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Damage Done
A Reality Check.
Rachel used to feel like she was making a difference. But the late night emails, the stories about women losing their children to abusive husbands in divorces, people being thrown through sliding glass doors, broken arms, rape? Like the rest of her life, it's all starting to feel unmanageable.
A Toxic Past.
Dylan stopped looking for her years before, convinced Rachel was still the same fascinating, stunningly beautiful girl he remembered, and probably the same tortured and sadistic bitch he'd tried so hard to forget.
A Broken Woman.
When a tragic accident brings them face to face again, Rachel finds herself confronting demons long buried, and her already fragile world threatens to shatter around her. She helps people in crisis for a living, so why does her own body warn TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE when she faces conflict of her own? Will she ever learn to fight for herself without damaging the people she loves?
**Disclaimer: This story is not a fairy tale. This story is a romance drama about real people with real problems and how they find their own version of an old fashioned Happily Ever After. Adult Themes and Content - Potential Trigger Warning**
Rachel used to feel like she was making a difference. But the late night emails, the stories about women losing their children to abusive husbands in divorces, people being thrown through sliding glass doors, broken arms, rape? Like the rest of her life, it's all starting to feel unmanageable.
A Toxic Past.
Dylan stopped looking for her years before, convinced Rachel was still the same fascinating, stunningly beautiful girl he remembered, and probably the same tortured and sadistic bitch he'd tried so hard to forget.
A Broken Woman.
When a tragic accident brings them face to face again, Rachel finds herself confronting demons long buried, and her already fragile world threatens to shatter around her. She helps people in crisis for a living, so why does her own body warn TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE when she faces conflict of her own? Will she ever learn to fight for herself without damaging the people she loves?
**Disclaimer: This story is not a fairy tale. This story is a romance drama about real people with real problems and how they find their own version of an old fashioned Happily Ever After. Adult Themes and Content - Potential Trigger Warning**
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2013
8 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 31, 2013
I love the cover but I don't think it does this story justice.....It was SO much more!!!!!
Wow!!! it's a definite pick up and read, be ready for a shaky ride!!!
I hate the thought of spoilers myself so I will keep it brief but "DON'T READ FURTHER" if you like to just pick up a book......
To focus back to the cover you would never imagine ( I didn't ) this is a story involving domestic abuse, racism, depression and anxieties with a heart wrenching love story....Virginia you rock!!!!!
I would have loved the ending to have a bit "more" ( an epilogue )
It wasn't a long read, I'm not the fastest reader but I finished this in a few hours.
Have to thank one of my buds for this book link, I've had it a while but it was like a few in my library it was buried in my ever becoming pit!!!
4.5*
Wow!!! it's a definite pick up and read, be ready for a shaky ride!!!
I hate the thought of spoilers myself so I will keep it brief but "DON'T READ FURTHER" if you like to just pick up a book......
To focus back to the cover you would never imagine ( I didn't ) this is a story involving domestic abuse, racism, depression and anxieties with a heart wrenching love story....Virginia you rock!!!!!
I would have loved the ending to have a bit "more" ( an epilogue )
It wasn't a long read, I'm not the fastest reader but I finished this in a few hours.
Have to thank one of my buds for this book link, I've had it a while but it was like a few in my library it was buried in my ever becoming pit!!!
4.5*
August 24, 2013
From the outside, it seems like Rachel Daniels has it all – a heroic firefighter husband, two beautiful children and fulfilling work at a nonprofit organization that she created. On the inside, however, Rachel’s mind is a nest of fears, insecurity and never-ending anxiety. Her heroic husband has been sleeping in the guest bedroom for months, and burnout is stealing away the satisfaction she has always taken in her charity organization.
Things only get worse when a terrible tragedy brings her face-to-face with Dylan Easton, the boy she’d fallen in love with in high school…the only boy who had ever made her feel truly confident…the boy who had smashed her heart into a thousand pieces.
Damage Done follows Rachel and Dylan as they seek answers to heal their wounded hearts. Even as old wounds reopen, passion still lingers between them. A dormant spark rekindles, but is the damage from the past too great to allow them a future together?
