Breaking Benjamin, by Haylee Thorne and Michelle Windsor | Book Review #374

Benjamin Sapphire is tall, dark, handsome, and very rich. He’s ex-military who lost more than friends while in combat; he lost a part of himself, literally. Wealth, good looks and his irresistible charm provide a revolving door of women in his bed. Finding someone to help fill the black hole that was once his heart is another story. Until he meets her…

Jill Baldwin is not just beautiful, blonde, and brilliant; she’s a ball buster. She knows who she is and what she wants, and won’t settle for anything less. She’s worked her ass off to open one of the hottest spa’s in the city and is enjoying the spoils of her success. Her business is her life and not even the sexiest man she’s ever encountered is going to mess with that… Right?

Check out this cross-over series featuring Benjamin Sapphire from Michelle Windsor’s The Auction Series, and Jill Baldwin from Haylee Thorne’s Kingsley Series to see what kind of sparks fly when their two worlds collide!

I was excited to read Breaking Benjamin because I read a review for the book and thought “May as well!” Especially since I’ve been in a romance book mood lately.

Breaking Benjamin is really about two people who believe they’re broken come together. Pun unintended. *cough* A story of two people falling in-love.

There are two points of view that we read from in Breaking Benjamin, and the first point of view we read from is Ben. As the synopsis says, he’s been in the army for the last few years and that’s left a serious mark on him. The second point of view we read from is Jill. I’m a little upset that the story didn’t get into Jill’s past like the story did with Ben.

The pace for Breaking Benjamin moves incredibly quickly. There isn’t much of a story build up before the first sex scene happens. Literally, 30% into the novel, the first sex scene happens. Which I didn’t really mind. I wish there was more angst though.

Something that bothered me a lot was that the first 50-60% of this story felt forced. It’s an enjoyable read, but I couldn’t connect with the characters as much as I hoped I would.

I really love that the sense of friendship that Jill has with her friends. They’ll always be there for one another, not matter the situation.

The beginning of Breaking Benjamin was not exactly messy, but it wasn’t a clean one either. I suppose the start to Ben and Jill’s story was how quite a few romance stories in real life pan out: started at the bar. Ben and Jill’s romance is an incredibly fast paced one. At times the story felt natural and the story flowed smoothly. While at other times, the story felt forced and unnatural.

There were times while reading this book that I enjoyed, and there were times where I didn’t enjoy it as much. However, the story is entertaining and I enjoyed it—-not as much as I had hoped to, but that’s ok! I still enjoyed reading Ben and Jill’s story.

I give Breaking Benjamin, 2.5 stars.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

I found Breaking Benjamin from reading Demi’s review. If you’re interested in what they’ve got to say about the book, I suggest you read their review.