THE DEBT
by Karina Halle
Released 29 AUGUST 2016
Kindle | iBooks | Kobo | Nook
Blurb
Her life changed in an instant.
And he’s the only one who could have prevented it.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Pact and The Lie comes a new standalone contemporary romance about those McGregor men.
Jessica Charles shouldn’t have even been in London when the unthinkable happened.
She should have been back at home in Edinburgh, perhaps hanging with her boyfriend, having drinks with her sister or doing yoga with her group of friends. She should have been going on in her normal, dependable life as always.
But on that fateful day in August, when a mentally-ill ex-soldier opened fire in public, Jessica’s world changed forever.
Now single and crippled from the gunshot wounds, Jessica finds herself scared and alone, losing faith in
herself and humanity with each agonizing moment that passes.
That is until a stranger enters her life. A stranger who makes her live again.
Keir McGregor has always been the strong, silent type. Throw in tall, dark, and handsome and you’ve got pretty much the perfect Scotsman.
Except Keir is anything but perfect. He’s got a past he’s running away from and a guilty conscience he can’t seem to shed. But the more time he spends with Jessica, the more he falls in love with her.
And the more his secret threatens to tear them apart.
He may have been a stranger to her.
But she’s never been a stranger to him.
Find The Debt on Goodreads
Review
5 intense and emotional stars!
Karina Halle has done it again! This raw, intense, emotional story about two broken souls and their path to love and healing will grab you from the first page and never let you go. The Debt is full of so much vivid imagery and emotion that I couldn’t help but react to every single word I read. The prologue alone had my heart racing, palms sweating, and deeply feeling for the character I only just met. The feels continue throughout the book and though it was extremely emotional and heartbreaking, I was healed right along with the characters.
Jessica survived a horrific tragedy that left her scared both on the inside and out. It set into motion a chain of events that change her life completely. She closes herself off from everyone that could possibly touch her heart. She is hurting and doing her best to overcome what happened but she struggles daily.
I’m just not sure sometimes whether to be thankful I’m alive or angry that my life has changed forever.
Jessica is not looking for a relationship and is just trying to figure out where to go from here. With her disfigured leg and broken soul, she doesn’t consider someone could truly see her and look past the visible scars.
I’m damaged goods in so many ways and the only man who would want to be with me has to be damaged himself.
Keri has experienced so much while in the military and he suffers from PTSD from what he saw and did. He is a broken man, weighed down by all the pain and guilt he carries on his shoulders.
Jessica and Keir meet in a local pub and immediately she feels something deep down that she hasn’t felt in so very long. Its a feeling that scares her. She has no idea who he is but it’s quite the opposite for him.
I found her by accident.
But can it really be called an accident if you find what you’ve been looking for?
Jessica is lonely but does not want help from others, including her own sister, so it’s no surprise she pushes Keir away. But Keir has ulterior motives for spending time with Jessica and he constantly reminds her that he is there for her if ever she needs someone.
But of course the truth is that my armor has chinks. My heart has cracks. And the steel is corroding at the edges.
I do need someone.
Maybe even him.
My stranger.
And somehow Keir is exactly who she needs. He lights a fire in her and starts to open up her heart and heal her. Healing is never an easy road though and they must trust each other fully if this intense love that they share is going to succeed.
“I love every broken part of you and how well it fits with every broken part of me.”
The Debt is an absolutely gorgeous love story with so more going on than just a romance. Fear, guilt, forgiveness, and acceptance are all at the forefront of this story. Halle is amazing at making the reader feel so much emotion through the beautiful words that flow across the pages that I cried, I laughed, and I loved.
My heart wept for both Jessica and Keir. Each one is so broken yet both are able to heal each other. Jessica went through a lot and was determined to get better, and I loved her bravery and strength. She had such a big heart and never judged Keir. I loved that she was there for him when he needed her during his dark moments just as he was there for hers. They had an intense connection that I felt deep in my heart.
I adored Keir. I cried with the nightmares and flashbacks, and it was devastating to read about what he was going through knowing that people go through the same things every day. My heart broke while reading about his feelings and the fear and guilt that was always there. But along with the beautiful, broken parts of Keir was the sweet and sexy side of him that I loved as well.
“I like this look on you,” he murmurs in that way of his, running his thumb over my chin.
I swallow. It feels like I’ve got sawdust in my mouth. “What look?”
“This one. The one that says you’re alive and with me. Not just here.” He gestures to the air around me with his other hand. He then pushes in at my heart, his palm so warm against my shirt. “But here.”
And Keir was hot as hell when he was supportive of Jessica.
“Newsflash, little mermaid. The moment I saw you, I not only knew you were one of the strongest people I’ve ever met but that your strength would put mine to shame. Damsel in distress? Maybe that’s what you fear you are, but I’m telling you it’s not. I’m not attracted to weak girls with tepid hearts and sheltered minds. I want the woman that will wow me, knock me off my feat, make me come after her over and over again just for another second of her time.”
Although this is a complete standalone, I absolutely loved that characters from Halle’s other books made an appearance. I loved seeing more of Lachlan and Kayla as well as a sneak peek into what was going on in the lives of the other McGregor men. I can not wait to see what Karina Halle comes up with next!!
*ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
About the Author
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
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