An investigator's
search for a friend draws her into a world darker than she could have imagined.
Sara Adams awakes blind, unable to remember the most basic
details of her life, but her darkness seems a blessing when she discovers the
terrors of The Light.
Stella Montgomery investigates the news on the mean streets
of Detroit, where she’s noticed a disturbing trend: young women are vanishing.
When her best friend disappears, Stella investigates—despite warnings from her
police detective boyfriend—following a twisted trail that leads her through the
city’s most dangerous and forsaken precincts. There she uncovers something more
sinister than she could have imagined: a shadowy organization known as The
Light, led by the enigmatic Father Gabriel.
As Sara struggles to understand her place in the strange
world she’s awakened to—an oppressive cult demanding unquestioning
obedience—and her feelings for Jacob, the husband she can’t recall and whose
harsh and tender attentions confuse and beguile her, Stella risks all to
discover the truth. But enlightenment always comes with a price...
Review
(by Cindy Meyer)
(by Cindy Meyer)
Have you been
Aleatha’d?
It’s a saying among Aleatha Romig readers; one that only
someone who’s actually experienced what that feels like could truly
answer. Admittedly, it’s an experience
I’ve “suffered” numerous times, and it’s happened again. Into
the Light is book one of Aleatha Romig’s The Light Series.
I always expect twists and turns when it comes to this
author. At its best, the anxiety keeps me up into the wee hours of the morning.
At its worst, I can’t read for more than a chapter or two without having to put
the book down and find something to distract me from the building anxiety. Into the Light caused both. The prologue alone is the kind of stuff
movies are made of.
Stella Montgomery’s best friend has disappeared. As a top
investigator for a leading news station in Detroit, Stella uses her connections
to try and find out what has happened to her friend and colleague, Mindy.
Through her contacts, she stumbles upon a staggering statistic: Detroit boasts
the disappearance of more women per capita than anywhere else in the Country.
Is it possible that the two are connected?
Sara Adams wakes blind from a coma, trapped in a world
she can neither see nor remember. The followers of The Light, including Jacob,
her husband, speak and act with a sense of familiarity that Sara can’t explain,
but she’s somehow convinced is real. She struggles to recall a memory, anything that can connect her mind to
events before the incident that
landed her in the hospital.
Despite the insistence of The Light’s followers, Sara’s
inquisitive instincts have her questioning whether the submissive manner of the
women of The Light could have ever been the Sara they say she was. The men of
The Light demand obedience, and her husband – Jacob – is swift to issue punishment
when Sara falls short of those expectations. But Jacob is also fiercely protective
and tenderly loving. It confuses Sara. He’s affectionate in one minute and
exacting in the next. It’s a dichotomy that brings her both comfort and fear.
I always find myself trying to stay one step ahead of
Aleatha Romig’s stories. Half the fun is attempting to figure out where she’s
going before we get there. Into the Light
challenged me to do the same. The story alternates between characters,
weaving a story of both intrigue and outrage. The author is careful and crafty
in leaving clues – tasty little morsels that, if I wasn’t watching out for them,
I could have read right past, not stopping to pick them up to savor.
Of course, in true Aleatha Romig style, the biggest shoe
drops in the last one percent – YES! I SAID 1% -- of the story, leaving me
right where I, honestly, expected to be: deliciously hanging until Away from the Dark (later this year).
So, let me answer my original question. Yes! I’ve been Aleatha’d. Have you?
Five amazing stars!
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27309432-into-the-light?from_search=true&search_version=service
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nPvMjp
Excerpt
Sara
Sara
My thoughts drifted to that night after service, the hunger in Jacob's touch and the way his lips had claimed my body. Just the memories made me tingle. Lying back on the bed, I held my side and sighed. If only he weren’t so worried about my ribs.
Courtesy of the truck ride yesterday, the injury was more aggravated then it had been. I’d tried hiding it. Shaking my head, I wondered if it was possible to hide anything from him. According to Elizabeth it wasn’t allowed. The way I saw it, I wasn’t lying. I was withholding information for the benefit of both of us. By the way his breathing became labored and his body hardened that night at the clinic, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to make love.It seemed as if it didn’t matter if I told Jacob what I was thinking or not; he knew. Somehow he always seemed to know, sometimes even before I did. Maybe it was because we’d been together so long.If only I could remember how long.The sound of the rising garage door pulled me from my carnal thoughts, and I covered my cheeks. With a giggle I hoped they weren’t as flushed as they felt. If they were, he would know what I’d been thinking . . . I shook my head. I didn’t want that conversation. Exhaling, I willed the pink away.When I heard the garage door lowering, I stood and made my way toward the stairs. Wearing the boot on my right foot made walking with my cast much easier. As I approached the landing, I took a deep breath and visualized the stairs. Since I’d counted them multiple times, I knew there were fifteen steps. I might not have my sight, but I was trying to be as self-sufficient as possible. I made it only to the second step from the top when I heard his voice.“Sara?”“I’m coming down,” I called, taking one step at a time, cautious not to go too fast.Even before I reached the bottom step, I knew he was there. When we went to service, I’d realized why I associated him with the scent of leather; it was his coat. When he wasn’t wearing it, just the right amount of aroma lingered around him. When he wore it, as now, the leather scent was overpowering. That, plus the sound of his boots walking and stopping on the wood floor, prompted me to stop on the fourteenth step. If I went one more, I was afraid I’d run into him.“Sara.” His voice came from very close.Gripping the banister, I tilted my face toward his. Smiling and hoping my cheeks had returned to their normal color, I replied, “Yes?”“Did you hear the garage door go up?”“Yes.”“And what did you think that meant?”“I assumed it meant you were here.”“So you knew I was home and yet you chose to not greet me?”What the hell?“Answer me,” he demanded, his tone now too calm. “Why weren’t you waiting for me at the door?”The thoughts I’d entertained upstairs evaporated. I knew this tone. I not only recognized it, but with everything in me, I wanted to avoid it. My heartbeat quickened and my mouth dried like the Sahara. “I was on my—”Interrupting, he rebuked, “On your way is not there, waiting as you’re supposed to be. When I return, I expect to find you waiting for me, greeting your husband.”The bubble of apprehension that had waned and waxed in my chest since I awoke nearly three weeks earlier began to grow. “At the door . . . wh . . . I’m sorry . . . I didn’t know . . . you didn’t tell me to—”He grasped my arm, the harsh movement a stark contrast to the eerie calmness of his voice. “Do tell, Sara, are you blaming me for your forgetfulness?”What the hell is his problem?“I’m sorry,” I pleaded. “I’m not blaming . . . I didn’t remember. If you told me . . . from now on, I’ll do it.”“Must I remind you of everything?”“I’m trying to remember; I am. I’ll be there from now on, at the door, when you come home.”“Perhaps you need a reminder?”My body sagged and my knees weakened. The bubble within me grew and popped, filling my nervous system with dread. “No. I don’t need a reminder. I’ll remember from now on. Please give me another chance.” If it hadn’t been for his iron grip on my forearm, I might have fallen to the step where I stood.If I had, I wasn’t sure if it would have been because of the sudden dizziness his tone induced, the bout of trembling, or that it would’ve enabled me to beg. It wasn’t something I was proud of considering, but to avoid his belt, at that moment, I was willing.“Sara, go to the door.”Inhaling more pleas, I nodded. When he released my arm, I stepped down and down again. Around the steps, past the closet, I found the door between the living quarters and the garage.He was right behind me, his voice still eerily calm. “You may stand or kneel; the choice has always been yours.”I swallowed the vile bile bubbling from my stomach. In that moment I couldn’t for the life of me fathom that merely minutes ago I had been having pleasant thoughts about this man. I also couldn’t imagine kneeling.Who does that?I brought my feet together, straightened my neck, and said, “I’ll stand, thank you.”He reached for my chin and lowered it.“This is where you are to be when I arrive, and if you choose to stand, your head will be bowed.”“Yes, Jacob.”
About Author
Aleatha Romig
Aleatha Romig
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana
University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised
three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty
years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental
hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining
mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family
and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes
who haunt your dreams!
Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of
2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two
companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of
Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers.
Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS,
in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha's twisted
style with an increase in heat.
In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world
of dark romance with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel
INFIDELITY series. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas
and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK will be published through
this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.
Aleatha is a "Published Author's
Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and represented by
Danielle Egan-Miller of Browne & Miller Literary Associates.
LINKS:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AleathaRomig
Blogspot:
http://aleatharomig.blogspot.com/
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/aleatharomig
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AleathaRomig @aleatharomig
Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/aleatharomig7/
Newsletter:
http://blogspot.us9.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=0c426a1edcea7b2dbfbe6ef97&id=5c7feed9d5
No comments:
Post a Comment