Amazing story!

AJ Downey has blown me away with another of her books. Heart wrenching from the start, we meet Faith who was a happy girl going on vacation only to be taken and sold into slavery. Now home, she has to deal with the abuse and drug addiction she is left with. Lucky for her she has Marlin. Marlin is a biker, a bit burly with a big heart. He is staying with Faith through her detox. He has a definite attraction to her, but her recovery is the most important to him. But things are not going to be easy. Faith has a long road ahead of her, between her PTSD, her addiction and melding back into civilian life, she has her work cut out for her. Plus, danger is lurking! With the protection of the MC club, support from Hope & Cutter and the growing love with Marlin, we can only have faith she finds her way. Downey writes with such realism; at times it is scary. I was pulled in and was right there with Faith. The Ashes and Embers references from Carian Cole was a bonus and I love the connection. Again, Downey had my attention, kept me engaged and had me loving Marlin!! I can' wait for the next in his series!

The narration in this story is key to bringing it to life. I loved the team of Ivy Randall and Bob Carter. Randall has the perfect new adult voice, and she brings all the emotions and torturous memories of Faith alive. There are a lot of layers, and she delves deep and gives them all to us. Bob Carter has a rough, alpha sound, but gives Marlin the heart of a teddy bear. I love the conviction we hear in his voice, and the love he has for Faith. It's a fantastic listen!

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Tough story line

This is a good story but hard a times. loved Marlin but Faith was a bit whiney at times. loved Bob Carter's voice but the woman who does the voice for Faith sounded like a ten year old. Hope to see more Marlin*s friend Bobby. Over all this was a good book.

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Great Book

Amazing book about surviving the unthinkable and creating your own future. Very emotional and very well written.
Ivy Randall and Bob Carter fantastic storytellers!
5 stars!

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Lovely tragic happy ending

Marlin & Faith meet under tragic circumstances but grow close very quickly. The narrators do a great job, the story’s emotions really come through. Faith’s growing confidence in herself also comes through. Great story and characters

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Bring the tissues for this one!!

OMG…you will definitely need tissues for this listen!! Faith was rescued by Marlin’s MC after being betrayed and held as a sex slave for two years. To ensure her compliance, her captors got her addicted to heroine. The book starts from her rescue by Marlin and gang…btw…Faith’s older sister is the prez’s old lady. Told from both Marlin and Faith’s POV, we live through Faith’s agonizing ‘come down’ from heroine and Marlin’s gentle care. Beautiful story and narrated with so much feeling that you agonize and sympathize with both characters. Highly recommend. Fair warning, some parts are gut wrenching and will require tissues.

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Beautifully Gripping & Intense Story! Great Listen

A.J. Downey continues to wow me with another beautifully written novel, the second in “The Virtues” series. In the first book, “Cutter’s Hope” we watched a fierce and determined Hope on a mission to find her missing sister “Faith”. This book picks up with Faith’s story after her rescue and her road to recovery, healing and learning to live again and love again and not just herself. This is the kind of story that not only grabs and captivates your attention, it tugs on your heartstrings as well. I loved how the author kept it all real, also loved how her descriptive details places you right alongside the characters so you can see what they see, feel and think, with inner dialogue when they are in their own head. Marlin, a bad ass biker, was by Faith’s side while she suffered thru her detox, he failed his brother and was determined not to fail Faith. She has had a rough couple of years, what was supposed to be a fun vacation turnout out to be a life of hell, betrayed and sold into slavery, then used and abused by her captors who kept her doped up. No, Faith’s story is not a pretty one, but her strength to get past it is. Once she gets past her withdrawals, she needs to deal with her fragile mental state, anxiety and PTSD, she also has other obstacles to tackle too. She has help from not only Merlin but the Krakens MC, Captain Cutter and her sister Hope all have her back. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a brilliantly plotted story that contains plenty of drama, angst, heartfelt moments, heart- rending ones too and a slow burn romance. A.J. Downey, thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fantastic narration, A.J. Downey cast the perfect narrators to bring her story and characters to life. Ivy Randall and Bob Carter are talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, gave each a voice that fit their character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable in every role they played and just as I pictured the characters to sound. Ivy Randall did a great job with Faith, taking her through every step of the way, capturing her strength and her vulnerabilities. Bob Carter’s take on Merlin was perfection, grasping his badassery and his good-heartedness. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and projected them into their performance. These are two entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the great listen.

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