Breaking Him

Written by Sherilee Gray

Narrated by Elizabeth Russell

Folks in town call him a monster—say he's dangerous. But I know him simply as Elijah Hays, the quiet, gentle giant who works with the horses on my ranch. I can feel him watching me, that steady intense gaze making me crave things I don't quite understand, burn in a way that frightens me. He's always kept his distance . . . until that night.



I remember him coming to my rescue, me following him into the barn, giving him his first taste of a woman, and his inexperienced yet barely reined touch turning me to ash.



Now all I can think about is exposing the dark desire I see deep inside him—having him turn those dark desires on me. That low, gritty voice rasping orders in my ear. Those huge, rough hands holding me down when a storm blows in.



I want his surrender. His control. I want to break him . . . and have him break me . . .



Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666156201

Sherilee Gray

Sherilee Gray is a kiwi girl and lives in beautiful New Zealand with her husband and their two children. When she isn't writing sexy contemporary or paranormal romance, searching for her next alpha hero on Pinterest, or fueling her voracious book addiction, she can be found dreaming of far off places with a mug of tea in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other.

Reviews for Breaking Him

[olga nyamakope · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was basically a sexathon with a little about prejudice and the detrimental effects of being surrounded by people with small minds. I felt the heroine tried too hard for a guy who seemed unwilling to stand up for their relationship.

[narshkite · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very porny and the writing is really terrible. If smut is what you are searching for and you enjoy tortured heroes who are in no danger of being chosen as MacArthur geniuses or of having an opinion on the writings of Noam Chomsky this may work for you. Not my thing.

[thelustyliterate-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3 Stars | White-Hot Steam

(*Be Advised: This review contains spoilers regarding trigger warnings not mentioned in the synopsis.*)

When I found out that BREAKING HIM featured a virgin cowboy hero, wild horses couldn’t have stopped me from reading it. Then, this killer quote from the synopsis cinched it: “I want his surrender. His control. I want to break him…and have him break me…” Needless to say, my eager, clicking fingers went straight to requesting.

The beginning was enthralling—intense and so tantalizing! I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out. Then, their first few encounters that led up to the main event were blazing! A quiet, magnificent, enigma, Elijah is a shaking and barely restrained stallion in those moments. The envy and heat rolled off of me as I devoured every word. His sexiness only increased with confidence and experience. And, when he found his voice! Whoa, mama! That cowboy took control like a boss! However, told solely from Abigail’s POV, I would have adored a glimpse into Elijah’s complicated and wildly naughty mind—especially during their steamy scenes.

(*Spoiler in this paragraph*)
For as wickedly erotic as this couple was in the bedroom—they burned up the sheets all through the novel—the overall plot and run-of-the-mill heroine underwhelmed me. There is so much defending of their relationship to others over the phone, in town, at the ranch, at the fair, as well as to each other. Yawn. Additionally—spoiler alert—I dislike any story where children are beaten as Elijah was in his youth. I really would have appreciated a trigger warning in the synopsis so that I could have made a more informed decision to review or not.

Bottom Line: The hero and the sex are blistering hot. However, I would wait for a sale.

Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

[ashpreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So this short book was an unexpectedly sweet story. Elijah Hays is the misunderstood gentle giant. Dogged and despised for his dark past, he faces much prejudice by his ignorant peers who have never bothered to get to know him. Abigail is the "worldly" woman in this equation. And she brings out the part of him that he has never dared or hoped to explore. This story is in no way virginal. In fact it is quite steamy but in a very exploratory and developmental way. It's nice to see a role reversal for once.

Set in cowboy country, Breaking Him is a departure from the city slickers, mechanics and forced criminals. I didn't know what to expect when I began this book because everything else I've read from Sherilee Gray has been about bad boys and kick-ass girls. But I was not disappointed. She always writes her female characters as strong, independant women and the same goes for Abigail. If you want a short but romantic book with an aww gosh! HEA Breaking Him is the book for you. Two thumbs up for Breaking Him.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.