Visibly Broken by Chelsea Camaron & M.J. Fields-a review

VISIBLY BROKEN by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields

Visibly Broken

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 20, 2016

Jason “Cobra” Stanley was born to fight. With a father like his, he had to toughen up just to survive. Now Cobra tries to take out all of his frustration, all of his anger, and all of his pain in the MMA cage. But after he receives one too many hits to the head during a match with Jagger Caldwell, the cycle of violence comes to a screeching halt. Cobra wakes up in the hospital, under the care of a nurse whose blond hair shines like a halo—and whose pure heart touches him on the deepest level.

Lorraine Bosch is a fighter too. Having escaped from her own controlling father, she prides herself on remaining professional, despite the chaos of the ER. But Cobra is the ultimate distraction. Lorraine knows she should run away screaming from his rippling muscles and shattered psyche. And yet how can she deny this broken man a second chance—especially since she knows exactly what he’s been through? Lorraine’s used to playing guardian angel. Now it’s her turn to find heaven in Cobra’s arms.

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REVIEW: VISIBLY BROKEN co-authored by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields is a stand alone, contemporary adult, dark erotic romance story line focusing on MMA underground fighter Jason ‘Cobra’ Stanley, and nurse Lorraine ‘Lo’ Bosch. VISIBLY BROKEN is a spin off from the authors’ CALDWELL BROTHERS series with cameo appearances by Jagger Caldwell and the love of his life Tatiana Rand. You do not have to have read the previous series to understand the current story line. We were first introduced to Jason in JAGGER.

NOTE: VISIBLY BROKEN contains graphic scenarios of abuse, violence and murder, and therefore, may be triggers for some sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Lorraine and Jason) VISIBLY BROKEN focuses on the resulting damage and after affects of violence and abuse. Jason Stanley is an MMA fighter who ‘needs’ the arena to work off the violence that has controlled most of his life. Lorraine Bosch is a nurse, who despite the atrocities she deals with every day in the ER is unable to move on with her life since the violence that shattered her existence two years earlier. Meeting Jason Stanley on the job finds our heroine caught between the subsistence that marks the h*ll in which she continues to live; a need for vengeance against those who obliterated her world, and the pull of a man who could destroy her entire life. What ensues is the building relationship between Jason and Lo, and the ongoing need for betrayal and revenge.

Jason Stanley grew up in an abusive household; a father whose political aspirations and need to control were marked by power and abuse. Jason believes himself to be a monster- the product of a lifetime of violence and regret. Lorraine Bosche is barely existing in a world dominated by the past; a past that continues to surface every time she goes through the front doors of the family home.

The relationship between Lo and Jason is intense; Jason’s need to protect Lorraine Bosch comes at a time when his previous relationship has all but destroyed his heart and his soul- a co-dependent, physically aggressive, abusive and toxic relationship that will have some readers squeamish with the domestic violence. I have noted the triggers earlier in my review but I want to reiterate that the relationship between Jason and Missy is volatile and the reader is up close and personal in the first few chapters. The graphic $ex scenes are dramatic, energetic and sometimes angry, but our heroine is NEVER the victim or recipient of Jason’s mercurial temper. Lorraine Bosch is able to soothe the monster within.

There are a number of secondary and supporting characters including Jason’s ex Missy- a violent piece of work who pushes our hero one too many times; Jason’s ‘right hand man’ and sparring partner Brock; and Jason’s father Mayor James Stanley whose reputation is dirty and hard. We are introduced to Dr. Bennett, his son Ryan, and his step-daughter Rochelle. Lorraine’s history and past are connected directly to the Bennett family- a family that our heroine once considered her own.

VISIBLY BROKEN is a gritty and raw romance with dark and dangerous undertones. The premise is disturbing, controversial and dramatic; the characters are broken, colorful and charismatic; the romance is passionate and intense- a bit of insta lust/love between two people caught up in the violence of an ugly and distressing world.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Hendrix / Jagger (The Caldwell Brothers 1 & 3) by MJ Fields and Chelsea Camaron-reviews

Hendrix / Jagger (The Caldwell Brothers 1 & 3) by MJ Fields and Chelsea Camaron-review

Caldwell Brothers

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JaggerJAGGER
(Caldwell Brothers #3)
by MJ Fields and Chelsea Camaron
Genre: new adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: April 12, 2016

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Jagger Caldwell is no one’s hero. With a reputation busting heads and breaking hearts on the underground MMA circuit, he lives for easy cash and easier women. But when he stumbles upon an all-too-familiar scene, painful memories awaken Jagger’s sensitive side and compel him to act. As a kid, he stood by helplessly as his old man beat his mom. Now, Jagger won’t let seventeen-year-old Tatiana Rand suffer the same fate. Nothing matters except saving her.

Tatiana is a prisoner in her own home, at the mercy of her violent father—until an unlikely savior bursts through her door and into her life. Six-feet-plus of tattooed muscle and raw power, Jagger is no prince charming—but Tatiana stopped believing in fairy tales long ago. Despite their differences in age and, well, everything else, the sexy bad boy sparks a fire that Tatiana never knew she had—and desires that only Jagger can quench.

