Title: Broken
Series: Cavanaugh Brothers Book #2
Author: Laura Wright
Genre: Romance
Blurb: The Cavanaugh brothers left behind River Black, Texas, long ago. But after their father dies, bequeathing them the Triple C, a cattle ranch that sustains their small town, they return—and confront the painful memories of their childhood home and the truth about their sister’s murder…For years, James Cavanaugh has traveled the world as a horse whisperer, but even the millions he’s earned hasn’t healed the pain he hides behind his stoic exterior. Forced to tackle old demons at the ranch, James throws himself into work to avoid his true feelings. Until he meets a woman who shakes the foundations of his well-built walls…Sheridan O’Neil’s quiet confidence has served her well, except when it comes to romance. Refusing to allow her heard to led her to disaster, she chooses to focus solely on work. But after Sheridan is rescued from a horse stampede by the most beautiful cowboy she’s ever met, her vow to keep her heart penned wavers. Only, as Sheridan uncovers James’s belief that no woman is safe with him, she wonders if such a wounded man could ever give in to love, or if some hearts are too broken to be healed.…
Thoughts: I knew in the beginning that this book was part of a series – I mean, it is a bit obvious. What I didn’t know was where exactly this ‘brother’ fit into the series – in other words, is he book number one, book two…three? The book sounded good though, and I figured I would take a chance on it. Well, it turns out James is the brother featured in book number two – okay, I can work with that. Or so I thought. I was utterly lost in the span of this book…it did not feel like book number two. I felt like I came in way further in the series. I’m not sure if it had something to do with the choppy way of inserting this long deceased sister into the storyline – and if that was also how the “sister” storyline was dealt with and/or introduced in book one? Whatever the case may be, I wound up having to put the book down without finishing – which is rare for me – but I didn’t think it would be fair to continue on as is without reading prior books – or book, as the case may be. I was having trouble connecting with the story, the characters, and just…everything. Perhaps I will go and start from book one and see how that goes? I’m not sure the draw is really there for me, though, seeing as how the whole “sister” angle was approached. We’ll see. But in the meantime, this one is shelved for the moment.
Rate: N/A
I’m obsessive about reading books in series order… even when they don’t necessarily have to be read in order… totally ‘get’ where you’re coming from on this one!!
Thanks, Jeananna! I hate not giving a rating, but I don’t feel it’s fair to the author to give one in some cases! Like you, I love sticking with the series order, but sometimes I still manage to stumble on one that I manage to fall in love with and can still keep up with even if I read it out of order. But order is definitely important in this one!
I was really looking forward to this second book in the series and was really disappointed actually 🙁
Don’t let me put you off, Sue! If you read the first one and were looking forward to this one, that is a bit different. Coming from someone that didn’t read the first book, I felt like this one didn’t give me enough on its own in order to judge it accurately or fairly on the author’s behalf. Tell me – what were your thoughts on book one?
Oh I read it and was disappointed! It just didn’t have the same feel, flow or sense of being entrapped in the story.