Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Broken Shifters #1

Damien's Dilemma

Rate this book

His enemies left her for dead. Now she’s his.  

Damien needs to blood-bond a shifter to retain control of his wolf and his pack. He would blood-bond Tess in a second, except his enemies have destroyed her ability to shift. And they're not done with her. . . 

Tess is determined to navigate this new world without her shifter abilities. She won't let anyone get in her way, least of all Damien, the alpha who's determined to make her his. . .  even if it kills him.


Fight Hard. Love Harder.

Damien’s Dilemma is the first book in a wolf shifter romance series full of romance, intrigue, and deadly heroes.  If you like alpha males and smart women who fight for what they believe in and a very HEA, then you’ll love the first book in Julie K. Cohen’s Broken Shifter series.

Buy Damien’s Dilemma to immerse yourself in a romance that is dangerous, fiery, and exhilarating.

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2019

390 people are currently reading
371 people want to read

About the author

Julie K. Cohen

60 books227 followers
Julie K. Cohen lives in Pennsylvania, USA with her husband, two sons, one daughter, and one very loud German Shepherd. She is a USA Today Best Selling Romance Author whose love of writing spans several genres, from paranormal (shifters!) and sci fi romance to alien and monster romance. The spicier, the better!

When she's not writing, Julie bakes, develops puzzles, plays board games with her kids, travels, gardens, walks her dog, and reads. Julie loves developing intricate plots and smart, ‘flawed’ characters who don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of protecting the ones they love. While every book ends in an HEA (happy ever after), one or more twists is a must!


Sign up for her newsletter to have access to bonus chapters and more at juliekcohenromance.com or contact Julie at JulieKCohenRomance@gmail.com

Follow Julie and her 'knotty' videos on Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook using the handle @JulieKCohen


Contact Julie:
     Newsletter signup
     TikTok
     Facebook
     Twitter @JulieKCohen
     BookBub
     Amazon Julie K. Cohen
     
Instagram Julie K. Cohen

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
301 (45%)
4 stars
196 (29%)
3 stars
110 (16%)
2 stars
41 (6%)
1 star
11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Becky.
1,933 reviews65 followers
August 15, 2019
More than one Dilemma in this book.

Let's start with did the story hold my attention...Yes, yes it did. Did I get tired of the "Dilemma" Damien and Tess constantly fighting...Heck Yes! Did I understand Tess's hesitancy in Blood bonding..Yes. Did I understand why Tess questioned loving Damien.. Yes! Did she listen and hear what he was telling her..um NO! I get why Tess was trying to save Damien. I get why she initially pushed him away, but to carry on the whole book and not realize she was it for him... HE WANTED TO BLOOD BOND with her!!! That's more sacred and permanent than a freaking marriage, that's literally forever until death and she thought he'll just pick someone else to blood bond with. WTF?!?! So did this frustrate me, yes but the storyline and the secondary characters pulled me in. I felt a twinge of familiarity to this book as I did with BDB series. Is it like BDB? No it is not even in the same ballpark, but the community, the family of shifters, the baddies.. WSSO, all made me think of those amazing books. A whole lot less sexy times, a lot more angst with main couples than in BDB, but still something reminded me of them? Hmm? Oh well. Give this book a try, like I said good characters and storyline just a little drawn out with the romance forever thing. Free with K.U.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
August 3, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/3/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Heather Wittmann.
1 review1 follower
July 12, 2019
The first page of this book hooked its claws in and never let go. I was so enraptured by this novel, that I read it within 4 hours. The chemistry between Tess and Damien jumps off the page at you, and I just couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of your series and see what happens with these shifters!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Tina.
960 reviews6 followers
January 1, 2020
This was a different take on shifter reads, but enjoyable. Damian is barely holding onto control of his wolf but when he meets Tess she has a strange effect on him. Tess can’t believe that she’s been rescued by this gorgeous man but what will happen when he finds out her wolf is gone???
Good read, and plot, I loved the characters, slightly different take on human awareness but scary too. Lots of angst, twists and turns, some steamy love scenes and cute moments too. Overall a good read.
Profile Image for Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon).
16.4k reviews218 followers
August 7, 2019
Absolutely Awesome Read, well written, great characters, Awesome story line, easy read to hold you on their journey, this genre might not be for everyone but its a really wonderful story cannot wait for more from this Author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Pat .
4,153 reviews20 followers
July 24, 2019
Fast gripping read throughout and the characters were super. Storyline kept me on the edge of my seat. Will he get his mate.have to find out I recieved a free copy and this is my honest review
Profile Image for Whitney (whtnymllr).
Author 1 book40 followers
March 18, 2021
Lives up to its title! The angst is real!

