Synopsis: General Travis Bains has two daughters, one who is good, and one who is bad. Everyone knows Lindsey is the good one, and Jessie is the bad one.
Jessie Bains is the other sister, the bad sister, which she has proven more often than not, until the day she gets kidnapped and brutally raped. Will Hendricks, one of her father's soldiers, rescues her and brings her home, but fears she may be nearly destroyed by what is done to her. The most important thing, however, is that no one can know, per the general's orders.
Jessie's life was always far from normal as the daughter of one of the most revered generals in the world. No one sees what the general does to Jessie, except Will. When Will discovers the danger Jessie is living in at her father's hand, he once again rescues her. Will has survived the horrors of war, but is now engaged in a battle that has become far more personal and far more deadly. Will alone realizes what the general has done and will do to destroy his "other" daughter.
**Due to mature subject matter and language this is recommended for readers aged 17+**
Jessie Bains is the other sister, the bad sister, which she has proven more often than not, until the day she gets kidnapped and brutally raped. Will Hendricks, one of her father's soldiers, rescues her and brings her home, but fears she may be nearly destroyed by what is done to her. The most important thing, however, is that no one can know, per the general's orders.
Jessie's life was always far from normal as the daughter of one of the most revered generals in the world. No one sees what the general does to Jessie, except Will. When Will discovers the danger Jessie is living in at her father's hand, he once again rescues her. Will has survived the horrors of war, but is now engaged in a battle that has become far more personal and far more deadly. Will alone realizes what the general has done and will do to destroy his "other" daughter.
**Due to mature subject matter and language this is recommended for readers aged 17+**
4.25 Heartbreaking Stars
Review:
This book made my heart hurt in so many ways. Almost from the first page, I would find myself holding my breath at what would be happening next. The book begins when Colonel Will Hendricks is called before General Travis Bains, the father of Jessie Bains, and also one of the most important men in the country. Will does not know Jessie; he only knows her sister, Lindsay. One of the first things you learn about Jessie is that she had recently made a sex tape, and she is considered to the the "bad sister" and an embarrassment to her father and sister. The general shares that Jessie has been kidnapped and Lindsay had suggested Will to her father as someone that could help rescue her. So, without ruining the rest of his career in the military, Will basically feels that he must go to rescue Jessie from the people who have kidnapped her. I will not share everything that Will finds when he does rescue Jessie because I don't want to take away from other readers. I will say this - it was incredibly horrible and traumatic, and you begin to see that that is only the surface of Jessie's pain.
The heart of the story begins once Will has rescued Jessie and brought her home. He notices within an hour of rescuing her, that there is something that reaches far deeper into Jessie's heart and mind that has damaged her. He begins to pick up on the Bains family not being quite a normal family. The more he gets to know her, he actually begins to see that much has been done to Jessie to cause her to act the way that she does. I really struggled with Will at this point. I guess I like my typical alpha male type that comes in and takes charge and, if not rescues, at least tries to help the female. Will helps Jessie, but he continues to keep his distance from her, as well, all while noticing that something is not quite right in her family. The book switches back and forth from their POV's from the beginning, so you quickly pick up on the fact that Will seems to be pretty much alone, as he considers the Army his family. He seems to thrive on the structure of the Army and being told what to do and how to feel.
Several events take place the continually put Jessie and Will together, until Will must finally face what is going on with Jessie. He takes charge and makes some decisions for Jessie to try to help her break free from her past and what could only be a painful future for her if she continues as she is going. I began to truly respect Will, and then I began to really love Will. He had seen some of the worst things that a person, a soldier, could see, yet what he had seen and found out about Jessie affected him so deeply. Will is just a good person, but he is also not afraid to go up against Jessie's dad, the General. It takes time, but Jessie and Will learn a lot about one another. What began as Will wanting to stay completely distant and separate from Jessie became him wanting to help her learn how to help herself - which was an amazing journey to watch. My hat is off to this author for taking on such a tough subject and being pretty authentic with it - down to how people can respond to tragedy in their lives and how important therapy can be in the healing process. Well done! I can't wait for the second book about Jessie's sister, Lindsay.
Jess
Jess
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