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Bait and Switch: Life With a Two-Faced Narcissist
Lisa Carlson once lived a carefree life. She was passionate about helping people and traveling the world on adventures. She was happy with her freedom, but longed for a love that would make things feel "complete." When she met Dameon she thought she had met her match. However, shortly after they married Dameon switched from the man of her dreams to the man of every woman's nightmare. She soon found herself isolated in a religious cult, trapped in an abusive marriage. After Lisa became pregnant with their second child, Dameon began to threaten her with abandonment and death. Reaching within herself for the last ounce of courage she managed to escape into hiding. Could she continue to find strength to face the challenges that sprang up every time she turned around? Bait and Switch is a true story full of suspense, intrigue, and a few twists along the way. Join Lisa on her unique journey as she shares her experiences in a way that will captivate you and make you feel you are right there with her.
537 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2015
13 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 19, 2023
Bait and Switch is as gripping and unnerving as any psychological thriller, yet far more terrifying because the events in the story are true.
Lisa is a gregarious, fun-loving, care-free young woman. With her zest for life and sense of adventure she has no shortage of friends, yet longs for a soulmate to make her world complete. She is, by her own admission, a romantic, but after a series of failed relationships, she is “determined to look for warning signs and red flags with the next guy that comes along.” Naïve and impulsive, her resolve is quickly forgotten when she meets Dameon. After a whirlwind online courtship, the pair are married, and his sociopathic tendencies start to come to light. Lisa’s early efforts to compromise soon turn to complete capitulation and she finds herself trapped in a classic scenario of coercive control. The informal and deeply personal narrative leaves the reader feeling like a helpless observer as Lisa’s self-esteem, dignity and independence are stripped away layer by layer. This is an intense and emotionally challenging memoir with a white knuckle denouement that keeps the reader riveted until the final page.
Lisa is a gregarious, fun-loving, care-free young woman. With her zest for life and sense of adventure she has no shortage of friends, yet longs for a soulmate to make her world complete. She is, by her own admission, a romantic, but after a series of failed relationships, she is “determined to look for warning signs and red flags with the next guy that comes along.” Naïve and impulsive, her resolve is quickly forgotten when she meets Dameon. After a whirlwind online courtship, the pair are married, and his sociopathic tendencies start to come to light. Lisa’s early efforts to compromise soon turn to complete capitulation and she finds herself trapped in a classic scenario of coercive control. The informal and deeply personal narrative leaves the reader feeling like a helpless observer as Lisa’s self-esteem, dignity and independence are stripped away layer by layer. This is an intense and emotionally challenging memoir with a white knuckle denouement that keeps the reader riveted until the final page.
November 23, 2022
Survivor
We all have went through “stuff” in our lives but Lisa survived to tell her story of abuse and trauma caused by someone she loved and trusted.
She retells instances of how controlling and manipulating he could be and so at times it was difficult to comprehend and relate to unless you’ve experienced the same. Unfortunately, I could wholeheartedly relate and was told by an expert it’s a form of marital Stockholm Syndrome.
Since this was such an emotional read for me, it kept me captivated and wanting to know how it ended.
We all have went through “stuff” in our lives but Lisa survived to tell her story of abuse and trauma caused by someone she loved and trusted.
She retells instances of how controlling and manipulating he could be and so at times it was difficult to comprehend and relate to unless you’ve experienced the same. Unfortunately, I could wholeheartedly relate and was told by an expert it’s a form of marital Stockholm Syndrome.
Since this was such an emotional read for me, it kept me captivated and wanting to know how it ended.
January 29, 2016
A very good and varied memoir.
This has a great, brisk, conversational style. Contrary to the cover and the title, it’s not all dark times; this memoir also talks about the author’s work as a missionary and her travels associated with that eg. Papua New Guinea. She trained as doctor's assistant for a mission on Friend Ships-so this book covers a few of my favourite reading categories: memoir, travel, medical and suspense (re the relationship difficulties and abuse). We have travel and adventures too, so this was unexpected, not all harrowing stuff. The writing is varied, Lisa Carlson has travelled widely and done lots of activities, there’s a good mix in this memoir. She meets Dameon. He seemed like everything she'd ever wanted in a man. He seemed almost too good to be true. He was. It starts with seemingly little things, criticisms, quirks and it gets where she's too scared to do anything lest he find some fault with it. This is quite a lengthy memoir (approx. 562 pages)-but that's how this sort of scenario goes: little things at first which add up later; things you don't notice and then they escalate. You wonder is it just normal-or is it your fault? You get back together-they don't change. Being this detailed helps to show how a relationship such as this evolves. This is a story many will relate to. The book came about due to her friends encouraging her to write things down that had happened with Dameon in case evidence was needed in court, for her to remember. A no-frills, conversational style, just telling it like it was memoir. A few twists and turns along the way as there usually are in break-up stories-especially where children are involved-and these keep you reading to find out what's going to happen next. She has done a good job of writing her story.
This has a great, brisk, conversational style. Contrary to the cover and the title, it’s not all dark times; this memoir also talks about the author’s work as a missionary and her travels associated with that eg. Papua New Guinea. She trained as doctor's assistant for a mission on Friend Ships-so this book covers a few of my favourite reading categories: memoir, travel, medical and suspense (re the relationship difficulties and abuse). We have travel and adventures too, so this was unexpected, not all harrowing stuff. The writing is varied, Lisa Carlson has travelled widely and done lots of activities, there’s a good mix in this memoir. She meets Dameon. He seemed like everything she'd ever wanted in a man. He seemed almost too good to be true. He was. It starts with seemingly little things, criticisms, quirks and it gets where she's too scared to do anything lest he find some fault with it. This is quite a lengthy memoir (approx. 562 pages)-but that's how this sort of scenario goes: little things at first which add up later; things you don't notice and then they escalate. You wonder is it just normal-or is it your fault? You get back together-they don't change. Being this detailed helps to show how a relationship such as this evolves. This is a story many will relate to. The book came about due to her friends encouraging her to write things down that had happened with Dameon in case evidence was needed in court, for her to remember. A no-frills, conversational style, just telling it like it was memoir. A few twists and turns along the way as there usually are in break-up stories-especially where children are involved-and these keep you reading to find out what's going to happen next. She has done a good job of writing her story.
January 2, 2016
Sad story of a woman who repeats her mistakes. The end. If only the book had been so succinct.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews