Will Jackson is a loner and works from home writing computer code. He is shy to the point of abruptness, has never had a girlfriend, and the highlight of his day is watching a woman walk her dog from his bedroom window. It requires an almost herculean effort of will, but he is determined break out of his self-imposed shell and to meet her. When he does, he falls almost obsessively in love with her.

Jenny Fitzgerald has a pretty good life. She has a job she enjoys, good friends, and a great dog. Her love life, however, stinks. Except for the unwanted attention of a seriously creepy coworker, she hasn’t seen any action in years. That’s what happens, she supposes, when your best friend is a gay man. Spending time with him in gay bars is not likely to net her a heterosexual mate. When she meets the gorgeous guy in the park, though, things begin to look up. Jenny and Will click immediately and are astounded at how well they get along both in and out of bed.

Just as love begins to grow between the two, Jenny becomes the victim of a violent assault. Will is there to help Jenny rebuild her life, and in doing so, he has to face an ugly secret that he has long buried in his past. Will Jenny push him away once she finds out just how flawed he actually is? She is having enough trouble coming to grips with her own tragedy to have to deal with Will’s personal hang-ups.

Katie Allen’s Breaking the Silence is a story that will reach out to the reader on two different levels. This story is lively and frequently very humorous, but it also deals with the dark issue of sexual assault and how the characters overcome the shadow such an assault can throw over their lives.

In this story, the contrast between Jenny and Will is a testament to the adage “opposites attract.” Jenny is bright and vivacious and outgoing, while Will is shy and withdrawn and moody; however, they complement each other and make each other whole. Will may have a hang-up or two (or three or twelve), but he is sweet and appealing, and those that don’t love him beforehand will definitely fall in love with him when he comes to the rescue for Jenny’s friend Christian and pretends to be Christian’s boyfriend. Jenny will keep the reader endlessly entertained with her quick wit and is a gal that many of us would like to call “friend.” She pulls Will out of his shell, and watching him blossom in her presence throughout the story is a delight. Breaking the Silence will have readers rooting for these two and hoping that they can overcome their emotional obstacles and find love together. This book is an unexpected treat, and reading it is time well spent.

Reviewed by: Whitney