Broken at Love

Ok, I guess this is another one for me that goes against the flow. I got this book because of all the good reviews and i regretted it.

Why?

Well let's review, shall we?

From the very first pages we meet Quinn, our leading man. A pretty rich boy who had ran away in a sense from his father by immersing himself in a tennis career. But he had an accident, and messed his knee up, so he cant play any more. His version of Ana Kurnikova dumps him and he hits a low point in his life.

So....

He gets himself involved in a manipulation game with his brother Sebastian and the rest of his frat minions. Now the way Sebastian was portrayed reminded me of a evil little hunchback, always lurking around in some dark corner, cackling with evil glee every time show more a hot girl crossed his path. But we're moving off the subject.

Point one that gets me with this book: All the girls, and i mean ALL OF THEM except of our unforgettable leading lady of course are dumb in one way or another. I find that annoying. God forbid that she would have any competition in any aspect.

Two: The "romance" build up between Quinn and Emilie was so lame, it hurt my eyes to read it. Let me explain...

They are sitting at the beach, having a normal conversation, the type people would have when getting to know one another. Just chit-chat i guess, nothing deep and inspiring. Regular stuff and Quinn turns to Emilie and says something down the lines of: "Wow, you surprise me. you are so different then any other chick..." DAFUQ, SERIOUSLY?????

I lost the point at that time that the author wanted to make. That all the other women she envisioned as characters in her novel are a bunch of mindless cows that can be lead around by nothing but a guys good looks, or that she's just shit at writing. Either way, i was not impressed.

The third point was the morale of the story: Let's face it, Quinn is a douche bag, spoiled little rich boy with daddy issues that picked on other kids because he could and because it made him feel better about himself. Hey his life was shit, so why would anyone else around him deserve to be happy? And women, yes, the evil women need to suffer because he got dumped at one point and he can't live with that. Oh, grow the fuck up.

What happened between the two of them was not earth shattering once in a life-time kind of romance. He regretted his assholish ways because he eventually liked her... wow, how original.

I am getting seriously tired, of the virginal, "can do no wrong", absolutely stunning heroines, with great big doe eyes, and the bad boys who love them.

I am so very sorry, but this book delivered nothing new and exciting. Everything was so predictable, including the little sister who died, for the added emotional kick.... Cliche. show less

I've been seeing this book EVERYWHERE. All over Goodreads. All over the book blogs. Now I know why.

Wow. Just wow.

This book is steamy, sultry, and so much more than just a sexy novel. As I stated earlier today, I could not put this book down. Both characters are strong, complex, and with their own set of issues and complications. Emilie is tough, but determined to live her life without regrets. What is more powerful than the regret of not knowing you tried your hardest despite how it might come out? Quinn….Quinn is the bad boy that you're secretly rooting for, swooning over, and imagining VERY BAD THINGS about.

My heartstrings were tugged a lot. I really felt for these characters. I also got a little too happy with the highlight show more option and will probably be adding quotes lately.

I think what I loved most was that the storyline seemed realistic. Don't get me wrong - I like unrealistic plots as well, but there's a special place in my heart for a book that I can envision realistically happening. The way the characters respond made sense for their personalities. I loved how Emilie could be both vulnerable and strong. (Dare I say that I bet many a girl will wish they could respond like her?)

I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on more by this author. show less

3.5 Stars

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I did read a so-called "New Adult" novel, and not even one that's trying to actually make NA a real age grouping rather than just a sub-genre of romance. Broken at Love is a straight-up romance set in college, complete with the super-experienced guy that every single straight woman in the world wants to sleep with. Even weirder, I liked it.

Broken at Love doesn't bring anything new to the table. Romance plot lines have been done to death, and I didn't espy anything particularly original here. You've got the guy who sleeps around to show that he can, because deep down inside he's a lonely little boy scared no one will ever love him because of his deep-seated daddy issues. And, of course, the show more love of the only woman ever to turn him down for sex can change him. You're probably rolling your eyes right now, and, believe me, I get it, and feel the same way.

On the other hand, though, I could not put this book down. It's like when I watch kdrama: I know exactly where the story is going, but I am SO TENSE waiting for it to get to that point. Lyla Payne does a marvelous job keeping up the sexual tension. Actually, she even does a good job with the sex scenes, because none of them made me laugh at their ridiculousness. This book is hot, so if that's what you like from NA, then you'll want Broken at Love.

What I appreciate most about Broken at Love is that for all Quinn is a player and a bit of a douche, he has lines he won't cross that keep me from completely loathing him. Quinn doesn't lie to women and he would never force a girl to do anything with him that she didn't want to, nor will he stand for his frat brothers to take advantage either. So yeah, he breaks a lot of hearts and does so with really shitty intentions, but he leaves the decision to the women. The fact that he never promised an emotional connection keeps him just slightly likable.

Also, I like that Emilie actually is a strong character. She fights for what she wants, and doesn't need a man's help to get it. Both she and Quinn are fighting with their parents' expectations for them, and it's Emilie who actually has enough courage to go for her dreams and who inspires Quinn. Plus, Emilie does let herself become a conquest of Quinn's, even though she didn't think she was that kind of a girl, but she does so with her eyes open, knowing he'll probably leave the next morning. She could have been smarter about it (like forcing him to get tested, because if this were real life he would probably have STDs like whoa), but she owns her choices and doesn't blame them on anyone else. She's very much characterized as being way stronger than Quinn in just about every respect, which is awesome.

The romance definitely dominates the other themes, so unless you like romance novels, I really doubt you'll enjoy this. However, if you like romance, I recommend Broken at Love, because it was hard to put down, which is a high commendation. show less

Great fast and fluffly read. Enjoyed very, very much and it was great to see the man in the relationship having the problems in the relationship and the woman helping him get to a place where he's happy.

I was really excited to read this book. I don't know what it is, but I love stories about people falling "accidentally" in love and with this one, there seemed to be a darker element to it so that really drew me in.

Unfortunately, while I really liked this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It wasn't as dark as I thought it was going to be--I think I was hoping for a Cruel Intentions kind of book--so that was a little disappointing since we don't get that at all. It focused more on them trying to become a couple and Emilie helping Quinn deal with his issues (though there is a bit about Emilie with hers) than on their past or the twisted brother Sebastian.

Another thing that didn't really do it for me was Emilie. I felt show more like parts of her thought/action processes conflict with each other and that irritated me a bit. She knows Quinn's reputation and saw her roommate fall apart from a relationship with him but she still plays right into his hands. She even says at one point that the whole thing seemed planned yet still she flirts and kisses him, and then seems surprised when she learns the truth :S From how she acted in the first two chapters (leading up to meeting Quinn) I guess I just assumed she would be a different, smarter character than what we were given. Other than that, she was a nice girl who really cared about Quinn despite everything that happens.

I really liked Quinn's character though. I understand where he was coming from and it was apparent to me why he liked Emilie as a person. I enjoyed his POV chapters. I think you see Quinn deal with his past more so than Emilie and I liked that aspect of the book. The hopeless romantic in me likes to read about stories where love heals :P

To focus on the writing of the book, I really liked the delivery of the POVs. I find that when we have two POV characters we often get alternating chapters between the two, where one picks up where the other left off. Here, we got alternating chapters but you might have Quinn's POV for chapter 5-7 and then Emilie's for 7-10. I liked this change and I think it helped the story flow better. I also think the writing was pretty mature as well (ie. they didn't sound like they were in high school) and the story wraps up nicely within this book.

OVERALL: If you are looking for a darker new adult read, this isn't it! And if you don't like stories where couples break-up & make-up constantly, this book might irritate you a bit. But if you want a quick read about how love can heal both people involved, definitely pick this one up!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESous Book Reviews as well as read book series recaps! show less

If contemporary romance is not a new genre for you, then you have probably already read a novel similar to Broken at Love: playboy sleeps with a new girl at every party until he meets The One, changes his womanizing ways and falls deeply in love. Sounds familiar?

The one thing that stands out of usual cliches is our heroine Emilie Swanson. She’s afraid that when people look at her they only see:
"The “Mexican” girl with the gold-digging mother who somehow snagged one of the foremost cardiothoracic surgeons in the world. The sad girl who’d lost her baby sister three years ago. The rich girl playing artist to piss of her daddy."
But there is much more to Emilie. She’s strong, original and fights for her independence. I could say show more Emilie’s biggest flaw is that she falls too easily for Quinn and says ‘I love you’ too fast.

Quinn Rowland is typical romance novel hero. So rich that his house “probably had it’s own zip code” and so handsome that (as Emilie describes it):
"God could not be serious with that face, on that body, with those eyes."
Quinn’s favorite pastime at parties is seducing girls and then leaving them. Lyla Payne somehow manages to make Quinn not seem like a complete sleazeball, because he never lies to his ‘victims’ but still he comes pretty close to being obnoxious at times.

The plot of Broken at Love was too unbelievable for me to buy it. Emilie was too rational to ever fall for just a handsome jerk who used the same tactic on other girls before her. And, of course, Quinn turned out to be just another misunderstood poor rich boy who got his heart broken too many times…

But if you are not looking for much originality in plot, Broken at Love is a quick read, Lyla Payne has easy-to-read writing style and there are no spelling mistakes (which is small wonder for self-published novel these days). Although you won’t see me eagerly waiting in line for a sequel to Whitman University series, I might read another novel by Lyla Payne in the future when I need to relax with some light romance.

IN THE END…
New adult contemporary romance fans who like to read about college setting where focus is more on parties then on classes and where characters are rich kids with first world problems, can stop looking and read Broken at Love. As a bonus you will get strong, independent, artistic heroine and bad boy, playboy hero. show less

absolutely amazing story!!!

Emilie is a sassy, lovely women who knows the pick up lines and the games that boys play. So her stay in college has been all about school and trying to earn her degree and prove to her father that she can make it as an artist.

Quinn is typical college boy - except he's a frustrated retired athlete. Forced into no longer playing tennis due to an injury, he was unceremoniously dumped by his current athlete girlfriend. Angery & bitter, he's decided to play a little game with every girl he meets - and he and his stepbrother have the perfect set up at their beachfront party house.

But Quinn doesn't know he's met his match when he is paired up to play the game on Emilie.

The story was easy to read and I was show more immediately sucked in after the first chapter. I hit parts where I was trying to read faster just so I could know what would happen next! Incredible! show less