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Ties That Harm
Alexandra's life is an ongoing rollercoaster of love, light and fun. But just one point of weakness at the highest peak, is all it takes to plunge her into a darkness which stops her world turning. And because she's not the only one to blame for its sudden halt, she has no way of knowing if it will ever turn again. When past connections become the ties that harm, Alexandra's worst nightmare becomes an unwanted reality that, regardless of the strength of the ties that bind, will test her to the absolute limit. In this story of betrayal, revenge and deceit, we meet the people in Alexandra and Gabriel's wider circle of family, friends and colleagues. But who among them has a secret to hide? Who has a confession to make? Who has a past to repair and who will survive the Ties That Harm?
512 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2016
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2017
Ties that harm by Elaine Crookes is a erotic romance read.
Alexandra’s life is an ongoing rollercoaster of love, light and fun. But just one point of weakness at the highest peak, is all it takes to plunge her into a darkness which stops her world turning. And because she’s not the only one to blame for its sudden halt, she has no way of knowing if it will ever turn again.
OMG. This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. Alex and Gabriel were still my favourite characters. I loved Vincent too. Full of twists and plots. This was more than an erotic read, it had mystery and sadness and lots more. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from tbc on fb.
Alexandra’s life is an ongoing rollercoaster of love, light and fun. But just one point of weakness at the highest peak, is all it takes to plunge her into a darkness which stops her world turning. And because she’s not the only one to blame for its sudden halt, she has no way of knowing if it will ever turn again.
OMG. This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. Alex and Gabriel were still my favourite characters. I loved Vincent too. Full of twists and plots. This was more than an erotic read, it had mystery and sadness and lots more. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from tbc on fb.
January 1, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Ties That Harm
Author: E R Chissick
Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 17 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
7 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
11 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘I enjoyed the first book and I enjoyed this too. She’s a good writer. Best of all, she knows her readers and what they want.’ Female reader, aged 42
‘Plenty happening here although a bit slow to get going. I would imagine older women would enjoy this story. Gina’s not particularly nice, and the author portrays her well. Secondary characters need developing slightly. Cover very ‘run of the mill’ reminding me of pretty much every other romance-related book. It needs to stand out.’ Female reader (publisher), aged 53
‘A solid writing style that will appeal to readers looking for a good beach read. Rather a complex plot for a romance; almost a thriller in parts. Author needs to find an illustrator who can put together an original, thought-provoking cover to go with the story. Grammar-wise, not bad at all. The odd paragraph needs tightening. Dialogue needs the most work; it felt a little unnatural in parts. Generally, not bad at all. A good editor could turn this into an excellent story.’ Male reader, aged 37
‘Fun, dark in parts, family saga. A light read.’ Female reader, aged 49
‘This author works very well with settings. It’s also a character-lead story. I was engrossed.’ Female reader, aged 55
To Sum It Up:
‘Gripping romantic saga with a ton of twists to keep you turning the page.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Ties That Harm
Author: E R Chissick
Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 17 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
7 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
11 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘I enjoyed the first book and I enjoyed this too. She’s a good writer. Best of all, she knows her readers and what they want.’ Female reader, aged 42
‘Plenty happening here although a bit slow to get going. I would imagine older women would enjoy this story. Gina’s not particularly nice, and the author portrays her well. Secondary characters need developing slightly. Cover very ‘run of the mill’ reminding me of pretty much every other romance-related book. It needs to stand out.’ Female reader (publisher), aged 53
‘A solid writing style that will appeal to readers looking for a good beach read. Rather a complex plot for a romance; almost a thriller in parts. Author needs to find an illustrator who can put together an original, thought-provoking cover to go with the story. Grammar-wise, not bad at all. The odd paragraph needs tightening. Dialogue needs the most work; it felt a little unnatural in parts. Generally, not bad at all. A good editor could turn this into an excellent story.’ Male reader, aged 37
‘Fun, dark in parts, family saga. A light read.’ Female reader, aged 49
‘This author works very well with settings. It’s also a character-lead story. I was engrossed.’ Female reader, aged 55
To Sum It Up:
‘Gripping romantic saga with a ton of twists to keep you turning the page.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
February 21, 2017
The blurb:
Alexandra’s life is an ongoing rollercoaster of love, light and fun. But just one point of weakness at the highest peak, is all it takes to plunge her into a darkness which stops her world turning. And because she’s not the only one to blame for its sudden halt, she has no way of knowing if it will ever turn again.
When past connections become the ties that harm, Alexandra’s worst nightmare becomes an unwanted reality that, regardless of the strength of the ties that bind, will test her to the absolute limit.
In this story of betrayal, revenge and deceit, we meet the people in Alexandra and Gabriel’s wider circle of family, friends and colleagues. But who among them has a secret to hide? Who has a confession to make? Who has a past to repair and who will survive the Ties That Harm?
Following on from 'Ties That Bind' this is a lovely easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. 4*
Alexandra’s life is an ongoing rollercoaster of love, light and fun. But just one point of weakness at the highest peak, is all it takes to plunge her into a darkness which stops her world turning. And because she’s not the only one to blame for its sudden halt, she has no way of knowing if it will ever turn again.
When past connections become the ties that harm, Alexandra’s worst nightmare becomes an unwanted reality that, regardless of the strength of the ties that bind, will test her to the absolute limit.
In this story of betrayal, revenge and deceit, we meet the people in Alexandra and Gabriel’s wider circle of family, friends and colleagues. But who among them has a secret to hide? Who has a confession to make? Who has a past to repair and who will survive the Ties That Harm?
Following on from 'Ties That Bind' this is a lovely easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. 4*
November 3, 2016
Ties that harm
This book was absolutely worth the wait and is a brilliant follow on from Ties that Bind. There is an air of suspense throughout the book where I had a feeling (I won't give anything away here) that life changing events might happen. I was almost holding my breath at times! As in Ties that Bind, the naughty bits bring some colour to your cheeks without being smutty and they all fit well into the storyline.
The book is well researched which adds an authenticity to the story, especially during the trip to Italy.
One other thing I noticed, which deserves five stars in itself, is the lack of grammatical and spelling mistakes. Picky as it might seem I can't help notice errors when reading Kindle books and this is the first one I have read that doesn't appear to contain any!
Well done Elaine, you have done a cracking job. I can't wait for number three!
This book was absolutely worth the wait and is a brilliant follow on from Ties that Bind. There is an air of suspense throughout the book where I had a feeling (I won't give anything away here) that life changing events might happen. I was almost holding my breath at times! As in Ties that Bind, the naughty bits bring some colour to your cheeks without being smutty and they all fit well into the storyline.
The book is well researched which adds an authenticity to the story, especially during the trip to Italy.
One other thing I noticed, which deserves five stars in itself, is the lack of grammatical and spelling mistakes. Picky as it might seem I can't help notice errors when reading Kindle books and this is the first one I have read that doesn't appear to contain any!
Well done Elaine, you have done a cracking job. I can't wait for number three!
October 30, 2016
Having read Elaine's previous novel Ties That Bind, I was more than happy to accept an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book follows on from the first book where you get to meet all the characters and find out their background. I loved Alexandra and Gabriel, they go through a lot together but still manage to come out the other side stronger than they were before.I thought little Vincent was a brave young character and I can't believe how much he has to go through. The story is a gripping one with quite a few twists that I didn't see coming. The ending leaves you wanting more and I am sure that is what the reader will get with the next book, I know for a fact I cannot wait.
April 6, 2017
Some parts of this book were very diferent from others, not just because it moves from Alexandra as first person point of view to third person for other characters. It is a rollercoaster with love and sex, happy family life and sheer terror as the unthinkable happens. The last part of the book took me by surprise.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews