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Review

“We’re all a little damaged … Some of us more than others.”

4.5 ‘HOLY SHIT THAT WAS INTENSE’ stars.

Well, I wanted a ‘darker’ read, and I dove into this book fully expecting darkness. I wasn’t expecting to be smacked over the head with it though! Wow, this is gritty read! Definitely not one for the feint-hearted, but if you can handle raw, brutal, and devastating, then go for it – because it’s a beautifully told, ultimately uplifting story that had me mesmerised from start to finish.

Abby has lived a tormented life. She has endured so much in her 17 years, but she hasn’t let it destroy her. She has developed coping mechanisms to deal with the pain of her past, and because of that she is incredibly cynical and closed off. With the death of her grandmother, she loses the last of her family and the only person who ever truly loved her. Desperate to avoid ‘the system’ that has failed her in the past, she runs, finding herself alone, homeless, and with nowhere to go.

Jake is also running from his past. His father is an abusive drunk, and Jake has been living an itinerant life as a killer for hire since he was 18 years old. When he swings by his hometown to deal with his father’s failing business, he never expected Abby, but from the moment he sees her, his whole world shifts.

When Jake and Abby meet, they have an immediately intense connection (and some fantastic banter) and Jake extends a helping hand to her, offering her safety, a place to stay, and friendship, and the two of them share an understanding like they have never experienced before.

“I just…” He hesitated. “I like the way you make the silence bearable.” I knew instantly what he was talking about. I felt the same way.

Both acknowledge that they are fucked up and, wanting desperately to heal – themselves and each other – they start to open up to each other about their hideous pasts. And seriously, reading the scene where Abby shares her story with Jake was actually nausea-inducing it was so horrific! But somehow these two damaged souls find something incredibly special together.

“How could broken plus broken ever equal whole?”

I need to say that there is a bit of insta love, and it did bother me while I was reading it. Here was Jake being all incredible and spouting off incredibly swoony lines that should have had me melting into a puddle of goo on the floor, but I found myself annoyed that it was happening so fast, and because it wasn’t entirely believable to me, I didn’t feel it as much as I wanted to. BUT, looking back now, it actually really works for the story. And going back and reading this quote after finishing the book almost had me in tears!

“Why do I want to touch you? Are you fucking kidding me right now? I want to help you. I want to hold you. I want to make it all okay for you. I want to fucking touch you because you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and I can’t imagine never being able to hold your hand or kiss you.” I thought that was everything, but then he added, “And yes— I want to fuck you , too, like I’ve never wanted anything in my whole life.”
…
“You’re not nothing. Don’t ever fucking say that again, because you’re everything.” He said it again, quietly this time, “You’re fucking everything, Bee.”

Oh. My. God. Yep! He’s intense! But his intensity and the incredible love that these two share just makes the rest of the book so much more amazing, because the story takes a huge twist and goes off in a direction that I certainly didn’t see coming!

I’ve already said this book is dark, but let me say again – it’s DARK! It’s shocking, it’s brutal, and it’s disturbingly graphic, and the way that Frazier has written certain scenes in this book just blew me away. She gets you right into the heart of what the characters are going through (particularly Abby because the book is told from her POV), and my heart broke for her. Actually no, it shattered for her.

But even with the horrors, there are some lighter moments. Abby’s strength is truly incredible. She goes through so much in this book, yet time and time again, she just picks herself up and keeps going, and I really admire her for that! I also really liked the duality of Jake’s character – he’s a sexy, smart-mouthed, badass biker with a dangerously violent side, but he’s also an incredibly loving guy with a huge heart who wants nothing more than to love and protect his girl. And, of course, their love story is absolutely incredible, and despite the insta-love element at the beginning, I was swooning and squeeing pretty much every time Jake opened his mouth. His love for Abby is all-consuming, he is nothing but accepting and supportive of her, and I love that he never holds back.

“These scars don’t make you ugly. You don’t need to hide them from anyone. Fuck anyone who thinks anything on someone like you could ever be anything but beautiful. You should be proud of them, baby.”
“Proud?” How could I be proud of the ugliness on my body, left on me courtesy of the ugliness in people?
“Yes, proud. They make you powerful . Each line is a road traveled, an experience you had, whether it was good or bad. Each mark is proof of pain in the past, not the present. You are a survivor, you are a warrior. These are the scalps hanging from your fucking belt. You took the beatings and here you are, in front of me.” He kissed me softly on my lips and my mouth opened to him before he pulled away again. “You are fucking amazing.”

Their relationship is honest, and I love the way that they open up to each other. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows between them, and at one point I wanted to smack somebody, but they have some incredibly beautiful moments, and some incredibly hot moments, and I loved the bond that was so clearly there.

“No, we don’t fit any mold. But, where you are concerned, it’s simple.” He kissed along my jaw line. “I want you, Abby. No bullshit . I want you just the way you are.”

This book is a standalone, so we get a complete story which, although drags you through emotional hell while you’re reading, does have a happy ending that left me very satisfied… mwahahaha. It’s compelling, it’s heartbreaking, and a beautiful story of love and family. I thought it was an amazing read.

I loved it! 4.5 stars.

The Dark Light of Day Series