Friday, July 31, 2020

Broken by Stacy Gail [Review]

Broken by Stacy Gail
Broken (Brody Brothers #4) by Stacy Gail
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: July 14, 2020

Brody Brothers
1. Branded
2. Braced
3. Bruised 
4. BrokenKindle

Stacy Gail
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Synopsis (Goodreads):
***TRIGGER WARNING*** This book contains a heroine who suffered sexual abuse as a child, and a hero who suffered physical and emotional abuse. If you have issues with these elements, this book is not for you.

“The Hatfields and McCoys have nothing on the Brodys and Smileys.”
The feud was all Winnie Smiley heard about while growing up next door to those arrogant cowboys, the Brodys. Smiley homestead might be a dilapidated eyesore that she’d run away from as a teen, but it did possess something the Brodys had schemed in vain to get—Smiley Lake. Now, with the region crippled with drought and her monstrous father burning in hell, Winnie stands to inherit the lake. She knows that’s why Des is suddenly everywhere she turns, but that doesn’t matter. She’d never had a chance to grab at happiness before, so even if it’s just the lake Des wants, she’s going to make damn sure she’s part of the deal.

“The Smileys live to screw with the Brodys.”
After nearly dying on the horns of a murder-happy bull, former rodeo star Des Brody now has to figure out his place on Green Rock Ranch. All his brothers are settled with their new families, and they know exactly what to do to make Green Rock run. But Des? All he can do is try to make sure the empire they’ve built doesn’t shrivel up and blow away in the drought. Landing Smiley Lake is key to stabilizing Green Rock’s water supply, but there’s an obstacle—Winsome Smiley. Only she’s not really an obstacle. More like a meal begging to be eaten.
And he’s hungry as hell.

“I’m a Brody, and a Brody always gets what he wants.”
When Winnie doesn’t inherit Smiley Lake, she assumes she and Des are finished before they even began. To her shock, Des has other ideas and shows her an undiscovered world of pleasure. But just as she starts to believe Des wants her solely for herself, she discovers he hasn’t been totally upfront with her. Now she had a choice to make—trust her heart, or believe her ancestors had it right in saying that a Brody can never be trusted.
Thoughts on Broken: The last of the Brodys is getting his turn to fall and, well, things are a little sticky. (Aren't they always, though? These Brodys really do have abysmal social skills when it comes to dealing with the women in their lives before they're in their lives. Or, maybe not abysmal, but they definitely have caveman-like tendencies.)

Yep, Des and Winnie. They're both kind of broken by their childhoods. In fact, their baggage has baggage. Des might have moved back to Green Rock to take his place in the family business, but he's still striving to prove he's as much a Brody as his brothers. Which, given his arrogance and charm, is really not in question by anyone but him.

As for Winnie, she's so desperate to keep her past behind her and move on she's convinced herself she's fine and she will be fine no matter what happens. Given that they both suffered at the hands of people who should have protected them, Des knows what that's like and is quick to point out that ignoring something doesn't make it magically go away. (Which, ahem, he also needs to be reminded of, doesn't he?)

A few roadbumps, two stubborn people butting heads, a whole lot of meddling family (although they probably wouldn't consider it meddling), and a whole lot of healing. The Brodys are big, brash, confident, and they sure do make their women happy once they stop getting in their own way.

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