Ok, so I give this 4.5 stars rounded up. (Mostly because there were a few times when I wanted to slap the characters and tell them to get their shit together already.) Objectively though, it wasn’t a bad thing in this case. It made the characters feel incredibly real and prompted believable character growth. There were a couple non-romance sub-plots woven together that build up a complex world that makes the reader focus on more events than those directly related to the romance. This checked all the boxes for me - great writing, world-building, characters, plot, adversaries, and romantic chemistry.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Though Damien checks most of the boxes for “stereotypical alpha male”, I felt like he had a distinct personality under all the possessive/protective/bossy behavior. Tess struck a great balance between being strong, nurturing, and vulnerable. The progression of their characters was really great. It’s sooooooo refreshing to see a PNR book acknowledge that having a fated mate isn’t enough, because all relationships take work!!!

One thing I was confused by is where Ransom’s prequel novella fits into the overall plot of the series. I think it’s a few years earlier? Maybe? I didn’t notice him get mentioned at all, so I’m guessing Julie came up with the idea for his story after this book was already completed? Not that important in the grand scheme of things, but I was a little confused nonetheless.

Julie - If you read this - your books are amazing and you’re very talented. Thank you so much for writing such fantastic books! ☺️ I’m sooooo excited for the rest of your sci-fi series to be released.
Profile Image for Aoife.
211 reviews13 followers
September 13, 2022
I absolutely loved this shifter story! Sometimes in PNR the whole falling in love/mating at first sight doesn't make sense. I really loved that Damien felt a connection and Tess felt the safety without it *just* being "omg we're now together".

The writing style was appealing to me and I really liked Cohen's description of characters and the surroundings. It wasn't dragged out too much and the length made sense for everything that happened.
623 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2020
One of the best books I have read!

A different view of where shiters come from.
The main storyline is the telling of an Alpha who rescued shifters from an organization that is testing shifters for a way to destroy the animal part of them.
The alpha sees a woman naked, battered, and abused. He saves her and takes her home. She is a shifter that can't shift.
How that happened is part of the storyline.
At the end of the book is a HEA!
You will not be disappointed if you buy and read this book
Profile Image for MandaC86.
1,283 reviews6 followers
January 21, 2020
Cool

I thought this was good I want to know more about the wsso tho and I am going to read the others in the series can't wait. The love story was sweet but I also want to see aloe find someone too.
39 reviews
January 12, 2021
Great read

This is a very good read with a different outlook on wolf shifters...have to admit that was great the way the book ended - and I’m not going to give a spoiler...read it to find out!
351 reviews3 followers
August 18, 2020
This was my first book by Julie Cohen. I love the suspense and the build up of the characters! I think that Damien and Tess are the perfect balance for each other. They have a great push and pull. Julie has done a great job of setting up this world for more stories! I can't wait to see what else she has in store!
268 reviews4 followers
December 12, 2020
Great story full of heat!

What happens when a wolf shifter can't shift? She stands tall and doesn't take any grief from anyone. She is strong!
Profile Image for Kristin Lewis.
47 reviews6 followers
September 26, 2023
This was a great story. I think the MMC is wonderful, the FMC needs to be a little more decisive and focused. I feel that the plot needed a little more to it as well.
3,035 reviews30 followers
January 7, 2020
I’d been eyeing this book for a while but hadn’t quite gotten to it. I’m glad I finally did. I like the world the author has created and I really enjoyed the characters. I found the relationship development tangible and meaningful and am going to read the rest of the series now.
Profile Image for Marsha.
544 reviews3 followers
December 8, 2020
A nice HEA update

I liked the extra chapter of this shifter pair. It was nice to see the moments of HEA fir these two.
Profile Image for Sabrina Spruitenburg.
36 reviews
February 27, 2021
Sad but Sweet Shifter Romance

This was a bit sad for my tastes, but the world and characters were so vibrant it more than made up for it.
19 reviews
May 7, 2021
I greatly enjoyed this story! Sometimes accepting our limits, especially if they have changed and not for the better, can be so hard. Having someone to push and encourage can be equal parts frustrating and helpful as well. Tess and Damien learn all about that in this book. I would definitely recommend, and look forward to seeing them again as we get to know others of the pack in future books.
Profile Image for Kelly Bugler.
1,869 reviews7 followers
November 29, 2019
Loved this book. Could not put this down as wanted to see what would happen next. Really good read
309 reviews5 followers
August 2, 2019
A must read! Start of awesome wolf shifter series!

