Scarred by Twyla Turner

Scarred is the story of man and a woman who carry both physical and mental scars. They are two people who may have never met if the circumstances in their lives were different. When they do meet they come to discover that they're exactly what the other needs. This was a very different, yet touching story for me. These two are very wounded souls and for the most part I was pretty captivated by it. Be forewarned. There are some pretty strong scenes that some may find disturbing. This includes a scene of abuse and rape, and a scene that depicts violence in a war torn region. If you're disturbed by these things this may not be the book for you.


The Good
This story wastes no time in grabbing the readers interest. I'll try not to go into too much detail, but I loved how Alexis (Lexi) was determined to move forward and be brave although she'd lived through a lifetime of abuse and pain. She was understandably afraid, but she was determined to push through it. Despite everything she was a fighter and a survivor and you know that she isn't going to be helpless again if she can do anything about it. The depiction of her emotional state, for the most part, was pretty real for me.

Sloan - I admit that I have a thing for damaged men in books, regardless of whether they turn out to be angels or a$$holes. Sloan is very much an angel and my heart went out to him. There are so many things to say about this character who is homeless and living on the street with only the dog he'd been allowed to keep from his stint in the military. Like Lexi, he is carrying the emotional weight of what has scarred him and the ghosts of all that he's lost. He needs saving as much as Lexi does.

Sloan and Lexi- I loved how each came through for the other when their pasts and pains boiled over and came to haunt them. The very emotional scenes in the story were extremely well written.


The Bad
There are just a few things that I felt prevented me from giving this otherwise awesome book a perfect rating. Primarily, it was how quickly things seemed to progress. Over a relatively short period, Sloan is in love with Lexi, and she's allowed him to move into her home. I do like that she isn't fully comfortable with Sloan and that she isn't certain about love, but it would be a huge move for anyone to let a stranger into their home, where they live alone and are most vulnerable. It seems like it would have been darn near impossible for Lexi. I keep thinking how amazing this would be if there had been more time playing up the sexual tension and awareness between these two. If they'd danced around each other for awhile longer, like the two wounded beings that they are. Instead it felt kind of rushed in spots. My final complaint is a common one these days - it ends on a cliffhanger!! How I long for the days when books were written in their entirety and released as a single novel.

The Last Word
Despite the fact that I wish I could have enjoyed their falling in love at a slower pace, I find what I like about the book far outweighs what I don't care for. Twyla Turner is a great new discovery for me and I look forward to reading more of her work. I'm definitely anxious to read more about Lexi and Sloan in books 2 & 3.
I recommend this book and I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 rating.

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Rating:4 out of 5
Published: July 25, 2014
Pages: 176
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