Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller

A tale of passions indulged, denied, and ultimately forgive.

On the verge of bagging the two things he wants most—a sailing charter business and marrying old money—Jake Murray’s fiancée/sole crew member dumps him. Salvation comes in the form of dyslexic, basketball toting Rachel Martin, the only one to apply for the first mate position he slapped on craigslist.

On a dead run from an affair with a married man, Rachel's salvation is shoving ocean between her and temptation.

Rapid fire dialogue and romantic tension sail Jake’s biker-chick of a boat through hurricanes, real and figurative. A cast of wannabe sailors, Rachel’s ex, Jake’s, a baby—go along for the ride.
The many-layered story weaves together disparate strands into a seamless cord. Mother and daughter look eerily alike—down to their lusts. Their symbiotic bond, forged in the blood of childbirth on the kitchen floor and cemented by their secrets, must be cracked open. A son must go home. Sin must be expunged.

Tattered Innocence is for anyone who’s ever woken up sealed in a fifty-gallon drum of their guilt.

Kindle Edition, 266 pages

Published February 27th 2013 by Flawed People Press

Genre: Christian Fiction

 

 

Terri's Review

 

This was ultimately a story about two people who had committed acts outside of the lines of their moral compass and faith and how the resulting guilt can affect every decision and interaction afterwards.

 

To address the elephant in the room this book is in the Christian Fiction genre and therefore there are a lot of references to God and spirituality.  This does not overwhelm the story nor become "preachy" at any point.  Rather I found the religious references to symbolize the guilt that Rachel and Jake carried throughout the story.

 

This story deals with the themes of guilt and forgiveness and the punishment that people lay on themselves and their worth when they can not forgive themselves.

 

The characters of Rachel and Jake were well written.  I had a particular appreciation for Rachel's sarcasm as a mechanism to hide her flaws.  The supporting cast were also well written and I immediately disliked Bet and Gab's (I am assuming this was intentional) and found a soft spot for Keenan.

 

Without giving away any of the plot, this story was a journey of forgiveness that I was happy to be along for the ride.  Well written and an enjoyable read.  I will look at other works of Millers to add to my list of stories to read

 

About the Author

 

Ann Lee Miller earned a BA in creative writing from Ashland (OH) University and writes full-time in Phoenix, but left her heart in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where she grew up. She loves speaking to young adults and guest lectures on writing at several Arizona colleges. When she isn’t writing or muddling through some crisis—real or imagined—you’ll find her hiking in the Superstition Mountains with her husband or meddling in her kids’ lives

Website: 

http://www.AnnLeeMiller.com    

 

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