I recently finished reading Repairing a Broken Heart by G. L. Robinson. Don’t write off this book as too cheesy based on the title. It’s not nearly as cheesy as it sounds. Yes, there’s love and a broken heart, but Lyla isn’t your typical Regency Era female lead.
Intro to the Book
Lyla and Harry have been best friends since childhood. As they reach early adulthood, they realize their feelings go beyond just friendship. The two make plans to marry. Lyla knows that it might be a few years. Harry’s family has money issues, and he has to make his way financially before he can marry her. Lyla’s fine with that. She’s willing to wait patiently for the day they can marry. Then she learns Harry’s engaged to someone else. This woman can provide Harry’s family with the financial stability they need.
Rather than see the man she is in love with married to someone else, Lyla convinces her dad to send her to Ireland for a year. She’s just as good at finding and buying great horses as any man. That’s what she’s going to do while she gets over her lost love.
Starts Slowly
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It starts out a bit slow, but the story picks up about a third of the way through. It took me about three or four days to get through the first third, and then I read the rest in one day.
Finding New Love
I really like how the story compared the way that Lyla was treated by her two love interests. It clearly shows the reader why the one was a better choice. I do wish some of this had been shown in actual scenes rather than just in Lyla talking or thinking about it, though.
This might be a bit of a spoiler, but Harry treats her like she’s fragile and like she can’t do things on her own. He chastises her for doing things that aren’t super ladylike, especially things that involve taking care of her horses. Finn, her new love interest, treats her with respect and as an equal. He’s there to help her when she needs help, but he also allows her to make her own decisions and to be as independent as she can be during this era.
I Wished for More
I do feel like this book needed a bit more character development. While I like Lyla with Finn, I wish we’d gotten a better feel for their relationship. There were scenes talking about the two of them together, but I felt like a lot of the scenes were more of them apart and just thinking about the other one. I want to see why they fell in love.
Reader Warnings
This book has a few swear words, I’d say less than 5. It does hint at some sexual content situations, but we don’t get the graphic details of them. The violence is behind the scenes, although there is one scene where you know the character was beaten up pretty badly. You don’t feel bad for the guy. He deserved it.
Who Should Read This Love Story
Yes, this is a love story. It’s about more than just Lyla loving two men, though. I felt like it was about her loving herself and respecting herself enough to expect to be treated the way she should be treated. If you like Regency novels but you don’t always like the timid nature of some of the females, this one’s for you.
