Love's Deadly Masquerade
by The Author- Yani
Vanessa is a beautiful, young woman with a bright and promising future. She's never known love until she meets Eric, who sweeps her off of her feet. But is he the man of her dreams or the monster of her nightmares? In the blink of an eye, Vanessa finds herself the victim of Eric's brutal assaults physically, mentally and sexually. With the help of strangers, she makes an escape, only infuriating Eric some more. Soon after, she learns that her fairytale introduction to Eric was a disguise for something much darker and sinister. Reality sets in that once you deal with Eric, the only out is a deadly one. The hunt is on with Eric murdering anyone in his path, hell bent on making Vanessa the final kill on his long hit list. Dive into this page turning crime thriller that centers around domestic violence and the toll it takes on a victim in every way imaginable. Written by Amazon best-selling author Yani, this is a story that every woman needs to read.
**Review
"Love's Deadly Masquerade by Yani is a book in the crime thriller genre. It follows the story of Vanessa Lofton as she breaks out of an abusive relationship only to find out that her abuser isn't ready to let go of her so easily.
'Charismatic, smart, funny, and ambitious; good looking, kind and gentle'; what more could a girl ask for in her life partner? That's exactly what Vanessa thought after her first date with Eric. However, after two years of their relationship Vanessa was soon asking, no begging, for something else: mercy. A couple of months into their relationship Eric shows his true colors and then Vanessa finds herself a prisoner, who suffers terrible punishment in the form of physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of Eric. When all doors seem closed, then a ray of hope arrives with a few strangers who help her escape this hell. Vanessa's escape, however, only infuriates Eric further and he is not going to stop until he hunts down Vanessa. Anyone who comes in his way will be eliminated, and he has decided that the final name on his growing list of murders is going to be Vanessa.
The writing style is raw and evocative. The vivid and (mercifully) short descriptions of the various forms of tortures that Eric inflicts on Vanessa are particularly hard-hitting. Then there are those glimpses into Vanessa's psyche which are particularly impactful, for example, when she wonders whether God is making her experience firsthand how shallow was her viewpoint on domestic violence, and perhaps God is punishing her for believing what she would have done in such a situation without ever understanding how overpowering the fear of violence is.
What really impressed me, was how the plot took off after Vanessa's escape from her virtual prison, which happens almost after a third of the book is over. From then on, the unpredictable plot twists and edgy suspense will keep the reader glued till the end. The transformation of Eric's character from a violent abuser to a cold hearted murderer is superbly sketched by the author. The coup de grâce is the final plot twist, a crime that was committed in Vanessa's past, which has a bearing on her present, and possibly her future.
The secondary characters also add substantially to the plot line, like Vanessa's best friend Arianna,who puts herself in danger to protect Vanessa, or Marcella, who runs an underground organization for victims of domestic abuse. Though I found the book a highly charged piece of crime fiction, I would advise readers below the age of eighteen to avoid reading this one, mainly due to the explicit content and abusive language in some scenes. I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars." - official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love's Deadly Masquerade" by Yani
From the Author
I wrote "Love's Deadly Masquerade" to shine a light on a woman's mindset while involved in an abusive relationship. I also wanted to show how we are impacted by what we are exposed to in our homes as well as how our parents' relationships can influence us. A lot of us know women who are either in an abusive relationship now or were in one once before. The misconception is that physical abuse is the only form of abuse. There's verbal abuse, mental and emotional abuse, as well as even sexual abuse. Now some of you may say, how can there be sexual abuse in a relationship? Believe it or not, there are women who are raped by their husbands or boyfriends and it's done as a way to maintain power over the spouse who is being abused. The main character in "Love's Deadly Masquerade" experienced all of these forms of abuse. Many of us also make the mistake of calling the woman stupid for staying with the man who is abusing her, not understanding that it's not that simple. Women who are abused stay for various reasons- they've been isolated from their family and friends and made to believe that they have no where to go. They are afraid of what will happen to them if they leave (the spouse may have threatened to kill them), they are afraid that they may end up in a worse situation and would rather stick with what they know, they think they can change the abusive spouse if they just learn to be more obedient. Some women also stay for financial reasons- no money or resources to survive on their own. While I have never been in an abusive relationship, I have females who are close to me that once were and some who still are. I once believed they were stupid for staying, for putting up with the verbal assaults, the manipulations, the black eyes and sore bones. It took having a conversation with a couple of these women and listening without talking much to get a clear understanding.Writing this book was hard because I had to strip away my own personality from Vanessa. I had to get into the mindset of a scared woman who had her self-esteem stomped on and made to feel worthless, and that is not me at all. As badly as I wanted Vanessa to strike back and stand tall, that would not have made an exciting story. I wanted it to be real, raw and easy to relate to. I also want people to see that women as young as 16 are suffering from different forms of abuse and because they are young and impressionable, they confuse it with love. I want people to see that men who are abusive mostly target women who don't have strong male influences in their lives- no father, no brothers and if they do have a father and/or brothers, they are weak. They target women who already have self-esteem issues and crave to be accepted and loved so badly that they will settle for and put up with almost any man that resembles what they like just to be someone's somebody. So read Love's Deadly Masquerade and leave your review whether you liked the book, didn't like the book or could relate to Vanessa in any way. And if you are comfortable enough, share your experience and let's all talk about it to bring awareness and maybe help the next woman who is struggling to free herself from her own abusive relationship. Thanks for stopping by. Peace!
