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Shattered Illusions
Sarah Quinn's life is on the mend after the death of her husband. But when her new boyfriend turns violent, Sarah realizes she's made a terrible mistake. Sarah leaves their home in the Chicago suburbs in the middle of the night, taking her seven-year-old daughter with her. It's the dead of winter, and Sarah has no money and nowhere to go. When Sarah takes a job from a shady bar owner, things go from bad to worse. Desperate, Sarah takes Riley to the only place she knows she will be the abandoned Lonely Tree bed and breakfast in northern Michigan, where she worked many years ago.
Luke Porter is an ex-firefighter who almost died because of a bad decision he made on the job. His broken leg has nearly healed, but the consequences of his actions that day still haunt him. Unable to face his guilt, he has retreated to the solitude of northern Michigan in winter, where he spends his days renovating an old bed and breakfast. Then one day a mysterious woman shows up with her young daughter, and Luke's solitary existence is upended.
Luke takes an immediate liking to Sarah and her daughter, but he senses that she's keeping secrets from him--secrets that won't stay hidden for long. Sarah's past catches up to her just as a blizzard hits, and it will take all of their courage and ingenuity to stay alive--and stay together.
Luke Porter is an ex-firefighter who almost died because of a bad decision he made on the job. His broken leg has nearly healed, but the consequences of his actions that day still haunt him. Unable to face his guilt, he has retreated to the solitude of northern Michigan in winter, where he spends his days renovating an old bed and breakfast. Then one day a mysterious woman shows up with her young daughter, and Luke's solitary existence is upended.
Luke takes an immediate liking to Sarah and her daughter, but he senses that she's keeping secrets from him--secrets that won't stay hidden for long. Sarah's past catches up to her just as a blizzard hits, and it will take all of their courage and ingenuity to stay alive--and stay together.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2016
5 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 5, 2022
I picked up this book because the author was looking for readers to get the reviews jump-started. Even though I got this for free, I feel my review is unbiased. I don't usually read this genre, but I was looking to expand my reading, and this seemed like a good opportunity.
I really enjoyed this book, and it makes me want to read more from this author. The characters were well developed, interesting, and 'relatable'. If I were to summarize the story, it might seem far-fetched that 'normal' people would wind up in the situations that happen in this story. But the author builds it in a very realistic way, so it never requires much suspension of disbelief.
If I am going to fault the book for anything, it would just be the title. I can't see how it fit the story, and it makes it sound like a cheap romance novel. There are about 20 other books in Goodreads with the same title. This book is good enough that it needs to stand out above that. A better cover picture would help as well.
Is was a little annoying that, whenever a question arose, the character's first assumption always turned out to be the right one.
The ending was satisfying, if slightly predictable. I am glad I read this, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind the mature topics (domestic abuse, prostitution, serial-killer, corrupt police, mafia, money laundering, sex, etc.)
***SPOILER ALERT***
I really liked how the two main characters didn't fall into bed at the first chance they got. It made the actual intimacy more believable and enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this book, and it makes me want to read more from this author. The characters were well developed, interesting, and 'relatable'. If I were to summarize the story, it might seem far-fetched that 'normal' people would wind up in the situations that happen in this story. But the author builds it in a very realistic way, so it never requires much suspension of disbelief.
If I am going to fault the book for anything, it would just be the title. I can't see how it fit the story, and it makes it sound like a cheap romance novel. There are about 20 other books in Goodreads with the same title. This book is good enough that it needs to stand out above that. A better cover picture would help as well.
Is was a little annoying that, whenever a question arose, the character's first assumption always turned out to be the right one.
The ending was satisfying, if slightly predictable. I am glad I read this, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind the mature topics (domestic abuse, prostitution, serial-killer, corrupt police, mafia, money laundering, sex, etc.)
***SPOILER ALERT***
I really liked how the two main characters didn't fall into bed at the first chance they got. It made the actual intimacy more believable and enjoyable.
January 31, 2017
Very impressive, Miss Kendrick.
I dove into this with some trepidation, as it was explained to me as being a thriller romance. Luckily for me, the book is heavy on thrills and light on romance. Miss Kendrick did a phenomenal job of pacing here; the chapters were short enough to read in bits and pieces but the tension escalated so quickly that I had a hard time putting it down.
The story itself is about a young woman just trying to do the right thing for her daughter and escape an abusive relationship. Unfortunately she seems to jump from a bad situation to a much worse one when she meets Alex Teppo, a man who's willing to give her work at his bar but only if she's willing to ignore the fact that he's into some seriously unsavory and illegal business. Things ramp up from there quickly and don't much let up. There are a few predictable moments but they don't detract from the overall story. The tension is there, the emotions are raw and real and entirely believable, and I am officially a fan.
I dove into this with some trepidation, as it was explained to me as being a thriller romance. Luckily for me, the book is heavy on thrills and light on romance. Miss Kendrick did a phenomenal job of pacing here; the chapters were short enough to read in bits and pieces but the tension escalated so quickly that I had a hard time putting it down.
The story itself is about a young woman just trying to do the right thing for her daughter and escape an abusive relationship. Unfortunately she seems to jump from a bad situation to a much worse one when she meets Alex Teppo, a man who's willing to give her work at his bar but only if she's willing to ignore the fact that he's into some seriously unsavory and illegal business. Things ramp up from there quickly and don't much let up. There are a few predictable moments but they don't detract from the overall story. The tension is there, the emotions are raw and real and entirely believable, and I am officially a fan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews