Broken by Shiloh Walker

Shattered

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Desperate

Sara McElya is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

Driven to desire…

But Quinn must get closer to Sara when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…
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Sorry, this is more of a quickie for me, but I'm reviewed out, LOL. I think I've posted more reviews this month than I did all of 2009. OK, not quite, but still...

I loved Fragile, and this sequel is the story of Quinn Rafferty, the twin brother of the hero from Fragile. Shiloh Walker’s books have fabulous titles. The single word title matches the book’s theme, tone, characters – everything. Stark, and oh so devastating. Devastated.

Quinn is a former soldier. He’s now working as a bounty hunter, taking work finding bail skips. He was abused by his mother until he was reunited with his father and twin brother. He never did really adjust to a normal family life, and he carries around a ton of misplaced guilt and angst.

Sara is on the run from something, someone. She and Quinn end up at the same boarding house, run by a wonderful lady who doesn’t ask questions, but nurtures them both and encourages them both. Even though they both know it’s not good for them, they just can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Until Sarah’s past catches up with her, and it’s time for her to run again.

This book has everything that I associate with a Shiloh Walker book. Angsty hero and heroine, highly devastatingly emotional. Both with a rough exterior acting as a defense mechanism. Yet when they come together, each provides that special something that the other needs, that’s missing.

When Quinn found out about Sara’s past (or what he thought was her past), he was devastated. Walker did such a great job portraying his emotions. His total devastation. And then pulling his core up and around himself for protection. For her part, Sara is totally afraid to trust anyone, and once she decides to open up to Quinn, it’s too late. He’s brusque and nasty. She decided that she had to stop running, and does so unknowing that Quinn will back her up.

The only thing that didn’t work wonderfully for me was the frequent head hopping into the past to learn the backstory. Occasionally I got a little lost, but by the end of a paragraph I’d have it figured out.

The hurt alpha, the strong but emotionally devastated heroine, smart supporting characters, and a strong, cohesive story arc are all things I’ve come to expect from Shiloh Walker. Broken did not disappoint.

It’s available on March 2 in trade from Berkley.

To get more insight into Quinn, I recommend reading his brother Luke’s story, Fragile, first. But it’s not necessary.