A dark and tragic love story you won't forget
586105
Ummmm . . . so I had no idea that this was T.M. Frazier's debut novel until just now when I was looking up some information for this review. This book is amazing, in such a dark, twisted, rip your heart to pieces sort of way. This is not a book for the soft heart, and it deals with some very sensitive and controversial topics. It's a book that will take you down a very dark and lonely path. This is not your average romance, this is not a feel good romance, this is one born from tragedy, failure, abandonment and pain.

The amount of pain that Abby and Jake have had to go through breaks my heart. Their lives were paved for them without much choice, being forced into a pain that haunts them every day of their lives. Taking them down paths that are darker than the last, not sure how to break out of the cycle that has been started.

Abby finds herself staying very close with Jake. A choice that once again she didn't make, but one that was much better than the other options she had been considering. Things start to change, they start to see things different, look at life different, think that maybe in all of the dark that they have had that there is a bit of light for them after all.

I know what your probably thinking, they meet, they change, they live happily ever after. Yeah, no. That's just not what happens. I mean they sort of get to that, but what happens to them before they get there is not anything that you could possibly create in your mind. If you are looking to read a book that is different and will keep you guessing and surprising you, then you need to get this book. Like, right now.

This book kept me reading non-stop as much as possible. And when I was reading, I completely tuned out the real world and got lost with Abby and Jake. I followed them on this tragic journey they found themselves in. I clung onto hope right along with Abby. I felt like I was there, holding her hand, telling her we were going to make it. That she was strong and she could take on anything. Then there were times that I expected her to give up, I expected her to fall, because the truth was that I sort of wanted to fall for her. I just wanted all the horrible things that seemed to continue to happen to her to stop. But she never gave up, she kept moving forward one foot at a time.

She finds a strength that she never thought she would ever find, in the most unexpected and tragic way. The strengths that make there way into our lives don't always show up in a box and bow. Sometimes they show up with sharp edges and pain but they are what drive us with hope. They are what give us the strength to wake up every day and face whatever decides to show up and conquer it no matter how difficult it may be.

The Dark Light of Day is not going to make you smile from cover to cover. It will make you cry, cringe, and gasp with shock. It will make you uncomfortable more than once, and it will break your heart. It will surprise you, capture you, and even fill your heart with unconditional love. But most of all it will become a book that you will never forget.
4893833
Aly Martinez has a new duet, the first of which is The Darkest Sunrise and will be followed shortly by The Brightest Sunset and I'm telling you now, when you open this book, and you ABSOLUTELY should get this book, you will spend 90% of it with your heart in your throat. You've been warned!

Dr. Charlotte Mills is in hell, plain and simple.  Her 6 month old son, Lucas, was kidnapped 10 years ago and she has not been able to move forward, not one inch, since.  Buried under mountains of guilt and faking her way through life, Charlotte plasters on a plastic smile all while pain festers deep inside rotting her from within.  She stays in the darkness where no one can see or touch her.  Porter Reese knows the darkness well, he lives there too, only he has two children who he must make an effort for.  When his son Travis needs the best pulmonologist, he finagles his way into meeting Charlotte and then it begins.

This is a tough story to read as not only the subject matter, missing children is heartbreaking to think about but also the hauntingly beautiful way Ms. Martinez's characters think and feel and react.  Both Porter and Charlotte are people with massive holes in their souls. Holes that bleed daily, that are impossible to run from.  Aly's portrayal of these emotionally crippled people will bring you to tears as they speak their truths and say  the things that you only say in the dark.  The story is one of finding that person who can understand you without judgment, sit with you in the quiet, and drag you into the light ~ or so I thought.

Keep your eyes open and the tissues handy while reading this one as Ms. Martinez decided a love story wasn't all that she had up her sleeve.
844092
Im not gonna lie. This book is dark in placesmost places. But so is life (unless you live wearing rose-colored glassesand if you do, please send me a pair). People get hurt, and they hurt others. They make mistakes, and hopefully they grow from them. Love and life are messy, and DEFINING HER portrays the very messy side and what happens when those in love veer off path. (Path pun not intended, although I wish it would have been.)

To keep this completely spoiler free, Ill keep the review fairly short, but I do want to say that this book is a must read if you don't mind the graphic details and language that that messy sides of love, life, and betrayal bring with it. In case you missed it in the summary above, Samantha has provided this disclaimer: This novel contains adult content, graphic language and disturbing situations. The disclaimer is accurate.

Disclaimer: I hand a hand in the publishing of this book. I designed the cover, formatted the book, and did some proofreading as well. This is no way affects how I feel about the book and story itself, and I have purchased my own copy of the book for my collection.
3864334
A beautiful and difficult book to read and even more difficult to forget. Sad, dark but full of love and tenderness. You are left to wonder who wins, good or evil.
4713141
Mr. Nicolai does a beautiful job depicting the struggles of a father who has lost his son and the trials he's endured in deciphering his sons cryptic messages from beyond. A dark and masterful bit of literature that urges you to feel for the main character and leaves you chilled and haunted to the end. I could not put this down, one of the best reads in recent memory.
3518426
Come Closer is the first novel I've read by Brenda Rothert, but it certainly won't be the last. Once I started reading this dark-but-hopeful love story, I didn't want to put it down - even when I thought I might pass out from the suspense.

Daniel Delgado is a doctor who's haunted by the shadow of addiction and a serious mistake that nearly cost him his license. He's found refuge at Hawthorne Hill, a private psychiatric facility in rural Montana, where he loses himself in work and escapes to the great outdoors to keep his demons at bay.

Allison Cole is a new patient who suffers from severe PTSD after witnessing the traumatic death of her sister. She is so traumatized she's unable to speak, wary of all strangers, and afraid of revealing what really happened for fear that her sister's attackers will come after her.

Theirs is a forbidden attraction and an ethical nightmare for Daniel, but loving her is a temptation he can't resist. And when danger follows Allison to Hawthorne Hill, he's forced to make a decision that could ruin his career -- or worse, get them both killed.

This story has it all: a strong but slightly broken hero; a resilient, resourceful heroine; secondary characters you'll come to love; villains you'll love to hate; and enough suspense to keep you looking over your shoulder for days. It's tender and sexy in all the right places. There are twists, turns and tragedies you won't see coming. But there's always hope for a happy-ever-after, and Brenda delivers it just when you need it most.

Once is not enough to read this amazing, inspiring story of love, loss, and redemption. Don't miss it.
3601069
It's very hard to sum up in words how I feel about Find You in the Dark.  The cover of this book along with it's subject matter just kept calling to me so finally I relented and purchased it only to discover how incredibly amazing this book was.  I'd like to give A. Meridith Walters some major props for taking on the daunting task of writing about the affects of mental health problems.  It's not an easy subject to write or read about, much less to live with which I know from personal experience.  She managed to capture so much of the darkness inside those of us with similar problems, all the while showing the hints of light and beauty inside of someone who is deeply afflicted.  This wasn't an easy read, much like Clay's emotions, it was a roller coaster of intense ups and downs.  At times I felt like I was watching a train wreck, too fascinated to turn away yet shocked and horrified at the same time.  From the first chapter you know this is not your average happily ever after book.  The fact that the author was able to show how Clay's illness not only affected himself but also those around him, including Maggie is a testament to the authors knowledge and skill as a writer.  Far too often those like Maggie who are subjected to this type of relationship also develop their own brand of illness, the relationship became quite toxic as Clay's darkness seeped into her very soul.

