Review: His Light in the Dark by L.A. Fiore

His Light in the Dark
by: L.A. Fiore
Published: Feb, 9 2016
Published by: Self-Pub
Source: NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

My first memory was of a slap, hard across the face: the sting on my cheek and the jarring of my bones as I slammed back into my bed. It was my dad who had hit me.

I had been four.

Most of my memories were much of the same and no one ever saw, no one ever fought to help, no one ever cared.

Then we moved.

My new neighbor cared, rescued the twelve-year-old I had been from a beating. Always thought I'd suffer the nightmare alone, I was wrong.

Mace Donati saved me that day in all the ways a person could be saved.

And his daughter, Mia, she became the friend I had always wanted, my conscience when my own faltered, the light that led me home when I had lost my way.

The girl who grew into the only woman I would ever love.

But when you realize you're more like your father than the good people who took you in and gave you a home, the only way to return their kindness is to let them go.

I let them go, got so far lost in the shadows I couldn't remember who I was anymore. Mia never gave up on me. She fought for me, kept the light on so I'd find my way back.

And when I did, life threw us a curveball. I had to hurt Mia in order to save her.

But when my past comes back to haunt me and I almost lose her, I'm ready to fight for her...fight to find a way back into her heart while keeping the demons from my past from finishing what they started.

This kind of book is right up my alley - so I can say with complete absolution that I enjoyed this novel so much more than I thought I would!

L.A. Fiore has a way of writing novels that bring out every single emotion you have, and even some you had no idea you were capable of feeling. I can honestly say that I have never read a novel that gave me that kind of glimpse into one of their characters past. There have been details, yes - but I literally felt my heart BREAK for this little boy. She wrote this story in such a way that it reached inside my chest, grabbed my heart and held onto it from beginning to end.

Cole is a light in the dark himself. His past is clouded with abuse and a father who never cared. Mace is the person who gave him hope. Showed him that there is more out that than someone who gets his kicks from beating a child. He showed him just what having a family SHOULD feel like and taught him that life is worth living, when lived the right way. Mia is Mace's daughter and the two of them become, in Cole's eyes - everything that is good in his life.

Things begin to chance when Mia turns 16 and Cole really begins to notice her. He plays it smart in some ways, understanding that the age thing is an issue and she is 100% off limits. In his mind, the biggest issue to overcome is the fact that he feels he doesn't deserve someone like her. Mia is his light - the very thing that helps him make it through his struggles and grow to be the complete opposite of the man his father ways. Which made walking away that much harder. Watching (literally, in my head) Cole walk away from Mace and Mia was one of the hardest parts of this book for me. It was an ugly cry kind of moment.

Mia isn't having it. She throws his leaving in his face and stays right there demanding answers. She isn't willing to accept that he could just walk away from them - his family. These two characters were so beautifully written that I don't think I found one single thing that could have been written differently! Cole felt he was doing what was right to save the people he loved the most in the world. Mia and Mace were not ready to give him up just yet and throughout the way, Cole learns that some things are worth fighting for - no matter how hard that fight is going to be. When he finally caves to Mia - it's the most heartwarming feeling I think I have had throughout this entire book. Even though we KNOW it was coming, nothing prepared me for his complete show of all emotions he has felt this entire time.

This story would also not have been as good without the side characters. Really, they are just as main as Cole himself. I LOVED the character of Mace. I think this book would have been less as amazing if he was written in a smaller part. It really helped show us how Cole turned into the man he did. I would recommend this novel to anyone who would listen to me talk about it. L.A. Fiore has a fan for life in me and I look forward to each and every novel she puts out.

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