Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Missing Chapters by Chasta Schneider [Review]

The Missing Chapters by Chasta Schneider
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: August 16, 2013

Purchase LinksPaperback | Kindle 

Chasta Schneider
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads):
Jessica has issues. Not regular every day issues, but issues like her ex-fiancé lost his mind and tried to kill her - type issues. She survived her nightmare and moved to England to start fresh. Easier said than done.

After living through her nightmare, she finds it difficult to trust anyone and she spends most of her time alone, writing stories about people who were happy, had normal lives and were always in love. One might call it ironic, however, Jessica saw it as more of a vision of what her life could have been like if she had never met Chris.

One day while looking for inspiration for her book, Jessica runs into a young actor who had fallen from grace when he was involved in a near-fatal car accident that left him severely scarred and extremely bitter. Kellan wanted nothing to do with Jessica when she spoke to him. He was rude and distant, thinking she was simply another person who wanted to stare at his disfigurement. In spite of himself, he couldn't resist her clumsy charm, like the way she choked on her own saliva at the shock of seeing him, to her horrible jokes and her incredibly loud stomach growl. Within a week of knowing her, he was in love.

Life was finally wonderful for Jessica and Kellan. They made an enviable life together, they were deeply in love, their careers were flourishing, and they started a family. How could they know that the nightmare that had nearly killed Jessica was about to reoccur? No one knew that Chris was free, no one that would warn them that is.

Seeking revenge for abandoning him, Chris comes for Jessica. He wants to make her pay for leaving him. But most of all, he wants her back because she is his. No one can keep them apart and they will be together forever - one way or the other.

With barely any leads and no knowledge of Chris' freedom, Kellan begins a tireless search for his missing wife. With the help of Jessica's best friend, Alicia, they begin to find clues as to what happened and who had taken her. Reluctantly, Alicia fills Kellan in to all of the tortures that Chris had put Jessica through. Unimaginable tortures that she had tried so hard to forget. As Kellan cried, all he could think was, "Oh God please! Help me find her in time!"- but time was running out…
My Thoughts on The Missing Chapters: At heart, this is a really sweet romance between two people who have been damaged in very different ways. Kellen's scars are physical. It derailed his acting career and put a huge dent in his self-confidence. Jessica, on the other hand, is dealing with a traumatic and terrifying event that happened in her past.

Time and her ability to channel her pain into her writing has given Jessica perspective on what happened to her. Kellen's injury is so new that he's a raw mess when Jessica stumbles across him. Emotionally raw, just so we're clear. He's angry and frustrated and self-conscious about how he looks now. Jessica soothes the rough edges and helps show him that there's more to him than just his looks.

Their romance is seriously sweet. They trust each other. They love one another. They support each other in the different phases of their lives.

Then chaos busts into their happy little world and puts Jessica back in the hands of the man who nearly killed her. Which causes a whole mess of heartache for Kellen and everyone who loves Jessica, as you can imagine.

While Jessica's nightmare is horrific, the bulk of this book is about how Jessica and Kellen connect and love one another. Even a crazed man can't come between that sort of love, as it turns out.

2 comments: