Book blurb:
Injured in a debilitating accident at age six, Ethan Searle believes women eye him with a mixture of pity and disdain. He’s tried love before. He won’t again. He meets his match in a precocious two-year old who loves him despite his disability, even while her mother seems bothered by everything about Ethan.
Autumn Reader escaped her abusive marriage with her beautiful daughter and a stack of fear. She can’t make the mistake of trusting a man again. Autumn’s daughter becomes enraptured by Ethan. Despite Autumn’s best intentions, she finds herself following her daughter’s example. When her ex-husband reappears, threatening everyone she loves if she won’t submit to his demands, Autumn has to learn to trust or lose her chance at real love.
“Characters to fall in love with, action to keep you turning pages, and the most adorable little girl ever, The Broken Path is a compelling tale of strength and trust, courage and heart. I truly enjoyed this book.” – Maria Hoagland, Author of Family Size
"The Broken Path is sweet romance with heart, suspense, and plenty of story twists that kept me turning pages. Add in a romantic hero with a cane, a struggling single mom, and an adorable little girl and this book has it all!" --Heather Justesen, author of The Switch
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Here's an excerpt:
Ethan maneuvered with his braces to the next set of doors, grabbing the handle with two of his fingers. His braces clanked against the door, reminding Autumn of his condition. Edging backward, he held the door for her and Brittan.
“Oh, no.” Autumn shook her head in embarrassment, realizing how difficult the movement must have been for him. “No, let me hold it for you.”
The look in his eyes told her she’d humiliated him.
“Please,” that wonderful voice rumbled with an almost reproachful tone. “Allow me.”
Ouch. “Uh, sorry.”
That obviously didn’t help. Her apology only made the situation more uncomfortable. His grip on the door tightened until his knuckles lost their pink tinge. His dark eyebrows slanted together, echoing the frown on his lips.
“Thank you.” Autumn broke eye contact and rushed through the door, wishing she could explain she hadn’t meant to offend him. Brittan stared over her shoulder, apparently enthralled by the man’s awkward movements.
“Hi,” Brittan called out to him, breaking her uncharacteristic silence.
Autumn slowed her steps, waiting for him to move alongside her. She prayed her precocious child wouldn’t say anything to embarrass either of them.
“Hi,” he said.“What’s your name?”
Autumn risked another glance at his tan face. With his attention focused on Brittan, he didn’t appear to notice her scrutiny.
“B-r-i-t-t-a-n, Brittan,” she called out. “You name?” Brittan jabbed a finger in his direction.
His smile softened his features. Autumn’s breath caught in her throat. Wow. She self-consciously touched her hair, making sure the short locks were flipped just right.
“Ethan,” he responded warmly to the little girl, not even noticing Autumn.
“Effan,” Brittan yelled. “Effan.”
“Shhh,” Autumn said. “We’re in the church, honey.”
“Sowwy.” Brittan didn’t sound repentant as she continued grinning at Ethan. He returned the smile, winking at her as if he understood how it felt to be reprimanded.
Autumn couldn’t stop herself from gawking at him. His handsome face and strong body demanded admiration. She’d almost forgotten about his right leg, left foot, and the braces. The only reason she remembered was her altered pace to walk alongside him.
Ethan caught her staring. His look of reprimand forced Autumn to swivel her eyes to the wall. She felt the need to explain herself.
“I’m sorry if I offended you by opening the door. I didn’t mean...”
He waved her off. “I’m used to it. People assume because my legs don’t work properly I’m only half a man.”
Could he really believe that? Oh, heavens, if only he knew. To her, he was twice any man she’d seen. “But, I don’t think...” She tried to explain.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ethan interrupted.
Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.
Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog.
Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.
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My Thoughts:
I liked this book. I have a nephew who is handicapped. He lost his leg fighting in Iraq. Because of this, I understand Ethan's outlook and thought pattern to some extent. I enjoyed having the lead man be less than perfect for a change.
I liked how Autumn tries to over come her past, make the best of her situation and shield her daughter from future hurt.
That being said, some of the moments between the two felt rushed or just wrong. I don't know how else to explain it. For example, when she yelled at Brittan and then he yelled at her and then avoided her for two days.
Brittan was sweet and made me smile a lot! :-) She was without a doubt my favorite character.
If you are looking for a romance with a less than perfect hero, you may want to give this one a try.
I received a copy of The Broken Path from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly enjoyed it.
Question: Isn't the little girl on the cover adorable?
In the book Brittan's character is very cute. I think the picture fits. :-)
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+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI read another excerpt from this novel when it was reviewed on another blog, and it showed another instance in which Autumn offends Ethan without even meaning to. In fact, based on the two excerpts I've read, she seems to offend him most effectively when her intention is to be kind and considerate! =P
It's also interesting to me that in this excerpt Autumn is worried that Brittan might offend Ethan! I wonder if Cami Checketts deliberately wrote that as Autumn projecting her uncomfortable feelings onto her daughter.
And I see that we have an easy question today! ;-) Yes, Brittan is adorable on the cover!!! <3
I couln't pass up the opportunity to talk about the cute little girl on the cover.
DeleteYou are correct. Autumn always seems to offend Ethan without trying. If anything she is trying not to. She is a caring and kind person who has been through a terrible ordeal.
^^ Yes the little girl is really cute and from what i've read an adorable character. Often we forget that if the children can be really cruel when they want they also don't have all our prejuge and can really help to see the world with another view.
ReplyDeleteAutumn, doesn't want to offend him but she does however i think that if thing were inversed Ethan would do it too. he is just forgetting that. I appreciate unperfect hero too^^
+JMJ+
DeleteThat's an interesting insight about Ethan, Miki!
The only way we can find out how someone really wants to be treated is to spend a lot of time with him. There's a sense in which Ethan expects far too much of Autumn on their first meeting. (I'm assuming the excerpt is from that point in the story!) It's also likely that he has quite a chip on his shoulder, which has nothing to do with her at all.
Great insight as usual!
DeleteI think they are both trying to hard.
It is difficult for Ethan to believe that someone might really see past his disability. It is very unfair that he twists everything Autumn says at first.
I added this one to my TBR. The story premise really intrigues me. I remember my daughter at that age and see her now. She still, at 15, has that wide-eyed innocence that she did at 2. Over the years my kids have taught me many things, one of which is to always give everyone a chance and to never assume anything.
ReplyDeleteThe little girl, in the story and on the cover are definitely cute. Love how she spells her name out for him ;)
As always, great comments by everyone.
I do have one more thought. Whenever I've seen individuals who have been disabled by an accident, they always seem to worry about perceptions and think that everyone is pitying them. It's a harsh pill for them to swallow and they react much the way Ethan did in this excerpt.
Love the little curls on the little girl, so cute!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, this book is one of them that is on my TBR list but only because I can't decide if I want to read it or not. I love the idea of the man not being perfect (but through his character, he kind of is). I like the description of the story too but I don't like when books rush situations, relationships or such it makes me frustrated.
The jury is still out with this one! Maybe I will read it sometime.
I have a slew of books on my TBR list that I am unsure of as well. If I don't put them on the list, I'll forget about them and definitely won't read them.
DeleteHowever I have so many that I know I really want to read, that it takes a long time to get around to the other ones.
That's exactly why I always put the "maybes" on my TBR list too, cause I will forget them!
DeleteI often feel like my TBR list is so completely out of control that I will never be able to make a dent in it! Then of course I realize that even if I read only half of them, It's still an amazing way to spend my time!
Thanks for the review and all the comments. I love all this insight.
ReplyDeleteThe little girl on the cover is my niece, we have to force ourselves to stop telling her how pretty she is! We thought she'd be showing off her huge smile, but seeing her dad on braces flipped her out!
Thanks again,
Cami
She's so cute! I know a little girl who looks just like her, so sweet!
ReplyDelete