Broken: Heaven and Hell Book #1
MMy Thoughts Confessions and Review:
Grief… It comes in many forms. Loss of a loved one, loss of self, loss of control, loss of peace of mind. All these losses are valid, and all can incite grief in one form or another. Because we are emotional beings we deal with these losses in a million different ways.
For twenty-year-old Jag, who had his youth, sense of self, and self-worth ripped from him and crucified in front of his very eyes he trusts NO ONE! He has become a wandering spirit in an abandoned house who manages to conjure enough energy once in a while to cause the house lights to flicker so passersby will see someone is still inside the house.
It isn’t until Jag wanders into the dance and strip club, “Heaven and Hell” that things begin to change for the lost young soul.
Michael, owner of Heaven and Hell is awestruck by the beauty filling his club as the young man flips, twirls, and works the pole on his stage in the middle of his club, as he auditions for a place among Michael’s other dancers. While Michael can see how haunted and closed off Jag is, he is also drawn to the spark exuding from the young man’s soul. He hasn’t felt a pull like this in the many years since he lost his partner and the love of his life. Michael couldn’t ignore his draw to Jag anymore than a moth could to a flame, even knowing it may mean getting hurt in the end.
Hurt-Comfort themes are one of my favorites because they are filled with healing, compassion, and tons, and tons of love. However, when that theme encompasses both MCs it can be a slippery slope because it can come off feeling like an emotional game of tug-of-war to see who has/ had it worse and therefore needs the most comfort. No need for worrying over that here though, because Colette created a beautiful waltz rather than a tug of war and the only thing that changed was, depending on the need, who led the waltz. At times Michael needed to lead, and at others, it needed to be Jag who led for Michael. What made their waltz so beautiful and captivating for the reader was their chemistry, making their change in who would lead a seamless exchange.
I loved these characters, and I just wanted to wrap Jag in my arms and hug and kiss him and tell him he was wonderful and perfect just the way he was. The mark of an awesome author who can stir those kinds of feelings in this old momma’s heart. The cast in the book is small, but the ones in the story are larger than life. I appreciated just how fleshed out each one was, and even more so through the audio which brought an extra dimension to each character. The pace was steady and never lagged. I thought the story ended nicely and I am anxious to start the next book.
The Story: 4.5?
The Narration: 4.0?
Sharonica Stars: 4.25✨
I received an audio copy of this book from GBP in exchange for an honest review.?