Royce also has endured his share of emotional abuse and similarly has developed personality quirks because of these events - namely the inability to believe he is worthy of love.  Although Aimee once professed her devotion to him, Royce roughly rejected her and disappeared for the next year.

When they meet again at a family function, the situation is much different, however.  Aimee is being plagued by recurring nightmares of her mother’s death, with each dream revealing a little more detail about the terrifying experience.  In addition, she endures repeated attacks on her life by someone associated with the crime - someone who was never punished for his or her involvement.  As a long-time family friend, Royce gets the job of protecting her.

Several clues early on give readers a good idea of how this story will play out and which character might turn out to be the villain.  It’s still a fun read, however, and sprinkled with a few romantic scenes between the two emotionally damaged lovers.  Especially intriguing are the author’s descriptions of the psychological states of the main characters.  Although the situations may be dramatically contrived for a romance novel, their emotional states ring true for trauma survivors.