2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Jessica Freely - Broken

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Broken by Jessica Freely
Paperback: 262 pages
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC (September 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611186552
ISBN-13: 978-1611186550
Amazon: Broken
Amazon Kindle: Broken

Eben does what his brother, mob boss Nicky Flannery, tells him, even when he's not so sure it's right. Letting Nicky do his thinking for him is a lifelong habit. So is hiding the fact that he's gay. Then Nicky buys a Hong Kong rent-boy to expand the mob's escort business and Eben's life gets a lot more complicated.

Forced into prostitution, Song Xiu is an unsentimental survivor. He takes his pleasures where he can and leaves his clients weak in the knees. Xiu knows he's hot for Eben's powerful body, but it's more than that. Eben's kind face and gentle touch give Xiu a strange feeling that no amount of sex or drugs can banish. Is this what people call love?

Eben is instantly attracted to Xiu's erotic beauty, but it's the sweet young man beneath the glossy surface that he falls for. When he learns Xiu's story, he begins to wonder if Nicky is really the hero he grew up worshipping, or something else entirely.

An unguarded moment leads to a passionate encounter that rips away all of Xiu and Eben's illusions. Suddenly the answers to their questions become alarmingly clear. They have one last chance to rescue each other from their broken lives, but only if they can survive Nicky's retribution.