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Broken #1

Broken

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Layton Morris and his brother Mike grew up not knowing what it would be like to live in a normal home. With no running water or electricity in their home, no parents around to protect them, they quickly learned how to survive and depend only on each other.

When a tragic accident takes Mike away from Layton, and the only other person that he ever let into his heart walked away from him, leaving his heart shattered, Layton focuses all of his time and energy into the ranch he and his brother dreamed of. He makes a vow to himself to never let love in again. The last thing Layton needed or wanted was more heartache.

Whitley Reynolds grew up in a privileged home in upstate New York. When she landed the star football player in high school no one was surprised, not even Whitley. She dreamed of a life with Roger living in New York City and happily followed him there.

The first time Roger hit her for arguing with him about a dinner party, she forgave him. The more it happened, the further Whitley withdrew from her friends and family. One fateful day things go to far. Whitley makes a promise to herself and finds the courage to do the one thing she thought she’d never be able to do.

Fleeing with her best friend Courtney, Whitley was determined to put her past behind her and start a new life in the small town of Llano, Texas, where no one would ever find out about her past.

Will they both ever learn to trust and love again, or will their pasts come back to haunt them, keeping them both alone and…

Broken.

291 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 1, 2013

873 people are currently reading
6546 people want to read

About the author

Kelly Elliott

110 books6,509 followers


Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.

Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Unconditional Love, to name just a few.

Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.

Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.

To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.

www.kellyelliottauthor.com

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5 stars
6,606 (47%)
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3 stars
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379 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 982 reviews
Profile Image for Candace.
1,179 reviews5,019 followers
July 20, 2016
I'm still working my way through my Audible shelf and 'Broken' was one of the books that I've had sitting there awhile. This was one of those books that I wanted to read, but never seemed to make it to the top of my TBR list. Finally, I decided that I'd give it a go.

The heroine, Whitley, has relocated to Texas from New York City. She's on the run from an abusive boyfriend, packing up unexpectedly and hitting the road. By her side is her best friend, Courtney.

When Whitley's car breaks down, a sexy cowboy comes to her rescue. Layton and Whitley immediately begin their love/hate relationship with one another. From the start, the two were exchanging verbal jabs and flirtatious banter. There was no doubt that these two would eventually find their way to each other.

However, for a story that seems so straightforward, there was plenty of interference. Both Whitley and Layton have their own trust issues and insecurities to work through. Layton's ex-girlfriend, Olivia, has returned to town and is hell bent on keeping them apart. Not to mention the fact that Whitley's crazy, abusive ex, Roger, is lurking in the background.

With all of this going on, you can expect a read with plenty of drama. There always seemed to be something going on. Even their friends had relationship drama!

For the most part, this was a sweet, heartwarming read. I liked it, but it wasn't a great read for me. For one thing, the hero was a bit emotional for my taste. I think he cried more than Whitley! It just didn't work for me, especially with him being portrayed as such a tough-guy cowboy. I couldn't reconcile the two images.

Overall, this one was just "okay" for me.
Profile Image for Catherine.
102 reviews6 followers
January 6, 2015
You ever read to a certain scene/part in a book that's awkward & you look around like "did anyone else read that", laugh, & feel embarrassed for the characters? That was about 85% of this book.

A friend of mine recommended this book and I regret wasting a whole night on it. I found the h (I can't even remember her name) annoying as hell. There's going to be spoilers in this review & personally I don't care. How the hell do you get out of an abusive relationship and 3-4 weeks later you're already in "love" with someone else? Authors need to stop this insta-love bullshit, it's annoying. Olivia (the H's ex-girlfriend) character was unnecessary and he encouraged her stupid-ass behavior. There were soooooo many other ways she could have been written in to have a decent storyline. The supporting characters were annoying as hell with their drama & insta-love bullshit. OVERALL, the whole gotdamn book was ANNOYING AS HELL. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone!
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,048 reviews935 followers
December 7, 2013
5 SWEET TOOTHACHE STARS!!!!


Talk about a serious sugar rush! I won't lie... I rolled my eyes about a hundred times at some of the sweetness going on.. but at the same time I had a huge ass dumb grin on my face and couldn't turn the pages fast enough...hence the 5 star rating.

Sweet'n sassy Whitley ( LOVE that name!).. she's been hooked up with a major douche ass since high school... followed him to NYC with dreams of happily ever after..it's not long before the fairy tale comes to an end when the dickhead starts knocking her around... he eventually puts her in the hospital and that's when she decides enough is enough.. she she and her bestie Courtney hit the road headed to Texas so Whit can get a fresh start and escape douche canoe Roger..She's been broken but is willing to do whatever it takes to pick herself back up. This city girl is about to take Texas by storm.

Whitley...


