Through The Eyes of Madness

by K.A. Graham, Barb Shuler

No one sets out in life to hit rock bottom.

I found the man I loved, got married, and that was all I got. It went south so fast I never saw the bottom coming, until I was face first in the darkness with the devil himself.

I became a spiraling tornado of chaos. Love, lies, and drugs. It twisted around me, as did his arms. Nothing was the same, nothing will ever be the same…

Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2018

About the author

KA Graham grew up in a small town in Oregon. Through the years, her love for writing and poetry, turned into something she had only dreamt of. Writing her own book. She's faced many obstacles in her life, but the love and devotion of her parents, have always kept her grounded.

She is an avid reader, blogger and does PA work for a few authors, which keeps her quite busy. Hard rock music lover and horror movie buff, with a love and appreciation for tattoos. Her addictions include copious amounts of caffeine, Chinese food and Haribos candy.

#EmbraceTheLove #ForgetTheHate

~ Connect with KA here ~
Email: Annluv79@gmail.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorKAGraham
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AnnLuv79
Instagram: http://instagram.com/AnnLuv79
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/K.A.-Graham/e/...

Reviews

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I’m going to struggle to find the words for a review. Two authors Barb Shuler and KA Graham have written a well told story full of feels.

Anna’s story isn’t an easy read. Usually I can read a book in one sitting but Anna’s story felt heavy and raw. We are told the story from the point of view of Anna’s therapist and we read Anna’s point of view through her diary. Once I got the jist of the way the story was being told I couldn’t think of a better way to tell it. Although my heart went out to Anna there was times I wanted to shake her, to tell her to get her act together.
Usually I would be put off when I’m reading a book that has more characters in it that I dislike than I like. However it worked for me in this story.

Through The Eyes of Madness is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes on both these authors in the future.

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Cranky Stars


I’m angry like crazy angry. The kind of angry that makes me want to ask my husband to teach me to drive his tractor and start digging a person size hole in my yard. I’ve never hated a character so much as I do right now. No, it’s not Anna.


Anna has a history of addiction and apparently choosing men who just fled the prison coop. Her choices are beyond questionable. You see her replacing one addiction with another and that other addiction is a man named Shane. She buys his lies time and time again and thinks somewhere there is a redeemable human in there. Granted Anna is not all innocent but all in all she’s just a girl who wants to have someone to love. She has a good support system yet she doesn’t see it until she’s 3 plus years into hell.


Shane you son of a biscuit eater. You are lucky I can’t curse on Amazon!! Anyway, Shane was a prison bird who roped Anna in with his sexy looks and smooth words. He slowly chipped away her soul until she was begging for any scrap of his affection. He turns to drugs and cheap slutty girls while he’s with Anna. His friends aren’t any better.


This book has a true element to it. There has to be it’s almost an autobiography a cleansing of the soul. My heart ached for Anna but at times I really wanted to shake the crap out of her. I was screaming in the words of Whoppi Goldberg from Ghost…You in danger girl!!


I can say we all know an Anna or maybe we have been an Anna. This book will make your heart and soul hurt. You’ll want to shake Anna and say god you are a good person recognize this. Read this stunning debut by an upcoming author!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the authors who wrote this book,

First and foremost I thank you. I thank you for showing us the perfect imperfections and the hearts struggling to survive. I thank you for bringing to light real life situations and how easy it can be to sink into that brand of quick sand. You showed this reader a mirror as I could relate to quite a few of those situations.

Quote: "I know the misery of life won’t stay away long. It never does."
Just that line alone shattered my heart, because it's true.

The story of Anna needed to be told. I needed to hear it. This book pulled so many feels from me including a murderous rage against Shane. This love was toxic but real. The struggle is real.

By the end of the book I felt lighter, almost like I lost a huge chip on my shoulder. I hope this book finds its way into the hearts of every woman who's ever been scorned. To any woman who kept getting back up after being knocked down. To every woman who's heart is bigger than their brain because we all tend to listen with our hearts first.

[Susan Freestone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading another one of KA Graham's books, this one sat on my kindle for so long, and I absolutely loved it and wished I had read it sooner.
This is a co-write with a author I haven't read any of her work before, it really hit the spot.
I like the way the story is written and told from Anna's words through the eyes of her therapist from a diary of events, I also liked the way the text messages from Anna and Shane were included it gave you a better picture of both of their views and what they were feeling.

I found it pulled at my heart, and I was able to relate to Anna's terrible and sad situation, it had me in tears, these two authors have so brilliantly captured what it is like to go through these situations that Anna went through. VERY WELL WRITTEN!!!

