Friday, March 18, 2016

Amy's 4.5 star ARC Review of Surviving You by Dawn Keene





"Thou shalt take the boy out of Manchester, but you cannot take Manchester out of the boy." 
Lee – 
I’m a killer, a hardened criminal born into the underbelly of an unlawful world that my father crafted, and I am to be crowned the next King. I used to covet the dark; it has forever been my friend and forgives me my sins. A slither of light has dared me to hope, it has my house of cards tumbling all around me. From the moment I saw her I knew she would be my downfall, for how can something that shines so bright not burn? Yet, she is my salvation and I gladly walk the path that I have chosen…. 
Rose – 
I cringe at my own shadow; dark corners of my mind forever torment me. I have yet to escape from my demons; they beseech me with every turn of my head. Yet lurking is a promise, a promise of things to come. It has my heart in a vice; squeezing the last dregs of a love I never thought I could feel again. From the moment I saw him I knew he would be my downfall, for how can something that smoulders so dark not singe? Yet, he is my redemption and I gladly walk the path that I have chosen…. 
“Thou shalt always protect the family.” 

Loyalty doesn’t come much richer than family so when Lee Young decides to hang up his gun and head north he sets in motion a chain of events that cause murder and mayhem with every step closer he takes to walking. 
When two worlds collide, it forces Rose to meet her demons head on and has Lee frantically trying to keep both Rose and her daughter safe. The road they travel together will be their greatest challenge and their most dangerous yet. 
With so much to lose but everything to gain, Lee and Rose become embroiled in a game of cat and mouse as they try to confront the threats surrounding them. Running to keep one step ahead of everyone else, can these lovers climb out of the dark that they find themselves in and bathe in the light their love promises before the fire burns to embers and their world is snuffed to smoke? 
Can be read as a standalone.










Surviving You
Dawn Keene
4.5 stars

Surviving Him is the second book in a series but can be read as a standalone. However I found myself wanting to know about the characters in the first release that appeared as secondary characters in this release. Surviving Him is the first release that centers around Dana and Logan. You meet Lee and Rose in the first book from what I understand. Again I haven’t read it so Im not sure how deep you get into their characters in the first release. 

I will tell you this book deals with domestic violence so if this is a trigger for you please do not click. However this is a subject that needs to be brought to light and victims are not made to feel ashamed but should feel empowered as survivors. 

Rose is a survivor. She is wounded deeply but she made it. Running though is the name of the game. She is afraid … living in fear that her ex will find her and drag her back into the nightmare she fled. Rose has to survive for her daughter. Protecting her is her life. Her heart is stone and the iron clad walls she has trapping her soul is the only way to stay safe and to make sure nothing ever happens to either of them again. However the man she just collided with has a different agenda. Rose can't let him or anyone else into her life. Putting someone else in danger is not wise no matter who he is. 

Lee is a bad boy. His father is the head of the Manchester Underground. Being raised around crime and knowing all the ins and outs Lee has created a name for himself whether he wanted to or not. He is a frightful man according to others but maybe that label isn’t the one he deserves. If Lee’s father has his way it will be true but Lee isn’t certain he wants to continue following in his father’s footsteps. Maybe there is more out there for him and maybe he just found her. 

The writing around the suffering Rose goes through is a tremendous heartbreak. The reality depicted on the pages of this story will make you cringe. You will quickly realize that your life is not so bad. There is an extreme amount of poignant resistance in Rose realizing that she deserves any sort of happiness. Not only does Rose have a very cruel journey ahead of her but Lee does as well. Knowing the only way out of the family business is leaving this world, he must find a way to stay alive. Lee is convinced his path is to protect Rose and her daughter. 

What a great read. I hope to go back and snatch of the first book in order to get ahead of the game for the next book. I can't really explain the ending and I don’t do spoilers. It's not your ordinary end to a fantastic book so be prepared. 

This is a keeper. Thank you Dawn for the ARC! I applaud you taking on such a brutal subject matter. I look forward to the next great work from you. 

Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

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