Customer Reviews

Come Hell or High Water: A Broken Heart Novel (Broken Heart Vampires)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Broken Heart, Oklahoma single mom Phoebe Allen is looking forward for a short breather while her four years old son Danny is visiting Disneyworld with his dad. .However, her respite ends almost immediately after Danny leaves.

Half demon Connor Ballard courts the vampiric mom because he believes she is his only hope to prevent his purebred demon stepmother Lilith from escaping her incarceration in hell. However his pursuit changes when they are mated, but he knows he must stand vigilant because if Lilith escapes to earth all hell will break out. Phoebe realizes she must help the hunk, but does not have to consign her heart with new mate; now if only her heart would heed her advice.

As always with this chick-lit urban fantasy romance series, Michelle Bardsley combines humor with romance and this time literally the stepmom from hell. The story line is fast-paced as the wind comes sweeping down the plain is not sweet; almost as terrifying as the heroine's first night in town when a Consortium member welcomed her to Oklahoma sooner than she wanted. Fans will enjoy this thin but fun tale as the vampire mom figuratively insists "Over My Dead Body".

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed book 6 of The Broken Heart Series. This installment was a little darker than the previous offerings but filled with enough laugh-out-loud moments as to not make it too scary. The author's sarcasm is an art form and this story is full of wit and humor. This is a frisky adventure. I love demon heroes and Scots so Connor is a twofer! There's just something so sexy about an ultimate bad boy. If you are expecting your favorite residents of Broken Heart you'll be disappointed as much of the action takes place beyond the small town's Invisi-shield. I wished that I could have spent a little more time with the Irish hotties and the sexy, fury German triplets but I liked meeting a whole new cast of characters. It was nice to finally learn more about Phoebe as she hasn't really been spoken of much in past books. I just felt like this could have used something more, it was as if something was missing that I couldn't put my finger on. If you are new to the series or a frequent visitor to the paranormal haven in Oklahoma this is a fun read. - Theresa Joseph

I had never read a book in this series so this was a great surprise! This book was hilarious! While I don't normally enjoy books written in the first person, I thought this one was very well written and really connected with this character. She was flawed, not as great as she thought she was, and basically learning along the way. Yeah, pretty much how I feel! This book had parts that were a little hard to understand if you haven't read the series, but those parts DO NOT detract from the story and I enjoyed the humor, romance (was it ever hot!), and story line. I am definately going to go back and buy the previous books in this series. I LOVE Michele's writing and sense of humor and look forward to more of her books!

The only thing I found strange in this story is its the first of Michelle Bardsley series that don't officially take place in the town of Broken Heart. While her 4 year old son Danny is off at Disney World with his human father Phoebe Allen who both vampire and demon hunter is tricked into becoming a demon's life mate by the Scottish hottie Connor. She transported to different levels of the underworld as Conner does everything he can to protect his wife in this paranormal drama in search of the other half of a ancient talisman to stave off his stepmother Lilith. it strange having Phoebe out of contact with the rest of the vampire community of Broken Heart but it doesn't take away for the joy of the story which draws one in and prevents the reader from putting it down.

Phoebe Allen is a single mother of a four-year-old named Danny who is currently with his father and out of town. Phoebe is also a vampire, Turned only weeks after Danny's birth. She resides in Broken Heart, where the super natural are protected. Connor Ballard has been in Broken Heart for the last month and has slowly seduced Phoebe into his bed, tricking her into becoming his mate. It is too late for Phoebe when she finally learns of Connor's deceit. She is now mated to a half demon.

Thanks to a prophecy, Connor has pulled Phoebe into a situation fraught with pain and deceptions. But the young vampire is about to learn how to be more dangerous than even the worst demon in Hades.


**** FOUR STARS! This story speeds up quickly and seldom slows down as Phoebe finds herself being catapulted from one dangerous event to the next. The author uses just about every type of supernatural being to entertain her readers this time. (Demons, vampires, fairies, goddesses, hellhounds and more.) If you are looking for a simply paranormal romance, this is not it. I found this story to be deep and complex with multiple ongoing undertones. Intriguing! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

OK first off I love this series! This book is deff one of my favorite in the series! I loved it and couldnt put it down! Very fun and romantic! I LOVE CONNER!!

The Setting -- has a bit more variety to it this time than just Broken Heart, Oklahoma. The vistas of Hell and Tulsa - totally different settings I swear - are visited. It's still the same quirky places we know from the other books, but with a bit more variety considering Connor's demonic upbringing.

The Characters -- are always a treat. Phoebe resonates with that urge any girl has to just throw caution to the wind, except you gotta remember the consequences; if you're sixteen and breaking a rule, or if you're a 25 year old vampire doing the "horizontal bop" with someone you think you know. I continue to like the various character struggles in the Broken Heart books. Phoebe struggles with decisions about her son and his future, Connor has not only Phoebe to worry about - but other people who may die because of his choices, and other characters who may only be supporting the stars but are no less real and charming.

The Plot -- is charming - probably one of my favorite Broken Heart books! Okay, at least until Must Love Lycans come out... I liked how the normal progression of the romance was sped up in this one and how it dealt with consequences and choices. Yes, I'm finding moral points in the book - it's not anything to hang your hat on, but I liked how the romance was wound around facing the consequences of a spur of the moment decision and the characters took their choices seriously. As always, it's quirky, it's fun, it has me laughing and not wanting to put it down.

I'm only sad that there's not ten more books to read after this one - like, right now!

I read the whole series & will keep continue reading the whole series 'cause I love it.

Since the first book in this series, I fell in love with Broken Heart. Different from most paranormal romances, Bardsley focus is in the humor of it all. The whole concept of the series is already hilarious: small town single parents turned into vampires by accident. Each book focus on one of these turn-bloods (as these vampires are called) and we follow their struggle to take care of their children, keep their normal lives (only with a different schedule, running from sunlight) and, as if that wasn't challenging enough, they have to deal with new found love in the middle of (un)life-threatening crisis.

This sixth installment brings Phoebe's story. She's the mother to a four-year-old, runs the town diner, functions as Broken Heart's demon-hunter in her spare time and never really fell in love. In a very impulsive decision, she takes Connor home for the night uh..in her case, day. He's this sexy Ghillie-Dhu (scottish fairy) who neglected to mention he's also half-demon. Now she's mated to him for the next century and his step-mom, a full-blooded super-strong demon who's not Phoebe's fan, will do anything to get out of hell.

Phoebe is built in a way that's almost too real. She gets scared, she acts selfishly, she does stupid things and she's really impulsive. She regrets many of her actions one second after doing it. I can totally relate. Connor, on the other hand, is Mr. Perfect - if you can ignore he's a demon. His patience is never ending, he's protective and extremely charming. Not to mention, I do have a thing for characters with scottish accents. What else can a girl want?

Bardsley writes from Phoebe's perspective and the whole book seems like a friend telling you a story, it's really captivating and I couldn't put it down.

The only reason this is not a five-star review is because I felt this one got a little confusing with the amount of characters. Some parts I had to ask myself: wait, who's that? Also, I felt that the structure in Broken Heart is changing a lot and leading to a more serious universe. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope it doesn't jeopardize the humorous essence of the series. I'll be waiting for the next one.

I have read all the other books in this seires. I liked this book becuse it dealt diffrently with the situation then the other books. I would recomend this book becuse if you dont read this and the author builds on this chacter for any other books you will get lost. good book.