It is not very often that I read a book that guts me emotional and physically. This novel did that. I knew what I was getting into when I started and I still wasn't prepared. Absolutely breathtaking story about survival and finding peace. I cried. A lot. That is your eloquent warning to ave tissues ready. I also am glad I treasure my reader so much because I almost threw it a few times. This story is a hard read from the start. It is emotional and reaction evoking. You will be infuriated and hurt for Drew and her life from the very start. Then you will go on a journey with her and get to see what true healing really looks like.
I adored the way that this story developed. You jump in right at the start of this story. You get to see the terror, the destruction, and the eventual start to healing. The characters both had a lot of some to terms with. Drew had to find her self. Truly find who she was and rise from the ashes of her life. Jensen on the other hand had other things to come to terms with. A man full of pride and the will to do good had to come to terms with the fact that sometimes we can't right all of the wrong of the past but we can eventually help to lessen the damage they do.
So much happens in this story, I don't even know where to start or who to put it into words. This novel was raw and full of hurt, but ti was also a beautifully written story about finding love. It was the perfect balance of chaos and romance. I wasn't sure I was going to be okay with the romance aspect of it because of the start of the novel, but it flowed seamlessly and naturally. It was an absolutely pleasure to read. I could not put it down. We got to watch a dove get her wings and learn to fly. I am waiting with batted breath for the second novel in this series. I know without a doubt I will love it.
Synopsis:
Drew Townsend has lived anything but a charmed life. When her mother died from cancer, her father snapped, using her as his own personal punching bag. After taking one too many beatings, she took things into her own hands. Determined to escape the nightmare she was living, a desperate Drew does the only thing she can think of to end it all. Jensen Marks, a former Marine and now police officer in the small town of Chance, had seen a lot of things in his years – war, beatings, crying children – yet none of it kept him up at night. So once he met Drew, he’s perplexed by the way she got under his skin. After years of everyone turning their back on what was going on, Jensen takes it upon himself to see a change in her. Can Jensen help Drew pick up the missing pieces of herself or will he push her into losing yet another piece in Chance?
