Review: Arsen Will Sear Into Your Soul!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2014
“When we finally kiss, our lips touch so softly, so intensely, so magically, but I don’t feel ike lightning has struck me, or that the world has stopped moving. No, the feeling is unique. Special. Like I am being cleansed from the inside out, the rain washing away all my past mistakes, my sorrows, my hurt.”– Cathy (regarding Ben)“He is danger. My head is shouting to get away, and my heart is yelling danger, but my body isn’t letting me move. All I can do is watch as he makes his way down the stairs. His smile frightens me. His smile hypnotizes me.”– Cathy (regarding Arsen)“Why do I want to take you out?” Besides the obvious. He pushes himself closer to me and whispers in my ear, “because I can’t f****** wait to kiss you again.” – Ben“I finally had her and I was not going to share her anymore. She was finally mine. My own.“ – ArsenArsen is a story of three people. Three people that have lost their way, have lost themselves – each for a different reason. Cathy because her body has betrayed her. Ben because he closes his eyes to the fact that his wife is no longer mentally present. Arsen because nothing has ever been refused to him in his life so what if Cathy is someone else’s wife. I’m not usually one for triangles because I cannot abide infidelity. However, do not for one minute think that Mia Asher glorifies is as something wonderful because that is not the case. It is sordid, it is ugly, it is painful and for sure no one walks away unscathed.The very first chapter of Arsen affected me to the point that I closed my Kindle and didn’t open it again until the next day. Cathy has had another miscarriage and the doctor is explaining the reason but she has stopped listening because once again the very thing that only a woman’s body can do – grow a life - her body can’t seem to do. I’m going to get a little personal here. I’ve had 4 miscarriages and a stillbirth so this scene, very realistically written by Mia Asher, hit very close to home.The next morning I decided that I was going to try again and I’m so glad I did. I do not give 5 stars easily but this book deserves it! Arsen was emotional, it was angsty to the 10th power, it was sexy, it was gut wrenching and even now, having read it weeks ago it is still with me. It ripped my freaking heart out! At times I wanted to smack Cathy, shake Ben and kick Arsen’s you know what! A few times I wanted to fling my Kindle against the wall. When Ben finally confronted Cathy I actually had to fortify myself with tequila. One particular part where the words “come so hard” were said did me in. I did the ugly cry during that chapter. I cannot tell you how angry, down deep to the bone mad, I was with Cathy. I literally gasped with the shock of her cruelty to Ben.“The essence of her drives me f****** insane because there’s nothing as sweet as the taste of your woman on your tongue. In this moment, she is mine.” - Arsen“You broke me. I look at your eyes and your beautiful face, and it still f****** hurts. You f****** b****, it still hurts. I want to erase every single memory of you. Every single one, until I can wake up one day without thinking of you.” – Ben“Can you hear it? The sound of my heart breaking, ceasing to beat. Can you feel it? Excruciating pain, eating me alive, slowly tearing me apart limb by limb. It’s my fault. Only mine. Not his. Not theirs. I’m alone.” – CathyI read those lines over and over and each time they hurt more. Each time they became more and more personal. More real almost which is crazy right because this is just a book – right?! I didn’t just read Arsen it felt like I lived Arsen. The aftermath of Cathy’s decision to have an affair with Arsen felt real to me. Nothing was sugar coated and nothing was held back by any of these characters. There are a few surprises but I won’t spoil it for you. However, I will say that Arsen is not just the spoiled selfish brat that I thought him to be and that’s it. Do we get an HEA? Does Ben forgive Cathy? Does Cathy have a baby? Does Arsen stay with Cathy? All very good questions. No way I’m answering any of them.I don’t give 5 stars easily but Arsen deserved it. Having been through emotional hell with this book would I recommend that you read it? Absolutely without a doubt hell yes! It was epic. Didn’t you all figure that out yet?! I loved every word, loved every single paragraph to the very last page. Mia Asher’s writing painted a vivid picture that made me feel as if I was watching these lives play out on a screen in my mind’s eye. Mia Asher is a rock star and I will be first in line to read WHATEVER she writes next. Wish I could erase it from my mind to experience it for the first time again. Not for the faint of heart but man it is worth the pain! One last thing – TEAM BEN all the way.