Beneath the Scars By Melanie Moreland

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 14th, 2014

Rating: 4/5 stars

 Beneath the Scars started off really interesting. You have two people who are so obviously down on their luck, and who face the world, recognizing that it doesn’t owe them anything. They’re looking at the world without rose-tinted glasses, but both have very different responses. Where one hides from the world to protect themselves, the other refuses to give up, refuses to believe that all the world has to offer to them is this cruel fate.

 I love reading books that aren’t classified as dark romances but deal with complex, and tragic characters, the type of characters that have hard stories and hard pasts but still, somehow, learn to live and carry on. Beneath the Scars started out like that, it gave an interesting inner dialogue, if a little choppy that introduces the heroine, Megan. And when you’re finally introduced to Zachary, it’s just like… Woah. Talk about a chip on your shoulder! But this made it incredibly realistic because Zachary is supposed to be very hermit-like, and very defensive, using cruel behaviour as his armour.

Two things really annoyed me at the start of Beneath the Scars. One, Megan seemed to be way too open to love and relationships, figuring she had just been massively betrayed. Second, it looked like Megan and Zachary’s relationship progressed too quickly. Still, luckily Moreland corrected both, Zachary freaked out, and there was also some inner monologue between Zachary and Megan about her openness. To Megan, it didn’t make any sense, she just knew she wanted him, and Zachary found it admirable that she wouldn’t let her past affect her future.

The story, I think, really picked up once Zachary had his freak out, and then Megan slowly got him to trust her. Moreland did a fantastic job making this really realistic; Zachary went from living for a dozen years in solitude, not trusting anyone to venture into an emotional and physical relationship with Megan. It was understandable that Zachary had his worries and that his insecurities got the better of him. I won’t lie that it wasn’t frustrating, but the fact that Megan got exceedingly frustrated and annoyed with Zachary’s insecurities made it awesome! Hallelujah! I’m not saying Megan wasn’t understanding; she was exceptionally so (and forgiving), but she pushed Zachary to try, and there were even points where she had such a realistic view on their relationship, that maybe their relationship wouldn’t work out. This was a breath of fresh air, although heartbreaking, the idea that their relationship wouldn’t end with a HEA.

Another exciting aspect of Beneath the Scars was how Moreland incorporated art into her story. Both Zachary and Megan were artists, different kinds, but they both expressed their emotions through an artistic outlet: painting and writing.

Zachary’s past really surprised me and shocked me since he told it so crudely. At this point, you sympathize with Megan because she reacts strongly and obviously doesn’t want to hear it but knows she needs to understand Zachary and have a relationship with him.

Overall I adored Beneath the Scars. It was clichéd some points and unrealistic at others, but overall I really liked it. It was the perfect sweeping romance to read on a rainy day.

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