love – Randi-Lee Bowslaugh

Peter and Sophia have both run from traumatic experiences in their lives. Life Between Seconds brings them together and pushes them to understand their past and hopefully find their future.

This is a slow read with big emotions. Human experiences are some of the hardest to put onto paper in a fictional setting, but Douglas Weissman hits all the emotional buttons. The present day is interspersed with memories of the past. Pleasant memories, along with the devastating memories that brought the characters to their present.

I particularly enjoyed the past memories. These helped to clarify why the characters were the way they were. The heartache must have been unbearable, yet they managed to continue going even with their lives in utter ruin.

The saying “It is better to have loved and to have lost than to have never loved at all” rings through this book.

If you enjoy a heartfelt story of love, loss, and acceptance, this book is for you.

Get your copy here (affiliate link).

Sheila’s Men is about a woman, Sheila, who is trying to do the best she can for her daughter. However, through doing what Sheila thinks is expected of her she ends up marrying a man who turns out to be extremely abusive. The story is based on the author’s experience in hopes to shed light on abusive relationships and help others get out.

The book is written from Sheila’s perspective and the author does a beautiful job narrating through Sheila’s inner dialogue. The inner dialogue gives us glimpses into the thought process of staying in an abusive relationship. Society condemns women for staying but it is not as simple as a choice of staying. The narration shows a side of life that, luckily, most of us don’t have to experience; the fear, pain and hopelessness of being with a spouse who consistently berates and abuses.

The author does a great job of bringing the reader into the story and becoming invested in Sheila. Rooting for her to escape. Cheering her on as her confidence grows.

In the first half of the book there are off scenes that are like dream sequences about ‘the gray’. A place that is scary and has hungry, evil individuals prowling for Sheila. I did not enjoy these off scenes because they took me out of the story. I had a hard time transitioning from the story to these parts then back again.

Overall, this is a well-written book that shows life outside of our often shielded worlds.

Get your copy here (affiliate link – thanks for supporting).

**if you are in an abusive situation please seek help, there are often shelters available to help you escape

Tag: love

Review: Life Between Seconds by Douglas Weissman

Review: Sheila’s Men by Jenna Ashlyn