Howdy YAL!

To see full review click here (you might need mind bleach).Amazon wants to teach me a lesson: being frugal makes me a sucker.Haven From the Storm cost me nothing, but I felt like I lost a part of my soul. Or at least my tolerance levels were diminished tremendously this weekend.But normally it's listed as $11.99 and I thought...well, that must be its good because generally speaking the more expensive a book is on Ammy the quality will probably (not always) be better.I was wrong.I'm always wrong.But I really feel like I need to smack myself on the head with this one or get my eyes check because look at that cover...I mean, this should be an obvious sign that the protagonist is TSTL. Who stands out getting a Glamor Shot done in the middle of a tornado.Lily apparently.Well, I'm assuming that's Lily with some good coverup on since we hear constantly about how her face is covered with bruises because her daddy likes to hit her for no apparent reason.Rolls eyes.Look, domestic violence is a serious topic. And the way this book handles it...makes me wonder again former fan fic?I know it might seem like I suspect a lot of these freebies as former fan fics but....there's a reason for it.They rely heavily on common fan fic tropes. This one the abuse trope. Where the MC is beaten where a normal person would've already gone J Lo from Enough already or be dead if this was a normal domestic abuse situation. And of course there are the legalities to consider that Dosher doesn't, like the fact that in Oklahoma you're required to report any suspicion of child abuse.But what does Stephenie Meyer say again...oh, that's right it's fiction and because of that we can throw all logic out the window.If you read my reviews you know already I don't buy that shit.Especially when it comes to books about domestic violence. I feel like when you write about situations that are as serious as this you need to provide accurate information so any victim or potential victim can know what their options are. Yes, I know it sounds a bit PSA. But sometimes you have to be a bit PSA. At least here. And I really have a bone to pick with that lazy excuse Dosher gave about how no one could do anything...really? I have no words.That wasn't the nastiest thing about this book.What does that go to?The romance.Which one of these things is the most disturbing to you:1) Hero, who is four years older than heroine, has been in love with her since she was fourteen when he was eighteen. And has obsessed about her for four years in college with no contact.2) That he expects her to start kissing him and be all Bella Swan like when he comes back four years later.3) That he comes into her house unannounced and uninvited.4) That the heroine is mad at the hero-who she had no relationship with at the time-for leaving and getting and education.5) That he's her new student teacher and that everyone including school staff seems okay with their relationship.All I have to say is did Mary Kay Laterno write this?No.Thankfully.But this sort of relationship screamed icky to me. I don't care if it's twue luv. And that there are lots of couples with age differences between them. The fact is this guy is her teacher. Yes, he might've been her dead brother's b.f.f. once upon a time and a childhood crush. But she is a child. He's an adult. And yes, she just turned eighteen. But still student teacher relationship. There are potential power issues here. He's a figure of authority and really the way he comes off is creepy.But I'll give it to Dean on this-I should mention that this book takes place in tornado ally, the hero's name is Dean, and there's an Impala in this book- all the characters in this book were sort of creepy so maybe he wasn't that bad.I mean with abusive drunk dad, school officials and townspeople who don't give a shit that Miss TSTL is getting her ass kicked by her daddy, he's not that bad. But still.And really, why doesn't Ms. TSTL leave? She's over eighteen she has her inheritance-oh, don't even get me started on the potential trust and guardianship issues in this book. If she can afford state of the art security system for her door, a mini fridge, some bongos, and all the luxuries of life (okay, maybe not the bongos but I just like the word bongos) she should be able to afford a down payment for rent. Heck, I bet that painted up old biddy who lets her sometimes borrow her car would let her rent a room from her at a reduce cost.But of course our heroine is just more concerned about buying a mini fridge.Was there anything decent about it? The grammar was okay for the most part. The writing overall was pretty bland though. I had a hard time distinguishing who was who even though it was clearly marked. This book in general was just meh and full of idiots.So I did what logical people do, I gave up on it. Which is sort of sad because this book could've been good. Domestic abuse is a very relevant issue but how it was handled and how the romance was handled soured my entire reading experience.