Review: 3 stars = I liked it and it was a GOOD read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
In short, Hadley has had a crap life. She lived with an emotionally and physically abusive father who targeted both her and her mother until a tragic night when, at the age of eight, she found herself thrust into a foster care system that placed her in homes that perpetuated and worsened the cycle of abuse. While not all of the placements were in unhealthy environments, the nice homes were overshadowed by an abusive court-appointed guardian who used his position of authority to force her into a sexual relationship. When the reader first meets Hadley, it is glaringly obvious that while she has survived the wretched situation of her life, she has not thrived. And while her first meeting with Miller was intense, the tampon incident made the scene feel real and made me chuckle. As much as Miller’s sexual intensity frightens her, it also draws her to him and seeing him is the highlight of her day … and has been for three years. Unbeknownst to Hadley, Miller is just as aware of her as she is of him, but he is a patient man who recognizes her wounded soul and knows he must tread lightly.When the author takes the story in a direction that enables Hadley to get to know Miller via letters and text messages, I was quite impressed. It was an original idea (at least one I have never encountered) and did not feel contrived considering who Miller is. As we learn throughout the book of all the little things that had to occur for their relationship to develop the way it did, I again felt the realism of the book. I will admit that I was surprised that the story occurred within the time frame of a year as there are so many things that Hadley had to endure and got to enjoy, that it felt longer time-wise. Because of the way their relationship developed, the reader is well into the book (close to 60%) before the two have sex. Readers with a sensitivity to sexual assault should proceed with caution as it is a topic in the book, but should also be aware that none of the sex scenes are described in a detailed or graphic nature.While I enjoyed reading Cut Too Deep and liked the characters immensely, something fell a bit flat and kept this from being a great read for me. It wasn’t until the final couple of chapters that I realized what it was – for me, the transition from the author’s narrative to the character’s dialogue and internal thoughts was not smooth. Did this interfere with the flow of the story? Occasionally. Did it make this a bad read? Absolutely Not! I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Ms. Bell’s work. There are so many connected sub-plots that run throughout the book that it is difficult to discuss specifics without taking the risk of revealing potential spoilers so I will simply leave it as saying that Cut Too Deep was a solid readI received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!