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A review by readfrenzy
The Debt by Karina Halle
4.0
4.5 stars
Go ahead and call me a skeptic. I read [b:The Pact|23844390|The Pact|Karina Halle|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1418886372s/23844390.jpg|43454866] and [b:The Offer|25479422|The Offer|Karina Halle|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1430914492s/25479422.jpg|45251354], and I confess I’m in the minority of people who didn’t care for either. I’d all but given up on the McGregor series. In fact, I was thisclose to not reading The Debt, but some friends encouraged me by saying the series keeps getting better and better. I decided to take a chance on this book—fully prepared for disappointment mind you—and it really paid off.
You can tell Karina Halle put a great deal of thought and time into developing two amazingly sympathetic characters. When Jessica and Keir meet, it’s surprising how very similar they are. Both are with dealing PTSD—albeit in different ways. Jessica was a victim of a terrorist attack, leaving her physically impaired, so her scars are more visible. However, Keir’s wounds are no less real. In addition, the choices they made in the past have resulted in emotional devastation in the present. You wind up with two shattered individuals who are drowning in pain, guilt, and many secrets, but they just may be able to help heal each other’s brokenness.
The Debt is emotional and heartwarming. With fully developed characters and superb plotting, it’s just an overall enjoyable read. For all you fans of the previous McGregor books, I have no doubt that you’ll love The Debt. To those who may have been disappointed before, I say give this book a shot. You just might be pleasantly surprised.
Recommended for fans of:
Survivors
Second chances
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
Go ahead and call me a skeptic. I read [b:The Pact|23844390|The Pact|Karina Halle|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1418886372s/23844390.jpg|43454866] and [b:The Offer|25479422|The Offer|Karina Halle|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1430914492s/25479422.jpg|45251354], and I confess I’m in the minority of people who didn’t care for either. I’d all but given up on the McGregor series. In fact, I was thisclose to not reading The Debt, but some friends encouraged me by saying the series keeps getting better and better. I decided to take a chance on this book—fully prepared for disappointment mind you—and it really paid off.
You can tell Karina Halle put a great deal of thought and time into developing two amazingly sympathetic characters. When Jessica and Keir meet, it’s surprising how very similar they are. Both are with dealing PTSD—albeit in different ways. Jessica was a victim of a terrorist attack, leaving her physically impaired, so her scars are more visible. However, Keir’s wounds are no less real. In addition, the choices they made in the past have resulted in emotional devastation in the present. You wind up with two shattered individuals who are drowning in pain, guilt, and many secrets, but they just may be able to help heal each other’s brokenness.
“I love every broken part of you and how well it fits with every broken part of me.”I appreciated each character’s growth and the steady progression of their love affair. Jessica is a fighter who’s not prone to self-pity. Keir is a strong and compassionate man, and he has some of the smoothest, swoon worthy lines.
“Damsel in distress? Maybe that’s what you fear you are, but I’m telling you it’s not. I’m not attracted to weak girls with tepid hearts and sheltered minds. I want the woman who will wow me, knock me off my feet, make me come after her over and over again just for another second of her time.”Still, I felt frustrated with Keir sometimes, and I wondered how Jessica could pour out her heart to someone who was obviously keeping his own secrets close to the vest. If he’s holding back major parts of himself, how could she fully know and trust him?
“The past is just a place of reference. Nothing more, nothing less. The real question is, what are you going to do going forward.”Yes, he encouraged her, supported her, and loved her, but his unwillingness to take his own advice made him a hypocrite. The thing is Jessica is an entirely different person than I, dealing with a tragedy I can’t begin to understand. Of course she would handle situations differently than I would.
The Debt is emotional and heartwarming. With fully developed characters and superb plotting, it’s just an overall enjoyable read. For all you fans of the previous McGregor books, I have no doubt that you’ll love The Debt. To those who may have been disappointed before, I say give this book a shot. You just might be pleasantly surprised.
Recommended for fans of:
Survivors
Second chances
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**