Silence of a Stranger

by Elizabeth Bailey

 

This is a book where the cover betrays it.

From the cover, I foolishly was under the illusion that I was delving into a mystery, an out and out thriller, what I hadn’t banked on was being swept away by what turned out to be a reluctant romance.

The story centres on Beatrice and I must say that she was a beautifully written character. One that I could completely engage with.

She thought she had escaped the worst that could happen to her when she eventually managed to get away from her abusive ex and as positive as she was at that moment about her future, it was impossible that she could have ever imagined the path that her future was headed in.

One tiny event, one mistaken tap of a door and she is in the hands of men that will stop at nothing to achieve their own ends.

The chain of events that unfolded in the book were staggering.

The suspense and mystery, the feeling of threat and trepidation were all present as Beatrice is held captive. The plot twisted and turned more than I had anticipated and I was held within its grasp the whole way.

So where did the romance come into play , well Rad is one of the guys involved but he is reluctant to participate in what the others have foisted upon him, he believes that Beatrice  is nothing more than a stranded motorist and the last thing he wants is this pretty woman getting wrapped up in what they have going on.

He is attracted to Beatrice and in an odd way she knows it and accepts it despite the fact that he is part of the group keeping her against her will.

The story between the two of them was an evolution, it was brought to life piece by piece, laid out slowly and give credence in as much as it understood that like Rad and Beatrice, I as the reader needed time to come to terms with what was happening, I had to acclimatise myself to what was going on, to understand that good people get caught up in bad things, no matter how much they don’t want too.

But when their situation exploded, I was caught completely unawares and like Beatrice, I was left reeling when Rad’s truth is revealed.

A fantastically well written story that gave the romance time to grow, that gave us characters that wanted normal, wanted love and wanted each other.

Didn’t know what to expect when I started to read this but I know what I had got once I had finished, a super book!