What happens when the
man you vowed to love, honor and obey nearly kills you, then leaves for
work as usual? Elly Benson kept telling her neighbors that the bruises
she suffered were nothing more than a simple misunderstanding between
her and her husband, until she has to be rushed to the hospital with
injuries so severe she nearly dies. Jerry Douglas does everything he
can to protect and care for her and her small toy poodle, but until Elly
is ready to admit the truth of her husband's abuse, he is powerless to
intervene. Unfortunately, he's fallen in love with the feisty young
woman, so he uses all his powers of persuasion to convince her returning
to her husband once she leaves the hospital is not a viable option.
A
Simple Misunderstanding
was the most difficult to read of the Corbin’s Bend books for me so far. Not
because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. In this installment
in the series, we meet Elly and Jerry. Elly and her husband Arthur moved to
Corbin’s Bend a few months ago and she’s learned that she is not fond of the
Domestic Discipline relationship she agreed to with her husband. What makes
this book difficult to read is that the reader quickly learns that Elly isn’t
in a DD relationship with her husband, she is in an abusive relationship with a
man who is using DD as an excuse to beat his wife. Reading as Elly takes
several beatings and believing that she deserved them is a huge part of why I
found this a tough read. What put it over the top for me was that her mother’s
actions and responses to her just seemed to reinforce Elly’s notion that she
deserved the abuse her husband doled out.
Elly only has two “lights” in her
life: her dog Mitzi and the local vet Jerry. Due to his naturally protection
nature, Jerry finds himself drawn to Elly and frustrated by his helplessness in
her situation. Sadly, it isn’t until Arthur nearly kills her that she finally
decides to accept Jerry’s help. While I did indeed find this to be an
emotionally draining read, I feel that Ms. Blake handled the topic with care
and did an admirable job in helping her characters grow and bond in the short
time of the book. That Elly learned her worth and that her neighbors in
Corbin’s Bend would support her in her time of need is a message that many women
need to receive.
A
Simple Misunderstanding
is an excellent addition to the Corbin’s Bend series. Ms. Blake’s talent as a
writer is obvious as she takes a delicate subject (i.e., abuse in DD and/or
BDSM relationships) and handles it with care. Elly and Jerry are wonderful
characters and I do so hope that I get a chance to catch up with them in future
Corbin’s Bend books.
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