This author is just stepping into this genre and she does so with a bang!
As an early follower I have been privileged to receive and savour the books before they are released and finalised.

I adore this author and I strongly recommend Julie K Cohen as an author to follow. This is the start of a series but this is very much a stand-alone with a HEA but the journey there is not easy.

Small spoiler
Damien and his pack are at a lab to rescue others of his pack and Damien is drawn to a human brutalised and close to death locked in a cage.
Tess believes that she is a shifter who has lost her wolf.
Although rescued, she is not made entirely welcome, nor trusted.

As the depth of this world unfolds there are more twists with Tess’s insecurity and Damien’s alpha ego causing tensions, conflicts with neighbouring other treatments on Tess bring danger and death for all shifters. The story is supported by a host of characters that are gently woven into the story and they each need their own book (hint hint).

All of these build a complex world which Ms Cohen pulls you into and then drags you from page to page making this hard to put down and like her previous work (different genre) you find your self willing the story on, not clear how the HEA will happen but turning the page desperate to find it.

Add this to your must read list!
1,014 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2019
LOVE THIS BOOK....

This is the first book in Broken Shifters series and it is a good series starter! A whirlwind of unexpected activities and surprising events catapults those stormy emotions, coiling tightly, bursting to life brilliantly. Drama, adversity and suspense engage all of your senses while a plethora of twists and turns run rampant. One exhilarating storyline and gripping plot propels this bad boy to life flawlessly. Struggling through all the trials and tribulations along with a few bumps and bruises sending Damien and Tess's story skyrocketing. The characters are authentic, relatable and realistic with such depth and individuality it feels as though you can just reach out and touch them. The scenes are graphically detailed and descriptive making it easy to picture each scenario as they play off one another in perfect balance This book will keep you engaged from start to finish. There's action, adventure, drama, danger, suspense, twist/turns, enemies, survival, mystery, surprises, fear, anger, conflict, resolution, confusion, confidence, strength, courage, magic, respect, kindness, gentleness, stubbornness, grief, terror/horror, lies, abduction, assassination attempt, miscommunication, loyalty, happiness, struggles, romance, passion/lust and love. A must read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
17 reviews
July 24, 2019
An alpha wolf, a human woman - blood-bonding is forbidden or he will die. But if she's not human?

An anti-shifter organization has been capturing wolf shifters to experiment on, with the ultimate goal of ending shifters for good.

Damien and his pack set out to rescue their shifters from the facility - and that's it. But when he comes across a beaten, bloody, tortured human woman in a cage, he can't help but rescue her as well.

The dilemma is that there are rules forbidding humans at his camp.

When Tess wakes up and insists she *is* a shifter, nobody believes it. She can't shift, doesn't heal quickly, doesn't have enhanced sight or smell. While Damien wants desperately to believe that her wolf is still alive somewhere inside her, there's no guarantee of that. Without her wolf, the pack will never accept Tess, and they will never be able to blood-bond.

On the other hand, if Damien doesn't blood-bond, he will turn feral and need to be put down.

Quite the dilemma indeed!

I found that the push-pull episodes were way overdone. Half the conversations are repeats of earlier ones, and no progress seems to be made during any of it. However, I did like it, and rooted for Tess all the way.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jane Elizabeth .
4,342 reviews5 followers
July 13, 2020
KU edition reader

This is an absolutely amazing story! It is filled with elements of drama, intrigue, danger, action, even bullying. I literally couldn't put it down until I finished...it is now 7:07 am and I read through the night instead of sleeping!
345 reviews2 followers
July 28, 2019
Tess has been captured by a group that is out to destroy all shifters, whether by taking away their ability to shift or killing them by testing on them. Damien & several of his pack storm the compound where Tess is being kept in a cage. She's a shifter that can't shift. Damien, Alpha of his pack, has a rule "No humans allowed in their pack", but he ignores the rule & takes Tess back to his house. He needs a pure blooded mate, and wants Tess but his entire pack can't smell her wolf so they all assume she's human, including Damien, despite her words to the contrary. He finally starts to believe her, but they don't know that their enemy is closing in on the pack until they are attacked. They are there to give her a drug to reactivate the drug in her that will spread to his entire pack. Damien finally realizes he has to have her no matter the consequences.

This is packed with action from the very beginning. I loved all the characters. They were each unique with differing personalities. The world-building is so in-depth that you can picture everything easily. There's a HEA.
Profile Image for Evelyn Dotson.
2,071 reviews16 followers
July 21, 2019
Damien and his pack are at WSSO lab to rescue others from his pack and two others. Inside, they find a human woman in a cage on the cusp of dying. They have no clue what has been done to her or why! Tess survived what they did to her in the lab…but it was brutal and inhumane. She is a shifter who lost her wolf~ They injected her with something hoping to kill of shifters. Now, they are running out of time to find a cure or preventative. Other wolf packs are being eradicated! She is refusing to blood bond with Damien because she believes it will kill him. So many problems and more to come! Will these two have a chance to make things work? Most of the pack is against them being together, WSSO want Tess back, another Alpha wants her dead…who will win in the end? And what about what runs through her veins? This is a different story about wolf shifters, but it does have a HEA for these two! I received this from book sprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
6,557 reviews27 followers
July 22, 2019
This is a new author to me and I absolutely loved this book and it has the potential to be a wonderful new series to add to my library

When Damien and his pack break onto the WSSO lab to rescue shifters been experimented on they also find a human almost dead. Tess isn't the human that they think she is she is actually a wolf shifter who has had her wolf removed and it was brutal she survives with the help of the pack and her and Damien develop feelings for one another. Damien may want to bond with Tess but he needs a shifter that can shift to stabilise his pack and she won't let him sacrifice himself for her and she isn't sure if what has been done to her could affect him if they blood bond but she will do whatever she needs to help find a cure and save other packs from going through what she has. Will they get a chance at a HEA and what will happen to the other packs You will have to read to see
Profile Image for Toni.
2,394 reviews24 followers
July 24, 2019
Damien and his pack have just rescued shifters kept prisoner in a lab. In another room, following his nose, he finds a female but she smells human. Tess has been held captive for many months hoping that she would be rescued by her family. Then she;s rescued by Damien and his pack. The pull between the two of them is intense but Tess knows that he needs a wolf mate not a human. The dilemma that they find themselves in hurts emotionally but Tess must do all she can to push him away even if it means finding him a mate. Then it;s discovered that her body contains a virus that could kill shifters. Now the race is on to find a cure and for Tess to leave so Damien does not go feral.
A fast action, very intense emotional story that will bring the reader to tears as the story of Damien and Tess develops.
A fantastically fantastic story and read!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Zoe.
4 reviews
March 19, 2020
I really loved this story. The characters and the tangable feelings and emotions are there, and I just wanted to read and read. Julie has done an amazing job writing this novel, and has clearly put in a lot of effort and thought, cos the storyline is far longer then the length of one novel. Though it's a little predictable in the end, and did still leave some unanswered questions, which I hope will be answered in the future novels!?
Feedback would be that in some spots I felt it was dragging on, that maybe there were one to many scenes/ beats in there. And Tess' resistance to Damien just got to a point of being very annoying and she was quite dense about the whole thing... I just kept screaming about how important communication can be.
All in all I've been sucked in. And will continue to read this series.
3,236 reviews25 followers
July 22, 2019
Damien rescues Tess from the lab where she was found in a dog cage.
Damien and his pack raid the labs of Wolf Shifter Suppressor Organization (WSSO) to release members of his pack but is shock to see the state of a human female in a dog cage so small she is unable to lay down.He would not normally take a human with him but he feels the need to help this broken creature and so he carries her out to the van. When the pack doctor lists all her injuries the shifters with Damien are sickened. When she come to she tells them that her name is Tess but Damien calls her sweetheart as he thinks she is his mate and he needs to blood bond with which is not something shifters do with humans.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.