"The queen of contemporary New York City romance." —Booklist
Broken
Redemption • Book Two
🔥 Steamy
Reeling from the guilt of hurting the man she loves, Olivia flees city life to a tiny town in Maine to care for a scarred veteran who teaches her sometimes the scars most worth heeling are on the inside.
Broken
Olivia & Paul
🔥 Steamy
Trope: Beauty-and-the-Beast
A Beauty & the Beast Retelling
“A solid retelling of a tried-and-true fairy tale with a lot of window-fogging heat and one of the steamiest sex scenes I’ve ever read.”—Adventures in Writing
Lauren Layne’s heart-wrenching novel tells the story of a girl with secrets, a guy with scars, and a love that could save them both . . . or destroy them.
When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.
Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?
about the story
if you're wondering...
Is this book for me?
This is New Adult! The characters are in college and act much younger than my other books.
This is easily my grittiest book. There is some banter and flirting, but these are two damaged people.
If you love Beauty and the Beast, this book was deliberately written as a modern spin on that story.
Paul is scarred physically, as well as on a soul-level. His edges are very, very rough at the start.
🔥 This book is steamy with explicit sex scenes.
Content warning: Paul is a wounded veteran and has vivid flashbacks.
I TRY TO BE AS UPFRONT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT EACH OF MY BOOKS. EVERYONE HAS UNIQUE PREFERENCES!
reviews & praise
“A solid tale and a quick read, with plenty of steamy romance and sex.”—Library Journal
“Broken is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. It’s a story about two people saving each other from themselves.”—Hines and Bigham’s Literary Tryst
“Five stars! I pretty much loved everything about this book . . . the characters, the storyline, the pace, the writing, the love, the chemistry . . . everything!”—The Book Hookup
“A solid retelling of a tried-and-true fairy tale with a lot of window-fogging heat and one of the steamiest sex scenes I’ve ever read.”—Adventures in Writing
“Another fabulous read by Lauren Layne! She does New Adult right!”—Royal Social Media
“Engrossing . . . a unique read . . . The chemistry is hot.”—Reading on the Farm
“Lauren Layne writes awesome romances. I am such a huge fan and Broken is a perfect example of why. If you love those romances that hook you in, break your heart, make you feel so much and then slowly put you back together, rooting for the broken soul in the process, then this is the book for you! Five stars!”—The Romance Room
“Lauren Layne once again impresses with Broken. Paul and Olivia’s romance was filled with passion and heart, and was a pure pleasure to experience!”—The Reader’s Den
“Lauren Layne seriously knows how to balance the sexy with the heart-wrenching plots.”—Lazy Book Lovers
Excerpt
She’s right. I walked the entire way, not only without my cane but without even realizing I didn’t have my cane.
The thought should elate me, but I can’t shake the dark sense of foreboding. No matter where I look, my walls are crumbling, and this damned girl keeps presenting me the most dangerous element of all.
Hope.
New Adult Fairy Tales
Redemption
Early in my career, my publisher asked if I would consider writing in the New Adult genre that was super popular at the time. I said sure—if I could do it my way, a touch lighter than the typical genre.
The result is three fairy-tale inspired new adult roamnces!
❗️This series is not available as a paperback or print version. Penguin Random House controls the print rights, and has declined to make a paperback available for my readers.
The New Adult genre features late teen/early twenty characters. Please note that these books read much differently than most of my other books!
