Review: Beyond amazing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2014
I will admit, I usually don't have a difficult time writing a review.  Either the book provokes emotions in me that just easily flow out or I can focus on the story and just tell you what I think.  This book, this whole series, leaves me speechless.  I have tried to start this review a number of times, each attempt leaves me feeling tears coming down my cheeks, my heart breaking, my deep admiration for the author.  I had to turn off the kindle once I was done and sit with my tears and emotions for a while.  Then of course I had to tell the author she turned me into a sobbing mess.Destructive Choices picks up where Lacey is in the hospital, in a coma, after finding her "husband" once again in a situation that lets her down.  Now I was very happy to see she made it out alive after the first book and I really wondered what LU Ann had in store for us in this book.  I mean how would she ever match the first one, Destructive Silence.  Oh, don't worry readers, she not only ups it a few levels, she tackles issues that need to be addressed.So we know why Lacey is in the hospital, we know who to blame as well.  What we didn't expect is who came to visit her and how this would be the new foundation for her life.  I will just say it now, Devon is so perfect, this man does NOTHING wrong...........PERFECT.  So we get to watch as Lacey is now faced with choices as to how to make a life for her and her infant son.  This is where I thought the story was going to stay, but nope.  LU Ann inserted half chapters, which gave us the dreams that Lacey was having.  Lacey will soon learn that she is looking at the same fork in the road as those she has admired, she has seen what happens when you take that one road, but does she have the courage to explore the uncharted path?Knowing that she needed to accept the therapy that she was offered, secrets from her past became clear.  Memories that haunted her, yet she never thought they were real, were confirmed and she found out that those who raised her had a ton of baggage of their own. The love she had for one parent is now shattered because she has to see them for who they are.  The love she had for another parent is bruised because she can understand the choices they made, she has faced them herself, BUT, how do you make those choices when your child is involved?  Does Lacey really love her own son more than her own parent loved her? Is Lacey really stronger than the parent she thought was a pillar of strength?  She finally has to except, her parents are human and they made some horrible choices in life.  Here we have the domino effect, how choices of our parents affect the path of our own life.  See, I told you, brilliant right? Now on top of her injuries, trying to figure out what to do with Caine, missing her son, developing a friendship with Devon, she has just learned that her childhood that she grew up believing in was all a lie.As she gets the pieces back together, forming a more realistic view of what her life really was, she is now dealt with the issue of her mother who can't let go of Lacey's baby boy.  I mean yes the mother did basically raise Evan while Lacey was recovering but it was time to let her be a mom to her own son again and the mother had some trouble with that.  Lacey made a choice, she knew what she had to do but little did she know how that choice was going to destroy her world again.  Yes, this was at the time I had to get the first box of tissues out. On a personal note, LU Ann shares herself with us here.  This was painful to read, I can only imagine the pain it caused her to write it.  I so admire her courage to write about this topic, to confess her own feelings regarding the mothers actions.  She showed an abundance of strength to put the topic of mental illness and the destructive results out there for the world to judge.  Please keep in mind while reading this, we aren't meant to judge the person, we are asked to help the person who is suffering.Back to the story, so Lacey never even has the chance to heal from that event before the next round of devastation hits.  Once again choices made in haste and in a flood of emotions, leads her on the trail to recover what is hers and Devons.  Might I say, Devon is perfect once again.  In the midst of correcting this problem involving Evan, Devon has to go back to work. He doesn't want to leave Lacey to deal with Caine, but he knows that he has to get back there.  A plan is in place, a time line has been drawn out and he knows when he says goodbye that in a few days they will be able to move on with their life and find that happily ever after Lacey so deserves.  This is where I am rushing to get MORE boxes of tissues.  I won't go into the ending but trust me, you will need tissues, nerve medicine and your therapist on speed dial.She leaves us with another cliff hanger, one that I might add gave me the same reaction as the cliff hanger in her first book, I scream NOOOOOOOOOOOO, husband rushes to my side to see if I have been hurt, he panics because he sees the tears flowing down my face and then shakes his head when I tell him I WASN'T DONE WITH THIS STORY.  I can handle the humiliation if it means LU Ann will be busy writing another book for me.  I have no pride when it comes to this series.  I am addicted, I am in love and I am just speechless when I think of her talent and ability to put it out there to help others know they are not alone.  She has brilliantly shown us how destructive silence and bad choices can be in not only our lives but the lives of those around us.  If you only pick up one series to read and follow please let it be this one. I ask you open yourself up to feeling the emotions, understanding the meaning and allowing it to be your voice if you feel silent.  There is NOTHING wrong with asking for help if you need it, use this series to help you find that courage.