Broken Wing - Judith James

I have to thank Kristie J for leading me to this book.  I read her review for this book almost a year ago and it's been on my TBB list for the entire time but I only just picked it up last week.  Why? I have no idea for some reason I never actually saw this book at a bookstore.  I don't know if it wasn't stocked or if it just didn't jump out at me but until I brought my wishlist to the USB store with me I just didn't see it.  Which leads me to believe that if it hadn't been brought to my attention previously I probably never would have read it - and that would really suck!

Abandoned as a child and raised in a brothel, Gabriel St. Croix has never known tenderness, friendship, or affection. Although fluent in sex, he knows nothing of love. Lost and alone inside a nightmare world, all he's ever wanted was companionship and a place to belong. Hiding physical and emotional scars behind an icy façade, his only relationship is with a young boy he has spent the last five years protecting from the brutal reality of their environment. But all that is about to change. The boy's family has found him, and they are coming to take him home.

Sarah Munroe blames herself for her brother's disappearance. When he's located, safe and unharmed despite where he has been living, Sarah vows to help the man who rescued and protected him in any way she can. With loving patience she helps Gabriel face his demons and teaches him to trust in friendship and love. But when the past catches up with him, Gabriel must face it on his own.

Becoming a mercenary, pirate and a professional gambler, Gabriel travels to London, France, and the Barbary Coast in a desperate attempt to find Sarah again and all he knows of love. On the way, however, he will discover the most dangerous journey, and the greatest gamble of all, is within the darkest reaches of his own heart.

Oh my where do I start??  I suppose I'll start with Gabriel since this is essentially Gabriel's story.  Let me just refer to my checklist of favourite hero traits shall I?  Wounded and tortured? Check. Reluctant Hero? Check. Alpha minus the asshole? Check. Gorgeous?  Check.  Completely devoted to the heroine? Check.  Really what more could a girl ask for from her hero??  Not much I think and I think it's obvious that Gabriel most certainly worked for me on so many levels.  I adored him even when I wanted to knock him over the head with a frying pan near the end of the book he still broke my heart.   I loved watching him slowly falling in love with Sarah and growing as he discovered he may actually be worth something after all.

And Sarah!  She is most certainly one of my most favourite heroines EVER!  Even though she did take a back seat to Gabriel in this story (it is his story after all)  I found that she was such a strong character to begin with we didn't need to follow the same character growth etc. that we normally see from both the hero and the heroine.  Sarah had already suffered her trials and she had grown from them and become the person she was prior to this story ever taking place.  Her history was what made her so perfect for Gabriel and probably the one and only person who could truly love and appreciate everything Gabriel was as well as show him his self-worth.  She also came across to me as a very realistic social rebel.  She had grown up with a close and loving family and when that was all taken from her she was released from all the constraints of polite society as she came to realize that there were far more important things than public opinion.   Put simply I adored her and her inner strength, self-knowledge and her unconditional love for Gabriel are what made the happy ending for these two possible.

Now for the story.  It was beautiful.  The first half of the book is magical and wonderful as we watch Gabriel slowly come to realize that Sarah may actually care for him and that he may actually be worth her love.  There is very little conflict for this part of the book aside from Gabriel's self-loathing but that doesn't stop him from "selfishly" falling head over heels for Sarah.   Now for most of the second half of the book there is a looooong separation.  This may bother some people but is quite frankly one of my favourite plot devices when it is done well.  I feel it was done very well in this book.  I cried for almost the entire last two chapters and it's not often a book affects me like that.

Thank you again Kristie for bringing such a wonderful book to my attention.  Now I just have to get my hands on Highland Rebel.

Rating 10/10