BROKEN JULIET (Starcrossed 2) by Leisa Rayven-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 28, 2015

How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the unforgettable love story that captivated over two million fans online.

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REVIEW: BROKEN JULIET is the second installment in Leisa Rayven’s new adult, contemporary Starcrossed romance duology focusing on stage actors Cassie Taylor and Ethan Holt.

Told from Cassie’s first person POV with flashbacks, memories and journal entries from both Cassie and Ethan, spanning six years and several time lines, BROKEN JULIET is the continuing story of two people damaged by the past. Six years earlier, Ethan walked out of Cassie’s life without explanation but in the ensuing years our couple will come together time and time again. BROKEN JULIET finds Cassie with a decision to make-take Ethan back, demons and all-or say goodbye for the very last time. Current day Ethan and Cassie have the leading roles in an off Broadway play where the storyline is a reflection of their day to day lives.

Ethan was a young man on the brink of disaster and with it came rage, anger, jealousy, low self esteem and a need to control that stemmed from a horrendous childhood of neglect and abandonment. Now, Ethan’s emotional instability is under control and he sets his sights on winning back the woman he has loved for close to six years- but winning is subjective if the heart cannot forgive and forget about the past.

Most of the previous storyline characters play a secondary and supporting role. Several time lines reveal the building heartbreak and animosity; and how friends and fellow actors prepared for the onslaught of disaster. BAD ROMEO (book 1) was originally a piece of fan fiction based on the Twilight series and characters wherein our hero believes himself a danger to his leading lady; the similarities are obvious; the characters a mirror image. Ethan’s sister Elissa’s storyline will be told next in WICKED HEART. Ethan and Cassie’s acting instructor Erika, is a force unto herself. BROKEN JULIET is the conclusion to Ethan and Cassie’s storyline-a love that will endure.

The flashbacks and journals reveal Cassie and Ethan’s thoughts, worries, needs and emotional frailty at that particular moment in the story time line. Because BROKEN JULIET is told from Cassie’s first per point of view, Ethan’s POV is revealed through his diaries and with it comes the emotional fall out of a man who believes he is not worthy of love.

BROKEN JULIET is more angst ridden and emotionally heartbreaking than BAD ROMEO. Leisa Rayven brings the reader up close and personal into the minds and lives of two broken people. Cassie’s internal dialogue is revealing. The $ex scenes are intimate, provocative and steamy. Give the series a try.

Copy supplied by St. Martins through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy