"Safe Haven"

by Nicholas Sparks, AF, 2010, 340p, rating=3
**SPOILER ALERT**

"When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.  But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven." (book's synopsis)

This was J. Lo's Enough meets Bruce Willis's The Sixth Sense.  A weird combination but the suspense factor (last 80 pages or so) got you through it.  At that point I wanted the ending to be a happy one or I'd go nuts!!  Let's just say that the ending involved saving the taxpayers some money.

Stories involving battered women is a hard topic for me.  It ruffles my feathers!  So this was a book that I had to read slowly.  That said, I felt for Erin (aka Katie).  I loathed Kevin, the abusive husband.  I cheered Erin's courage to escape Kevin.  I was glad Katie met Alex and the kids.  I was happy that there was an end to the nightmare.  Everything in between was unrefined but the account of a woman making it through such a horrendous ordeal was a defining moment.

It breaks my heart to know that women go through such torment.  It breaks my heart ...