Broken Juliet

April 13, 2015
The second half of Rayvenâs contemporary romance duology (after Bad Romeo) begins with its leads tentatively giving romance another try. Cassie Taylor and Ethan Holt have been on-again, off-again lovers since college, and their job as co-leads in a Broadway play has made them confront their feelings for one another. Cassie remembers Ethanâs emotionally withholding past behavior in a long series of flashbacks as she attempts to learn to trust him again. Much of the book is devoted to Cassieâs slow recovery from her deep emotional wounds, but Ethanâs own, similar recovery takes place offstage, so itâs hard to see that heâs worth the effort. In addition, the pattern of codependent need that made the pairing a bad idea is shown in such excruciating, repetitive detail that it becomes difficult to believe they can transcend it. Rayvenâs writing focuses on scene-by-scene ups and downs, and the book comes across as one long argument for its protagonists seeking therapy years and hundreds of pages earlier than they actually do. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.