Book Review: Forgive Yourself

Author: Allie Sager
Title:  Forgive Yourself
Publisher:  Booksurge LLC
Publish Date: June 2008
Rating: 3 Stars
Book Blurb: Evocative and filled with a rare compassion, Forgive Yourself by new author Allie Sager blends supernatural dreamscapes with affairs of the heart and unforgivable betrayal. Smart and telling, the author enlists a stunning and heartfelt prose to weave one woman’s reluctant love story. On the surface to the outside world, Sammy Logan might appear to be a woman who has it all, but the fact is she is married to a man who has never truly forgiven her for a past she had no control over. Haunted each day by the vivid secret, she turns to Conner Simpson, a man she has always loved—the man without question who makes her feel complete. Caught on the brink, confused, but certainly not alone, Sammy must first forgive herself, make peace with the dark demons of her past and her mystic ancestral visions before she can truly be free.

Review: This book was billed as a romance, but it was anything but romantic. Most of the subject matter was very dark, especially Sammy's relationship with Connor and Connor's relationship with, well, everybody. Love doesn't really play a part in it, at least not real love.

To be honest I found it hard to understand how someone as put together as Sammy could fall for Connor repeatedly when she had so much to lose at home.

Connor and his wife were both detestable characters that used and abused those around them. They definitely got what was coming to them in the end.

But this story was more then just a tale about the relationships of the two couples affected by the affair, there's a spiritual element that adds a twist of weird to it. The ghost of Sammy's grandma Mamie spoke to her, guiding her on the path to forgiveness, and in doing so, helped her discover a love she wasn't sure she had and family she hadn't hoped to ever come in contact with.

I liked how all the characters ended up at one spot together, showing that good will triumph over evil, but more importantly that redemption is always possible.

This was a very quick read, but a good one, for those can can handle the darker nature of the story. There is a lot of abuse and rape, but thankfully the author isn't overly graphic in her writing. Allie Sager definitely is an author to watch.

* This book was provided to me by the author and Bostick Communications for review