Picking Up the Pieces

Broken #1

by E.L. Green, Cassie Gathering Leaves (Editor)

A shattered heart. A damaged soul. A second chance.
A journey of learning to love again, battling to pick up all the pieces.

Ellie finally found her knight in shining armour. She thought she had her happily ever after. But of course, not all stories have a happy ending, and tragedy strikes in the worst form. Widowed at twenty-four, she turns to her old friend tequila.
Her best friend and fellow nurse leaves England to start a new life in Vancouver, Canada, but not before inviting Ellie to join her. Both agree this could be the fresh start she needs. A way to escape her haunting memories. Unfortunately, life has other ideas and throws Ellie a new set of trials. The biggest one being Kyle—“Prez” of the Angels of Death MC.
Kyle’s life is the MC… and his kid brother. He doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t do love. But fate throws a feisty Brit in his path, with more baggage than a Boeing 747. Not only does Ellie manage to crawl under his skin, but she manages to unintentionally crawl her way into his normally stone-cold heart.
“He didn’t even notice my scars. If he did, he looked straight through them. I knew right then all he could see was me. All of me. My hurt, my pain, my flaws, my conflict, my desire, my love… all the craziness that made my brain tick. He saw me. Only me.”
Ellie finds herself on a journey of self-discovery as she not only has to come to terms with her past, but has to learn how to love again and accept her future.
Kyle has to follow his own path and realise he is capable of love and there’s more to life than the club.
“Who was I trying to kid? She was mine. She was mine the moment I saw her, packing my kid brother’s bullet wound in the middle of a hospital waiting room. She just didn't know it yet.”

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Abuse, Romance

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 2015

About the author

Hello!

Well, what can I say? I'm a working, single mum of 3 children who loves to write (when I get the chance!). I'm originally from Essex in the UK but now live up north near the very beautiful Peak District.

I took the plunge and self published my first book some years ago and followed it up with my second a couple years later. Yes, I admit I'm a slow writer! But I'd rather publish something I'm happy with than rush it through. Book 3 is currently being edited and I'm very excited to be able to share it with you very soon.

I never thought I'd be writing an author profile, never mind updating one but here I am! I'm taking the plunge again and anxiously await your reviews when Book 3 is released.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Dare to dream and anything is possible x

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

January re-read of this one. It's still a 5 star read for me. It's been almost 3 years since this one was published and the author has not released any further books. That is so disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing more stories for the secondary characters. The author indicated at the end of the book that she would be doing more books but it doesn't look like it.

I picked this one up on KU and read it in one sitting. I absolutely loved this book and gave it 5 stars. It's the author's debut book and all I can say is wow did she do a good job. Great writing skills, great editing, good characters and a great story. It's a standalone.
It's not a lite romance because it deals with death/grief, child abuse, alcoholism, guilt feelings, etc. The author writes a believable MC background with the location being in British Vancouver, Canada and the h is from the UK. So when I read words/vernacular that doesn't fit in the U.S. I was fine with it. The H is definitely an alpha-possessive male but oh is he so sweet, compassionate and supportive of the h. He does make one bad decision towards the end of the book but he redeems himself completely. No cheating and a HEA.
This story is not raw and gritty. It's more about a woman struggling with an abusive mother, loss of her husband and child and the deep seated insecurities she faces as she turns to binge drinking. Sometimes in these types of stories the H loses some of his alpha traits but this one was undoubtedly an alpha who was also supportive, compassionate and thoughtful of the h. It's not all about sex but more about real love and hanging in there even when the barriers seem insurmountable.
I will definitely be reading more of this author's books.

[B.E.Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars, I wasn't sure how to feel about this book for some time, it started and I was hooked(I went into this book having no clue what it was about, but someone I trust told me I would love it) I didn't want to put this book down my heart broke for the heroine and the writing was amazing I was connected to this world that was created and heavily invested after a page. Then I started to get frustrated with the heroine, yes she went through something horrible worse than horrible things but I didn't like how long it was taking her (in the book) to have the story move on. This statement isn't to sound harsh or mean I just was wanting more of the story to not be about her struggle and set backs even though I still couldn't put this book down and was still hooked and still loved the authors voice and I think me liking the hero Kyle had a lot to do with that.

Then I just didn't care I loved the book so much and as more was revealed about the heroines past I wasn't focused on what would happen when she was "healed" and I just was enjoying the ride even though it was sad story, and I started to get the heroine and her pain even more and she wasn't a person wallowing in her own despair but a person holding on with all she had trying to find a way out of the dark without even having a flashlight. My feelings towards Ellie wasn't frustration anymore I was connected to her and even more invested and my heart broke for her. I was so happy to see her growth and proud of her, I was glad it was her growth because of her hard work and determination and not because some guy came along an healed her. Yes the hero Kyle was amazing and I loved him and he does help Ellie but after all she had been through I was glad it was her who worked through her problems and saved herself with some amazing people standing at her back and loving her.

Ellie had it all after a horrible childhood she found an amazing loving husband and a little girl on the way, then one accident changed it all and her life spiraled out of control with Ellie not sure why she was left and finding herself drinking to take the pain away. On a path that would ruin her life waking up one day after another horrible night Ellie's best friend Cassie suggests she move to Canada with her to start over. With nothing keeping her in England and the only person she has left moving to Canada Ellie agree's. This new start is what she needed but soon Ellie realizes that this one change won't fix everything.

Working one day Ellie has a gunshot wound come in being carried by big burly bikers that seem to scare everyone but Ellie. One biker in particular has stayed with Ellie and she can't seem to get him off her mind, now she has the guilt of feeling things she should only have ever felt for her husband. Kyle only has his MC and his brother so when he is shot all he can think about is getting him better till a beautiful little nurse comes barging in to save his brother. After seeing her a few times she is all Kyle can think about and she isn't like anyone Kyle has ever met and that on it's own has Kyle intrigued.

On one particularly bad night Ellie runs into Kyle at one of her lowest and he is there for her, now neither can forget the other and neither wants to but Kyle is the MC's president and someone has it out for them as well as anyone they can use to get to them. And Ellie still has her own demons she is still battling and struggling against. Then their is a moment in both of their lives when they have to decide if they are right for each other and more importantly Ellie has to decide if she can finally move on, or if the grief from her past is too strong.

I loved this book I was so proud of Ellie after everything she had been through to see her come through it all so strong and standing on her own two feet was an amazing moment. Yes Kyle was a great hero,he was POSSESSIVE and jealous of anyone even his brother(which was hilarious seeing since he even knew is thoughts were crazy), and Kyle was unbelievable patient and understanding. E.L. Green did an amazing job creating side character that I was just as connected with as Kyle and Ellie I loved them just as much. But Ellie is the star of this book. My heart couldn't help but break for her and all she had been through making her triumph all the more amazing. I can't wait to see who book two is about(I have an idea of both books two and three) and I can't wait to read their story's. I can't recommend this book enough it was so beautifully written and the epilogue was a perfect ending and just what Ellie and Kyle deserved. This is the first book from this author which in and of itself is astonishing, I can't wait for more!

[Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picking Up the Pieces was unfortunately not a good book for me. I didn't like Ellie at all. Yes when the story started my heart broke for her but as the story progressed I realized that she was so damaged that she need so much more than just Kyle. I felt if the author wanted to show the healing of a character like Ellie this book should have been longer so we can experience that healing. That's not what we get, we get a woman dealing with so much trauma that it goes on for the whole entire book and then we're to believe that she's basically all better. I felt this author overlooked the life long struggle that is depression and alcoholism. I didn't believe the romance at all. There was nothing about Ellie that made me believe that Kyle can be so head over heels for her and feel that she is the perfect woman for him. I also wish that the author would have left out the situation at the end with the phone call from the brother and Ellie's actions after. This just proved that she needed intense therapy to deal with her trauma and to deal with her childhood. As if the terrible trauma she suffered wasn't enough in the limited pages of this book, she also had a terrible childhood she never recovered from.

[Paganalexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

For one shining moment trauma nurse Ellie had it all, and then tragedy struck. She can spackle a semblance of having it together for brief moments, but it never lasts for long. Kyle the President of Angels of Death MC rushes his brother to the ER after an attack. In the midst of that confusion he finds himself transfixed by a beautiful nurse with cojones to boss him around.

The Good:
1. Kyle is gruff on the outside but a sweetheart when it comes to the heroine.

2. The bond Ellie makes with Junior, the heroes younger brother is touching.

3. The friendship with Cassie, the heroine's best friend comes off realistically close. She was protective without being overbearing.

The Bad:


1. Ellie doesn't need a boyfriend; she needs a 12 step program. Her drinking is out of control, and makes the hero look crazy for finding the mess attractive. This issue eats away the romance from this book slowly, and effectively.

2. The current relationship gets very little focus; everything is about Ellie's past. The current storyline feels like an afterthought.

3. My book buddies that are also members of the Low Angst Love group would not be pleased. This is angst on steroids.

4. The heroine's abusive mother came across like an after-school-special villain, and not a real person.



Final Thoughts:
This was a Biker Book Babes: Biker Buddy Read selection. On one hand I was able to sympathize with the heroines past trauma, but this fails as a romance.

[Will2pear95 · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't like Ellie. She was too weak and wallowed in self-pity for my taste. But then a strange thing happened, I started to understand her pain and demons. I was rooting for her and Kyle to make it. Great writing Ms. Green. I can't wait for more from you.

[Lu Bielefeld]

DNF!

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off very promising. I was looking forward to the heroine's journey after such a tragic and life altering event. Instead the heroine wallowed too long. She became reliant on alcohol and was a mess. Everyone around just kind of watch it happen including the hero. Speaking of that, I liked him but it was hard to buy into the fact that he would be attracted to her when she was a wreck.

[Tt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!
This book had the perfect combination of great characters, unique elements, hot alpha H, and great secondary characters that I couldn't help but love it. It also wasn't so full of high angst that I wanted to pull my hair out and crush my iPad. That said, I want to give some input into what I liked about the plot. First, our h was stricken with tragedy from the get go and she'd already had a bitch from hell for a home life, so right away you say...'oh the author went with the "baggage" theme. And yes you'd be right, but what made this so uniquely exceptional for me is that our h had some really bad coping mechanisms built in to her defenses and this made her character so real to me. I'm not sure why, but imagining her doing the things she did, felt like it was something that was so spot on. And our H was described so perfectly alpha that you swoon with each scene he's in. But he has his own issues and he has to overcome them in order to try for the life he deserves too. Besides all of that, Hesse two have total chemistry! They are great together and you totally believe in the love they have for one another- and you never doubt it all the way to the end of the book....thru thick and thin. And, HOT....they both ride MC's and I've not read too many MC books where the h rides her own bike! Long and short of it is that this was a fun read for me and I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really was a good read. I read straight through until I finished it. Ellie has had a crap life. Her mom has emotionally abused her all of her life. Due to an extremely traumatic event, Ellie moves to Canada with her best friend. She eventually meets Kyle, the Prez of an MC, and they both feel the connection. Due to the tragedy that happened before Ellie moved and because of her mother's abuse, she has a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs in which she always turns to alcohol. You could say she is a borderline alcoholic. This causes a lot drama throughout the story as well as the guilt she feels about her feelings for Kyle. However, Kyle was persistent and Ellie finally gives in. There are many bumps in the road along the way with Kyle making some bad decisions that had me screaming "Are you kidding me!" and Ellie, OMG! I wanted to slap her into the middle of next week with all of the stupid stuff she did. She has really been through the ringer and then some but still, she made some really bad choices. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster with all of its ups and downs, but it was worth it. I would love to read more about the other members in the club.

[Annmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. No cheating and a HEA. Interesting back story on both characters. Ellie's mother, wow, she needs to be brought up on charges of abuse. The father, he let everything happen, he didn't protect her. Cassie was great, everyone should have a friend like that. Kyle was confused. It is a lot to take, someone with Ellie's issues, I get it takes a special person to help her cope and move on, but when he left her in the hospital I just thought that was cowardly. She went through so much alone and then she was left again, only to have to deal with more on her own after that back home. She is one of the strongest female characters I have read, even though she turned to alcohol for a while. She comes to a place of acceptance and moves on and I love that. She's no weak h, that's for sure. Kyle also wides up and that's great too. I like Junior. Hope he gets a story when he's older. Also want to read about Cassie and maybe Red?

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this story, Picking Up the Pieces by E.L. Green was great. E.L. Green made this feel real, what I mean by "real" is that not only had she made the characters so three-dimensional with their only problems and baggage (especially the two main characters). But Picking Up the Pieces also makes the reader feel the emotions of the story and of each word in it; I know this first hand because the story made cry a lot in both sadness and joy, it made me angry, and it made me laugh. Anyhow, hats off to E.L. Green's Picking Up the Pieces , the first in her Broken series; I can't wait for the second one to come out.

[Sam Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read as soon as I picked it up to read it I could not put it down, instantly felt connection with charactors. Looking forward to reading the second installment

[Coco.V]

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[Heather Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I could have loved it if not for Ellie. She was a strong character, but her weakness with liquor kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Especially the way the people around here handled it. Kyle and the MC were great, I truly enjoyed the secondary characters.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it!! First book in a long time that I could not put down until finished!!

[Carol Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just re read this book and its Such a wonderful unorthodox love story you really started to feel the love Ellie and Kyle have for each other and you want through all the emotions they went through together. I love how you get to hear from both sides not just the one character.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

What a great read. You are a very talented writer and I look forward to reading more of your books

[Anne Frisbie]

I liked it. Less MC, and more a recovering addict story.

[Jen Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off fairly strong. Tragedy at the outset sucks you into the story. What happens to the h is life-altering. I know some people are broken. I was hoping this was one of those stories where the main character is so strong that even this earth-shattering event can't keep her down. She rises above with that inherent strength that is in all women. Nope, she self-destructs and while that is understandable, the way she stews in it is rather sickening. The fact that the H is so attracted to her hot mess makes me think there is something very wrong with him upstairs. There were too many details of her alcoholism and self-loathing. It just went on and on. That's very hard to read without any hope for her recovery. By more than half-way through the book, you know that the resolution isn't going to be satisfying, there simply aren't enough pages left to make it believable. That's how far gone the h is at that point. This didn't strike me so much as an MC Romance, or even a romance at all. It's more like a HOW TO of bad life choices or poor decision making, on both of the main characters' parts.

[Yesenia Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, It was filled with emotion. Ellie just lost not only her husband but her baby too, she is barley hanging on edge at the hospital but when her mother goes to see her all hell breaks loose. Months later she takes the offer to move with her best friend and try to start fresh in Canada. While starting a new life it throws her in a loop when she meets Kyle president of the local MC, She starts to get feelings she hasn't had in a long time. Kyle has this tough bad-ass biker look but he really is sweet and caring. He has been looking out for his little brother junior since he was born and their mother left them. Meeting Ellie now not only is stirring feelings he never wanted but she cares for Junior too, also gets along with his crew in the MC club. They are both damaged but one needs the other to get stronger, I loved how she wasn't a whinny person she was strong for what she went through and was able to come out much stronger.

[Dawn Schofield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a dull Thursday afternoon in work and was gripped straight away. I couldn't put my kindle down until I had read the full book. I can usually read a good book in a day or two but this is a new record for me. I finished this book in nine hours.
From the moment you meet Ellie you are truly endeared to her and then her world is flipped upside down. She moves to a new country to make a new start and fate brings her the sexy smouldering bad boy Kyle who is the complete opposite of Ellie.
As you follow the twist and turns of the story the story pulls you in and grips you. The story keeps you guessing and wondering what horrors Ellie and Kyle have faced and endured in the past. It had me laughing and it had me crying. The writer tells the story beautifully and eloquently.
I can't wait for a follow up book to this.
E L Green is certainly an author to watch and will surely rise through the book charts.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow!!! I just don't know what to say about this book. I cried and cried throughout this book. Ellie had to go through so much in her life since she was a young child right through to aduldhood. This was one of the most beautiful MC romances that I have read in a long time.

Ms Green you are on my list as one of my new favorite authors and cannot wait for Cassie's book. She was such a good and loving friend to Ellie.

Look forward to read more of your books in the future.

[Jodie Maines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for first time our

The characters are intense and deal with real life issues, it just happens to revolve a MC. The MC is the background and the characters are the focus of the story. After a tragic start and it's aftermath, I find myself invested deeply in all of there lives. Please read best and better then the same old.

[Rachel Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are really well written and the story makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next. The book touches on loss, family breakdown and the emotions related this brilliantly. Looking forward to the next book.

[Eilish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

What a story,it tears you apart and put you together again. I couldn't out it down had to keep reading until the end. It's an honest story,raw emotions and has a good ending .

[Denise Higgs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book. The main character is written well and the author develops the character well throughout the story. Couldn't put it down. Looking forward to the next one

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was heart warming and at times very sad. but it was an absolutely wonderful book. can't wait to read more from this author!

[Tracy Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. The storyline is brilliant and really well written with so many emotions - makes you cry and laugh. Would highly recommend

[book junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book I can't wait for book 2

[Ronnie Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve re-read this book multiple times and it has never once became boring. I love everything about this book and will definitely read it again in the future.