Review: Outstanding 5++++ Stars, Best Book of the Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
I was not sure exactly what to expect with this book as I loved all the books in this series and the BHE books so I found myself intrigued; not knowing what to expect.Well I was certainly surprised and in a very good way.This book by Aleatha not only answered some of my questions but also gave me such an insight into the other characters in the Consequences Series.In the Missing Years you hear from many of our beloved male characters in this series POV. It was very refreshing, it is such a delight to read what the others though rather than guess as I did while reading Convicted.What struck me in this book was Tony, the anguish and dare I say it, the humanity of him.  You experience this immediately from the prologue and it’s refreshing to see how Tony comes out of his comfort zone, he is lost and distraught over situations he cannot control but most of all he is in turmoil regarding his family.  I loved this side of Tony, I loved Tony from the Truth book but I feel in these BHE books Tony comes more to life, you see the reasons behind the actions and I must admit I understood him, I felt for him as he reacts to things going on around him that he cannot control.Aleatha shared this quote from Aristotle Onassis and to me it is so relevant of this book “It is during our darkest moment that we must focus to see the light”Phil is such a character and I loved in this story that not only does Aleatha give us more  knowledge of Phil, but he comes to life, he is an enigma in the previous books but in here, he is on his own, you learn more about him and what he feels, thinks and the choices he makes.I loved reading about Harry, Phil, John and Emily, even Courtney and Brent they are all here.In Convicted I was always wondering why Emily was being the way she was, what made her like she was with Claire and her isolation? It was interesting in this book where Aleatha answered all my questions regarding these people, I can’t say I agreed with Emily & John in Convicted but I understand now why they did what they did.This book has so much in it, it would be easy to go into too much detail and end up giving you spoilers, however, there are some surprises for you in here that make you sit up and read more.There was a point that John say’s in this book which made me smile when thinking about Claire.  John compares Claire to a Phoenix, and that is so true, no matter what she has been through she rises above it all.Claire is a fighter we see that in all the other books and especially in Convicted, what surprises me though is how much Tony fights for Claire.... his Family.Throughout The Missing Years, there are times where you think back to the series and know exactly what happened, there was no repetitiveness, everything was new from the eyes of who was telling the story.There is emotion throughout this whole story but the realization that Tony has is astounding and so very well written that you cannot do anything but feel moved and sorry for him, you feel his pain, his anguish about his family and about revelations from his past you also see the insecurity Tony has regarding future for him and his family that you just have to read more, well that is what I felt.I love how Tony reiterates to Claire how much he loves her “I told you before. I’ve never pretended to love you! I do love you! That’s present tense!”  to me this was the best way to end this remarkable, captivating, romantic story, however, we all know Tony and although he does not profess and never will that life will be a Happily Ever After or that he will not mess things up, he does promise (and as we all know Tony is a man of his word and keeps his promises) that he will endeavor to do try his best for the rest of his life.This book is a must read but not if you have not read the entire series first.  I will miss Tony, Claire and everyone else in this series, it has been a pleasure to read