Every Breath You Take by Debby Conrad

Every Breath You Take By Debby Conrad

Publication Date:October 11, 2011

Hollin Pierce’s past comes back to haunt her when she returns to Whisper Lake, Pennsylvania. Trying to help her mother hang on to the home, which has been in their family for generations, is an uphill battle, and Hollin has no choice but to sell some of the surrounding land. But the only man interested in buying is Griffin Wells, the man who was convicted of raping Hollin thirteen years ago.

Griffin still maintains his innocence to this day, claiming he was framed. And as Hollin gets to know him again, the attraction and feelings she once had for him return as she slowly realizes she made a grave mistake. She sent the wrong man to prison.

She also realizes that if Griffin wasn’t the one who raped her when she was a teenager, then someone else did, and that someone is running around free. Now she can’t decide who to trust, and when her sister ends up murdered, Hollin knows it’s only a matter of time before someone comes after her.

My review

This book was recommended to me by a friend, with a friendly warning, attached, it has a rape scene and some explicit sexual scenes in it.  But the story, she said is great.

So let me start with the rape scene, it is explicit.

The sex scenes are also explicit.

Why start with that, because as a norm I steer away from erotic reading material, even romance is not my cup of tea.  This book however has a strong enough plot to carry the sexual scenes.  The book is not about sex, but how it is used to manipulate, dehumanize and how a perfectly natural act can be distorted. The psychological plot is not obscured by the sexual scenes it is rather if anything, (and I can't believe I am writing this), enhanced by it. 

This is a story I could not put down.  The character development of all the characters was superb and although the culprit was pretty obvious from the start even I was surprised when the exact nature of his all his deeds became apparent.  Hollin is the only character that at a stage early in the book surprised me and which I felt that a normal person will not react like that in that specific circumstance.  This said, it was one instance and her reaction did not influence me enough to put the book down or to distract from the story line as a whole.  Rachel, her sister's downward spiral was expertly described and I really think the author should be commended on the subtlety with which she handled Rachel's role in the book.

The plot, fantastic.  The flow, easy and gripping.  The characters loveable if they should be and despicable if they should be so as far as character development is concerned, wonderful.  The sexual scenes, is never hinted at or sugarcoated, it is straight forward and still manages not to come across as crude or vulgar.  I am astounded that I liked a book of this nature this much.  And have to give the author a very well deserved 7 smog filled my glasses * review.