Scarred Horizon

Scarred #4

by Jackie Williams

An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Paul’s story.

To be blind was bad enough; to question his sanity was a kick in the teeth; to give him a babysitter to monitor his every move was beyond his hard pressed endurance.

Kicked out of the army and queuing at the dreaded job centre, unable to even search for employment himself had been humiliating enough. Having to stand there and wait in line while listening to the vile terrorist who had murdered his team and had taken his sight, was more than Paul could take. The warlord had to die. It was a pity that the public didn’t see it that way and a prevented a raging Paul from dishing out his own form of justice.

Convincing the assault trial judge to choose an option preferable to prison was going to be an even harder task to perform. Paul’s former army mates are not going to let him be taken down without a fight but making a soft and fragrant minder a condition of his parole was a mortifying possibility that had never once crossed his mind.

Amy would do just about anything so see the big, handsome man sitting in the dock regain his pride but she hadn’t reckoned on Paul’s stubborn independence. Blind beyond reason, she just can’t get through to the obstinate blockhead that she only has his best interests in mind. If her good intentions break her own fragile heart then that is something she will just have to conquer but a month of child-minding the uncooperative ex soldier is becoming even more difficult than her generous spirit can survive.

With evil about to enter the beautiful château in the French countryside, will Paul open his mind and expose his hidden emotions for long enough to see the beautiful light in his forever darkened world or will his and Amy’s future perish under a viciously Scarred Horizon?

Scarred Horizon gently addresses the issues of disability after injuries sustained in battle. It is an uplifting read full of romance and intrigue suitable for age 16 and above. Contains sensual sex and some swearing.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Disability, Contemporary, Action

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2014

About the author

I was born in Essex England during the mid sixties but I missed all the fun. Being only young I assumed that all Beatles were six legged creatures and Flower Power was something to do with the vigorous way my mother kneaded the bread dough.

My wonderful parents brought me up with a huge love of books. We read anything and everything. Bedtime stories were a treasured time of adventure and mystery. My sister and I sat wide eyed in wonder and to this day I worry about Dinah and Dorinda being pricked with pins because they grew so fat, and I never pull faces at the a waning moon (or was it a waxing one?) just in case my chops stay that way . (The Wind On The Moon)

I began reading romance while still at school. The fuel for many a teenage fantasy leapt from between the covers of wildly romantic books and my passion still lingers now for all those dark haired heroes.

My own beautiful teenage daughter persuaded me to write my first romance. She was only fourteen at the time and between books for children and adults. She couldn’t find anything that ticked all her numerous and particular boxes and so she asked me to write a book, with all the exact ingredients just for her. Though not just a book for teens, she enjoyed the resulting tale so much that she shared it with her friends and I eventually published A Perfect Summer as an ebook on amazon.

But I have discovered that writing is not easily stopped once you start. It has turned into a grand passion that I just cannot hold back. The fingertips start tapping the keys and ideas suddenly come flooding, far too many for just one book and so I began another and then another. Nine books later I am still nowhere near done. Book ten is on its way and only just the other night I woke from a wild and wonderful dream with book eleven fully formed in my head.

Romance will always be my first love but recently I was so influenced by a tiny polished plaque on a sea wall that I gave paranormal romance a try. (Echo Beach) Mixing the two genres was a real challenge for me but I was delighted with the result. Historical romance is going to be my next genre. All those fabulously titled and passionate men are impossibly hard to resist.

All of my books are Easy Reading Romance, intended only to while away a few hours with some light entertainment.

They are not meant to teach you anything or to stay with you for years after reading. Please do not read or review them if you are expecting anything deeper or more meaningful.

I hope you enjoy all of my efforts and I look forward to your comments and reviews.

Reviews

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Scarred Horizon" by Jackie Williams is yet another excellent novel in her Scarred series. This book is about the life of Paul, an injured soldier after his return to the Uk from Afghanistan.
It explores with great empathy, sensitivity and insight the complex emotional scars and the impact of the acquired disability on an individual.
Paul's background is heart breaking and the turn his life has taken is sad. However, the book does not just dwell on war heroics, injustice, pity and misery but in an upbeat turn the novel provides a more upbeat approach and takes our hero to France where he can regain his strength, confidence and his life and find some romance, too.
The book is very easy and pleasant to read and, to me at least, the concept of the series is an admirable and important undertaking: to break down taboos and put the injured and disabled into the spotlight as strong and interesting characters and beyond the role of victims. Williams has seen her idea through very successfully.
It is prefectly possible to enjoy this book as nothing more than a romantic novel with some deeper aspects, such is the skill of the author of handling sensitive issues gently and competently.

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fourth book in the same series, which just keep getting better and better! I love “getting to know” all of these brave war veterans and their women who really became a close-knit family over the years, ready to not only take care of the existing friends living under the same roof but also the newcomers in need of help.
“Scarred Horizon” tells a story of a former Afghan campaign soldier, Paul, who, after being blinded by one of the terrorists, suddenly finds himself facing charges after attacking the same terrorist years later and already on the UK soil. Faced with the prospect of assault charges, he reluctantly accepts the Judge’s proposition to send him to a remote French chateau for rehabilitation, accompanied by a social worker, Amy. Soon, both Paul and Amy can’t deny the growing attraction between them but the real danger still lies ahead.
I really enjoyed not only the intriguing plot but the psychological aspect of the story, showing how damaging it can be for someone to be treated as a disabled person when in reality all that person needs is a job which suits their abilities. Also, how important the camaraderie is and how much it can aid in someone’s rehabilitation and restore one’s faith in themselves.
The characters were so memorable, I felt like I knew each personally by the end of the story. The romance was super sweet and the ending kept me on the edge of my seat. A five star read for sure. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Nikki Landis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have loved all of the Scarred series, I have to say that Paul's story was probably the most emotional. Suffering at the hands of his enemy and disfigured as a prisoner of war, it's no wonder he doesn't trust many people and believes he's incapable of being loved for the man he truly is. Amy learns that some scars go much deeper than physical wounds and her love and patience make her a great character. I loved their slow burn relationship and chemistry.

This author has a real talent in descriptive writing and crafting flawed but believable characters that are endearing and real. Ms. Williams hooks you and then reals you all the way in, her writing as flawless as her ability to craft believable characters in a fictional world. These heroes and their struggles will tug at your heartstrings and become favorites.

Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Word Building: 5/5
Story Flow: 5/5

Picky Bitches OVERALL SCORE: 5/5

[Rose Canteiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the book's story, a social worker designated by a judge to report to the Court the ability of a blind war hero to conduct his life effectively and responsibly. So she is forced to accompany him on a trip where he coordinates the reconstruction of a castle to be a resort for rehabilitation of war veterans.

Their initial contacts are engaging, but from then on both became boring, the hero got bitter and thick, the heroine lost strength and fade into an excessive succession of acts in which one avoids and ignores the other, and the embarrassment is so dense that a natural reapproximation is impossible without resorting to an artificial and ridiculous event.

On top of that there is this recurring mentality of the female characters, that combat heroes are actually scared children when it comes to women, and unable to match them emotionally. This way the hero the author created is bitter, thick and emotionally cowed before a woman. And so a book with an excellent plot is lessened by a poor argument.

4 stars.

[Jordan Leger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Paul. Just because one can not see, doesn't mean you can't be loved. Paul's sight was taken from him while in combat. His sight was restored with bionics. However that didn't last. This handsome, strong, brave, hardheaded man found out that he could have a chance at happy life even though he couldn't see if he only let his stubbornness go. The beautiful Amy came into his life at the perfect time. Perhaps she should have slap a little sense into him too though. I loved these two and the bond they had in the story line.

Jackie Williams did an amazing job creating these characters. I for one will be keeping up with this series!

[Mary Mac Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Romantic read

A quick read with a good romance story. Just unpredictable enough to enjoy the action which kept me reading until the end.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Desperately needs an edit and these books all seem to feel the same... Soldier feels inadequate, followed by stupid miscommunication, then reconciliation and quick marriage.

[Nadja · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how sometimes a series of romances centered around a central cast of characters starts to feel stale? You wouldn't based on the Scarred series. Despite having a common history of physical and emotional trauma and all being drawn one by one to work for Ellen and David's wounded warrior chateau, Williams manages to keep her heroes distinct (if maddeningly unable to believe that *gasp* what woman would want such damaged goods? :) ). (Parenthetical not meant as a knock on the heroes or their disbelief - the core insecurity is very believable given that each was once your confident alpha male that had the sources of their confidence physically stripped away in an instant, or in Paul's case, over the course of a few days...but I digress)

I did find myself wanting to yell at both Paul and Amy individually at times--so much needless anxiety they could have avoided by communicating openly about feelings. Weird, right?

This installment brings in a new twist in the external plot that questions how severed the guys' military / special ops ties really are. I can only hope that Gemma's appearance at the chateau means that her story is coming up soon!

[John Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the first in the Scarred series, I was eagerly looking forward to this next installment. I was not disappointed. Already with a bit part in the last book, this tells of Paul and how the establishment and society have turned their back on him. The intervention of Patrick and Paul's long suffering probation officer takes the story to the Chateau in France. Here the story develops and a true page turner is in your hands. It was good to be reacquainted with the characters from books one and two, and the beauty with this series is that there are a number of others who are screaming to have their own stories told. Roll on for many more in this series.

[Emily]

Enjoyable read

I enjoyed this book it was a fun read with an interesting perspective. That said, I did get a bit annoyed with how explicitly each emotion was conveyed (something along the lines of Paul felt the wave of love wash over him). That style of writing can be a bit much for me at times.