To Love and To Lose by Mercy B. Published on June 29, 2017 by Mercy B. Publications Standalone or Series:  Standalone Page length: 307 Crown rating: 7 crowns! Reviewer: Parker How long did it take to finish? Two days “Ever has it been that love knows not even its own depth until the hour of separation.”

Saydee Rhodes, once a sweet and vibrant soul, fell victim to the vicious hands of her longtime lover, Leon. Aside from the physical scarring, he completely diluted her mentally– leaving both her mind and body battered and bruised. After having her third child beaten from her womb, Saydee makes the greatest escape, landing in the arms of Coop. With winsomeness that couldn’t be avoided, Coop lured Saydee with his attentiveness. Being that his mother was once in her shoes, he felt obligated to her. A knight in shining armor was her reference of the selfless gentleman. In a short period, Saydee was effortlessly placed on a pedestal, only to be knocked down with two simple words from her savior. Destined to find peace within her inner self, Saydee flees once more, making careless decisions, fueled by temporary emotions. Even with being told that love was a losing game, Saydee couldn’t agree until she was laid on the cold bathroom floor, crimson blood surrounding her being as she begged her dear God to spare her life just one more time.

What I liked:
I absolutely adored everything about this book. It pulls you in from the very first page and reads as if it were a movie. I had anxiety reading about Saydee attempting to get away from her abuser and found myself emotionally involved throughout the entire novel. All of the characters were beautifully flawed in ways that made them human, but not overly annoying. The male characters weren’t overbearing which I’m thankful for because that seems to be the norm for novels these days. It also wasn’t the typical happy ending, which gave the novel a more realistic feel. This was one of my first reads by Mercy B and I look forward to trying out more of her books.

What I did not like:
The only thing that I didn’t like about the book was when Leon found Saydee. For it to be such a powerful moment, it was a little underdone. Also, although the story wasn’t meant to focus on Saydee’s friend and her love life, there was enough focus on their relationship to make me want to read more about them so I wish they had a bigger storyline.

Would I recommend this? Read it again? Read the next book in the series?
I’ve already recommended this book to others and would be glad to continue to do so. I also have a habit of rereading books to capture any details I may have missed, so, this is definitely on the reread list.

Rating:
I gave the book 7 crowns and 5 stars because it was different and brought light to different struggles that women battle with. Not just the focus of an abusive relationship, but the trauma that women experience afterwards and how hard it is for women to build themselves back up after dangerous relationships. It was well-written and pulled different emotions out of me from beginning to end. I’m not even afraid to admit that I shed a tear or two while reading.