Book Review: Truth by Aleatha Romig

*If you haven’t read Consequences (book 1) this may spoil some of the ending of that book.

“There was this man – young man, actually. He didn’t have the greatest role models growing up. The positive traits he saw in people and what he learned to respect were power, unbridled control over those around him, veracity, and ambition, the belief that nothing was beyond his reach – nothing, meaning the acquiring of a company, money, or even people. And reliability – once a promise was made, no matter what, it was kept.”

Oh what a tangled web of revenge Tony has woven! Revenge can take a perfectly normal person and drive them to become a nasty, manipulative, vengeful person. Just ask Anthony Rawlings. That guy has so many nasty irons in the fire, it makes my head spin.

When we last saw Claire (in Consequences) she was sentenced to 7 years in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. She was determined to accept that fate, as it meant she is finally in control of her life and away from Tony. While in prison, Claire received a box, containing clues to a secret about Tony’s past. Claire planned to use the contents of the box against Tony when she gained her freedom. I was rooting for Claire…I thought maybe she was finally going to stand up to Tony and make him pay for everything he did to her!

14 months later, we find Claire is free. She’s making a new life for herself in a new state and she finds herself trying to figure out who she is now. She contemplates even the simplest things. What kind of clothes do I like? How do I make coffee with a single cup coffee maker? And she’s still investigating Tony’s past with a little help from some new friends. The things she finds out causes her to feel bad for Tony, which completely blows my mind! The time being held by Tony changed her to her core. Can you ever erase 3 years of emotional torture? And what do you do when you aren’t sure if you’re still in love with someone who has done such horrible things to you? I found myself wanting to smack Claire around a bit. The man freaking beat you on more than once occasion and she’s still having positive thoughts about him? I just don’t get it. I wonder if Claire truly loves Tony or if she suffers from Stockholm Syndrome.

Throughout Truth, we learn more about Tony’s childhood. His family dynamic was very…dysfunctional, to put it nicely. Tony is now a man with money, power and connections. He uses those connections to find his Claire. Is it for revenge or because he’s obsessed with her? I struggle with Tony because he’s such a piece of crap in Consequences but in Truth we see some signs that he might not be such a bad guy. It kills me to write that!! I wanted to rip his face off in Consequences and I find myself rooting for him in Truth. And just when I’m about to wear my Team Tony t-shirt, he pulls a stunt and manipulates a situation and I want to strangle him. Get your crap together, Tony! You can be a decent person. Just quit trying to control everything!

No matter how hard Claire tries to show her independence, Tony is there to thwart it. When he contrives a public reunion, he backs Claire into a corner and she agrees to go along with the charade. (Really, Claire?? REALLY??) Suddenly, Claire is thrown back into public life with Tony, his friends and the media. This doesn’t stop Claire from seeking the truth about the box of secrets and this causes Claire to find herself in personal danger. Is Tony trying to scare her into fleeing back to Iowa to live with him or is someone else worried she is getting too close to the truth?

Truth is a chess game. It’s filled with pawns, kings and queens and you have no idea what move is coming next. Claire and Tony both have multiple games being played simultaneously. Eventually this catches up with them and forces Claire’s attempt to take control of her life back. She makes her boldest move yet… But will this give her the life she really wants to be living?

Just a heads up, the Afterward of this book will kick you in the face and leave your jaw on the floor. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

The 3rd book in this series, Convicted should be released at the end of 2013.

You can purchase Truth on Amazon here: Truth by Aleatha Romig

About the Author:

Jen loves to read. She can’t stop herself. It’s become an obsession. She is in love with her husband, kids, iced coffee and books. Jen lives in beautiful Colorado but is originally from the West Coast.
jen@imperfectwomen.com