Review: Rebecca Shea's "Broken by Lies (Bound and Broken #1)."

Review: Rebecca Shea's "Broken by Lies (Bound and Broken #1)."

Amazon UK:     http://amzn.to/1Cm7lzV

Amazon.com:    http://amzn.to/1CkLTtA

Synopsis:

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.

Review: Surj Harvey

What do you get when you throw together a small town country girl brought up on the brink of poverty with a very sexy as sin, wealthy business man? Well, you would hope it would be a rags to riches, match made in heaven, they fit so perfectly together kinda fairy tale. Yeah well, that only happens in romance novels... lol. Kidding aside, the hopeless romantic in me was wishing this had been one of those stories but hey, there are loads of those about and I'd have probably been bored to tears after the first few chapters. So I'm glad Rebecca Shea decided to shake things up a little bit and give us a book that was a little different and definitely unpredictable. In fact the last 25% had my jaw dropping with all the revelations I just never saw coming. I was so focused on one certain aspect of the story and how that side of things would unravel that I missed the clues. I blooming' missed it all. The worst bit... I didn't realise it was a series which means I didn't see the cliffy coming either. I kept getting closer and closer to the end, wondering how they were going to wrap so many elements of the story line up in so few pages and then it happened... BAM... to be continued.... I'm such a dumb ass. It wasn't a secret. I just didn't notice that it was #1 of the "Bound and Broken" series... lol. Note to self... always check!!! Regardless though, I'm so glad I picked up Alex and Emelia's story and I cannot wait to see what the next book brings for the couple. 

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. 

The prologue for "Broken by Lies" was definitely an attention grabber, giving us an insight into the moment where Emelia's life was turned on its head, leaving her alone in the world with nothing but a small bag of possessions,  $200 and a piece of paper with the name and address of her father... the man who had upped and left the minute he discovered he was to be a dad. Unfortunately, the meeting didn't quite go to plan thus leaving Emelia feeling even more abandoned and alone than ever. My heart truly broke for her because fate really was being a bitch of the worst kind. This was a young girl who had struggled her whole life and I just wanted a break for her, a silver lining in all the misery that had been thrown her way. Well, it appeared her knight in shining armour wasn't far away and just when she thought she'd finally hit rock bottom, her path quite literally crossed with a certain Mr Alex Estrada, a man who offered her the hand of friendship and a roof over her head... and believe it or not, it appeared there were no strings!!! Fantastic... at last, things were looking up.  Well yeah sort of.  The thing is, I knew things about Alex that Emelia didn't and if he had his way, he would keep those truths from her for as long as possible. 

"You don't know anything about me, Em. This" - he gestures up and down his body - 

"is smoke and mirrors. It's a mask for the evil I am inside."

Oh Alex, I was so torn with his character. I know he was trying to do a good thing when he offered Emelia a shelter but I really don't think he'd thought things through. I got that he was a man who was caught between a rock and a hard place, stuck in a life he was born into but despised with every ounce of his being. And I got that realistically, there was no way out for him. However was bringing Emelia into his world the right decision? On one hand he said he was trying to protect her but if anything, he was almost leading a lamb to slaughter. I knew in my heart of hearts that whatever developed between the pair (and of course it did), this couldn't possibly end well. Emelia's character for so oblivious to what was going on around her and her youth and naivety clearly reflected that. She just didn't pick up on any of the clues that all wasn't quite what it appeared to be. Even after the relationship turned from friendship to more, I guess her focus then turned to her man as opposed to what he was hiding... and trust me, this man had some major secrets!!! 

”Part of me is dead set on using her. The other part of me wants to rescue her.” 

Unfortunately Alex wasn't the only one with secrets. There were so many characters I was introduced to, all playing their part in this tangled web of lies and deceit and at times it was difficult to tell who was friend or foe. I tried to guess the motives of so many of those I met but it wasn't easy and at times it was damn right impossible. 

All in all, this was a good introduction to the series and with the last few chapters unraveling the way they did, I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!!! Roll on June  2015!!! 

I rated "Broken by Lies" ❤️❤️❤️❤️