Reviews: BROKEN BY LIES: Rebecca Shea
I had no idea how much I would love Alex the day he walked into my life.
He changed everything.
The way I breathed.
The way I thought.
The way I loved.
He brought me back to life.
He gave me strength and a safe place to land.
And then he broke me.
Finding Emilia was a chance to do something good for once in my life.
I wanted to change.
She believed I was her savior.
I ached to be.
She found her way into my heart and claimed it as her safe place.
I should be telling her the truth about me…instead I break her with lies.
Everything about her is pure--good, and for every moment I'm with her, I want to be a better man, a mans she deserves. But under the desire to do good, lives a monster.
Alex is intelligent, handsome, wealthy, and runs the family business. He is a man stuck in a world he does not want to be a part of, but sees little chance of escape. And she is a woman just trying to find her place in the world. She is naive and inexperienced, but also resilient and independent. She has lived a rough life where she always had to be responsible. Something about her pulls him in. He is alpha, protective, and enjoys taking care of her. There is a duality about him between who is supposed to be in business and how he is with her. Together they make each other feel needed and wanted. But they are both hesitant to label it or expect too much.
I can't give her more, and she deserves more than the broken dreams, lies, and deceit that I can offer her. My world will hurt her, maybe even destroy her.
His life is dangerous and unpredictable and she is now thrust right in the middle of it. He has impossible choices to make. He has many obligations, but also wants to keep her safe. But he knows that is difficult and he cannot offer her the easy happiness that she really deserves. But the deeper she gets into his life, the more lies he has to tell. But every day he runs the risk of her finding out.
When all of his lies are exposed will it send her running or put her in more danger?
I wonder what lie he'll tell me next, and I wonder if it'll be the one to break me.
There were lies, secrets, omissions, and some really interesting twists and surprises that were gradually revealed as the story built. There were side characters changing the dynamics and several antagonists that either made me mad or made my skin crawl. This is different than Rebecca's other novels with more of a romantic suspense and somewhat darker feel. But I was sucked in from the first page. I was glad to get both points of view so I could really understand the feelings of both of them. The characters were complex, likable, and had depth. The conflicts were significant, challenging, and complicated. It flowed well and kept me intrigued til the exciting Holy Crap ending. I can't wait for the next book Bound by Lies.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Emilia Adams is alone. With no family left in Illinois, she heads to Phoenix hoping to find her father and just maybe not feel so alone. What she finds instead is a mysterious man who offers her a place to stay while she figures out what comes next. She is a 21 year old who has spent her life struggling to continue. In her struggles, she has built an independent streak, but hasn’t really experienced things as most 21 year olds do.
Alex Estrada is intrigued by the girl he runs into one night while carrying on his father’s business. But as he gets to know her, he has to build so many lies in order to keep her. He hasn’t found the peace he feels when he’s with her since his mother died when he was seven. And he will do whatever he has to in order to keep her and keep her safe.
I loved so much about this book. From their first meeting to the internal battle Alex finds himself struggling with, to Emilia’s sweet personality, everything drew me in further.
As the threads tying this whole story began to become clear, I didn’t want to put the book down and didn’t want it to end all at the same time. There were great, unexpected twists throughout the plot, from the events that send Emilia to Phoenix in the beginning to surprising revelations at the end.
There are several side characters that add depth, tension, and so much richness to the story. Sam, Father Mark, and Jax offered a counterpoint to her relationship with Alex, wisdom, and even bits of humor.
When I hit the end, I wished I could flip the page and continue on to Bound by Lies, but alas, I had to put my Kindle down for the time being. But with the way Broken by Lies ends, I am waiting in anticipation for the next pieces of the story, because this is not over!
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rebecca Shea
Rebecca Shea is the USA Today Bestselling author of Unbreakable. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family and her beagle, Miles. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for books. Rebecca spends her days working full-time and her nights writing, bringing stories to life. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her son’s football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margaritas, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever after’s.
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