Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Damaged Heart
AUTHOR: S.C. Wynne
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 134 pages
BLURB:
Cory Johnson was just twenty when he fled Bayville, following his father’s suicide. Estranged from his abusive mother, he’s made a new life for himself as a successful lawyer in Los Angeles.
When Cory’s mother dies he grudgingly returns to his hometown to handle the estate. Rhys Tucker owns the construction company that is going to renovate Cory’s childhood home. But Cory is unaware that Rhys has harbored a crush on him since they were in high school. When Cory comes home Rhys takes that opportunity to get close to Cory. Or at least try to.
Their physical chemistry is undeniable, but will Cory ever be able to have a real relationship with Rhys after being so emotionally scarred by his past? Can a heart as damaged as Cory’s every really come home?
REVIEW:
Wow, this book was so good. So GOOD!! I’m actually surprised I liked it as much as I did. Especially since one of the main characters is such an absolute and complete jerk off.
Cory is back to his hometown of Bayville to settle his late mother’s estate. It’s clear right from the start that Cory holds absolutely no love for the town, his family home, or even his late mother. The realtor who is helping him recommends several contractors and this is how we meet Rhys.
Rhys has held a burning torch for Cory since high school. What’s incredibly endearing about Rhys is that he never waivers from his want of Cory. Cory pushes Rhys away at every turn. He is downright mean to him and callus towards his feelings but Rhys’s feelings never falter. He is constantly pushing Cory to prolong their tryst and hoping that Cory doesn’t sell his childhood home so he will continue to have a reason to visit.
As Cory tells his story we learn that his mother and father were very disturbed. Their emotional abuse was extensive and Cory lives his life with severe emotional scars. Cory is very closed off. He is cold and shows no emotion whatsoever. Knowing his parents had severe mental illness he’s in constant fear of it being passed on to him.
When Cory does return to L.A., for work, Cory again proves what a major jerk he is by not keeping in touch with Rhys. He lets 3 weeks go by with no contact whatsoever and needless to say Rhys is crushed. But their short time together has affected Cory; he can’t stop thinking about how good Rhys is and how hot they were together.
This author has a gift for writing a character that’s so unlikeable but at the same time he endears himself to you as the reader. I truly understood why Cory was the way he was, so I was constantly rooting for him to get his HEA.
Through lots of trial and tribulations Rhys and Cory come together in an explosive take it or leave it blow out. I found myself so completely enraptured and I couldn’t put this book down.
RATING: 
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