On the heels of a devastating loss, Evelyn fights to put her life back together.
Only … part of her husband belongs to another woman, and the devil owns her soul.
“If you tell her the lie, I will tell her the truth.”
When her best friend goes to great lengths to protect Evelyn from destruction and devastation, mistakes are made, lines are crossed, and all trust is shattered.
“We weren’t unbreakable.
I just needed to believe we weren’t unrepairable.”
Don’t miss the explosive conclusion to this unforgettable thriller by Jewel E. Ann, bestselling author of The Transcend Series.
Confession: I am not one to read reviews for a book until after I have written mine. This time, I wrote mine, read some reviews - and then I came back to add my confession to it because there was a lot of chatter about this book. Lots of it is positive, but some of it isn't. I love that we all have an outlet and can tell others how a book made us feel. To feel otherwise would be very hypocritical of me. But I will start this review off with this note: just because our opinions differ, it does not make me rude, stupid, "making excuses", a liar, or anything else along those lines. Not everyone reads the same book, or has the same feelings about cheating in a book. Yes, this is still considered romance. Just because cheating was involved does not make it NOT a romance, it just doesn't make it "safe" or "desirable" for a certain crowd. There just happens to be another side to every story, whether one wants to accept it or not. Let's please celebrate a book that has started discussions, emotional ones at that. Kthxbye.
REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"The truth could right the wrong of a lie, but nothing fixed the truth."
"The truth could right the wrong of a lie, but nothing fixed the truth."
It always says something when you finish a book, set it down, and walk away - but your heart hasn't even left the pages, right? Jewel E Ann does that for me with every story. I love the twists she throws in there, and the emotions she garners with each one always leave me gasping. Gosh, this one was rough on me, but the ride was a story of painstaking perfection. Finally finding euphoria in the wrong place....? How do you justify those kinds of wrongs? I knew why. I saw why. I felt why. But it was still so very hard!!!
But I knew I had to trust JEA. I’ve never not trusted her, so I wasn’t going to start now....but my gosh, the temptation to put it down and run away was very intense with this one! This was the kind of book I couldn't look away from. It was an epic story of betrayal, confusion, hate, and delusion. I can't and won't deny the betrayal that was weaved throughout the turmoil these characters were tumbling through, but I also understand getting caught up in the wrong situation. I understand why what happened did happen, and holy crap! This was an eye-opening moment spanning 376 pages.
"Sometimes we loved with lies and protected with sins."
So much anger and vitriol....I was yelling at my kindle! I mean, those pushy people in your life that pretend to be well meaning, but you know they’re not? RIPE. This story was RIPE with that. I was fuming while reading this one because of the trust and truth that was hidden behind well-meaning. But, it was all circumstantial. Every bit of it. One piece of the puzzle didn’t mean much, but a few pieces here and there painted a not-so-pretty, very different picture.
If a character chooses the 'wrong' direction, I like to find out why. I don't want to question their actions, but I want to find out why they felt compelled to take said action. I love that with Jewel. She is forever giving me something to debate, discuss, decipher, or decry. This book provided so many discussions, different routes I could have considered, different stances I could have argued - and that's exactly what I love about her writing. Always have and always will. I was chatting with another reader the other day, and I said something that kinda made me giggle. Yes, Jewel is a favorite of mine, so I'm always going to go into one of her stories with a fresh mind and a willingness to feel a whole new discussion. {{Yes, feel a discussion - because her words have always provoked a discussion worthy of aggressive thoughts.}} My words the other day were, "I’m pretty sure if Jewel told me the alphabet was originally backwards because apples are bananas and taste like purple smells, I would believe it." And that's no lie, because I am here for her stories, all day - any day. I love the journey she takes me on and I will unapologetically read any book of hers with vigor because I know she will always have a lesson or a moral-line-tip-toeing. It also shows that while I can and do try to provide an unbiased review when I read a book, I also know that her since writing works so well for me, I'm always going to be open to her theories and ready for the ride and will most likely love them too.
Make no mistake: this book is totally signature JEA. It's got some elements to it that will shock even the most die-hard fan. I was shocked, but I knew that the journey she was going to take me on was going to be one that had one hundred different angles anyone could look at differently and still come up with contrasting reasons for why things happened the way they did. But that is the beauty of her mind. Of her books. Of her stories. I was over here saying, "no, don’t do that" and things were happening and it was angering. But I could also see four persons' thoughts so I knew the variables - I knew what was going on to some degree and could connect the dots. It made me sad to see the road some of these actions were taking them down, but it wasn't anything that I saw coming either. Nothing was easily explainable...not one thing. But this book was also picture proof of the power of her words and the visual she can give me while allowing me to live inside this world of wonder and chaos.
"We are created in the likeness of perfection but thrust into a world of sin."
This one was such a departure from book one. If you think you’re going into the same love story, you need to read the description again. More specifically, the trope this book sits in. It wasn't her normal genre, but I'm beginning to think there is no "normal" for her either. With Jewel telling a story and pushing envelopes like she always does, she sets up her own reality like a creative genius. How many people did she piss off with WLH? A METRIC SHIT TON. Perfect example. But, I also knew there was another side to that book. To some, death of a character is the "no way no how" factor. To others, it’s a cheating character. She will always cross the lines, and I am thankful for that. I love the fact that I never know what's coming from one page to the next, because she makes me THINK ABOUT the story and the circumstances. Not just the actions and the consequences. I love it!!
Jewel E Ann always makes me want to discuss her books. I want to hear opposing views. I want to discuss why something makes me feel a certain way. I always want to have the "you tell me what you think and I'll tell you what I think" talk with anyone that reads her, good and bad. I want to have those arguments and I want someone to tell me why they feel differently. Her writing amazes me for this very reason. She never fails to wring the emotions out of me. This was a painful read with some answering moments, but there was light. I knew there was. I just didn’t know how long the tunnel was....
"Revenge made me the temptress."
~BEE
~BEE
"Words had many powers. They shaped perception. Sometimes they cut. Sometimes they healed."
~MEET JEWEL E ANN~
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
~CONNECT WITH JEWEL~
ARC REVIEW
AFFILIATE LINKS USED
COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
I've been dying to read this
ReplyDeleteI really hope you jump in soon, Juli. It was such a crazy ride.
DeleteAnother amazing review. Really looking forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteSuch a twisted journey to get to the end of this one. WOW! I hope you enjoy it, Joy!
DeleteI was finally able to read this and finished last night. I feel devastated. I loved book one so much! Book two truly screwed me up. My heart still hurts and I don't really know what to think. I wanted to message you at 2am but figured you might not appreciate that. I'll admit I'm a little gun shy when it comes to reading her other books. Will any of them leave me feeling this way?
DeleteJoy, one thing JEA is good at is making us think and throwing circumstances at us that require us to dig deep within our emotional selves to eek out the truth behind the story. I love that she does that. Honestly, that's why she sits on my favorites list. It's never the same with her and every single book makes me nervous to turn the pages.
DeleteHaving said that, I feel like most of her books will NOT leave you feeling like "this", but she does beat you up with an emotional stick. I know what is messing you up, and I was shocked - because of the relationship, but it was their story. It was how it happened....so as hard as it was, I was accepting of it.
You can message me at any time, day or night. I will either see it if I'm up, or I'll see it in the morning when I wake up. My phone won't wake me up. ;o)