HOW MANY TIMES CAN I SAY WOW

This is an emotional bomb of brutal sinister firsts to beautiful sweet lasts that sucks you in, sucker-punches you and spins a tangled web of despair and hope around your heart. When Cora and her sister’s fiancé Dean get abducted together, are held prisoner for weeks chained in a basement and are mentally, emotionally and physically abused by a psychopathic serial killer, you know the story is going to be raw, dark and very very emotional. And wow, Dean and Cora’s road to a happily ever after after the hell, the tears, the truths and the toxic drama they suffered together at the hands of a madman, is a long and heartbreaking one. Because, once free, Cora’s guilt eats her alive, stops her from healing and keeps her emotionally trapped in a pit of despair instead of reaching for the stars.. and Dean. Dean has been a pillar of strength, a shoulder to cry on and a rock and beacon in Cora’s darkness.. but Cora will have to first forgive herself, love herself and emotionally heal before peace and one beautiful man can eventually be hers.

This is my first book by Jennifer Hartmann and she really delivered a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you take the highs and bitter lows with Cora and Dean. The story is layered thick with emotions.. and character growth.. and strength.. and devotion.. and love because they overcame the unthinkable. This well-written well-paced book hooks and holds you and won’t let you go till the beautiful sun-kissed smiley face end so be warned. Told in Parts from either Cora or Dean’s POV and the narration was good which made the story shine.

Worth a credit? It’s a tough and twisted road this couple journey.. but there’s beauty, tenderness, love and epic devotion in there too and yes it’s definitely creditworthy.

9 people found this helpful

5 Amazingly Taboo Stars **** Spoilers Ahead ******

This review will have some spoilers so please stop reading if you want to have a truly authentic experience when reading this novel. This novel is a painful and gut-wrenchingly tragic love story with a Happily Ever After [as I'm sure people will ask or want to know]. It touches on the harsh reality of the evil that lives in this world and brings to life the horrors we all fear. This novel is not for the faint of heart and what I would truly define as TABOO. Please note this novel goes into details about rape [and is a bit specific/graphic in some scenes], pregnancy loss, a suicide attempt and sexual relationship with an almost brother in law. So, if any of those are triggers for you then DO NOT read this book as it is not for you. I must give kudos to the author for outlining this in her warning section prior to purchasing and/or borrowing the book.

************* Spoilers will Begin Here **********

This author has a way with words and she wrote the shit out of this book!!! I was hooked/captivated with this story from the very first word to the very last word written. Cora [the heroine] has always disliked Dean [Hero], who is also her soon to be brother-in-law, since they first met in High School. After attending her sister's birthday party, Cora calls Dean to have him pick her up as she is intoxicated and her wallet had been stolen. This is when all their worst nightmares begin. This novel pretty much jumps right into the horror that Cora and Dean find themselves in and within the first 5% your reading about Dean and Cora being chained and locked in a basement together and Cora being sexual assaulted, which continues to occur as they both are held captive for 3 weeks by a deranged psychopathic serial killer. Just when they think all hope is lost, they save themselves before they could become victims 12 and 13 [I think that's the correct numbers :)]. But this novel is more than just their experience in captivity but the harsh realities of returning to "regular every day life" after living such a horrific and tragic experience. It's about living with the guilt of loving someone you shouldn't for fear of hurting or losing your family. It's about surviving and looking forward when it's hard to even get up or do regular daily task. It's about reclaiming your freedom and finding out who you are when you never thought you would be given that opportunity. But most of all, it's about resiliency and healing. This novel does a great job at showing you how a person can endure the most horrible and tragic things in life [all in one book by one, well two, characters], but still find the strength to wake up and live life.

As for the narrators, they did an amazing job bringing this story to life. I'm so glad Jennifer Hartmann picked them to narrate this story as they did this novel justice, especially with such hard/taboo topics to read/listen to.

Yeah, I'm obviously not a writer nor am I profound with words. So, trust me on this... just read the book, if you can handle the triggers, because it's well worth it! This book was phenomenal and I unapologetically loved reading every second of it. I give this book 5 Amazingly Taboo Stars.

7 people found this helpful

Beautiful

I have heard over 850 audiobooks, and this has one of the most beautiful stories I have ever heard. Such struggle and love. It showed how a people can go through hell and come out better on the other side. I can’t say enough about this audiobook. The narrators did an excellent job. They made it real. The acting was incredible. The combination of story and narration was perfect. Such an inspirational audiobook. I listened to it all night past 4:30am because I could not put it down. Finished it later that day. I don’t recommend starting this at night if you actually need to sleep. 😊

4 people found this helpful

WOW!!

I absolutely loved this book.
It is not the typical romance novel, far from it. It is about a guy and a girl that get kidnapped by a serial killer. It does have a lot of intense emotions and triggers. This torture and sex scenes are not real detailed but it does discuss how they feel during those scenes. It does go into detail on how they become dependent, built an unhealthy bond with each other, and worked through everything for a HEA.

The narrators were also great and brought life to the book.

The authornand narrators are all new to me and I am excited to find other works by them.

3 people found this helpful

super dark but i loved it

has many triggers and is NOT for the faint hearted. So many challenges to fight through. I honestly loved this book. kept me interested all the way through.

2 people found this helpful

It's even better than I thought ❤

I simply loved the book and the audio is phenomenal.
Well done, I will listening to it again...and again and again 🥰

2 people found this helpful

was entertaining but lacking

the way her family and friends act..expecting them to just bounce back after such a traumatic experience..was unbelievable

1 person found this helpful

Amazing!

I love Dean so much! This story is unforgettable and unique and very highly recommended.

1 person found this helpful

Loved it.

Finished in 2 days. I didn't want to stop listening. it's such an emotional rollercoaster.

1 person found this helpful

Raw and emotional ❤️‍🩹

This book was so unexpected! The horror, the struggle for survival and the acceptance of a love that begun blooming for years. Heartbreaking for the mc, a lot of trauma for both. But time heals all wounds and I absolutely loved the ending! Dean was a breath of fresh air and super funny! I cried, I hurt, I laughed. It’s an amazing book!!!!