Sexy Texas boy Layton...he's recently lost his brother Mike and his long time girlfriend has been ho'ing around on him.. she's a skank ass bitch..just sayin. His mom died when he was young and his and Mike's dad baled on them not long after she passed.. so it's just him running the ranch he grew up on..raising race horses and cattle.. he's got some hot best buds that keep him company and help him run things. He's broken inside....lonely...hurt..resentful..He's broken too and doesn't see any hope of mending anytime soon. So he's taking it day by day just waiting to the wind to change....

Layton...


( Lets pause for a minute to appreciate this beautiful specimen of a man.. yummmmmy!)

OK... so of course when Whitley and Layton first meet there is definitely a huge amount of physical attraction..but they for sure rub each other the wrong way. Insulting each other, denying their attraction.. he thinks she's a stuck up city girl and she thinks he's just an asshole..

“You want me to get on your horse? With all my stuff? How?” I sighed and prayed that someone would just put up a sign outside of Llano that read, No more city folk allowed. “Ma’am, how in the world—” Balancing the box in one hand, she held up the other and shook her head. “Okay, first off, I’m pretty sure you’re older than me, so please stop calling me ma’am. My name is Whitley. And your name, cowboy?” What a bitch!

“You so much as touch me wrong, and I’ll knock the shit out of you, cowboy.”


Yep, the sparks were flying right off the bat with these two...but they more they try to deny their feelings..the closer they get and it's not long before they've fallen head over heels in L-O-V-E! Not long at all... these two went from fighting..to flirting...to being in love in no time at all.. They were just so freaking cute together!! All the hugging and kissing and sappy ass sugary cuddles and snuggles and bla bla bla.. yea, it was way over the top sweet...


But there was some good sexy steamy times too. They could barely keep their hands off of each other..they were both way horny like ALL THE TIME!! And they were constantly telling each other how crazy in love they were with each other. Like ALL THE TIME..

My whole body trembled with his every touch. “I think about you constantly, Whitley. I wonder what you’re doing, what you’re thinking about, and who you’re thinking about. I want to take away all of the hurt… all of the fear… I see in your eyes. I want you to lose yourself in my love.”

But.. sigh.. they were just so dogone cute!

There really wasn't very much angst in this one.. once they realized they were in love, which was by 50%...the rest of the book was them just falling more in love with each other. Yep, it was sappy silly. There was a couple of jealous moments but they got resolved very quickly. The most drama came from the side characters of Courtney and Reed..which will be featured in the next book in this series. Now those two had some DRAMA!

Now.. not every happy couple can get their HEA without a little drama of their own.... and Whitley and Layton will have some tense moments to get through... but we definitely get our HEA here.. One of the best riding off into the sunset endings ever! I love how Kelly not only gave us a sweet romantic story of two people falling in love, but she wrapped it up so beautifully. I had such a silly grin on my face through the last 10% of this book.

If there was just one teeny tiny little complaint.. I would want longer more detailed sex scenes! There was lots of hot times and they were detailed pretty good.. but they could for sure be longer.. Besides that one thing, I got exactly what I was looking for in this one.. a sweet completely unrealistic happily every after cowboy fairy tale!

12 reviews
November 23, 2013
No no no no no. How many times can a person wink? Also, the phrase "I'm going to come" filled up a quarter of the book. Just, no.
Profile Image for ♥Sharon♥.
985 reviews139 followers
January 2, 2015
2 Stars

Another one for my liked it but didn't love it shelf. Actually I only kind of liked it.

I decided to read this one as I hit the road for a bit of an adventure with the family to celebrate the New Year. It was a quick mindless read.

Layton and Whitley were sweet enough, their relationship was sweet too and they were surrounded by a lot of sweetness. But that was the problem, it was too damn sweet. Needed a little more substance to the story.

Almost closed it a few times but ended up finishing it.

If you're looking for a shitload of sweetness then pick this one up. :)
Profile Image for Sheryl C. Nash.
2,019 reviews432 followers
Want to read
October 27, 2013
OKAY... so MAYBE the reason I added this book was BECAUSE Gary Taylor is on the cover
Profile Image for The Reading's Love Blog.
1,340 reviews186 followers
August 9, 2018
RECENSIONE COMPLETA QUI:
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/...
description
"Con il cuore spezzato" è stato come guardare un bellissimo film e goderne appieno la scenografia, la storia e tutti i personaggi. Siamo in Texas con gli spazi immensi, ranch e cavalli. Cowboy sexy e ragazze di città intrecciano la loro vita, dando il via a questa storia corale dove tutti indistintamente hanno un ruolo importante. Dialoghi serrati e lo stile fluido caratterizzano la storia in un intreccio di situazioni ed eventi che non posso raccontare perché incorro nel rischio spoiler e questa storia deve essere una scoperta per apprezzarla al meglio. Whitley dopo anni di violenza domestica subita, riprende in mano le redini della sua vita e da New York si trasferisce con la sua migliore amica a Llano, una cittadina texana. L'amicizia tra le due ragazze è qualcosa di meraviglioso e al contempo esilarante, le amerete tantissimo, ve lo assicuro perché sono due forze della natura sfrontate e dolcissime. Layton, un sexy cowboy è in un baratro di disperazione emotiva, è riuscito a crearsi una vita agiata ed ogni giorno va avanti per portare avanti il sogno del fratello morto. Tradito dalla fidanzata, ha il cuore spezzato e giura a se stesso di non lasciarsi coinvolgere mai più da nessuno. Ma come si può resistere ad una brunetta di città con gli occhi verdi, la lingua tagliente e lo spirito da ragazza di campagna?
description
Tra i due il feeling è immediato come anche il desiderio di fuggire perché è tanta la paura di rimettete in gioco il proprio cuore ferito. Assistiamo a battute e momenti esilaranti, liti furiose e riavvicinamenti, un turbinio di pensieri e atteggiamenti contrastanti, ma la bontà d'animo di entrambi e la voglia di vivere qualcosa di bello prevale su tutto. La sofferenza che i due ragazzi si portano dietro non li rende delle vittime, anzi la forza e la determinazione che mostrano per andare avanti rende anche le brutture un mezzo per crescere ed avere più consapevolezza di sé. Le scene passionali sono molto bollenti e hanno quel qualcosa di diverso che io ho apprezzato molto. Mi sono piaciuti tantissimo entrambi i protagonisti, caratterizzati alla perfezione, come anche tutti i personaggi secondari che saranno protagonisti degli altri libri della serie. I temi predominanti sono l'amicizia e l'amore che guarisce e apre la strada alla speranza. La violenza domestica presente è un tema trattato con delicatezza e fa riflettere. Questo è un vero romanzo rosa dove la dolcezza, per i miei gusti, potrebbe risultare un po' troppa, ma se non fosse così che romanzo rosa sarebbe?

CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for Katie.
455 reviews21 followers
December 30, 2013
Ugh, this book. So, I picked it up because it had good Amazon reviews. The story sounded halfway decent. But about 20% in, I started thinking, um... this book is a LOT like that terrible book that I read a while back called Wanted . I mean, seriously. A LOT like it. And the instalove. There are no words for how much I hate instalove. Some books do it better than others, and I can tolerate it, but this book? Terrible, terrible case of annoying, unrealistic instalove.

Once I hit the instalove section of the book, I lost interest FAST. There was no conflict. There was no point. All they did for the rest of the book was have ridiculous amounts of sex. So after about 30% in, I skimmed the rest of the book. The story was unoriginal and dull, and I had to MAKE myself finish this book.

So last night, I finally finished skimming reading this book, and I got to the acknowledgements. And the author mentions her "Wanted fans." Aaaand a lightbulb went off. THIS IS THE SAME AUTHOR AS THAT TERRIBLE BOOK, Wanted ! No wonder it was like I was reading the exact. same. freaking. book!!!

So yeah. It's basically like, a second draft of Wanted . I'm giving it two stars instead of one because there weren't evident grammar problems in this book like there were in Wanted , and because it wasn't nearly as long and drawn out as Wanted . And also because every single word out of every character's mouth wasn't "fuck." But it was pretty dull and unoriginal. Don't waste your time.
Profile Image for Julia's Book Haven.
820 reviews215 followers
December 4, 2013
I loved this book! Kelly Elliott is one of those great authors that gets better with each book. She writes with so much emotion that her characters seem even more real then others. I loved Whitley and Layton, they were a great couple and so damn cute. I liked that they were friends before they started dating even if it was obvious that they wanted more pretty much from day one lol. And my god this book was sexy!!!Probably her hottest book yet. There were scenes where I was just fanning myself and drooling lol. And great news to anyone who was weary of reading this one before the next book is out because of Ms.Elliott's bad habit of leaving us with soul crushing cliff-hangers....THERE ISN'T ONE! This can be read as a stand alone book, the next book in the series is about a different couple, Courtney and Reed. I'm looking forward to reading their book and seeing them finally get their shit together and just freaking loving each other lol. I can't recommend this book and all other Kelly Elliott books enough! She is just wonderful.
So read this!! Right now! XD
Profile Image for Jurate.
42 reviews64 followers
September 9, 2016
Omg! I see Kelly's Elliott books are getting hotter!
dsdfd

Like really hot
hod 3 you neanderthal animal


I read all Kelly's books and I would discribe them all,with few words : sweet , romantic ,lovely with a little bit drama .
All sex scenes in authors books are good. But this one! I was surprised! I didn't expected.
I thing author read Knight&Play too .

