Oh the twists and turns. Mary Monroe always delivers in this series. This one will have you are going from throwing the book/headphones (hopefully not your ereader) across the room to laughing out loud. This was quite the ride. Thank you to @kensingtonbooks for the ALC.

Mary Monroe will always be my comfort read. There was so much drama in this book! I was so sure that finally we would have a main character that would receive a happy ending, but Mary Monroe always takes us through there before we get to a place of peace.
Monroe has this masterful way of building characters you can't help but root for, even when they make choices that leave you yelling at the pages. In "Bent But Not Broken," she delivers another emotionally complex story that reminds you why she's remained such a powerful voice in contemporary fiction. Just when you think you can predict where the story is heading, she throws in another twist that completely shifts the emotional landscape.
What strikes me most about this book is how Monroe handles resilience. The title itself speaks to her understanding that strength isn't about avoiding damage - it's about surviving it and finding ways to keep moving forward. Her characters face the kind of real-world struggles that many authors shy away from, but Monroe dives in headfirst, never sugar-coating the harsh realities while still maintaining hope that things can get better.
The drama never feels manufactured or over-the-top, despite how intense it gets. Instead, it feels like the natural consequence of people trying to navigate complicated lives with limited options and imperfect judgment. Monroe has this gift for creating situations where you understand exactly how her characters ended up in such difficult circumstances, even when you wish they'd made different choices.

Mary Monroe did it again with her messy, hilarious, chaotic stories. I really enjoyed this book and I loved the narrator. The narrator gave the feeling of listening to an older auntie telling a story. The storytelling got and kept my attention the entire read. Naomi dealt with a lying, cheating, abusive husband who pushed her into the arms of what seemed like the perfect man. Everything isn’t always what it seems. Great read.

I loved everything about this novel! It's the first book I've read by Mary Monroe, and it won't be my last. I love the writing style and the author did a great job of setting the scene, drawing me in from the very first page. It's an emotional story touching on some topics that will be triggering for some, but there are also some wonderful quips and insights that will have you chuckling along the way. The sense of family and sisterhood is strong, and I was very invested in the characters.

The narration by Shari Peele is excellent, and she captures the mood perfectly, giving each character their own voice and personality which really shines through. I highly recommend this book, and if you haven't tried audiobooks yet, this would be a great one to start with.

I just learnt that this book is part of a series, but I read it as a standalone without any problems following the story. In saying that, I intend to read the first four books because I want to know the other characters' stories!

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia and the author for a complimentary copy for review. All thoughts are my own and my review is voluntary.

I enjoyed both the audio and print version of this book. I am familiar with the author’s work and she always has a way of telling a story that captures your attention. I always feel like I am seeing the story unfold from the eyes of the characters. An amazing read.

Bent But Not Broken by Mary Monroe is a gripping historical fiction novel set in Depression-era Alabama. The story follows Naomi Simmons, a woman trapped in a controlling marriage, who finds unexpected love and hope—only to be plunged into betrayal and danger. Monroe masterfully weaves themes of domestic violence, resilience, and deception, creating a tale filled with unpredictable twists and scandals.

The audiobook, narrated by Shari Peele, brings the characters to life with emotional depth and authenticity. Readers praise Monroe’s ability to craft compelling, real-life characters and a richly detailed Southern setting. If you enjoy dramatic, character-driven stories with historical depth, this one might be worth a listen!

I enjoyed this book. It gave me an insight in aspects of life and culture that I have not and will not experience. And it as many of these books do sent me a deep wikipedia spiral into life and events of the times.
I would recommend this book to others and thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

Mary has done it again! The characters come alive in her books. And always. Always leaves you twisted. This time she had me bent over! In laughter, anger and tears. Great!

I found this book boring. The pacing was off, the characters were nothing to talk about and the entire book just gave me the jeebies. Will not be trying this author again.

#netgalley #BentbutnotBroken

This book took me on a RIDE! The plot was a lot but in a good way. Historical fiction can be heavy with themes of racism and discrimination but the humor in this made it more palatable. I was rooting for Naomi the entire book and content with the way things ended. I would definitely recommend if people enjoy this genre but want to be entertained.

Bent But Not Broken was a moving story about the life of Naomi Simmons, an African American woman living during times when discrimination and segregation was a fact of life. Times are hard, money is tight, and working as a domestic worker for white families is the expected way of life. As a young woman, Naomi meets and marries an older man named Jacob, hoping to get away from her selfish family. She soon finds out that Jacob is not who she thought he was. He starts physically and emotionally abusing her and is unfaithful to her throughout their marriage, but she is committed to her marriage vows and raising their daughter, Ethel Mae.

One day, she meets a man named Homer Clark, who is recently widowed. She is instantly attracted to Homer, as he treats her with kindness and sees her for who she really is. Even though the thought of being unfaithful has never been something she had ever considered, feelings intensify between Naomi and Homer, and soon they are planning to run away together. Just as Naomi and Homer are about to put their plan into action, Jacob suffers a debilitating stroke and there is no choice but to stay in her marriage and care for her husband. Breaking the news to Homer will be one of the most difficult things she’s ever had to do, but she hopes he’ll understand.

Homer’s response to her news is totally unexpected and she is left shocked and heartbroken at his reaction. Knowing there’s nothing she can do to change her current situation, she focuses all her energy on caring for her paralyzed husband and tries to forget about Homer. But that turns out to be more difficult than she thinks…

I listened to the audio version of this book, which was narrated by Shari Peele (she was perfect for this role!). Many thanks to #Netgalley and #Kensingtonbooks for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book!

This one was a slow build with a steady undercurrent of tension and drama. I appreciated Naomi’s resilience—she’s a woman who’s been knocked down more than once and keeps getting back up, even when the odds are stacked against her. The Depression-era setting adds richness, and there’s a satisfying complexity to the characters, especially Naomi and her daughter Ethel Mae.

That said, while the story had some great twists and a solid emotional core, it didn’t fully hook me. The pacing lagged at times, and the drama, though compelling, occasionally tipped into melodrama. It felt like the plot was doing a lot—infidelity, betrayal, illness, redemption, revenge—which made some elements feel a bit overstuffed and underdeveloped.

Still, if you’re drawn to Southern historical fiction with strong, layered women and lots of family secrets, this one delivers a solid, if not standout, read.

Bent But Not Broken follows the story of Naomi, a young woman made to feel like a burden to her family. She discovers a way out by marrying Jacob, an older man who woos her with promises of happy ever after. Unfortunately, she ends up in a physically, mentally and emotionally abusive marriage with an unfaithful husband. Eventually she finds love with Homer and is on the brink of leaving everything behind when Jacob has a debilitating stroke. Homer is not happy with the turn of events and changes from the kind, loving man Naomi knew to a monster. This novel has all the elements of a great story - mystery, suspense, romance, tragedy and ultimately triumph. Thank you #NetGalley and RBMedia for an advance copy of the audiobook.

Mary Monroe is a new author for me. I loved her writing and hopefully will read her again in the future. She really knows how to tell a story.

Many thanks to Net Galley and RB Media for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love this book! Mary Monroe never disappoints. The twists, turns and turmoil are always on point when you get one of her books in hand!

I absolutely loved Bent But Not Broken. It provided me with a reflection of marriages of some family members that were shared with me; A godly woman stayed with her husband no matter. Naoimi--FMC relationships with the men in her life were based on need and duty as opposed to love. She gives loves and care to her rolling stone of a husband, whom she does not like, out of duty. Naoimi gets none of what she deserves in return. While stepping outside of her marriage, she thought she had with Homer; that turned out to be a lie. This man was a whole box of crazy. Naoimi fell in love with the wrapping. Naoimi has had a heart of goal, and forgiveness like no other.
Naomi's daughter Ethel Mae appears to have developed her view of relationships y watching her parents. She was hot in the pants, as old timers would say, back in high school; after she graduated she continued that behavior. When she graduated from high school, she moved Ethel Mae rarely brought the same man home to visit. The last man that she was in a relationship with was a piece of work.
I would like to end this by saying Naoimi's friends loved her in spite of it all; they stood by her side when things got rough. Those are the kinds of people I welcome in my life.
#Netgalley #ARC

After years of reading enthusiastic reader recommendations on social media, I finally listened to a novel by author Mary Monroe. I admire her skill and historical knowledge. Monroe is not an author that I can easily assign to a specific genre. She excels at telling emotionally powerful dramatic fiction that deals with complex personal relationships between oppressed people (and sometimes their well-meaning employers that never speak out against racism). Like authors of literary fiction (Toni Morrison, Margaret Walker, et al.), Monroe can tell a compelling story with realistic depictions of a potentially frightening historical setting -- Black communities surviving in small Southern towns where Jim Crow is a cruel, daily practice and the threat of racial violence is sometimes moments away. But the people of these communities are individuals, with hope, love, dreams, and their own motivations, opinions, and temperaments. Monroe skillfully compresses time for fast-paced storytelling, but simultaneously presents vivid description and historical facts (for example, limited shopping hours for Black customers that might be offered expired food). Even if you're a couple of generations away from the great migration, some cultural gems will pop out at you, further pulling in readers that know a bit about Southern Black culture (I let out a delighted yelp when one character referred to a croaker sack, a term I learned from a Southern parent while growing up in the North).

This is a story of domestic violence that begins with emotional abuse and is kept alive by rigid gender roles and societal expectations. Some of those expectations are within the mind of the heroine herself. She weds only to escape a potential arranged marriage, and experiences emotional abuse, surprising extramarital love, and shocking betrayal. Yet she believes that she must uphold cultural expectations for a woman: loyal to home, church, and community; working a physically demanding housekeeping job for a White pastor, before going home to discover that she cannot demand control of her own body there; remaining compliant and sweet tempered during interactions with people that don't really listen to or respect her. All of this may feel familiar to some readers.

Although religion is an essential, central part of the lives of both the heroine and the Black Southern community, there is no preachiness in this book. Imperfect morality and quotidian sins are part of human life and Monroe's characters. Their daily lives under Jim Crow are already at risk, so why not take a chance on affection or love? The heroine's relationship with her best friend is interesting -- neither one judges the other for moral missteps, and their willingness to help each other and the people around them strengthens the world building. Such attitudes are one reason why nostalgic opinions of small town life exist.

So, now I've read Mary Monroe and have many questions, some of which can be answered by reading more of her work. I understand why she has devoted readers. I admire her for choosing to write within such an emotionally difficult time period, and for showing readers how Black American life in the first half of the 20th century could be complicated, occasionally joyous, too often painful. AS a Librarian, I recommend BENT BUT NOT BROKEN to readers of African American genre fiction and brave readers of historical fiction that can handle honest depictions of Jim Crow.

I listened to this story and I just loved it! The narrator was very good and I really got attached to Naomi. I loved her way of thinking, even if her integrity can be put in question when she enjoys her lover. However, I can't be angry with her, on the opposite, she is right to bring a little light in her daily life when she has to face her husband. She remains nevertheless selfless when it really gets morally important. That's why I like her so much. Naomi is someone I would have liked to meet. Highly recommended!
I received an audio version of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

Special thanks to the author & @kensingtonbooks #Dafina for my gifted copy and ALC‼️

After book 3 I just knew this series was finished but nope Monroe said let me spin the block two more times we ain’t done yet‼️I can honestly say I’m not one to finish a series but this series is one of a kind and I live for the mess so let’s just say book 5 didn’t completely disappoint me.

Set at the backdrop of the Depression era Mary Monroe takes us back to Lexington, Alabama with new characters and more drama. Book 5 follows Naomi Simmons recently married to smooth talking Jacob Purcell who was also a woman beater, manipulator, and the town’s community D (that man stressed me out for her). Naomi didn’t love Jacob one bit but she took a chance simply to escape the pressure her father and his wife were putting her under. They had a daughter Ethel Mae who took right after her daddy. Do with that what you will!!!When Naomi meets Homer Clark they become real close and soon fall in love. But when Jacob has a stroke and Naomi decides not to leave him (just stupid) Homer isn’t pleased and his TRUE colors begin to show.

Mary Monroe has a knack for creating the messiest characters, showcasing the good and bad sides of marriage, and revealing just how shady and ungodly some church folks can be. I don’t think I’ve ever read one of her books that didn’t make me laugh. This book was definitely wild I’m not sure what was worse the way Jacob treated Naomi or what Homer did after the fact.

Overall, the book was okay it was a complete mess from beginning to end just one twist after another. The pacing was very slow in the beginning and throughout the book things get a little repetitive. But Mary knows how to keep you entertained and engaged so it was easy to push through it. Every book in this series will hit different and it’s one that I will always recommend especially if you love historical fiction.

Rating: 3.75/5⭐️

I loved every minute of this book! The entire series is good. Mary Monroe is one of the best storytellers. Anytime I pick up one of her books I know I’m in for a treat.