Heartaches Bad Boy Vibes

Heartaches – Bad Boy Vibes starts off intense and doesn’t let up. Anna Walters-Simmons is at her stepfather’s funeral, and though everyone around her is offering condolences, she is in the awkward position of being glad that her stepfather is dead. He abused her mother, and for eight years he made her life a living hell. Things ought to be getting better for her, but she can’t help but remain haunted for one reason: her stepfather was murdered by his son, Brian Simmons.

Six months later, however, things do seem to be improving. Anna has a date with her hot boyfriend, Matt Preston, and even if he is the one bright spot in her life, at least he is a bright spot. All that changes for the worse, however, when Matt brutally rapes her, along with his brother and father. From there, Anna must fight to regain her self-confidence and control over her life after such a vicious betrayal.

She is helped in her journey by Rafe Brown, a soldier recently returned from Syria with a painful story of his own. Anna is in need of protection and someone to build her up once more; Rafe is in need of someone to protect, someone who can bring him out of his past and give him a purpose once more. The minute these two meet, they click together like a pair of puzzle pieces finally connecting.

That isn’t to say there aren’t bumps along the road. When two people with such intense baggage connect, nothing will be smooth sailing, and both Anna and Rafe have gone through heart-wrenching struggles. Easy reading this is not. However, the author does a masterful job at drawing the reader into the characters’ heads, revealing the inner strength both possess, and that inner strength is enough to give reassurance that these two will not be broken down by their lives, no matter the difficulties they have faced and no doubt will face in the future. Though they may be shattered apart, when they are together, Anna and Rafe are truly a force to be reckoned with.

There is one more thing I ought to add for anyone interested in the book. There are multiple rape scenes within, and the psychological aftermath isn’t glossed over. While the latter fact is to the book’s credit, I would advise anyone who might be triggered by descriptions of rape to tread carefully as they read.