Denial

The Grief Series, Book 1

By: R.S. Crawford

Narrated by: M.K. Blackwood

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Secrets don't make friends. But neither does the truth.

Following her father’s untimely death, Livvy Reape moves from the mountains of Montana to the shores of South Carolina to attend college. She is determined to make the ghost of her father proud and to correct the sins of her past.

It isn’t long before Liam, a pretentious biologist, comes barreling into her life. No matter how much she insists they can only be friends, he dedicates himself to proving they could be more. Before Livvy knows it, Liam’s warmth is all she craves.

But the voice in her head tells her something is wrong. Liam is not who he seems. He has his own secrets, and is wounded, just like her. She cannot allow herself to get attached.

As the battle in her head escalates, Livvy finds it harder and harder to establish what is a danger and what is the spectral of pain from her haunted past. Her struggle consumes her, until one fateful night, things come to a head and the biggest secret of her life is revealed.

©2023 Blessed Moon Publishing, LLC (P)2024 Blessed Moon Publishing, LLC

mental perfection

i was in f9r this story from beginning to end. the way the author accurately and beautifully wrote how mental health affect every aspect of your life was a breath of fresh air. there wasn't the typical instant recovery or excuses for it.
livvy is a girl who has suffered the loss of the person closest to her in life and has a hard time processing life alone
she has a few close friends but then moves for college and meets a group of polar opposite friends who each fill a void in her life but she also has a hard time believing she deserves it.
now down feel this book is all downs there is a huge l9ve interest and man is this slow burn worth the wait. his patience and unending faith in her is inspirational but it's not smooth sailing due to " extra" outside influences.
this book is a must read for me and I have already pre-ordered book 2
t thw narrator mk blackwood is new to me but will be a new searched by narrator. she had me feeling all the feels. it is hard for a lot of narrators to capture a wide range of emotions and she was able to portray them all with quick changes as mental health does one minute you are at an all time high and the next all thw self doubt is there and she did not dissappoint. I need here to do every book in this series.

Liam and Livvy's love story is amazing

reincarnation trope is definitely one of my favorites. True love defying all odds over centuries is beautiful. MK Blackwood's narrations brought this story to life in the best ways.

Denial

I pretty much figured out what was going on early on in the story, but the entire journey is what kept me interested.

Eternal love, a love worth fighting for. Myths, legends, grief. There were trigger warnings attached to this story, but I didn’t feel triggered by anything. I’m a bit thick skinned, so if you are more sensitive please take notice.

Good narration and an intriguing story line.

Mental Health Rep, Livvy and Liam

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! I may not relate to Livvy for everything but I do have anxiety. This book made me go through all the emotions. I loved how Liam always knew exactly what to say to her. I also loved TJ, Jaycee, and Shawn. I hated Nathan with all of my heart. I disliked Roni and she annoyed me so much especially when she was with Nathan.

The narrator M.K. Blackwood did amazing!! I loved her voice for all characters!!

Favorite Quotes:

“A Little Dove like you shouldn’t be dancing along,”

“I just couldn’t picture a world where you didn’t exist,”

“Only when I’m with you, my Little Dove.”

“I like the sound your heart makes when I’m near,”

“You just know how to ruffle my feathers.”

“I love you.”

“But I love you, Olive Rae Reape. Not some version of you, not someone I expect you to be. These weeks have been everything to me, because of you, Livvy. You.”

“Only you,”

Great Debut Book!

I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend it! I narrator did a fantastic job!

You can't tell from the synopsis, but this book has some paranormal/urban fantasy/mythological elements to it. Since none of those details are in the synopsis, that's all I'm going to reveal for it.

Denial is set in a college setting and follows eighteen year old Livvy as she fights through the grief of loosing her father, guilt about the cause of his death, and strange dreams she has about women dying terrible deaths. Livvy has some serious mental health challenges, so trigger warning for that because she has attempted suicide more than once. She also has intrusive thoughts and anxiety, which she is on medication for.

Livvy is starting her first year of college studying marine biology, and gets an internship on a research boat. Liam is in charge of the boat, and while he is interested in Livvy immediately, she wants nothing to do with him. As the story unfolds, Liam works to become the person Livvy can lean on when she is struggling mentally. She begins to feel feelings for him beyond friendship, but her intrusive thoughts constantly leave her second guessing everything. Then there's the secret that Liam and the members of his group have, that Livvy discovers. A secret of the paranormal/supernatural/mythological variety.

This secret helps Livvy understand why she's been having the dreams about the women, but also leads to multiple life threatening situations that Liam has to rescue her from. As more secrets are revealed, Livvy finds herself with even more hard truths she has to grapple with.

I was not ready for this book to end when it did, I'm very much looking forward to the next one. I recommend this book, and the audiobook, to anyone who likes slow burn reluctant friends to lovers between characters who are battling their own inner struggles as well as fighting outside forces that are trying (literally) to rip them apart.

A great beginning to a series

I absolutely adored this book. The set up at beginning immediately had be drawn in. The story is interwoven with mental illness and mythology the created a very unique story. Livvy and Liam’s immediate connection was done so well. I loved all the characters and their relationships they formed with Livvy. M.K. Blackwood is a new narrator to me and she did a wonderful job with this story. The raw emotions of Livvy really came through, especially when she is battling her inner demons. I cannot wait to see what happens with the rest of their story.

Terrific Story & Narration🎧 Intriguing & Emotional

I enjoyed this book immensely, the story is original, with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. Livvy Reape is struggling with the grief she is feeling from the loss of her father. She has other issues going on, struggling with nightmares, guilt and inner demons. Livvy moves to the shores of South Carolina to attend college, a place she spent time in and has wonderful memories of her father. She settles into her new living situation, has a wonderful roommate, and quickly makes friends with her friends, including Liam, the marine biologist. I loved the chemistry between those two, also loved how protective he was of her. Both of them are harboring secrets, secrets that could make or break their relationship. This is a fascinating story, and it is best to go in without knowing too much, so avoid spoilers and enjoy the ride. The writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. The author does a wonderful job handing mental health issues and keeping it all real. Besides the two amazing lead characters, there is an impressive lineup of secondary characters. There is never a dull moment in this book, it keeps you thinking and I loved the twists and how it all played out. R.S. Crawford, thank you for this intriguing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for fantastic narration, R.S. Crawford cast the perfect narrator to bring her characters and story to life. M.K. Blackwood is a versatile voice artist, and she performs the voices for all the characters, does a fabulous job covering both the male and female roles, giving each their own unique voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. She had a complete understanding of the characters she portrayed and was believable in every role she played. She set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. M.K. Blackwood is an entertaining storyteller and her performance elevates the story to another level. Thank you for another amazing listen. 

Oh Em Geeeeee!!!!!

MK Blackwood absolutely did THE THING!!!! Her performance tied in with this story… 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
5 stars isn’t nearly high enough!

This book had me hooked from the very beginning! I buddy read it and had so much fun taking guesses at all the breadcrumbs.

The story is filled with so much love and representation of mental health. I related so much with Livvy and I absolutely want my very own Liam. TJ, Jaycee, Marc, Angela, and Shawn make me so happy!!! I CANNOT wait to start Depression!