  I cannot give this book enough praise and believe everyone, whether you know someone with a mental illness or not should read this book.  Brilliantly written, well thought out and truly a magnificent heart breaking story.  But there is a hint of light, there is a sequel: Light in the Shadows which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed this story.  Also the smaller novella Cloud Walking is an additional treat for anyone who wants to see Rachael and Daniels love begin to blossom and gives a look at how Maggie's best friends viewed their relationship and shows the power of true friendship.  Excellent book.  Thank you for tackling such a tough subject.
2201870
I was very lucky to receive an advanced review copy of Fury from the author. OMG, where do I start?
Fury sucked  me into its dark, gritty, brutal world from the first page. This is not an easy read. Finger and Leonore's introduction to one another is as dark and ugly as it gets.
I am not as up-to-date on the Lock and Key series as I'd like to be, but that didn't stop me from fully loving this book. The characters are not always likeable, but they are believable, which is a must for me. The story spans several decades, which I loved. There were so many twists and turns. I cried several times throughout the book. Very few authors are gifted enough to reduce me to tears!
Fury is a tragic and beautiful roller coaster ride. If you don't appreciate long, dark, twisty journeys of love and sacrifice, this isn't for you. But if you are ready for a beautiful, emotional journey, buckle up.
1248795
RAZE is not a fluffy, hearts and flowers book. It's raw, disturbing at times, and at its core, a love story. Tillie Cole doesn't hold back on giving us the gory details of the depravity possible in humanity. This is not a book to pick up for a light beach read; one that will give you all the rainbow feels. This is a book that slaps you in the face, shakes you to the core, and leaves you questioning your motive for putting it down.
I highly recommend reading RAZE if you want a love story that's far from the norm, yet gives you a sliver of hope for humanity as it drags you through the depths of pain and hardship.
1241285
I don't mind depressing books. But this wasn't a totally hopeless story and it wasn't a romance, though it was romantic in many instances, so it didn't require a happy ending.

Love's Pursuit is a unique story of love lost and love found; a truly heart-wrenching combination that plays out beautifully in this novel. It's also about the holiness of love and the beauty of forgiveness and of understanding God's grace. It's a tragic story in many ways as well. A minor character, small-Hope, had a horrific past that slowly came out in the course of this novel. There were many people afraid to deal with the issues in their Puritan community and so they did nothing, thus perpetuating the pain for the victims who were powerless. I'd love it if there was a sequel to Love's Pursuit that focuses on small-Hope.

And while this story is by no means a suspense, there are some suspenseful moments in it when you don't know what Susannah is going to do. She seems hopelessly trapped and with no way to escape the future she doesn't want, and in fact fears. I loved that about this story because as I got to know the characters I ended up feeling their pain.

What I found a bit confusing at first was the way the point of view scenes would change between Hope and Susannah, and because they were both in first person POV it took me awhile to be able to figure out who was who since they were not introduced by name prior to or at the opening of the scene. However, that was not a big deal and I quickly adjusted.

While not my favorite book by Siri, it still slowly builds until the romance became stoking hot, which is so signature Siri. I love that about her stories because she knows how to show love developing over the most minor things, like picking nits and lice out of someone's hair (of the opposite sex.) Interesting how she did that so well that I looked forward to the event. The dialog was also very convincing and I could hear the characters speaking in my head as I read along. I would highly recommend this story to history buffs. It's certainly not the same-old, same-old formula for historical romance. But I like that.
4207227
A unique love story. It captures you from the very beginning. It is dark and seedy and has some pretty serious subject matters. It also explores the world of fetishes that aren't in your typical erotica books. Two troubled souls. One looking to fix the broken, since he had failed in the past. And the other just looking for an escape from her past. Together they fix each other despite the circumstances that have brought them together.

It is well written, and you really feel for the characters, even before you really get to know and understand them. There's some roller coaster of emotions played out as the story unfolds. It alternates between the two POVs. Due to the heavy subject matters, this is meant for mature readers. There are a few situations that may be triggers for some readers.
4557389
I received an ARC for an honest review.

This is Book One in The Finders Series, and if you are looking for a story that will glue you to your chair, Addison Jane is your author. Missing Link is a riveting and gut-wrenching dark story about a damsel in distress and her knight in a shining armour. Well, there are five of them, actually, the Finders.

