Cracked Sapphire (Broken Gems Book 1)

Wow! All the suspense with this new series from Jane Blythe! From page one I was hooked as we learn of Sapphire’s absolutely heartbreaking childhood and then fast forward to what her life and her sister’s lives are like now. Just WOW! And Gideon.. his approach to Sapphire, his background..you can’t help but root for these two as they learn to trust one another.

(I do want to mention that there are/could be some serious trigger warnings for some readers) But don’t let those warning scare you away from one heck of a read… So intense! You’ll definitely be white knuckling your kindle and sitting on the edge of your seat until the very end! I cannot wait to dive into book two!

***ARC Provided in Exchange for an Honest Review/ Megan Scandalous Book Blog***

I have to say that from the very beginning I was totally invested in this story, I was incensed with what was happening, outraged and my emotions generally on full alert. A sign, to me, of a job well done by an author, to hook a reader in and make them feel this way is incredible.

This story is told in two parts; the first being briefer and about sixteen year old Sapphire Hatcher and her traumatic life changing experience. The second is ten years later and Sapphire is now a detective and where she is teamed up with criminal psychiatrist, Dr Gideon Barlow, whether she likes it or not.

Going from quite a vivacious but stubborn teenager to a highly work dedicated, and still stubborn, policewoman Sapphire changes a lot and I believe it’s entirely understandable. In actual fact it’s explained well in the story about coping mechanisms various kidnapping victims use to survive.

Gideon is a protective and caring character who I liked from his very first introduction into the story. As we get to know him better that liking only increases. Together with Sapphire they have a chemistry that’s slow burning but so worthwhile.

This story is told from multiple points of view but it really works, mainly because it is Sapphire’s point of view that tells the story with the other characters giving added insights. I enjoyed the way the killer isn’t predictable and there are plenty of dips and twists in the plot.

Wow this was intense as exciting story I loved Sapphire and Gideon she is fierce and so strong and dedicated to her job and I loved these two together once they were able to tolerate each other which was not easy I so loved Gideon and his whole attitude toward Sapphire.
This is full of so much suspense you become addicted the writing is amazing and we’ll detailed I couldn’t guess a thing and I loved it that way.

Sapphire Hatcher was taken with her 4 sisters when she was 16 years old and sold to human traffickers. All of them were rescued except for Emerald who hasn’t been seen since the night they were taken. 10 years later Sapphire is now a police Detective working on a possible serial killer who has been kidnapping girls and killing them.

Dr. Gideon Barlow has been called in to help with the case. He has his own guesses about who could be behind the crimes but knows he needs to gain the trust of the police detectives, especially Sapphire who seems to hate him immediately.

Can Sapphire trust that Gideon is there to do his job and can she learn to trust him? Can either of them deny how they feel about the other or will the case ruin any chance at happy ever after?

This was such a great book and I am really looking forward to the rest of the books in this series.

The events that all of the Hunter girls went through were absolutely terrifying and horrific. My heart truly broke as I know this type of thing still happens today and it is so tragic. I completely understood why Sapphire was hesitant to trust anyone after everything she had been through but she immediately thought that Gideon was more interested in her past than helping on the case.

It was interesting that Gideon had his own difficult past and how that affected him growing up. I thought he was at looking at things from a different angle and I was happy that he slowly was able to gain Sapphire’s trust.

There was chemistry right from the beginning between Gideon and Sapphire although she was absolutely opposed to anything happening between them initially. The two of them were slowly able to build a level of trust between themselves and then things happened from there. I really thought Gideon cared so much about Sapphire and wanted to protect her the best he could.

As clues began to unfold things also get more tense as you know the type of person they are looking for and the book begins to give clues. I was happy that I had actually figured things out before they were revealed but at one point I wondered if I could be wrong.

I knew why Sapphire blew up at the end but at the same time she was only looking at things from one side. The end was so awesome though and definitely full of action!

I can’t wait for more!

This is the 1st book in a new series and what an amazing beginning this is! Sapphire is a detective who is a survivor of human trafficking, and when Gideon who is a criminal psychiatrist is brought in to help with a case, the attraction between them is undeniable. This is a well written story which is dark, raw, gritty, emotional, and with suspense, humour, and love. There may be triggers for some readers so be aware!

4*
Sapphire & her sisters were unaware the position their money hungry debt ridden parents were in.
A night they will never forget is when all the girls were taken.
The life that was destined for them was not what they would choose, However this launched her passion to become a Detective.
A loner at work she’s against the new criminal psychiatrist fetched in to help Dr Gideon.
I enjoyed reading this book the story covers the past of both Gideon & Sapphire’s life & gives you a better understanding of them.
I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from the series and learning what happened to her sisters.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
Wonderful book.

Romantic suspense is a hit-or-miss genre for me, and I always go into a book holding my breath. I got sucked into this one immediately– the opening scenes are terrifying, brutal, and intense, but it was the moment I met grown-up Sapphire that I was hooked.

This woman is fierce. Strong, capable, smart, and guarded… I loved her, and her sisters, and everything else was just icing on the cake. While the 3rd person narrative isn’t for everyone, I thought it was a great choice for this novel– we were able to see different sides of the case, and of Sapphire, and being in the head of the killer was torture without knowing who it was. It’s true that this book was a little more heavy on the suspense than the romance, but I liked it that way. It made me eager to read more and explains why I polished off this book in a few hours.

Blythe did a tremendous job creating realistic, relatable characters that were all shaped by their experiences in different ways. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in this series!! I appreciate that this novel had a clear and complete ending (no massive cliffhanger, woo hoo!) while still leaving plenty of mystery, possibility, and hope for our characters.