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| Book cover via Amazon.com |
Can her second book in the series live up to the hype? Is this book one of the most interesting covers that Mrs. Y ever has seen? (The answer is yes, I like it). Will there be a very complicated, and brutal mystery to solve?
Tune in now loyal readers! We get to review JC Paulson’s next in the series “Broken Through.” The Review starts NOW!
Opinion
Like yesterday’s review, today we are reviewing JC Paulson’s next book in the series “Broken Through.” JC asked me to review both of her books honestly, so I am doing them in order, and I will be critiquing this book, not only for how it is on its own but also how it is in the series. Like always, this is an honest review and my opinion.
Firstly, aside from the romance plot and we will talk more about that later, a reader can pick this book out of order and read it on its own. That is a testimony to good writing. It's better if you read the first one first, but you do not have to. If you are looking for a mystery story, the mystery in this book is sound. This time, this book is about a more personal issue, not so topical, in that it’s regarding not a religious plot but more of a traditional who done it type of mystery.
Again, my super sleuthing friends who love to wear your detective hats, I was able to use my method of having a mystery journal was helpful, so my fellow sleuth loving reader friends, this is fun. The book has lovely pacing and the tension for the mystery portion and is fantastic.
Let’s get into some neutral territory, my friends. This isn’t so much as a critique as it is a thing I noticed. Remember how yesterday I said there was a mystery story with romance? Well, the tone on this book is very different. “Adam’s Witness” was a Mystery/Romance. “Broken Through” is a Romance/Mystery. No this is a Romance-Mystery novel. Before you hide away your violins, sleuthing journals, and detective hats, hear me out, my friends.
I have no issue with Romance novels, nor do I have a problem with Mystery novels. If the tone is mystery/romance first in one book, I feel as a reader; the next should also be mystery/romance. This isn’t a deal breaker for the book, because it is still a well-written book, but it might confuse you with the way the books read differently in sections. So, relax my friend, because love is in the air.
Let’s talk about the main romance plot of the story as it pertains to the story. This is a romantic, and loving book for our protagonists. As far as romance stories go, the story arch that it ended on was on a high, and it traverses all the way beautifully to the end of the book. There is an exciting climax that is entirely separate from the mystery novel, and solo to the romance sections. I would also like to commend one of the secondary antagonists known as Jilly as one of the more exciting additions to a story. Not always when you add things to a romance plot to spark it further, especially considering the path JC took for this piece of the sub-plot. However, JC’s masterful touch to this character in the story breathes life into the entire plot, and I enjoyed it.
Next, on the note of positives, regarding “Broken Through” and it's placed in the series, this book fits well with the first despite the tonal differences. One is a yin to the others yang and complements each other beautifully. When taken side by side, they both have a lot of very explicit violence, and some horrific murder placed, but also romance peppered through both.
When looking at specifically this book, another positive I enjoyed was the clever use of the environment and scenes. I thought that was lovely. “Broken Through” on its own does tell a complete beginning middle and end. The grammar was lovely and well pointed. Also, I’d like to point out the e-copy I got of “Broken Through” on Kindle Unlimited, was flawless. I had no problems with pages or chapter markers or doubled page numbers or anything like that. It was wonderful.
Score
Without further ado, I’m giving “Broken Through” a 92/100 which is a tie to “Adam’s Witness” because they both are equally lovely. As I mentioned they complement each other well and work beautifully together. That is a 5-star review on Goodreads and Amazon.com. So, get yourself a nice cup of tea and settle down with a good book, and enjoy!
