Synopsis
“Who am I? For all intents and purposes, I am the nice guy; the loyal brother and decent citizen. I am quiet and non-confrontational. I am the brother nobody worries about and can always depend upon. To my family, I am the good one. However, that’s only what they see on the outside.” ~ Jeremy Evans
Outwardly, Jeremy Evans is a typical guy, the calmest of the Evans brothers. He’s obsessed with cars, enjoys the company of beautiful women, and is devoted to his family. Inwardly, however, Jeremy is a ticking time bomb. Torn between what’s right versus what’s wrong. When the attempted rape on Darcie occurs, Jeremy finally loses the battle within himself. The pure hatred for Sulfur Heights consumes him and escape is all he thinks about.
Three years later, he is secretly engrossed by the drug-infested underworld. Jeremy’s double life leads him on dark and sinister paths of drugs, violence and rage.
The Evans family is destroyed after Presley’s murder and consequently Jeremy’s arrest. He’s sent to prison where he’s forced to survive with the mistakes he’s made on his conscience. However, only one thought lingers. It consumes the years he spends locked in a cell. Retribution.
Cami Ryker used to have a picture perfect life. She was loved by her family and happy with her life until her brother’s sudden death tore her family apart. Cami is forced to care for her ailing mother and assume the responsibilities of a normal adult. However, when the bills are paid and her mother is tucked away for the night, Cami likes to cloud her mind in order to escape her daily struggles. Late one night, a stranger trolling the streets rescues her in a dark alley. The mysterious stranger will become one of the most important people in her life until the day he’s sent to prison.
Four years later, Jeremy is released and seeking redemption for his mistakes, but the betrayal is still thriving amongst the Evans family.
Will Jeremy finally find the solace within to gain the forgiveness from his family that he desperately craves? And is it possible for Jeremy to save those he loves and exonerate himself in the process?
**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content**
Excerpt
“Really?” Jake
screams and steps closer. “You’re not sorry for getting Presley killed? All of
that had to do with you. You know that, right?”
“I was trying to
protect her!” My belly is touching Jake’s and we are going to blow up on one
another. I can sense it.
“How were you
protecting her? She’s fucking dead, Jeremy! Take some goddamn responsibility
for what you’ve done!” Jake pushes on my chest, but I don’t waver.
I stand my ground and
wait for him to hit me. Once he hits me, then my switch will be fully turned
over. The beast is pacing like a rabid animal inside of me. He’s screaming and
clawing, trying to get out of me, but I can’t allow that to happen. Jake will
be dead if it does. The red is seeping into my line of sight, and soon, it will
consume me. Soon, there will be no stopping it. I need to assess what’s really
happening right now. I am on the verge of killing my brother, my twin. I will
never be able to live with myself if I allow that.
I take a step back
and expel deep gasps of air. I turn my back and thread my fingers behind my
head. I need to walk. I have to get as far as I can away from this situation
before it moves from bad to worse. I slowly walk away from Jake, hoping he
doesn’t pursue. Yet the more I move away, the more my inner beast beckons me to
attack. I am fighting to keep him inside, but it’s impossible when I’ve been
that horrible person for so long.
My skin is lit on
fire, and I feel like I’m boiling from the inside. Sweat is generating and
makes my skin slick. I grab ahold of the back of my shirt and rip it over my
head. My bleeding arm is aching, but I ignore it. I toss my shirt to the ground
and walk to the garage. I stalk back and forth, trying to keep myself from
losing it when suddenly the anger is too much to bear. I pull my fist back and
slam it into the wall. My knuckles crack loudly. Instant pain shoots through my
hand and up my arm.
I want to feel the
pain, though. I need to feel the pain. I deserve to feel pain. I torture myself
some more and start laying blow after blow into the wood. I smash my fist into
the unforgiving building until I cannot stand another second of it. Then, I
release a loud, guttural scream. It’s a scream in anger and agony.
When I turn to face
my brother, I’m looking at two of them. Reggie is standing beside Jake, arms
crossed and indifferent. Jake, on the other hand, is staring at me in
disbelief. He is studying me and trying to see if I’m the brother he used to
know. However, the look in his eyes is telling me I’m a stranger. They’ve never
seen this side of me before, and it’s the part of me I’ve been living for
years. I’m familiar with and comfortable in this mind’s state.
My breathing is
labored and the pain in my arm is growing to great heights. I can no longer
stand the intensity as it burns my entire arm. I fall to my knees and hold my
wounded hand against my sweaty chest.
As Reggie looks to
me, his indifference finally fading, he sees me for the brother he once loved and
falls to my side. I hold my head up and connect my eyes to his. They are filled
with worry and concern. I’ve done an amazing job destroying my family, but the
little part of me that’s left hopes my family can see I really do want to be
with them. It will just take me time to shed my past.
“What happened to the
brother I used to know?” Reggie’s voice is quiet and scared. Not since Darcie’s
situation with Robert have I ever seen Reggie this frightened.
I glance down at the
ground and try to think of what happened to his brother. I rack my brain,
digging in the depths of my memory to find out what the hell happened to him—to
me. Nothing comes to mind other than my execution. The Jeremy Evans they knew
and once loved is dead.
I look back to Reggie
and answer as honestly as I can. “He died a long time ago.”
Review
4.5 of 5 stars
As you all know I have been reading May way through the Sulfer Heights series. With each book, I am amazed. I greatly enjoy the writing style of the author and grow to love every single character.
Redeemed Love is one book I just wasn't sure I was going to like though. If you've read the other books, (which you should!), you know all about the tragedy that the Evans family is contantly enduring. Jeremy is not a huge character until the 3rd book and once his secret is spilled, I'm not gonna lie, I couldn't stand him. So you can see why I was unsure of how I would like this book.
The first part of the book begins with parts from the other books, before Presley goes to rehab and is murdered. It was hard for me to read about the underground drug world. I know it exists but I sometimes like to live in a bubble but these books do not allow that. I was internally begging Jeremy to now go down the drug dealer road and ruin everything. However, I knew it was an inevitable part of the story. It was so hard to read, but it does make a little more sense to me and I tend to understand Jeremy's intense desire to get out of Sulfer Heights.
We also meet Cami Ryker, the niece of infamous drug lord, Matt Ryker. I feel so bad for her and hate that she had to grow up in a world of drugs, violence and hatred. But she is such and strong character and continues to prove that she can make it through anything. I love her!
The second part of the book is after Jeremy is released from prison. Will his family be able to forgive his ultimate betrayal? Will he and Cami ever get a chance at a normal life? You have to read this amazing book and see for yourself. Well done, MS Brannon
About Author M.S. Brannon
M.S. Brannon was born and raised
in the Midwest. She still resides there today with her wonderful husband and
son. When she is not writing or reading, M.S. Brannon spends time with her
family, watching movies, and discovering new music. She writes romance because
she believes love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience.
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
Tracy Banghart is a cheesy movie-loving, fantasy football-playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began "practicing" her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family's cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake. 
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