Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.
The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.
At what point do secrets become lies?
Fading by E. K. Blair
Rating: 5 Perfect Stars
“Pain is a reminder you’re still alive”
The cover of this book is
absolute perfection. It captivated me from the first time I saw it. Sometimes
we should not judge a book by its cover but when I finished reading Fading that
is exactly what I felt: absolute perfection. Even with the ache, pain, anger,
and without the explicit sex I’m so much fond of in the books I usually read.
This book was absolute perfection. A book all women should read because it is
real. This book is a reminder that inside every one of us lives a child who for
some is sometimes happy and for others sometimes not so happy and for the
heroine in this book is shattered. This book is as perfect as it is raw and
covers the unfortunate reality that many women face today: a brutal sexual
attack that is the key to the story line and also the key to the redemption of
Candace Parker.
“Piece by piece I begin to lose myself.
My chest is crumbling into painful shards of what used to be me.”~Candace
Candace Parker is a
university student majoring in Fine Arts and a ballerina. She is an only child
to wealthy parents who never had the time or the willingness to give her the
attention and dedication that any child deserves. Her parents live by
appearances and every decision and wish that Candace takes, goes against their
norm. As a result Candace continues to feel rejected and unloved by her
parents. She has two best friends, Kimber, her roommate and Jase. Oh how I love Jase! Jase is the pure example
that sometimes good friends can be more than even your own family. This is what
he is to Candace. Jase is a gay man who is in a relationship with Mark. Jase is
Candace’s rock and she depends a lot on him. I love how the author develops and
intertwines the secondary characters in this book.
It is because of her mother’s
pressure that Candace accepts to go out on a date with Jack. Meeting Jack
changes Candace’s fate forever and not for the best as she experiences a brutal
attack that leaves her existing but not living. As she feels her life is fading
away the two constants in her life are dancing and her best friend Jase.
Through Jase and Mark she meets Ryan Campbell.
“It’s just you and me. You’re all I’ll ever want.”~Ryan
Ryan Campbell has a tormented
past. He also holds a key to Candace’s past that OMG I can’t say anything else
because you just have to read about it. Ryan is good looking, owns a bar, and
becomes a good friend to Candace. I loved how Ryan helped Candace heal and
little by little with a lot of patience showed her that there is a life out
there for her. Their relationship keeps growing with baby steps and I was just
mesmerized with his sexiness and how protective, caring and supportive he was
of Candace. He gave her safety, the love of a loving family, and she started to
let go.
“I love you will never be strong enough
for what I feel for you.”~Ryan
I ached for Candace, I felt
her need to be loved in my core. I wanted her to survive and be free. I wanted
her to be happy. And I wanted her to be happy with Ryan. This book has a HEA but
it was so emotional and soul wrenching that when I reached the end I was sad
because I wanted more. I can’t wait for the next book.
“He is my amazing.”~Candace
At the end of the story the
author provides readers with important statistics about sexual assaults in the
US and important links and numbers because THERE IS HELP! If you don’t live in
the US there are similar entities and Hotlines available in other countries.
E.K. Blair is a RAINNMAKER for RAINN.org. A portion of the money YOU spend when you
purchase her book FADING goes straight to RAINN.org.
FACEBOOK:https://www.facebook.
Twitter: @EK_Blair_Author
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