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REVIEW: JAGGER is the third (and final ?) installment in the adult, contemporary CALDWELL BROTHERS erotic, romance series co-authored by MJ Fields and Chelsea Camaron. This is youngest brother and fighter Jagger Caldwell, and eighteen year old Tatiana Rand’s story line. JAGGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jagger and Tatiana) JAGGER is a story that focuses on physical and emotional abuse of a young woman by a man, who by birth and DNA, should have protected his daughter with his life. Jagger is the youngest Caldwell; a man with a temper who fights in the underground, illegal arena, and his patience reaches its end when he takes things into his own hands to defend Tatiana from the violence her drunken father continues to rain down upon the young woman’s body. What ensues is the building relationship between Jagger and Tatiana-a girl days from her eighteenth birthday but a woman who has endured much more than most women twice her age.

The relationship between Tatiana and Jagger is one of immediate attraction (insta love and lust) but Jagger knows that Tatiana is off limits due to age and lack of experience. While Jagger bides his time, Tatiana will slowly recover from the life she once had, and into a life that is completely laid out for her future. I did have a concern as to Tatiana’s easy acceptance of the world outside from her previously sheltered life, and her ability to go from broken young girl to sexually aggressive woman within a couple of days. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense.

All of the previous story line couples and characters play supporting and secondary roles. The Caldwell brothers’ father makes a cameo appearance looking for forgiveness but sometimes there is no forgetting about the past.

JAGGER caused me a few anxious moments. Not only is our heroine underage, which in and of itself it neither here nor there because she reaches eighteen within a matter of days, but the authors continue to focus on her youth, having Jagger call her ‘little one’; Cobra call her ‘mouse’; and constantly talking about good and bad touch between our leading couple as though the heroine was a five year old child-it made for some uncomfortable reading where the ‘romance’ is concerned. If the authors had an issue with her age, perhaps the story line should have fast -forwarded a few years before Jagger had the opportunity to rescue the woman with whom he would fall in love.

JAGGER is an interesting story line that focuses on rescue and recovery; abuse and responsibility; forgiveness and letting go. The premise is engaging with moments of heartbreak and humor; the characters are passionate and sometimes tragic; the romance is encouraging and hopeful.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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HendrixHENDRIX
(Caldwell Brothers #1)
by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: March 8, 2015

99¢ ebook deal: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

About the book:

Hendrix introduces the wild and sexy Caldwell boys—three brothers who are living up to their legendary names in Detroit Rock City.

Hendrix Caldwell wants nothing more than to revitalize the family bar—and tear down every last reminder of his no-good father. But business isn’t the only thing on his mind. An explosive encounter with a stranger at a charity masquerade is just the distraction he craves, with no names and no strings attached. For Hendrix, sex is casual, and love is a four-letter word. His commitment is to his brothers, his bar, and his bike. So why can’t he stop thinking about the naughty Cinderella who rocked his world, then left him—and her panties—behind?

Olivia Hemmingway knows fairytales are for little girls. Drowning in debt and hiding a shameful secret, she won’t be saved by a knight in tattooed armor, no matter how mind-blowing their one-night stand may have been. Olivia never expects to meet her masked lover again. But when she takes a job at Hendrix Caldwell’s bar, her sexy new boss seems all too familiar. And once the lights go out and the music is turned up, the sparks between them burn hotter than ever.

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REVIEW: HENDRIX is the first installment in the contemporary, adult CALDWELL BROTHERS erotic, romance series co-authored by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields. This is bar owner and eldest brother Hendrix Caldwell, and social worker Olivia Hemmingway’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Olivia and Hendrix) HENDRIX focuses on the building relationship between Hendrix and Olivia. Olivia is a social worker in need of some extra cash so she ventures into a local Detroit bar where she will soon discover that her new boss and bar owner Hendrix Caldwell is the same man with whom she recently found herself having a one-night stand in a darkened closet at a charity event. What ensues are Hendrix attempts to keep Olivia at a distance, and Olivia’s attempts to go it alone. From their first introductions Olivia’s life has fallen on hard times, and Hendrix is the man who is constantly picking up the pieces of her shattered life.

The relationship between Olivia and Hendrix is quick to develop; the attraction is immediate but Hendrix believes Olivia’s craziness leaves something to be desired, and he isn’t the man to settle down or look forward to the future. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense.

We are introduced to Hendrix’s brothers Jagger and Morrison who both work at Caldwell’s bar alongside their brother. The world building looks at the brother’s dark and damaged past wherein they buried their mother following a short battle with cancer; and sent their father packing for the very last time. Olivia’s past is mired in betrayal and sexual abuse; it is Hendrix who will stand by her side when she faces down her heartbreaking past.

HENDRIX is a quick read; a fast paced story about two people who met under ‘closeted’ circumstances and found one another along the way. The premise is entertaining and fun; the characters are animated and real; the romance is a quick build to a happily ever after. I am looking forward to Morrison and Jagger’s stories.

Reviewed by Sandy

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