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Broken Shield
Tyler Jackson, former paramedic now firefighter, has seen her share of death up close. The death of her wife caused Tyler to rethink her career choices, but the death of her mother two weeks later cemented her return to the ranks of firefighter. Her path of self-destruction and womanizing is just a front to hide the heartbreak and devastation she lives with every day. Tyler’s given up on finding love and having the family she’s always wanted. When tragedy strikes her life for a second time she finds something she thought she lost.
Ashley Henderson loves her job. Ignoring her mother’s advice, she opts for a career in law enforcement. But, Ashley hides a secret that soon turns her life upside down. Shame, guilt and fear keep Ashley from venturing forward and finding the love she so desperately craves. Her life comes crashing down around her in one swift moment forcing her to come clean about her secrets and her life.
Can two women thrust together by one traumatic event survive and find love together, or will their past force them apart?
Ashley Henderson loves her job. Ignoring her mother’s advice, she opts for a career in law enforcement. But, Ashley hides a secret that soon turns her life upside down. Shame, guilt and fear keep Ashley from venturing forward and finding the love she so desperately craves. Her life comes crashing down around her in one swift moment forcing her to come clean about her secrets and her life.
Can two women thrust together by one traumatic event survive and find love together, or will their past force them apart?
306 pages, Kindle Edition
16 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Isabella
30 books198 followersAward winning, international best selling author, Isabella, lives in California with her wife and three sons. Isabella's first novel, Always Faithful, won a GCLS award in the Traditional Contemporary Romance category in 2010. She was also a finalist in the International Book Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the 2010 and 2012 Rainbow Awards.
She is a member of the Rainbow Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America and the Gold Crown Literary Society. She has written several short stories and just finished her next novel, Razor's Edge - American Yakuza III, set for an April 15th release. She is current working on Cigar Barons - A family dynasty where blood isn't thicker than water, it's war!
She is a member of the Rainbow Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America and the Gold Crown Literary Society. She has written several short stories and just finished her next novel, Razor's Edge - American Yakuza III, set for an April 15th release. She is current working on Cigar Barons - A family dynasty where blood isn't thicker than water, it's war!
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 13, 2018
I enjoyed the few stories I have read from this author and am glad to add this one to the list. Two women in uniform, a crazy ex, and a bit of baggage makes for a good story. I like the author writes and the characters were well enough written that you feel for them. Worth the read. Plus it's available on Scribd
October 17, 2019
My sort of book - plenty of story that is rich with characters, angst, pain and a wonderful love story. Tears and laughter.... loved it.
September 13, 2014
3.5 stars.
Nice traditional romance. The characters are predictable but interesting. Each is facing challenges and doing a poor job of moving on with their lives. The event that finally throws them together is a bit over the top but this is fiction so anything is possible.
While there are some hot scenes, I actually enjoyed the slow build in their relationship. A lot of emphasis was placed on touching. Touching hands, faces and just an overall quiet communication and acceptance by the two protagonists. An early work by this author, but a sweet romantic read.
Nice traditional romance. The characters are predictable but interesting. Each is facing challenges and doing a poor job of moving on with their lives. The event that finally throws them together is a bit over the top but this is fiction so anything is possible.
While there are some hot scenes, I actually enjoyed the slow build in their relationship. A lot of emphasis was placed on touching. Touching hands, faces and just an overall quiet communication and acceptance by the two protagonists. An early work by this author, but a sweet romantic read.
May 16, 2021
Jae's SRC:
character with everyday job
November 28, 2012
The story was probably 4 stars if not for editing. It was slow starting, but about halfway trough when the action began, it was gripping and exciting and turned into the kind of book you stay up all night to see what happens. But it was hurt by typos and editing misses. I understand that nobody is perfect, even a well trained eye needs someone else to give a book a second or third look, or to bounce suggestions off of. I find myself feeling bad that the people the author listed as helping, didn't help enough.
The character creation was great. I just finished another book, and i swear the two leads looked like Tyler and Ashley from this book, because i couldn't get them out of my head. They were strong memorable characters.
Overall, the author gets 5 stars from me for character development, 2 stars for editing (get some beta readers!), 3 stars for story consistency, 4 stars for ending that doesn't suck. Oh, and 3 for hot and steamy, it would have been hotter if it was believable. i couldn't focus on how hot they were together because i couldn't stop thinking how much it must have hurt with injuries and all... Those are all just my opinion of course. others might not look for, or care for such things in a book.
On a side note, i was surprised she also wrote [[ASIN:B0083EOIQM American Yakuza]], which was 5 stars all the way. So if you're looking for a recommendation, i'd go with that one first. Of course, that was a more recent book, and obvious proof that this author has grown and improved. I hope she keeps writing.
The character creation was great. I just finished another book, and i swear the two leads looked like Tyler and Ashley from this book, because i couldn't get them out of my head. They were strong memorable characters.
Overall, the author gets 5 stars from me for character development, 2 stars for editing (get some beta readers!), 3 stars for story consistency, 4 stars for ending that doesn't suck. Oh, and 3 for hot and steamy, it would have been hotter if it was believable. i couldn't focus on how hot they were together because i couldn't stop thinking how much it must have hurt with injuries and all... Those are all just my opinion of course. others might not look for, or care for such things in a book.
On a side note, i was surprised she also wrote [[ASIN:B0083EOIQM American Yakuza]], which was 5 stars all the way. So if you're looking for a recommendation, i'd go with that one first. Of course, that was a more recent book, and obvious proof that this author has grown and improved. I hope she keeps writing.
December 13, 2019
I'm afraid I didn't get on with this at all. It needed a really good edit. Looks like someone might have run a spell check, but it hadn't had a thorough line edit, with mistakes like 'check' instead of cheek, 'bugle' instead of bulge, 'cold sweet' instead of sweat. It didn't flow very well either. The dialogue was hindered by repetition and overuse of dialogue tags that made it sound very unnatural and stiled; characters screamed, quipped, chided, replied, asked, asked again, yelled, joked, mumbled, and cried their way through whatever it was they had to say - and that was just in the first chapter.
I found it difficult to differentiate between female characters at the start of the book; they all read the same. I had to keep checking who was who, so their voices were not particularly distinct.
A lot of it read like fan-fiction, especially the sex scenes with the ubiquitous nubs and exploding orgasms.
Some reviewers have suggested this is what you get with self-published writing, but this isn't self-published, it's been put out there by Sapphire Books, a lesbian label. I can only think it was early in their start up and they were still getting good editing teams together - they started in 2010 and this is a 2011 publication.
Overall I wasn't particularly impressed. The lack of editing coupled with a not too exciting story line (the crazy ex), make this a poor read for me and I probably won't read more by this author.
I found it difficult to differentiate between female characters at the start of the book; they all read the same. I had to keep checking who was who, so their voices were not particularly distinct.
A lot of it read like fan-fiction, especially the sex scenes with the ubiquitous nubs and exploding orgasms.
Some reviewers have suggested this is what you get with self-published writing, but this isn't self-published, it's been put out there by Sapphire Books, a lesbian label. I can only think it was early in their start up and they were still getting good editing teams together - they started in 2010 and this is a 2011 publication.
Overall I wasn't particularly impressed. The lack of editing coupled with a not too exciting story line (the crazy ex), make this a poor read for me and I probably won't read more by this author.
February 18, 2023
Hmmm?
I guess I just couldn’t believe in the draw of the two MC’s. They started with a rejection of the one. And then kept being thrown together. I understood their past hurts but this should have been teased out a bit more. When you wait to bring them together physically to the last 20 pages of the book. It feels rushed and superficial for them to finally come together. I couldn’t invest in either one emotionally, although some very emotional and life changing events happened in their separate lives up until the time they met. Then another tragedy strikes.
The dialogue between the two is lacking. You can’t build intimacy without a lot of dialogue. It was just too easy and too shallow.
I guess I just couldn’t believe in the draw of the two MC’s. They started with a rejection of the one. And then kept being thrown together. I understood their past hurts but this should have been teased out a bit more. When you wait to bring them together physically to the last 20 pages of the book. It feels rushed and superficial for them to finally come together. I couldn’t invest in either one emotionally, although some very emotional and life changing events happened in their separate lives up until the time they met. Then another tragedy strikes.
The dialogue between the two is lacking. You can’t build intimacy without a lot of dialogue. It was just too easy and too shallow.
December 18, 2025
This was a wild rollercoaster ride
I had this book in my wishlist for forever. I am so glad I finally bought it and have now read it.
Tyler has had her share of heartbreak, double what other people normally experience. Ashley had her own troubles, that is still haunting her. And when Ashley's troubles becomes a pain in Tyler's ass things change.
Ashley and Tyler also confess how they feel about each other.
Loved it.
I had this book in my wishlist for forever. I am so glad I finally bought it and have now read it.
Tyler has had her share of heartbreak, double what other people normally experience. Ashley had her own troubles, that is still haunting her. And when Ashley's troubles becomes a pain in Tyler's ass things change.
Ashley and Tyler also confess how they feel about each other.
