CJ Lyons – The Book Diva's Reads

Broken by C. J. Lyons
ISBN: 9781402285455 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781402285462 (ebook)
ASIN: B00ENQEMJW (Kindle edition)
Publication date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

For Scarlet Killian, every day is a game of Russian roulette – she has a 1 in 5 chance of dying…

The only thing fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has ever wanted is a chance at a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, she has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. So when her parents offer her three days to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now…or never. Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But this high school is far from normal. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does.

Scarlet Killian has spent most of her life in the hospital. She only attended elementary school for a few years before she was taken out and home-schooled. Scarlet has several “near misses” where she’s been on death’s door only to be revived to survive another day. Now that she’s fifteen, she’s asked her parents if she can attend school. She knows that it will be difficult simply because her heart could give out on her at any time, but she wants this chance to be “normal.” Her parents agree to allow her a one-week trial and then they will reassess the situation. Scarlet feels as if she’s won the lottery, one whole week to experience being a teenager outside of her home or the hospital. Scarlet doesn’t know what she’s in for . . .

Scarlet’s first day at school begins with problems. She immediately makes an enemy of a member of the football team, so (of course) his teammates and others go out of their way to treat her like a freak. If that wasn’t bad enough her mother (actually her stepmother), the school nurse, intrudes on Scarlet’s lunch on the first day and attempts to take her vitals in the cafeteria in front of other students. The horror! The only plus to the first day is that Scarlet has made some new friends; namely her peer mentor support group consisting of Celina, Nessa and Jordan. She is also befriended by a student, Tony, in one of her classes after she is set on fire by her lab partner (the aforementioned football player), and she throws up on Tony after he tries to help her out. What a first day and talk about first impressions.

All of the action in Broken takes place over the span of five days. It is filled with the normal teenage angst and drama, but it is also filled with friendship, budding romance, and a heart-stopping mystery (pun intended). It seems like the more Scarlet looks into her past medical history the more questions she finds that require answers. Ms. Lyons has incorporated quite a bit of mystery, suspense and thrills into her first foray as a YA author. Of course I haven’t been a “Young Adult” for quite a number of years, but I enjoyed reading Broken as much as I’ve enjoyed her other contemporary suspense thrillers. The action gradually builds, as did my tension while reading, and most of the suspense and thrills take place in the last 20-25% of the book. Broken is a well-crafted mystery-suspense-thriller that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, so don’t be off-put by the YA classification. Read it and you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

To read a few of the first chapters of Broken, click here: http://cjlyons.net/wp-content/uploads/Broken_excerpt.pdf

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-one novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.

Winner of the International Thriller Writers’ coveted Thriller Award, CJ has been called a “master within the genre” (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as “breathtakingly fast-paced” and “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) with “characters with beating hearts and three dimensions” (Newsday).

Learn more about CJ’s Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net

Connect with the author: Facebook | Goodreads

The character of Scarlet and the story Broken was inspired by Ms. Lyon’s niece Abby, a teen with Long QT syndrome.

How is Abby coping with Long QT?

CJ: Abby’s great, thanks for asking! She’s totally opposite of Scarlet, fiercely independent and refuses to let her heart condition hold her back from anything she wants. She rides horses, raises Rottweilers, is a straight A student, and a budding fashionista.

You can see for yourself in this video my publisher produced:

Abby has never allowed her heart condition to define her life. I think a large part of the credit for that goes to her parents—they were always open and upfront with Abby about her Long QT. By the age of three she could explain what Long QT was (including a short summary of the genetics!) to anyone who asked about her MedAlert bracelet.

Since then, she’s grown into a smart, independent young woman who is the first to jump in to defend a friend (or tell them they’re making a mistake), confront a bully, or lead a cause she’s passionate about.

If I sound like a proud aunt, it’s because I am!

Psst…pre-order the ebook before November 5th and you’ll qualify for special ebook pricing at only $4.99!

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Grace Moran is a widow and an agoraphobic. Her only desire is to leave the hospital and return home. This isn’t possible because she has a brain tumor, appears to have suffered a seizure and blacked out and requires medical treatment. Grace isn’t sure what is going on at the hospital, but she knows she may not make it out alive. Drs. Eve Warden and Jonas Helman appear to only want to help, and feel that their new drug protocol is exactly what Grace needs for her surgery to be a success. There’s more going on behind the scenes and Grace has no desire to stay and find out what in Lucidity by C. J. Lyons.

Grace wants to return home because her deceased husband is still alive for her there and she feels that she’ll lose him if she has the surgery. Her memories are all she has left or are they? As Grace tries to hide, she sees Jimmy at the hospital and he is much more than a figment of her imagination. As Grace continues to hide from Drs. Warden and Helman, she comes across two pediatric patients that are also in dire straits. Kat is suffering from a virus that is literally eating her brain. Surgery is a must, but Kat wants to wait until after her birthday. She also fears that the surgery may leave her paralyzed or worse. Alex has spent all of his life in the hospital and wants nothing more to be allowed to die. He knows that his condition is worsening and he’s tired of the continued treatments that prolong his suffering. Grace, Alex and Kat aren’t exactly an impressive trio but they protect each other. Now that Jimmy has “come back to life,” he tries to protect them as well.

Jimmy was older than Grace, but they loved one another deeply and fiercely. Sadly Jimmy was murdered on the day they returned home from their honeymoon. Grace also suffered serious injuries during the attack and left her career as an ER physician to stay at home. The murderer, Lukas Redding, is the son of a powerful congress woman and was found not guilty by reason of mental defect. Unbeknownst to Grace, Lukas is at the hospital undergoing treatment for his delusional fantasies involving her and her husband. In Lukas’s mind Grace was his wife and Jimmy was a drunk driver responsible for the car accident that killed Grace. In a fit of rage Lukas retaliated and killed Jimmy. Is Lukas crazy or evil? Can Jimmy keep Grace from entering the new wing that houses Lukas? Can Grace protect Kat and Alex while protecting herself?

Lucidity is much more than a romance or ghost story. Ms. Lyons has crafted a intriguing tale involving mythology, history, and the paranormal (ghosts) in a medical setting. Most of the action seems to take place over the span of a few days, but it is packed with action and suspense. Kat and Alex may only be children, but they have a crucial part in the story line. They are both highly creative and inventive while remaining sympathetic characters. Because they are children, the hospital staff has a tendency to underestimate them. Jimmy is definitely Grace’s love interest, even after his death. He lives on in her memories and perhaps these strong memories that allow him to return. Lucidity may not be a traditional ghost story or romance, but it works. If you’re seeking something a little different that combines romance, the paranormal, along with a little medical suspense, then this is the book for you.