Review: Into the Darkest Corner

Title: Into the Darkest Corner
Author: Elizabeth Haynes
Series: n/a

Summary: When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can’t believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee’s dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she’s stunned to find they don’t believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . .

My Thoughts: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes is intense. Very intense. And just about impossible to put down. I started reading early yesterday and finished sometime around 2:15 a.m. It just grabs you pretty much from the start and won’t let go. Despite the quite heavy subject, it actually is a fast read. I think in part because of the way it holds its reader. This is an emotional – and somewhat graphic – story. I wanted to cry for Cathy at various points. I also wanted to kill Lee at just about those same points. There are some shockers thrown in there, a few of which caught me by surprise. I even seem to remember gasping at one point or another (thankfully no one else was home at the time )!

Cathy is so amazingly strong. Firstly, to live through what she lived through. Secondly, because her transformation – no, not transformation, but rather growth – is astounding. She likely will always have some anxiety and/or OCD thanks to her ordeal, but she’s not going to let it rule her. She’s not going to be defined by it. She’s not going to give in to the fear.

Lee is a character I don’t understand. What the heck is his problem? What happened to make him so incredibly awful? At one point she asks who broke his heart, and he says Naomi. But, knowing the lies he tells – and apparently believes – about his relationship with Catherine, I doubt any of what he told her about Naomi is true. Well, at least any of what he told her about the relationship.

The book is well-written. While at first I was a little concerned about whether I’d be able to keep things straight in my head (it alternates through most of the book between “then” and “now”), but looking back found I had no trouble at all. I’m sure her going by Catherine then and by Cathy now helps tremendously. Plus, she’s such a different person, it’s very easy to know exactly who you’re with at any given point.

If you’re a sensitive reader, beware. There’s (obviously) a lot of violence, plus very strong words. Very strong. And rape, of course. After all, he owns her, so he can do what he wants … anyway, just be aware that those things are in there. If you can’t stomach such things, then it’s likely not a good book for you. But, if you can, then I highly recommend it. Highly.

Source: Received as part of a blog tour promotion on TLC Book Tours.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

About the Author: ELIZABETH HAYNES is a police intelligence analyst. She started writing fiction in 2006 with the annual challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the encouragement of the creative writing courses at West Dean College. She lives in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son.

You can visit her at elizabeth-haynes.com, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Tour Info: For the main page for this blog tour, including more reviews of this book on other blogs, visit TLC’s post.
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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own. Any exceptions to this are clearly noted in the appropriate posts.

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