review 1: Stephanie has only ever known one kind man. One man made her feel truly loved and never harmed her. Her husband Travis is not him. She loves Travis, he helped her to get over Eric when she though she never would. The problem is, Travis is more like her father now after two years of marriage than she ever saw happening. He's a mean drunk. He may be a gorgeous billionaire, but he controls every aspect of her life.A chance of fate meeting.When Stephanie goes to the farmer's market she hears her name. It's him. The love of her life, but of course he would come when she's already taken, already married. Will their love be denied? Will the fate that brought them together see it through?This is a gripping tale of a woman who has been so psychologically abused that she truly feels... more she's worthless. Not deserving of happiness, she goes through the motions of living everyday, but not really living. It's the story of a love that never dies and of love that is twisted. You are placed in the life of a woman afraid that finally tries to take the step in the right direction.This story is 4 stars.I loved the tale, but wish the ending wasn't rushed. I'd like to know how exactly Travis had helped Stephanie get over Eric. That and what it was like for the star crossed lovers to be torn apart. I received a copy of this book for my honest review. review 2: You know that moment when you finish reading a book and let out a breath that you didn’t really even know you were holding? This is that kind of a book. I found myself finding it hard to breathe until it was over. It was not only an adrenaline rush of a read but something that is hard to wrap your head around. I think my head may have actually been spinning with this one and I am just now finding the air in my lungs again.This may take a lot for me to describe because it is so not what I was anticipating. First, let me start by saying that Stephanie is so emotionally broken, I am not sure she really knows what love is. She grew up in an abusive household and I think it was just as emotionally abusive as physically. It is a lot to stomach just thinking of that. But then when she finally leaves that situation and is on her own, she marries a man that she adores.Travis is successful and driven. But he doesn’t want that same drive or success for his wife. She is there for one purpose. That purpose is determined only by Travis and can be changed at any given moment based on his day, mood or alcohol consumption. But Stephanie doesn’t know any different. When they first were married, everything was just as it should have been. He was thoughtful and attentive. But it seems the longer they stayed married; he became what every woman hopes she never ends up with. Controlling, mean, abusive and just ugly. Travis may be a pretty face, but he does not have a pretty soul.Stephanie’s only escape from her home is a trip to the market every now and then and one day while enjoying her bit of freedom something happens. She is brought face to face with the one man who has only ever shown her love and attention. The one man who loved her unconditionally and with no strings attached. But it was also many years ago that Stephanie walked away from Eric when her dad shipped her off to live with her aunt. It was many years ago when Stephanie knew that she had to let him go because he deserved so much more than she would ever be.But now, after all this time… something sparks, something clicks in Stephanie’s head. She knows now that not only wants more from her life, but maybe just maybe, she deserves it… but the best laid plans… you know how the story goes…Can Eric bring Stephanie to a new place of love and can she finally escape the tormented life she has led? Can she truly trust him after all of these years apart? And can she walk away from the only relationship she has known since they departed all those years earlier?This book was agonizing. I found myself forcing myself to breath and just when things start getting to a good place for the broken Stephanie, everything switches gears and changes so drastically. This book was emotionally draining and then when you hit the happy for now at the end, I have to admit, I cringed.Though Stephanie was so completely broken and knows so much abuse in her life, I found so much strength in her character. I wasn’t cheering for the guy in this book, but for her. That’s not to say that there isn’t the hot guy in the book. He basically comes in just like a fairy tale. He’s just plain pretty… inside and out. But in the end, I wanted Stephanie to succeed… I wanted her to break free from the chains of her past and learn to live for herself.This is a well written book with a dark, dark edge to it. It’s kind of hard to admit that I liked the book when it was filled with so much darkness. So to say I enjoyed it is not something I can do because of the subject matter, it’s the same dilemma on Facebook, you support a post, but hitting the “like” button is nearly the same thing as enforcing the negative or depressing thought, some things are just better left un-clicked. But I can say I didn’t put it down. I had to make sure that Stephanie was safe as much as Eric. So though it is hard for me to call it a “good” book or even a “great” book just doesn’t seem fitting.It is just a heavy topic and “liking” it just seems to reinforce the negative behavior in the book… you kind of get where I am going with this right? It is definitely worth every star it got even though I can’t find the right adjective to do it justice.*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* less
