Broken Girl | Saucy Southern Readers

Broken Girl

By Gretchen de la O

Buy: Amazon

Synopsis

My name is ROSE NEWTON, and I sell my body on the streets of San Francisco. I’m what you call society’s dirty little secret. On the outside, I’m in control, the woman who makes her own rules and gives nothing away for free. Inside, I’m broken and numb. Torn and shattered by my past, my life is nothing more than the lost fragments of what’s left of me. SHANE WEST represents everything that’s foreign to me. He’s brave, kind, funny, gorgeous and persistent. When fate brings us face to face, an undeniable attraction blazes between us. He becomes the constant I’ve never had and the only man I’ll ever trust. There is nothing simple about falling in love when you’re keeping a secret like mine. *Reader’s discretion advised. Certain content might not be suitable for some readers.

Michel’s Review

In the last two years I have met Gretchen de la O at several book signings. Each time I spoke with her she told me she was working on something very different and very dark. She said it contained some very heavy subject matter and that it was a very difficult book to write. She couldn’t put an exact time frame as to when the book would release because she wanted to get this story right. She didn’t want to take the easy road with Rose’s story. She wanted to give Rose the voice that would tell her story .

Broken Girl by Gretchen de la O is quite different from the books I usually read. It’s a dark, gritty look inside of a truly broken person. It’s a harsh reality with ugly truths, jagged revelations, and deep emotional scars. This is not a fun, fluffy romance book where love fixes all. Quite honestly I wouldn’t even consider this book a romance at all. It’s a vivid portrayal of a young girl’s journey into a dark twisted adulthood. A lost little girl existing beneath the layers of betrayal, abuse,condemnation, and self destruction. If you are looking for light reading, this may not be the book to choose. If you have hard limits in your reading preferences, don’t read this book.

Broken Girl contains childhood sexual abuse, violence, physical abuse, drug abuse, and self abuse. It is vividly graphic. It has hardcore subject matter that is quite disturbing. Although most of the content is very dark there is also a progression to the light. A broken individual finally finding the path to her own personal self redemption. Take off your rose colored glasses and brace yourself.

Rose Newton never really had a chance in life. Her childhood was horrific. She encountered abuse on every level. It’s only natural that her childhood would lead to a life of prostitution. Prostitution gives her the power to control the abuse. It’s the only source of income she can earn to survive in a very expensive world. She’s not living in luxury, in fact she lives in poverty. She views sex as a means to an end, no emotional or physical attachments.

She’s worked the streets since she was sixteen years old. She has no illusions of a grand future. She doesn’t have hopes and dreams for the future. Her life is pathetic. The few friends she has are people like her, living in the dark shadows of society. Their friendships are conditional. Each of them guards their inner secrets, emotional demons, and past lives.

Rose accidentally meets a handsome young man in a laundromat after he saves another prostitute from harm. She’s intrigued that a stranger would help a person like her. Her curiosity leads her to return to laundromat and to a reluctant friendship with Shane. This is the first choice that will begin to take Rose in a different direction in life. It will be the first step into her journey of self discovery. It may be her only chance at being truly loved.

As Rose’s journey begins to progress, her current life will spiral out of control. She will start to experience real emotions and eye opening events.

Rose has to learn to forgive and love herself before she can attempt to becoming a whole person. She has to learn that she is worthy and entitled to love just like every other person. She has to find out who Rose is capable of becoming.

I admit this was a very hard story for me to read. I had a very heavy feeling throughout the book. Some parts appalled me, others broke me. I did not find this entertaining but was fully engaged in the story. It was the type of book that was based upon some very heavy issues and dark subject matter. What made me give the books 5 Stars is it’s brutal honesty and realistic solutions.

Gretchen de la O wrote a very honest, brutal accounting of a broken girl’s life. It’s not a pretty story. It’s a girl finding the glue to put herself back together. It’s a lesson of self respect and becoming whole.

________________________________________

Gretchen de la O, is a writer of romantically unique stories. A proclaimed positive energy infuser by people who know her, she finds joy in helping those around her discover their creative process. Gretchen is a firm believer that anything is possible if you set your mind to it; and what you expect out of life, always finds a way of showing up. She’s authentic in her dedication to her own creative process, finds strength in her spirituality, and is always looking for the bright spot in every situation.

Gretchen released her first novel, Almost Eighteen in September of 2011, the first in a three book new adult student/teacher romance, The Wilson Mooney Series. In November of 2012, she followed with book two, Eighteen at Last, and concluded the series with Beyond Eighteen in October, 2013. Her Fourth novel, PROTOTYPE, a romantic suspense, the first book in the Possession Series was released in October 2014. BROKEN GIRL, Gretchen’s fifth novel, is a standalone contemporary romance slated to be released April 29th, 2016. Please visit Gretchen at www.gretchendelao.com .

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

______________________________

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway