LIFERS BY JANE HARVEY-BERRICK

 

Lifers

by Jane Harvey-Berrick

Released:  February 7, 2014 

 

    

 

Synopsis

After eight years in prison, twenty-four year old Jordan Kane is the man everyone loves to hate.

Forced to return to his hometown while on parole, Jordan soon learns that this small town hasn't changed since he was carted off to juvie all those years ago. He is the local pariah, shunned by everyone, including his own parents. But their hatred of him doesn't even come close to the loathing he feels every time he looks in the mirror.

Working odd jobs for the preacher lady, Jordan bides his time before he can leave this backwards town. But can distance erase the memories that haunt him? Trapped in the prison of his own mind Jordan wonders if the pain of living will ever subside?

Torrey Delaney is new in town and certainly doesn't behave in a way the locals believe a preacher’s daughter should. Her reputation for casual hook-ups and meaningless sex is the talk of the town. Add that to her budding friendship with the hardened ex-con handyman, and the good Reverend is less than thrilled with her estranged daughter’s path.

As friendship forms, is it possible for two damaged people who are afraid to love take their relationship to the next level? Can Torrey live with Jordan’s demons, and can Jordan break through Torrey's walls? With the disapproval of a small town weighing heavily on them, will they find their place in the world? Can they struggle against the odds, or will their world be viciously shattered?

Is love a life sentence?

Selene's Review

4.5 Smooches

As a blogger, one of the things I love most is going into a book without one single expectation.  And that's hard to accomplish sometimes .... in the world of FB and Goodreads ... a book's word of mouth or reputation can get in your head and skew your thoughts before you even get started.  I went into Lifers with zero expectations and was blown away.

 

Lifers is Jordan and Torrey's story ... two people with "bad" reputations living in a small, unforgiving town.  Jordan is back home, serving out his parole.  He's struggling for so many reasons .... the town hates him, his parents blame him for their loss, he's isolated and alone, he's drowning in guilt and self-loathing.

For reasons I didn't understand, life had given me a second chance, and that was hard to deal with.  I had no clue how to live anymore. - Jordan

And then there's Torrey.  OMGee, I love her!   She's moved to town to stay with her mom, the town's preacher, and she's hell on wheels!  I love her spunk, her tenacity, and, most of all, her love and compassion for Jordan.

I wanted to help him, for sure, but there was more to it than that.  And not just the fact that the guy was seriously hot.  I wanted to know him, and I wanted him to have the chance to be the person he was meant to be, not just the shadow of a man he was right now. - Torrey

Lifers was such an emotional read for me.  The story is told from both Torrey and Jordan's points of view and I loved being inside their heads.  This is the first book I've read from Jane .... definitely won't be the last!