They didn’t know each other, but the events of one single day heralded a pivotal change that would alter their lives forever.
Almost two decades spent locked away in a dark, dank cell, Gray Bennet isn’t used to the sun, the sounds, the scents.
It’s overwhelming.
Each year Robin Bishop returns, and while everyone around her is solemn, she lifts her face to the sun and celebrates her … her freedom.
It’s liberating.
He sees her.
She stands out in the grieving crowd—her head thrown back, her face bright with contentment—like a beacon offering to guide him into the light.
more
Every time I pick up a book by this author she outdoes herself. Gray breaks my heart he did the wrong thing for the right reasons and flash moment cost him years of his life. Robin seemingly had it all but her marriage was not what she allowed others to see. These two beautiful souls redeem each other, it is a slow burn but oh my when the flame flickers it takes hold. I can’t recommend this book enough.
I love all of Freya’s work and haven’t found a book of hers yet that isn’t a five plus star reads and this one is no exception While it is a total stand alone I hope that it can become a series
Grey has recently been released from prison and has returned to the Michigan town he grew up in he expects to be shunned by the town but his friend gives him a job at his towing business. On the anniversary of 9/11 he decides to go to the twin towers memorial to pay his respects to his sister that dies there and say good bye While he is there he tuns into a woman who seems to be celebrating What he doesn’t know is that Robin actually gained her freedom from an abusive husband that day which allowed her and her daughter to have anew life which they have started in Michigan. When Grey returns home and is called out on a tow he is stunned to discover that it is Robin. Can these two damaged people find redemption in one another and build a life together.
Wow! This one was amazing! Two different people who have overcome great different circumstances in their lives. I love these two characters Gray and Robin right away. The feel They both have an easy feeling about theng you feel for them like people you want to be your friends in real life. There’s alot of heavy, emotional drama in Victim Circumstances. There is a bit of suspense/drama and whole lot of chemistry between these two! I highly recommend Victim Circumstances!
I absolutely loved this latest book from this talented author!!!! Gray is back home after being in prison for a long time. He is having a hard time adapting to being free at first. He is used to keeping to himself and trusting no one. Robin meets Gray by chance while at the 9/11 memorial. She is surprised to see him again when she is back home but he blows her off. He doesn’t know how to process how Robin makes him feel so he keeps her at arm’s length. He can no longer deny how she makes him feel and wants to be with her. Can they make the relationship work with all of the obstacles that they face? I absolutely loved this book… and was hooked from beginning to end. It was a well written fantastic story and one that I recommend to all. Well done!!
Freya’s books are always amazing and this one didn’t disappoint. Gray and Robin have been dealt shitty hands in life. But they are strong and with each other they grow so much. This was an amazing book and I will be rereading it soon. You wont be disappointed, i promise.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well worth reading!
With this book, the writer has given me an insight into the problems that an ex-prisoner can face after serving his sentence.. After 18 years, Gray is allowed to close the door after being sentenced for murdering his father. Back in the village where he grew up is not easy, everything is terrifying; How will others respond to him? Fortunately, he still has a friend who helps him pick up his life again. But what helps him the most is finding Robin. But with admitting feelings, he also notices the feeling of loss of control.
Great, intense, emotional, realistic story. The author is able to make you feel what happens to Gray when he becomes part of society again. Nicely designed story in which the power of love plays a leading role. Robin is a strong personality that has experienced enough herself, but she also finds love in her life.
I highly recommended this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A beautiful heart warming story of second chances.
I dare you not to fall in love with Gray as right from the get go you can feel the self loathing he feels for himself as well as how hard it is for him to get out of his new “cell” the part where he walks as if in his cell at Robin’s just guts you. Now poor Robin is also a tortured who doesn’t feel she should be able to move on from the loss of her husband. Both have secrets and both find that talking to each other is freeing if only they will let them selves take those next steps, thankfully they both have great friends who are happy to give them a good nudge towards each other. Mix all that with a simmering threat that is about to rear its ugly head and a twist you don’t see coming makes this a read you want to speed read but pull yourself back from doing so as you also don’t want it to finish!!
Freya Barker did a beautiful job with Grey and Robin!!
After meeting at the Twin Towers memorial in NYC, Grey and Robin discover that although the bars looked very different, they’ve both been doing time for the last 18 years.
Now that they’re in the same town, Robin just has to help Grey learn to quit running from her, and maybe they could have a beautiful relationship. Grey doesn’t want to keep running, but he is terrified he’ll end up hurting Robin.
Learning the best ways possible that they’re both probably in this for the long haul, Robin and Grey have to figure out how to stop jumping to conclusions and inflicting lasting wounds. I love reading books where the couple is my age, and Freya Barker excels at telling these kind of stories! I love the gentle sweetness in Robin and Grey’s blossoming relationship, definitely worth 5 stars!!
An inauspicious meeting.
They meet briefly at a gravesite, remembering those they lost.
Gray spent 18 years in prison and is finally out and starting over a very different man.
Robin is an empty nester and a widow.
They both fly back to Detroit on the same plane.
What I liked?
They were older, wiser and lived life and learned from its lessons. But are trying to move on, maybe together?
Recommend.
I just can’t say enough good things about the freshness of this storyline. It’s fiction of course, but the people that are portrayed in this book are real. They may live next door to you or your best friend.
Gray and Robin are forever connected by an event the changes their lives.
So many great lessons here, but the one that stands out the more than others is don’t judge someone’s situation. Gray has just been released from prison, and he is definitely feeling the unworthy but I can’t help be protective alpha. Robin is living, but as lives move forward around her she needs to move forward too. I love that she is so caring but not a doormat heroine.
I felt connected to theses characters, and as their story progressed you just kept rooting for them more and more.
Great characters, great plot, fantastic chemistry. Highly recommend.
Original, heartfelt and passionate new standalone that had me captivated in the story from beginning to end.
This author has a unique style of creating extraordinary characters out of ordinary people.
Grey and Robin’s story is another great story about 2 people who became victims of circumstances themselves. How their story evolved and developed was just a joy to read. Their instant attraction, their banter and their chemistry was heartfelt, and full of hot passion.
Theirs is an emotional journey of love, forgiveness and second chances in life.
What happens to them you’ll have to read and find out!
Beautifully written story with amazing characters and potent emotions. There are plenty of emotional topics in this story. There is depth to the characters in personalities and situations. The story was a little slow to start for me, but overall a fantastic read!
I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased, honest review.
4.5 Stars
This is suck a good book and story. This is a book that’s hard to put down. I found myself reading this one well into the night and regret nothing. It’s a powerful and emotional story. It’s one that hits you right in the heart once you learn the back stories for the characters. Gray breaks my heart. His life has not been easy, but going back home after his life changed forever has put him on the path of his future. He never thought he could have a future that Robin makes him dream about. Robin is a strong character that deserves to find some happiness. She is the light in the darkness for Gray and that is such a beautiful thing. Also loved this book had a kitty in it. For me that was a delightful bonus. I would highly recommend this book!
4.5***** stars. Gray is released from prison after 18 years for revenging his mother’s brutal murder. Justifiable, but a murder of passion. With nowhere else to go, he returns to his hometown. He is very reserved because the whole town knows he is a felon and he feels he is being judged until he finds out otherwise. After losing his sister on 9/11, he has a huge pain in his heart. Conversely, Robin is relieved her husband died on 9/11. She thought she hid his actions, but her family knew. They see each other at the memorial and are stunned when they turn out to be living in the same place. Must be fate. They are good for each other. Nicely written and very inspiring read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book
Victim of Circumstance is a stand alone book in a five volume series “Cell Block C”. Each book is written by a different author.
I always fall directly into Freyas books. I can see all the people there clearly, meet them on the main street, or in the pub. This is due to the author’s incredibly clear writing style, which fits 100% with the cinema in my head.
Gray is an ex-convict who is trying to get back into normal life. Robin has been living in the city for almost 20 years but does not talk to anyone about her abusive past. When Gray and Robin meet, there are only slight sparks flying, but the feelings grow stronger. I adore the creative style Freya Barker has in her stories. Everything really fits to each other and together. The characters are mature, but it is really sweet to see how insecure Gray and Robin are with each other. Love dont know any boundaries and age limits. The surroundings are well described and the reader gets to know the typical small town life with all its quirky inhabitants. The side characters drive the plot forward and often bring light into the darkness. The balance between light and shadow, bright and dark, love and hate is absolutely perfect and makes the book an incredible experience.
Footnote: In this book there is an imperfect love scene I read so for the first time. (Poor Gray was in prison for 18 years.) THANK YOU !!!!!! That makes this book really perfect.
Victim of Circumstance ist ein Stand – Alone Buch in einer fünfbändigen Reihe ” Cell Block C” jedes Buch ist von einer anderen Autorin geschrieben.
Bei Freya Barker ist es immer so , dass ich direkt in das Buch hineinfalle. Ich sehe alle Menschen dort klar vor mir, begegne ihnen auf der Hauptstraße , oder treffe sie in der Kneipe. Das liegt an dem unglaublich klaren Schreibstil der Autorin, der zu 100 % kompatibel mit meinem Kopfkino ist.