I highly recommend this book and I definitely want to read more from both these authors.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly emotional story. It grabs you and rips your heart out. The heroine of the story has to overcome some very sad tragedies only to fall into more sadness. The men in her life are the kind you think should have been neutered at birth. I mean some people should never procreate. Some of the females in this book are the kind that give all the rest of us a terrible name. I won't lie. There were many times throughout this story that I felt like slapping the main character, Anna. I understand someone feeling trapped, but at the same time, we are only as trapped as we allow ourselves to feel/be. I'm glad that she managed to survive and persevere but, I wish she would have stuck to her guns much sooner. All in all, this is a great book with a few lessons learned that some of us could benefit from.

[✰ Charlie ✰ Chisholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is beautifully written and it takes you on a roller coaster of a ride.
The story is told from Anna psychiatrist who is reading it from Anna’s diary.
It is a story of love Loss and heartbreak. Anna’s journey to overcome her past and demons. It is tragic and sad. I really wanted to just climb in this book and Hug Anna and tell her to walk away but it is never just that easy to walk away we can’t help who we fall in love with.
Two authors, I have not read before but will be keeping my eye out for more.

[Sue Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll say straight away that I really liked this book and read it in one sitting, in a couple of hours. The synopsis doesn’t give too much away so unlike most books I read I felt like I was going in blind and had no preconceived ideas about what to expect.

It’s different (a good thing). I don’t want to spoil someone else’s reading experience by giving too many details, but I think it’s ok to say the story is told through the eyes of the heroine’s psychiatrist who is reading through a diary of events the heroine has had to face.

It’s a dark story and if you are someone that likes to read about sweet love with an HEA this is not the book for you.

The hero (not sure that’s an accurate description,but will have to do) and heroine are both very troubled individuals that have led and continue to lead difficult lives. I have to say that whilst there is no way I would make the same decisions the heroine made (and at times I wanted to slap her) the book was written in such a way that you understood why she would make them, given her past and the feelings she was experiencing.

I seem to have read a few books lately where I thought they were following a story formula/were too predictable, that was definitely not the case here and that was refreshing and what stopped me from putting the book down as I waited/hoped the heroine’s circumstances would improve.

I’m not sure what genre I’d put this book in, romance?? hmm not sure that’s 100% accurate, there’s love in the story (and sex), but I think it’s more about the journey the heroine takes to improve her own self worth.

Whatever it is, it’s worth reading

I received an arc of this book for an honest review

[Shelly Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shane was my drug, and I was addicted. Just like that, I forgave him, but know I will never trust him. how can you ever get trust back when someone has splattered your heart across the floor?"

Wow. Never before have I read a book that hit me like this one. I saw so much of myself in Anna, it was unnerving at times. My heart broke for her. I knew exactly what she was feeling, thinking, and struggling with - not wanting to give up on the person you love, no matter how toxic they've become to you. She was me a couple of decades ago.

I loved the set up of this story. You learn about Anna through the eyes of Genny Horn, a therapist at a mental health facility. Anna has written a diary for Genny, and it's that diary that Genny is reading before her next session with Anna. It's raw and honest and tragic. At the same time, it's beautiful to see the journey of healing that it brings Anna.

There were many parallels between Anna and myself, some so exacting I felt like I was reading about my own life. I could have written those words verbatim in my own diary. Others were the same, but to different extremes. I will say, I think all of us can relate to Anna in one degree or another.

I'm not sure how I would categorize this book. It shows in Amazon under Mystery/Thriller/Suspense. It might be better suited under Dark Romance, or even Self-Help on the outskirts of genres.

As I stated in the beginning of this review, this book hit me. Yes, it deals with difficult topics. Yes, its tragic, and heartbreaking. But its also beautiful. This is one of those books that will stay with me forever.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I know the misery of life won’t stay away long. It never does."


I had absolutely no idea how the story would progress by reading the blurb as it didn’t give out much so I went in with no expectations or preconceived notions and the way the story started I had a feeling I was in for a gut wrenching ride , and I just have no words for how I feel after reading this book, it was raw and painful. It was very different , The way the story is told to the plot . The story was told by Anna’s psychiatrist whose reading her dairy and relating what she went through and the choices she made.

The story eloquently captures the imperfections, how love could sometimes be toxic , a heart struggle to survive , the choice one has to make based on their past and their present feelings & discovering your self worth. Maybe I won’t have made those decisions that Anna made but the authors beautifully sketched out Anna character and convinced me as a reader why she made those decisions. This was a heavy & raw story and had all the feels and as the reader your heart breaks and your feel all the emotions for what Anna is going through. At times I wanted to slap her and other times my heart broke for her. Overall it was a fantastic read ! Definitely an experience.

Kudos to the authors for writing this compelling, thought provoking & heartbreaking story . This is the first time I am reading story from these authors and would definitely be look out for more books from these two.

Highly Recommend this book !

[Jo Overfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to say this book was done exceptionally well.

Anna was a woman who’d found herself lured into a relationship with a man, after already experiencing a life of brokenness. Her choice in Shane was one that was very difficult for me to read. Why? Because like a lot of young women in this world in one way or another they find themselves with men and situations that destroy them emotionally, physically and physiologically by the likes of men such as Shane.

It was hard for me because quite literally, (change names, a few, very few details and it was like reading my daughter’s life). I struggled emotionally for Anna because the words, actions and every movement of Shane reminded me of Mr. X will call him.

I’m so glad the author wrote this book. To me bringing light, and the reality of abuse, brokenness, and actions of manipulation, and the likes of how one person can completely drag a person down and destroy them.

This book was very well written, so true, and hard to read emotionally, but in my opinion needed to be. Sometimes truth isn’t easy to read, but needs to be put to pen, whether the characters are fictional or real. The reality of the storyline is, and plays out daily.

Bravo!

[Donna Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna is someone your heart bleeds for. She tries so hard to find love and when she finally feels like she has it...it slips through her fingers time after time. This is a hard hitting story about what she goes through and the journey to find herself. It is riveting and at times very sad. I must say, i got misty eyed more than once. Its a story that most of us can relate to in our early years and still into our 30's and 40's. The choices we make in life and the paths we take....do they make us stronger or weaker?
Read the story to find out how Anna did. I'm not telling cause I hate spoilers. This was very well written and thought provoking. I highly recommend you give a read!

[Debra Sykes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book.

It's such a rollercoaster of emotions, I could not read this book
In one sitting I had to keep taking brakes.

Anna is an amazing woman to have been through all that's she went
through and still come out the other side.

The story is mainly Anna and her therapist. Anna's is what she writes in
her journal and the therapist just gives input on what she wants Anna
to talk about.
it's the hardship of what Anna's been through that really
got me.

I have never read anything from these two authors but I certainly will.
They were excellent well done.

[Breanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

***** 3.5 Stars *****
This story captured my attention from the beginning. This was about Anna and her journey through tragedy. Shane and Anna's relationship was so toxic and unhealthy, it was hard to read at times. I found myself wanting to hug Anna and wanting her to get the strength and courage she needed to get out of that relationship. I wasn't crazy about how the story was told mostly through Anna's diary.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and would like to know what happens in Anna's future.
*** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

[Sandra Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely compelling!
I've never read a book by either author before and the blurb piqued my curiosity.
This is Anna's story, told through the eyes of her therapist. It's sad, tragic really, but I couldn't help but want to shake her out of the spiral she was in. I think many of us will see some of her traits and recognise them.
This isn't a pretty story. It doesn't have a "HEA" per se, perhaps the HEA is that she survived and can look forward.
Compelling reading.

[Jennifer Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful but emotional story at the same time. A therapist is helping Anna cope through her inner demons and for her to do that she has to get in her head by reading her diary. Anna goes through a lot with her boyfriend Shane he was her drug she always went back to no matter how much emotional abuse there was. She had numerous mishaps happen and she always forgives will her therapists help her cope through this situation.

[CoMar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read anything by K.A. Graham. These two author did a good job with this emotional roller coaster book. This book is like nothing I have read before. It is told by Anna psychiatrist. She is reading Anna diary. Anna life spirals down from one bad guy to the next.

[Elizabeth Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written book that tells of the struggles of the two main characters. The female, through the eyes of the psychiatrist and her diary. And his struggles and manipulations through Anna’s diary. It is not your everyday HEA, bed of Roses romance so this book will not be for everyone.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through The Eyes of Madness is written by 2 authors authors Barb Shuler and KA Graham. Both new to me. It's a very well written story about Anna and her cycles of addiction.

Anna’s story is very heavy and raw. We get her POV through her diary her therapist is reading. Anna seems to have a history of bad relationships and addiction. Leaving her drug addiction in the past, but now seems to have latched herself into sex addiction.

Through The Eyes of Madness is Anna's story. It's a hard read at times, but I really enjoyed her journey. Will definitely keep my eyes open for those two authors.

*I voluntarily read a copy from the author. This is my honest review.*

[Autumn Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. A story of love, loss, heartbreak, and one woman's journey to overcome her demons. A great read.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book it was on my dream book list and bday list and omg its so good it was such a pain to put it down i love it so much you must get this book and read it. its a amazing book

[Kathy West · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea