Sandy M’s review of Fragile by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 3 Feb 09

I take every chance I get to read a Shiloh Walker book. I don’t have my own copy of Fragile yet, so when a friend mentioned she had a copy, you guessed it. I wasn’t shy one bit in asking to borrow it from her – even before she’d read it. I’m glad I did. I once again got lost in a compelling and emotional read.

I really liked the beginning of the book when we get a taste of Luke’s background first when he finds the twin brother he never knew about and then seeing him wind down in his military career, realizing it’s not what he wants any longer. We learn that though his twin, Quinn, pretty much hates the world when he comes to live with Luke and their father, they do end up with a good relationship, experiencing that twin thing over the years.

Leaving the service, Luke becomes a doctor and trades one version of hell for another. Instead of seeing his buddies either shot up or die in the field, he now sees abused women and children, and that’s how he comes in contact with Devon. She’s a social worker who puts her heart and soul into helping the abused because she once walked in their shoes and was lucky enough to have someone care enough to help get her on her way to where she is today.

Finally getting a chance to meet Devon outside the hospital, Luke takes the chance and asks her out. Once they begin to learn about each other, he very quickly puts together what happened to her as a child, so he uses kid gloves to court her, refuses to rush her. However, he finds out just as quickly Devon isn’t as fragile as she appears. Suddenly a stalker is after Devon and a nightmare ensues for both of them.

They each have their scars from their pasts, Devon more so than Luke, of course. He has to work against both her walls she’s built around herself and the stalker to make sure they have a life together. While all of this is going on, we also get a bit of a look into Quinn and all he went through as a child, how a screw-up on a mission is currently affecting him and his relationship with Luke. I’m actually very intrigued by Quinn and look forward to his story.

The love scenes between Luke and Devon are quite hot and intense, once Luke knows Devon can handle him in the bedroom without the kid gloves. I like his tenderness, especially because he figures out Devon’s issues on his own, knows he has to take care in his wooing of her. And her fierceness in life, from the kids she helps to surviving hell again, makes her a great heroine. The mystery with the stalker takes an unexpected turn and I was caught off guard when he’s finally revealed.

Once again, Ms. Walker had me hooked in a very short time and I devoured this book in no time at all. Broken is up next, and I can’t wait.

Grade: A-

Summary:

BATTLE SCARRED

Six years after trading in his combat gear for hospital scrubs, Luke Rafferty still hasn’t found what he’s been searching for: a normal life. At his job, Luke is faced with things just as heartbreaking as those on the battlefield, none more so than the abused children brought in by a pretty red-headed social worker.

HEARTBROKEN

For Devon Manning, being a social worker is a rewarding job, but also a constant reminder of her own troubled youth. Devon takes everything one day at a time—unable to form a relationship with anyone except the children she rescues.

A DESIRE TO HEAL…

When Luke meets Devon, he thinks he might have found what he’s been looking for, but in order to get the life he wants, Luke has to break through Devon’s emotional barriers and make her realize that his healing touch might be just the complication her life needs…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: