Review by Ferdinand_otieno -- Heartaches by H.M. Irwing

This forum is for volunteer reviews by members of our review team. These reviews are done voluntarily by the reviewers and are published in this forum, separate from the official professional reviews. These reviews are kept separate primarily because the same book may be reviewed by many different reviewers.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Ferdinand_Otieno
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 3369
Joined: 03 Jun 2017, 12:54
Favorite Author: Victor Rose
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 1749
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ferdinand-otieno.html
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker
fav_author_id: 78026

Review by Ferdinand_otieno -- Heartaches by H.M. Irwing

Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Heartaches" by H.M. Irwing.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


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.

******
Heartaches
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Ferdinand_otieno's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
Stacy Coles
Posts: 7
Joined: 18 Sep 2017, 11:56
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stacy-coles.html
Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole

Post by Stacy Coles »

I really liked this book too, but I was not happy with ending. Cliffhangers are fine, there just was no conclusion at all. Maybe just a little to much of a cliffhanger for me?

That being said, it really did keep you turning the pages.
Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
User avatar
Manang Muyang
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 11160
Joined: 02 May 2017, 20:17
Favorite Book:
Currently Reading: Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
Bookshelf Size: 685
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-manang-muyang.html
Latest Review: Your Great Name by Shawn Funk
Reading Device: B00KC6I06S

Post by Manang Muyang »

I hope the heartaches in this story don't hurt too much. Everybody wants a love story to end with "happily ever after" but sadly, only fairy tales end that way.

Thank you for braving the heartaches, Ferdinand_otieno!
User avatar
P Reefer
Posts: 601
Joined: 06 May 2018, 08:13
Favorite Book: The Lost Identity Casualties
Currently Reading: De Facto Feminisn
Bookshelf Size: 159
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-p-reefer.html
Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy

Post by P Reefer »

I liked your analysis of the character development moving from a haunted past to a hopeful future.
User avatar
Connie Otwani
Posts: 2185
Joined: 01 Nov 2017, 16:12
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 200
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cotwani.html
Latest Review: The Fisherman and his Foundlings by Phillip Leighton-Daly

Post by Connie Otwani »

I'm glad you enjoyed the book. The issues seem deep. Thanks for the review!
There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island!
-Walt Disney
User avatar
RAMPAGE
Posts: 5
Joined: 20 Jul 2018, 06:11
Currently Reading: The Candle Room
Bookshelf Size: 8

Post by RAMPAGE »

Title: Heartaches 1 Author's name: H.M.Irwing. Genre: Romance. Heartaches is story of an 18 years old girl (Anna Walters-Simmons) who goes to school with her boyfriend. Anna lost her father which does sound like a pain to her because he was useful to her & her mother. Anna tries to or escape from her step-brother (Brian). Anna's boyfriend (Matt) betray her by druging her & having a night long rave with her "still druged". Anna's dreams are shattered. When had lost all hopes Rafe Brown (an ex-army commando who just returned to Australia) shows up. And love began to full the atmosphere again. "Thats a second try". The author used too much descriptive words, so I would recommend it to adult shelf romance precisely. To be honest the ending was a cliffhanger. I would give it 3.5 out of 4.
User avatar
Hiruni Bhagya 81
Posts: 745
Joined: 31 Aug 2018, 14:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 128
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hiruni-bhagya-81.html
Latest Review: Randy Love...at your service by Shay Carter

Post by Hiruni Bhagya 81 »

P Reefer wrote: 18 Jun 2018, 13:16 I liked your analysis of the character development moving from a haunted past to a hopeful future.
I have to agree with P Reefer about the character development. You are spot on about it. So thanks for your review.
Post Reply

Return to “Volunteer Reviews”