VISIBLY BROKEN by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 20, 2016
Jason “Cobra” Stanley was born to fight. With a father like his, he had to toughen up just to survive. Now Cobra tries to take out all of his frustration, all of his anger, and all of his pain in the MMA cage. But after he receives one too many hits to the head during a match with Jagger Caldwell, the cycle of violence comes to a screeching halt. Cobra wakes up in the hospital, under the care of a nurse whose blond hair shines like a halo—and whose pure heart touches him on the deepest level.
Lorraine Bosch is a fighter too. Having escaped from her own controlling father, she prides herself on remaining professional, despite the chaos of the ER. But Cobra is the ultimate distraction. Lorraine knows she should run away screaming from his rippling muscles and shattered psyche. And yet how can she deny this broken man a second chance—especially since she knows exactly what he’s been through? Lorraine’s used to playing guardian angel. Now it’s her turn to find heaven in Cobra’s arms.
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REVIEW: VISIBLY BROKEN co-authored by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields is a stand alone, contemporary adult, dark erotic romance story line focusing on MMA underground fighter Jason ‘Cobra’ Stanley, and nurse Lorraine ‘Lo’ Bosch. VISIBLY BROKEN is a spin off from the authors’ CALDWELL BROTHERS series with cameo appearances by Jagger Caldwell and the love of his life Tatiana Rand. You do not have to have read the previous series to understand the current story line. We were first introduced to Jason in JAGGER.
NOTE: VISIBLY BROKEN contains graphic scenarios of abuse, violence and murder, and therefore, may be triggers for some sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Lorraine and Jason) VISIBLY BROKEN focuses on the resulting damage and after affects of violence and abuse. Jason Stanley is an MMA fighter who ‘needs’ the arena to work off the violence that has controlled most of his life. Lorraine Bosch is a nurse, who despite the atrocities she deals with every day in the ER is unable to move on with her life since the violence that shattered her existence two years earlier. Meeting Jason Stanley on the job finds our heroine caught between the subsistence that marks the h*ll in which she continues to live; a need for vengeance against those who obliterated her world, and the pull of a man who could destroy her entire life. What ensues is the building relationship between Jason and Lo, and the ongoing need for betrayal and revenge.
Jason Stanley grew up in an abusive household; a father whose political aspirations and need to control were marked by power and abuse. Jason believes himself to be a monster- the product of a lifetime of violence and regret. Lorraine Bosche is barely existing in a world dominated by the past; a past that continues to surface every time she goes through the front doors of the family home.
The relationship between Lo and Jason is intense; Jason’s need to protect Lorraine Bosch comes at a time when his previous relationship has all but destroyed his heart and his soul- a co-dependent, physically aggressive, abusive and toxic relationship that will have some readers squeamish with the domestic violence. I have noted the triggers earlier in my review but I want to reiterate that the relationship between Jason and Missy is volatile and the reader is up close and personal in the first few chapters. The graphic $ex scenes are dramatic, energetic and sometimes angry, but our heroine is NEVER the victim or recipient of Jason’s mercurial temper. Lorraine Bosch is able to soothe the monster within.
There are a number of secondary and supporting characters including Jason’s ex Missy- a violent piece of work who pushes our hero one too many times; Jason’s ‘right hand man’ and sparring partner Brock; and Jason’s father Mayor James Stanley whose reputation is dirty and hard. We are introduced to Dr. Bennett, his son Ryan, and his step-daughter Rochelle. Lorraine’s history and past are connected directly to the Bennett family- a family that our heroine once considered her own.
VISIBLY BROKEN is a gritty and raw romance with dark and dangerous undertones. The premise is disturbing, controversial and dramatic; the characters are broken, colorful and charismatic; the romance is passionate and intense- a bit of insta lust/love between two people caught up in the violence of an ugly and distressing world.
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
