Escape and Freedom

Publisher's Summary

Two women escaping their own demons. One stuck in the past, the other a very real present. 

Lucy Owens’ life was irrevocably changed in a matter of seconds. Life as she knew it was over in the blink of an eye. Moving away from all that she knew, Lucy now lives a solitary life in her cabin on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Filled with guilt and pain, she keeps herself to herself, and for years she manages to avoid immersing back into society. 

Nicole Granger has three small children to worry about. Always looking over her shoulder, they arrive at the lake with very little to call their own. Haunted by years of physical abuse, she longs to belong again, to bring normality to her girls’ lives for the first time. 

Both women are pulled towards one another in an attraction that could bring both of them their freedom.

©2018 Claire Stevenson (P)2019 Claire Stevenson

Awesome Story & Listen🎧 Beautiful & Heartfelt!

This is a beautiful, well written and well told story. that captivated my my heart and my mind from start to end. Claire Highton-Stevenson created interesting storylines and characters that are complex and well developed. There are heartfelt and heart wrenching moments in this story that just tug at your heartstrings. Lucy Owens lost so much after a devastating and tragic accident, her love, her friends, her happiness and will to enjoy life and live. She becomes an empty shell and moves to a new location and chooses to a reclusive life, away from her life before the accident. Her guilt and memories are just too painful. Nicole’s husband is abusive and controlling, she finds the courage to run away from him, taking her three children with her to safety. She decides to move into a cabin near a lake to hide away for awhile. Her daughter Storm befriends their quiet and mysterious neighbor, Lucy. I just loved how Storm started to bring Lucy out of her shell, also loved how her friendship developed with Nicole and the bond they had. I thought they were great for each other, each had their own demons and they were able to help each rid of them. It was awesome how Lucy stepped up and handled Nicole’s husband, I loved how protective she was of Nicole and the children. I highly recommend this heartfelt story, it is high on emotions and drama but the payoff is just awesome. Watching these characters rise above all the pain and suffering life had thrown at them and learning to live and be happy again is so worth it. Thank you Claire Highton-Stevenson for this great story and the emotional rollercoaster ride.

I listened to the Audible edition, narrated by the talented Sarah Sampino. She is a wonderful and versatile voice performer. She brings the characters to life, gives each their own voice and personality. I loved her British accent too, it sounded natural and well spoked. She also does an awesome job at projecting the emotions of the characters and the drama of the story in her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen🎧

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Happiness comes in all life's moments.

This story of true courage with redemptive love captured my soul. Lucy and Nicole have been thru so much but there journey together restores so much more. Claire Highton Stevenson has once again created characters who capture your heart. Such a good read.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Grabs you and does not let go!

This book was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. It was a guilty pleasure waiting to happen. Pausing this book was torture and I hated to see it end. Watching this family come together and help each other grow, my heart swelled and broke with them. The author put me right there, feeling their pain, their joy, their anticipation. The narrator pulled the right emotions out of me through the entire book. Thank you for this.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

“A great narrator is one who's voice allows you to become immersed in the story and never think about the narrator themselves”... This is how I felt listening to this particular audiobook. Which I’m thrilled to have had that chance. I really loved the book and wasn’t sure how well the audiobook version would play out. Accents can be tricky and sometimes throws the story off if not done well...(one of the main characters has a British accent) well, needless to say, Sarah Sampino was Spot On with her Narration and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Bravo to the Author for a well written, heart felt story and for giving us a glimpse into these great characters she has brought to us in this amazing book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable story

Two damaged people finding their way back to happiness, with a decent build-up and just a bit too much drama for my taste. But it wasn't an unbelievable plot.
I suspect most listeners will love it, the narrator was a good fit for the story.
I listened to the whole audiobook in one day.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Couldn't Stop Listening

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I wasn't so sure I'd love it when I purchased it, but so glad I did. When the book ended, I was in my car, and knew I'd have to come back to leave a short review. ok narration was good, but not really a 5 for me, but I enjoyed the entire audiobook so much I wanted to give it an overall 5.0. I loved how both women had tragedy following them. they needed each other to learn to love again (that sounds corny). I loved the children. they had great lines and formed a lot of the story. the abusive, asshole who fathered those adorable kids makes an appearance here and there but it is great tension because Lucy was a badass and saved the day more than once. I wont spoil anything, but it all worked out nicely. It was a great story.

Great story

Great story and excellent narration. Easy to follow and heart warming. I truly enjoyed the experience.

Great example of what love should be

I absolutely loved this story. We fall in love with a person based on who that person is, and no one has the right to judge that. And when these two women meet, each is hurting because of a great loss. One is recovering emotionally from an accident that took everything she had, including her career, her lover and her looks. The other is running from a man she thought she once loved but who turned out to be an abuser. I have great respect and empathy for the LGBT community that must fight against prejudice to be together. This author did a great job in showing how two women's support of each other's pain and attraction to each other grew into a great love, creating a family three children never had. It's not just a love story though. There is plenty of action when the ex-husband shows up trying to claim what he believes is his, and lots of moments of suspense. I've become quite a fan of Sarah Sampino's reading skills. She has a great voice and produces a quality recording. Thank you Sarah, for gifting me a review copy of this book. I highly recommend this story.

Great story, great narration

I liked this book much more than I thought I would. I had only read two books by this author so far (the first two in the Cam Thomas series) and they didn’t really work for me. This one, though, totally did. Sarah Sampino’s narration also played a huge part in my enjoying it so much. Each character has their own voice, the children’s especially are very good.

It’s really not an easy story, and should probably come with a few trigger warnings. It’s about the meeting of two broken women and there are a few scenes of violence and abuse. They are not gratuitous and they are thankfully short. I felt the author dealt with them very carefully, sharing only as much as was needed but they can still feel quite intense.

So, the story. Lucy lost everything in an accident: the love of her life, her career, her friends. Even if she could forget, the scars on her body keep reminding her. She has left the UK for a very solitary life on the shores of Lake Tahoe, where, years later, she meets Nicole and her three young daughters, who are running away and hiding from an abusive husband and father.

One of my favorite things in this novel is the relationship between Lucy and Storm, the oldest child. I’m usually annoyed by too smart kids in books but with everything that little girl has gone through, I can see how that would make a child grow up fast. The interactions between Storm and Lucy melted my heart, I love how the child got Lucy to open up and come out of herself, beyond her pain.

Another thing I loved was how natural everything felt between Nicole and Lucy. It’s a slow burn romance in a relatively short time and it’s working. Each woman brings the best out of the other, and what else can you ask from a relationship?

There’s a lot of heartache in this novel, but love and life and hope win in the end, as they should.

Enjoyable

This book was a nice romance to listen to...a nice fairytale ending. One lady with a tragic, haunting past that was needed to create a connection with the child to help her heal. Another lady who was so use to abuse that she had to learn what true love is. There was a small curve ball thrown in but it worked out. If I didn't have to work during the time I started this book, I would've listened to it all at 1 time - it's rare that I enjoy a book from start to finish naw-a-days..I just hope this author has more enjoyable books like this one was.

One of the best

One of the best books I’ve listened to in a while it was very easy to gel with all the characters, I would really recommend this one

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

loved the book loved this too

absolutely loved this book the narrator did a fantastic job she didn't make Lucy sound like Julie Andrews in Mary Ppppins or a female Dick Van Dyke which sadly most American narrators do , sadly English narrators tend to be even worse at being English so congratulations

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Best Audio book I've ever heard

Absolutely amazing, so riveting the story is really brought to life highly recommend loved it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not a bad read / listen

This book revolves around the two main characters who have major personal issues.
It is by no means a light read given the characters backstory.

It is a little predictable at times but there are many lesfic books out there so to a achieve uniqueness in this genre is near on impossible. That said, Claire creates a good well paced love story. In all the book is well written and  the dialogue is also good.

My only criticism of the narration is the English accents were a bit plummy for my liking, aside form that the narrator has a nice voice and is easy to listen to.
 

I'm like anything I've read before in the best way

I play Love this book because it was like nothing else I have ever listened to before. I feel like this book can connect to so many different people because of the major issues that it covers such as abuse an issues regarding sexuality. The women in this book while both struggling with their own issues connect on a level that in a way help heal each other. I also feel that one of the women having two children both affects how they dealt with issues and how they both overcame some issues. I just can't express enough how much I really enjoyed this book I was completely hooked from the beginning and love how it came together in the end. I both enjoyed the listening aspect as much as the story itself.
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