I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review.

A heartwarming tale Broken Dreams by Cassidy K. O’Connor is filled with familial and romantic love, sacrifice, and hope. Well-developed characters, a light touch of military action and plenty of emotional angst kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. Reminding us that the human spirit is larger and more forgiving than our human bodies, Broken Dreams is both beautiful and sad at the same time. A clean read I think anyone over the age of sixteen would enjoy, I highly recommend keeping a box of Kleenex by your side.

Ms. O’Connor does an excellent job developing Isabelle “Izzy” and Connor’s characters right from the start; the same age and friends since childhood because of Ian, Izzy’s twin, Connor and Izzy are looking forward to the last few weeks of their senior year, graduation and their plans for the future. All of that changes when Ian is killed in a car accident and Izzy decides that brotherly love requires she sacrifices her dreams of attending Julliard and joins the Army in her brother’s place.

As Connor reluctantly helps her family survive their tragedy and reluctantly supports Izzy in her decision to serve her country, the secret attraction they’ve always felt towards each other develops into something more, romantic love. Only it's not enough to keep Izzy from following through with her decision. Although it’s not a decision I would have made, I had to admire Izzy for her choice to serve for her brother and I admired Connor for pitching in and becoming a bigger part of Izzy’s family after Ian’s death. He really understood what loving your best friend meant and intended to keep Ian’s family in his life no matter what.

Ms. O’Connor also did a good job developing the secondary characters, mostly Izzy’s family, the friends she makes in the army and the members of the V.A. who become a part of her lifeline when she comes home injured. Determined to help Izzy reclaim the young woman she was, Connor jumps right in and becomes one of her staunchest supporters during therapy. He refuses to leave her side. I especially liked “Dobs” her physical therapist and her younger sister “Bri”, who at first seemed a little bit selfish, but who really helps and pushes Izzy to regain what the war has taken from her. Ms. O’Connor also does a good job discussing how PTSD affects younger veterans and about how STSD (Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder) affects those who spend a lot of time taking care of people suffering from PTSD.

Will Connor and Bri help Izzy regain her inner and outer strength for the challenges living after a war injury will require? Will Izzy ever realize her dream of dancing again and maybe helping others dance too? And will Izzy and Connor’s love stand the test of time? You’ll have to read Broken Dreams to find out. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. O’Connor and it definitely won’t be the last; I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of her work. ( )