3 out of 4 stars
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H. M. Irwing continues telling us Anna and Rafe's love story in Heartaches 2. They find solace and strength in each other as they struggle through the aftermath of rape and abuse. Fate seems intent on impeding their recovery since their abusers keep finding ways to screw them over.
As the story starts, we are shownRafe's point of view of what it feels like to suffer from vivid nightmares as a result of PTSD. The author also shows us how difficult it is to be the one watching someone suffer. Anna's attempt to wake Rafe up ends in him almost strangling her to death. She knew that it was dangerous to wake him up, but she did it anyway. Anna cared for Rafe so much that she could never ignore him when he was visibly distressed. She took a gamble and believed that he would come through. He doesn't disappoint. Rafe wakes up disoriented, but even then, he acknowledges Anna's strength. I adored this part most of all because where most people would see weakness, he saw strength. At that moment, Anna was stronger than him and he loved her for it. He felt safe in her arms. She was more than just a simple woman or a weakness that their enemies could exploit. She was his life and love.
Since their abusers are slippery enough to evade jail time for their actions, Anna and Rafe take it upon themselves to get revenge. They schedule a fight in a military base between Rafe and Eric Dayton, one of Rafe's tormenters. It's exhilarating to see Rafe emerging victorious. More importantly, Rafe is only able to reign in his temper and win after seeing Anna so worried about him.
Life doesn't give them much downtime, though. Matt, Anna's ex, soon comes into the picture. Eric, who recovered from his beating after a few weeks, comes back with a vengeance and several other men to gang up on Rafe. One more person comes out of nowhere to add to their headaches for a plot twist that you'll just have to find out by reading through the story.
The pace was good at first, though it got tediously slow near the middle. Intense action scenes were followed by introspective scenes or love scenes to give readers a metaphorical break. There's also an adorable subplot about Pat, Anna's gay best friend and his struggle with finding his own love interest. Near the end of the book, a new character is introduced just before the cliffhanger. I loved Suzi even if she was only present for a few chapters.
I think love scenes in the book could be improved, though this is a personal preference. There's nothing wrong with them. I've read my mom's old novels and they had the same vague writing style for love scenes. I also found a couple of editing errors. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Heartaches 2
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