Book Reviews

Book 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.

Note: This book was previously released by Loose Id in November 2010. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

 

Book Review

Something in the description of this novel called to me. Perhaps because psychology was my major in college, and the mind is an amazing thing. It has the ability to do whatever it needs in order to protect itself, whether that is the creation of multiple personalities or agoraphobia. These days I can empathize, wholeheartedly, with agoraphobia, because I think it could be an easy condition to fall into when you're hurting, and home is your safe place.

Caleb broke my heart, and brought out all of my protective instincts the first time I saw him berate himself for why he "couldn't be normal." He can barely manage to walk out onto his concrete front porch to get the mail every day. But, by golly, he forces himself to, and his inner strength was so apparent to everyone except him. Jesse is the cop who lives across the street and doesn't understand why his new neighbor fascinates him and brings out feelings Jesse has never had. He just knows he wants to take the lost, hurt look from Caleb's face. He knows Caleb must've been hurt somehow, and Jesse does such a good job at being his friend, reassuring Caleb that he's safe, and not making Caleb feel bad for his issues.

"He felt safe with Jesse, and was angry that he still couldn’t talk about what happened. Caleb was so frustrated with himself that he wanted to kick and scream. Shame for not being a better man, a stronger man, filled Caleb, and he pulled out of the embrace. He stepped back and met Jesse’s gaze, determined to quit being the same damaged person he’d been for the past couple of months, even if it was done one small step at a time."

If the only difficulties Jesse and Caleb had stemmed from Caleb's issues, then it would be easier to handle. However, Caleb and Jesse live in a small Texas town, with small-minded people. Jesse isn't out, and of course, there's the one guy on the police force who can't help being nosy and a bigot. So while Caleb is taking his first steps into trying to get help, he and Jesse are also dealing with bigotry and hatred, while falling in love, and having smoking hot sex.

I enjoyed this rerelease by Bailey Bradford. There was enough love, and hot sex, so the drama didn't overwhelm me. It was a sweet, hot, love story between two men who really needed each other, even if they didn't know it.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 181 pages/64448 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	29-December-2015
Price	$5.25 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/something-shattered