Broken Heart by Ivy Layne

POV: Dual 1st Person
3rd ACT BREAK-UP: No
TROPES: Second Chance; Small Town; Redemption; Enemies to Lovers; Family Saga
SERIES: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend
TYPE OF SERIES: Series of Standalones with overarching Storyline
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2024
PoP: 36%

Broken Heart is the story of Sterling Sawyer and Forrest Powell. As an avid Layne reader, I do not miss a book, but I feel as though readers can jump right into the series with these two. While there is an overarching storyline so you may miss some nuances, the bulk of this story revolves around the couple only.

Sterling when first introduced was truly a mess. She was overindulging, not taking care of herself, and basically in full self-destruct mode. But her older brother Griffin (who starts the series) gives her some tough love and she cleans up her act. What I love about Sterling is the fact that while mad about the choices Griffin made, she recognizes that he was doing what he needed to do. That he was showing how much he loved her and wanted her to be better and do better with the way he treated her. Sterling grows so much as a person throughout this series, and there are so many pieces of her that you learn about as her story unfolds.

She is more than you realize, and such a great character. She truly is the Broken Heart.

Forrest is also a character that we met earlier, but he is much more of an enigma. The truth of who he is, and why he is in Sawyer’s Bend ends up torpedoing the relationship that he started with Sterling. And in Broken Heart, we see that there is a lot of regret in his choices when it comes to the Sawyers and Sterling… but when we learn of the intricacies of his backstory, there is understanding of the why. Not that I am okay with it, but I understood it He works so hard in order for Sterling to trust him again.

In Broken Heart, these two embark on solving some mysteries brought forth, and some truth about Forrest’s past comes to light.

This book is intricately woven together with the mystery of the statue (you have to read to understand) and how it mixes with the mystery behind Sterling’s father’s death.The overarching storyline is with the death of Sterling’s father Prentiss, but the bulk of this series is about the healing between all of these siblings. There is love, there is turmoil, but most of all there is growth and understanding. Ivy Layne is an author that is GROSSLY underrated, but needs to be celebrated.

Want more Ivy Layne?

Check out my author spotlight (there was only slight fangirl moments.)
Check out my review of Scheming Heart.
Becky and I chat Lucas Jackson and Charlie Winters in this QSR.