Broken or Buried
About
Jacob DiFranco has been schooled to do one thing: protect the legacy. When Millican Bruno slips his illegitimate daughter into Sommerson’s notoriously brutal Forma program, Jacob agrees to a favor he didn’t expect to keep—until he meets Aurora, fragile and raw from a life kept secret. What starts as duty becomes something infinitely more dangerous when a Family hit, a jealous rival, and old vendettas drag them into the kind of violence that demands bloody answers.
Praise for this book
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2026
Format: Paperback
Dark RomanceBring on book 2! I want to know what happens with Jake and Rorie. This book was a page turner. Lots of twists and turns! So many unexpected events.
In order to be part of The Family, you have rules to follow. Loyalty, power and success are the pillars. Your wife is chosen for you. Rorie’s dad is part of The Family. She has been kept hidden most of her life. It isn’t til her mom is killed, she’s brought into the fold. Jake is now tasked with being her Forma king. She’s his Forma queen. He must train and protect her. She will than be given a husband. Let’s put it this way, their relationship doesn’t start off on the right foot. Their chemistry definitely grows as time goes on. People will try their best to bring Rorie down. She definitely is a tough cookie though. Throw in an ex gf of Jake’s-see what she has to do with this mess, Barry, Enzo, Ceska, and Lonnie, you got a lot of secrets. Wait til you find out what happens next!
This book felt heavy in the best possible way. Dark, emotional, and filled with that constant tension where you know everything could fall apart at any second.
Jacob is the kind of character who was raised with one purpose: loyalty above everything. Protect the legacy. Protect the Family. Never hesitate. And watching someone so controlled slowly unravel because of one person?? That got me immediately.
Aurora was such a strong contrast to the world around her. She’s been hidden away for so long, thrown into something brutal and unforgiving, and yet she never feels weak. She feels human. Raw. Like someone trying to survive a world she was never prepared for.
And the way Jacob starts looking at her differently over time??
Not as an obligation. Not as a favor.
But as someone he needs to protect?Yeah… that shift hit HARD 👀🖤
The atmosphere in this book is intense from start to finish. Every interaction feels loaded with tension—between the Family politics, the violence, the jealousy, and the constant threat hanging over everyone’s heads.
What I loved most was that the romance never erased the danger. It grows inside the chaos, which makes everything feel more emotional and addictive.
And honestly??
The protective energy in this book was EVERYTHING.✨ If you love:
• dark mafia romance
• protective MMCs who fall hard
• emotional tension and dangerous loyalty
• hidden identities and family secrets
• romance wrapped in violence and power strugglesThis one is gripping, emotional, and impossible to put down once the tension starts building 🖤🔥
This book was soooo good. You have your FMC who just went through a devastating loss and is thrust into the world of the mafia. Our MMC who is being groomed for his seat at the table with The Family. Each senior who qualifies gets to choose a forma queen and it is his job to protect her and train her for her future husband. As they get to know one another sparks fly between this shy sheltered girl and our I dont kiss on the mouth boy. As always there is danger just around the corner. Will these to receive a happy ending or will he let The Family tear them apart? This book will have you staring up laye just to finish it. The spice in this book is off the charts. So if you enjoy dark romance, spice, and mafia style books then this one is for you. I cant wait for the next book and as always check your trigger warnings.