Broken

Forbidden #2

by Melody Anne

Book two in Blake Knight and Jewell Weston's story. See how their story concludes;

Relinquish Control has just opened its doors in Seattle, and already we are not shy for customers. Relinquish Control is an exclusive escort service catering to the most distinguished customers, from business magnates to foreign royalty. This proven and well-established international business offers an elite selection of women who are ready and willing to attend to your every need with no questions asked. Confidentiality is our special obligation.

Jewell Weston is homeless and desperate at age twenty-four. Two years ago, she quit her job to care for her ailing mother and her young brother; the medical bills incurred because of the cancer that killed her mother two months ago took everything the family had, and the state then took away her brother, now age fourteen. The only way for her to get the boy back is by finding a job and securing a home.

When she’s approached by a woman in cashmere and pearls who tells her she can change her life, and is handed a card with the business name Relinquish Control on it, she thinks she has nothing to lose by calling the phone number. Maybe this will be the answer to her prayers, a way to save her little brother from the nightmarish foster home he’s been placed in.

Blake Knight, known to the world as cold and without a heart, is given an exclusive membership to Relinquish Control by his devilish younger brother, who thinks it would be amusing to make his staid brother squirm. Little does this brother realize that Blake does indeed have unusual desires that Relinquish Control can cater to perfectly. What started as a joke turns out to be just what Blake needs. Though the world sees this man as deliberate and emotionless, it’s nothing but a façade. What lies underneath would shock all those who know him.
When he and his two brothers were six, eight and ten, they were tied up and forced to watch while their parents were murdered. The image has been burned into their minds, though they’ve tried to forget, leaving each of them guarded and unwilling to give their trust to anyone other than each other. No one is allowed to have their hearts. The brothers would never think of letting down their guard with anyone else, certainly not with a woman.

Follow Blake and Jewell’s journey and see if they can find a happily ever after…

Genres: Romance, Erotica, BDSM, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Billionaires, Erotic Romance

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2014

About the author

Nobody likes sexy men, sassy heroines, and emotionally charged books, right? WRONG! We all want to feel extraordinary when we read, and that's exactly what you'll get when you pick up a Melody Anne book. She has the feel-good stories of a damsel in distress with prince charming riding in to save the day . . . and she also has emotionally charged books that take you through a journey of emotion as you try to figure out if you love or hate the characters as they find themselves. What you get at the end of every Melody Anne book is a resolution that has you begging for more.

Melody Anne is a NYT best selling author of more than 70 books about strong women, strong families, and sexy strong men. Each series has its own theme, and each is different. Melody touches subjects others might not want to touch and you won't get away from reading one of her series without laughing, crying, and thinking about the journey you've just gone on even months later.

See her website and subscribe to her newsletter or text messaging service at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or on Instagram and TikTok @authormelodyanne. Also, follow her blog at authormelodyanne.blogspot.com. Come say hello and peek beneath the covers of her books to go to a whole new world.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now see, this is what happens when an author tries to make what should be ONE book into 2. The 2nd book did not fulfill my expectations.

Shockingly, when the book begins Blake is still a complete jerk. I was surprised and disappointed by that. It was also a let down for me that he NEVER apologized to Jewell for how cruelly he treated her at the end of Bound and also how he called her a liar when she confided in him about her brother.

Overall, Broken was a huge disappointment. The story felt weird - things didn't flow well and weren't adding up. For example, Blake pays for Jewell again ($250,000!!!!), but this time sets her up in an apartment and basically let's her decide if she wants to be with him or not - but he doesn't SAY that's what he's doing. Why even pay the money? Why not just approach her, set her up in an apartment since you KNOW she needs the help and then wait for her to come to you. And in the meantime, Blake is still being a douche and treating Jewell like a whore. Then ALL OF A SUDDEN, he decides he loves her but of course can't bring himself to tell her. HOWEVER, after a completely unbelievable twist, Jewell leaves Blake. So he decides he has to tell her how he really feels. He goes to Jewell and gives her a beautiful speech about how much she means to him and how deeply he loves her. Totally out of character. It just didn't make sense.

What I wanted to happen was for Blake to admit to himself that he, at the minimum, cared a great deal for Jewell. Then, I wanted him to pursue her while she decided whether or not she could trust him. After the way he treated her in Bound, I wanted him to grovel, not continue to be a total jerk!

So now Byron is the new Blake. Hopefully his story won't have a dumb cliffhanger ending.

