Monday, August 25, 2014

Book Review: Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards (@mredwards)


Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Published: Thomas and Mercer
Source: Netgalley

My Rating:

A gripping tale of jealousy and obsession, from the #1 bestselling author of "The Magpies."
When Andrew Sumner meets beautiful, edgy Charlie, he is certain his run of bad luck has finally come to an end.
But as the two of them embark on an intense affair, Andrew wonders if his grasp on reality is slipping. Items go missing in his apartment. Somebody appears to be following him. And as misfortune and tragedy strike his friends and loved ones, Andrew is forced to confront the frightening truth...
Is Charlie really the girl of his dreams ? or the woman of his nightmares?

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not even sure where to start. Because She Loves Me was disturbing in all the ways it should have been. Throughout the book I thought I had it all figured out and kept wondering why someone would write such a straight forward thriller. Wrong. Despite all the bad behavior happening in this story, the twists stunned me!


Andrew, fresh from being released from medical treatment started a head-first relationship with Charlie, a sexy, fiery redhead with an unpredictable personality. Not only was she Andrew's dream-woman, but looking at her through his eyes, she kind of became mine, too. Until she became crazy and showed that she had one mean (or morbid) jealous streak. But still, Andrew loved her. After she accused him of sleeping with Sasha, his best friend, in the most disturbing way, he loved her. After finding she'd stolen from his apartment, he loved her. Never have I wanted to slap more sense into a character! Once Charlie's crazy started to surface was when the book really began to pick up and lead into a string of unfortunate, heartbreaking events. How could Andrew not see?! This was my thought through 80% of the book.

Don't get me wrong - Andrew was likable. He loved his sister, Tilly, though he admitted he didn't see her as much as he should have. At a young age these siblings suffered the tragic loss of their parents, and Tilly, the use of her legs, leaving her in a wheelchair. Though Andrew offered to care for her, she refused, not wanting to taint their relationship, and instead opted for outside care. Her caregiver Rachel was a leather-clad, biker, with a nervous tick. At one point in the book Rachel had to come to Andrew for help, which he readily gave, showing once again what a heart this gent had. It's the little things like his relationship with his sister, his caring nature, his love for his best friend, his honesty, that made me like Andrew enough to forgive his naivety.

While all the drama (and there was plenty of it) made Because She Loves Me seem to be all over the place, it was well written, engaging, and kept me enthralled. I didn't want to put this down without finding out what Charlie would do next! Each character and their part in this tale had my complete attention, from Karen, the ex-lover, to Kristi, the cleaner. Every character added a layer to this story that made it that much more interesting.


To my surprise there was only one truly violent scene. Warning: It included an eye and a scalpel. Eep. I had to pause, catch my bearings, then pick it up again. I'm normally not squeamish, but I could imagine what that felt like, and OUCH!

I wasn't thrilled with the ending. Perhaps I would have liked it better without the epilogue. I'm just not convinced that any of these characters, dead or alive, understood love, yet threw the word around freely. In my mind everyone got the therapy they needed and it actually did them some good, so they could grow together rather than speed towards destruction. If anything, this book was an entertaining reminder to never judge a book by its cover.


2 comments:

  1. Wow.. This book sounds really intense and well... different. I hope I get my hands on this one soon! :) I'm adding it to my top 10 :P

    Book Maniac Reviews

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  2. It was absolutely insane, but in a way that kept me reading. I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up. :)

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