At First Light by Mari Madison – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
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Description:
At News 9 San Diego, relationships don t get canceled. They just go on hiatus…
After five years of reporting in war-torn Syria, Troy Young is back in his hometown of San Diego. Readjusting to life back home is proving difficult. He keeps having panic attacks during live shots. But he s given one more chance as an entertainment reporter doing a He Said, She Said review segment. It s not what Troy had in mind especially when he discovers who his new partner is.
Movie-obsessed Sarah Martin loves her new gig at News 9…until the man who broke her heart enters the studio. Still, the desire between Sarah and Troy has not subsided even if he did pick his career over her. She doesn t want to trust him again but they ll need to overcome their off screen tension if they hope to handle the drama that s about to unfold…
Review:
At First Light by Mari Madison is the 3rd book in her Exclusive Romance series. This series continues the backdrop of News 9 San Diego. Sarah Martin, our heroine, is the entertainment reporter for News 9; she is a movie buff and loves her job.
Troy Young, our hero, spent the last 5 years of his life reporting live in the Syria war zone. Troy was kidnapped while on the air, and he became a house hold name. He was finally freed after negotiations were met to allow him to come home, but he gets panic attacks on his time in captivity. Troy accepts a job with News 9, but after one of the panic attacks, he is taken off live on site reporting, and given a spot as an entertainment reporter for the new, He Said, She Said show. Troy is shocked when he meets his co-host Sarah; the woman he left behind 5 years before. Sarah has never forgotten, nor forgiven Troy for walking out on her. Now they have to work together.
Though both of them feel the chemistry between them is still sparkling, they do their best to keep their relationship as co-workers only. Soon Sarah begins to see Troy fighting his panic attacks, and tries to help him. This will lead them to become friends again, and eventually lead to a romantic relationship. Sarah is supportive of Troy, but he feels he is not worth her caring for him, since he still feels guilty leaving her.
What follows is an excellent story line, with a number of inner stories within. Troy refuses to get help with his panic attacks; Sarah besides trying to push Troy to get help, must also deal with her own issues from the past, which rears its ugly head. The romance between them was sexy and very well done, as their chemistry continues to scorch the pages.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching both Troy and Sarah rekindle their romance. Watching Troy suffer through those nightmares was written very well by Madison. Sarah’s perseverance to help Troy, both with his problem, and to help him with his career, made her such a great heroine. At First Light was a very good story, which I suggest you read. However, even if this reads very well as a standalone, I suggest you start with the first book in this series, in order to enjoy the News 9 TV background.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
I always thought it was kind of ironic that this particular book ended up with the title “At First Light” seeing as it’s definitely the darkest book in the Exclusive Romance series. Not that there aren’t moments of levity, mind you. But when you have a hero suffering from PTSD after being kidnapped in Syria while working as a war correspondent, a book can’t be all sunshine and roses.
PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition I suffered from for years, though mine was not related to trauma experienced overseas. Looking back now it’s hard to believe what my life used to be like. Filled with senseless anxiety, out of control mood swings, debilitating depression. I remember rushing to the Emergency Room, thinking I was having a heart attack, only to find out it was a panic attack. The next day my boss made fun of me for overreacting. I had literally thought I was going to die.
That’s the worst part about suffering from something like PTSD, anxiety or depression. Unlike a disease like diabetes, there’s a stigma attached by society. People would never judge you for taking insulin. Anti-depressants? Well, that’s a whole other story. People told me I should just exercise instead. Or they complained that my personality had changed on the medication. I felt guilty taking it. I felt as if it made me weak.
But the truth was, it saved my life.
For this book I dove into another type of PTSD—the kind so many soldiers get after returning from overseas and trying to transition back to regular life. The instincts that kept them alive over there now riddle them with unnecessary anxiety and make it almost impossible to cope with everyday life. It can be a painful adjustment for both them and their families. And left untreated it can lead to divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness, and suicide.
One book I found particularly insightful was “Once a Warrior Always a Warrior” by Colonel Charles Hoge, MD, a leading advocate for eliminating the stigma associated with mental health care. It talked in depth about making the transition for both the solider and his or her family.
When I first set out to write this book I worried about writing a PTSD character who was both accurate and yet sympathetic to the reader. After all, readers want a hero they can root for—but someone suffering from PTSD may not be always be able to act heroically. Sometimes he may be frightened—torn apart by anxiety. Would this make him look weak on the page? Other times he would be angry and would lash out in frustration. Would readers decide he was too mean for our heroine? He might let her down—would she look like a sucker for giving him a second, third, or even forth chance?
But in the end I decided to let go of these concerns. To write the story as it needed to be told, as accurately as possible, pulling from both my personal experience and my research. Living with PTSD is a reality for so many in this country and while there is no quick fix, no simple happily ever after, there is still hope. And with love and patience and understanding—and a whole lot of time and effort—(not to mention willingness to try medication and other therapies)—there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Which leads me back to my title. Maybe AT FIRST LIGHT works pretty well, in this case, after all.
Mari’s publisher is offering a paper copy of AT FIRST LIGHT to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe
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