ARC Review of Wrecked by Priscilla West

[Barbara Ann RS]

Wrecked is a poignant, heart-breaking love story about Lorrie and Hunter, two emotionally fragile individuals who meet at Arrowhart College as they both silently struggle to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. They meet at the very beginning of the novel, when Lorrie finds herself in a precarious situation, and it is Hunter who comes to her rescue. Beyond the immediate physical attraction between them, I think on a sub-conscious level they recognize the other’s hidden pain, and their mutual need to be saved is what draws them together.

“Numb” is the best way to describe Lorrie now that she has returned to college after the tragic deaths of her parents. She’s still battling her way through grief and depression, and her immediate long-term goal is just to make it through the semester.  After meeting Hunter, Lorrie definitely picks up on the sexy bad boy vibe he projects and realizes getting involved with this gorgeous MMA fighter could very well lead to a heartbreak she cannot survive. She does her best to resist Hunter, but his persistence and sincerity in his feelings for her gradually begin to break through the barriers around her heart. Despite his reputation as a player and the rampant gossip about Hunter’s private life, Lorrie decides to cautiously pursue a friendship with him.

Much of the book focuses on their slowly evolving relationship and their time getting to know each other. As they grow closer, Lorrie fights the emotional attachment building between them, and much of the book focuses on her internal conflicts with how much she should let him into her life.  At times I was frustrated by the mixed signals Lorrie continuously sends to Hunter. His feelings for her seemed genuine, and I couldn’t understand why she was so determined to push him away when he wanted to be there for her. Hunter adequately sums up my frustration when he tells Lorrie: “You’re playing with me like a yo-yo. You push me away then get jealous and pull me in. Over and over.”

As the details about Lorrie’s recent trauma become known, I eventually began to understand her fear and anxiety about getting so close to Hunter. I wish more about what Lorrie has suffered had been revealed earlier in the book so I could have related to her more easily.  The majority of the story is told entirely from Lorrie’s POV, so Hunter’s character is somewhat of an enigma. Lorrie describes him as “a walking contradiction- fierce yet tender, strong but damaged” and she’s right. Hunter has secrets that he is afraid to share with Lorrie because he thinks he’ll lose her. Ironically, it is the lack of communication from both of them that wedge them further apart. Finally, at the very end, West switches to Hunter’s POV so we can begin to understand the source of his emotional pain and by then my imagination was running wild. Although limiting the story to mostly Lorrie’s POV certainly kept my interest in finding out the truth about Hunter, I think I would have become more emotionally invested in their relationship if the story had been alternately narrated from both their POVs throughout the book.

It is only toward the end that both Hunter and Lorrie realize that their physical intimacy (yes, there are lots of steamy love scenes) isn’t enough to keep them together. How can you open your heart and love someone else when you are drowning in your own world of pain? Based on what happens with Hunter and Lorrie, West clearly shows you can’t, and this couple has quite a lot of emotional growing to do before they are ready for any type of serious commitment. I look forward to the continuance of their story in Rescued.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for an honest review. Since the quotes were taken from a pre-published copy, they may have been changed or omitted in the official publication of the book. 

Link to Review

https://sunmountainreviews.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/blog-tour-revie...