When I Break (When I Break, #1)

by Kendall Ryan

Knox Bauer's life has unraveled to the point of no return. Fighting to fill the emptiness inside himself, he seeks solace in unfamiliar beds with unfamiliar women. As guardian to his three younger brothers, this can't go on...they look up to him in every way and all he's done lately is prove how messed up he really is. Needing a change, he attends a local Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting, where he finds himself tempted by the alluring instructor, McKenna.

Twenty-one year old McKenna is trying to make amends. After losing her parents in a horrific accident, she knows if she can just be good enough, maybe she can forgive herself for what happened. With her newly acquired degree in counseling, she begins leading a sex addicts group where she meets the troubled Knox and her life takes on complications she never bargained for. She doesn't have time for a bad boy who only wants to take her to bed, even if her body disagrees. The fixer in her wants to help, but trusting Knox's true motivations might take more courage than she has.

When I Break is book 1 in a new series by New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan. Please note this is not a standalone, as the story continues in book 2. When I Surrender, book 2, is available now.

• ISBN10: 0996149538
• ISBN13: 9780996149532
• Publish Date: 24 February 2014 (first published 18 February 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 12 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kendall Ryan Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

4.5 Cocktails

There was a lot that I loved about this book. The storyline was different, but it was engaging and captures a readers attention almost immediately. Sexual tension throughout this book was off the chart. There wasn't a lot of sex...considering our hero is a sex addict and the heroine is his sex addiction counselor, but the chemistry between Knox and McKenna is absolutely off the charts and the tension was almost a third character in the storyline because of it.

Knox is a character that could have gone either way. There were times when he came across as such as ass that you wanted McKenna to walk away from him. But then he would allow the layers he hides behind to peel away and we see a truly wonderful man. A man who at eighteen became a father figure to his younger brothers, providing them with a home and making sure they knew they were loved and had a sense of family. It was that version of Knox that helped me overlook the cocky ass he would turn into when his addiction pushed it's way forward.

McKenna was equally as complex as Knox. She comes across as being very naive and shy, but she really isn't. She is, as her roommate David says, a fixer. But it seems she focuses on helping others deal with their problems because it means she doesn't really need to deal with hers. And while there is a part of her that wants to "fix" Knox, there is also a part of her that draws her to him. The only thing that worries me is that while she knows she may have to walk away from Knox for her own well being, I don't see her doing that...no matter what he does.

The one thing I missed from the story was more of Knox and McKenna's back story. We get a tiny snippet of it, but it feels like there was a lot more that happened to each of them to mold them into the people they are now. I'm hoping we get more of that in the next book.

Kendall Ryan always manages to create characters and stories that grab readers (at least in my opinion). This was no exception. Definitely a book I recommend readers pick up.