I enjoyed this enchanting sweet romance. The characters were written with si much compassion with their trauma and all. Well written . The author captures the atmosphere perfectly. This story is of hope and love .

Unbreak Me

Thank you @berkleypub for a gifted e-copy of Unbreak Me!

This cowboy romance was filled with both warm-hug moments and so much depth.
Between both of the MC destructive paths, this book was filled with so much more than just a fluffy romance.
I absolutely adored the MC dynamic and the way that the author build up to their romance.
It definitely was not a steam right off the bat kind of romance!

Unbreak me is a wonderful story of two people who have both been through their own personal traumas. Andra hies Lj to help with her horses . LJ soon finds himself wanting to help Andra not be so lonely. LJ and Andra bond over cooking and find that maybe someone can help them repair the broken within them. A great read!

Unfortunately, Unbreak Me was not for me - I am having a hard time focusing lately and this one just did not grip me or hold me.

Unbreak Me by Michelle Hazen is a well written book about LJ and Andra who have come from different backgrounds. LJ is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and the 9th Ward who just wants to train horses, while Andra is part owner of a Montana ranch who in the past has been sexually assaulted. The writing drew me in and I recommended it to our cataloger for buying for our library. I thought the relationship though full of angst and issues was well handled. Both characters have PTSD from their trauma so that might put some people off but it's good to show people with flaws in relationships instead of immediately falling in lust. I recommend this book

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

My first book by Ms. Hazen and I really hope that there will be more in this world...hint hint I hope this is a series.

Book would have been better served by a sensitivity read. An emotional romance but as noted by prominent Black romance writers, has problematic stereotypes throughout.

Unfortunately, I found this title problematic. I have been trying to read more diversely, but this really seems to be using a person of color as a main character in order to attract readers, rather than an authentic character. I believe that with a good sensitivity reader this title could've been better. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

First off I must say – loved the name of the main female protagonist …. Andra. It was unusual for me to read a book where the main female character “my” name … especially as it is an usual name at that. Now the book character’s full name is Cassandra and mine is not, but for the majority of the time she was only referred to as Andra (except seven instances where her full name was used).

Unbreak Me is a love story, a story of overcoming immense pain from harm done to oneself by outside forces (a rape or a hurricane), a story of hope and triumph against adversity.

There are many hurdles to maneuver (east vs. west, black and white, north and south, different social statuses along with the darkness in each one’s past) in Andra and LJ’s path to happiness but through it, all humor and patience were very evident. Will there be a HEA (?) … only by reading this book will all be unveiled! It is worth the effort, that is for sure.

Prominent in the story is LJ’s mother, Rose. I just loved her! She was determined to prove to her son that even in sickness she could look out for herself. Her sense of humor added levity and made the many stories she told Andra about LJ’s past entertaining to read.

Of course, Andra’s father, add a layer of seriousness – being the overprotective father that he is. My appreciation and his likeability grew as I got to know the character more. He might be a “gruff” man, but he certainly loves his only daughter. Though I must say – I did feel for Andra as she felt stifled by her father’s controlling ways. But…the scene where Andra showed her backbone and finally realized she had to go after what she wanted was very powerful:

She pulled back and swallowed. “I didn’t come here to fight.” Her spine drew up tall when she asked it to, her body strong despite her lack of sleep. “I just wanted to say goodbye. I’ll call, but I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I need to start running toward something, Daddy,” she whispered. “Not away.”

One of the most poignant scene’s I found with respect to LJ is when he is describing how he got separated from his mother during the time of the flood for two months! With phones not working or charged, people getting relocated and then LJ coming back to where his mama was supposed to be (at the Superdome) and then finding she was gone a situation developed. As LJ was underage – he was taken into foster care. Now his mama was not familiar with the Internet, but certainly learned in a hurry in an attempt to find her boy. The author, Michelle Hazen, has done a splendid job of telling such a heart-wrenching story. I would imagine it is a fine line when telling a story of abuse in such a way that the reader feels the raw emotion but is not so affected by that emotion that they cannot finish the story. This was the first story that I have read by Michelle Hazen, and I truly hope not my last as she is an accomplished and engaging writer.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Andra has isolated herself on her families ranch after an assault during college has created fears of others. She is forced to hire a ranch hand to aid in training a horse. He is a kind man who doesn’t want her to isolate herself so he bakes his way into her kitchen and her heart. He is sadly called home by a family emergency. Will their love survive

I was thinking a long time whether to even mention this or not - I know about the controversy around this book - I'm not going to comment on it but I'll say that I'm in no way racist but I don't agree with the majority of the points that have been brought up. I think we are all entitled to our opinion so I'll just leave it at that.

Anyhoo...

I loved the premise of this story and since I've wanted to read this author's work since A Cruel Kind of Beautiful I thought "no day like today." I don't regret this choice - UNBREAK ME is a tender love story about a gentle cowboy from NOLA and a Montana ranch heiress that explores racism, violence towards women and the healing that comes through love.

LJ was a beautiful character, friendly, patient but with enough grit to face the racism that he has to deal with on a daily basis. Through his eyes we get a glimpse of what it may mean for a POC to deal with racist offenses and you get a distinct feeling that it's only the tip of the iceberg. His gentle nature helps, his teasing and innate sweetness help Andra heal. His love for his mother and home was always present so it was understandable when he followed his intuition and went home when his mom's health deteriorated.

Since the assault Andra has become a hermit in a way. In a small town like hers everybody knows her story and it doesn't make for a good conversational topic. She feels alone, and after meeting LJ she starts to feel the loneliness even more acutely. His friendship means every day more to her and with that comes trust. But Andra also has to learn a thing about racism. While she tries to explain away some of the things that happen to LJ for a while it becomes clear to her at some point that racism should never be excused. I liked how she stood up to her father's bigotry.

Read this review for what it is - my experience with this book. I loved LJ and Andra's slow burn love story, that started out as a friendship and turned into a relationship that was first built on dreams but reality caught up with them fast and while the problems didn't go away, they learned how to deal with them. Together.

This book made me look at my own behavior and question a lot of the things I've ever said and done in my interaction with POC. I wish all of the issues touched in this story would have had more page time and depth - I think this is the only thing that didn't meet expectations completely, but it's a story that will definitely make you think. Add to that an achingly beautiful prose.

"I'm white, LJ. I never felt white until I was the only one who was, and it took me longer than it should have to admit I can't change all the things that means for us."

Written with compassion, empathy and flair, Michelle Hazen’s Unbreak Me is a poignant, captivating, compelling and thought-provoking romantic read that will keep readers enthralled with a seductive blend of searing intensity, emotional veracity, heart-wrenching drama and steamy sensuality.

After suffering a sexual assault in college, Andra Lawler had vowed to never place herself in a vulnerable position ever again. Andra is perfectly happy to keep the world at bay by hiding in the shadows of her family’s horse ranch and not letting anyone or anything disrupt her safe and ordered life. Naturally wary of strangers and of opening herself up to other people, when she finds herself in desperate need of help for her foals, she finds herself having to hire a Haitian-Creole cowboy from New Orleans, little realizing that this cowboy with a laugh as big as the Montana sky is going to turn her sedate and comfortable life upside down…

LJ Delisle was immediately bowled over by Andra and he simply cannot stand the fact that she has barricaded herself in her farm and refuses to step out of the shadows and is content with cowering in the darkness. LJ wants to show Andra that there is more to life than eating frozen food in front of the television. As he begins to give her cooking lessons after wowing her with a lemon velvet cake, LJ and Andra begin to get closer and as their feelings for one another intensify, their attraction quickly gives way to something far deeper than either one of them ever imagined. But the trauma of Andra’s college assault is never far away…

As LJ and Andra find themselves caught up in a maelstrom of suspicion, discrimination and never-resolved feelings and emotions, they realize that the only way they can be happy together is if they take a leap of faith and find the courage to fight for the love of a lifetime. Is a happy ending for LJ and Andra possible? Or are there simply too many obstacles standing in their way?

Unbreak Me is not a book for the faint-hearted, but an intelligently written and smartly told romantic tale that is challenging and confronting, but uplifting and heartwarming. LJ and Andra are two terrific characters who are beautifully nuanced and wonderfully rendered. Their love story is tempestuous, funny, dramatic, emotional and spellbinding and one which is absolutely impossible to forget.

Michelle Hazen has written a book that will linger in readers’ hearts, minds and souls and have them eagerly awaiting the next captivating tale from this outstanding storyteller.

***3.5 Stars***

I received an advanced copy of Unbreak Me from Berkley Romance via Netgalley. I also ended up winning a giveaway Michelle Hazen was hosting and received a signed paperback copy. Thank you to both Berkley and Michelle for allowing me to review this novel. I had initially intended to have my review up last month, but with life comes tragedies and let's just say, It's been a long month. All I can give you all is my honest unbiased opinion, so let's get started.

About Unbreak Me:

Unbreak Me is what I like to call a 'learning to live again' romance. Both main characters have had great tragedies that they have had to crawl their way through in order to come out on top in the end. It is also told from Andra Lawler and LJ Delisle's point of views.

Andra has had a tough past. Five years ago she was kidnapped, handcuffed to a bed and held prisoner for nearly a day until she escaped her rapist. Now five years later, she's a shell of the person who she once was. She keeps to herself and barely laughs anymore, for fear something will trigger her anxiety and send her spiraling back into the black abyss of her panic attacks.

LJ Delisle is a new orleans city boy who has always dreamed of working and running a ranch. His passion in life is training horses and he's damned good at it too. So he decides to hop in his truck and travel up to Montana to achieve his dreams. But life isn't always as easy when you're surrounded by close minded people.

When Andra first meets LJ, she instantly knows he's going to be perfect for the job. Not only is this man caring and soft spoken around her horses, but he's also gentle and his untraditional ways of training horses seems to be working in a short period of time. She finds him to be the perfect fit for her ranch. But not everyone is on board with hiring him, especially her close minded father. Because LJ Delisle is not only a city boy but he's also African American.

Unbreak Me is a story of two broken souls seeking out the person they are truly meant to be with, no matter the consequences and negative thoughts that surround them. The heart wants what the heart wants.

My Thoughts:

Michelle Hazen is a fairly new to me author. When I read the blurb for Unbreak Me I knew I needed to get my hands on LJ and Andra's story as soon as possible. I'm not that well versed when it comes to diversity in novels. It's something I plan on changing and something I want to read more of in the future. Multicultural relationships bring something new to the table where reading romance is concerned. Not only are there new traditions to be told, but there are new experiences to be made. The door is wide open and so many possibilities are in the air!

Andra and LJ's relationship started off extremely slow, but I found the slowness to be a breath of fresh air, especially given the fact that Andra was still internally suffering through everything that happened to her all those years ago. I'm really glad the author decided to take the slow approach to their relationship. From the start, LJ felt something in his soul that called to hers as their relationship grew and blossomed. All he wanted was to put a smile on her face and a lightness in her heart. He wanted her to open up to him and he wanted to be the man she could trust with all her secrets and all her pain. But with all great love stories comes even more tragedy. LJ and Andra are from two different worlds and were raised in two different cultures. But through all the trials and tests that were thrown at their relationship they always made it through.

She's country to his city.
He's the laughter that erases her pain.
She's the light at the end of his dark tunnel.

One thing I really loved was LJ! This man was a freaking sweetheart and he had the southern gentleman vibe on lockdown! I honestly couldn't get enough of this man. I could read several books based on his character alone if there were any. I just loved his overall attitude and the gentle way he was when Andra revealed all of her deep dark secrets..... I mean, the man handed her a screwdriver after she told him her traumatic story and it took all I had inside of me to not fall into a mushy puddle on my bedroom floor. He was the sweetest man and given all that the world threw at him and continues to throw at him on a daily basis, I admired this character trait. I loved his sweetness.

Andra was a little harder to connect with, but given all she's been through, I can kind of understand why the author gave her such a closed off approach. When I eventually learned Andra's truths, I fully understood why I couldn't connect with her. It was in that moment that I felt her pain and her agony. It was absolutely devastating and LJ was the exact antidote she needed to get through all that pain she had built up. Little by little I watched both of their walls fall down. It was a special moment watching these two characters slowly fall in love through cooking lessons and training horses.

I love experiencing new cultures through reading books and internet research. It's something I have always been passionate about. So when I read that LJ was from New Orleans, I was ready for the culture and for my imagination to run rampant! I have always found the Cajun and Creole culture lifestyles to be fascinating. I do have to say, I had a small dose of the culture but it wasn't enough. I wanted and needed so much more.

Given the fact that I really enjoyed Unbreak Me, I have unfortunately address a few plot issues. first of all, I wanted more New Orleans culture and I would have liked to have more of LJ's backstory before hurricane Katrina happened. I would have liked to view him as a little boy just to see where his love for horse training and ranching started. I needed those flashback moments, and I waited for them, but they sadly never came. I also would have liked more of a resolve between LJ and Andra's dad. I felt that relationship left off on a shifty note. Of course you can't change people's views and there's always going to be discrimination within closed minded people, but darn it, this is fiction and I wanted them to freaking hug it out!!!! How hard would that have been! I also would have liked to see Andra go through therapy, because obviously she suffered through ptsd in this novel and I would have liked that little tidbit to have been addressed.

But through it all I can say with an honest heart I really did enjoy LJ and Andra's slow burn romance.

3.5 stars!

This is my first book by this author, an emotional and dramatic love story between two people from very different lives, but both struggling to move on from trauma in their pasts. With strong themes of trauma recovery and social inequality, this book is more than just a romance, and is a really well-written character-driven story that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Andra Lawler lives and works on her family’s horse ranch in Montana. Still deeply traumatised by a terrifying assault that occurred five years previously while she was in college, she lives an isolated life where she mostly avoids the company of others – in particular, the presence of men outside of her family.

LJ Delisle is a 28 year old Creole cowboy from New Orleans. He’s a man running from his past, and from the small-minded prejudices that he lives with as a 6’5” built, black man, but he’s looking to make a life for himself doing a job that he’s passionate about, and Montana and the Lawler ranch is the best place to do it.

Andra and LJ don’t get off to the best of starts, but from the moment she sees him with her horses, she recognises him as a gentle soul, and she knows that he is the right man for the job. She advocates for him to stay, and he becomes a part of her everyday life, living and working alongside Andra and her family. It doesn’t take long for him to recognise that all is not well with his new employer, and he goes out of her way to befriend her, facing her issues head on and working to bring her out of her shell, and it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Despite their differences, and the issues that they are dealing with, there’s something very special about these two together. They both feel the connection, and LJ is such a sweetheart, with a cheeky wit and a sharp intelligence, it’s impossible for Andra not to fall for him, and I fell right along with her! He is gentle, kind and caring, and infinitely patient, and the progression of things between them is beautifully written.

"His knuckles skimmed down the back of her arm so lightly that the rough yarn of her sweater woke up her entire body, her skin rippling with goose bumps. “Now that might be flirting.”
“Might be?” she asked breathlessly.
His breath stirred her hair, as if he’d bent a little closer. “Depends on if you want it to be.”

But all that they feel for each other isn’t enough to erase the pain of their pasts, and they have a lot to work through. It’s sad and it’s painful, and my heart ached for them, but wow, they handle it well! Patiently, openly and honestly talking about all that they are feeling and taking things slowly. But just when it seems like they are getting somewhere, a family emergency calls LJ home, switching the action to his New Orleans neighbourhood, still devastated by Hurricane Katrina, where he is forced to confront all that he has been trying to move on from.