Loved it.
August 25, 2023
Fire Storm
Tyler is a firefighter who pushes the limits on the job and on her motorcycle. After her police officer wife was killed while on duty and her mother died in a car accident she went crazy. Ashley is a cop who is recovering from an abusive relationship and is partner to Tyler’s best friend Kelly. A smoking hot romance.
Tyler is a firefighter who pushes the limits on the job and on her motorcycle. After her police officer wife was killed while on duty and her mother died in a car accident she went crazy. Ashley is a cop who is recovering from an abusive relationship and is partner to Tyler’s best friend Kelly. A smoking hot romance.
May 12, 2020
Brilliant
I loved this book about a grieving firefighter trying to come to terms with her wife’s death and a cop trying to escape a dangerous ex. Really good strong characters and interesting plot. I couldn’t put it down a must read x
I loved this book about a grieving firefighter trying to come to terms with her wife’s death and a cop trying to escape a dangerous ex. Really good strong characters and interesting plot. I couldn’t put it down a must read x
March 10, 2023
solid story
This book has a strong storyline and moves smoothly through it while keeping the romantic side in sight for me.
This book has a strong storyline and moves smoothly through it while keeping the romantic side in sight for me.
March 7, 2015
I got this book as a gift and only made it to the end of the book through sheer will. As others have noted it's badly edited, which I may have been able to overlook if the characters were engaging, the story had been believable or the writing was good. That the author thanks her beta readers and editor in the acknowledgements makes this even more unfortunate.
I found Tyler unlikeable for the most part, where I'm sure I was supposed to find her at least somewhat sympathetic. As another reviewer has pointed out, it also contains a trope that annoys me greatly, whereby a main character can be incredibly injured and still have sex. Please. I shouldn't have been surprised though since Isabella uses just about every cliché there is.
The cover hits on another pet peeve, why is it necessary to have a half naked woman on the cover of a book, is the target audience 15 year old boys? If this is what can be expected of stories by Sapphire Books, I'll be skipping anything else they publish.
I would urge you all to spend your money on books by Cate Culpepper, Gerri Hill or Georgia Beers instead, that'd be money much better spent.
I found Tyler unlikeable for the most part, where I'm sure I was supposed to find her at least somewhat sympathetic. As another reviewer has pointed out, it also contains a trope that annoys me greatly, whereby a main character can be incredibly injured and still have sex. Please. I shouldn't have been surprised though since Isabella uses just about every cliché there is.
The cover hits on another pet peeve, why is it necessary to have a half naked woman on the cover of a book, is the target audience 15 year old boys? If this is what can be expected of stories by Sapphire Books, I'll be skipping anything else they publish.
I would urge you all to spend your money on books by Cate Culpepper, Gerri Hill or Georgia Beers instead, that'd be money much better spent.
February 20, 2013
Like all the Isabella stories I have read, Broken Shield did not disappoint in terms of new and exciting characters with a lot of chemistry and an interesting story to move them along. Tyler Jackson a hardcore paramedic seeking adrenaline rushes to avoid dealing with her tragic past is the perfect compliment to Ashley Henderson a cop who is on the straight line to success. The first encounters these two women have are unforgettable! What better way to make a good first impression than to give someone you recently met a speeding ticket! The attraction that sizzles and pops from the beginning is a great reason to pick up the book. However, one of the topics that Isabella introduces is a reason why you won't easily forget it. Broken Shield touches on some cutting edge topics, and I am truly impressed with how well Isabella presents them. Broken Shield is another Isabella winner.
April 21, 2015
Good Book
I gave it five stars because it's a good story I can relate with the characters. Losing someone is hard. This book gives you hope. Life goes on you just have to be strong. Good book
I gave it five stars because it's a good story I can relate with the characters. Losing someone is hard. This book gives you hope. Life goes on you just have to be strong. Good book
November 20, 2011
I thought this book was great! I love the transformation of the the main character!
January 28, 2012
Same issue with a lot of self-pubbed authors: needs many types of editing. Other than that, I guess the story is OK.
July 8, 2014
Who doesn't like a cop and a firefighter
So, who doesn't like a cop and a firefighter story. Great story about both. Both damaged but together they can heal.
So, who doesn't like a cop and a firefighter story. Great story about both. Both damaged but together they can heal.
June 27, 2015
You cannot overcome life tragedies alone. The two main characters needed each other to overcome very difficult events in their life. Liked the slow romantic build up.
February 2, 2015
Will review soon
July 10, 2015
the writing is so messy
June 22, 2018
Great book as usual with Isabella. To read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews