Broken

by Megan Hart

[Angie]

Even though it is Erotica, Broken is less about the sex and more about Sadie finding out who she is outside of being a wife and caregiver. Four years ago, her husband was in a skiing accident and became paralyzed from the neck down. He requires around the clock care, much of which Sadie does herself. She does have help for when she's at work or needs to go out. She's not completely selflessly devoted to her husband though. Every first Friday of the month she meets with Joe who tells her about one of his latest sexscapades. Sadie craves these stories, since she no longer has that physical connection at home.

I found Broken to be very interesting. It seems like whenever someone has to care for someone who is wholly dependent--whether that's an infant or an adult--the caregiver acts as if they don't ever resent the person they're caring for. Or they make others feel badly if they complain or want time to themselves. That is highly unrealistic. People have feelings, sometimes we're selfish, dedicating most of your time to someone else can be draining! Just admit it! Sadie does. It's hard on her, especially when her husband is angry with her "fussing." I don't blame her for wanting to get away for a little while. Her story was very honest. It's obvious that she does love her husband, and she doesn't mind doing for him what he can't do for himself, but who's there to take care of her?

There is a lot of sex in Broken. Almost every other chapter is one of Joe's stories, but they're from the woman's perspective and not his. This means it's actually Sadie's interpretation of the story, since she's inserting herself into them and there's no way for Joe to know what the women were thinking. I liked and disliked this. It's an interesting concept, but there was also this disconnect there and the scenes weren't very sexy. I know not all sex is sexy, but I felt like Sadie could have imagined them to be more so. I mean, she's taking these stories home to pleasure herself with! They should be sexier rather than awkward. Some of them were, but for the most part, Joe's partners were a bit off.

I did really like Broken. I completely believed Sadie's struggle with loving her husband and wanting to make things work between them, but also craving physical contact and time to herself. The ending was a bit of a cop-out though. It was also as if all of the decisions were taken out of Sadie's hands. I was glad for her on one hand, since she deserved a break. But it also felt too easy, since it was like she was let off the hook.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.