Mary Monroe is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. Her latest, Bent But Not Broken was amazing, as I expected.

Mary Monroe once again takes us to Lexington, AL, delivering her signature dose of drama, though not quite as much as in her previous books.

In the fifth book of the series, we meet Naomi Simmons — a selfless, kind-hearted woman yearning for her happily ever after. As a pillar of strength, she endures so much, but I couldn’t help but wish she had learned to be a bit more selfish and put herself first.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, with Shari Peele once again delivering a phenomenal performance.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
As a young woman, Naomi Simmons grabbed her one chance to escape the overwhelming demands of her selfish family by marrying devout older man Jacob Purcell. But it only landed her with a controlling, unfaithful husband who delights in hurling insults at her and their troubled now-teenage daughter, Ethel Mae. So, Naomi is amazed and touched when Homer Clark sees her for the vibrant, intelligent woman she truly is.

This book will take you on a roll coaster of emotion. I felt so bad for Naomi this entire book. I would have fought my husband back, but I know back in that time. The women took a lot of beating and etc. And the fact she had to deal with daughter who was acting grown since she was 13. *wipe forehead* Those whooping weren't doing anything for her. Overall, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! Check trigger warning. This book could he a trigger for DV. Mary Monroe has done it again. I am hoping this is not the last book in this series.

The audiobook was great and gave depth to the storyline. The narrators did a good job telling the story and bringing it alive. Easy to listen to and understand. Listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and RB Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 eBook: Bent but Not Broken- A Lexington, Alabama Novel #5-I read it as a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Mary Monroe -I read Double Lives and gave it 5 ⭐

📃Page Count: 288

📅Publication date: 3/25/25 | Read: 3/23/25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 9:30

🌎 Setting: Lexington, AL 1916

👆🏾POV: 1st person single-Naomi

Genre: Historical, AA Interests, Women's Fic

Tropes: small town, family drama, marriage, age gap 16/26

⚠️TW: SA, abuse, cheating, DV, murder, stalking, animal cruelty, racism/segregation

🗣️Narrator: Shari Peele voices all the characters with standouts from Naomi, Ethel Mae, Reverend Spivey, and Lula. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: Naomi agrees to marry for financial security after overhearing her father and his girlfriend Maddie talking about her. They want her to get married, get a job, and move out so they can be alone. Once married, Naomi deals with a cheating husband, an unruly daughter, and an obsessive lover.

👩🏾 Heroine: Naomi Simmons/Purcell-gets a job cooking for wealthy, white family Reverend Spivey, his wife, and half-black sister Annie Lou passing as white.

🎭 Side Characters:
*Willard-Naomi's father, married to her mother for 20 years, had thirteen kids. Wife died in childbirth having Naomi.
*Jacob Purcell-Naomi's husband, an injured army vet w/ money for a nice house
*Ethel Mae-Naomi's daughter, promiscuous
*Reverend Garth Spivey-Naomi's employer
*Lula Pittman-Naomi's BFF
*Homer Clark-a widower Naomi meets

🤔 My Thoughts: This had twists and turns I didn't see coming. Naomi dealt with so much from Jacob, Ethel Mae, and later Homer. Lula was the MVP for me because she supported Naomi through everything.

*Spice 3/5 🌶️
*Rating: 5/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing| Dafina, RB Media| Recorded Books, and Mary Monroe for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Wonderful story and excellent addition to this series! I have read this entire series and was looking forward to book 5! Mary Monroe did NOT disappoint & Shari Peele can do no wrong when it comes to narrating novels. I was very excited to see that she was the narrator and she did an amazing job!

Naomi was raised by her single father & as she gets older her father’s makes it known that he is ready for her to be out of his house so that he can live his best life! Naomi trying to appease him, settles for the first boy that shows her some attention. When his true colors begin to show over the years, Naomi decides to get a little payback but she puts herself from one bad situation to another. This story was attention getting, emotional, well placed with likable and dislikable characters! Mary Monroe fans will surely enjoy this one! Thank you RBmedia and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was my first Mary Monroe read, and off this book alone I will be checking out her entire catalog. The book took a turn that I did not predict and OMG had me locked in. The narratoe was also really good as well. I finished this book in just a few short hours. Would highly recommend to anyone who loves a book full of drama!!!!