Damage Done is a unique romance novel and refreshing in many aspects. It’s not often that romance focuses on two thirty-somethings – one of whom married with young children. Rachel is written as a severely flawed character – a woman constantly prone to anxiety and insecurity who automatically wilts at the first sign of confrontation.
Author Virginia Duke does a good job of getting inside Rachel’s head and painting her as a very human and fragile person…perhaps a little too good. I was never able to warm up to Rachel as a character. Her constant anxiety attacks, fear, snarky thoughts about those around her and waffling became exhausting throughout the book. I connected much more strongly to Dylan, who was always eager to move forward into the future and take what he wanted.
Romance readers will enjoy the hot, graphic and toe-curling bedroom scenes.
I think a lot of women will be able to relate to Rachel and identify with her predicament of a lackluster marriage and grinding job. For those women, Dylan will be a breath of fresh air – a very chiseled, handsome breath of fresh air – and I think Damage Done could be an appealing read.
(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
Things only get worse when a terrible tragedy brings her face-to-face with Dylan Easton, the boy she’d fallen in love with in high school…the only boy who had ever made her feel truly confident…the boy who had smashed her heart into a thousand pieces.
Damage Done follows Rachel and Dylan as they seek answers to heal their wounded hearts. Even as old wounds reopen, passion still lingers between them. A dormant spark rekindles, but is the damage from the past too great to allow them a future together?
Damage Done is a unique romance novel and refreshing in many aspects. It’s not often that romance focuses on two thirty-somethings – one of whom married with young children. Rachel is written as a severely flawed character – a woman constantly prone to anxiety and insecurity who automatically wilts at the first sign of confrontation.
Author Virginia Duke does a good job of getting inside Rachel’s head and painting her as a very human and fragile person…perhaps a little too good. I was never able to warm up to Rachel as a character. Her constant anxiety attacks, fear, snarky thoughts about those around her and waffling became exhausting throughout the book. I connected much more strongly to Dylan, who was always eager to move forward into the future and take what he wanted.
Romance readers will enjoy the hot, graphic and toe-curling bedroom scenes.
I think a lot of women will be able to relate to Rachel and identify with her predicament of a lackluster marriage and grinding job. For those women, Dylan will be a breath of fresh air – a very chiseled, handsome breath of fresh air – and I think Damage Done could be an appealing read.
(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
May 14, 2013
Well done, damn well done.
I loved this story and I felt it was told at an amazing pace, just right.
It didn't start off with a bang yet I liked that because when it did take off I was reading it in detail to make sure I got everything in. If it had taken off too fast I probably would have been flying through it and when things started being revealed in a matter of fact way, I probably would have overlooked some things that made the story so real for me.
Lets see what I can say about the story without giving too much away, because I really believe by not knowing too much that made this so good for me.
The main characters are Rachel and Dylan. Rachel is so bent, but not broken, she is dealing with a lot of issues and not dealing too well. She had me chuckling at her thoughts a lot of the time. Dylan, oh Dylan. To me he was the right combination of sexiness, confidence, gentleness, and vulnerability without being weak. I also couldn't dislike Kenneth. It would have been expected to make him the complete bad guy, instead the author showed how we are human and sometimes we don't make the best choices and sometimes not making decisions is how we make our choices. Savannah had the Miranda Lambert song "Momma's Broken Heart" running through my head"
I like that the author dealt with some serious issues without it being overblown which would have been too easy, she also made her characters believable, flawed and human.
I loved this story and I felt it was told at an amazing pace, just right.
It didn't start off with a bang yet I liked that because when it did take off I was reading it in detail to make sure I got everything in. If it had taken off too fast I probably would have been flying through it and when things started being revealed in a matter of fact way, I probably would have overlooked some things that made the story so real for me.
Lets see what I can say about the story without giving too much away, because I really believe by not knowing too much that made this so good for me.
