Judith’s review of Rough Edges by Ashlynn Pearce

Jake Korte is emotionally broken. Angry. Hurt. Worthless. Fearing that he will become the abuser his father was, the last thing he needs is a woman in his life. He feels like a virtual time bomb just waiting for the internal explosion. So when tiny Rebecca Saylor “chats” her way into his life and then crawls under his skin, panic descends. He can’t seem to stay away, but is terrified to be with her.

After surviving an abusive marriage, Becca isn’t looking for love, only safety. But through her research for her column “Chat Addiction”, she meets Jake who is anything but safe. He’s the one man who can make her feel alive again. But can she overcome her own fears to claw her way into the heart of a man so fractured?

Ashlynn Pearce has given us a story that is really about two broken people. One has been systematically dismantled by two self-centered and abusive people. The other has been beaten and psychologically injured by a husband who had promised to cherish her. Add in the inherent danger of meeting people online, and you have a story that is tense and edgy in and of itself.

Jake can be—he really wants to be—loving, caring, gentle, patient. All these qualities are ones he has come to believe can never be a part of his persona. He looks in the mirror everyday and sees the image of his angry and abusive father. Just the sight of his own face feeds his fear that he is a carbon copy of his dad. Even while his dad is in prison, his mom continues to plague Jake for money and even when receiving what she requests continues to berate Jake as a loser. It is a very distressing situation.

Rebecca is a woman who is a survivor. She has divorced her abusive spouse, sworn out a writ of protection—a restraining order—yet he continues to stalk and threaten her. She lives in constant fear but she is one gutsy lady and does all she can to retrieve a life that was take from her—freedom, independence, self-worth, confidence in her own abilities. In doing research for her news column, she meets Jake online, and over several months begins to forge a friendship of sorts. She is still suspicious of any online relationship, but when her ex comes to her house and physically abuses her once more, she reports the attack to Jake who gives her his phone number and asks her to call. It would appear that Jake is who he says he is.

This story is about a journey of discovery by two people who need to move from fear and hurt to full realization of their own worth. For Becca is will be a re-discovery of herself before she was taken apart and scattered by a selfish, insecure emotional predator. Jake will need to come to an awareness of his own strengths, of his own innate goodness. He has never believed in himself and now he is challenged to find a way to see himself, not as the man in the mirror, but as a human being who is worthy of loving and being loved. There is tension, pain, and longing here; there is joy and delight as well. This is a really nice story, actually a really good one. I enjoyed reading it and felt a strong sense of empathy for both Jake and Becca as they struggled with some pretty overwhelming baggage, much of it not of their own doing.

This is a novella well worth reading. It will warm the heart and I think it is one of those stories that continues to give us hope that hurt and damaged people can recognize and realize the best in themselves, as well as an awareness of the power of love to heal and restore.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place