[Sarah Vale · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointed melody anne fan

2.5 stars

Read all melody anne books and loved all of them, never rate less than 3, and most I would rate at 4 stars....
Loved the first book but was disappointed with this, firstly it needed more editing, silly grammatical errors. Secondly, the book is advertised at over 300 pages, which really all it was is about 130 pages.

Also everything very rushed, basic story good but could of had more depth, expanded on it so we could get to know the characters. 1 minute he learnt about Justin, couple of pages over, he was best friends with Justin. Lots of important details left out.
Will buy the next book as love melody anne books, just hoping it's a little better

[Raine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book wasn't as good as the first book and the surprise at the end kinda threw me a little bit. I thought that Blake changed he character a little too abruptly to become the good guy, I would've liked to see why he changed, though Blake says in the end it was from talking to his brother Tyler.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most of Melody Anne's books, all the Billionaire Bachelors books, and all the Baby for the Billionaire series. Reading Broken ... it was like whoever wrote this book was not the same Melody Anne who wrote some of my most favorite books.

Some of the story was just downright unbelievable ... and some parts were never explained. I hate that, when something happens without rhyme or reason and that's it ... we never know how or why it happened. I don't think I'll read another book in this series ... check that ... I know I won't read another book in this series. I hope Melody Anne reverts to writing as she did in the two series I mentioned in the first paragraph.

SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT
DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK

So Justin is Blake's son ... what made someone do a DNA test, and why. Does Justin look like Blake, this was never explained to my satisfaction ... seemed really rushed. So he donated sperm in college? ... and he suspected Justin was his???? What the heck ... how did we get here? Never explained!! Just didn't make any sense to me.

[Sequoia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... Ok? The first book was awesome, but this one??? Wth???

First off, did Blake lose his spine somewhere? He turned into a bloody sap. All of his strength was gone, and it felt so FORCED. It disconnected me from him faster than a speeding bullet. He was an ASSHOLE, but not the good kind too. I'll control her! Yea, fuck off genius, and go live in a cave if you're lacking rational thought. How the hell did you become a billionaire if your thoughts are as clear as mud? Geezus, you sucked.

Jewell, sweetheart, did your brain forget your story is made up of two books, not just one? Cause it seems to me if has not returned for this sequel. All of the angst and strength you had in the first book is gone, poof! Bye bye! What happened? You start loving the guy (please, this isn't even a spoiler since any single celled mitochondria saw this plot twist from the first book) just like that? Even when he's an ass? And he's confusing as hell and sending mixed messages? I'm all for sexual liberation, but you may have forgotten self worth in there.

Okay, so it's a bit awkward, a bit forced, a bit like time is going backwards since when's the last time you read a book no 2 that's WORSE than book no 1? But the cake has to be for that Harlequin ending. Not familiar with Harlequin? Allow me to enlighten you as I've read over 100 of them from the 70s-80s editions. They suck and they're predictable as hell. What's most frustrating is that there's always, always, ALWAYS a bomb that's dropped to make the heroine leave or lose all hope right at the end, only for the male to follow and show her how wrong she is and how much he loves her. These bombs are always awkward and NOT REALISTIC, and make the female seem the blond missing brain stereotype. That's exactly what happened here. It's as if the author decided things were going too well, and something had to give. Can't use a jealous ex or competitor cause none were ever introduced, plus the situation with Justin is resolved (I'll give you one guess how). So yea, blindsided by something of WTF proportions, lackluster female Harlequin thinking, and the book goes down faster than an avalanche in the mountainside.

Blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda, first book rocked, second book sucked.

[Beamo31 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved Bound so couldn't wait to get my hands on Broken, where the intensity was good. Was very drawn out compared to Bound and found myself at times wanting Jewell to go with Tyler. Didn't understand how the relationship between Mackenzie and Jewell developed, she was at the brothel for 3 months but wasn't given to another client, started getting really far fetched but I persevered. Lots of back and forth, didn't understand why he was seeing more of her brother than she was and wasn't telling her, she was always the last to know. Then bam the twist at the end! WHAT THE HELL? So infuriating- why- why would the author think this was a good idea to take the reader down this path? Jewell ended up not really belonging anywhere and the end. She just accepted it, don't get me started on the family dynamics on this- total mind bender. I didn't get why he even married her without disclosing that information, how did he even know this, why did others know this before Jewell? I feel like I've wasted a full afternoon and wanted to launch my iPad at the wall! Just.......why??????

