4 out of 4 stars
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Heartaches by H.M. Irwing is a romantic drama. The story is about a girl who finds an unlikely friend in her time of need. The author used a lot of descriptive language that would classify this book as an adult book. The author writes from the perspective of the main characters, Anne and Rafe.
Anne Walters-Simmons is an eighteen-year-old girl who goes to college with her boyfriend, Matt Preston. Anne recently lost her step-father and is trying to escape her maniacal strep-brother, Brian. She accepts to go on a night long rave with Matt, only to get drugged and raped by Matt, his brother, Jason and their father. Afraid to go to the police while drowning in her own depression, Anne finds an unlikely friend, Rafael Luis Brown (Rafe). Despite her recent plight, she finds that she trusts Rafe. Rafe is a soldier who had just come back from the war in Syria with a torrid past of his own. When Anne confides in him about her ordeal, he is determined to find justice for her. Will Anne have her justice? What is Brian up to and is he planning something against Anne? Will the Prestons pay for what they did to Anne? No spoilers. All these questions will be answered in this amazing book.
The book was written masterfully. The main themes I encountered were "abuse" and " betrayal. " Anne is betrayed by her stepfather, her strepbrother and Matt Preston while She and Rafe have experienced child abuse. The other themes I encountered in this book are injustice, trust, hope and growth. The author uses these themes masterfully in his writing to build and addictive story.
The character development in this book was incredible. Anne starts off as naive and shy, but as the story progressed, she learns to be bold and to defend herself. The author also develops the characters from their haunted pasts to a hopeful future. I loved that Anne and Rafe had an unspoken trust from the first time they spoke and they leaned on each other. The delicate plot and the strong characters in this book, made me compare it to Life Before, by K. L. Romo.
I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This is because the story was addictive from the start and I found the author's use of betrayal, kept me in suspense throughout the book. The characters were developed amazingly and I could not find a single spelling mistake in the book. The only thing I did not like about this book was the ending. The author ended the book on a cliffhanger, but considering that books in this genre usually have a predictable end, I welcomed the author's unique ending.
I would recommend this book to all romantic drama fans. This is an adult book and the reader should be prepared for the descriptive scenes in this story. The author impressed me with this book and I look forward to reading more of H.M. Irwing's books.
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Heartaches
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