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Broken  By  cover art

Broken

By: Kelly Elliott
Narrated by: Shirl Rae,Nelson Hobbs
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Publisher's summary

Layton Morris and his brother Mike grew up not knowing what it would be like to live in a normal home. With no running water or electricity in their home and no parents around to protect them, they quickly learned how to survive and depend only on each other.

When a tragic accident took Mike away from Layton and the only other person that he ever let into his heart walked away from him, leaving his heart shattered, Layton focused all of his time and energy into the ranch he and his brother dreamed of. He made a vow to himself to never let love in again. The last thing Layton needed or wanted was more heartache.

Whitley Reynolds grew up in a privileged home in upstate New York. When she landed the star football player in high school no one was surprised, not even Whitley. She dreamed of a life with Roger in New York City and happily followed him there.

The first time Roger hit her for arguing with him about a dinner party, she forgave him. The more it happened, the further Whitley withdrew from her friends and family. One fateful day things got too far. Whitley made a promise to herself and found the courage to do the one thing she thought she'd never be able to do.

Fleeing with her best friend, Courtney, Whitley was determined to put her past behind her and start a new life in the small town of Llano, Texas, where no one would ever find out about her past.

Will Layton and Whitley learn to trust and love again, or will their pasts come back to haunt them, keeping them both alone and broken?

©2014 Kelly Elliott (P)2014 Tantor
  • Series: Broken, Book 1
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

What listeners say about Broken

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Kelly Elliot is the diva of mushy heartbreak!!

If you’re a fan of Kelly Elliott’s Wanted Series, then you will absolutely enjoy this new series. Just like all of her other books this one is full of hot steamy scenes as well as many sweet swoon worthy scenes. Broken is the love story of Whitley Reynolds & Layton Morris. Whitley is running from her ex. Abused and broken, she moves from New York to a small town in Texas. She wants a fresh start and has permanently sworn off all men. That's her plan until the day a sexy cowboy named Layton finds her stranded on the side of the road with her broken down car. He finds her cursing at the car and very distraught that she's going to be late for her very first client meeting. Layton Morris has not had an easy life. He's had obstacle after obstacle put in his life. It seems as if every one that he loves and cares for ends up leaving him. His mother died of cancer when he was young. Shortly afterwards his dad abandoned him and his older brother. Both brothers struggle to survive with just one another. Now years later Layton has lost not only his brother but also the love of his life to his friend. So, Layton pushes everyone away and refuses to allow anyone close because everyone he loves always leaves him. That's his plan until the day his CG walks into his life. When these two first meet, I instantly fell in love with their constant back & forth witty banter. From the very beginning they had this easiness around one another. I loved watching how they both struggled with their feelings toward each other. It was so overwhelmingly romantic and the main couple, Layton and Whitley were so perfect for each other. It was almost, ALMOST borderline too perfect, but it had just enough grit and angst to keep them imperfectly perfect. I really did love the story. My 4.5 star review is based on the fact that I thought they fell in love a little too quickly. I wish there had been a little more of a buildup of their relationship.  Regardless, I am a HUGE fan of Kelly Elliott's work. I love her writing style and the ability to make you fall hard and fast for her characters. This is the first in Kelly's new series Broken and it was amazing. I can't wait until Reed and Courtney's story comes out. 

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sweet Steamy Romance

*Sighhh....I loved this book. It was so overwhelmingly romantic and the main couple, Layton and Whitley were so perfect for each other. It was almost, ALMOST borderline too perfect, but it had just enough grit and angst to keep them imperfectly perfect.
Whats it about?
Whitley, our heroine, is in the hospital in NY after being beaten, yet again, by her fiance. Her BFF Courtney is there and together they plot to leave right out of the hospital. Whitley wants to go to Llano, TX, a place she's heard about from a family friend. She and Courtney pull up their city girl panties and move out to the country ASAP.
Finally being free from her abusive ex, Whitley starts her long time dream of running her own event planning company. She breaks down on a back road, headed to her first client, and Layton just so happens to be passing through on his horse (the road runs along his land)and saves the day.From there, the story takes off!
Who are they?
Whitley is a very strong heroine. Yes she was put through the ringer with her ex for 4 years. However, he didn't break her. She didn't flinch every time a man entered her space and she wasn't going to let the past beat her down. She still had a great outgoing personality and she and Courtney together are a riot. I loved how she didn't break into this weak character that needed rebuilding by the hero. It definitely made it more fun to read about these two bantering and matching wits. Her only problem with loving again is being afraid to. After what her ex became, she's afraid she'll let someone take over her life again.
Layton is a soft at heart cowboy who's had his whole world taken from him. No one from his past, aside from his friends, is still with him. Over the years his mother died, his father left them, and then his big brother died. Shortly after that, as in the next day after his brother's death, his longtime girlfriend left him too.
So Layton is used to people leaving him, he's too scared to let anyone in, because he knows they'll just leave eventually.
Together these two are dynamite! At first they fight each other tooth and nail and HATE each other. Slowly, things start changing and once they do, it's nonstop, hot sexy time.
I loved how the author wove so many things from the past into the present, showing these two that fate had sealed their deal before they even knew it.
I absolutely love Courtney and Reed and can't wait for their book.

