Jessie Jones is living the life — except for the fact that she earns it by working the streets. She’s been under pimp Spence’s thumb for fourteen years, and she isn’t looking to change it. That is, until undercover cop Gabe walks into her life and offers her something she’s never had before: a love, a future, a home. But even if Jessie could walk away from Spence, there are darker forces of evil … evil who want her to stay put, or worse, dead.
In this romantic suspense, author Heather Huffman delivers an adventure from the vibrant streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks as Jessie discovers whether she can love another, whether she can love herself, and whether any of it is enough.
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Throwaway by Heather Huffman, the first book in the Throwaways series, is a book about the unexpected second chances that life can bring. A ray of hope in the dark corners of the world. For fourteen years, Jessie Jones has been under the thumb of pimp, Spence. A life she has resigned herself to, until Gabe Adams, an undercover cop, walks into her life. Gabe offers her something she never thought would be for her: love, a home and a future. But she can’t walk away so easily. From the streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks, will Jessie allow herself to be loved and love in return? Will she take the chance at the life she always thought wouldn’t be hers?
Throwaway and its series is described as a “surprisingly warm and funny series” with “strong but often unlikely heroes and heroines.” A series, with twelve books in total, promised to be “a world of suspense, laughter, and love.” I don’t know about the entire series; however, Throwaway did not hold up to this description. The characters were unrealistic. There’s one character who has a “contract” with the pimp in order to pay for school?!?! Seriously! A pimp is just going to let one of “his girls” go because they have a contract? And what pimp would agree to this? The dialogue was childish and repetitive. I thought Throwaway would be a fun, edgy romance with a twist; but it fell flat. I will not be continuing the series and I do not recommend Throwaway.
Throwaway is available in paperback and eBook.
Huffman’s narrative is unique in that in many ways it’s very understated, but still manages to hit home with a satisfying punch. This is the second novel I’ve read by the author. When I picked up that first book, I was pleasantly surprised by her writing style. For some reason, I thought maybe it was unique to that specific novel, but I was happy to experience it again in Throwaway.
I didn’t really know what to expect from this book. I knew it was about a prostitute and a cop—which was a pretty intriguing combination—but then I was lucky enough to catch an interview Huffman did in which she talked about the story. She mentioned the notorious outlaw Jesse James and talked about a historic cave. I had to read to see how all of those things could be intertwined. I can’t possibly share any of the details here and not spoil things for future readers, so I won’t. I will say, though, that I was not disappointed.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book, but one line in particular has really stuck in my mind. “Sometimes in life, there are pivotal moments. While seemingly benign on the surface, something within acknowledges that a bridge has been crossed.” This really resonated with me on a personal level, and Huffman beautifully encapsulates Throwaway with these meaningful words.
This book really opens your eyes on what some people do to survive this world.