Audible audiobook, KU e-book
Author: Jennifer Hartmann
Narrators: Laurie West and Christian Black
Cora has known Dean for more than half her life. They went to school together and he’s now engaged to her sister. He’s also the bane of her existence with his pranks and constant teasing. He’s a thorn in her side, the pebble in her shoe. So, when she sees herself stranded at 3am with no wallet at the bar where her sister had her birthday party, she swallows her pride and calls Dean to pick her up. When they get pulled over by what seems to be the police, the last thing she expects is to end up shackled to a wall in a dirty basement with her nemesis. Abducted by a madman, they will have to rely on each other if they want to get out of there alive. But their abductor has plans that will change their destiny forever, tying them with bonds which are more unbreakable than the chains.
Let’s start by saying that absolutely LOVED this book (and y’all know that I have a propensity to be overly critical of hyped books) but it is D A R K. Like pitch black dark. Their abductor does unspeakable things and he gets off on making their victims fall in love and then killing them, so yeah, brace yourselves.
I loved the “bickering” between Dean and Cora and I was rooting fro them even before there was a possibility of them being together. It helps a lot that the sister didn’t fall into my graces, so it makes it easier to get into Dean and Cora together.
The books has two sets of “pacing” so to speak and I really appreciated it. It doesn’t end with them getting an HEA right after escaping. They have to work on their healing in order to be together. Yes, their relationship started out a little toxic and that’s why it was important that they had to work on all of their personal issues and their PTSD in order to be together. I liked that the author made us go through this journey with them.
It’s a story of survival – of thriving when everything you hold dear is stripped from you and you come out of the other side stronger, braver and …. happy. LOVED it. It obliterated me but I loved it!
Narration: Laurie West and Christian Black, both new to me and they NAILED IT!
Possible triggers: kidnapping, rape, physical and emotional abuse, death of a pet, suicide attempt, violence
