Broken Pieces deals with some really heavy material; brutal rape and assault, child abuse, and murder. I think Ms. Cassidy handles the violence and sensitive material skillfully and with the intent to speak the truth and empower victims not victimize them again. The description of the attacks isn’t gory just detailed enough to get the point across, the reaction of the victim and their feelings is more emphasized than the action itself. But the violence isn’t the whole story either. It is also about recovery and moving on from something bad in your past so that you can move forward to a better future. Mariah has grown up into a beautiful, inside and out, strong adult woman who should be applauded for her ability to get on with her life despite all the horrible things she had to deal with growing up. There are other strong women characters in this tale that also demonstrate the resilience of women and our ability to overcome adversity. And since this is a suspense story, the author keeps you one the edge of your seat wondering what the bad guy will do next and just who he is and will he harm Mariah or her family before he is caught? Oh yeah, and there is also an incredibly hot, attentive, male romantic hero character who has had to deal with his own tragedies in life too, but you’ll want to read the book to find out about him!

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Steph B.
August 6, 2008