A review by mrsmar10thereader
Broken Player by R.C. Stephens

4.0

The reality of Darren and Blossom. These two are broken in some of the most powerful ways a person could ever be, but the attraction that ignites with them is instant, but do they do anything about it...no! Darren is the biggest grump where Blossom is concerned because she makes him feel, and his penance is to never feel for another woman again. However, Blossom works for him and she is so magnetic her pull won't allow him to stop and stare, to dream, to wonder. Blossom is on man hiatus, but Darren is man-nip! Why is he so grumpy though and why is he so nice to everyone else? Y'all, these two dance around these feelings for her entire undergrad!! Yes, 4 years of sideways glances and late night obsessive thoughts. Eventually pressure will burst a pipe and when the pressure gets too much for these two, clear the way.

I empathized with Darren because of the things he'd gone through in life, but I felt like he was punishing himself unjustly. He cared so much for others, but the self-flagellation was OTT. Blossom showed him that he deserved to give himself grace. His realization that he needed closure of sorts to begin healing was a proper breakthrough. Blossom was definitely an anchor for him.

These two definitely went from a sloooooow burn to a towering inferno!