Cruel Water
by Freya Barker
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Innocence marked her…
Violation crippled her…
Love left her raw…
The life she carefully rebuilt is challenged when she is confronted with the sins from her past. The carefully applied protection is at once ripped away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.
Her single night of indulgence with the silver-eyed stranger is only the beginning. He sees right to the heart of her and she is unable to ward off emotions that have been deeply buried. With the sting of betrayal still fresh in her soul, she’s surprised to find herself opening up to the honest integrity of the sharp-eyed, rough-looking biker.
When he lost everyone who mattered, he was left without roots and learned to be content simply living in the moment. Completely unprepared for the feisty blonde bartender with old pain marring her clear-blue eyes, he questions his own rules of detachment, as she unwittingly finds a way under his skin.
Appearances deceive and when the masks fall away, revealing deep, dark secrets, there is nothing left but to hang onto each other and survive the storm.
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
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“‘Red Sox game on Owen’s sixty-inch tiny dick compensation.’ That earns him a slap to the back of the head. I swear, my brothers, in their forties, are no different than they were as teenagers.”
“‘Red Sox game on Owen’s sixty-inch tiny dick compensation.’ That earns him a slap to the back of the head. I swear, my brothers, in their forties, are no different than they were as teenagers.”
“I don’t think anyone can make the mistake of thinking you’re not capable of looking after yourself, that’s not a question. The point is that those of us, whose knuckles still occasionally scrape the floor, like to take care of what they consider theirs.”
“I’m forty-two years old and have been allergic most of my adult life to anything resembling a relationship.”
“Don’t think for one second that I don’t realize exactly what I have in you. That I don’t know how lucky I am. A beautiful, strong woman, who knows how to stand on her own, yet trusts me enough to let me have her back.”
“Amazing how my brothers can’t find a pair of clean socks to save their lives, but put them in a strange house and they easily find the kitchen.”
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My Review:
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Engrossing, sensual, heartbreaking, emotive, evocative, eventful, dramatic, frighteningly accurate… these are just a few of the adjectives that flit through my addled mind while I contemplate this book and struggle to find the correct order of words to define my reading experience. Ms. Barker’s exceptional gift of realistic, nuanced, and intriguing characters strikes again. I adore these people and would love to know them.
I want an Ike of my own… he is just delicious, perfect, supportive, sensitive, insightful, strong, and a sexual dynamo. I held my breath for fear he was going to back away due to the “continuous cycle of drama that seems to follow me around” that Viv mentioned in an apology. The twisted family dynamic of Viv’s past and present was well portrayed and expertly erected. I had anticipated and feared for the hidden traumas that Viv had long been suppressing, and I really didn’t want to be right… I fretted that the reveal was going to be gut wrenching and overwhelming, yet it was handled so well and with such sensitivity, I was more in awe of Ms. Barker’s skill than anything else.
Freya Barker has been a recent discovery for me and has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She now resides on my must read/must have/will sure die without it list. And yes, I did just channel my inner teen diva… cougars are allowed to do that.
Empress DJ
About the Author
Author of the popular Cedar Tree series, as well as the critically acclaimed standalone “From Dust,” Freya Barker is driven to make her stories about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and some hot, sizzling sex in their lives.
Recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” Freya has hit the ground running. She loves nothing more than to meet and mingle with her readers, whether it be online or in person at one of the signings she attends.
With her kids grown and out in the world, Freya has poured her creative energy into spinning story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
email: freyabarker.writes@gmail.com
Awesome review!!! I'm smiling at the quotes you picked. xox Freya
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