I totally recommend this read to anyone who loves a good strong alpha male, who's possessive as all get out. This is a great, hilarious, love story!
PS - I ain't gonna lie, there are a few cheesy parts, but you can easily ignore them once you get use to seeing these two in love.

The dual narration by Shirl Rae , Nelson Hobbs was good. Nelson Hobbs was the best of the two.
IMHO two narrators are unnecessary unless they play the male and female roles. I see a lot of people who comment about disliking dual narrators yet the publishers keep doing it.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Less romantic than crude

What would have made Broken better?

It is very crude in many areas.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It needed less profanities and more detail, more substance in many areas.

How could the performance have been better?

The male narrator wasn't bad. The female narrator spoke in a valley girl accent making the lead female characters sound like catty, whiny, air-headed cheerleaders. Very annoying.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Especially compelling, exciting & totally Perfect

Any additional comments?

When I first started Broken, right from the first pages, I was happily surprised! Right from the beginning this story captured me and i totally connected with Whitley and her feelings for the horrible abusive Rodger.... Whitley chose to remain with him for years! It’s complicated, because she loved him and wanted to believe he would change, (Those scummy abusive men NEVER DO change) but after the first hit she should have realized he was messed up. He wasn't the prince charming she always thought he was!

I was so glad Whitley finally fled and meets Layton A broken Spunky Hunk of a cowboy. He's So lost due to missing his older brother, killed days before he was due to return home from his tour of duty. Mike, his older brother, had a dream and only wanted Layton to be able to fulfill both their dreams and be happy - fulfilled with his life... But in life we can’t anticipate the tragic things that can happen to us and the ones we love. Not only left by Mike, Layton also loses his girlfriend, Olivia - that was her fault, not his, she was suh a bitch and left him when he needed her most.

So what happened when two broken (so differently broken, but broken nonetheless) people meet and realize they are so fitting for each other...

With Broken, you’re in for a treat as there’s action, love, some pretty damn Steamy Sex scenes and tones of Emotions. This book was packed full... The double narration by Shirl Rae and Nelson Hobbs was fabulously perfect...

I truly recommend reading Broken. It’s a love story about two wonderful characters but we meet other great characters and can't wait for there stories to be revealed in this awesome series...

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

SOOOOOOO LAME!!!!!!!!!!!

Ughhhhhhhh. This book is pathetic. No character development, dumb conversations, characters that are not engaging in any way. Female lead swears off men, and then declares undying love to lead male in a day. So stupid.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Was this aimed at 16 yr olds?

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story had potential but there was not enough substance.

What was most disappointing about Kelly Elliott’s story?

It seemed like it was written by a teenager

What three words best describe Shirl Rae and Nelson Hobbs ’s voice?

Narration was great

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointed

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

This story was not what I expected... I hated the voice actors, sounded like people straight out of old Mississippi. It was so boring, the love scenes had me on snooze... Characters were immature- I hated this book!!!!!!!!!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Frankly, it's porn. Badly written porn.

What disappointed you about Broken?

I have nothing against sex in literature but this book is just a skeleton plot that serves as a vehicle for sex scenes.
Character A leaves a long-term violent relationship and falls in insta-love with Character B (who has abandonment issues). As in, character A still has bruises when the sex scenes start. Sure. Right. Whatever. Romance novels almost always speed up the progress of a relationship but this one was beyond the bounds of plausibility.
The dialogue was also atrocious. Personally, I think that editors should probably put a pen through any instance of "Baby, I'm going to come" in any novel that they work on, but there's no excuse for allowing the phrase to turn up multiple times.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something *not* by this author.

Would you be willing to try another one of Shirl Rae and Nelson Hobbs ’s performances?

Nelson Hobbs, perhaps. Shirl Rae, no.

What character would you cut from Broken?

Most of them, I'm afraid, although they kind of merged into each other.

Any additional comments?

If you're into plot-free sex then go for it. I didn't enjoy this book at all.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Too much cursing and winking!

What disappointed you about Broken?

That the author could not pull out a thesaurus to assist her with avoiding the f bombs that are rampant thru this book made this a cringeworthy experience. My intelligence was insulted and hers as well. Every character winked at each other constantly, again a thesaurus is a helpful tool.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Back to a book with depth and expanded language skills.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The Texas accent was too overdone.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Broken?

How much the main characters told one another they loved each other over and over and over and over.......in the same scene.

Any additional comments?

No just disappointed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Watch out for sudden outbursts of laughs and tears

What did you love best about Broken?

This is a truly unique story that is well written by an outstanding author. Most of the twists and turns are not expected. You feel like you know these characters and you want to give them the strength to fight for their love.

What does Shirl Rae and Nelson Hobbs bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am personally in LOVE with Nelson Hobbs. I have listened to every book he has ever narrated! He has that smooth southern drawl that could met butter on the coldest day!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

City girl with many secrets meets playboy cowboy and together they learn to pick up the broken pieces and become one.

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