Broken: LOST Series #1 (Lost, #1)

by Cynthia Eden

Abby Craden (Narrator)

The first novel in New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden's sizzling LOST series introduces the Last Option Search Team, an elite unit that must protect the only surviving victim of a serial killer. Ex-SEAL and LOST founder Gabe Spencer is accustomed to the unusual in his job. But when knockout Eve Gray steps into his office, he's rattled. For the mysterious woman is a dead ringer for the heiress thought to be the latest prey of the serial killer who goes by the name Lady Killer. When Eve awoke in an Atlanta hospital, her past was a blank slate. Then she recognized her own face in the newspaper and vowed to learn the truth. Determined to confront the nightmares hidden in her mind, she never expects to find a partner in Gabe. As Gabe and Eve work together, their explosive attraction becomes irresistible. Gabe knows that his desire for Eve is growing too strong, bordering on a dangerous obsession, but nothing pulls him away from her. And when another Eve lookalike disappears, Gabe vows to protect Eve at all costs. While Eve may have forgotten the killer in her past, it's clear he hasn't forgotten her.

• ISBN10: 0062384201
• ISBN13: 9780062384201
• Publish Date: 31 March 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperAudio
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 9 hours and 23 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

Broken has been on my TBR forever. I jumped into this series years ago at like book 4 and was in LOVE. When I picked this book from my TBR jar I was pumped! Broken kicks off the LOST series with its founder Gabe and the woman with no memory, Eve.

Eve lost her memory and woke up in a hospital. She is living in a homeless shelter but she is sure she was a victim of a local serial killer. She goes to Gabe because he is her only shot at figuring out who she is. Gabe agrees to take her case and feels an immediate pull to her. The main mystery of the story is "who is the killer", but I figured it out very early on. Maybe its because I read a LOT of romantic suspense or maybe it was that obvious. However, even knowing the killer, there is still a great deal of suspense on how the story will unfold. The creepiness factor of this killer is high (which I like-please don't judge me!) and the more you discover, the more you feel for what Eve went through. I liked Eve and Gabe as a couple and the side characters-the employees of LOST-are great as well.

I started by listening to this book on audio. The narrator, Abby Craden, was good but the way she voiced the male characters just did NOT work for me. I had to switch to the ebook because it became very distracting. This could just be me-my hearing impairment makes things sound different to me than they really sound, so I don't know if it was genuinely weird or just my weird!

 

•   POV: 3rd


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: secret identity, on the run


•   Triggers: none


•   Series/Standalone: standalone


•   Cliffhanger: (show spoiler)[no] (hide spoiler)


•   HEA: (show spoiler)[yes] (hide spoiler)

other romantic suspense authors like Katie Reus, Laura Griffin, Pamela Clare...then you will probably like Broken!

 

Broken

 See full review on The Book Disciple

[Nicole Lynn]

Loved this one!

Review to come!

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Whenever I take up a book written by Cynthia Eden I know I am in for a thrilling ride and Broken did not disappoint. It was what I was expecting and more! She is one of those authors whose book I would read without having prior knowledge of what it’s all about.
Broken is the first book in the Lost series and it’s off to a fantastic start. Lost tells the story of Gabe Spencer and Eve Gray. Gabe is an ex-navy seal and the founder of LOST (Last Option Search Team). The goal of the team is to find missing persons that the authorities had lost any hope of finding. The team was formed because Gabe had experienced a loss of his own and as such he wanted to help families who have suffered under similar circumstances. Eve is a woman who has endured torture and near death simply to wake up not being able to remember her past. In a bid to uncover her past, she sought the services of the LOST team.
I enjoyed reading about all the characters, but my favorites are Gabe and Eve. They both suffered pain in the past making them easy to relate to. I found Eve to be strong yet vulnerable. She has grit and determination and is motivated to uncover her past, even if it meant that doing so could be deadly. I thought Gabe was a bit overly protective of Eve to the point of being possessive. I understand that he could not help being attracted to her, but I felt he should have been more careful as he could have been setting up himself for heartbreak in light of the fact that Eve’s past was an enigma. I do believe he allowed his feelings to cloud his judgement at times.
The romance took place very rapidly. The attraction between them was instantaneous and electrifying. They did not have time to get to know each other before falling in love. Well, in light of the fact that Eve had no memory this would have presented a challenge. In my view I believe that more stress was laid on the suspense, even so it was nicely balanced out with the love story.
From the minute I began reading I was pulled into the story. The prologue was so intense that I could not help but to continue reading. I literally could not put the book down. Lost is the kind of story that gives you chills and will have you jumping at the faintest of sounds. There was never a dull moment with this story. It had a lot of twists and turns that will keep you guessing at every page turn. Just when I thought I figured out who the killer was the author threw in a twist that had me second guessing myself. However, when the truth was finally revealed, I thought to myself I knew it.
Lost is an explosive, fast paced, psychological and suspenseful read. It will keep you up at nights and have you talking about it for some time to come.

Disclosure: Received a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Cocktails and Books]

4.5 Cocktails

This book was on wild ride. Cynthia Eden took this romantic suspense story and totally blew me away.

Eve Gray is a woman looking for her identity. She awoke in a hospital with no clue who she was or how she got there. She reaches out to Gabe Spencer, the owner of LOST, an organization that helps locate missing people. Except in this case, Eve wants Gabe to help her find herself. As they work to find out who she is and what happened, she discovers she may be the only person to escape a serial killer and the key to putting a stop the killing spree.

The storyline for BROKEN was fabulous. I loved Eve. She had a strength to her and I applauded her determination to discover who she was and what happened, even though it scared the hell out of her. As more was discovered about Eve, I was like Gabe, and not really seeing her as who she used to be but the woman she had become. And Gabe fit her perfectly. He wanted to protect her, but he didn't push to keep her in a bubble like everyone else. He let her spread her wings, even when it scared him to death, because he knew that's what she needed. His support of her truly helped her become a much stronger person.

The mystery behind who the serial killer was kept me guessing. I thought I knew who it was, but the little bread crumbs I followed through the story threw me at times. I loved that and it was a very large part of why I devoured this book.

My only complaint about BROKEN revolves around one five letter word: lover. There is just something about that word that gives me a creepy visual: a greasy guy trying to entice a pretty girl to be his l-o-v-e-r. It just leaves a not so pleasant feeling when I see it used in the context it was in this story. Every characters' sexual partner was called their 'lover'. Not the "guy she's sleeping with" or "his girlfriend". No...their lover. It's probably me, but I found myself fixating on that word every time it was used, thinking there was probably a different way that could have been used to describe whoever that person was to one of the characters.

Overall a fabulous, fabulous book. It's the first one in a new series, which means I'm now anxiously awaiting book 2.