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was just something missing from this book.

[Celyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed in this book. Part 1 of this book started out so beautifully and I liked it so much that I wished I didn't come to read book 2. I just didn't understand why the author had to ruin the story by connecting unbelievably ridiculous twists. It was like reading 2 books by different authors who just tried to connect the 2 books to make it one story.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one missed the mark. There was a twist is storyline that was completely unbelievable.

[Debra Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prch Amazon Oct. 11, 2015
Finished Reading October 12, 2015
4.5 Stars

I enjoyed the story and the characters. But, it should have all been in one book. I resent that I had to pay 4$ to get to the end. For a 200 page story, the price should have reflected that. Oh, and there were editing problems in this book that wasn't in the 1st book. Shouldn't have been more than 2$ for this 2nd book. Now I am afraid to spend the 4$ on the 3rd book in this series. What if it's just another 200 page book & therefore not as thorough as it should be. If the 1st book in the series had been complete I would not hesitate to purchase the rest of this series. I want to read each one. I have more of her books to read on my TBR list & some of her books I have read that I haven't yet added to my Goodreads shelves.

That said, I will add the rest of this series to my TBR & wish list. But, I am not in a rush to put out cold hard cash on them at this time. I love Melody Anne's writing, but I have a lot of authors on my 'Love It' list that make each book in their series a complete story & enough confidence in their writing to not play the 'Split it, Over pay for it' game.
Just to name a few, Kresley Cole, Nikki Sex, Chloe Cox, Geneva Lee. I could go on, but I will stop there.
I think Melody Anne needs to have more confidence in her own work.

📝🎵Purchased from Amazon October 11, 2015

[Carol Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good ending to first book

I really enjoyed this second part of this couple's story. I have one really big issue (it'll be a little vague for those who have not read this yet because I don't want to spoil it)...the true relationship part of the story between Blake & Justin isn't explained. This arc is left wide open. How in the world would Blake even think about the possibility? A minor thing that bothered me was how could Jewell still think that Blake was completely using her when they were getting closer after they got married. He wasn't pushing her. Being angry & hurt about Justin I totally get. But still I really did like this book. I definitely recommend it.

[Nikki Wilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so the first booked sucked me in and had me hooked and the second one... well it just sort of confused me. I mean, there were some things in there that I found completely unnecessary and honestly, with what we know about Blake, what would the odds be?

I'm trying not to spoil anything but I feel like towards the ending this one sort of fell apart. I'm not sure if it was being rushed just to finish it or what? There were considerably more editing mistakes. Which I don't generally fault but the first book I read was so much better.

One thing I completely disliked was the Blake twist that the author threw in there. It kind of made me angry. That being said I like the fact that as much as Blake was trying to be different that he'd resort back to being himself. It felt real. How many times have we in our own lives tried to change and you find yourself resorting to what you know? Honestly, I enjoyed the struggle. No one changes overnight.

I'm definitely going to check out more from Melody Anne. I enjoyed the first book so much and the second was just alright. I want more from her though. It's the first time in awhile I've forgone sleep and responsibilities just to read.

[Linda Dunn chilson]

Surprisingly Pleased

I am going to be truthful when I finished Betrayed, I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole story line. Had I not read the Surrender Series I may not have had any hope that Blake might actually redeem himself. Still when I finished Betrayed, I hated Blake and especially hated Mackenzie Beaumont, never in a million years did I really think I might even want to like her and am anxious to hear her story. I don't really appreciate spoilers so I won't say too much but this book was well worth the wait. I was almost two thirds of the way through another book when this hit my Kindle, had that been a long book I would left it to start reading this but since it was short I finished it, figuring I would read a few chapters of this book I started it and no I didn't put it down until it was done, there was no way to put it down and walk away for a few hours, I HAD TO FINISH IT TONIGHT!
Yes there is another book in the series and the last chapter leads you right into it. So I will warn you if you don't want to get stuck reading a series you can stop before the epilogue. (

[Tanielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good, really good. In the beginning I really didn’t want to root for either Blake nor Jewell even if she fell on hard times it was still her choice to go to the agency. I hate stories with the guy being uber rich and the women being out there needing to do whatever to solve a problem. Too much control for the man to have and I was thinking that with the first book but of course I was pulled into what was going on and I have to say I loved every second of it. The twist had me blown away and I was hating that it was ending, so much could’ve come out of that twist that had the series going at least two books longer. The ending still left me wanting to read the next so again, good, really good read.