The main characters are Rachel and Dylan. Rachel is so bent, but not broken, she is dealing with a lot of issues and not dealing too well. She had me chuckling at her thoughts a lot of the time. Dylan, oh Dylan. To me he was the right combination of sexiness, confidence, gentleness, and vulnerability without being weak. I also couldn't dislike Kenneth. It would have been expected to make him the complete bad guy, instead the author showed how we are human and sometimes we don't make the best choices and sometimes not making decisions is how we make our choices. Savannah had the Miranda Lambert song "Momma's Broken Heart" running through my head"
I like that the author dealt with some serious issues without it being overblown which would have been too easy, she also made her characters believable, flawed and human.
June 13, 2013
(Also posted @AZW) It is unfathomable to me that this is the first novel Mrs. Duke has written and that she belted it out in 60 days. I rather ashamedly admit I almost never leave reviews but when something touches us we should acknowledge the beauty and rarity of that, and Damage Done hit me on more levels than a work of fiction has done in a very long time. I read a ton of romance, consuming titles and sub-genres like a true junkie. Most of it passes through my reader, pleasant enough yet ultimately unmemorable, as so many stories follow the same patterns, tick the same boxes. I don't possess the arrogance to presume I can articulate the differences that makes Mrs. Duke's freshman effort such a standout, but without too much TMI or spoilers I'll make an effort to highlight why I think the work is deserving of your investment, as I devoured this in an afternoon and need to savor, for once actually not anxious to move on to the next story.
1) The protagonist, Rachel, is a real, grown woman, which I just love. Rachel is exactly the sort of Gen X/Y woman I'd have in my social circle and so many aspects of her life really resonated with me. I grow really bored with the explosion of "New Adult" romance though I do appreciate the gritty, emotional and (fairly) realistic love stories many of those authors deliver and I'm not really into the Danielle Steele or Nicholas Sparks type stories either, so I make darn certain to support authors, especially indie, who write toward my age demo and do so with more than a modicum of reality and depth. Mrs. Duke scored a perfect 10 with me, her characterization of Rachel's anxiety, her exhaustion and ennui with life, work and marriage, and the eternal, inescapable tension of living a life without the one person who holds a large piece of your soul, of the rage and pain and hopelessness you carry, accept and must live with, were well developed, well written and handled maturely.
2) A respectful, realistic and uncliched treatment of abuse, trauma and mental illness. Mrs. Duke does not make the error of overdramatizing these issues or casually sweeping them aside. Rachel is pretty much a hot mess of a basket case, and nearly every other character has issues, which is precisely how life goes, yet each of them is so well written to reflect how they've been forged in the fires of their trials it is difficult not to find empathy and compassion for them, regardless of their actions, which is rare.
3) The perfect delivery on the Slow Reveal. There were a number of serious jaw-dropping bombs executed in this story and the timing and level of exposition on these were fantastic. Though I had a pretty good guess what was coming with each one, Mrs. Duke delivered beyond expectation, building on to the point that I was actually a little afraid and slightly reticent to read on to the final big reveal knowing it was going to be so much more than whatever I could guess. I can easily see this novel being made into a film as it was so well written the action flowed through my mind as if watching it on screen.
4) There is some really beautiful prose and truly fantastic messages in this work. And for the record I am not referring to the "inverted perverted haiku", though that was hilarious. Some of the insights written from Dylan's perspective are achingly insightful and memorable. And I really love that I did not feel like I needed to make an effort to understand the dialogue, it wasn't overly colloquial and there weren't a ridiculous number of F-bombs used as every part of speech.
5) There are plenty of laughs and chuckles peppered throughout, lightening up otherwise serious material. Especially Jake, Rachel's business partner and BFF. I did cry, but I did my fair share of laughing as well.
If I had any complaints, they are just niggles. The story moved from present to past scenes and there was nothing really to signal the transition, so there were several places where I was out of sorts, but made my way. Also, the work needs the attention of an eagle-eyed copy editor as there are missing and misspelled words (even on the last line) but the errors are not terrible and the story is so great you mostly don't notice.
But really, you need to read this novel because it is a beautiful, heartbreaking, life-affirming, messy, glorious, dirty, out of control, roller-coaster ride of a love story. Amazing. Seriously.
