Shackled by Angela Carling
Published June 1st 2012 by acacia publishing
Source: Publisher
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After shy, quiet Lucy and her family move from their small hometown in Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, she is surprised when Ryan, the most popular boy at school asks her out. Soon, she is swept up in a whirlwind romance and her naïve and trusting nature allows her to fall head over heels in love with her too-good-to-be suitor. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself enraptured by the excitement of her new relationship, leaving her blinded to the warning signs of danger ahead. Can her fairy tale romance last, or will she find that her prince charming is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
My Review
I really enjoyed Unbreakable Love by Ms. Carling, so I was excited to read Shackled. While Unbreakable Love had a little paranormal twist, Shackled is very much a real life drama!
Lucy had been sucked up into the life that so many young women do in this world. She falls head over heels in love with the wrong man. At first, Ryan was definitely a boy to swoon over, but, it did not take long for Lucy to figure out that he had a dark side.
While reading this book, I was thankful for my husband and the fact that I never really had to deal with this. I did have a scary boyfriend at one time that really messed with my head though, but did not let it get as far as Lucy had.
Although Ryan could have changed his ways, we need to remember that this was a learned behavior. Not that it is an excuse, but statistics show that children pick up on what their parent’s teach them. I felt a little sad for him at one point during the book and really hoped that he would get help for Lucy’s sake.
This leads us to Mason, Ryan’s best friend. He is most definitely swoonworthy! What a sweet and genuine guy. He tended to be the rock that Lucy needed and was more than happy to help her.
I will leave you with a quote from the book, but not from one of the characters! I always read the acknowledgments and having 2 daughters of my own, this quote from Angela kind of hit close to home!
“Moms, talk to your girls. Girls, expect nothing less than what Lucy finally found with Mason at the end of Shackled-genuine kindness, mutual acceptance and real selfless love.”
Thanks to Ms. Carling for writing a book about such a touchy subject and opening our eyes up to an issue that some of us turn a blind eye to.
