Welcome to my stop on the Nearly Broken blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule! Don’t forget to check the bottom of this post for a tour wide giveaway! 

Title: Nearly Broken (Broken #1)Author: Devon Ashley
Genre: New Adult, Romantic Suspense, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Self published
Publication Date: 4 June 2013
Pages: 367
Rating: 3.5.stars

Synopsis (from goodreads):
We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?

Nineteen year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing.

Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan’s not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it’s a road she needs to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, it scares her how easily her defenses crumble down, down, down for him. But there are secrets she can’t bear to share with just anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and when the similarities of Claire’s abduction couples with the fear of an unwanted visitor in town, the urge to run before it all happens again intensifies, threatening the only happiness Megan’s ever found.

My Review:

Note: This book is recommended for 17+ for mature and disturbing situations, language and sexual content.

Megan Smith is a workaholic. For the past 18 months since moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere she has worked the night shift every night without fail. No social life to speak of, Megan actively tries to avoid attention. Attention that might be deadly. She spends half her life checking over her shoulder and keeps her secret past close to her chest.

And then there’s Nick. The gorgeous guy who’s cooking skills belong anywhere but in a small town diner. Megan is drawn to him instantly but knows that she can’t afford to get tied to anyone. What if they find out what she’s done? Or the scars that lie underneath her long sleeves.

This is a story that has mystery, suspense, thriller moments and a lovely romance. Megan is a complicated character. I don’t want to reveal too much so I’ll just say that the nearly broken in the title refers to her. She’s been though so much and it’s heartbreaking. But she’s strong and I admired her for it. Despite all that has happened she never once stopped trying and she didn’t take the victim role even when it was assigned to her. But I also found her a little confusing at times. I thought some situations she felt a little out of character – but what is her character? I feel a little unfair for even mentioning this considering that this is a woman who was fractured and is trying to put the pieces back together. I’d be critical if I thought she was too well put together.

Through all the mystery and drama, there’s a sweet love story. One about soulmates and overcoming everything to be together. I thought it was lovely. Megan and Nick are a great fit. But Nick’s perfection was a little hard for me to take. He’s so protective and so amazing… but I sort of felt like Megan traded one cage for another. I was very interested to see that Ms. Ashley has written a companion novel to Nearly Broken which tells Megan and Nick’s story from Nick’s perspective. I think that I’ll have to check that one out just to see if it redeems Nick in my eyes.

Overall this is a tough novel. It’s one that tugs on the heartstrings and instills some fear – it’s a little eerie that Megan’s story could happen to anyone. This is not a book for the faint hearted with very disturbing content but I thought it was entirely worthwhile.

About the Author

Devon Ashley

Devon Ashley was born in Huntington Beach but has spent most of her life residing in Texas. She spends a great deal of her time taking care of her husband and son but always seems to find time to write, knit and create unique decorative pieces. She particularly likes to write Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.

Interesting Fact: Devon Ashley shares her birthday with her favorite author, Jane Austen.

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***GIVEAWAY***
***GIVEAWAY***
2 signed paperbacks and 2 e-books (epub or mobi) of Nearly Broken, open Internationally!

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