"Broken Ornaments" by Angie M. Brashears

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book.

Before I start talking about this book, I feel the need to warn the reader that this book involves a woman who was trying to escape from an abusive ex-husband. While there is not too much violence taking place in this story, there is some. It is a necessary part of the story, but I recognize that it could be troubling to some readers.

This book is the story of a young mother who is struggling to make ends meet, raise her 4-year old daughter, and to find a way for the two of them to escape from her abusive ex-husband. She describes herself as being “broken.” It is also the story of a young man who seems to be almost at a loss about where his life is going. He has had a troubling few years and appears to be seeking a new purpose.

Jase has just quit his job, but his business partner asks him if he would do him one last favor and check in on a woman who seems to need help. When he meets Casey, he winds up rescuing her from a beating by her ex-husband. Then he helps her to rescue her daughter, whom the babysitter had left tied up in the empty apartment when she ran off with Casey’s ex-husband. The two of them had taken everything; all the furniture, toys, as well as Casey’s escape fund, leaving absolutely nothing behind. Unable to leave these two alone in those circumstances, Jase takes them with him, hoping to find a way to help them, and maybe even himself as well.

Casey and her daughter have been through the wringer, yet though they have had more than their fair share of problems, there remains a shred of hope in their hearts. But can they come to trust the man who appears to have come to their rescue, or are they just too “broken” to begin to trust anyone ever again? There is so much more to this story than I have room to talk about in this review, and even if I had the room I would hate to spoil the ending for you. It is definitely worth reading.

I greatly enjoyed reading this story. It took me through the full array of human emotions several times over. The interactions between the characters contain a heart-wrenching sense of reality about them, as if the author has known someone who lived through a similar situation at some point. I didn’t want to put it down until I was able to find out whether or not there could be a happy ending for any of the characters involved.