Review - Keep You From Harm By: Debra Doxer

Title: Keep You From Harm
Author: Debra Doxer
Expected release: September 27^th, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance Age Group: New Adult
Cover designed by: Okay Creations
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy online: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Secrets…

They weigh you down. I’ve kept a secret all my life. It’s my mother’s secret, too. I inherited it from her along with a unique ability that only we possess. She’s gone now, another victim of addiction. If her death isn’t enough to bring me to my knees, her betrayal flays me to the bone. Because the secret my mother and I have been keeping is just one of many she’d kept. She never told me I have an older brother. And now he’s here, eager to be my guardian.

There is no one else. So I move across the country to live with this stranger, my brother. But experience has taught me that most situations are temporary and forming attachments only leads to hurt in the end. That’s why I’m determined to keep to myself in this new place, struggling to seem aloof while I’m quietly breaking apart.

Then I meet Lucas…

His magnetism is hard to resist, and most girls at school aren’t resisting. I don’t fall so easily though, especially not for guys who use their good looks as a weapon. From the start, our interactions are tense and volatile. I know it’s because I’m denying the unwelcome desire that grips me when he’s near. I think he feels it, too. He looks at me with an intensity that threatens to unhinge my resolve. Soon he’s trying to break through the walls that past hurts have built.

But I’m not what I appear to be, and it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with him. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until a terrible act of violence reveals that Lucas has a secret, too. It’s a secret that links us together and ties us to an evil history I never could have imagined.

Review: 4 Stars - Keep You From Harm by Debra Doxer was half frustrating and half a breath of fresh air. With characters hiding secrets and some surprising twists throughout, this reader is still wondering what the heck she just read, yet can’t wait for more!

Ray has lived a rough life. When her mother passes away a brother she never knew comes into her life to offer her the many things she’s missed out on. She has a huge secret she must keep close and as she’s trying to navigate her new life in a new place she’s also trying to figure out why her mother never told her about her brother, among many other things that the reader learns just as Ray does.

Ray finds a great friend in her new next door neighbor and his friends along with others at her new school. She’s also drawn to Lucas who has some pretty big secrets of his own.

The frustrating part of the book for me was the first half. Ray and Lucas had this whole back and forth thing going on that after awhile drove me nuts! They were each at fault from time to time, so it wasn’t just one character. The dance of angst these two did kept building and building and when I thought something might happen the rug would be pulled out from under me and it would start all over again. While I’m a fan of angst and the buildup I needed some follow through and it didn’t come until so much later in the book, by that point I was extremely frustrated.

The breath of fresh air part of the book was the complete second half. There was so much to this story and these characters that I wasn’t expecting and I couldn’t read fast enough. There were some huge choices to make on Ray’s part and the last one was heartbreaking. My heart still feels heavy with the ending that I’m not sure how Ray and Lucas will fair in the next book, which I can’t wait for.

The secrets kept coming from what felt like every character, main and secondary that I was almost scared to flip the page on my Kindle to see what was coming next. That goes for the ending as well… WOW! Yeah, it’s a cliffhanger… a doozy of a one too.

This is one of those books that you don’t see half the stuff coming, you’re emotionally invested in the characters and the ending will crush you. I would recommend this title to readers who like mystery and twists you won’t see coming. It’d be a great read for those who like “New Adult” and characters you’ll become invested in. I know I can’t wait for the next book because I’m dying to find out what the heck will happen next for Ray and Lucas. Enjoy!

About the Author: 

Debra Doxer has always loved to write. She also loves to read, often finishing several books a week. Debra works as a writer in the network and software security field. For fun, she writes fiction novels. Debra lives with her family outside of Boston and is currently working on her next book.

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