Broken
Robin Ayele
ISBN: 9780981502809
Chocolate Angel Publications
Reviewed By Delores Airey

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


Everything about Autumn is different. Throughout her formative years and into adulthood, Autumn never really experiences what it's like to be truly 'normal.' Her childhood isn't about doing all the things that little girls normally do; no, quite the opposite: Autumn's life is shrouded in dark and unfathomable secrecy. The devastating loss of her dear parents, affectionately known as "Mama J" and "Daddy D," the trauma of having to undergo years of insufferable mental and physical pain, as well as ongoing torment suffered at the hands of a close relative, the "boogieman," prove at times to be too much.

Autumn is growing up quickly and, as the saying goes, nothing lasts forever; she soon matures into a fine, strong, and strapping woman, free and living her life as she sees fit. A striking beauty shaped by her environment, Autumn takes able care of herself, developing into a powerful and independent character, a woman with a strong entrepreneurial edge and spirit. Acquiring her own hair and beauty business, she's tough, managing her own colorful and charismatic team of coiffeurs, on top of her game, calling her own shots, laying down her own rules; overall, a woman to be reckoned with on all fronts. She's also controlling, though, and everyone constantly flows under her spell, none able to get close enough to her to notice that there is so much more to her character.

Men don't really figure highly in Autumn's life on the romantic front, as is the case for the majority of women - although it goes without saying that Autumn could have any man she wants. Men are a welcoming challenge, satisfying her unnaturally acute and unquenchable thirst when she decides to have her own way with them, beckoning them to her mystifying charms in a matter of a few short seconds - or a few calculative minutes. She's good at getting men caught in her trappings, serving as her prey. But the hunter soon becomes the hunted when Cole literally walks into her life, causing Autumn to feel a range of wholly different emotions. He is different, and he makes her feel differently in kind.

The pressure is on, and cracks begin to appear in Autumn's personality. Joy, her trusted best friend, lives in an apartment with Autumn and keeps her knowledge of Autumn's best kept childhood secrets safely tucked away in the deep recesses of her loyal mind. Joy soon, though, begins to witness disturbing personality traits, arousing unsettling suspicions about her best friend - but does she remain loyal?

Family members don't hide the fact that they deem Autumn a strange person, and Joy's mother tolerates her friendship with Autumn - but not without dropping the odd comment about Joy considering a relinquishment. Ricky, Joy's partner, finds Autumn weird, and he takes the careless risk of venting his not-so-favorable and unflattering opinions of her, ultimately paying dearly for doing so. All in all, there is so much angst to this crime thriller that it's wickedly enjoyable.

Robin Ayele packs a great thriller in Broken. Everyone has a story to tell, and Ayele lends her characters' stories intriguing dexterity, prompting readers to root for the good and bad guys – as well as the victims - alike, giving interesting angles, twists, chilling insights, and thrills to a well-crafted crime story. Highly recommended.