[Adriana Buiuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was not so great. I liked better the first book. It was more promising. But this one was a little ... i don't know ... predictable. Maybe it would have been better to write only one book with their story and not drag it for too long.

And the girl really annoyed me at some point. She was doubting herself all the time and i don't like that in a woman. I want to believe that women are stronger and willing to fight for what they want. Not give up so easily. The end was not that great for me. I mean, I wanted to see more of the happy-time-together / i-love-you-forever kind of moments, not only a couple of pages at the end.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

???

I was so totally impressed with the first book in this series that I almost stayed up all night to read when I found the second book was already out. Then I quickly realized the second book took a long ride to crazytown. It didn't go at all like it should have and I don't mean I wanted it to be predictable. It just would have been nice for it to make a little sense. People being this stupid is boring; and then, the sperm bank thing, like finding a bug in your cereal, it's just wrong on so many levels. You might want to write your own ending to this book.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

oh, sadly this was just terrible. First, Blake was a complete ass, for two books. He makes a complete turn-around which was completely unbelievable...at best. Jewel was a pushover prostitute that made me want to reach through and hit her, most of the time.

Sex, submission, control, possession...blah, blah, blah...

Returned it for a refund after quickly skimming through the last 50%

And the epilogue sucked...so there!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I jumped straight from book 1 to book 2. I had to know what happened with Blake and Jewell's story! I am a huge Melody Anne fan and I am really enjoying this series! I am really excited to see what happens with the other two Knight brothers as well! Already started book 3!

[Yaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many questions!

The beginning felt very fractured. Suddenly our main character is 3 months ahead in the story with a lot having happened, a lot which is important to the plot but the author doesn’t deem necessary to include with the story. So there’s quite a lot of confusion in the first 3 chapters; what’s happened, how did it happen, when did it happen and why?

So many unanswered questions. Then as things progress (much quicker than book 1) we begin to see more to Blake Knight. Your heart starts to thaw against him and his motivations, maybe he is just a misunderstood guy with a traumatic last who struggles with his emotions. By the end of the book he feels like a new character and it happens so quickly! I feel that if we had more time with him (maybe another book?) and see his changes in a slower setting it might not make the story seem so disjointed.

You can’t help but empathise with Jewell and her situation. The things she’s been through and currently enduring at the hands of a sadistic arrogant man that she simultaneously loathes and loves. More character development in this book compared to book one, would have liked more time with her brother as he seemed very basic and superficial, lacking depth. After all Jewell’s entire motivations have been for this brother? Why not get to know him more and see why she does what she does for him?

I enjoyed the book but I feel like it needs a bit of an upheaval to really make it work. That being said the author has talent, if only she would focus more on world building and adding to her sub characters.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book couldn't put it down. After Blake returned Jewel to Reliquish Control a day before he was supposed because she wouldn't tell him where she had gone, but Max his driver told him on Monday where Jewel had gone that Saturday so Blake knew now that she was telling him the truth. After three months of being back at Relinquish Control Jewel was ready and about to go on stage to get auctioned off, but this time it was going to be for a month. Jewel's life had changed for the worse since she lost her case and now she was fighting to get visitation right to her brother Justin. When she was auctioned off she was then driven to a location to meet her buyer. When she walked down the hallway she entered a room with double doors and was shocked to see who was in the room. Jewel couldn't undersand why, but Blake told her that they had unfinished business. Blake told her that she would decide to stay with him because he had something that she wanted. Blake also told her that if she wanted her brother back she needed to marry him which left her stunned. After getting married Blake, Jewel and her brother Justin moved in to a new house. One day McKenzie went to see Jewel to tell her the truth because she couldn't take it anymore. After crying and going for a long walk Jewel went back home and when she confronted Blake she told him that they were through and that she was leaving him and she walked away.

