The Damaged by Tijan
3.5
The Damaged Book Cover The Damaged
Insiders
Tijan
Romance
St. Martin's Griffin
February 8, 2022
ebook, Paperback, audiobook
320

“I can always count on Tijan to write an action-packed, intense, emotional story that will have me invested until the very last page.”—Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author

No longer an outsider, Bailey has a family and love that she never could’ve imagined.

Used to living in the shadows, Kash will now do anything to protect his family and his woman.

They will take on the world together…

In the meantime, stunning motives, lies, and explosive secrets continue to unfold.

1. Quinn is in jail, awaiting trial.

2. Friends might actually be enemies.

3. And what is Calhoun plotting? More importantly, will Kash discover it before it’s too late?

Everything will come to a head as passion and danger ignite in The Damaged.

The Damaged by Tijan is the second in The Insiders trilogy and picks up right where the first leaves off. Being a fan of Tijan’s work I was excited to get the chance to dive back into this world of high-profile drama and family secrets.

Bailey is still feeling the after affects of the attempted kidnapping that has rocked her to the core.  Trying to return to some semblance of normalcy she is excited to finally start the college program that will allow her to develop her tech skills, but unfortunately for her, the misconception that it was daddy’s influence and not her own abilities to get into the program has left her ostracized, while also being in an unwelcome spotlight.  Oh, and her boyfriend Kash has also recently been revealed to be one of the most powerful men in the world, no pressure.

Unlike with the first we are given Dual POVs of both Bailey and Kash which gives us the ability to understand the depth of their relationship.  After living in the shadows for so long, Kash now has more power than he knows what to do with, and his connection with Bailey is the one thing that can keep him grounded.  His desperation for Bailey was a notable contrast to the visage he displays to the rest of the world, and the fireworks between them are explosive.

I will forever be impressed with Tijan’s ability to recap details in a way that doesn’t feel like an info dump.  Having been awhile since I read the first book I was concerned that I wouldn’t remember enough of the plot to be able to enjoy the story, but much to my relief within a few pages I was reintroduced to all the characters I enjoyed in the The Insiders, as well as details that brought those important plot points to the forefront of my memory.  (Rereading my review of the first book also helped)

https://www.thelitbuzz.com/2021/05/the-insiders-by-tijan/

What I will say is that The Damaged worked successfully as the middle book of a trilogy.  This was centered more around getting to know the characters better and setting up the plot for what will no doubt be an epic final book.  I found myself starting and stopping more than I remember doing with the first, and I believe that may not have been the case had I been able to binge read the series all at once. While I found the middle a bit slow, other than the scenes specifically between Kash and Bailey, we hit full speed once we got to the end and I was left with my jaw on the floor.  I have high hopes for the end of the series and cannot wait to see how Bailey brings the powerful men who dared cross her to their knees.