You know you're onto a good story when you can’t stop reading until you get to the last page—this sums up The Broken One, the debut book in The One Series. I read it in one sitting until the early hours of the morning. It was unputdownable.

I loved following the main character, Caspian Smith, as she starts a new job in Arizona where she confronts undealt-with issues of the heart. She steps into a predominantly male work environment. There, she nimbly deals with office challenges by keeping to herself. Protecting herself is what Caspian does best. What she does not bargain for is the impact her co-worker, Booker, has on her. He is unlike anyone she’s ever met and poses a serious threat to her well-crafted fences.

Caspian is not who she seems to be, and she does on purpose what many of us do without even noticing—hide our true selves. She even has names for the different masks she protects herself with. She says, “they allow us to operate in a world designed to crush us”. Caspian battles to confront the hurts from her past. She is afraid to love and has the false belief that everyone will leave her, as they do in her constant nightmares. As a result, she doesn’t grow roots anywhere. She is also commitment shy, until she interacts with Booker, who is a swoon-worthy romantic interest.

This theme of hiding behind a mask will keep you turning the pages as you sympathize with Caspian on her rollercoaster journey. She is someone you can identify with, while everyone should have a Booker in their lives. He carries his own scars but deals with them in a different way than Caspian. And he does his best to break down her shields and get to know her better. You will end up rooting for him to succeed.

From the first glimpse of the cover, you'll be hooked. Kudos to the author for a unique storyline and intriguing main character. If you like love stories where you can feel and grow with the character, then you'll love this one. The novel is well-written and easy to read. And while I’m usually not keen on a story that continues in a series, I might just make an exception for this one.