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Breaking Down
Get your engine revving with this funny and heartwarming story of one woman’s happily ever after with a grease-stained knight.
Carmen Maclean is unmoored from her home and city when a long-term relationship turns violent. Determined to protect herself, Carmen heads to the small mountain town where her little brother lives, but her plans take a turn for the worse when car trouble leaves her stranded on the side of a lonely mountain highway.
Sawyer Stevenson is a divorced small town mechanic, scared to let himself fall in love again. Lately, he’s taken to burying his emotions in ways that border on scandalous. When he is tasked with fixing a Beetle better left to the junkyard, Sawyer is willing to accept the challenge. He didn’t count on meeting Carmen, or the feelings she would stir in him.
Carmen and Sawyer can’t get enough of each other, despite knowing it won’t be long before they have to say goodbye. Nothing matters to Sawyer but keeping Carmen safe when danger follows her to Willow Brook. For the first time in as long as either can remember they are looking forward instead of back, but what exactly does the future hold?
Carmen Maclean is unmoored from her home and city when a long-term relationship turns violent. Determined to protect herself, Carmen heads to the small mountain town where her little brother lives, but her plans take a turn for the worse when car trouble leaves her stranded on the side of a lonely mountain highway.
Sawyer Stevenson is a divorced small town mechanic, scared to let himself fall in love again. Lately, he’s taken to burying his emotions in ways that border on scandalous. When he is tasked with fixing a Beetle better left to the junkyard, Sawyer is willing to accept the challenge. He didn’t count on meeting Carmen, or the feelings she would stir in him.
Carmen and Sawyer can’t get enough of each other, despite knowing it won’t be long before they have to say goodbye. Nothing matters to Sawyer but keeping Carmen safe when danger follows her to Willow Brook. For the first time in as long as either can remember they are looking forward instead of back, but what exactly does the future hold?
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 2, 2023
I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect romance novel with all the warm and fuzzy feelings along with a dash of suspense thrown in. This story follows a family that anyone would dream of being part of. It is written in a way that allows you to picture everything so easily, the people’s faces, the houses, any background. I got so lost in this book a few different times. So worth the read!
May 27, 2022
With summer on the way, Breaking Down makes the perfect beach read! Starting a new life can be hard when you're still running from your old one, but Carmen Maclean has ended up in Willow Brook where there's no shortage of supportive new friends to help her out--plus a special someone she wasn't expecting! Sometimes all it takes is someone who truly understands you to help you move on. A heartwarming story, a little steam, intriguing characters, and a family you'll fall in love with make this a read you can't put down!
December 7, 2024
I devoured this book! I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked and need to know how Sawyer and Carmen would do! I really loved the descriptive writing, I could really picture the story as it was told!
November 14, 2025
This book gave me a healthy dose of Sleeping With the Enemy Vibes (I always loved that movie!) and the whole cast of characters were like one big family that you want to adopt as your own.
May 26, 2022
Breaking Down is the ultimate comfort book.
This is the book you pick up after a long day when you want to smile the rest of the way to bed time. You take it on vacation because you know it will be perfect to read by the pool and you recommend it to all your friends because you know they’ll love it too.
The playful banter reminds me a lot of of Julia Quinn’s novels. Breaking Down strikes the right balance of romance/spice, and drama. I highly recommend!
This is the book you pick up after a long day when you want to smile the rest of the way to bed time. You take it on vacation because you know it will be perfect to read by the pool and you recommend it to all your friends because you know they’ll love it too.
The playful banter reminds me a lot of of Julia Quinn’s novels. Breaking Down strikes the right balance of romance/spice, and drama. I highly recommend!
August 11, 2023
I absolutely loved Breaking Down! It’s honestly not usually my gene of choice, but it was recommended by friends so I gave it a read and I’m so glad I did! It was the perfect easy read while I was on vacation. The authors writing, made it easy to fall in love with the characters. It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Highly recommend the read!
July 31, 2025
For a book advertised as 'low angst' I was kind of surprised by some of the darker places this goes to! Readers should definitely check TWs. Most of the darker events take place off page, but there's a few that take place on page, such as that can definitely be a little hair-raising.
I enjoyed the plot and story, the characters were great (I'm such a sucker for quirky best friends and tight-knit family units), but I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, and that took away from the experience for me. I did sympathize with Carmen heavily though; I've also run (cross-country in my case) to find a better living situation and had only what I could fit in my car (a little Mazda instead of a VW Bug) which basically amounted to my laptop, some clothes, and some books. I think Carmen's story is relatable to probably a lot of people, but a lot of people read books for escapism, so I can see how this could be a little too real for some readers.
As with most romances, there is a HEA here, and I really, really like how it was done. I'm also interested to read the other books in the series, so I can learn more about Carmen's brother's mysterious past, and I can (hopefully) see Sam and Charlotte finally admit their feelings. Side note, Charlotte's nickname of 'Chuck' is hilarious to me. It's just the right amount of kind of annoying, kind of embarrassing, kind of endearing, that a nickname should be.
There is, unfortunately, quite a few editing errors, but I try to never hold this against indie authors. Although no one else has taken the time to leave a review, I can't help but wonder if that two-star that was left on this title was due to typos or missing punctuation.
I enjoyed the plot and story, the characters were great (I'm such a sucker for quirky best friends and tight-knit family units), but I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, and that took away from the experience for me. I did sympathize with Carmen heavily though; I've also run (cross-country in my case) to find a better living situation and had only what I could fit in my car (a little Mazda instead of a VW Bug) which basically amounted to my laptop, some clothes, and some books. I think Carmen's story is relatable to probably a lot of people, but a lot of people read books for escapism, so I can see how this could be a little too real for some readers.
As with most romances, there is a HEA here, and I really, really like how it was done. I'm also interested to read the other books in the series, so I can learn more about Carmen's brother's mysterious past, and I can (hopefully) see Sam and Charlotte finally admit their feelings. Side note, Charlotte's nickname of 'Chuck' is hilarious to me. It's just the right amount of kind of annoying, kind of embarrassing, kind of endearing, that a nickname should be.
There is, unfortunately, quite a few editing errors, but I try to never hold this against indie authors. Although no one else has taken the time to leave a review, I can't help but wonder if that two-star that was left on this title was due to typos or missing punctuation.
June 3, 2022
This is a charming story about a young women trying to find her way after leaving an abusive relationship and a young man attempting a serious relationship after a bad divorce. The story was captivating and easy to read and the main characters were likeable. It wasn't the most polished book I've ever read but as this was the author's first novel it was to be somewhat expected. I would still recommend it and I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel!
January 17, 2023
A great read! I bought the printed version and had to buy some for my family! Spread the word !
September 18, 2023
Contemporary Romance, Rebound troupe.
I really enjoyed this book.
The MC, Carmen, flees a bad relationship. On the road, her car breaks down in a small town. Enters steamy hot mechanic, Sawyer.
I really enjoyed this book.
The MC, Carmen, flees a bad relationship. On the road, her car breaks down in a small town. Enters steamy hot mechanic, Sawyer.
September 22, 2023
I always love a book with suspense. While this one wasn't full of it, it had just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
A woman, Carmen, on the run and a sexy mechanic who comes to her rescue?
Yes, please.
This was my first read by this author and I'll be checking out more of her work. This book had so much banter and funny moments I couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
Definitely recommend.
A woman, Carmen, on the run and a sexy mechanic who comes to her rescue?
Yes, please.
This was my first read by this author and I'll be checking out more of her work. This book had so much banter and funny moments I couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
Definitely recommend.
April 16, 2026
Pretty cute, MCs were sweet. Looking forward to Sam and Charlotte's story.
January 2, 2023
Perfect book to binge to start off the year! I don’t usually read romance type genres but I enjoyed this book and my heart skipped a beat a few times! Looking forward to getting to know the Stevenson family more in the next book!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews