This book is about a 17 year old girl named Amara-Rose Thompson who is brought to the United States, by her father, from Australia after her mother and baby brother die in a horrific car accident. The book opens with her attending her first day of school, which just happens to be across the street from her house and where her father is a teacher as well. She is, for the lack of a better description, a giant hot mess. Like all girls of this age she is dealing with the normal "where do I fit in" issues, as well as the trauma of leaving her home, country, the loss of her family, and friends.The other charcters that you will meet in this book are Emily, David, and are introduced to Mike, her best friend in Australia. Emily is your typical bubbly cheerleader and Miss Popularity. She takes Ara, as she calls Amara, under her wing and becomes her best friend and introduces her to David. Where he fast becomes Ara's champion and protector. He is all things male. He is tall, dark, handsome, and of course phsyically fit, yet there is just something off about him.The three main reasons that I love this book are the character development and the level of suspense that is woven throughout the book. The way Ms. Hudson developed the characters is amazing. At some points your heart is bleeding for poor Ara, who has lost everything then the next minute you want to smack her for being a whiny spoiled brat. Just like a real teenage girl. David's character is just as equally well written. When you are reading about David you can see a typical cocky teenage boy who just know's he is all that and a bag of chips. Yet, the author keeps you on pins and needles trying to figure him out. You just know he is too good to be true, and you just know that he is hiding something because no guy is that awesome.I love a book that haunts me after I put it away. The level of suspense that wove all through the book kept me up trying to figure out what was next. It was like trying to put together a giant puzzle. I would often find myself, thinking of Ara or David wishing I could either hug them, yell at them or sit down and talk with them. All I can say is this made it very hard to get anything else done.I also really liked how the author dealt with the issue of teenage sex. There were some very suggestive moments in the book. Not explicit, but enough that I won't let my 13 year old read it, that were pretty intense. But through, these scenes she promotes abstinence until marriage, but not in a preachy way. In the book, Ara is reminded that a man who truly loves her will wait and that her gift of virtue is not one that should be given away in the heat of the moment.I will admit at some points in the book I thought the characters were a little bit over the top with all the I love you's and crying. But then again, if the author was setting out to portray real teenagers, and let's face it: this is what they do. There were a few typo's in e-book but nothing really distracting. I do wish that she gave more of a back story on David. I can only hope that will come in later books. I hosted book four of the Dark Secrets series on my blog back in November last year and I didn’t have the time to read the whole series back then. After several gentle nudges from my friend (Liz @ Fictional Candy, AGAIN) I decided to take the plunge and dive in! It must be good…… it’s written by a fellow Aussie, right?? I am so glad that I did, it certainly is a good book and a great beginning to the series.Ara-Rose is a nice girl, but she has had a pretty traumatic few months and bears scars both externally and internally because of those circumstances. She has had a lot to deal with and has decided to finally take a step forward in her life and go to school. Ara is a fragile girl and she’s weighed down by guilt and sadness. She’s still coming to terms with what she has lost in her life and the move to a new country soon afterwards has made it so much harder for her to start again.Hmmm… David… gorgeous, sexy and a vampire, but I didn’t find that out immediately because I didn’t read the blurb before starting the book this time. I wanted to be kept in the dark! Lol! So there are a few hints dropped along the way and I was able to clue it all together before the truth was revealed. David is the perfect gentleman and I love how gentle he is with Ara. He tries his best to get her to open up, but is very closed off about himself. He has a dangerous side that he tries to hide from Ara but it only forces her to dig deeper as she is very persistent. He is the boy that every girl dreams about and if I find him first, I’m not sharing him with you!!I enjoyed the storyline and how the secrets slowly unravelled. Ara and David have great chemistry and they work together to pursue their feelings for one another. The only thing I could really criticize is that they got together too quickly as it was love at first sight for both of them!! It was an easy book to read where the plot flowed effortlessly as the author has a terrific writing style! It was a pleasurable read and it was left open for the next book in the series. I still had some unanswered questions at the end of the book which I hope to learn the answers to sooner or later. I am excited to dive into The Knight of the Rose!I received a copy of this book from the author (during a tour) in exchange for an honest review.
What do You think about Tears Of The Broken (2011)?
I LOVE DAVID!! Fell in love with this book and series!!
—janette
good reviews, so thinking this is my next series.
—Beba
