Shattered by Joan Johnston
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Mira; Original edition
Available: December 29, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0778328292
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book received from: Publisher
Nine years ago Kate Grayhawk Pendelton walked into Wyatt Shaw’s life—and out of it the next morning. Now Wyatt’s back—and has the power to shatter Kate’s future with the man she loves.
By reputation, Wyatt Shaw is a brutal killer who always gets what he wants. And he wants Kate and her twin eight-year-old sons.
Texas Ranger Jack McKinley is hot on Wyatt Shaw’s trail. The presumed heir to the D’Amato crime syndicate is threatening to steal the woman he loves.
Holly McKinley is fighting to keep Jack from leaving her for another woman. Now the secret she’s kept for over twenty years may save their son’s life, and cost her the only man she’s ever loved.
Oh what a tangled web we weave. There is a lot going on in this book and I mean a lot. This is the 8th book in the Bitter Creek series and while it’s obvious there is a lot of back story, the book can be read as stand alone.
Nine years ago, Kate discovered her husband J.D. was cheating on her. Devastated and hurt, she reacted by picking up a stranger in a bar and having a one night stand. It was a very passionate night of lovemaking resulting in the conception of Kate’s twin boys.
Present day, Kate’s husband J.D. is, as far as the world is concerned, a dead war hero. In actuality, he is a war-time deserter who faked his own death, and a thief who is on the run from the mob for stealing twenty million dollars in heroin.
Kate is moving on after her husband’s ‘death’ and is in love with Jack, a Texas Ranger who is working undercover trying to bring down the mob boss who coincidentally is hunting Kate’s undead husband. The problem is Kate and Jack can’t get married because Kate’s husband is still secretly alive (she knows this) and Jack is married to Holly, but they are in the process of a divorce. To further complicate things, Holly is pregnant with Jack’s baby and she is still in love with him.
And then there’s Wyatt, the man that spent the unforgettable night with Kate years ago. He never forgot her or the passion they briefly shared. He just happens to be the only surviving son of the mob boss that is hunting Kate’s husband J.D. When a private investigator reveals that he is the biological father of Kate’s twins, he sets his sights on claiming his children and Kate.
The characters lives and relationships are deeply entangled and there is so much going on that I felt at times the author lost control of the plot. There were several holes and subjects that were never fully explained. For instance, Wyatt has been accused of murder because a dead woman was found in his bed. Kate knows this but decides to take her boys and move in with him anyway for protection from the mob boss who is the twins grandfather. It makes no sense to me why she would choose a man she barely knows, that has been accused of murder, to protect her. Wyatt never really offers her a good explanation for the murder accusation, he just tells her there is a reason he is not in jail and the FBI has another suspect. She takes him at his word.
Also, Wyatt is supposed to be the misunderstood good guy who just wants to be a father to his kids after all these years. However, the private investigator that tried to extort money when he revealed that Wyatt was the biological father of the twins met with a suspicious death. It was heavily implied that Wyatt was responsible for the suspicious accident but nothing ever came of it. Wyatt having the private investigator killed doesn’t fall in line with him being the good guy and the untimely death was never explained. I was left confused as to his true nature.
I found the love foursome between Wyatt, Kate, Jack and Holly unconvincing. Although Jack and Kate’s history together was explained, I felt like the author was overly eager to have them find love with someone other than each other. They supposedly loved each other, so much so that Jack was planning a proposal, but they seemed to accept their forced separation quite easily leaving the door conveniently open for other relationships to develop. Jack, knowing that Wyatt was the son of the dangerous mob boss and accused murderer didn’t seem as concerned as he should have been when the love of his life moved in with him. The romance between Jack and Holly simply lacked heat and left me unconvinced.
Because of the many subplots I was confused and at times frustrated with the various inconsistencies. However I continued to read hoping it would all come together. While the story did wrap up most of it’s loose ends, it was somewhat predictable and overall I was disappointed.
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Nice review FV…sounds like there is A LOT going on in this book. I am starting it soon…I'm very interested to see how I like it
This does sound as though a bit too much is going on. I'm not sure I like the cover either. If I saw this in a bookshop I wouldn't think it contained a contemporary romance. Great review FV!
Great Review! Sounds like a little to much going on for my taste though.
Eeek 2 hearts. Good points FV, if you can't buy the relationship in a romance book that is an instant no no in KC's book.
BTW I'm eating a can of tuna as I read your review. Do you feel sorry for me?
Mandi-I'm very curious to hear your thoughts on this too.
BCC-I agree, the cover doesn't say romance at all, but the book is set in Texas so I suppose that's where the cover comes in.
Tricia–It seems the reactions to this book are strong on each side of the scale. People either really liked it or really didn't. Not many in between opinions out there.
KC–Yeah, I just couldn't get on board with any of the romances in this book and there were 3! And seriously, you have got to stop bringing up the tuna, I feel ill! LOL
Thanks for the heads up sweetie! I hate when I go to read a book and my eyes totally cross with confusion! lol Reading should be fun, exciting AND relaxing! lol Great review!
I've read a couple of other books from the series. It's too bad that this one is so disappointing! Now I know to stay away from it.
Caitlin–If you read other books in the series and enjoyed them it's very possible you'll like this one as well. I'd hate to think that you'd avoid a book in a series that you previously enjoyed based on one of my reviews. I just felt that the author had many loose ends to tie up and it all felt forced to me.