[b:Pretty Broken Girl|26829715|Pretty Broken Girl (Pretty Broken, #1)|Jeana E. Mann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449271065l/26829715._SY75_.jpg|46860816] by [a:Jeana E. Mann|7704948|Jeana E. Mann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530921991p2/7704948.jpg]
Genres; Adult, Contemporary, Romance
4 Stars

Very intense.

Well written. Decently paced and smooth flow.
Dakota and Samuel are very easy to connect to and root for.

A lot of steamy passion and sweet romance.
Some interesting twist that keep you intrigued.

A couple of areas that were slightly repetitive.

I found 1 editing error.

I cared about the characters and enjoyed this one enough that I want to read more by this author.
Got a few of her books on my kindle and I will be exploring her a lot in the next few months. ( )

Pretty Broken Girl was a very nice surprise, especially since I went into it with no expectations. The blurb on Goodreads doesn't give much away, but I was intrigued anyway. I found myself really enjoying the characters of Dakota and Samuel, two broken people with a broken marriage and 10 years of silence between them. Jeana E. Mann does a great job of giving you just enough to feel the live chemistry and broken relationship between Sam and Dakota, but not enough to let you really understand it. At first we just see glimpses of Dakota's life now, get a clear idea of Sam's womanizer ways, but overtime as they reconnect as boss and employee we grow to understand who they are apart and the damage Dakota's choice wreaked on both of them. I felt myself feeling for both of them, really sad at how their lives had turned bitter and lonely, even if neither would admit it. I really enjoyed the game they both seem to be playing, especially having Sam show this alpha side of himself, both with no idea of what the outcome would truly be. There's a lot more to the story than just the relationship of Dakota and Sam, though it all is connected. Family and friend relationships were interesting and provided more insight into the past of each character.

While the book was predictable at times, the writing style kept me engaged and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Written in past and present alternating POV's it can seem a bit confusing, especially when a character's POV repeats, but getting inside each head offered a unique look at their relationship. The changing POV brought to light many of the secrets about each character and made the chemistry real. I liked the end of Pretty Broken Girl as well, because it felt final and still left an open door for the sequel, Pretty Filthy Lies. No cliffhanger here! I definitely recommend this to readers looking for a shorter book filled with drama and romance. ( )