I really like the way that this book is very much focussed on the characters’ individual journeys, with the romance effortlessly blended into that. We have three stories which seamlessly intertwine as Andra and LJ share their pasts, leaning on each other as they deal with it and all the while falling harder and harder for each other despite it all.

“I know it ain’t right, but I can’t stand the idea of letting you go so you can look for somebody better.”
“I don’t know what I need,” she said, her voice breaking. “But if it’s not you, I don’t want it.”

There is a strong focus on social themes such as racism, culture and class, and it’s really beautifully handled. I’m sure every country deals with its own versions of this, but I found it particularly horrifying reading about LJ’s experience, especially as he recounted the events that occurred during, and especially since, Hurricane Katrina. Hearing about it from his perspective and watching him still deal with the fallout and try to make the best life he can for himself against almost impossible odds is heartbreaking.

“Look.” He held their hands up in front of her face, her fingers starkly pale against his. “Just look, for once. They’re never going to look the same. And when white people claim they’re color-blind, they don’t notice the difference, it’s a lie. My history is not your history; my culture is not your culture. I don’t want them to be. I’m proud of who I am and where I come from. All I want is to not be the last one rescued in a flood but the first one to wind up in handcuffs.”

It’s a really well written story with lots of heart and a beautifully sweet romance. I really enjoyed this one!

3.5 stars.

One of the things that I love about this story is probably the fact that this is an interracial relationship that I don’t read a whole lot of, and I give kudos to Hazen for not just making a fluffy, light romance for two love interests who happen to be opposite races because these characters deal with … a lot. We get to see hints of the racism and prejudice that LJ experiences not just because of the color of his skin, but also because of his height, and we also get to see into what his life was like in New Orleans before he packed up and moved to Montana (which isn’t exactly inclusive of other races). I love how LJ and Andra are together, especially once LJ manages to make her feel comfortable in his presence after their disastrous first meeting.

The thing is, however, I didn’t think I would ever be someone who would jokingly hold a fifth star ransom until something happened, and then that joke became a real thing because I feel like, in regard to Andra and her kidnapping and rape, I really dislike it when the male love interest appears to be the cure-all for a woman’s anxiety regarding sex. Like I said, it started off jokingly in my head because Andra would say something and I’d just be like, “Girl, therapy,” and then kind of laugh at my poor joke, but then the more I continued to read, the more that, “Girl, therapy,” became, “Girl, if you don’t get therapy for this, I swear to God.” She mentions early on that she saw a therapist during the trial of her kidnapper and rapist, but there was never anything else indicating that she continued seeing someone, unless I missed something.

It wasn’t just Andra that I wanted to seek therapy, either. LJ has anger issues, and there was a scene in this book that had me a little fearful for Andra, even if I could kind of understand the point that he was trying to make. Still, though, as much as Andra needs therapy for all of her trauma, LJ is described as someone who’s always had a short fuse since he was a kid, always easy to anger, and by the end of the book I just wanted to reach through my Kindle, grab his shoulders and say, “Dude, if you don’t go into anger management, I swear to God.”

I love these two characters together, but my god, they were also kind of exhausting to read because I just wanted to hand out therapy sessions to the both of them. How the story ended was pretty happy and some compromises were made, but I feel like it was wrapped up a bit too nicely for my taste. Which is funny that I’d dislike it because I am someone who loves happily ever afters, but I just wanted a little something … more, I guess.

WOW! Michelle Hazen, Author of “Unbreak Me” has written a powerful, captivating, intense, intriguing, and emotional story. The Genres for this story are Multicultural Interest, Romance, Contemporary Fiction, and Fiction. There also are some Historical Facts that are true in this story. The story is set in two places, Montana, and New Orleans, and set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complex, complicated, and flawed.

Angela Lawler, a young woman that owns a horse ranch in Montana, hires LJ Delisle, a “Haitian -Creole” “cowboy” who comes from New Orleans. Angela is subject to panic attacks after a traumatic incident happened in the past. LJ also has some traumatic and emotional history. LJ proves to be sort of a ‘Horse Whisperer”, and is very good with the horses. He also is a great cook.

Just as LJ is great in breaking the horses, he seems to have a calming effect on Angela and becomes a trusted friend. LJ feels like an outsider as he is doesn’t feel welcome with the other people on the ranch. The two start to become close, but a major family problem causes LJ to have to return to New Orleans. Is there a chance that Angela and LJ will ever be together?

In New Orleans, LJ is reminded of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, and how it destroyed so many families. In New Orleans, there are areas where law-enforcement will question what he is doing because of his color.

I appreciate that the author discusses important and “heavy” topics like equality and discrimination, assaults, kidnapping, trauma, and panic attacks. The author also talks about the importance of family, friends, emotional support, love and hope. This is a thought-provoking and emotional story that I would highly recommend.
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This is not a book I can recommend overall, despite some of its beautiful parts. The protagonists, in themselves, are lovely people. The author does a good job of showing how the heroine has survived her trauma by making her life very small and how the hero is a man of sensitivity and care, whether it comes to spooked horses or traumatized women. Some of their moments together are really sweet.

The two protagonists have so much stacked against them and they're dealing with so much and yet managing a love story, which is admirable. And yet, the author doesn't convincingly show how they're dealing with all the trauma and arriving at their HEA.

Here are some of the other problems in the book:

-Lyndon B. Johnson was a racist. No Black parent would name their child for him. This is not plausible..
-There was some confusion on part of the author about Haitian and Creole culture and the Haitian Creole language and conflation of the two.
-Calling Lupus backwards AIDS is offensive. While, yes, the way the autoimmune diseases react are different from each other, but they are not related and that depiction is a bad choice.
-Rape survivors suffer from PTSD and it takes years of gradual recovery. Nothing happens in one fell swoop, not even exposure therapy, which is how some authors show it with sex scenes between the heroine and hero. One sex encounter isn't going to do it.
-The overall tenor of how the white heroine deals with being in primarily black neighborhoods of NOLA leave a bad taste in the mouth and borders on racism.

Two lone souls, both fighting PTSD for different reasons. Andra Lawler is a victim of date rape in college and has holed up on her family's Montana ranch, training horses and staying away from anyone, being babied by her family and the mostly female staff at the ranch. LJ Delisle is a Haitian-Creole horse trainer from New Orleans, still suffering from flashbacks of the terror of Katrina. Andra has panic attacks when something trips her memories of being kidnapped and tortured, LJ panics during heavy rainstorms.

LJ decides that Andra is too young and pretty to spend her life in hiding and sets out to help, baking her cakes and teaching her how to cook. Unfortunately there are more serious issues: he's black and not rich, she's white and is wealthy, just for a start. Just as they're starting to realize their friendship is more than just that, he's called home to New Orleans to help his ill mother. .Andra has to decide if she's strong enough to leave the safety of her home to follow him, not knowing what their future will bring.

These are two likeable, strong characters who face their fears and the discrimination issues and come out on top. .

Andra has essentially become a prisoner on her family’s ranch and even though she doesn’t live there alone, she is lonely. She has never fully healed from an assault that occurred years earlier and because everyone in town knows what happened she feels that they look at her differently. The only thing that brings her comfort are the horses.

L.J. has a painful past of his own and can relate to feeling like he is on the outside looking in. He has recently started working on the ranch and connects with Andra over her love of horses. With her he senses a kindred soul and when they are together they bring each other a peace that they never expected but both desperately need.

I really enjoyed both these characters as they have both endured so much. LJ is so patient and understanding with Andra and knows that her trusting him is the greatest gift he can receive and he helps her find the strong woman that she thought was gone forever.