Broken Silence

This series is nothing short of incredible. From the moment you read the first book, you're hooked and can't put it down. Oakley has only been existing for four years after leaving England for Australia. She's doing better but with the trial coming up soon she's come to the conclusion she wants to go back and be present for the trial. Cole hasn't been able to move on after Oakley left and stopped talking to him. Every day he wishes things were different and he could be with her. He knows the trial is coming up but doesn't believe he'll see Oakely again. When Oakley and her family planned to go back to England, Oakley's mom sent an email to Cole's mom letting them know about their return but things don't work that way. When Cole sees Oakley for the first time he can't believe it, after four years she's finally back. Oakley still loves Cole but doesn't know if she can stay in England. Cole wants nothing more than to stay with Oakley for the rest of his life but will Oakley want the same? Will Oakley finally be able to move forward once the trial is over?

Love all Natasha Preston books. My only note is she uses a lot of the same character names throughout her various books.

There is a bit of a time lapse with this sequel to Silence, beginning a few years after the last ended. Oakley has definitely changed as a character, relearning herself now that her secrets are known and she is speaking once again. This sequel is less young adult and more new adult now, as neither of them are teenagers anymore.Hands down, what I liked the most about this book was the fact that Oakley finally has the family she deserves. Her brother Jasper has always been there for her, but now her mother is, too. That was also the downside for me, the fact that her mother whisked her away to live in Australia. While I understood the mother's instinct to take your child away from all that was wrong, to protect her from the inevitable media storm, I felt for Oakley. I felt like her mother took her from the person she needed most, Cole, the person who had been there for her more than anyone else.The central focus of this book was the trial and all of the emotional baggage that comes with that. It seemed that Oakley was still learning how to live again and was still a bit socially awkward and nervous, something I feel is absolutely normal. There is also the struggle between Cole and Oakley as they had to rediscover each other. Some of that was due to their time apart, but just as much had to do with the fact that Oakley now communicates.What I loved most was the message... the idea that you can persevere, that you can choose to be survivor instead of a victim. It was a powerful message and an important one.Things to love about Broken Silence... --Oakley's strength. I love the messages of strength and courage that her story sends. --The realistic portrayal. It is tough subject matter and I love how it was handled, no sanitizing it.Things I wanted more or less of... --More nice Cole. Towards the end of the last book and at various points in this one, I felt like he was bordering on jerkdom. While I understand that as a person, he had feelings and emotions in regards to all that happened in the story, I felt like he didn't have the understanding for the horror that Oakley went through and the inevitable issues that kind of thing creates.Some quotastic goodness... --Everyone says that getting over somebody ‘just takes time’ and that one day it will stop hurting and the door will open for you to move on. We are also told that love is eternal; something extraordinary that will stay with you forever. However, after a break up, suddenly love becomes something you should get over once a little time had passed. The contradiction is immense (Loc. 22-24). --There had been no one else because I couldn’t stand the thought of being that close to anyone else. There was nothing wrong with the guys here or anything, I just didn’t feel safe and secure with them. They couldn’t make me forget every disgusting thing that had happened to me with one little smile (Loc. 140-142).My recommendation: A dark, but beautiful and emotional read that I felt was very moving!

Broken Silence is the sequel to Silence by Natasha Preston. It is an exceptional book that deals with a very sensitive subject- child abuse. She deals with it in a way that makes you view it from the eyes of the abused and the families. The acts themselves are referred to but not dwelt upon. The emotions are what are important.Oakley and her brother and mother had left the UK for Australia after the arrest of Oakley’s father for child abuse. Oakley had been abused when she was five until she was thirteen. From the age of five until the age of sixteen, she had not spoken after her father told her it would kill her mother. Five-year-old Oakley took those words literally. At the age of sixteen, she had been exposed to her abuser again but fled, called her boyfriend, and went to the police. Now her father’s trial was coming up and although she had been offered video tape testimony, Oakley felt she needed to testify in person so they were returning to the UK. Now, Oakley would have to face her father but also face the man she loved who she had left behind.Cole had no idea Oakley was returning. The Internet at his parent’s house was out so his mother didn’t get the email alerting them to their return. He had been totally miserable since Oakley had left. He thought they were totally in love, at least he was. He had been protecting Oakley since she was five from those who would tease her. They had grown up living next door since they were born. Somewhere along the line, he had fallen totally in love with Oakley but she had left him behind. What was he going to do now?How would Oakley deal with the trial and seeing her father for the first time in four years? Would Cole put aside his hurt and stick beside her again? Would he still be in love with Oakley? What would happen when she decided to return to Australia?

After devouring Silence yesterday (The first book in the Silence Series) there was no way that I could not jump straight into Broken Silence to discover what happens next.Oakley moves half way round the world with her family to escape her past but that also meant leaving Cole behind. Four years later their paths cross again and from their initial meeting I was rooting for them to rekindle their relationship. What Oakley had to face - the reason why she came back to England broke my heart. Oakley is such an incredible young lady. She is strong and determined to do the right thing and her amazing support network is there for her, whenever she needs them..... and this includes Cole.There is a special place in my heart for Oakley and Cole. To watch their friendship from a very early age turn into more was wonderful. To witness their separation was awful and I could feel all the emotions throughout this book as they both dealt with the past and dared to think about what the future holds. I've cried, laughed and been on the edge of my seat throughout this book. I can definitely recommend Broken Silence for you to read.

One of the best Books I have ever read in a long time! usually I hate buying books where you have to buy the whole series but these books make it absolutely worth it! I've learned more about legal jargon in this book than I ever would have in normal books or school! The characters are so relatable! It was a pleasure following Oakley on her journey for justice. I may want to download it again sometime but I'm a bit confused why it says you have to pay for it again when you've already downloaded it? Surely you can download a book like this and read over and over again as much as you want? What I loved is there was no cliffhanger what I hoped happened! But I wanna see them all grown up in book three! Definitely a fan of the SERIES!❤

"Even things that look broken beyond repair have a chance at being whole again. It just depends how much you want to rebuild it."This was a fab conclusion to Oakley and Cole's story.Oakley is back in England after four years for her father's trial. She feels the need to face him in court so she can move on with her life. Part of her also can't wait to see the love of her life again, but she's not sure of her reception."I'm not fine. I'm not over you. There's no one else, I'm not happy. I haven't been properly happy in four years."Cole was devastated when Oakley escaped to Australia, and even more so when she stopped communicating with him. He's elated and hopeful that she's back again, but filled with doubt as to whether she still loves him, and the strength of her love.Their initial meeting is a shock but when they've both had their say, they start to fall back into their old rhythm.This sequel follows them as they deal with the trial and get their relationship back on track - although their living arrangements loom over their heads.This was such a great story dealing with a harrowing subject but told sensitively. We get a very clear picture of Oakley's ordeal without it being graphic. We feel the love and support from both her and Cole's family.The love between Oakley and Cole is so beautiful! They don't play games with each other - it's pretty much straight-up honesty between them all the way. Loved it!

Having read silence I straightaway bought Broken Silence. It was a let down. Loads of spelling and grammatical errors. But major plot errors. It takes nothing to research court procedure. It was all wrong. Both Max and Frank would be tried together. The defence puts their case first so why did max give evidence after Oakley? Why did she give evidence in chief then days later be cross examined? How did the jury reach a decision when they'd not heard all the evidence and there's been no summing up? Frank as the abuser would not have got off so lightly and no mention was made about the fact he'd already served 4 yrs so would be out in 3 - much more worrying surely? There was no need for a second book other than to make more money. It also wouldn't have taken 4 yrs to go to court and why on earth did they not get specialists to look at the laptop before the trial instead of leaving until the week of? Utterly unbelievable and really disappointing. It got to the point that you just became numb to Oakley once she could talk all the time......

Very much in the same vein as its predecessor, 'Broken Silence' tells the story from the first-person view of the two main characters, Oakley Farrell and Cole Benson. Everything is there to help you immerse yourself in the continued story right from the off, despite the initial change in location and four-year gap since Oakley left the love of her life behind. Even though the time spent in Australia is brief it gives sufficient insight into how their lives have progressed (or not, in Jasper's case!) and instantly wins the characters over.When Oakley and her family return to the UK and other familiar names start to appear it becomes even easier to read; you know how they act and feel so the emotional bond is there and you find yourself willing them to succeed. As with 'Silence' there is also a good sprinkling of humour and the dialogue is realistic, especially in the case of Cole; Ms. Preston doesn't shy away from the use of strong language and it fits in perfectly with how each would portray themselves.All of the ingredients are there that made the first book so enjoyable; it is so easy to become emotionally involved in Oakley's and Cole's lives, understand the circumstances, hopes and dreams of the others, and the sexual tension between the two leads is kept bubbling without ever becoming tacky or sordid. I really didn't want this book to end and I would LOVE to think that it could be developed for the big screen (any movie producers out there, please take note!)Both books read within the space of 2 days, simply because I found them so difficult to put down. If you want an easy-to-read love story and won't be put off by a few grammatical errors, don't pass this one up.