Patrick Huertas Huertas itibaren Nords Wharf NSW 2281, Avustralya itibaren Nords Wharf NSW 2281, Avustralya

** spoiler alert ** I really like Anderson's creativity and her willingness to "play with her work." She has a knack for reinventing tropes and taking chances that marks her fiction as unique. Her efforts aren't always successful and enjoyable for everyone, including me, but I can't help coming back and checking her out again and again. If Anderson has a limit, I don't know where it is and that makes her an extremely exciting author to read and review. "Forever Broken" is a paranormal gay romance that doesn't "work" for me, although I can see how it might appeal to others. It contains elements of the "gay for you" trope and the "fated mate" trope. It also addresses themes related to a gang's social structure, homophobia, and racism. Anderson seems to want to say a lot in her gay romances and maybe that's part of the problem; too many messages lack complete articulation so they end up a bit muddled. Conflict rages all over this book. Paul contends with his not-so-secret homosexuality, his status as an outsider (non-Cuban member of a Cuban gang,)and his unrequited crush on best friend and pack leader, Angel. I guess Anderson felt more tension and conflict was necessary since she threw in Laurent, a vampire royal destined to share a remarkable romantic bond with Paul. Oh, and BTW, Paul's pack not only hates gays, they hate vampires and will hunt and murder any vampire on sight. There! That ought to do it. Laurent's characterization is a huge liability to the read because he just isn't well-developed. He is charming, romantic, and somewhat innocent and sheltered due to his position in vampire aristocracy. His easy acceptance of his homosexuality complements Paul's street boy homophobia. Unfortunately, I didn't see much more to Laurent beyond his love of the sensual and his steadfast, near-childish devotion to the idea of the one true love he believes Paul to be. This story has some good moments, but I got tired of the chronic homophobia and hatred demonstrated toward gays throughout the read. Everybody in the real world does not hate gays or care they are gay. It got tiresome reading all the different confrontations and expressions of hate from so many different people. I kept wondering why there wasn't more to the story concerning Paul and Angel. They just seemed to have greater chemistry than Paul and Laurent. There is a delightful, swooney romantic ending to this little book, but I felt like I had to slog through a lot of substandard storytelling to get there.