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Broken Dignity
How do you rebuild a normal life when the world refuses to forget who you were? For Cristal Caprice, it seems impossible.
It took nearly a decade for Cristal to escape the control of a sadistic tyrant named Mason, who refused to let her leave the sex industry alive. Three years later, Cristal re-emerges with a new identity in a new home, the small town of Thornwood. There, her new neighbors and friends know her only as Bianca Nubreze.
Struggling to come to terms with her shameful past and adapt to a new life, Bianca isolates herself from the world and slowly sinks into a deep depression. As she teeters on the brink of suicide, Bianca finds acceptance and optimism in a Christian evangelist named Robyn. Even so, her new found hope in life is short-lived as her secret is exposed. Revelations about her past involvement with US Congressman Adrian Reese ignite a national media scandal, and her new life is turned inside out overnight.
With her true identity and whereabouts exposed, Bianca becomes the town's pariah and is once again relentlessly hunted by Mason. As her life spirals out of control, her only hope for redemption lies in her new found faith in God, Robyn, and a shrewd political strategist named Tamara who will do whatever it takes to protect Congressman Reese's career ... at any cost.
It took nearly a decade for Cristal to escape the control of a sadistic tyrant named Mason, who refused to let her leave the sex industry alive. Three years later, Cristal re-emerges with a new identity in a new home, the small town of Thornwood. There, her new neighbors and friends know her only as Bianca Nubreze.
Struggling to come to terms with her shameful past and adapt to a new life, Bianca isolates herself from the world and slowly sinks into a deep depression. As she teeters on the brink of suicide, Bianca finds acceptance and optimism in a Christian evangelist named Robyn. Even so, her new found hope in life is short-lived as her secret is exposed. Revelations about her past involvement with US Congressman Adrian Reese ignite a national media scandal, and her new life is turned inside out overnight.
With her true identity and whereabouts exposed, Bianca becomes the town's pariah and is once again relentlessly hunted by Mason. As her life spirals out of control, her only hope for redemption lies in her new found faith in God, Robyn, and a shrewd political strategist named Tamara who will do whatever it takes to protect Congressman Reese's career ... at any cost.
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Lando
3 books16 followersMichael J. Lando is an African-American writer, born in Greenville, Mississippi and currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife and daughter.
Michael attended Columbia College Chicago and Arizona State University, where he studied Screenwriting and Fiction Writing.
Michael currently works for a Fortune 500 company and is working on his next novel.
Michael attended Columbia College Chicago and Arizona State University, where he studied Screenwriting and Fiction Writing.
Michael currently works for a Fortune 500 company and is working on his next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 28, 2016
A slow read with many dark in-depth chapters of sex and violence and a heavy Christian redemption overtone that just didn’t measure up to what this book could have been.
This book had everything to be a great book (human trafficking, sex industry, politics) yet it somehow fell short. The story line, aside from being rather predictable, was good and the book takes a more in-depth look at the industry than most take, but I just could not buy into this story. The author tried really hard to make the main characters multidimensional and relatable but I found the dimensions so contrasting and extreme they were beyond relatable, plus there were other contrasting extremes throughout the book right down to the way the characters spoke and the grammar they used.
What bothered me most about this whole book was the way the female characters were developed. No matter how much or how little education they had it seemed everything was about their looks, their jealousy, their temper, etc. Basically every thought these women had somehow related to the men around them, there were basically no lives for these women beyond the men they served (in one way or another) and I am not just talking about the characters in the sex industry. This seemed counter intuitive in a book about a woman trying to find herself and get out of the sex industry, not to mention very unrealistic.
I think all the little annoyances were even worse because the book could have been so great!
The last few chapters were by far the best part of the book and almost made up for the rest of it, but not quite.
This book had everything to be a great book (human trafficking, sex industry, politics) yet it somehow fell short. The story line, aside from being rather predictable, was good and the book takes a more in-depth look at the industry than most take, but I just could not buy into this story. The author tried really hard to make the main characters multidimensional and relatable but I found the dimensions so contrasting and extreme they were beyond relatable, plus there were other contrasting extremes throughout the book right down to the way the characters spoke and the grammar they used.
What bothered me most about this whole book was the way the female characters were developed. No matter how much or how little education they had it seemed everything was about their looks, their jealousy, their temper, etc. Basically every thought these women had somehow related to the men around them, there were basically no lives for these women beyond the men they served (in one way or another) and I am not just talking about the characters in the sex industry. This seemed counter intuitive in a book about a woman trying to find herself and get out of the sex industry, not to mention very unrealistic.
I think all the little annoyances were even worse because the book could have been so great!