500fddddull


Enough about that... Lets talk about other things
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Layton... Oh Layton!
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Ok, I didn't love him , but he is lovable. You can understand, that he had difficult childhood without mother
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That all he had was his brother and how hard was losing him
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But man! How much you can cry? HOW MUCH? How little have to happen to make you cry?
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Whitley,
If you run from jealous beating ex, who destroyed all your confidence in men, how come you fell in love so fast? 500656full

I liked her more than Layton so I don't even know what to say about her, just that I don't remember her very well :DDD
Most I liked the name Whitley.

When Layton and Whitley were together they couldn't touch each other. They always had to be together. They always had to be inside . I mean Layton in Whitley :DDD They always were so happy together , but it seemed too sweet
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Generally book was good, and I didn't want to say anything negative , just that earlier books was better ;)
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What I liked the most , was playlist!
5445454545



My apologies to those who disagree with me, and sorry for spelling ;)



Profile Image for Syndi.
3,710 reviews1,038 followers
October 7, 2018
After reading a blurb, i thought this book is going to be promising good. But then i am disappointed.

The whole story is promising. But it needs a good editor especially on wording. The wording is repeating and becomes very boring. And i also have problem connecting with Layton. He cries a lot. And again how many times a guy can feel his heart being broken? Everytime he sees a women cries, his heart broke. It makes me rolled my eyes.

However for some reason i still managed to get this book done. My interest is peaked for Reed and Courtney on next book.

3 stars
Profile Image for K.
175 reviews65 followers
April 3, 2014
I have to put this in the DNF column. I couldn't handle all the smiling and winking at EVERYTHING. Brother died? No problem I will just smile and wink, it's okay. Boyfriend beat me almost to death? No problem I will just smile about it, while still sitting in the hospital. Plus the whole time they talked it felt like they were on crack, jumping and clapping and....*sigh*
Profile Image for Jeanette.
43 reviews6 followers
December 1, 2013
I bought this book because of all of the five star reviews here and on Amazon. Wow was it every cheesy...wink wink cheesy...and seriously how many times can we hear how hard his dick is?? They saved each other after days. barf. Don't waste your time.
Profile Image for Lexy.
1,093 reviews35 followers
October 6, 2020
I thought that this book was good
Profile Image for .chel..
363 reviews54 followers
November 26, 2013
Broken was exactly that – broken.

It’s the same storyline as most, two broken people who vow not to love again, only to fall madly in love with each other.

There was potential for this to be a good read but sadly, it just fell all over the place. Between, the insta-love and all the damn ‘winking’ going on, the story just fell flat.
Not to mention that certain characters whom the author originally made likable all of a sudden did a 180 which seemed uncharacteristic of them. This abrupt change of character seemed forced on to the reader to set the stage for the next book. Overall, there just seemed to be a huge disconnect between the flow of the plot and the characters itself.
Profile Image for Heather in FL.
2,063 reviews
July 10, 2015
(Edit: Leighton is Layton... I listened, but it dawned on me that maybe I was spelling it wrong! So I looked at the blurb again. Oops.)

This was mildly entertaining, but I won't be continuing the series.

Before I listened to this, I looked at a few reviews. One of them was a DNF review where the reviewer's main complaint was that (paraphrasing) Whitley and Leighton are both adamant that they'll never let anyone else in, and they don't even like each other, and then all of a sudden they're in love. I thought (hoped) maybe it was an exaggeration since there were other positive reviews. No such luck. It was dumb. When their profession of love happened, I remembered that review, and I just shook my head. I mean honestly, it's only been a few months since her ex beat the crap out of her, and she's letting Leighton in? It just seems so implausible after what she went through that she'd be so quick to jump into another relationship. And she jumped right into the deep end with this one! And then there were still back and forths -- each not really believing the other had good intentions, so every little slight or side look was totally blown out of proportion. Even the crap that happened with Olivia... yes, she was conniving and was trying to keep Leighton and Whitley apart, but Whitley wouldn't even give Leighton the benefit of the doubt when Olivia got Leighton alone, even when his friends tried to correct her assumptions. Perhaps it's because they didn't know each other well... but then why were they so madly in luuuuuurrrrrrve?

Add to that the whole Reid/Courtney thing where they were doing the same flipping thing -- I hate him/her, but I can't stand that he/she is dating someone else, but I can't admit that I might actually like him/her, or really I love him/her... but I hate him/her... no I love him/her... OMG it was exhausting. And annoying. It just seemed so high school when these are people in their mid to late 20s. I'm sure the next story will be about Reid and Courtney, and I just don't care.

Another thing, and it's been mentioned in other reviews of other books: when an author includes song names but the reader isn't familiar with them, it loses its (supposed) punch. There was some song that Leighton played when he proposed to Whitley, but it's a country song, so I'm completely unfamiliar. I'm sure it was sweet, but the connection was lost on me. Even brands that were mentioned... they're intended to imply luxury, but isn't there some other way to imply luxury? Whitley's wedding dress designer was mentioned, but if it's someone special, I have no clue.

If this hadn't been audio, I'm pretty sure I would have DNFed this a while ago. Even after all the ex-boyfriend crap, there was still so much story. When would it ever end??? Yet it was still mildly entertaining, hence the 2-star rating, but I think I'm being generous.

As for the narrators, the guy did a good job... nice accent. I'm torn on the female narrator. I'm not sure if she made the story worse or if the story was just that hard to work with. She made Whitley seem younger, but then that was probably in part because of how the story was going. So I dunno.

Definitely not continuing the series.
Profile Image for Beth.
771 reviews123 followers
November 23, 2013
5 Promise Keeper Stars



Gig 'Em! With Two Thumps Up. Whoop! For those of you not from Texas, that's Aggie Speak For Good Job, Way To Go, Yeah Haw, and Hot Damn. I am all of those things about this book. I love KelEl. I love that she writes Texas characters who are real Texas characters not some cardboard cut out Dallas, the new version, what everyone expects. And this one...Finally has an Aggie. Kelly promised me an Aggie and she delivered. Thank God. Those Longhorns were taking over her books!

Whitley begs her parents to let her move to NYC with her high school boyfriend after her high school graduation. She is sooo in love, she can't see that anything else will make her happy. Boy was she wrong. In a big way. Like with fireworks WRONG. Roger abuses, belittles and breaks Whitley.

Tonight might be the night he finally kills me.

Layton keeps his promises. His mother died, his father left him and his older brother in a house with no running water, heat or air and just left. LEFT. What happened to the implied promise of taking care of your children? His brother was killed and his girlfriend left him. More promises broken. But Layton is determined to keep his promises. He promised his brother he would make a go of the ranch and take care of the family he left behind. He is all about doing that. He is not going to let anyone get close enough to make or break promises to him anymore.

Whitley and her bestie move to Texas to get away from Roger and save her life. When she meets Layton it is locking horns, pissing off and smart ass attitude from the beginning.

I have never been so attracted to a girl I couldn't stand to be around. What in the hell is wrong with me?

There are lots of ex's, trucks, cowboys, two stepping, flat tires, horses, picnics, snippy girls and jealous boys. Whitley and Layton are both broken and distrustful. But boy, is there heat between them. I mean, Yee Haw....heat!

Whitley, he whispered against my lips. I want to know every inch of your body. I want to make nothing but memories with you. Every day. Every minute. Every second.

Yep...this is a Whoop! of a read. And what else is there to love....the secondary characters. You will love the secondary characters. I want more Reed and Courtney and even Mitch. I can't wait for Broken #2. I promise you will love this book. I promise I will keep you posted on the second book. I promise I will continue to stalk KelEl because she is one of my favorites. Whoop!
Profile Image for Brooke.
191 reviews4 followers
December 9, 2013
Well, sadly, for me this one was a disappointment! I got this book because I had seen a number of 5star reviews but sadly i don't think it was deserving of those stars.

While i think that the storyline itself was.good, it seemed to be lacking in the depth i crave in a good book. i think there could have been a more depth to the characters than there was, a better explanation of relationships, ie.. Other than a brief mention of Whit's mother at the very beginning she is not mentioned once until the final scenes yet they are portrayed as having a great mother/daughter bond. I also found myself cringing at the over the top, sometimes even gag worthy and overly cheesy lines in this story, especially the dialogue between the main characters. I think in this books case you can say "i love you" too many times. I also didn't find the dialogue realistic. It just didn't seem to flow like it would if you were actually hearing the characters speak the words that were written.

The whole story set itself up for a potentially very dramatic scene, the return of the violent ex, but it seemed that it was all just glossed over in a chapter & forgotten. You knew it was coming, but the tension didn't build, and then.... It was just..... Done! I would like to have seen the tension build a little more dramatically in the lead up, even the consequences of the altercation seemed a little lite. Especially since it involves a supposed near death experience.

To be honest i found myself slightly more interested in the love/hate relationship between the main characters best friends, whom it seems will be getting their own book next, but sadly, I am just not sure i will be able to go back for more of this series

I hate being so critical of a writer's work because i know how much hard work goes into releasing a book, so I am sorry for that, but his one was just not for me.
Profile Image for ~Nichole~  Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews.
1,716 reviews626 followers
December 3, 2013
Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews

Sizzling Pages @ Facebook

Twitter:@Sizzlingpages



 4 Sweet Sizzling Stars





5 Sizzling Hearts for Heat






I was excited to be able to sign up for this Blog tour as I loved Saved and Wanted by Kelly Elliot. I love New Adult books and I think that Kelly knows her way around writing stories with entertaining and engrossing plots where the story just flows and you find your self lost in the characters lives and journey, loving every moment of it.  I think this one was just another great read of Kelly's I loved the way the romance played out with Layton and Whitley. They wanted to hate each other but the chemistry between them was too strong. 


Whitley was starting her life over after a very abusive past and Layton had been left by everybody that he had every loved. I loved how Layton opened up and showed his feelings without seeming less macho. He just made my heart melt with his memories of his brother and mom. The secondary characters brought a real depth to the story and I really wanted to jump in and shake a few of them. Lot's of drama, passion and amazing love scenes made this one enjoyable read. Can't wait to read Reed and Courtney's story.







**Sizzling Pages did not receive an ARC for this blog tour and purchased a copy from Amazon.


Profile Image for Tessamari ♥Many Waters...♥ ~ Sweet Spot Book Blog.
1,003 reviews163 followers
November 20, 2013
3.75-4 Stars

“The future needs your attention right now. It has something beautiful to offer you, but first…you must let go of the past in order to receive It.” ~ Robert Tew

First off I have to say that I’m in complete cover love with this book. It’s Gary-Fucking-Taylor on the front, people! That right there is reason enough to buy this book. Imagining him as Layton throughout the whole story just put my libido in overdrive. God, the man is gorgeous…so for your viewing pleasure (and of course, mine)….

 photo 215354c9-548f-4449-8b84-d7adbe4a5e1f_zpsc0879fe1.jpg
(**All Photos belong to FuriousFotog**)

Ok. Sorry for that. Wait…No I’m not. LOL. Anyway, on to my review

“When you first met me, Whitley, I was so damaged. I had a broken heart that was still bleeding. When I look into your eyes…I feel…like my heart is healing.”

Whitley is running from her ex. Abused and broken, she moves from New York to a small town in Texas. She’s weary of men and is definitely swearing them off. However, thing change when she meets Layton.

Layton has lost everyone he’s ever loved. His dad left him and his older brother, Mike, after their mother passed away; they were only 16 & 18 years old respectively. They were alone and had to fend for themselves. Then Layton lost his brother, Mike, while he was on duty in the Marines. Oh! But that’s not it. The love his life, at that time anyway, Olivia, left him the day after he found out about his brother’s death. It was safe to say that Layton, too, was broken.

When they first met, the sparks were definitely flying, but not like what you would think. They bantered like no tomorrow, but both couldn’t deny the underlying lust they had for each other. When they finally fall, they fall hard. But what happens when both their pasts are constantly hounding them…will they remain intact?

“You told me last night I healed you, but you healed me just as much. I love you, Layton. I’ll love you forever, too.”

If you’re a fan of Kelly Elliott’s Wanted Series, then you will absolutely enjoy this new series. If you haven’t read any of her books, then this would be a good time to start. However, you need to know a couple things before diving into this book:

One: This is very much an insta-love relationship. As much as they fought each other in the beginning, it didn’t last long - they hook up and declare their love pretty freaking fast. So if you don’t like those, then you will have a huge problem with this.
Two: Once again, Ms. Elliott leaves us hanging. No worries, there is a HEA for Layton & Whitley, but the cliffhanger relates to what I assume will be the next book in the series featuring Reed & Courtney. Speaking of this….OH MY GOD!! Ms. Elliott, you never disappointment me, you ALWAYS make me want the next book…like NOW. Ugh. I guess I’ll have to wait (again) to get my HEA for Reed & Courtney. I can’t wait!

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Profile Image for KathyB .
1,633 reviews53 followers
February 3, 2015
2.5 Stars

This one was disappointing, I was expecting a much better story with all the 5 star reviews both here and on Amazon.

I usually like this plot, damsel in distress, escaping from an abusive relationship and starting over. The hero had a tough life too, but had worked hard and became very successful.

Layton is the hero, and at the start of the book he is trying to get over his ex, Olivia. He's really devastated, she left him for one of his best friends and is brokenhearted. There is even a scene at the beginning where he cries about her. Sorry, this is a turn off. The ex is a total bitch and there is nothing redeeming about her other than she is pretty and has a hot body... ok moving on. So Layton meets Whitley the heroine after her car breaks down near his ranch, and he helps her. They have some banter back and forth and decide they irritate each other, but there is a physical attraction. A few meetings later and they are suddenly in love and having wild sex. No build up, no connection, just "You are the love of my life and it hurts to be away from you". I don't mind insta-love stories, but this one was so unbelievable. There was no getting to know each other, sexual tension or even flirting. I couldn't see any reason they would fall in love. Their relationship felt forced and fell flat for me. There was a lot of sex in the book, but none of it was particularly hot.

