Customer Reviews

Broken

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Overall
A perfectly acceptable and enjoyable novel, it did nothing to entrance me or amaze me, although it did entertain.

Strengths
Pacing. Although the pace is slower, it worked for the style of story being told as the relationship develops and then faces its conflict. while not a page turner, it is enjoyable in its own right. It feels more like a lazy day with an old friend than a day out on the town.

Ending. Despite feeling this book was unremarkable, I did enjoy the ending and the overall events that led up to it. It wasn't enough to leave me enraptured with the completed text, but did redeem the slow beginning.

Characters. The characters were interesting and definitely struggling with themselves and the circumstances. They were both fairly likable, although Eli was more difficult to like since he made everything more complicated, even if he had a reason.

Weaknesses
While I really wanted to enjoy this book, it did nothing to entice me to do that. It was acceptable, maybe even good. But it took a long time to create a bond with the characters so that the beginning of the book was a little slow as the characters took the stage. It neither thrilled me or repulsed me, leaving me to finish the novel and go, "Oh" and that was that.

Broken is, as expected, a story very heavy in the angst side but not overtly dramatic. I poured my one tear or two, but basically, I think the story was more sweet than anything else, and I really enjoyed the fact that it was "physical" without being sexy. Let me explain a bit: both main characters, Eli and Alec, are very aware of each other in a physical way, the love between them is both a match of minds than bodies, and all around them there are people who are in different stage of relationships, but the novel never goes down to the details, never once there is a full sex scene, even if, more than once, the men fall asleep together (and you will have to read the book to know what I mean). So yes, the novel is physical, but it's not sexy, we and they are aware of the men and their sexuality, and so no, this is not a "sweet romance" as the old romance rules state (no sex we are English...), but it's sweet since the author manages to maintain it on a balanced level, not too much of that, not to few of this.

Eli is recovering from a trauma, his life partner was killed in a gay bashing, and 2 years after his impromptu family, the lesbian best girlf friend of his former partner, and two gay roommates they were living with, think it's time for Eli to come out from the self-imposed "widower" mourning. Ilsa in particular decides to take the matter in hand and rent the attic of the house where they are all living to Alec, an American writer and Psychology professor who is searching a place to live in London, after moving from Chicago due to another one of his "usual" heartbroken. Just from that you can understand that Alec is not exactly the classical psycho-therapist, that let me say, I sometime find boring: when a man has all the answers, I think he is not a nice character. Alec, instead, I think he is a man who learns how to understand and comfort people, since he wanted to understand his own fears and doubts. When one of his relationships fails, he moves to another city to completely change his life; it's a run from reality, but he knows it well. And I think that Alec has also some self-esteem problem, he always thinks that the relationship fails due to some fault from his side... unlikely, but the human mind works in a strange way.

Anyway, when Alec meets Eli, he is the only one who understands that Eli has not the need to be pushed out from his mourning, he needs to be taken by. Eli is almost ready, he only needs to find a reason, and maybe the reason can be a new love, Alec. Obviously when you hide to Eli that Alec is a psychologist, and more he is specialized in after-trauma, well, you also understand that troubles are behind the corner.

Eli and Alec are very nice characters, well developed and likeable. The story between them is nice and sweet. What probably is the best part of this novel is that they are not the only ones to be good characters. They can be the main focus of the story, but all the supporting characters around them, from the most important ones, like Ilsa, Lyle and Tony, Eli's roommates, to Casey, Mirabell, the best girl friends, to even the cameo roles like Dray, Reggie and Ray, they all have an interesting background story, they all aroused my interest and made me wonder about them, about their story and its possible evolution. Broken could be Eli and Alec's love story, but it's also a choral book where all the characters have a very important role.

