I've been wavering all day about my rating for this book.

On the one hand, I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, it was VERY hot, and I enjoyed the characters.

On the other hand, there were some niggles I keep having about the story, so I am wavering between 3 and 4 stars.

My niggles- First off, was the heroine, Jenny's thinking to herself about how she really needs to get laid, only later to think to herself that she never got what all the fuss about sex was, she'd never had really great sex. Why do you feel the need to do something you never really enjoyed before? lol!

Then there is the hero, William. He was really shy, and really sweet. A 28 year old virgin. I love reading about those. His reasoning behind still being a virgin were sound. He had a hellish upbringing, which made him almost painfully shy and awkward in social situations.

What I didn't like was that we never got to see him tell Jenny that she was his first EVERYTHING. His first date, his first girlfriend, his first kiss, his first sexual experience. I really wanted to see that revelation, see how she reacted. I don't know why, but I feel almost robbed somehow, that he never told her.


And then there's Evan. I figured pretty early on that he was bad news, and that he would somehow end up attacking Jenny. And I was right. But I felt it was too easy that he would run in front of a car and be killed. He never had to answer for what he did, and it just seemed to easy, all nice and wrapped up in a little bow.

But at the end of a day of thinking on the story, I still greatly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing, so I think I'll stick with 4 stars, although it's probably more of a 3.5 read for me. ( )

Katie Allen writes with a brilliant mix of humor and honesty about life. Breaking the Silence has some very real and fleshed out characters who deal with love and violence in a sane and believable way. The characters of Will and Jenny are excellently realized and written. The story/plot was well thought out and dealt with the sensitive issues of violence and the fear that comes afterward brilliantly and in a way that I felt was true to life.

I think more than anything else, the humor in the story is what makes this author special. ( )