In some novels the secondary characters make a story, that wasn't the case with this one. They were undeveloped, immature and not really interesting.

And finally, enough with all the tears! It seemed like every man in the book either cried or had tears in his eyes throughout the story. It felt contrived, not passionate at all.

This is the first book I've read by Kelly Elliot, and it may be my last. The romance was way too fast and in my opinion there was zero connection or chemistry. Too bad, this story had a lot of potential.
Profile Image for Kelli C .
1,053 reviews362 followers
December 4, 2013
4.5 angsty cowboy swooning stars! I will admit that I like a book with some hard lines and some edge and that I am not a big fan of love at first sight/cant live without you story lines. Well, every once in a while I find an author who writes sappy heartfelt romances and I change my mindset!

Kelly Elliot is the diva of mushy heartbreaking love stories. I read her work for what it is and I get lost in the emotional uproar. Broken introduces us to Whitley and Layton...two "country" folk at heart whose life tragedies along with a bit of fate put them on a path to forever together.

Whitley is a southern girl transplanted to NYC with her high school sweetheart. It does not take long for this romance to turn abusive leaving her broken in a hospital. Her BFF Courtney busts her out and they head to Texas for a new life. Layton Morris is a Texas born boy left to live on his successful ranch alone. Everyone he has every loved has left him one way or another. When a fancy car from NYC broken down on a country road, he sweeps in on horseback to save the day. The meeting of Whitley and Layton is a bit magical and sets the tone for the rest of the story.

I cant find much to fret about with this read. I got exactly what I expected and needed from this story. I enjoyed the comedic friendly banter among the characters, the strength finding journey for Layton and Whitley to move on, and the off the charts hot sex scenes. I mostly enjoyed Layton, lol! Horses, tight tee's, faded out jeans, and a dimple for god's sake...enough said!!!! In true Kelly Elliot style she has left us a new story to wait on with Courtney and Layton's bff Reed...ugh, gonna try to be patient with this, but wow these two are a hot mess I cannot wait to read!!!!!
Profile Image for Caitlin Myers.
52 reviews8 followers
October 2, 2018
Is this book a satire? Turns out after extensive research, that no, it is a real romance. After completing this book, I have decided it may be worse than Fifty Shades. First of all, way too much winking. Is there a lot of dust in this town? Do people in Lando, Texas have eye spasms? Bad water?! I may reread this book just to do a wink count (I'm not joking. Every sentence ends with, "he said with a wink" "she said while looking at her husband-to-be with a gunshot wound...with a wink"). Second of all, there's a whole lot of slut shaming. I'm not here for the back-and-forth "does that make me a slut?" or "omg Allen (or whatever his name is) don't sleep with the bartender because she's a WHORE". It's so trite and outdated. This book is all very annoying and whiny and is a set up for this-man-will-save-me bullshit. Girl, get yourself together before you jump into this cowboy's arms. You can do so much better. Also, they say I love you after a week. A WEEK?! and then he proposes after a month. And then of course he gets shot by the ex boyfriend and saves her from getting shot. All while winking. It's poorly written, anti-feminist, AND to top it off, I skipped about three chapters whenever I was bored and I missed nothing. If this was a satire on romance, I'd understand and gladly laugh along with the author. But no, everyone is a slut, has eye spasms, and dumps problems into their relationships so the other person can "save them" from their own miserable lives. Maybe I've been lucky enough to not encounter bad romance up until this point, but let me suggest all the other amazing authors you could read, like Meghan March, Beverly Jenkins, Julie James, Melissa Brayden, Sonali Dev, the list goes on. Don't waste your time with this. .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews542 followers
February 9, 2014
I feel like I have whiplash from the personality change that Whitley has over the first couple chapters. I felt sorry for Whitley at the start, hated that she was being abused and was glad that she made the choice to run, to get away. So I was a bit surprised that after she was in Texas she turned into a raging bitch! This is the reason why I'm giving up this book. I hated how she treated Layton, a random guy that stopped to help her. I know they will end up, but I can't stomach putting myself through her mouthy ways. It is too bad too, because I liked Layton, wanted to know more about what happened to them as kids, and what happened to Mike. But I can't put up with Whitley. In the end this one just isn't for me.
Profile Image for Melissa.
647 reviews29.3k followers
July 29, 2016
I was really looking forward to reading this book after all of the 5 star reviews......what a disappointment. I can't deal with insta-love. It's just beyond ridiculous in this book and extremely unbelievable. No one goes from an abusive relationship to falling madly in love with someone else a few weeks later. Not to mention how corny and over the top some of the situations were. I don't think I would consider reading any of her other books after this one.




Profile Image for Andrea Fleury.
1,014 reviews79 followers
February 2, 2015
Loved it!!!

