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Broken by Nicola Haken

Title: Broken
Author: Nicola Haken
Reviewer: Larry / John
Release Date: February 29, 2016
Genre(s): m/m Gay Fiction / Romance
Page Count: 404 pages
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Broken by Nicola Haken – Blurb: When Theodore Davenport decides to switch his mundane job for a career, he walks into Holden House Publishing with enthusiasm and determination to succeed. As he settles into his new role, makes new friends, and dreams of making it to the top, everything is going to plan.

Until he meets James Holden, CEO of Holden House.

James Holden hasn’t been able to stop thinking about his encounter with the timid man he met in a club bathroom last week, and when he discovers the one haunting his dreams is an employee, he can’t seem to stop himself from pursuing him.

Just a little fun – that’s what James tells himself. He can’t afford to care for someone who can never reciprocate, not once they find out who he really is. James believes nobody deserves the burden of being attached to him. He’s a complicated man. Damaged. Difficult. Demanding.

Is Theodore strong enough to confront James’ demons? More importantly, is James?

Review: James Holden is damaged goods, filled with pain and grief, has been all his life.  He has used that pain to get what he wants. He dominates people and takes them as his possessions, if only for an hour or a few minutes, as long as it helps him hide the pain.

Theo, though not damaged is lost.  He has allowed himself to walk through life without the dedication and perseverance necessary to achieve his goals – well if he had goals.  But he has finally decided to take the first step and try to achieve what he sees as an opportunity.

One thing neither James nor Theo anticipated was their brief, almost criminal meeting in the mens room of a hot gay club.  Theo had a few too many.  James didn’t have enough.  It happened, almost rape, almost but not quite.  Neither man was satisfied, but neither wanted more – at the time.

Now Theo works for Holden House and has no idea that the mysterious man who near raped him is his boss.  And James wants to find out if Theo could become one of his play things.  Oh yeah, James has a reputation at Holden House.  He takes every new employee, whether his actions are wanted or not.

The interaction between Theo and James is tense at best.  There is a hidden desire, respect, and fear from both.  Each has something the other wants, yet is not quite achievable.  James wants, or he thought he wanted, Theo to submit.  But after the heat is revealed, he realizes that Theo is more than he bargained for.  Can he control his lust and allow Theo’s love to sway him from becoming just another conquest?  Or will he continue to succumb to his inner pain and take Theo down as he has done to so many others?

Theo has his own problems to contend with and James is only part of them.  He is learning to navigate the treacherous waters of greed, backstabbing, and deceit in his new work arena.  Hated by his new department manager, envied by some coworkers, loathed by others, his new world is more than he ever expected.

It’s no wonder that Broken has over 200 reviews on Amazon.  Haken is a superb author.  She took me on a thrill ride from the preface to the conclusion.  She kept me wanting more.  Even when I had to find a breaking point to stop reading, I felt drawn to James and Theo’s stories.

Find the time and read Broken by Nicola Haken, it’s a damn good read!