The book begins on a shrill note that will make your soul cringe. At twenty years of age, Samantha 'Sam' Ashley is handed over by her father to a rich and powerful Charlie Holloway as payment for a gambling debt. Charlie simply takes Sam's hand and hauls her away to his secluded mansion, totally oblivious to the trail of painful tears and broken family bonds he is leaving behind. In her new 'home', Sam leads an existence deprived of any personal liberties, and has to learn the hard way how to accomodate Charlie's kinkiness as well as appease his many mood swings. Sam's irreprensible good behaviour, though, has earned her a weekly under-escort trip to a local gym, where she practice boxing and can steam off all her pent-up hatred for a man who keeps rubbing in her face the luxury she has been living in so far. After three years spent in her golden hell, Sam meets Lincoln 'Link' Davids in a most unconventional way, and it is love at first sight between them.

Sam and Link's story starts with a loud bang and goes on with a powerful balance between hectic moments where you'll need to remember how to breathe and perfectly sweet lulls, where Sam learns who she is and to trust people again. Being with Link allows Sam to know what love and being loved really means and to have what's left of her family back. All she is looking forward to now is bulding a new family with Link, the man who has shown her the other side of the coin.

I really enjoyed Sam and Link's story because Jane's realistic description of her characters is absolutely captivating. The more I read, the more I was intrigued by the theme the book adresses: Sexual slavery is such a big issue these days, and I loved how Ms Jane gives an unbiased survey of the diverse ways the victims of this horrendous crime to humanity struggle to find their happy place again. Each in their own ways.

Ms Jane is really good at building up tension and defusing it, any kind of tension for that matter, and the tight pace of events in the plot doesn't allow you to put the book down, not even to answer the phone. Besides, Jane's clever and unconventional use of a tricky literary device as is pathetic fallacy is totally refreshing.

I'm really looking forward to what's more to come in this wonderfully twisted story because I'm having a hard time in letting Sam, Link and his Finders go.
3007562
This is not your normal, average love story. It is full of heartbreak, it is sad, but at the same time, it is so beautiful and encompassing. You get drawn into the story of Aurora "Rory" Pines life and the tragedy it has become. Her life went from happiness, security, love to horror, scared, anger, confusion, and hopelessness. The character in this book, Rory, is a victim of rape and by someone she knows. This is her story of how she rose above what happened to her and healing from her horrific ordeal. There is a lot of blame that can be cast but never at Rory. It goes to the people in her life at the time the attack(s) happened. See, when the truth comes out, the whole town (including her father) turns against her. When I read this, I was so upset and felt so bad for Rory. When the harassment becomes too much for Rory to endure, her mom finally takes Rory and leaves to live in New York, where she is from.  Thing is, for Rory, before her first class, she meets the most popular boy in school, Sam Caplan, where she has a panic attack and he helps her thru it. After a few issues, Sam and Rory form this strong friendship. He is her rock and the person she turns to when things become rough. But because she is the new girl, she has people already trying to start trouble when she is only wanting to get thru school with no trouble.
Sam was absolutely amazing in this book. He wanted to totally protect Rory even though she didn't want it. I loved how he stuck up for her , even with others and went to the mat for the woman he came to realize he completely loved, that had his heart.  There is this POV that will take you a moment to get a used to but when you realize what is going on ,it adds to the story and I liked it. There are some great supporting characters ( Carl and Tucker ) who I cant wait to read their stories . Let me just say, you will read each book in this box set  ( Normal, Recap, and Okay ) and the emotions that will grip you will leave you feeling as though you rode a roller coaster and came out the other side completely changed --You will laugh, you will cry, you will want to hurt a lot of people during the reading of this book, like I did but overall, by the end, the love that Rory and Sam share, you end up feeling the love they share and falling in love with them and the characters in this series. I would love to read at least one more follow up book to know how Sam and Rory are doing because that is how awesome they are. Kudos to the author for the writing she exhibited to show the range of emotions because I felt each and every one. This is one box set you do not want to miss out on.

My Rating:  4.6 stars *****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
4296458
I love a good dark and twisty book and Nina Sadowsky has written a fabulous one with Just Fall.  It tells the story of Ellie and Rob and alternates between THEN and NOW (then telling us all about their life shortly after their marriage and now telling us about the complicated situation they find themselves in as their secrets come to light).  This book had e on the edge of my seat and I loved every surprising, disturbing and complicated moment.  Ellie and Rob are both damaged people, but it will be hard to not become engulfed in their lives and root for them both.  Sadowsky is a talented writer and she created nuanced characters and an interesting storyline that will keep you guessing.  I greatly enjoyed this.  Perfect for fans of darker reads who like to have their minds played with and their beliefs questioned.  Ellie and Rob's story will stay with me for quite a while.
1409800
A perfect dark, truthful and heartbreaking story.

It broke my heart but I was also able to smile at the end despite the tears. BENEATH THE LIES is a very intense and addictive love story that has so many beautifully dark elements flowing throughout it.

DARK.

LOVE.

HEARTBREAK.

SADNESS.

NEGLECT.

LIES.

DECEIT.

ALONE.

SOULFUL.

I adored the feisty personality that Kate portrayed throughout the entire story. At times I didn't know what she would chose or how she could ever be sane again, but her personality shown through. I was delighted by the way her choices made her an even stronger female heroine.

Gavin Loman is one of those sexy male leads that just makes you want more and more of him. Aside from his charming self and good looks, not to mention intelligent in his own right, he also exuded so much control in many different forms. In a way you could say that they way his past turned out, it led to him to become the man that he is. In control of his own life, knows what he needs and how to get it. But in the same way, losing his father at a very young age and having a mother that can never truly become a person he could rely on or learn from, all that? It can trigger a very dark part in someones mind..

Maybe some secrets are better left untold, whilst others must be set free.

In Gavin and Katy's case? Some secrets are just too deep in their own right and have too much darkness flowing through them to become some sort of good for anybody..

The developing relationship between those too was so in a weird way both calm and intense at the same time. Their characteristics meshed so well together but they were different in many different ways. I loved how Katy was staying true to her own self and what she knew but when it came down to it, she let some of those walls down.. Gavin thought he had won over control, and maybe at one point he thought that was enough but when it came to Katy he just knew that some things, are bound to chance.

Saying that, it wasn't an easy relationship between them. No. They had their fair share of dissagreements and who wouldn't agree that such strong personalities would at any instance turn towards a dead end.. or in other words, come to a point of choosing what you know OR choosing what is best.

And lets not forget the steamy chemistry between them. I mean, it was one of those things that had me blushing and grinning like an idiot. LOVED IT.

BENEATH THE LIES is an addictive read that truly knows how to balance dark and intense with steamy, soulful and heartbreaking.

Thank you so much to Riann C. Miller for the ARC of a gorgeous story!! It's a masterpiece of two characters finding each others soul in one another, and a story line that takes guessing the next move to a new level :)
3795772
This story of Livvie and Caleb sparked every emotion imaginable.  It's definitely not a love story, it's definitely not for the faint of heart.  It's a riveting dark tale of shameful desires, umimagnable thoughts and seemingly endless needs.
3459617
This book is not for everyone, but it was so beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking, terrifying and intriguing that I could not put it down. I read it in one day and already want to start again. This book was more than a book, it was an experience that I would happily undertake again and again.

My Thoughts
From the second I read the synopsis of this book I was hooked. I love dark and twisty reads, so this was right up my alley. I didn't think that I would fall so hard for Braxton or Jessica. These two broken people found each other in the most messed up of ways, but ended up being better than they could have imagined. For all the darkness and rawness of the story there was an underlying goodness in both Jessica and Braxton that called to me and made me abandon all responsibility and read through this book from start to finish in one day. I highly recommend this book if you want something that is a little different, a lot beautiful, and a little ugly all at the same time