Where Life Takes You Tour Stop!

BECCA TRENT LIVED HER CHILDHOOD NEXT TO A CRUEL WOMAN—her mom—who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom's role—making Becca's life miserable. Including stealing Ian—Becca's best friend and boyfriend—Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple years later, thing ended up in tragedy.

Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, caught between sanity and nightmares. Between therapy, work and her constantly looming past she can't seem to find room to breathe. The memories of her late step-sister, Lisa, are her closest company.

Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now she's trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.

Note: This is the first part of a two book novel

I can only imagine how some readers will be lost in this book.  How can a mother treat her daughter the way Becca’s mom treated her but I admire how the author showed, the lack of motherly love does change a person from who they were meant to be. 

With Becca being told by her mom that she ruined her mother’s life because her father left her, she knew that the only person who loved her was her Grandma.  When her mother brought home Greg and announced they were going to be married, Becca thought this might be the chance of a life time.  Finally someone else would take care of her mom and set her free, but she was wrong. 

With Greg came his two kids Tyler and Lisa.  Tyler wasn’t a problem; as a matter of fact his presence in her life gave her Dan, Ty’s best friend.  Lisa was the evil one that was going to destroy Becca even farther.  With her mom claiming Lisa as her perfect daughter, Becca became more isolated and dependent on Dan.  What happens during those years will be exposed later in the book and it left me in tears to know what she went through. 

Dan took Becca and helped her establish herself as an adult, the progress she made was remarkable but she never could shake off her past and the feeling of never having her mom’s love.  Even with the pain she strived to do what is right, taking any crumb she could from her mother, while trying to balance a distance from anyone who would remind her of her horrible childhood.  That past doesn’t stay hidden; people keep coming back, seeking her attention and emotions.  Dan fights hard to keep her protected but he slowly learns the truth of what she endured and his mission switches to fighting for her to not submit to the darkness that lives deep within. 

The ending of this book was a cliff hanger, none like I have experienced before.  We go along thinking finally something good was happening for her then BAM…….I am left with a gut wrenching pain.  I am dying to get my hands on the next book.  The author weaves a story with many plots into one huge dramatic tale.  The characters are so well developed you can feel their emotions and you find you have strong opinions about them.  I can’t say I am in a book hangover with this story; it is more like a book coma because I wasn’t ready to have this part of the story end this way.  Even though I can see the need for it, I wasn’t ready.  

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Claudia lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a bichon who thinks she’s a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She’s a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.

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