Split by J.B. Salsbury Pages: 416
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Also by this author: Fighting for Flight (Fighting, #1), Fighting to Forgive, Wrecked, Fighting for Honor, The Final Fight
Goodreads
JB Salsbury is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has captivated readers around the world. Her unforgettable new novel is a story of romance and suspense, with a twist no one will see coming . . .
What do you do when you wake up with no memory of what you did last night?
Lucas spent the first half of his life protecting himself from others, but now his own mind is his biggest enemy. He doesn't know what happens when the blackouts overtake him, but he can recall the feelings--the rage, the confusion, the fear. Thankfully the quiet life he's found in Payson, Arizona has kept the darkness at bay. Until his boss's estranged daughter shows up in town, asking questions she shouldn't and sparking a desire Lucas can't control. Getting close to Shyann is the best thing that's ever happened to him, but when his blackouts return, unleashing the truth he's battled so long to hide, he may just lose her forever . . .
I am a HUGE JB Salsbury fan. Seriously, I went nuts when I finally read Fighting for Flight. She is great at angsty reads, and usually, I don’t like super angsty, but I will always break that guideline for Salsbury. With Split, you better believe I had to break my no angsty reads rule.
Split is the story of Lucas and Shyann. Sounds simple enough right? Two new adults meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after, right? If you can’t pick up on my sarcasm, see my note about Salsbury and angst above. Anyway, Lucas has some issues, the cause of which seemed super obvious to me but, based on talking to others, wasn’t obvious. Shyann is a bit of dislikable character at first, but she does grow over the course of the story. I liked her by the end, but I don’t think I loved her.
Can you see I am being vague here? Yeah, there is a reason for that. Don’t go looking for spoilers on this one. If you know going in, this book won’t work. And even while some things seemed obvious to me, there were lots of surprises and twists. And again, I need to mention the angst. Seriously, the angst. The constant “WTF” and “Oh my God, I have to stop reading because I can’t take it” feelings were constant while I read this. I huffed and groaned so much my husband asked what was wrong and why I was reading something that was obviously frustrating me. I tried to explain, but he still doesn’t get it.
So, my bottom line on Split? Read it. Just do it. Don’t go to goodreads first and check it out. Seriously, don’t. Spoilers for this story would really just take the excitement out of the story and you NEED to experience it. I can’t quite think of another book I have read that is anything like it. It is a bit darker than a typical Salsbury book, but I don’t really think I would categorize it as “Dark Romance”.
- POV: Dual
- Tears: Oh yeah…
- Trope: Nope, not telling you! Not telling you anything else either!
Honor by Jay Crownover, Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas, All the Ways you Saved Me by Jamie Howard…then you will probably like Split!
Split
“You can’t jump.”
She narrows her eyes on me. “Of course I can.”
“Is it safe?”
My grip on her grows tighter and she steps close enough that I can feel the heat of her breasts brush against my ribs. “Lucas, do you trust me?”
“No.” The word comes out on a shaky whisper.
A gentle grin softens her face and with both her hands she works to relax my hold enough for her to slip free. Seconds later she turns, takes four long strides, and disappears off the rock cliff.
A holler that can only be described as guttural exhilaration echoes off the canyon walls and slices through the trees.
I race to the edge and there’s nothing but a circle of white bubbles marring the once shimmering pond.
I wait for her to surface, and just when I’m about to jump in and rescue her, her head pops up out of the water with a feral howl.
“That was amazing!” She waves at me. “The water is perfect!”
With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I allow myself a moment to wonder what it would be like to be as free as Shyann. Everything I do is weighed against the danger of doing it. The threat of blacking out always pulling me back to walk the safer, less risky side of any situation. But something about her makes me want to try harder, makes me want to take a risk like other twenty-five-year-old guys. The sound of her squealing lights a fire in my chest that has me wanting to jump.
Risking a blackout might be worth the few seconds of euphoria I haven’t felt since…I can’t remember.
I think of backing away and yelling for her to meet me at the truck, but something pulls me toward her. Part of me wonders if it’s nothing more than wanting to be close, to keep her safe, because she belongs to Mr. Jennings and I owe him. But even as the thought enters my mind, so does another.
I want her to like me.
I want her to see me as brave.
I want to know what it’s like to be normal.
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