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Dangerous Affairs will probably rate as one of my “best of 2007” reads when all is said and done. Even this early in the year I know not much will be able to compare. Amanda Caruthers has been on the run for several years, escaping her violently abusive ex-husband. She has known nothing but fear since the day she walked out on her marriage, convinced he would someday track her down. Yet Amanda still longs to stop running and find peace. Burton “Burt” Campbell lives with guilt every single day. His twin sister had been in an abusive relationship that eventually killed her and Burt feels like he should have been able to save her. So he continues on, longing for redemption he feels he can never have. When Burt walks into the health club Amanda manages, wanting to start teaching karate and self defense, Amanda is convinced he’s just like her ex-husband… aggressive, domineering, and a bully of the worst sort? Why else would he think fighting is the answer to everything? She doesn’t understand the real purpose of martial arts, that it is about maintaining control and not fighting. Burt sees the shadows in her eyes and knows something wounded her badly but that does not cool the feelings he discovers for her. Can Amanda and Burt overcome their fears and find peace in each other? What a powerful… and empowering… novel! Kelle Z Riley strikes you deep in the heart with Dangerous Affairs. She brilliantly weaves a tale of two wounded people who come together to find that the only way to heal is by facing their fears together. Mason, Amanda’s ex-husband, is a sick and twisted man, all the more frightening for his cold reality. Yet, as unstable as he is, readers will actually come to understand what made him that way. It won’t make you feel sorry for him, but it will help you understand his motivation. Burt suffers with the feeling that he could have done more for his sister. He has chosen to act on this guilt by teaching others how to defend themselves. So he can’t understand Amanda’s reasons for hating what he is trying to do. Once he finally learns of her past, he comes to accept her viewpoint, but is determined to show her what martial arts is really about. There could be no gentler and patient man than Burt when it comes to helping Amanda conquer her fear. Even when he knows what needs to be done will break her heart, he does it with unflinching determination, bound to succeed with her where he failed with his own sister. Amanda however, is the real heart of Dangerous Affairs. She is portrayed so realistically you can’t help but feel her suffering and terror. Having myself been in an emotionally abusive relationship in the past, that no doubt would have turned violent had I not found the courage to break out, I can truly relate to Amanda. Her thoughts were my own as the memories came back. I know the fear, I know the feeling of worthlessness, and I understand the “maybe if I try harder he’ll stop hurting me” thoughts. Perhaps that is why this book touched me so deeply. I really could put myself in Amanda’s shoes. I felt her pain and I embraced her joy as she finally confronts the ghost of her former marriage. When I say Dangerous Affairs was empowering, I really truly believe it is. People need to be even more aware of the sad reality of domestic violence. Women (and children) need to know this way of life is wrong and they need to know how to escape when they can and defend themselves when they can’t. Riley brilliantly tackles this delicate subject. If reading about someone else’s circumstances, even in a fictional setting, helps just one woman find the courage to defend herself and escape an abusive relationship, then that is something of which to be proud. All women should read this book. © Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved. |
Dangerous Affairs
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Posted April 2007 |
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