Blurb:
When something inside him is shattered by an act of violence, Caleb Tomas doesn’t think he can ever be whole again.
Police Officer Jesse Martin has lived in the small town of El Jardin, New Mexico, for a decade, but he’s never seen anything like the mysterious man who moves in in the middle of the night. The house across the street from Jesse’s trailer is no longer empty. There’s a puzzle waiting to be solved there in the form of one sexy, but decidedly different, man.
Bruised and battered inside and out, Caleb Tomas flees to the town of El Jardin in the hopes of escaping the terror that haunts him. Instead, he becomes more of a recluse, scared of everything, unable to get more than a dozen feet past his porch before he panics. His head’s a mess, and he knows he needs help, but that’s a step he doesn’t want to take. It’s easier, safer to stay hidden away with only his adorable puppy, Loopy, and the bird-murdering cat, Mix, for companionship.
But Caleb can’t help but notice the sexy man across the street, and when Loopy escapes from the back yard, it’s Jesse Martin who comes to the rescue.
And he might save more than one bouncy little poodle, if Caleb and Jesse are willing to take the risk.
Reader Advisory: This book contains references to physical assault.
Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.
Where To Buy:
Pride Publishing || ARe || Amazon
Review:
Something Shattered starts out completely differently than any of the past romance stories I’ve read. Mysterious cop sitting on his rundown porch watching the recluse next door drawn for some reason to him wanting to know why he is hiding out. At first I was curious what kind of character Jesse Martin would be. Why was he watching the neighbor? What could intrigue him so much to want to make contact with the man inside? Caleb Tomas was holed up inside barely able to make it to the porch to get mail. Skittish like a cat in full panic attacks at the thought of someone getting near him. Jesse, however, was patiently waiting to make contact. Turns out Jesse was such a sweet hearted guy with the patience of a saint. He was able to connect with Caleb who was seriously consumed with fear. A past horrific event has left him so traumatized he has shut himself inside his rental house. But Jesse keeps waiting and ever so patiently breaks down those barriers for Caleb to let him in. And geez, once Caleb let’s down those iron bars it was like a love fest. The two couldn’t get enough of each other!
I found the first half of the story to be a 4+ star book but as the story continued it started to drag a little and what should have been the major climax to the story wasn’t as exciting. I really enjoyed there was more to the book then just Caleb and Jesse forming a relationship. Parts of the story were very detailed like Caleb’s panic attacks. Having recently had my first ever panic attack I could almost relate to Caleb though his level of panic attacks were on a much more significant scale. Regardless, the anxiety of not knowing when it would happen was described really well in the story. The story also includes the difficulty of living as a gay cop in a small homophobic town which adds some drama and intensity to the story. Where I struggled some was with how Jesse and Caleb behaved. Jesse went from serious bad ass cop in my mind to this super sweet, lovey dovey cop which was one sugar packet too sweet for my taste. Caleb went from shy agoraphobic to a nymphomaniac. They make a great couple and I love a man that will stand up for his man but it was almost too romantic for me.
Overall very different storyline which I enjoyed!
Stars:
Three and a half
About Bailey:
A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn’t happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey’s brain demanding to be let out.
Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey’s office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey’s presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.
Author Contact:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bailey.bradford.9
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/@BaileyBFun4Me
Molly Lolly 