Judith‘s review of Broken Together (Rebel Canyon, Book 1) by BethAnn Buehler.

When renowned photojournalist Bryn Baxter’s world is nearly destroyed by a mortar attack as she films a documentary in the middle of the Afghan war, her father brings his only child home to Rebel Canyon and smothers her with around the clock protection in the form of a handsome private security escort.

But Beck Reynolds would rather eat dirt than protect another “lost soul”, especially the daughter of his former Commander. Not only does the assignment put a kink in his evening playtime, but despite his every effort, the woman he’s charged to protect hasn’t said a word to him for nearly a month.

As Bryn tries to reclaim her life, she throws herself into the dark world of Dominance and submission. A world where, unbeknownst to Bryn, Beck is already an accomplished Master. While Bryn attempts to explore her own sexuality, Beck is forced to save her from one dreadful situation after another, his desire to own Bryn–body, mind and soul–growing stronger each day. Little does he know, however, that he’s stirring a hunger in Bryn that she’s denied herself for far too long.

With a soft touch and a wicked approach, Beck is determined to teach Bryn the pleasures of his secret world. But can he save her from herself?

Bryn is a successful photographer that has gained popularity and success because of her deep sense of integrity toward her art, her insistence on personally deciding what she will photograph and with whom she will work, her insistence that she retain creative control over the publication of her work, and her desire to help her viewers see the world through a different set of lenses. She is reluctant to take this “gig” with a movie star for whom she has little respect as an artist and less as a person. Yet the financial offer is more than she can resist. Thus, she and this publicity hound of an actor end up in Afghanistan, under fire, and things heat up from there.

Because of the publicity associated with this photographic “sortie” into a war zone, Bryn’s father engages the services of a former military arms expert who served under him in the past. Even though Beck doesn’t want to take this assignment, his great respect and past friendship with Bryn’s father move him to accept the post as her “body guard” and security team leader. Beck is surprised to find out that the girl that is badly wounded and in a military hospital in Germany, refusing to speak, and seemingly overwhelmed emotional and psychologically by her experience in the Middle East is the same beautiful and erotic woman he first saw at his BDSM club “Dredge” some months earlier. She did not see him that evening, and thus does not know that he is a Master at Dredge.

The relationship between these two is not an easy one. Both have come to a crossroads in their personal lives. Bryn is at a point in her career where she can accept a commission or reject it as she chooses. But her personal life is empty. Yet when she returns and as she gradually eases into the very guarded acceptance of Beck’s presence in her life, she becomes increasingly aware that she really doesn’t know what she wants. There are some issues that surface–her drinking has become problematic, her attitude toward men has soured since the Middle East and the reasons for that must rise to the surface, her ever-present leanings toward becoming a “submissive” and training with a Dom/Master just don’t seem to go away. Add in the sexual attraction she feels for Beck coupled with the resentment of him that comes and goes, and you have a very tense emotional “soup” that doesn’t resolved itself until the very end.

Suffice it to say that this is not a simple, easy read. There are some serious issues here and the characters are people who are not unwilling to deal with their realities. Byn’s best friend and attorney is herself a Mistress in the BDSM world and Rachel’s brother is Bry’s long-time friend and also an important cast member. But the most complicated character apart from Bryn is Beck, a man who knows who and what he is, believes that he has the qualifications and expertise to bring Bryn into a full knowledge of herself, a person who is willing and able to meet Bryn’s deepest needs, but who flounders from time to time in trying to help her find the best and most effective way to see herself and move forward. He is willing to be by her side to the end of his days, even if she rejects him.

There were times when I got really impatient with Bryn–her emotional roller coaster ups and downs were quite extreme at times. That is, until some of the deeper secrets of her Middle East sortie came out and reasons for her distress became obvious. I like Beck a lot–he was able to take charge, but when he felt he was not being effective he was willing to take direction and counsel. That, to me, is the mark of a mature person and one I was glad to see becoming a part of Bryn’s life. She needed him, if for no other reason than he was, like her father, a stabilizing factor.

So while this was not an easy book to read, I appreciated the author’s insistence and perseverance in dealing with some gutsy issues and not backing away from the need to find a resolution for these two. It was an interesting plot and story line, the characters were strong and well-developed, and the conflicts gave the story its flair and spice. It was not overly erotic, but there certainly was sexual tension throughout. I think romance fans who like a book into which they can sink their teeth will appreciate the “meaty” nature of this read. I am looking forward to additional books by this author. Are there going to be books about Rachel and Jamie? Hope so. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

This book is available from Wild Horse Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

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