DKJ is a wonderful writer, her characters vividly drawn, their entwined stories grabbing you from the very beginning. This is one M/M romance which is characters, emotions and plot driven. This is a deeply stirring story of pain, healing and hope. It is a love story as much as a story of heartwarming friendship.
The 2 protagonists, Eli and Alec, easily grow on you. Eli is the victim of a terrible gay bashing which also ended the life of his lover of 5 years. The flashback is painfully gripping. Scarred physically and mentally Eli lives in constant pain, unable to move on, moaning for his dead love. Thankfully he is surrounded by caring room mates including one bigger than life bisexual chef named Ilsa, who makes it her mission to look after the 3 gay men who are her tenants as much as her close friends. The friendship among these 4 people is touching and their interaction does provide numerous light and comical moments in a plot which could be laden with too much angst.
Then there is Alec, an American professor in psychology. He may be doing well in his career with a recent bestseller but not so his love life. For the third time he has fled to escape a heartache. This time the destination is London as he easily finds himself the 4th tenant in Ilsa's house but later did he realize he is part of one caring friend's plan.
I enjoy the developing romance between Eli and Alex which is both convincing, moving and ultimately sweet. One step forward and two steps backwards as they slowly but surely move forward to a future together. As for the supporting characters they are all vividly drawn out. I find myself enjoying reading about them as much as the two main characters. I dislike it when a story focuses too much on supporting characters but not so in this case as the writer skillfully weaves their stories into the main ones. I find myself caring about what happens to Ilsa, really a lesbian with her heart of gold jumping form one woman to another. The temperamental artist Tony with his one night stands. The estate agent Lyle neat as a pin, in love with his childhood friend for years. Even the few pages on the members of Eli's dead partner's family are interesting.
There are a few teary moments in the story as the theme is a heavy one but the interaction among all the characters with the never a dull moment dialogue gives this story one seamless flow holding me captive till the very end. Another quality release from Dreamspinnerpress,

My review will be a bit vague, but really the book was good. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of m/m romance. The only complaint I have is how abruptly it ended. I feel like the author could have definately lengthened the ending.

Two years ago, Eli Burke lost his lover Bennett during a horrific attack that left him scarred and Bennett dead. Now he walks with a cane and closes himself off as much as he can. When his friend and housemate invites an American, Alec, to move into the attic of their house, he's not at all happy to be attracted to the man. Fortunately, he has a plan to move to Africa and work there, which will get him away from bad memories and new possibilities.

Alec Sumner moves to England to make a fresh start after another failed relationship. Upon meeting Eli on the street, he's intrigued, but expects never to see him again. Then he ends up moving into the house Eli shares with several friends. He hopes to get closer to Eli, but a secret he's keeping, and Eli's pain, stand in his way...

Broken is the emotional story of two men who are both running, each in their own way. Eli's still immersed in grief over his lost lover. He's only going through the motions of life, and all he can think of to do is go to Africa to get away. Meeting Alec, and being attracted to him, comes as an unwelcome surprise, one that Eli fights. Alec moves to a new city after each painful breakup he has, this time halfway across the world. He hides something important from Eli in an effort to help him, and because he doesn't want to drive him away. Of course, secrets have a way of coming out, and when this one does it causes a lot of pain. I liked both Eli and Alec, and wanted them to be happy together. The secondary characters were all interesting and well-drawn. The storyline is full of conflict, emotion, and redemption. Broken is a lovely story of grief and healing. I think others will enjoy it as much as I did.

Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Dawn Johnson writes with such heart and detail that you feel immersed in the world of Alec and Eli. She made me feel for the characters and their troubles and triumphs. I cried, laughed and didn't want it to end. I was hooked from the first to the last page and continued to think about it long after I had put the book down. I hope that the very talented Ms. Johnson will be releasing many more books in the near future.

This story is about poor little Eli who was out with his boyfriend and they were gay bashed. His boyfriend was beaten to death and this also left him with a limp in his leg. It is about how his friends enable him to wallow in his self-pity and grief for two year. Every year on the anniversary of the attack, his housemate would take Eli to the bar where he first met his boyfriend. Talk about really helping him trying to get out of his own pity party by going to the one place that reminds him of his loss the most. So his landlady rents the last room in her house to a friend name Alec who is a psychiatrist and asked him to help Eli. Of course Alec agrees. He's seen Eli on the street and is instantly attracted to him. Of course Eli finds out and hates Alec for doing it. It just goes downhill from there. The story is just so over the top in regards to Eli. I really dislike Eli's character for what he does to himself and what he puts other people through. Yes, I understand that it is hard to get over something so traumatic like that, but at some point he need to move on and stop being to co-dependent on other around him. So when he finds out about Alec, what does he do. He runs away and hopped on a plane to be at his dead lover's grave. Of course everyone is all a twittered and concerned. Yeda. Yeda. Yeda. After reading this part, I promptly closed the book and though enough. Can this get more sappy, maudlin, and melosoap than it already is? Why, yes it can. This story should have been called the Book of Eli because that is all there is about in this long pity party story. Seriously, this book definitely not a keeper.