Thursday 20 October 2016

Blog Tour: Aleatha Romig's "Away from the Dark (The Light # 2)."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour for Aleatha Romig's "Away from the Dark (The Light # 2)."


Synopsis:

Nine months ago, Sara Adams awoke with no memory. The man holding her hand told her she’s a member of The Light, a tight-knit religious group led by the terrifying and charismatic Father Gabriel. As a woman in the community of The Light, her duty is to be unquestionably obedient and to submit to the will of her husband.

But as Sara’s memory starts to return and she remembers her past, she sees that everything she’s been told is a lie. The Light is an insidious and dangerous organization, and its corrupting influence reaches well beyond the confines of the remote campus where Sara is being held.

With everything at stake, Sara struggles to sort out her true memories from her indoctrination. The desire to escape consumes her, but who can she trust? And which other followers of The Light were forced into this life, brainwashed to believe they belonged? The more she remembers, the more it becomes clear that Jacob, the man who calls himself her husband, is keeping shattering secrets of his own.

But Sara cannot flee alone, leaving innocents behind. She must fight to extinguish The Light.

Review: Surj 

Oh Aleatha Romig... if ever there was a villainous writer!!! Seriously, this author just loves to torment and torture her readers and this conclusion to "The Light" duology was a prime example of just that. "Into the Light" finished with quite the humdinger of an ending and this is one book I have been desperate to get my mitts on to see how brother Jacob and sister Sara's story played out. Wow, what can I say other than so much of it was completely unexpected. I got so much so wrong. In my mind, Sara and Jacob's journey had a very clear path.... yeah well that didn't happen but then I should have known. This is Mrs Romig after all and she does not follow a conventional path in any of her books. That would just to too darn easy on her readers... lol. 

My gut tells me to run. I just don't know how. 

"Away from the Dark" continued where "Into the Light" finished and right from the word go I felt the tension and anxiety building inside of me. This was not going to be an easy read that's for sure and as revelation after revelation came to light,  I suddenly had an idea of the full extent of this cults depravity. When I say idea, I can only imagine that Aleatha merely skimmed the surface of what this group of people were truly all about and what they were capable of and honestly, it scared the living hell out of me. The words and imagery used ensured that I felt like I was living and breathing the story right alongside Jacob and Sara and I was absolutely terrified for each of them. My gut was constantly twisting, the knot growing ever tighter as the anticipation of the unknown and also, of what was to come grew ever closer the further I progressed in the book. There were so many answers that I got for the questions that had arisen in Book #1 but in the same breath, the list of questions continued to grow too. 

The change I witnessed in so many characters from book #1 to book #2 also eft me surprised. Some just grew crazier and wacked, the further I read and others, well others behaviour saw a complete u-turn and I actually found myself liking them or even feeling sorry for them. 

"I'll tell you I'm sorry forever but it will never be enough."

This conclusion to Jacob and Sara's journey was drama filled and action packed with an ending that was nail bitingly fantastic. There was so much betrayal, hurt and heart break and so many curve balls thrown in for good measure. Then of course in true Aleatha style, there was "that" moment at the end where she got me. I waited for it. I knew it was coming but it still came as quite a shock. Sara and Jacob's story has now ended but for me, I don't think it will ever end. There are still loose ends and I'm really hoping for more, especially from some of the supporting characters. However, if this author has anything to do with it, she will more than likely just leave it there and allow our fuddled brains to make up our own conclusions!!!

“The Light is here and there and everywhere. There’s no escaping it.”

Well played Mrs Romig. I rated "Away from the Dark" ❤️❤️❤️❤️


Excerpt: Sara

Shrill screams echoed throughout our dimly lit bedroom, accelerating my heartbeat and pulling me from the terrible nightmare. I waited for more, until the realization struck. The screams were my own.

“Jacob?” I called, my voice shaking with dread as I reached for my husband. Instead of reassurance, my fingers met cold empty sheets. He was gone—still away at another campus.

What just happened? Was it a dream?

I clung to the covers as I puffed my cheeks and slowly exhaled. While each breath helped to still the chaos, the exercise wasn’t enough.

Who am I? Who is he?

Jacob’s questions from months ago came back. They were my security. They’d worked before.

I am Sara Adams and my husband is Jacob Adams.

Pushing the images from my dream, or nightmare, away, I imagined Jacob’s comforting embrace. Slowly I threw back the down comforter and willed the cool air to soothe my perspiration-drenched skin. From the way my heart galloped in my chest, I might have been running a marathon, not sleeping.

In my sleep I’d been battling to escape a vehicle, and then an explosion of heat.
It had been a dream, I reassured myself—a nightmare. The accident I’d had, nearly nine months before, had been different. I couldn’t remember it, but I’d been told that I’d been injured and gone unconscious. In the nightmare I had been out and away from the wreckage.

I shook my head.

It seemed so real.

In my dream I hadn’t been able to see past the darkness, yet I’d known I wasn’t injured.
My arms surrounded my midsection as the memories replayed like pictures in my mind. Someone was hurting me—purposely harming me, and there was a voice—a deep voice.

Jacob’s voice?

No. He wouldn’t hurt me.

My entire body shuddered as goose bumps peppered my skin. Sitting upright, I reached for the bedside lamp. With trembling fingers I turned the knob and my eyes adjusted as the soft light combined with the sun’s perpetual summer glow.

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on Jacob’s questions.

Who am I? Who is he?

This time I said the words aloud, praying that if I spoke the truth, the images would disappear. “I am Sara Adams. He is my husband, Jacob Adams.” I pulled myself from the bed and walked to the bathroom. Turning on the light and the faucet, I cupped the cool water and splashed my face. As I reached for the cup and began to fill it, a metaphoric dam that had been constructed to hold back my past burst.

My mind was flooded—no longer with simple images, but with scene after scene.

For the first time since I could recall, I knew the woman in the mirror.

I knew me.
Author Bio:

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 romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were 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. 


No comments:

Post a Comment