Reviewer Comments: Jake McKenna has seen a lot in his years as an EMT. He continues to be amazed at the horrific things that people do to each other. And then one night he is called to a Kmart with a report that a teenage drug addict has been found unconscious and almost dead. When he arrives on the scene, Jake realizes that what happened to the girl is so much worse than being a drug addict. She has been raped and beaten almost to death. Jake feels an immediate connection with this girl and vows to help her in any way that he can. He stays with her in the hospital and the connection only grows stronger. Jake knows that he cannot force a relationship with her and that he needs to give her time to heal and to figure out what she wants to do.
Devlin Barre has had a rough year. She lost her entire family in a horrific car accident and was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle is an abuser who terrifies both Devlin and her aunt. When he realizes that he has lost control and that the police are closing in, he beats and rapes Devlin sending her running. Fortunately for Devlin, she is found in a Kmart and taken to the hospital. She meets Jake and forms an instant bond with him. She is only 17, but their attraction to each other cannot be denied. She decides that she needs to figure out how to survive on her own and so is grateful when he leaves her alone.
Four years later, they meet up at a mutual friend’s wedding and the sparks ignite before they can even leave the airport. Jake knows that now he won’t let Devlin go and that he must continue to protect her since they have not found her uncle. Devlin is shocked at the immediate attraction she feels for Jake and doesn’t want to let him leave.
From the very first page, Ms. Barrett draws her readers into the tale of Devlin and Jake. We feel their immediate connection and we root for them to succeed at finding love together. Ms. Barrett chooses wisely when she has them cool their relationship for four years which allows Devlin to grow up and become a woman and Jake to recognize that his feelings for Devlin won’t just go away. Ms. Barrett’s description of the horrific things done to Devlin’s body at the hands of her uncle is graphic, but necessary. We understand the tremendous trauma that she has endured and then what she has done to over come it. Ms. Barrett uses Devlin to show the resilience of people. Devlin overcomes a horrific experience, but doesn’t allow it to stop her from finding love and sharing her body with a man. The sex scenes between Devlin and Jake are red-hot!
This story was well-thought-out and developed. Every page leads us unfailingly to the ending of the book. We want to know what is going to happen to Devlin and Jake. How are they going to create a life for themselves? Where will it be? A wonderful romantic suspense novel!
