Title: Heart of Marley
Author: T.K. Leigh
Release Date: November 3, 2014
Genre: New Adult/Romantic Suspense
To the moon and back… From the stars to the
ocean… That was Marley and Cameron Bowen’s secret code. Twins born just five
minutes apart, they have the perfect life… Until tragedy strikes just weeks
after their eighth birthday and their father is killed by a drunk driver.
Having trouble coping with the loss of her soul mate, their mother tries to
find comfort in drugs and alcohol… And an abusive man with a penchant for
underage girls. No longer able to stand listening to his sister’s screams and
cries every night for nearly three years, Cam takes matters into his own hands
and they’re finally able to escape the nightmare. They’re finally able to start
over… But the nightmare still haunts Marley. The years go on and she is forced
to put on a smile, making everyone think that she is the perfect, well-adjusted
teenager that she is supposed to be… Until she is faced with a painful reminder
of her past during her senior year of high school and she’s no longer able to
keep on the mask that she has been compelled to wear. Recommended for ages
eighteen and over due to strong language, sexual situations, and graphic
violence.
Book Trailer
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I had
gotten used to things over the years. Marley’s emotions always took you on a
wild roller coaster ride, the ebb and flow often unexpected and sometimes
tumultuous. But during those moments that things flattened out, and the ups and
downs of her life were on an even keel, even if for just an instant, those were
the times that I treasured. I wouldn’t trade those rare memories for anything
in the world. Those were the times that I saw the real Marley…the girl that
forced me to play Barbie’s with her, the girl that convinced me the mud pie she
made for me was really chocolate. The way her eyes brimmed with enthusiasm and
mischief at the same time, you couldn’t help but believe her, knowing that she
would squeal with excitement and delight when you pretended to take a bite of
her ‘chocolate’ pie. “Remember the tree house?” she asked, bringing me back
from my own memories. I could hear the lump in her throat. “How could I forget?
You hounded Dad for months to build you one.” “Remember going out there after he
died, but before Mama lost the house?” I nodded, finding Marley’s hand and
grabbing it. “Yeah, I do.” I felt her body tremble beside me as big, fat rain
drops began to fall. “I think it would have been the best tree house on the
block.” “The way Dad doted on you, it would have been a tree mansion by
the time he was done with it.” Losing my father was hard enough when I was just
eight, but having to be faced with the constant reminders of his life made it
even more difficult. The worst was looking out our back window at a tree that
he had begun to build a house in for Marley and me. The night that Mama had
explained to us that Dad had gone to heaven and wouldn’t be coming back, I
remember glancing out there and seeing Marley sitting on the lone wood plank that
he had set up as the foundation of the tree house. Nearly every night that we
lived in that house, we would go out there and simply lay down and look at the
stars. “This reminds me of that,” I said softly. “Of those nights in the tree
house.” The sound of thunder boomed around us and we remained on that roof, not
caring that we were both drenched from the late summer downpour cloaking the
town. “Me, too,” Marley said. “I think that’s why I like coming out here so
much. It reminds me of ‘before’. It makes me feel closer to Dad. I always swore
I could hear him talking to me in that tree house and, some nights when I’m out
here, I can still hear him.” “What does he say?” She turned to face me and
almost broke into tears. “That he’s proud of you. That he can’t believe how
much of him he sees in you. That he’s happy you don’t let anyone or anything
influence your decisions. That he’s thankful you’ve never abandoned me.
Marley is sexually abused by her mothers’ boyfriend pretty
much nightly for years, until Cameron, her brother, does something about it;
and they move in with an aunt and uncle.
She has to deal with her demons in quiet, because her abuse has been
kept quiet. She has this unrelenting,
shattering pain that she keeps to herself while trying to be someone everyone
else thinks she should be. Thank god, she
has Cameron. He is her rock; everyone
that has a person in their lives like Cameron should count themselves very
lucky, because they are few. Cameron
sets out to help Marley out of her pain, and as they both try to overcome their
pasts, they set out on a path of self-discovery.
I have put off writing this review until the last possible
second, because the words just won’t come. There is absolutely NO way to put down in
words how remarkable this story is. NONE.
It grips you from the first page so tightly and does not let go. This book had me sobbing so much, that I had
to set down my kindle and walk away because I could not read through my
tears. IT IS THAT INTENSE! We all have those books that will leave
lasting impressions on us forever, I can guarantee that this is one of those
stories that will be added to that list.
I have a short list of books that I always recommend. Heart of Marley has been added to that. I encourage EVERYONE to read it, I promise
you, you won’t regret it.
5 stars is NOT enough!
T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh
Kellam, is the USA Today Best Selling author of the Beautiful Mess series.
Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with
her husband, dog and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the
husband). She always had a knack for writing, but mostly in the legal field. It
wasn’t until recently that she decided to try her hand at creative writing and
is now addicted to creating different characters and new and unique story lines
in the Contemporary Romantic Suspense genre. When she’s not planted in front of
her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her next
marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to
recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she
has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Purchase Her Other Books Today
$100 Amazon Gift Card and (10) signed paperback
of Heart Of Marley
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