Gray ist ein Ex-Häftling, der versucht wieder im normalen Leben Fuß zu fassen. Robin lebt schon fast 20 Jahre in der Stadt, redet aber mit niemandem über ihre Vergangenheit. Als beide sich begegnen fliegen erst leichte Funken, die sich auch später in der Geschichte nicht mehr löschen lassen. Ich bewundere die Kreativität mit der Freya Barker ihre Geschichten konstruiert. Es passt wirklich alles zueinander und zusammen. Dadurch, dass die Charaktere schon älter sind, ist es total süß zu sehen wie unsicher Gray und Robin miteinander sind. Liebe kennt tatsächlich keine Grenzen und schon gar keine Altersgrenzen. Die Umgebung ist super beschrieben und man lernt als Leser das typische Kleinstadtleben mit all seinen schrulligen Einwohnern kennen. Die Nebencharaktere treiben die Handlung voran und bringen oft auch ein wenig Licht ins Dunkel. Die Balance zwischen Licht und Schatten , hell und dunkel, Liebe und Hass ist absolut perfekt und macht das Buch zu einem absolut runden Genuss.
Fußnote: In diesem Buch habe ich zum ersten Mal eine unperfekte Liebesszene gelesen. (Der arme Gray war ja auch 18 Jahre im Gefängnis.) DANKE DAFÜR !!!!!!! Das macht dieses Buch erst richtig perfekt.
I loved Gray and Robin so much! Everything about them, about their story and about this book was fresh and original. It’s hard to find a unique “meet cute” and while this wasn’t “cute” it was unique and it captured my heart immediately.
Both Gray and Robin had pasts that had left scars. While Robin’s had healed to a great extent, Gray found himself, literally, in a whole new world where he was being forced to face the past and find a future. He was isolated and damaged and Robin was the perfect catalyst towards healing.
This is low on danger/adventure, has enough personal angst to keep the story moving, and was high on steamy chemistry. This mature couple were smoking! With a great pace that kept me turning pages and characters that added wit and charm, I was deeply engaged in this book at a time when it’s been hard to find anything as a distraction.
Not everyone who died on 9/11 was much beloved, Either way, gaping holes were left behind.
Gray lost his sister – a sweet young woman working at a tower restaurant, who was able to call to say goodbye, but not to escape.
Robin felt a sense of escape when she was freed from her husband by his death at the Towers. A now single mom who tried to protect their then five year old daughter from the truth of her brutal father.
Surviving family members who meet briefly at a remembrance ceremony at the Towers, to find each other again in a remote area from there.
Intense drama dealing with different kinds of abuse and its costs, and damaged and imperfect folks trying to move on and make their lives as whole as possible – after.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4.5 stars–VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE by Freya Barker is a contemporary, adult, erotic, story line- a part of the multi-authored CELL BLOCK C romance series. This is auto mechanic/former inmate Gray Bennet, and bookkeeper/diner waitress Robin Bishop’s story line. VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty-the stories are not connected.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Gray and Robin) VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE follows the building relationship between auto mechanic/former inmate Gray Bennet, and bookkeeper/diner waitress Robin Bishop. It’s been eighteen years since Gray Bennet was a free man but he never expected to catch the eye of a beautiful woman at the 9/11 monument, where he was paying his respects to the sister he lost. Heading home to Beaverton, Michigan to start a new life working for a friend at the local garage, Gray will come face to face with his fantasies, the woman he met in New York, the woman with whom Gray will fall in love. Enter Robin Bishop-bookkeeper and waitress at the local diner. What ensues is the building but trepidatious relationship between Gray and Robin, and the potential fall-out as Gray struggles with demons from his past, and the inability to trust himself around the woman he loves.
Robin Bishop has been a single mom for close to eighteen years and meeting Gray Bennet stirred something deep within our story line heroine. Robin had no idea that Gray had served time but our heroine accepted Gray for who he is, not what he had done but all is not well in the town of Beaverton, and Robin and Gray find themselves caught in the middle between warring forces.
The relationship between Gray and Robin is one of immediate attraction but Gray was in no position to start an affair without first getting his life in order. A job, a place to stay, and re-establishing himself in a town that may or may not have forgiven him for sins of the past found Gray pushing Robin out of his life at every opportunity. It will take a patient woman to understand the demons that threaten to engulf out story line hero, demons that become real with his return to town. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Robin’s mother, as well as her daughter Paige; diner owner Kim, Jason the cook; Frank Hanson, owner of the Dirty Dog, garage owner Jimmy Olson, and several townies who come in and out of the diner.
VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE is a story of abuse, betrayal, retribution and control. A story of love and acceptance; of understanding and moving forward. The character driven premise is real, raw and engaging; the romance is provocative and tender; the characters are edgy, wounded and spirited.