On the cusp of adulthood, Aurora met tragedy and darkness in a horrifying car crash. Death snatched her mom and sister away, destroying her family in a heartbeat. In its wake, it left her alive, but barely living; her only means of surviving includes copious amounts of Percocet and Xanax. Terrified of stepping beyond her backyard, the broken-hearted and physically damaged nineteen-year-old … nineteen-year-old doesn’t need anyone, anyway. Until she meets him.
Shy and smoking hot, Nate is hooked by Aurora’s sarcastic wit and curious about her fear. A man on a mission, he wants to help her overcome the issues chaining her to a mediocre life. He needs to, if he’s ever going to have her as part of his world – a passion he keeps hidden from her. If he succeeds with the impossible goal, he’ll cure more than just her PTSD, he’ll heal her heart.
But when her fears collide with his passion, it drives Aurora away.
Can she face her fears head on? Or is the damage irreparable?
Duly Noted is a New Adult romance dealing with PTSD and drug addiction.
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I’m giving this 4 stars primarily because of how utterly anxiety riddled it made me. As someone who suffers anxiety, I would suggest that a book about PTSD is not for the faint of heart. There were quite a few scenes where I had to walk away and return later.
That being said, I did enjoy trying not to completely dislike Aurora. She is a complete mess. But who would blame her. On the cusp of adulthood, she suffers a traumatizing loss and severe life threatening injury. As a person who deals with chronic pain, I can certainly see the how and why of her struggle to figure out life, and at her age with those who would have best supported her not available, she’s primed to fall into a victim mentality. But what’s irritating about Aurora is that she’s better than that. She’s fiesty, foul mouthed and determined…once she’s decided to assert herself.
Which is why I love Nate. He’s the perfect person–warm, patient, understand—to look past Aurora’s hot messiness, to the determination and grit underneath. Even when Aurora repeatedly makes the wrong choice because she’s trying to play victim, Nate is determined to show her her worth.
My only problem with this book is bits and piece I felt weren’t completely flushed out. I would have liked characters like Aurora’s father and her best friend to be better flushed out. They felt more like placeholders. And I would have loved to have seen what happened on the ride from the track when Kaitlyn picked Aurora up. Other than that, taken as a whole this is definitely worth a read.
This was an easy and enjoyable read. The characters are well developed and engaging with a strong connection. The storyline flowed smoothly from beginning to the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the 5th book I’ve read written by H.M. Shander; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is part of a trilogy, and is Aurora MacIntyre and Nate Johnson’s story. It is well written and kept me turning pages, I will be reading the other parts. This story deals with her PTSD and her additions to Percocet and Xanax, and what she does to not lose Nate because of the drugs. Lucas his younger brother becomes her best friend and the one that helps her the most,along with Chris. I wonder what is going to happen in the next book? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a well written book with strong characters and an interesting story line. The author does a great job developing her characters and describes them and her scenes in vivid detail. It’s a true test to the author to bring out your likes and dislikes and she does a fantastic job with Aurora and Nate from start to finish. I enjoyed and would say “give this book a chance”.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.