Review: Author T.J. Loveless delivers an action packed thrill ride with Fractured Steel.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 28, 2014
Author T.J. Loveless delivers an action packed thrill ride with Fractured Steel.  A female war hero, a horse worth millions, and espionage—those three things alone scream action. Add in a family of psychopaths and international government secrets and you have something that takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride and leaves you exhausted, awe struck, and affected at the end.Karen Barnes is the main character. She is trying to readjust to civilian life on her late father’s horse farm when all hell breaks lose. The first couple of chapters were a little touch and go for me because there are certain subjects that I just like to avoid. Physical abuse, animal cruelty, and sexual abuse are all present but nothing is overly graphic. They are part of Karen’s story but not her whole story and I think that is what makes this book one to remember.It isn’t a rainbow and butterflies story. It is a dark story that showcases the worst and the best in people. The heroine is scarred and broken and at times you find yourself agreeing with her that there is only so much that one person should have to endure.  To say she is a survivor is an understatement. She suffers, she fights, and then she suffers even more. She is a survivor that at times is barely surviving but it is that smallest bit of hope, anger, and strength that keeps her going for another day. That was the message that I came away with at the end of this book. That life can sometimes be impossibly horrible but as long as we continue to fight then there is a chance of a better tomorrow.Fractured Steel features several characters that are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The characters are all are at varied stages of recovery but for me the message was clear; healing takes time, the pain is real, and sometimes the scars that aren’t visible take the longest to heal.This book will be in my list of top ten reads for the year. Not because it made me smile or laugh but because it made me feel, think, hope and appreciate the strength that it takes to survive.