Title: Bent Not Broken
Series: A Cedar Creek Novel
Author: Julia Goda
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 17, 2015
Life has taught Ivey Jones early on that with trust come pain and betrayal. Out of survival she has created walls around her to keep anyone from getting too close. Though she lives in her dream house in the Rocky Mountains and loves being the owner of the town's quirky little bookstore Serendipity, her life is narrow and governed by strict rules that she never deviates from…until Cal Bennett enters her life.
For the past nine years Calvin “Cal” Bennett has stayed away from Ivey, thinking she deserved better than to be saddled with a single dad who has never been good at relationships. Until a few chance encounters show him what he’s been missing and he can’t stay away any longer.
Little does he know he’s got a fight on his hands that he might not be equipped to win. Shadows from Ivey's past lurk in the dark, ready to strike and bring her low once and for all. But Cal swears he will do whatever it takes to break through that wall of steel to win Ivey’s heart and keep her safe.
“Keep your hands up there,” he whispered his order in my ear, then released my wrists and glided his fingers down my arms, over my shoulders, along the sides of my breasts that were now pushing out by my arched back.
Good god! I didn’t know if I could keep my hands up there.
His hands continued moving on my skin towards the edge of my shirt, where they slowly pushed it up and then, whoosh! It was gone, leaving me in only my bra and panties.
Both of his hands came back to my skin at my stomach, touching whisper soft, then went to my waist, then back in and between my breasts, back down, his eyes following his every movement.
“So beautiful, Ivey. You are so goddamn beautiful. Arch more for me.”
I did and he kept roaming his hands over my body as if he was worshipping me.
I shivered and moaned, feeling like my skin was electrically charged wherever he touched me.
My breath was coming in quick little pants now.
My girl parts spasmed and it felt so good that I let out another long and deep moan when his mouth came back over my breast and he started slightly sucking it through my bra.
God, that felt good.
“Arch more, baby. Push your tit into my mouth.” I complied immediately and was rewarded when Cal sucked harder. Then his fingers went inside my bra and roughly pulled down the cup and his mouth was on me, sucking hard and deep while he pulled and pinched my other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
Glorious!
3.5 star review for Bent Not Broken by Julie Goda
from guest reviewer Alison
The way I see it empty is better. Empty is good.
Just like weak.
Because it cannot hurt you.
It cannot take from you.
And that's good, because I have nothing else to give.
Everything else has been taken from me, so empty is all I have left.
Abused and broken Ivey leaves her old life in Boston behind to start a new one in Cedar Creek. A quiet little town, her own bookstore and some great friends is all she needs.
Until she meets Cal, a single father with his sights set on Ivey. He makes her want things she knows she can never have. Her walls are so high she thought no man would ever penetrate them. She thought wrong.
"Baby, that attitude you're handing out to try and get rid of us, just saying, it's not working. It makes you hot as hell and I'm having a hard time controlling the urge to kiss you senseless."
Ivey is snarky and fun. She tries hard to keep Cal at arms length but even her witty sense of humor is no match for his alpha tendencies. "I don't date!" I snapped in his face. "You do now," he arrogantly responded.
The chemistry between Cal and Ivey is off the charts hot. Even when she's trying to push him away her physical reaction is evident. "Cal felt my shiver and his lips turned into a grin. Seriously! If I wouldn't look like a complete idiot, I'd zero mp my foot and growl."
Cal may be all male but his soft side comes out repeatedly with Ivy. He knows she's been hurt and he wants nothing more than for her to trust him. "I will take on those demons you have inside you. No matter what they are or who put them there, I will fight them with you until your light can shine freely. I will take them on and I will win, Ivey. I swear you do not have to be afraid of me. I will not hurt you. Ever."
This was a debut novel for Julie Goda and I really enjoyed it. The sorry was interesting and kept me invested. I liked Cal's Alpha tendencies and Ivey's strength. She is a fighter and knows she is fighting for her life.
I liked the secondary characters a lot. Cal's son Tommy, his parents Betty and Pete and Ivey's best friend Marcy and her husband Larry all had a hand in getting Cal and Ivey together. They were fun and quirky and added humor to a very serious story line.
I would give this book 3 1/2*. There were some minor editing issues but overall a solid read.
The next time I woke up was when the sheets were ripped away from me, my hand was grasped, and I was pulled out of bed and into Cal’s arms.
Really? Was he suicidal?
“Cal!” I snapped, “I’m sleeping!”
“No you’re not. You’re up and talking. We’re gonna take a shower.” He then proceeded to further prove his suicidal tendencies by dragging me behind him to the bathroom. Yes, he dragged me. I was doing my damned best to stop him, but that didn’t slow him down in the slightest. I doubt he even realized I was doing it.
“Cal!” I snapped again.
“Right here, baby,” he said casually while he started unbuttoning his shirt. I faced off against him, hands on my hips, more than halfway into a fit. “Something to know about me. I don’t do mornings. Especially not early mornings. Especially not early mornings without coffee. You don’t talk to me. You don’t even look at me before I’ve had my first coffee and brushed my teeth.” There. That should do it. I started to turn around to go back to bed, but Cal snaked an arm around my waist, effectively stopping me from leaving. His body was shaking in silent laughter.
“I’m not joking,” I stated, now starting to get way past having a fit straight into being royally pissed off. He tightened his hold on me and looked into my eyes. His were dancing.
Yup, getting royally pissed off.
“You’re standing in my bathroom the morning after the night you spent in my bed where I made you come for the first time. You’re buck naked and you don’t want me to look at you? Baby, you’re crazy.”
I looked down at myself and realized that, yes, he was right. I was completely naked. And he was holding me tight to his body that he had been in the process of undressing. His shirt was unbuttoned, so my naked chest was pressed to his naked chest. He had a great chest. I hadn’t gotten a good look at his body last night, but good God he had a nice chest! I couldn’t stop myself from drinking in the sight of him and getting turned on by what I saw. Hard and muscled pecs covered by smooth, soft skin.
Delicious.
I licked my lips.
I have been writing stories in my head since I can remember. Much to my teachers’ dismay, given the task of writing a short essay I would always come back with way too long and detailed stories. Many discussions (I have always been somewhat of a smart-aleck) and bad grades were the result, so that for most of my life I thought I couldn’t write worth a damn and pursued other careers. But the dream of being an author wouldn’t be ignored and kept lingering. With a little help from my fantastic husband, who gave me the necessary kick in the behind, I was finally brave enough to start writing my first novel and finished it only a few short weeks later—well, the first draft, that is. The seal was broken.
My novels jump genres and touch on all kinds of different topics, but the things I try to focus on no matter what are romance, strong women, and a good sense of humor.
Now, when I’m not in my writing cave, spinning the tales that have been hounding me or editing (yes, I am also a professional editor, guess that degree in Literature and Linguistics turned out to be useful after all!), I enjoy reading, drinking coffee, eating good food, and listening to rock music.
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