse in general as a theme, its not an easy task to do. If I am reading about characters with trauma, I want some depth, angst, deep feelings and the connection to be established. Ben is fresh out of a 10 year marriage and is immediately taken by Colby who is gay and fresh out of an abusive relationship. And while I appreciated that the author made them become friends first, the romance was still fast-paced. Again, Ben the sweet caring "straight" guy who has never been with a man is down for gay sex quickly and ready to go raw. It just didn't feel realistic. I am sad to say it, because I really did enjoy Hostile and I had the same hope for this book but sadly that was not the case.
The MCs were really sweet tho, especially Ben. He cares about everyone and everything. Colby was also sweet but again their connection...I did not feel it. I did like Ben's brother Roman, Ben's friend Andrew and Ethan. The gym seemed like a safe space for the characters, so that was nice to see.
Roman's book is next, and its about him and Summer's friend, Brooks. Will I check it out? That remains to be seen.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, easy read. It does touch upon topics like trauma and abuse so do be aware. I wish this was as enjoyable as Hostile...but oh well.
Trigger warning: this review mentions topics and themes that may be sensitive and triggering to some. Viewer/reader discretion is advised.
"He sees me. The real me. And I don’t want to push him away anymore. I only want to hold on as tightly as I possibly can."
Brief Summary:
Bruised But Not Broken is a new book by Nicole Dykes, its the first book of her new upcoming series. The series is meant to discuss different traumas and how the characters cope with them and eventually recover from trauma (obviously no one is ever fully recovered from trauma, but hey baby steps).
This book focuses on Ben and Colby. Ben was a married "straight" guy with a hero/savior complex to his then wife Summer, a social media influencer. One sudden night, Summer is attacked by her stalker. Shocked by the turn of events, Ben is of course worried for his wife. He is no stranger to trauma and violence. They are indeed the ghosts of his past. For many reasons, it is told to the reader that the marriage between Summer and Ben is strained and has turned into a routine. There is no passion or romance. They may as well be roommates. On the night of her attack, Summer decides that its been a long time that she has been unhappy and the attack solidified the truth of her strained marriage. Summer wants out and decides its time to cut Ben loose.
Newly divorced Ben, who is a proud gym owner is somewhat depressed after his failed marriage but his brother Roman (a cop and a proud member of the lgbtq2s+ community) does not let Ben mope around for long. In fact, his brother and their friend a therapist named Andrew, want Ben's help to run a group therapy for people who have experienced trauma. Ever the skeptic, Ben is reluctant and not a fan of therapy but he does help out his friend and agrees to have the group therapy at the gym twice a week. With the gym now being very busy Ben needs help and is looking to hire a new employee. That is when Colby walks into Ben Price's life.
Colby a DV victim, has recently fled from his abusive ex. With no place to go or anyone to turn to, he stumbles upon Ben's gym and sees the poster for the job. This is when the story of our MCs begin.
Bruised but Not Broken is about two people with traumatic pasts who some how found each other and became each other's support, friend and eventually lover.
Verdict:
This is my second read by Nicole Dykes, my first read was Hostile, a book which I very much enjoyed. I saw that she had a new book coming up and well because I enjoyed Hostile, I decided to give this a chance. Unfortunately, this one was not as good as Hostile. It was a fast-paced, light read with not much angst and fast-paced romance, where I failed to feel the connection between Colby and Ben. I think whenever authors try to cover trauma or abuse in general as a theme, its not an easy task to do. If I am reading about characters with trauma, I want some depth, angst, deep feelings and the connection to be established. Ben is fresh out of a 10 year marriage and is immediately taken by Colby who is gay and fresh out of an abusive relationship. And while I appreciated that the author made them become friends first, the romance was still fast-paced. Again, Ben the sweet caring "straight" guy who has never been with a man is down for gay sex quickly and ready to go raw. It just didn't feel realistic. I am sad to say it, because I really did enjoy Hostile and I had the same hope for this book but sadly that was not the case.
The MCs were really sweet tho, especially Ben. He cares about everyone and everything. Colby was also sweet but again their connection...I did not feel it. I did like Ben's brother Roman, Ben's friend Andrew and Ethan. The gym seemed like a safe space for the characters, so that was nice to see.
Roman's book is next, and its about him and Summer's friend, Brooks. Will I check it out? That remains to be seen.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, easy read. It does touch upon topics like trauma and abuse so do be aware. I wish this was as enjoyable as Hostile...but oh well.