This was a great story. I love all the characters. I can't wait to read more about these great friends.
Profile Image for Jennifer Reyes.
26 reviews21 followers
November 19, 2013
Broken by Kelly Elliott




My, oh my. I must say, Kelly Elliott has done it once again! She always seems to amaze me at just how amazing her books are. I have been in love with her writing ever since I read "Wanted" and have read every book since! I saw that this book was finally out on amazon and on e I had my copy not even my dead kindle could stop me from reading it! Lol. I got the book onto phone and dived right it. Just like all of her other books this one is full of hot steamy scenes as well as many sweet swoon worthy scenes. Having Gary on the cover was perfect, as things that Layton said made me think of him. Even if Gary is the perfect Gunner, he could be a Layton as well hahaha. Reading this book made me fall in love with Kelly Elliott even more! I am an even bigger fan of hers and cannot wait to read her next books!

This book starts off with us meeting Whitley Reynolds, a sweet loving girl. She comes from a well off family. She moves to New York following her boyfriend after graduating high school. After moving with him she discovers a side of him she's never seem before. And after months of dealing with it, she decides she's had enough and decides to leave him and move away to a small town far away with her best friend.

Layton Morris has not had an easy life. He's had obstacle after obstacle put in his life. It seems as if every one that he loves and cares for ends up leaving him. His mother died of cancer when he was young. Shortly afterwards his dad abandoned him and his older brother. They struggled to survive with just one another. Now years later Layton has to learn to survive on his own after losing his brother and having his heart broken by the one he loved.

Layton and Whitney meet. And instantly I loved their back and forth banter that they had going on. You could see how from the beginning they had this easiness around one another. Whitney had just moved to town and Layton became her knight who rescued her when her car broke down. I loved seeing how they both struggled with their feelings. They are both hurt people, who have but up walls to protect themselves from being hurt once again. But they break those down and let each other in. Slowly this relationship blossoms and I love how much Layton wants to protect Whitney and how much he cares for her. And oh my god! The sex scenes!! They are HOT AND STEAMY!! Damn! I loved this couple so much!! How they were broken souls that found one another and helped each other heal! But once things seem to be going great, someone from the past comes to shake it all up. Whitney's ex enters the picture. Will Layton and Whitney be able to get past this or will this damaged their relationship?

Apart from this great love story we also get to see the wonderful relationships these two have with their family and friends. Courtney, Whitney's best friend is truly the best friend anyone could ask for. She is always there for Whitney and even moves across the country to be there for her. Then there is Reed, Layton's best friend, he helps him out at his ranch and is also there for him whenever he needs him. There is also Jen and Kate, Layton's sister in law and niece. The way that Layton cares for them is just so sweet! Throughout the book we see all these other friendships and relationships bloom. The one between Reed and Courtney is a very interesting one, I can't wait to read more about it.

This book is seriously a MUST READ!! Drop everything you are doing, any other book you are reading and go grab yourself a copy of it NOW!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,093 reviews92 followers
November 21, 2013
WOW!!!!! Kelly Elliott has done it again. I absolutely LOVED this book. I was afraid it wouldn't be as good as her Wanted series (because I love all those books so much) but boy was I wrong...it was just as good. This book had everything a 5 star read should have. There was angst, drama, love, swooning, and some really sexy steamy scenes ;). I felt a wide variety of emotions while reading this book and I love when a book/author can do that to me. I will say that this book sort of reminded me of the wanted series...in it's writing style, not storyline, but I guess that is why I loved it so much. I love Kelly's writing style and the story/characters she creates. One thing I found to be different with this book was there wasn't that insta love like in Wanted. Yes Whitley and Layton were attracted to each other right away but they were both so broken that they denied what they were feeling. She actually made them work for their relationship :)

As for these characters....Kelly is amazing in creating the hot and swoony cowboy!!! I love all her men ;). I will say that it took me a little while to warm up to Layton. He was a little rough around the edges and not very kind to Whitley at first. But like all of her other heroes he won me over. Whitley on the other hand...I loved her character right from the start. She was a strong person who suffered in a bad situation for too long. I was so happy when she finally realized she deserved better. And that all men are not like Roger!!!! Whitley's character didn't annoy me once in this book. I also loved her and Layton together. It was great to see them building each other up and putting each if their hearts back together.

As for secondary characters the only 2 that really stick out would be Reed and Courtney. Yes there are others but they were just more like background people. I LOVED Courtney...she reminded me of myself so many times and I loved her friendship with Whitley. I really can't wait to read the next book which is about Reed and Courtney. I just hope they can get their act together :). Reed was another one who had a great friendship with Layton. He was there through it all. I hope he gets his HEA!!!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet love story about 2 very broke souls who work together to heal each other. If you are a fan of Kelly Elliott's you DON'T want to miss this book!!!!

For more reviews go to www.bookbitchesblog.com
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