Giveaway + Spoiler free Book Review - Truth (Finding Anna, #3) by Sherri Hayes

[Blurb]

For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again. Hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring.

There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good.

Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer?

As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.

[My Review]

5 Stars and Spoiler Free!

Okay, I waited F.O.R.E.V.E.R for Truth… like years! Well, it felt like years.  But oh Sherri did not disappoint!

I was told that there was going to be a cliffy and when I heard that I was thinking to myself, do I really want to put myself through that? Umm…. FUCK YES!

So with that said, let’s get the disclaimer out of the way, yes there’s a cliffy.  I was okay with it though.  I know, crazy right? Look, I’ll be the first person to tell you that I loathe cliffys with a passion, but I’m starting to accept them and they do not bother me as much as long as I’m still happy, which I was.

Truth is book 3 of the Finding Anna Series.

Book 1, Slave review is HERE

Book 2, Need review is HERE

So, Truth leaves RIGHT where Need left off and BAM what an intro and it was just awesome.  As I was reading the beginning I was thinking to myself, oh boy, what is going to happen? What is Brianna going to do?  What will Stephan do?  

My thoughts throughout the read

At 1% I am excited and happy

At 24% I am like, H.E.L.L.O Stephan

At 54% I am crushing on Stephan

At 64% I am just ready push Brianna aside and let Stephan have his way with ME!

At 93% I am ready to make babies with Stephan

At 100% I am doing a **Happy Dance**

Never be afraid to tell me something, Love. It will never change my feelings for you.

OHHH Okay, so it really wasn’t my feelings towards the read as it was my feelings towards Stephan.  But geez, he took her to a library after hours… I think I almost fainted when I read that part. Oh and giving her a first edition of her favorite read (mine would be Pride and Prejudice) and anyhow, when I read THAT I think I just collapsed with too much swooning. 

All gushing aside, everything in Truth was amped up a notch… with steam, character development, tension and drama.  But don’t get this confused with crazy reads, I still find Truth a very nice, easy going story.

Brianna is still coming to terms with what she wants and is trying to understand Stephan’s needs as a Dominate and Stephan is still all for being there for Brianna throughout her many panic attacks.

Okay, so Brianna cries still and she has major panic attacks. I am happy that it’s kind of explained, I mean yes, she was held captive for ten months, but reading Stephan’s thought process on how he felt on the situation really helped me cope with Brianna’s issues.

This was Stephan, and instead of feeling trapped, I felt safe. I could feel him, smell him, surrounding me.

You also get to know a little bit more of Stephan’s past and it kind of shows why he is the way he is (a little, not too much) and really I think it’s a tease on Sherri’s part, but a really good one.  I hope book 4 gets more into Stephan’s history. 

OH and the steam. Yep, I greatly enjoyed and it’s still mild, but I feel like it’s foreshadowing to what’s to come.  I am just ticked with anticipation!

Truth was well worth the wait and overall the Finding Anna series is just a different kind of read that needs to be read. 

Rating

5 Stars

Purchase - > HERE

[Author's Bio]

Sherri is the author of five novels: Hidden Threat, Slave (Finding Anna, Book 1), Need (Finding Anna, Book 2), Behind Closed Doors (A Daniels Brothers Novel), Red Zone (A Daniels Brothers Novel), and a short story, “A Christmas Proposal.” She lives in central Ohio with her husband and three cats. Her mother fostered her love for books at a young age by reading to her as a child. Stories have been floating around in her head for as long as she can remember; however, she didn’t start writing them down until she turned thirty. It has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found helping her husband in his woodworking shop.

WEBSITE

[Interview]

What inspired you to become a writer?

LOL. Frustration. 

I didn’t write my first story until I was thirty. It was a fan fiction based on the television show Prison Break. The show writers were planning to kill off the love interest of the main character, and as a diehard romantic, I just couldn’t stand for that, so I wrote an alternative ending to give them their HEA. It became the eighth most read story on the fan site where it was posted, and I was being encouraged by my readers to write more, so I did. 

Still, after all that, I never seriously considered being a writer. Not as a job anyway. I did, however, continue to write online. That is how my publisher found me. They read one of my stories, and asked if I had anything I was interested in publishing. The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress kind of story line.  How did you come up with the story line for the series? Why Dominate/submission and BDSM?

At the time, I was reading some D/s stories online. The dynamic intrigued me more so than the kinky sex. Healthy BDSM relationships require so much trust and communication. 

Around that same time, the Jaycee Dugard story broke. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, a young woman was rescued here in the US after being held captive by a man in his house for eighteen years. 

For lack of a better term ‘the wheels started turning’, and I wanted to know what would happen if I put the two together.

I have to say, I have a HUGE crush on Stephan.  How did you come up with Stephan and Brianna?

As I mentioned, Brianna’s character is loosely based on Jaycee Dugard. Stephan, is purely made up in my head. 

Do you think you will write a novella of Brianna's time with Ian (like a prequel?) or Lilly and Logan’s relationship?

Of Brianna’s time with Ian? No. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that won’t happen. I write romance. That would in no way, shape or form fall into that category. Logan and Lily’s story isn’t something I would completely rule out if there was enough interest from readers down the road.

What made you decide to do 4 books instead of 3?

When I began talking to my publisher about the series it was always set up to be at least four books. Because of what Brianna went through, and where I wanted to take the series, I knew it would take me at least four books to get there.

I liked how Truth involved Stephan’s past a little bit more.  Will you be focusing more on him in book 4, especially about his past?

Some. The story was always meant to be more about Brianna finding herself again and Stephan and Brianna’s relationship. That being said, who Stephan is, and his past, come into play in their lives, actions, and reactions. It would be impossible to tell their story without delving, at least a little, into Stephan’s past.

I love the progression of the relationship with each book, especially the steam!  Will you be kicking it up a notch in book 4? Possibly pushing Brianna’s boundaries more?

LOL. Trying to get some spoilers out of me are you?

My lips are sealed. You are just going to have to wait and see. ;)

What is your favorite read and who is your favorite author?

My favorite reads are romances. Typically, I lean toward contemporary romances, but two of my favorites are historical: the Outlander series by Diana Galablon, and The Bronze Horseman trilogy by Paullina Simons. 

[Giveaway]

One winner will receive an eCopy of The Finding Anna Series

Book 1, Slave, Book 2, Need and Book 3, Truth 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An ARC was provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House in exchange for an honest review