Broken Beyond Repair

A Sapphic Celebrity Ice Queen Romance (A South Downs Romance, Book 1)

By: Emily Banting

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

An age gap, celebrity ice queen romance that will pull at the heart strings—even the icy ones!

Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie. That is, until Gertie cries off sick. When her boss calls in a favor, one that will pay Sydney handsomely and put Gertie back on the road, she can’t refuse.

Internationally renowned actress Beatrice Russell—adored by her fans and despised by those that know her—is splashed across the tabloids, all thanks to her broken leg. She limps back to her palatial English country estate to convalesce for the summer, where she finds herself in need of yet another new assistant.

Enter Sydney, who doesn’t take kindly to the star’s demands, attitude, or clicking fingers—much less her body’s own attraction to the gorgeous diva. If not for that and Gertie’s worn-out engine, she would leave tomorrow. Or so she tells herself.

As the summer heats up, the ice queen begins to thaw, and Sydney glimpses the tormented woman beneath the celebrity bravado, drawing her ever closer to the enigmatic actress— sometimes too close.

Can Sydney reach the real Beatrice and help heal her wounds before the summer ends and she returns to filming in the States, or is the celebrity broken beyond repair?

©2022 Emily Banting (P)2023 Emily Banting

Critic reviews

Goldie Winner 2023: The Ann Bannon Popular Choice Bronze Award

Goldie Finalist 2023: Contemporary Romance Long Novel

Winner of The Lesfic Bard Award 2022: Romance

Winner of The Lesfic Bard Award 2022: Cover Design

Winner of The Queer Indie Awards 2022: Contemporary Romance

Wow! Wanted more

Enjoyed the book so very much the MC’s where great! Was left wanting more in end.

# out and proud

Great book! Great narrator (as always). I hope there is a third book in this series.

More than I expected

I really liked this story. I listened to the audiobook. Angela Dawe is amazing, as always. It's a fun book, although not without trauma and more serious topics. It's hard to judge the writing with an audiobook, but I didn't hear any errors. I wasn't a fan of some of the sex scenes because I thought they were a little too much too soon, especially the first one, but they didn't make me love the story less. It's a very British story, but definitely understandable to this American. There's a lot happening in this book, and it makes for a very entertaining story. I liked all the characters, main and supporting.
The main characters had chemistry, but that could have been better, on both the emotional and physical fronts. I wish we had seen them interact more except over the autobiography, although that definitely helped them get to know each other. It was still a better book than I had expected. This might be a frequent listen, once I can find the audiobook on sale!

Nice surprise

Brought this book on a whim and what a delightful surprise. Well written and beautifully performed. Recommend.

Sweet, lovely and fun

Sweet and lovely romance as Personal Assistant Sidney wins the heart of internationally recognized Beatrice Russell. Both MCs have to work through past challenges to find their way to each other. Narration by Angela Dawe superb (as always!!) including British and other accents.