Escaping from the Shadows
Anastasia Travess is caring, beautiful and talented, but all her life her abusive father has kept her down. Seeking love wherever she can there has only ever been one man she trusts, one man who makes her complete and he rejected her years ago.
Piers Talbot is an enigma, a charming bachelor with only one woman in his heart. But when offered a choice between fixing his estranged family and obtaining his heart’s desire he makes probably the worst decision of his life.
When Anastasia rekindles her past relationship with Piers’ younger brother, the lines between love and loyalty become blurred. Amid danger, betrayal and deception, Anastasia is forced to question everything she thought she knew.
But will Anastasia have the courage to escape from the shadows?
My Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Escaping From the Shadows follows the story of soulmates Piers and Anastasia, neither of whom are willing nor ready to admit their feelings to one another. Anastasia seems to jump between relationships, however none ever come close to the feelings in which she has for Piers.
This book isn’t your typical romance where it’s pretty smooth sailing to the end, oh no. This book, although full of romance throughout, has a much darker element that runs alongside it. This darker side to the story really becomes apparent from the halfway point of this book, and the story itself is so perfectly structured it kept me fully engaged throughout.
The characters are to complex and detailed, with each of them having their own personalities, this really adds a new depth to the story. Although I did like Anastasia’s character for the most part, I found myself unable to really connect with her. I do think this was mostly due to the fact that she was extremely flirtatious and I found myself feeling sorry for Piers. Now, Pier’s character was much more likeable from the start! however I did find his alpha-male somewhat lacking, as I would have expected him to have stepped forward and declared his true feelings much sooner to stop Anastasia dating so many men throughout. This did not take my enjoyment away from the story however, it was simply a different spin on a romance novel!.
The storyline itself was wonderfully written from the start. The author sets the perfect level of suspense to keep you hooked, and at times holding your breath as the story begins to unfold. I liked how the book was written in the third person sense, as this allowed you to see the various perspectives of several characters, which also allowed you to learn more about them.
A brilliantly written book with a strong storyline and intriguing cast of characters. Add a load of suspense and drama and you have a truly addictive read. Definitely something for those of us who like a slightly darker romance at times.
You can purchase this book via these links:
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escaping-Shadows-C-L-Tustin-ebook/dp/B08R7F9R1F
US – https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Shadows-C-L-Tustin-ebook/dp/B08R7F9R1F
About the Author
C L Tustin was born and raised in the East Midlands but spent her teenage years in Sydney, Australia. She has sung twice at the Sydney Opera House and also appeared singing live on Australian national television. Returning to the UK in 1989 via Singapore and the Middle East the travel bug has never left her and she has explored countries and cities across the world.
C L Tustin began writing at the age of 11 when she didn’t see why James Bond had to be a man and created a spy code named The Cat with 10 planned adventures. Her first published novel “Escaping from the Shadows” is a romance with an undertone of threat set in the social media free world of 1990. She is currently working on editing and completing her second romance “Desert Rose” whilst writing a brand new story “Flower of Death”. Future projects already planned include two Regency romances and a sci-fi thriller.
Whilst raising her son C L Tustin continued to balance writing and work with completing a BSc(Hons) in Science and a MSc(Merit) in Earth Science with the Open University. This was a most rewarding experience despite the long hours and hard work involved.
C L Tustin has worked for two major banks, a tool company, the MOD and the NHS. She has completed 3 Thames Bridges walking challenges for charity, volunteers for Butterfly Conservation and passionately supports rescue dogs. C L Tustin lives currently with her rescued 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier and a diverse collection of books and sci-fi memorabilia.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/C-L-Tustin-Author-109346397535473
*Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and C L Tustin for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.*
Victoria Wilks 