Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):
They took everything from her.
Attacked her.
Raped her.
Left her for dead.
She lost her whole life in New Orleans and fled to Seattle, hoping to find sanctuary from her dark past. Simone LeClair isn’t sure if she’ll ever love anyone again—or if she even wants to.
That is, until she meets the beautiful Aiden Meyers, a man with a myriad problems of his own, a man that wears different masks to keep his conflicting worlds separate from each other. For some strange reason, as soon as Simone lays her eyes on him, she can’t look away. He’s unlike any man she’s ever met, and that makes him all the more unbelievable.
When she’s with him, all her pain becomes a distant memory, pain that she believed she’d never escape. But as Aiden’s walls start to crumble, and the worlds he juggles start to collide, Simone realizes he’s dangerous in a whole new way – she’s fallen hard for him, even though he’s on a downward spiral that threatens to take her down with him.
Will Simone sink with him?
Or will she pull herself out before it’s too late?
Review:
I was really excited to read this book. Not only had a got it free on Amazon but it was actually a book I WANTED to read that I got for free! Bonus! I read it right away as soon as it was on my Kindle.
The book started off by drawing me in with Simone and her story. I do enjoy reading New Adult reads that have tragic pasts but I find it is a bit of a double-edged sword because it can sometimes be too much to ask for from an author and I think that this is one of these cases.
Simone drove me up the wall. She started off ok, but her thought process wasn’t what I expected it to be based on books I’ve read in the past that have a heroine who goes through a similar experience. I think that this caused me to disconnect with her and when I disconnect with the heroine, I tend not to enjoy the book.
And when it wasn’t Simone driving me up the wall, it was Aiden pushing me up higher. I actually think that Simone’s relationship with Aiden and how she acts with him is the main reason I’m not a fan of hers. I just didn’t like Aiden, not even in a pity way: which is awful to say based on his character and what he is going through. He was just too all over the place for me to get a grasp on him. I think I spent a majority of the book wishing Simone would dump his ass and grow from that experience with him into a stronger person.
That being said, this book did manage to hold my attention and there were a few twists that I really enjoyed. There isn’t much plot other than Simone trying to find herself but that was what I was expecting going into it.
Conclusion:
Overall, this book was alright: it just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I’m glad it was free and a standalone because I wouldn’t be able to read a sequel. If you enjoy reading books with mature content regarding mental illness and abuse, this is a good read to pick up (or if you are a psychology major who is interested in diagnosing mental illness). Otherwise, there are better and stronger books regarding two people suffering from tragic pasts out there waiting for you to read them.
Rating: 3/5
Shorthand Stats:
Genre: New Adult, Drama, Tragedy, Romance
Recommended for: 18+
Point of View: First Person
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