**Review
"Love's Deadly Masquerade by Yani is a book in the crime thriller genre. It follows the story of Vanessa Lofton as she breaks out of an abusive relationship only to find out that her abuser isn't ready to let go of her so easily.
'Charismatic, smart, funny, and ambitious; good looking, kind and gentle'; what more could a girl ask for in her life partner? That's exactly what Vanessa thought after her first date with Eric. However, after two years of their relationship Vanessa was soon asking, no begging, for something else: mercy. A couple of months into their relationship Eric shows his true colors and then Vanessa finds herself a prisoner, who suffers terrible punishment in the form of physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of Eric. When all doors seem closed, then a ray of hope arrives with a few strangers who help her escape this hell. Vanessa's escape, however, only infuriates Eric further and he is not going to stop until he hunts down Vanessa. Anyone who comes in his way will be eliminated, and he has decided that the final name on his growing list of murders is going to be Vanessa.
The writing style is raw and evocative. The vivid and (mercifully) short descriptions of the various forms of tortures that Eric inflicts on Vanessa are particularly hard-hitting. Then there are those glimpses into Vanessa's psyche which are particularly impactful, for example, when she wonders whether God is making her experience firsthand how shallow was her viewpoint on domestic violence, and perhaps God is punishing her for believing what she would have done in such a situation without ever understanding how overpowering the fear of violence is.
What really impressed me, was how the plot took off after Vanessa's escape from her virtual prison, which happens almost after a third of the book is over. From then on, the unpredictable plot twists and edgy suspense will keep the reader glued till the end. The transformation of Eric's character from a violent abuser to a cold hearted murderer is superbly sketched by the author. The coup de grâce is the final plot twist, a crime that was committed in Vanessa's past, which has a bearing on her present, and possibly her future.
The secondary characters also add substantially to the plot line, like Vanessa's best friend Arianna,who puts herself in danger to protect Vanessa, or Marcella, who runs an underground organization for victims of domestic abuse. Though I found the book a highly charged piece of crime fiction, I would advise readers below the age of eighteen to avoid reading this one, mainly due to the explicit content and abusive language in some scenes. I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars." - official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love's Deadly Masquerade" by Yani
From the Author
I wrote "Love's Deadly Masquerade" to shine a light on a woman's mindset while involved in an abusive relationship. I also wanted to show how we are impacted by what we are exposed to in our homes as well as how our parents' relationships can influence us. A lot of us know women who are either in an abusive relationship now or were in one once before. The misconception is that physical abuse is the only form of abuse. There's verbal abuse, mental and emotional abuse, as well as even sexual abuse. Now some of you may say, how can there be sexual abuse in a relationship? Believe it or not, there are women who are raped by their husbands or boyfriends and it's done as a way to maintain power over the spouse who is being abused. The main character in "Love's Deadly Masquerade" experienced all of these forms of abuse. Many of us also make the mistake of calling the woman stupid for staying with the man who is abusing her, not understanding that it's not that simple. Women who are abused stay for various reasons- they've been isolated from their family and friends and made to believe that they have no where to go. They are afraid of what will happen to them if they leave (the spouse may have threatened to kill them), they are afraid that they may end up in a worse situation and would rather stick with what they know, they think they can change the abusive spouse if they just learn to be more obedient. Some women also stay for financial reasons- no money or resources to survive on their own. While I have never been in an abusive relationship, I have females who are close to me that once were and some who still are. I once believed they were stupid for staying, for putting up with the verbal assaults, the manipulations, the black eyes and sore bones. It took having a conversation with a couple of these women and listening without talking much to get a clear understanding.Writing this book was hard because I had to strip away my own personality from Vanessa. I had to get into the mindset of a scared woman who had her self-esteem stomped on and made to feel worthless, and that is not me at all. As badly as I wanted Vanessa to strike back and stand tall, that would not have made an exciting story. I wanted it to be real, raw and easy to relate to. I also want people to see that women as young as 16 are suffering from different forms of abuse and because they are young and impressionable, they confuse it with love. I want people to see that men who are abusive mostly target women who don't have strong male influences in their lives- no father, no brothers and if they do have a father and/or brothers, they are weak. They target women who already have self-esteem issues and crave to be accepted and loved so badly that they will settle for and put up with almost any man that resembles what they like just to be someone's somebody. So read Love's Deadly Masquerade and leave your review whether you liked the book, didn't like the book or could relate to Vanessa in any way. And if you are comfortable enough, share your experience and let's all talk about it to bring awareness and maybe help the next woman who is struggling to free herself from her own abusive relationship. Thanks for stopping by. Peace!