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 … 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.
Broken.
Is Theodore strong enough to confront James’ demons? More importantly, is James?
(M/M romance. Not suitable for readers under 18 years of age due to language and sexual content. Please note This book contains scenes of self harm, mental illness and suicidal ideation which may be uncomfortable for some readers.)
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Beautiful, heart-wrenching book about a character battling manic depression and the man who loves him. The author is so spot on handling the disease. Beautiful, beautiful book.
I’m fucked, my emotions are shit right now…like BROKEN.
Trigger Warnings: suicide, bipolar, self-harm and other mental illnesses.
Damn this book was heavy. There is nothing I can tell you that the hundreds of other beautiful reviews haven’t told you. James and Theo will leave you breathless, heartbroken, emotional and about a dozen other emotions before the end. I cannot praise this book enough. This is probably one of the most phenomenal books I have ever read from any genre/troupe.
“I fell in love with you at your worst. I’ve had some of the best times of my life with you at, as you say, your worst. So I can’t even imagine how special life will be when I get to experience your best.”
Broken didn’t pull any punches and if all of Nicola Haken’s books are this good I am going to have to devour them all while eating cake and drinking away my feelings.
Okay, so this book was so incredibly wonderful and heartbreaking and real. I felt everything while reading about this love story and the mental illness that James endures. He is such a strong and brave character and I believe he is so inspiring. Theo is perfect for James in that he truly wants to understand and help him. I felt so sad that James’ relationship with his mom was the way it was, and I truly despised her character. I could not understand her in the least. All the other side characters were wonderful! I loved Tim, Max, Tess & Isabel! They were wonderful and Theo’s mom was so great. This is not just a love story, or an office romance, or a story about overcoming so much in one’s life, or living with mental illness; no, this story was about someone truly broken and how they are able to piece themselves back together with the help of friends and family. Truly beautiful with the narration by Joel Leslie which just pushes it into the epic category.
I could not put this book down. I was gripped by the characters from the beginning. This book spoke to me on so many levels. I could actually feel what they felt and was moved beyond words. I love how any one of these characters can be someone you know or they could be you. I appreciate when an author makes to life within the pages relative to real life.
Oh. My. Word. I am still not ok. Broken by Nicola Haken is not the first book about mental illness I have read, but it is the first book that showed me the real, the raw, the ugly, the pain, the guilt, the uncertainty and the pure exhaustion that having a mental illness can bring. Not only to the person diagnosed, but also what it means to love that person. I laughed, I cried and my heart broke a thousand times for both Theo and James. I was completely captivated by this story and Joel Leslie’s narration was pure perfection.
I’m totally breathless, this book was incredible!
This is my first Nicola Haken book, but it won’t be my last. i already have another one of her books waiting for me.
This is a wonderful written and very emotional and intense book. It features a new couple james and Theo. We see the start of the relationship and how it evolves and the reactions of friends and family, but they also deal with tough subjects like mental illness, suicide attempts and depression.
It is very intense and hard to read about James’s struggles, but it also shows how it is for their loved ones and how they deal with seeing somebody they love struggle so hard.
It is a beauturl, well written book.
Excellent story with memorable, developed characters, interesting and refreshing power dynamic, and witty, but realistic dialogue.
4.5 stars
The story was scary!! I was so happy for the two guys whose relationship evolved and grew, know that the specter of mental illness would challenge the characters and the storyline… I will say the author scared the hell out of me at the peak of the problem… I almost cried. Then, a very real emergency resurrected hope, even though it was a realistic, rough end to the book…
I don’t want to include a spoiler. This book has some predictable parts but the characters and challenges, struggles and events are very real. It could be a difficult read for some people maybe, but please read it! Everyone needs to understand the message. And the underlying theme of what real love is- I’ve read it twice in the last 2 weeks.
Heartbreaking story
*This is a review based on my experience listening to the audio book*
When I first started this book I was very sceptical to the narrator because of another book I’ve listened to that was a bit of a disappointment. But this book was not at all a disappointment.
This is what I liked
* Very good storyline that is pulling me in and engaging me in the story.
* Characters that are described with a lot of emotions and has their flaws and insecurities like ordinary people.
* No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings and lots of dialogues with meaning in them
* Love scenes that are raw, sweet, emotional and filled with intensity
* I like to read about mental illnesses because I can relate to them and I’m happy when I find a author that knows how to write it in a way that is realistic without being too much for me to read.
* The narrators voice was a bit of a journey for me to get used to but when I did oh….what a joy to listen to. He reads with so much emotions that the story comes alive and I feel like I’m present in the room
I recommend this mm romance if you like a sweet but also realistic story about love and mental illness.
5 stars all around
This one leaves you thinking long after the last page.