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Brandon's wounded; Bethany's broken. Can these two shattered souls heal each other?

This story include explicit sex, foul language, and violence. Not intended for readers under 18.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2015

118 people are currently reading
287 people want to read

About the author

Emily Minton

39 books2,117 followers
USA Today Bestselling author, Emily Minton is a Kentucky native. She is proud to call the Bluegrass State home. She claims she bleeds blue–Wildcat Blue! She has been married to her husband, David, for over twenty years. They share two wonderful children.
Emily loves to read and has more books on her kindle than most people could read in a lifetime, but she intends to read every single one. She has published nine books, but there are many more are floating around in her head. She hopes to get them all on paper before long. She loves sharing her dreams with her readers.

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5 stars
183 (33%)
4 stars
192 (35%)
3 stars
130 (23%)
2 stars
31 (5%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Reflections of a Book Geek.
722 reviews23 followers
January 26, 2016
4 Stars

I couldn't wait to get my hands on Bethany's book after Whiskey Lullaby, I was instantly drawn to her character and I was dying to find out how her story turned out! There were a few twists and turns I never seen coming, they definitely kept me on my toes.

I had a love/hate relationship with Brandon in the beginning of this book. I couldn't believe some of the things he said to Bethany and it broke my heart at times when he was so cruel to her. But I have to say once he stepped up he was an amazing hero and I loved him.

Bethany had been through so much in her life but she was still such a sweet girl. She is definitely a character that will stay with me long after putting this book down. Her relationship with Jenny was beautiful, she loved that little girl so much and it showed throughout both stories. I loved how Jase just enfolded Bethany into his family, she has had an awful life so far and deserved to be protected.

I hated the fact this was just in Bethany’s pov, Whiskey Lullaby was done in dual pov so i expected this one to be the same and am sad to say it wasn’t. I really wanted to see what Brandon was thinking and feeling in parts of this story, I think that would have made me love this book all the more.

I have to say though I was a little disappointed at times, to me this one was a bit rushed in parts and I thought it could have been developed a little more.

My emotions were all over the place with this book and I loved both authors writing style. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
64 reviews31 followers
August 27, 2017
This was a definite improvement from Whiskey Lullaby. I actually cared about the characters. What I didn't like was no POV from Brandon. The sex scenes were definitely written better as well.
Profile Image for Juli.
1,589 reviews24 followers
September 21, 2019
Cliffhanger: No
POV: Dual (Bethany and Brandon)

This book made me want to kick some ass! Sweet, sweet Bethany deserved so much more than she got from her parents and her f***** of a brother. In Whiskey Lullaby, we get a glimpse into the physical and mental abuse she suffered at the hands of Dean (I have another name for him, but I’m trying to keep this clean as possible). But Broken is Bethany’s story and we learn everything that happened to her starting from when she was a little girl.

I warn you now Broken gives a look into all the abuse Bethany suffered through, without going into any disturbing details, but it still could be difficult for some to read.

But Bethany’s story takes a turn when she finally meets her best friend’s brother, Brandon. Now I would love to say Brandon was great guy from the beginning, but I can’t because he’s a guy and they rarely get anything right the first time.

But I will once he got his head out of his ass he was swoon worthy and lived up to my expectations for Bethany, she deserved the best and that is what she got.
2,446 reviews3 followers
June 9, 2017
Bethany has been through hell all because of her brother. He tormented and abused her since she was a little girl. She is now finally free of his clutches but the fear still has a hold of her.
She fell in love with Brandon by reading the letters he would send to his sister. When they finally met they had a few clashes. He couldn't see past what her brother had done and she couldn't forgive herself for not speaking up about his terrorizing her.
They are able to put their past behind and move on and find love.
A nice short story. Glad to see Bethany get her HEA
Profile Image for Erin Kyle.
395 reviews
May 15, 2020
Wildly disappointing. Very short and very rushed. Brandon and Bethany deserved so. Much. Better. They were written off like the characters didn’t deserve more time/space.

I’m honestly confused - after Whiskey Lullaby (which I liked!), this felt like it was written by someone else entirely, someone in a hurry.

Don’t expect something the same caliber of Whiskey Lullaby. I want a do-over.
Profile Image for Lily.
987 reviews56 followers
March 21, 2019
This book had so much potential 😔 but, it was too short and undeveloped. The characters and their actions/feelings didn’t make sense or flow well for me.
1,346 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2019
Short cute read

Love this book. Bethany and Brandon are good together. You can never go wrong with these two great authors. Would recommend
229 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2020
The bonus is frustrating

I loved the book. I wish the characters in the bonus book would’ve just been given books. Kinda ruined that awesome vibe of the book.
Profile Image for Brandi .
1,682 reviews4 followers
March 16, 2015
This is one of those instances where I wish I could reach into a grave and bring someone back from the dead. Dean... that no-good, disgusting, perverted bastard... He truly deserved to die a horrible and painful death for the things he put Bethany through. What I wouldn't give to give him a good throat punch!!

Poor Bethany... The abuse she put up with for YEARS was incredibly devastating. It was so hard for me to read about those flashbacks. I couldn't help but tear up at certain scenes. I hated how down she was on herself and how she blamed herself for a lot of the things that happened to Julie but I can understand why she felt that way. She grew up with monsters in her house- her brother AND her parents- who were constantly dragging her down into the dark. Having no support system until she left for school was just plain awful. And then to learn what happened up until she moved to Cromwell... Barf.

As for Brandon... I didn't instantly fall for him. He was a bit of a jerk when they met (it's understandable why he was conflicted about everything) and he didn't make me swoon in my boots for some reason. I loved that it didn't take long for him to pull his head out of his butt though. When he manned up, he did it hard. He was gentle, understanding and very sweet to Bethany after the tiny speed bump in the beginning. They made for a super cute couple.

Honestly, I could give a flying f*ck about Becca... just like in book one. There was NOTHING redeemable about her character (in either book) and I just couldn't back any type of positivity that was directed towards her. Yes, I realize the other characters forgave her or were in the process of still forgiving her but she caused so much heartache that I just can never get past it. I'm surprised Brandon would even sit in a restaurant with her. She could've easily been left out of this book and things would've been a lot more awesome. (But that's just my opinion.) :)

The thing Bethany's mother tried to do to her was so unbelievable, it was downright silly. Thinking she could do that to a grown woman, when nothing had happened with her for like ten years? Psshh...

The HEA news at the very end was great. Bethany deserves the happiness that I could practically "see" radiating off of her.
Profile Image for Kerry.
823 reviews
April 22, 2016
'No-one will ever want me. I'm worthless. I'm broken'- Bethany

What can I say, the line says it all.

This book had me in tears and Emily and Dawn handle the recounting of Bethany's life in such a sensitive way that I dare you not to be moved by this part of the story line. Some people have complained it was too fast/short but to be honest I think the way it is dealt with and what is revealed is just enough to allow the readers to understand Bethany's background and allow the future story with Brandon to work without it being all about the past influences. I think if the book had been all about Bethany and Dean, we probably wouldn't have had the story follow the route it did. To be truthful, this worked perfectly for me and the strong, sexy Brandon with the damaged and traumatised Bethany is just such a beautiful. The story also allowed for the strong family bonds created in the first book to be continued and relationships to be developed.

My favourite line in this book was by Brandon when he states to a anguished Bethany, 'You may be broken, Lady Bug, but I swear to God, I'll pick up your pieces and make you better than new' - SWOON!

This book was simply perfect!
Profile Image for Janell Wheeler.
954 reviews11 followers
June 19, 2015
I loved the first book in this series and couldn't wait until this next book released. Somehow I missed it but as soon as I found out I had to jump right in. Of course I did a re-read of the first book. I loved Bethany from the first book and could feel how deep her pain was. I love how accepted she was in the family. She harbored so much guilt and I felt for her. I honestly don't know what to say about this book other than I really enjoyed it. It was just the right amount of sweet & drama and that makes for a fun read.
Profile Image for Yasmin Vasquez.
1,154 reviews4 followers
February 18, 2016
Wow

I knew Bethany's story was gonna be deep I just was not prepared for how deep. Rape and suicide are very serious and reading about Bethany was hard. I'm glad Brandon took his head out his butt and claimed the woman he fell in love with and showed her not to be afraid and not blame herself. Excellent!
Profile Image for Deb B.
1,852 reviews16 followers
August 28, 2015
Bethany is a beautiful soul ..... together this damaged couple find their HEA and it is a lovely story to read and very well written
Profile Image for Annmarie.
1,245 reviews51 followers
May 30, 2016
Why do I do this to myself??? Ugh
38 reviews2 followers
July 16, 2016
Great emotional series

One of the best series I have read. Very emotional pulls you straight into the story. Can't put the book down
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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