Review: D.H Sidebottom & R.M James "Fragile Truths (The Shadows of Sin #1)."

4 Hearts Review: D.H Sidebottom & R.M James"Fragile Truths (The Shadows of Sin  #1)."

Amazon.com:   http://amzn.to/1nv1v6V

Amazon UK:    http://amzn.to/1hFprxb

Synopsis:

To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering. Friedrich Nietzsche.

Frankie...

The bitterness is consuming. It's intensity slashes and claws at my insides, it's hatred wrenching my soul as it curls and nurtures my need for revenge.

HIS torture only feeds my vice. I won't let HIM break me, only strengthen me. The pain HE gives is welcomed, it's rawness fuelling the loathing inside with each of HIS thrashes and tears on my pale skin, with every harsh truth HE breathes in my ear and with each of HIS crippling holds.

I have waited too long for this and I'll never let the bastard win.

He will have to end me before I give in.

But now HE has a weapon against me. Something I swore throughout my life I would never let in;

Love.

Tate.

Tate...

Her strength astounds me. HE doesn't seem to break her.

HIS relentless persecution and determination to bury her under his furious reign and brutality eats at my soul. It has found that dark place inside me, the pit of hell I had locked and secured away, and enriched it, demanded its flourish and ripened its ferocity. The family wrath.

She'll never give in, and I pray every night as I guide her through the darkness that tomorrow will bring the light to her soul before it is consumed, finally, by the plague of HIM.

Evil.

Jude.

Jude...

She blossoms under my torture, the soft suppleness of her skin ripping and tearing as though her soul is trying to break free from the agony.

I'll allow it, because I can. Because I need her soul. I crave the sustenance it feeds my rage with, my thirst for cruelty quenched by the sounds of her desolate screams and my hunger for blood, nourished by the slow drip of her life force at my feet.

She thinks I won't break her, so does he. They underestimate the blood that slithers through my veins. It's the blood that tenures those around me.

The bloodthirsty.

The Shadows of Sin.

Review: Surj Harvey

Sometimes the best way to go into a book is blind and that was absolutely the case with "Fragile Truths." The synopsis gave little away in terms of the plot but instead chose to focus on the three main characters, leaving me at a loss as to what to expect from the story line. Good lord... the shock value was immense and I just didn't know what was coming from one page to the next... twist after twist, curve ball after curve ball... this book absolutely kept me on my toes and gave my heart rate a run for it's money. This one isn't for the faint hearted but it is a brilliant read!!! 

"In the words of George Orwell; to survive it is often necessary to fight; 

and to fight you often have to dirty yourself." 

Without giving anything away (which is sooo difficult because I feel like I just need to talk about all of it!!!! but I won't!!!) "Fragile Truths" had so much going on. There were family feuds, tested loyalties, betrayal, suspense (that almost killed me), gun toting bad asses, vengeance and of course the reason we all read these books.... LOVE!!! This wasn't an easy read ... not by a long shot and some of the stuff I came across made me want to hurl my stomach contents up... you've been warned!!! Was it believable? Ummmm not always. But did that matter? To be honest... not for me because I was gripped by the story line and the events that were unfolding before my very eyes. 

I had created a monster, a twisted angry freak of nature 

taht relished in the dark and sinister side. 

Through all the darkness that seemed to consume the pages, I did find some light though. As I linked the past and the present, I found two individuals who were soul mates.. Frankie and Tate's bond was formed when they were just kids .. it was a bond that would see them through some of the most testing of times. 

Her own soul still clung to mine in a desperate attempt to obtain some peace but I allowed 

it and swore if it was my last breath that I ever used, that I would give it what it craved. 

What they shared couldn't be shattered ... it was beautiful, even in the ugliest of settings. I rooted for them even as they were pushed to their very limits both physically and emotionally because they belonged together... fitting perfectly in every sense of the word. Their chemistry was heart pounding and the sex ...just wow and the witty banter they shared only reinforcing the connection. I found myself chuckling at many a conversation but I could sense the pain and anguish  behind every word ... it was about ensuring the other survived! 

“But without darkness, the stars can’t shine, Frankie.” 

The fierce determination within Frankie's character was inspirational. This woman was made of steel and despite everything, she would never give up on her goal!!! There were even a few sarcastic jibes that came from her lips and that just made her all the more kick ass in my eyes. 

And then there were the boys!!!! Boys your mother warned you about.... boys you should steer clear of... boys that were 100% trouble. Yup, Tate and Jude were bad... really bad and I knew I shouldn't have a soft spot for them but you know what? they wormed their way into my heart despite my head putting up a fight!!! Both were complex characters... both walking talking contradictions... one minute hard as nails, the next soft as snow... each with their own story to tell... each one leaving you battling between right and wrong, your morals going out of the window!!! 

As her blood was untainted, mine was sullied. Where her heart was whole, mine was shattered

and blackened and her gentleness was as intense as fury. She was virtue. I was the sin. 

The writing in "Fragile Truths" was just brilliant and very visual (not always a good thing considering some of I was reading) but it made me feel for the characters and what they were going through. The story line was complex but brilliant and completely unpredictable, making everything I read that much more intense. This is my first experience of both authors and it won't be my last. Roll on the second book in the series which gives us Jude's story. I can't wait... that guy is one hell of a mind fuck and I have a feeling he is really going to toy with my emotions. 
I rated "Fragile Truths" 4 Hearts