I sincerely hope Mrs. Duke has plans for dozens more; if they are all as good as Damage Done, she will no doubt rise to well deserved fame quite quickly.
1) The protagonist, Rachel, is a real, grown woman, which I just love. Rachel is exactly the sort of Gen X/Y woman I'd have in my social circle and so many aspects of her life really resonated with me. I grow really bored with the explosion of "New Adult" romance though I do appreciate the gritty, emotional and (fairly) realistic love stories many of those authors deliver and I'm not really into the Danielle Steele or Nicholas Sparks type stories either, so I make darn certain to support authors, especially indie, who write toward my age demo and do so with more than a modicum of reality and depth. Mrs. Duke scored a perfect 10 with me, her characterization of Rachel's anxiety, her exhaustion and ennui with life, work and marriage, and the eternal, inescapable tension of living a life without the one person who holds a large piece of your soul, of the rage and pain and hopelessness you carry, accept and must live with, were well developed, well written and handled maturely.
2) A respectful, realistic and uncliched treatment of abuse, trauma and mental illness. Mrs. Duke does not make the error of overdramatizing these issues or casually sweeping them aside. Rachel is pretty much a hot mess of a basket case, and nearly every other character has issues, which is precisely how life goes, yet each of them is so well written to reflect how they've been forged in the fires of their trials it is difficult not to find empathy and compassion for them, regardless of their actions, which is rare.
3) The perfect delivery on the Slow Reveal. There were a number of serious jaw-dropping bombs executed in this story and the timing and level of exposition on these were fantastic. Though I had a pretty good guess what was coming with each one, Mrs. Duke delivered beyond expectation, building on to the point that I was actually a little afraid and slightly reticent to read on to the final big reveal knowing it was going to be so much more than whatever I could guess. I can easily see this novel being made into a film as it was so well written the action flowed through my mind as if watching it on screen.
4) There is some really beautiful prose and truly fantastic messages in this work. And for the record I am not referring to the "inverted perverted haiku", though that was hilarious. Some of the insights written from Dylan's perspective are achingly insightful and memorable. And I really love that I did not feel like I needed to make an effort to understand the dialogue, it wasn't overly colloquial and there weren't a ridiculous number of F-bombs used as every part of speech.
5) There are plenty of laughs and chuckles peppered throughout, lightening up otherwise serious material. Especially Jake, Rachel's business partner and BFF. I did cry, but I did my fair share of laughing as well.
If I had any complaints, they are just niggles. The story moved from present to past scenes and there was nothing really to signal the transition, so there were several places where I was out of sorts, but made my way. Also, the work needs the attention of an eagle-eyed copy editor as there are missing and misspelled words (even on the last line) but the errors are not terrible and the story is so great you mostly don't notice.
But really, you need to read this novel because it is a beautiful, heartbreaking, life-affirming, messy, glorious, dirty, out of control, roller-coaster ride of a love story. Amazing. Seriously.
I sincerely hope Mrs. Duke has plans for dozens more; if they are all as good as Damage Done, she will no doubt rise to well deserved fame quite quickly.
July 20, 2014
This story fell just above a 3.5ish star for me. The start to the story was a bit shaky and it took me a little while to get accustomed to the changes in the timeline and characters involved. But once I started to recognize the way the author shifted the story it started to fall into place. The topics covered in this book are ones that most likely will touch you, directly or indirectly in some way. The theme of the story had the potential to destroy the reader. I was not completely caught up in the characters enough to really be affected strongly by their story, but rather connected through personal situations that I related to the story. I think if I could have gotten to really connect that the story's impact could have really knocked the wind out of me.
Rachel and Dylan were young and in love. They had plans to give each other a forever, but sometimes things come into play that changes the way things will work in the end. Rachel is married with two children, her husband has been distant and they have not been happy for a long time. But she is a broken mess herself, unable to get him to talk - to figure out what changed.
Dylan finds himself back in his hometown and after a horrific accident he is face to face with the girl who would own his heart forever. The girl that he has tried his hardest to hate.
But both of have their own versions of the way their relationship ended. Both of them were wrong about what tore them apart.
Rachel runs a non-profit organization that focuses on assisting women gain support in order to leave abusive relationships. As she prepares to host the gala to assist with raising the needed funds; her life is changing. Her first love has returned, coming to terms with a marriage that has left her unhappy and having to face her own scars of her pasts.
The start of the story was a bit slow, I was desperate to find out what caused these two to become separated - wanting them to just say it to each other rather than just argue. By the time they start to be honest with each other and face the facts that they never stopped loving one another you are thrown into the parts of the story of a mother of two that has a husband that has not touched her in months, who has moved out of their bedroom and who barely looks at her. She will have to leave him, she will have to face the judgment of those in her small town who will gossip and her god-awful mother who cares more about appearances than her daughters heart. When you finally get to the heart of the whole story of their past you are nearing the end of the book. And when the HEA comes you are given just a short time to absorb it before you hit the end.
Many women stay in relationships that they should leave. This is a story about a woman saving others from abusive ones, while she is struggling in one that lacks the love that both her and her husband deserves.
Rachel and Dylan were young and in love. They had plans to give each other a forever, but sometimes things come into play that changes the way things will work in the end. Rachel is married with two children, her husband has been distant and they have not been happy for a long time. But she is a broken mess herself, unable to get him to talk - to figure out what changed.
Dylan finds himself back in his hometown and after a horrific accident he is face to face with the girl who would own his heart forever. The girl that he has tried his hardest to hate.
But both of have their own versions of the way their relationship ended. Both of them were wrong about what tore them apart.
Rachel runs a non-profit organization that focuses on assisting women gain support in order to leave abusive relationships. As she prepares to host the gala to assist with raising the needed funds; her life is changing. Her first love has returned, coming to terms with a marriage that has left her unhappy and having to face her own scars of her pasts.
The start of the story was a bit slow, I was desperate to find out what caused these two to become separated - wanting them to just say it to each other rather than just argue. By the time they start to be honest with each other and face the facts that they never stopped loving one another you are thrown into the parts of the story of a mother of two that has a husband that has not touched her in months, who has moved out of their bedroom and who barely looks at her. She will have to leave him, she will have to face the judgment of those in her small town who will gossip and her god-awful mother who cares more about appearances than her daughters heart. When you finally get to the heart of the whole story of their past you are nearing the end of the book. And when the HEA comes you are given just a short time to absorb it before you hit the end.
Many women stay in relationships that they should leave. This is a story about a woman saving others from abusive ones, while she is struggling in one that lacks the love that both her and her husband deserves.
May 29, 2013
I'm a friends with Virginia Duke, and I got to see an early outline of this book. Needless to say the finished product was not like the outline I saw. That is a good thing because it meant that I didn't know where the story was going. I got drawn into the story of this book and I was right there with the characters feeling everything they felt and seeing their world through their eyes, which is what you want. Now I'm going to get to some spoilers,
Over all I really liked the story, I was drawn in and it was well written. I'm looking forward to reading more from Virginia Duke. I think every reader can find something relatable in the story. I know I related to a lot as I read it.
Over all I really liked the story, I was drawn in and it was well written. I'm looking forward to reading more from Virginia Duke. I think every reader can find something relatable in the story. I know I related to a lot as I read it.
July 29, 2013
This book was a bit different than my usual reads. I tend to read novels where the h/h is below 30years old. However, I really enjoyed it.
Rachel is a mother of two, wife to a husband who sleeps downstairs, and daughter to a "rich bitch" as I like to call it. She runs a non profit organization for victims of domestic violence. It started as an online safe-haven for victims to safely search for help and now, with the help of her best friend Josh, she is able to offer a way out for them.
She's a mess to be honest. She pops valium like tic tacs in order to at least appear like a normal 30-something member of society. From the outside, she seems to have it all, but she's never felt more alone. Rachel has seen a lot of pain and loss in her life and somewhere along the way she lost herself as well.
Like the disclaimer states, this isn't a lovey dovey fairy tale. It's an inside look at real issues that affect millions each and every day. It wasn't an action packed book; it didn't need to be. Although it did throw a "holy shit" curveball towards the end that I wasn't completely expecting. Damage Done<\i> was one of the best free books I've found in a while :)
Rachel is a mother of two, wife to a husband who sleeps downstairs, and daughter to a "rich bitch" as I like to call it. She runs a non profit organization for victims of domestic violence. It started as an online safe-haven for victims to safely search for help and now, with the help of her best friend Josh, she is able to offer a way out for them.
She's a mess to be honest. She pops valium like tic tacs in order to at least appear like a normal 30-something member of society. From the outside, she seems to have it all, but she's never felt more alone. Rachel has seen a lot of pain and loss in her life and somewhere along the way she lost herself as well.
Like the disclaimer states, this isn't a lovey dovey fairy tale. It's an inside look at real issues that affect millions each and every day. It wasn't an action packed book; it didn't need to be. Although it did throw a "holy shit" curveball towards the end that I wasn't completely expecting. Damage Done<\i> was one of the best free books I've found in a while :)
August 4, 2013
To be honest I think that although the cover of the book is nice, it has nothing to do with the book content. Picking it up and having the cover in mind I was expecting to read something completely different.
Damage Done was a nice story, which I read in 2 days, since I really needed to know what happens next.
The only thing - I don't think that the characters - especially Dylan - were well developed... there was some depth lacking about them. So that is why, although I read the book with interest I did not really feel attached to any of the characters.
In general a very nice read indeed.
Damage Done was a nice story, which I read in 2 days, since I really needed to know what happens next.
The only thing - I don't think that the characters - especially Dylan - were well developed... there was some depth lacking about them. So that is why, although I read the book with interest I did not really feel attached to any of the characters.
In general a very nice read indeed.
June 4, 2013
This book was something different, it touched on areas that can happen in life and brought awareness to domestic abuse, not to mention the loss of a cold coupled with marital issues, things we don't discuss often enough. I loved how Rachel overcame her self esteem issues and her fear of socializing and dealing with people. It's an inspiration for us to get active and volunteer and be aware. you never know you can help in some way our another
May 26, 2013
I had a crap day, it's raining and cold and generally miserable! I am so glad I decided to curl up with a hot cup of tea and finish this book. I won't say too much, I don't want to give away any story, but holy cow! Virginia has developed a crazy layered tale with characters you know, or are. A definite recommendation!
May 26, 2013
Maybe only 3-3.5 stars, but I'm awarding Ms. Duke the round-up for setting a personal writing goal and sticking to it.
Rachel, the devoted mother of two, is the wife of a paramedic and is the co-founder of a non-profit organization to aid victims of abusive marriages. On the outside, she appears to have it all, but on the inside she's paranoid about the safety of her children and distraught over her loveless marriage. When a fatal accident occurs locally, she comes face-to-face with her past, which includes great love and great tragedy - both of which she's fought to forget.
Under the assumption I would be reading a dirty book, I prepared myself for the possibility of sex without sufficient character development. Happily, I report it is not the case here. The characters are well developed, and their actions are circumstantially appropriate - which is sometimes problematic when authors wish to include random sex scenes. You won't find that here. It's all done well, including the timely and organized flashbacks.
What I did find distracting is a formatting issue, but I'm not prepared to fault a newly, self-published author for it. The font size alternates frequently, which is more of an annoyance than a hindrance to the story. I also encountered a number of run-on sentences, but it's a forgivable offense because the dialogue still flows with reason.
In short, I look forward to future works from this author.
Rachel, the devoted mother of two, is the wife of a paramedic and is the co-founder of a non-profit organization to aid victims of abusive marriages. On the outside, she appears to have it all, but on the inside she's paranoid about the safety of her children and distraught over her loveless marriage. When a fatal accident occurs locally, she comes face-to-face with her past, which includes great love and great tragedy - both of which she's fought to forget.
Under the assumption I would be reading a dirty book, I prepared myself for the possibility of sex without sufficient character development. Happily, I report it is not the case here. The characters are well developed, and their actions are circumstantially appropriate - which is sometimes problematic when authors wish to include random sex scenes. You won't find that here. It's all done well, including the timely and organized flashbacks.
What I did find distracting is a formatting issue, but I'm not prepared to fault a newly, self-published author for it. The font size alternates frequently, which is more of an annoyance than a hindrance to the story. I also encountered a number of run-on sentences, but it's a forgivable offense because the dialogue still flows with reason.
In short, I look forward to future works from this author.
July 31, 2013
It took me a minute to get into the story, but the more it progressed, the more I liked it. In the end I loved it. It was very realistic, the things the characters went through. The decision Rachel ended up making in the end was very hard decision, and one I know most people would never have the courage to make.
June 29, 2013
I don't know what to stay without giving the story away so I will just say it was a moving, emotional story that showed Rachel's inner strength even though she didn't have confidence in herself as she felt with abuse and betrayal.
August 3, 2013
it took me sometime to read in the beginning because I couldn't understand what was going on at first but after a couple chapters it became an amazing story. I like reading Books that deal with real life situations.
June 11, 2013
3.5 stars
June 12, 2013
Thought provoking.
Really different story. Very Different characters. 4 1/2 stars in my book.
Really different story. Very Different characters. 4 1/2 stars in my book.
July 31, 2013
This was a very emotional book and great writing. 3.5 stars
August 8, 2013
3.5 stars
May 10, 2017
Well written and edited. This is a stand-alone novel. This story is not for those who are troubled by cheating or domestic abuse stories. This was a 3.5 star book for me, but I rounded up.
This is an unusual romance because there's not a lot of joy or happiness in the story. In the great tradition of Southern fiction, everyone is damaged and the family that's determined to help ensure a fairy tale ending does the deepest damage of all. The idea that there are people who aren't wired to be happy, or even in happiness will experience strife and difficulty isn't the normal tone set by romance writers, but it's probably more truthful than most romantic fiction.
Domestic violence, marital difficulty, and cheating are difficult, emotionally draining subjects. In the end, there is a sense of completion and closure. There's relief from the tension built by hiding and the hope that while these people won't have an easy time ahead, they will at least be comfortable in their choices and authentic in their feelings.
This is an unusual romance because there's not a lot of joy or happiness in the story. In the great tradition of Southern fiction, everyone is damaged and the family that's determined to help ensure a fairy tale ending does the deepest damage of all. The idea that there are people who aren't wired to be happy, or even in happiness will experience strife and difficulty isn't the normal tone set by romance writers, but it's probably more truthful than most romantic fiction.
Domestic violence, marital difficulty, and cheating are difficult, emotionally draining subjects. In the end, there is a sense of completion and closure. There's relief from the tension built by hiding and the hope that while these people won't have an easy time ahead, they will at least be comfortable in their choices and authentic in their feelings.
August 11, 2013
This book and the story has some great potential - surviving parental pressure, domestic violence and an unhappy marriage. Rachael is the best of each of us, since, inspire of all her insecurities she has spent a decade of her life helping other women get over abuse. So what if it takes a bottle of valium to get her through the day.
What messes up the story is the unnecessary detailed descriptions of sex between Rachael and Dylan. it just doesn't flow into the script. since confusing sex with love is what gets women hurt so often, its ironically that the author chooses to go into the steamy sessions in such vivid detail. I found that it trivialized the actual issue - finding the strength to ask yourself what you want, and finding the courage to go get it.
1/5 for this half baked story of survival.
What messes up the story is the unnecessary detailed descriptions of sex between Rachael and Dylan. it just doesn't flow into the script. since confusing sex with love is what gets women hurt so often, its ironically that the author chooses to go into the steamy sessions in such vivid detail. I found that it trivialized the actual issue - finding the strength to ask yourself what you want, and finding the courage to go get it.
1/5 for this half baked story of survival.
September 6, 2013
i liked it but i also found that i couldn't quite get invested enough with the back story to make the current love feel real enough
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