[Fiordiligii · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've rarely read a book where I detested the hero so much that I wanted the heroine to leave him in the end. This duet reads like a Harlequin romance from 20 to 30 years ago. The hero is this uber alpha, jaded and completely misogynistic because of a traumatic event in the past (in the case here because his mother did a number on him, his brothers and father). There are no shades in between, his characterisation borders on cartoon-ish and forgets that even villains and haters have nuances. While the first instalment wasn't overwhelmingly good, the story could have been saved with a second book where the hero learns to grovel and make amends for his atrocious behaviour. Instead he behaves even more ridiculous and abusive and adopts the heroines younger brother (he's the reason why she started escorting in the first place) to lord his power over her.
He doesn't believe her that she escorts to get custody of her brother. He's this billionaire who doesn't trust anyone. He has her real name and doesn't do a background check on her? Things don't add up and I honestly wanted the heroine to take over custody for her brother in the end when the hero offers it to her and leave him. But now, she's this wuss and doormat who forgives him in a second and that's it. ARGGGGG
FFFFFFFFF

[Melinda Dovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending to the cliffhanger

After the cliffhanger of book 1, you start 3 months later and Jewell was still at the escort services. She has been in training and hasn’t had another client. Her life hasn’t gotten any better, because she has lost the court case for her brother and is still trying to figure out how to get enough money to get out of this mess. Blake hasn’t forgotten about Jewell either. She is about to be auctioned for a 1 month stay with someone and guess who wins the bid... yep, Blake. Their situation is different and she has a little more freedom as well as starting to become friends with McKenzie her boss. So what will happen with her, her brother (Justin), Blake? So much of their past comes out and you find out why he has the trust issues and why he believes love is for the weak. It made me upset of how much she was definitely manipulated by those who she becomes friends with but I’m glad to find out the rest of their story and I their past.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first book. It had some more suspense in it and definitely kept me guessing on parts.

The characters did act a little inconsistent but honestly...that makes them seem human to me. Hearing the backstory more of Blake to me explains why he would act that way and even though we're painted a somewhat picture of what Jewell went through between book 1 and book 2 it's not detailed but I can buy her acting differently and inconsistently.

I did think the chemistry was still there and there was better character development. It's still linear as a book but I give it a solid rating.

[Jay Beatrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf- PG 10. Totally disgusted with the plot. Jewel was pretty much guaranteed by the judge in book 1 that if she got a job and apartment she'd get her brother back. She ended book 2 with between $2000-6000 dollars. Enough to get an apartment and 5 weeks to find a job. Instead, book 2 says she spent all her money on a lawyer and lost custody! She didnt need a lawyer and this is a really stupid plot twist. Surely the author could think of something that made more sense. Maybe there's more to it if I read on, but considering book one was mostly just sex and her worrying about her brother and him just saying he hates women, I dont care enough to read on.

[Kristy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually love these types of books, it had all the elements that I enjoy. But I had a hard time not disliking Blake. He was so cruel with his words sometimes just to hide his feelings that he was in denial about. Also, there was never a moment where he realized he loved her. He went from thinking he couldn't possibly have feelings for her, he just needed her. To... yeah I'm in love with her, doesn't she realize it? I enjoyed the story just wish Blake could have been a little nicer in this book.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken is the second half of Jewell and Blake's story in Seattle where Jewell comes back and Blake is still a controlling, overbearing man as he tries to find a way to share his love for her without communication. He runs so hot and cold that she has no idea where she stands until he opens up to her. Her brother, Justin comes to live with them and the situation slowly improves as they learn to trust one another and become a family.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s almost like these are totally different characters. As if a chapter in she decided to write an entirely different story. And Blake says one thing then doesn’t act anywhere near the same planet as what he said. Who are these people? Nothing like what we just spent the whole last book getting to know. I can’t read anymore in this series. These dudes are trolls.

[Nothing Like A Great Book · Rating 1 out of 5]

As another Reviewer wrote, and I concur: "...this is what happens when an author tries to make what should be ONE book into 2.' 💯 👏 👍 And actually it's even worse; now it's a Series of 4 Books. Two books are about other characters from Books 1 & 2. But no; won't risk it.

Well I hope she likes the ratings/reviews it's getting. This book was dire. Couldn't get past first few Chapters. Juvenile writing as well. Just NOPE.

MMC still not believing what his own eyes are telling him; dumb. Not believable or real in any sense. Had it been written as a stand alone book, could've been excellent. But it wasn't to be. Sadly.

I wouldn't recommend this series. Was FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited UK. 👎🏽

[Christine Jalili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series.

This was great, we get the happy ever after for Jewell and Blake. It was an emotional journey and I loved feeling their heartbreak. Blake really fought his feelings and I did cry over what his Mom did. I can’t wait to read the next book, it’s Byron’s story.

[Jacqui Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my

Oh my it finally happened, Blake finally woke up, he took he's time but he got there in thee end.