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The Never Not Broken
Riya Murthy makes mistakes. Some small. Most catastrophic.
And the worst ones always involve the man she never escaped.
The Never Not Broken is a dark, high-stakes romantic suspense novel set in a world of billionaire dynasties, international crime, and obsession that refuses to die. Perfect for readers who love dark romance, interracial romance, and contemporary romantic thrillers featuring morally complex characters and intense power dynamics.
Riya is a brilliant, sharp-tongued lawyer trying to rebuild her life when she’s pulled back into the orbit of Liam Senos, heir to a global shipping empire drenched in luxury, corruption, and blood. Five years ago, their love burned too bright to survive. Now, defending his family’s empire forces Riya to confront the past she buried and the man who never stopped claiming her.
Liam doesn’t believe in letting go. His devotion is obsessive, consuming, and absolute. He doesn’t care about her fiancé or his own. He barely cares about the empire collapsing around them. He only cares about Riya - and what belongs to him.
As Riya is drawn deeper into a web of surveillance, blackmail, and international trafficking, desire collides with danger. When a stranger from her past reappears, the present fractures and the story shifts into the choices that first bound her to love, power, and survival.
Set across the snow-capped haciendas of Whistler, the painted streets of Barcelona, and the azure waters of Porto Helios, The Never Not Broken delivers:
A strong female protagonist
A morally grey billionaire hero
Interracial romance and global diaspora representation
Dark romantic suspense with obsession, danger, and power imbalance
High emotional stakes, intense chemistry, and psychological depth
For fans of the most loved book boyfriends, dark billionaire romances, enemies-to-lovers tension, obsessive love stories, and romantic thrillers with international intrigue, this is the first book in a gripping contemporary romance duology.
When desire lures, and power hunts, survival is the only escape.
And the worst ones always involve the man she never escaped.
The Never Not Broken is a dark, high-stakes romantic suspense novel set in a world of billionaire dynasties, international crime, and obsession that refuses to die. Perfect for readers who love dark romance, interracial romance, and contemporary romantic thrillers featuring morally complex characters and intense power dynamics.
Riya is a brilliant, sharp-tongued lawyer trying to rebuild her life when she’s pulled back into the orbit of Liam Senos, heir to a global shipping empire drenched in luxury, corruption, and blood. Five years ago, their love burned too bright to survive. Now, defending his family’s empire forces Riya to confront the past she buried and the man who never stopped claiming her.
Liam doesn’t believe in letting go. His devotion is obsessive, consuming, and absolute. He doesn’t care about her fiancé or his own. He barely cares about the empire collapsing around them. He only cares about Riya - and what belongs to him.
As Riya is drawn deeper into a web of surveillance, blackmail, and international trafficking, desire collides with danger. When a stranger from her past reappears, the present fractures and the story shifts into the choices that first bound her to love, power, and survival.
Set across the snow-capped haciendas of Whistler, the painted streets of Barcelona, and the azure waters of Porto Helios, The Never Not Broken delivers:
A strong female protagonist
A morally grey billionaire hero
Interracial romance and global diaspora representation
Dark romantic suspense with obsession, danger, and power imbalance
High emotional stakes, intense chemistry, and psychological depth
For fans of the most loved book boyfriends, dark billionaire romances, enemies-to-lovers tension, obsessive love stories, and romantic thrillers with international intrigue, this is the first book in a gripping contemporary romance duology.
When desire lures, and power hunts, survival is the only escape.
362 pages, Paperback
Published March 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had the great honor of reading this as an ARC review.
I should have known from the title that this was going to be one of those books that tears you apart. It was gripping and emotional. You rise and fall with them. You rise and fall with Riya. Your heart breaks with her and you stand tall with her. You'll want to grab Luam and kiss him then punch him in the face. UGH!!! A roller coaster of emotion in all the best ways.
I was enthralled and was not ready for that ending.
I am anxious and excited to see what happens next. Definitely a must read. When is the next is what I need to know!
I should have known from the title that this was going to be one of those books that tears you apart. It was gripping and emotional. You rise and fall with them. You rise and fall with Riya. Your heart breaks with her and you stand tall with her. You'll want to grab Luam and kiss him then punch him in the face. UGH!!! A roller coaster of emotion in all the best ways.
I was enthralled and was not ready for that ending.
I am anxious and excited to see what happens next. Definitely a must read. When is the next is what I need to know!
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Never Not Broken is a spicy romantic suspense featuring brown girl badassery, complicated love, and drama that pulls no punches. Gauri Prasad delivers a heroine who’s fierce, unapologetic, and navigating messy relationships, family expectations, and personal demons in a world that tests her resilience at every turn.
The book shines in its authentic South Asian representation and the heroine’s empowerment arc—she’s complex, flawed, and refuses to be defined by her trauma. The spicy scenes are steamy, and the suspense keeps you guessing about who can be trusted.
However, some plot twists felt predictable, and the pacing dragged in the middle with repetitive relationship drama. I wanted more depth to the supporting cast and tighter editing to maintain momentum. Three stars—a solid debut with strong cultural voice and empowerment themes, but needed polish to elevate the suspense and romance. Excited to see Gauri Prasad’s growth.
The book shines in its authentic South Asian representation and the heroine’s empowerment arc—she’s complex, flawed, and refuses to be defined by her trauma. The spicy scenes are steamy, and the suspense keeps you guessing about who can be trusted.
However, some plot twists felt predictable, and the pacing dragged in the middle with repetitive relationship drama. I wanted more depth to the supporting cast and tighter editing to maintain momentum. Three stars—a solid debut with strong cultural voice and empowerment themes, but needed polish to elevate the suspense and romance. Excited to see Gauri Prasad’s growth.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A romance mystery like none that I have read before. Deep characters who are different to typical romance novels out there.
If your wanting spicy intrigue with a cliffhanger that will keep you guessing then this book is for you!
If your wanting spicy intrigue with a cliffhanger that will keep you guessing then this book is for you!
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February 12, 2026review text for 2954
Review of advance copy received from Author
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author.
I really wanted to like this book and the story had the potential to be great, but unfortunately, I was confused for about 80% of the book. I had to keep coming back to the blurb to remember what the book was about. Riya is a lawyer, but I think that point wasn't really emphasized--neither outright nor in context clues. It's only mentioned a handful of times in the beginning chapters where Riya mentioned Liam is a client and another time when she brings up attorney-client confidentiality in her conversation with Max.
Chapters 1-6 are set in the present, but a big portion of the book is set in the past. It is helpful that the author labels the time differences, but at some point she stops labeling them and based on the context I figured out we were back in the present day. I have seen other authors do this flipping back and forth from the present and past, but I think there was a disconnect in this book. I think it actually would have worked better if the story was told chronologically. I think the author could have done a better job developing the characters and their storylines like how Liam and Riya came to be, how their families are connected, and Riya and Max's friendship to name a few things. We are told that Naoise (Liam's mom) and Meena (Riya's mom) used to be friends in college, but I'm not sure how they went their separate ways once they got older. I also had a hard time remembering all the different characters and their relationship to each other.
Overall, this book left me with more questions than answers. But I will look for book 2 to see how everything plays out. I think the author has potential to expand more in the universe (i.e. Meena's history, Bear and Max as a couple). I might try rereading this another time to see if I can understand the storyline better.
I really wanted to like this book and the story had the potential to be great, but unfortunately, I was confused for about 80% of the book. I had to keep coming back to the blurb to remember what the book was about. Riya is a lawyer, but I think that point wasn't really emphasized--neither outright nor in context clues. It's only mentioned a handful of times in the beginning chapters where Riya mentioned Liam is a client and another time when she brings up attorney-client confidentiality in her conversation with Max.
Chapters 1-6 are set in the present, but a big portion of the book is set in the past. It is helpful that the author labels the time differences, but at some point she stops labeling them and based on the context I figured out we were back in the present day. I have seen other authors do this flipping back and forth from the present and past, but I think there was a disconnect in this book. I think it actually would have worked better if the story was told chronologically. I think the author could have done a better job developing the characters and their storylines like how Liam and Riya came to be, how their families are connected, and Riya and Max's friendship to name a few things. We are told that Naoise (Liam's mom) and Meena (Riya's mom) used to be friends in college, but I'm not sure how they went their separate ways once they got older. I also had a hard time remembering all the different characters and their relationship to each other.
Overall, this book left me with more questions than answers. But I will look for book 2 to see how everything plays out. I think the author has potential to expand more in the universe (i.e. Meena's history, Bear and Max as a couple). I might try rereading this another time to see if I can understand the storyline better.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Riya Murthy grew up with Liam Senos, a Greek billionaire and heir to a global shipping company living in Canada. Once Riya turned 18, she gave her entire self to Liam. Liam believes Riya is his to the point of obsession and takes Riya to Greece. His mother is anything but kind to Riya, when Liam isn’t around and then her world is rocked. Riya is a lawyer and has to rebuild her life and reputation. 5 years later Riya leaves to continue pursuing international law in Spain and becomes involved with an international trafficking case that completely changes everything. This amazing book leaves you hanging and wanting more. Add it to your list to get this March.
Releasing March 8, 2026
Anti-heroine
Second chance romance
Morally grey hero
Touch her and die energy
Found family
Power imbalance
High Heat
Cliffhanger Ending
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Releasing March 8, 2026
Anti-heroine
Second chance romance
Morally grey hero
Touch her and die energy
Found family
Power imbalance
High Heat
Cliffhanger Ending
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Review of advance copy received from Author
A nice dynasty mystery romance. It kept me on my toes the whole time, and kept me wanting to read more. Well written and story building. I can't wait for the second book to come out, ended on such a cliffhanger 😭
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews