Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp // I Read with Audra Tour, Review, and Giveaway

About the Book:

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on--responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who's come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam's experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand--but that everyone is learning to fear. Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn't the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts? Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she's terrified he's going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam's mental wounds--or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life? Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.

Review:  

A gripping and gritty story about love, revenge, betrayal, and holding on for better or for worse. 

I didn't want to put this book down for a second, it kept me guessing all the way up until the explosive conclusion and I loved every minute of it. I liked how the book alternated perspectives between Sam and Annie, their scars and ghost from the past hindering their reunion. Sam is a veteran who has seen countless horrors that haunt his nightmares, returning to fight another battle for his marriage and family. I admired his fierce devotion to his family, and willingness to sacrifice him self many times over for the ones that he loves. 

Annie has always seen Sam as her hero, but the man who returns reminds her of her nightmares. I admired Annie for her strength and how she has grown while Sam was away, as well as her inner mama bear. There was  intensity, yet vulnerability to both Sam and Annie, that brought a genuine rawness and gravity to their plight. Rosemary is a darling child, but one of my favorite characters had to be Dovie May, a woman of strong faith, and the most quotable character in the whole book.

This is well layered read, intense and poignant, with honest, raw characters. Masterful storytelling pulled me in and didn't let go until I was finished, I loved the elements of a psychological thriller, as well as how it definitely kept me guessing and holding on tight for the answers. I couldn't have asked for anything more from this stunning and intense read, it checked every box for me and I can't recommend it enough! 

 I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Janyre Tromp is a historical novelist whose loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.

She’s also a book editor, published children’s book author, and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her family, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog. And if you ever meet in person, you pronounce that first name Jan-ear.

You can find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com (where you can grab a free copy of her novella Wide Open).

Giveaway:

The prize pack includes:
 
- A copy of Shadows in the Mind's Eye,
- A custom made silver peach tree necklace inspired by the book,
- A "Light speaks through the broken places" t-shirt also inspired by the book.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway