The Scars I Bare

by J L Berg

The book picks up three years after the end of book one and we are back with Dean, as he continues to come to terms with the effects of what happened on that ferry all those years ago.

He lives daily with the physical reminder of what he lost that day but it is what lies beneath the surface, the mental and emotional scars that continue to play as much of a part on his recovery. He has yet to go back to work and since that was a large part of who he was as a person it is safe to say that he continues to struggle to find everything that he wants and needs to be the man he used to be, or at least who he wants to be now.

But when he meets Cora, the nurse that cared for him when he was first in hospital and learns that she is now divorced and has moved to the island with her daughter for a fresh start, he may just have found the impetus he needs to kick start his life.

He has been existing for far too long, he had formed an attachment to Cora whilst he was in the hospital but now having her on the island he knows he has the opportunity to see where this chance will take not just him but Cora (and of course her delightful daughter Lizzie)

Neither of them are scar free, they both have a lot to overcome but the author writes a beautiful story about what it takes to make those scars blend into the background, about holding on to what you have and taking that leap of faith to grasp every opportunity with both hands.

But could they or would they continue to be plagued by the shadows of the past?

I hoped that they had enough and was delighted with the characterisation that the author ploughed into the two of them, she gave them depth and meaning but most of all she gave them empathy and that brought them to life.

From start to finish the story was completely engaging, thoroughly enjoyable.