Safe Harbor: Out of the Darkness Into the Light

by B.B. Vanover

Jonah knew the men in his family tended to fall fast when it came to women. Both of his brothers and his father had all been lucky enough to find and marry their soulmates. They also had all been cases of love at first sight. Jonah wasn't convinced he believed in all that. How can you just lay eyes on someone and know they are your one and only? It didn't make sense to him, but he was getting ready to find out, sometimes things just didn't make sense, and didn't always have too? As a paramedic, Jonah had seen more than his fair share of domestic violence. Although it angered him, and his heart broke for the victims, he remained strictly professional. He treated the victim at the scene and transported them to the hospital, end of the story. He never crossed the line, and never wanted to until the day he was dispatched to Roger Ellis' house. The moment he laid eyes on her, the lines blurred, and he crossed right over them. Olivia Perez had spent the last five years of her life trying to protect herself and her daughter from Roger Ellis. She had accepted his help during a desperate and lonely time in her life, and it was a mistake she will forever regret. Once he had her isolated and dependent on him, he turned abusive, and as time went by, the abuse grew worse. Olivia knew it was only a matter of time before he killed her, and if that happened, it would leave her daughter CeCe alone with this animal. She had no one to turn to, no money, not even a car. What was worse was she didn't know if she had the courage to leave. He had promised her a slow and painful death if she ever tried, and she believed he would do his best to keep that promise. Could she afford to trust him, could she afford not to? Why would this handsome paramedic offer to help her and her daughter? Olivia didn't even know him, but somehow, she knew Jonah Hastings was an extraordinary man. The day she sent him out of her hospital room, she felt as if she had just watched the most amazing thing that could ever happen to her, walk right out of her life. She would rather watch him walk away than take the chance of putting him in harm's way. Little did she know in just a little more than a week, both she and Jonah would wind up in the sights of a crazy man.

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2020

Reviews

[Kye | Dark Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had potential but fell short. Had quite a few spelling errors throughout but wasn’t a deal breaker. My main issue was the insta love and connection. It didn’t make me swoon but roll my eyes between Jonah and Olivia. Cece was adorable but the instant connection she had with Hastings family was a stretch. I get what the concept was, the intention was for a little girl starving for an entire family to love and cherish her and for her wish to come true… but I don’t know any mother who dealt with abuse for an extended period of time would be okay with her impressionable daughter to completely attach herself to people she barely knew and refer to them as Aunt, Uncle, Nana, and Papa. Gut feeling or no, I’d be questioning every single aspect of new relationships learning from her previous mistake of being too trusting. There was no coping time for her to overcome her trauma. It was like it never happened which in itself is unrealistic and didn’t allow for her to show character growth.

All in all, I’ve read worse, but have also read better.