The last few chapters were by far the best part of the book and almost made up for the rest of it, but not quite.
April 16, 2012
Before my review, I just want to note that I got this book as a first-reads give away :) Which doesn't affect my review at all, just want to be up front :)
WOW! Just....wow. I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. From the get-go, knowing that the main character was going to be a reformed porn-star gone religious, I was skeptical. That is NOT what this book is all about. It is more about a woman's journey, and her inner struggle & turmoil. My favorite thing about this book? The fact that in the end, the main character hasn't met her perfect soul mate, or even resolved things fully, but she is on her way & I have a giant sense of hope for her.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, disliked some of them (which is always a sign of a well written book for me) and the scenes were not only well thought out, but well executed. I didn't often stop & think, "Wait, what happened?" because I knew, because it was explained. Great book overall. I will be passing it on to some friends before re-reading it.
WOW! Just....wow. I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. From the get-go, knowing that the main character was going to be a reformed porn-star gone religious, I was skeptical. That is NOT what this book is all about. It is more about a woman's journey, and her inner struggle & turmoil. My favorite thing about this book? The fact that in the end, the main character hasn't met her perfect soul mate, or even resolved things fully, but she is on her way & I have a giant sense of hope for her.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, disliked some of them (which is always a sign of a well written book for me) and the scenes were not only well thought out, but well executed. I didn't often stop & think, "Wait, what happened?" because I knew, because it was explained. Great book overall. I will be passing it on to some friends before re-reading it.
March 2, 2012
This novel gets the highest compliment that I can pay to a work of fiction. When I finished this book, I actually missed the characters. The author has done a wonderful job creating characters that get into your psyche. While you don't always agree with the choices they make, you can't help turning the pages to find out what they'll do next.
I, myself, am a sucker for a good back story, and this author delivers just that. I got to know the characters and to understand many of their motivations. If you don't fancy knowing the backgrounds of characters you might find the first pages a little slow at times, but if you hang in there the payoff is worth it. Once the author found his rhythm, I, as a reader, found the novel hard to put down.
Broken Dignity is an awesome debut effort by Michael J. Lando. I can't wait for his next novel!
I, myself, am a sucker for a good back story, and this author delivers just that. I got to know the characters and to understand many of their motivations. If you don't fancy knowing the backgrounds of characters you might find the first pages a little slow at times, but if you hang in there the payoff is worth it. Once the author found his rhythm, I, as a reader, found the novel hard to put down.
Broken Dignity is an awesome debut effort by Michael J. Lando. I can't wait for his next novel!
April 7, 2012
I won this book on FirstReads and started reading it almost as soon as I got it. From the very beginning I cared about all of the major characters and was invested in what happened to them. The conflict was set up very nicely and flowed right into the conflict. I didn't like the epilogue because I felt it was not necessary to the story and that the writing style varied too much from the rest of the novel. Overall, I thought this was an excellent book and loved that the chapters had titles!
January 1, 2012
The author did a great job at making the characters come to life in this story. Everytime I read about Mason I would feel the other characters fear of him. The author also did a great job shining light into the adult industry. I really enjoyed this story and look foward to reading your next book Mr. Lando.
January 11, 2012
Thank you Goodreads for the advanced copy! I admit, I was a little shocked after reading the first chapter. However, it wasn't long before Bianca's story held me captive. This book is magnificent in identifying the inner struggle believers have. Loved this book, you will too!
July 20, 2012
Lando's work is an enticing, well-articulated development of characters and plot. I was captivated from the beginning, and I was highly upset when I was spit back out at the end. Awesome first book! I can't wait until the next! I support you, Michael!
December 20, 2011
Meet Bianca Nubreze who was formerly known as Cristal Caprice an ex-porn star. Bianca moves to Thornwood to escape the porn industry, and her ex-boss Mason. While Bianca is in Thornwood she runs into her ex-lover. Who is a U.S Congressman. When their past relationship is revealed, Bianca finds herself in the middle of a political scandal. This scandal also reveals Bianca’s whereabouts. Which, leads Mason, to where Bianca is, so he can collect what belongs to him. With all that’s going on Bianca ‘s world is turning upside down, and she goes into a deep depression, and becomes suicidal.
What I like most about this book is that it’s a suspenseful, thriller, full of drama.. It held my attention. Strength is the realism in the story. I though the author did a good job with this aspect. The only weakness of this book is that it’s slow. It took me a while to really get into it, but; once I got into it I was hooked. If, you’re looking for a book that’s a thriller, and full of drama, scandal, and suspense. I suggest that you read Broken Dignity. I would like to see this book as a screen production.
What I like most about this book is that it’s a suspenseful, thriller, full of drama.. It held my attention. Strength is the realism in the story. I though the author did a good job with this aspect. The only weakness of this book is that it’s slow. It took me a while to really get into it, but; once I got into it I was hooked. If, you’re looking for a book that’s a thriller, and full of drama, scandal, and suspense. I suggest that you read Broken Dignity. I would like to see this book as a screen production.
March 16, 2012
At first I was only interest in Bianca. I felt for her. I dislike Adrian's mother and him for being so cruel to her. It's sad when people don't accept you for you. It's more sad when you feel like you are alone in this world. The feeling of despair and wish of an end are feelings I understand the most. After learning Adrian married but lost his wife, I forgive him for Bianca's pains a bit. The ending is really satisfying. Although like everything else, Bianca's memories can not be erased. The experiences made she the way she is now and that's all that's matters.
April 6, 2012
The story line was a good one. I just hated the switching of the many characters. It was hard to focus because every few pages I was reading about someone else. That made it extremely boring to me. There were some really good parts but it took forever to get to them. D'Shauna is a pretty girl that comes from nothing who falls in love with a boy who has it all. After becoming pregnant and her belief that he has turned his back on her, she becomes porns number 1 actress and life is never the same..
December 1, 2013
I did enjoy this book and (most of) the characters. Other reviewers have commented that the book was slow and they are very right, it was a big reason why I only rated 4 stars, the other main reason is that I found a lot of the dialogue very repetitive. Different characters were very similar in their conversations that I had to stop and think about whose passage I was in.
The ending was incredibly intense for such a long buildup, if I hadn't been lying in bed when I was finishing up the book I would have been on the edge of my seat.
The ending was incredibly intense for such a long buildup, if I hadn't been lying in bed when I was finishing up the book I would have been on the edge of my seat.
January 19, 2019
This is a longer, somewhat uneven read.
Bianca Nubreeze was once "Cristal Caprice" the most popular porn star around. After one too many brutal shoots she manages to use her wits to get out of her contract with the sadistic pimp/manager Mason and reestablish herself in the quiet suburbs of Illinois. Despite getting away from the life she was living, Bianca is still haunted by her past actions and terrified that mason will locate her. This becomes all the more likely as her high school boyfriend, Adrian Reese, climbs the political ladder and the media makes the connection between the two of them.
There is a lot to like in this novel, even though it can be a bit heavy handed with the religious aspect of this. My major gripe is that several characters are established in great detail over a chapter or two and then not really mentioned again. It gets frustrating to invest that much effort into a character who ends up being totally unimportant. I think with a stronger editor this novel could actually have been pretty fabulous instead of just so-so and it is disappointing that it never lived up to its potential.
Bianca Nubreeze was once "Cristal Caprice" the most popular porn star around. After one too many brutal shoots she manages to use her wits to get out of her contract with the sadistic pimp/manager Mason and reestablish herself in the quiet suburbs of Illinois. Despite getting away from the life she was living, Bianca is still haunted by her past actions and terrified that mason will locate her. This becomes all the more likely as her high school boyfriend, Adrian Reese, climbs the political ladder and the media makes the connection between the two of them.
There is a lot to like in this novel, even though it can be a bit heavy handed with the religious aspect of this. My major gripe is that several characters are established in great detail over a chapter or two and then not really mentioned again. It gets frustrating to invest that much effort into a character who ends up being totally unimportant. I think with a stronger editor this novel could actually have been pretty fabulous instead of just so-so and it is disappointing that it never lived up to its potential.
February 14, 2012
If you are prudish, in any way, DON'T READ THIS BOOK! This story is not for the prim hearted. I thought it was HYSTERICALLY FUNNY! I laughed out loud many times while reading it. What a group of characters & what a story line! I would love to know if it's based on actual events & people or if the author's imagination is that twisted. Even though it was a little amateurish in parts, the author shows talent & the story was highly entertaining. I will definitely be reading this author's future books. I won this book from goodreads, thankyou!
March 31, 2012
Won through Goodreads but unfortunately I couldn't finish it. I just didn't care if Bianca/Cristal ever found self-esteem and respect for herself. If the book had focused on Adrian, I would have been able to finish it. He was an interesting and well developed character. I found myself skimming a lot until the chapters involving him. The book was detailed and the author obviously has a lot of talent-I just couldn't deal with Bianca.
Want to read
November 8, 2011I won this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks.
August 1, 2015
As one reviewer said, if you are a prude, don't read it. I'm a prude and shouldn't have read it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews