Dean Cade—veteran sniper—has returned home from his time in the Marines to Cade Ranch seven years after he lied and pushed his lifelong friend and highschool sweetheart Carolyn “Oly” Masterson away. Now that Oly has returned from veterinary school in England to work at Wisper’s local clinic, he can't avoid her, and he can’t deny that he still needs her. But Oly is a changed woman, and Dean—harbouring a secret he fears could destroy his brothers—came home broken. All Oly wants to do now that she’s home in Wisper is dive into work and avoid Dean, lest he break her heart again, but the brooding, stubborn cowboy won’t leave her thoughts. She knows he’s different—damaged—yet she can’t stop thinking about him or the passionate night they shared three years ago before Dean pushed her away for good. But with danger lurking nearby, Dean intends to protect her, whether she likes it or not. Oly can’t walk away, but if Dean doesn’t open up and let her in, that’s exactly what she’ll have to do—even knowing it would break her.

Broken is a solid fit for fans of angst, but it didn’t have the engaging or emotional punch that was so addictive in the first novel, Burned. The dialogue was repetitive at times, and the awkwardly forced forced-proximity plot in the latter half and the “plot twist” felt rushed. The childhood/highschool sweetheart aspect of the romance was pleasant and I did feel like the FMC Carolyn and MMC Dean had solid romantic and sexual chemistry/history, but I became very frustrated at the repeated fuck-and-run trend. Whilst I appreciate that Dean had some serious issues to work through, he treats Oly poorly, and Oly—a supposedly strong, feisty woman—acted like a total doormat for half the story until she finally remembered her backbone. I did however appreciate plot points and interactions between Dean and fellow veteran, Biggsy; their friendship and the character growth that resulted from it felt more significant than the romance at times and was a highlight of the story.