Girl Wife Prisoner by Hanna Peach
Publishing date: Sept 19, 2015
How far would you go to set yourself free?
Drake Blackwell is successful, controlling, and hiding a violent family past. He just made his latest investment: Noriko.
Imported from Japan and wed to a stranger, Noriko struggles to stick to the rules of a Good Wife. Drake can't seem to love her, not the way she wants to be loved. She dreams of freedom beyond the gates of Blackwell Manor.
She meets Keir, a passionate young gardener who shares her desire to break free. He gets under her skin and ignites a fire in her she can't ignore. In the midst of her quiet desperation she thinks she has found happiness. And a glimpse of hope.
But this affair can't last...can it?
Although part of a series, this is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger.
WARNING: For ages 18+. There are scenes in this novel that infer or allude to physical violence.
Drake Blackwell is successful, controlling, and hiding a violent family past. He just made his latest investment: Noriko.
Imported from Japan and wed to a stranger, Noriko struggles to stick to the rules of a Good Wife. Drake can't seem to love her, not the way she wants to be loved. She dreams of freedom beyond the gates of Blackwell Manor.
She meets Keir, a passionate young gardener who shares her desire to break free. He gets under her skin and ignites a fire in her she can't ignore. In the midst of her quiet desperation she thinks she has found happiness. And a glimpse of hope.
But this affair can't last...can it?
Although part of a series, this is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger.
WARNING: For ages 18+. There are scenes in this novel that infer or allude to physical violence.
Excerpt
I grabbed his hands in both of mine. “I don’t care if your hands are dirty,” I said fiercely. “They are the most beautiful hands I’ve ever seen.”
“Beautiful?” he scoffed. “They are calloused and scratched and−”
“Strong and hard-working yet deliberate and tender. I’ve seen the way you care for your plants. You touch them like…” Like I want you to touch me… “Like they’re precious, delicate pieces of clay, unformed at first but so full of potential. With your hands you coax them and refine them into their greatest beauty like an artist.” These words rushed out of me before I could stop them.
He stared at me, his mouth slightly parted; the only sound coming from him was his breath drawing in and out of his lungs.
“What? No veiled insult, no smirk or scowl for me?” I said. I was trying to pick a fight. I was suddenly terrified of the cloak that seemed to have fallen around us both, shielding us from the world and pulling our bodies, our eyes, lips, everything, closer together.
He looked down at our hands, still joined, our fingers laced. I hadn’t pulled them away. He wouldn’t be deterred by my cheap tricks.
He looked back up to me and I was caught in the pull of his gaze again. “Noriko, if I ever say anything to try to repulse you it’s only because…I’m scared of you.”
“Scared of me?”
“Yes.” His eyes burned into mine, begging me to understand. “Scared of how you make me feel things that I know I shouldn’t feel.” His eyes flicked down to my lips. Suddenly my mouth felt full of cotton. He leaned into me until his mouth hovered inches from mine. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. “And you make me want to do…” his words came out in a hush, “things I shouldn’t do.”
REVIEW
There was so much beauty in this book. It was a stunning read that filled my heart
with joy even as it bled with anguish and pain.
Tragic and heartrending, Noriko's story left me breathless. A complex character filled wth compassion, love and innocence, she was one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I hated that her selfless act saw her caged, unable to share her beautiful heart and soul with the world, but I was happy that she was able to find some light in the darkness - Keir.
He understood her in every possible way, especially those that counted and I loved watching their romance blossom, even if it was ill-fated from the very beginning. There was a purity to their love and I was rooting for them every step of the way. The tabooness of their relationship gave this story a thrilling edge. I was waiting for the moment when they'd be discovered, and there were a few times when I believed perhaps Drake knew something was going on between them.
Speaking of Mr. Blackwell, there was a small part of me that was rooting for him too. I was hoping against all hope that he'd redeem himself, but the monster within reared its head far too many times, until he did the unthinkable and I knew his soul was damned.
The wonderful thing about this story, was that even with all the tragedy and darkness that filled Noriko's life, she flourished, growing into a stronger, more amazing woman. She could have easily given up, at any point, but she persevered. And, although her final goal wasn't exactly honorable, she knew that it was up to her to find the freedom she so desperately craved - and sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures.
This book made me smile, it made me cry and it tore my heart into pieces more times than I can count. A sunset will never be just another sunset ever again. And the precious moments throughout this book will live in my heart forever. It was a spectacular read that I fell in love with. Utterly. Irreversibly.
About the Author
Hanna is the bestselling author of the Bound romantic suspense series and the Dark Angel fantasy series. Although she writes in more than one genre she can’t write a book without weaving together a complicated plot and filling it with twists. She writes what she believes: good people can do bad things, ordinary people can do great things, and choose love above everything.
Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Scotland, England, Croatia and Ireland – everything she owns fits into one suitcase. She’s planning her next move with her gorgeous (and understanding) partner right now.
If not writing, she can be found wandering a dusty market in Marrakesh or trekking a mountain in Peru, often using her travels as settings in her novels.
To WIN a copy of her next release subscribe to her newsletter: www.hannapeach.com/subscribe.
oh Roxy, your review was so exquisitely written. I’m utterly touched and humbled at your words. Thank you so much <3 xx
ReplyDelete