Review: Distorted by Christy Barritt

With each book she writes, Christy Barritt continues to wow me. How does she manage to draw me into the thick of things, leave me in suspense, wanting answers from those first pages? Every. Single. Time. Distorted (available June 20, 2017) is no exception.

After one year of living a waking nightmare, Mallory Baldwin is determined to move on. In order to do that, she embarks on a book tour to raise awareness of the epidemic of human trafficking. While attempting to gain strength and courage, Mallory still is afraid of the dark, fights nightmares of her time in captivity, and is uncomfortable with any physical contact.

When she receives threats and starts to see the man who held her against her will, Mallory’s manager calls in reinforcements in the person of Tennyson Walker—the former SEAL who rescued Mallory.

Barritt plants enough seeds of suspicion in her characters to keep me guessing until the end of the book. What is Mallory’s manager’s true motivation? Why is her father’s former stepdaughter showing up all of a sudden? Are the men in the organization who took her seeking revenge?

Distorted handles the raw subject of trafficking well. Readers are given an idea of what happened to Mallory without going into too much detail, instead focusing on the mental and emotional toll the ordeal continues to have on Mallory. The story delves into the evil and greed that exist in the world as well as drives home the fact that trafficking is relevant in America. It’s not something that only happens to foreigners, girls and women, who are poor or unwanted.

From the first page to the last, Mallory’s journey from darkness travels a bumpy road full of twists and turns. This is a must-read for fans of quality romantic suspense with a deeper message. One of overcoming the hardest, most raw period of your life and coming out on the other side victorious.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Mallory Baldwin is a survivor. A former victim of human trafficking, she’s been given a second chance, yet not a night goes by that she doesn’t remember being a slave to weapons dealer Dante Torres. Despite being afraid of the dark and wary of strangers, Mallory is trying to rebuild her life by turning her tragedy into redemption.

To former Navy SEAL Tennyson Walker, Mallory seems nothing like the shattered woman he rescued two years ago, and he can’t help but be inspired by her strength and resilience. So when a stalker suddenly makes Mallory vulnerable once again, Tennyson steps up as her bodyguard to keep her safe.

Mallory and Tennyson’s mutual attraction can’t be ignored, but neither can Mallory’s suspicion that Tennyson is keeping a terrible secret about her past. As the nightmare closes in, it’s not only Mallory and Tennyson’s love that comes under fire but their very lives as well. Will their faith sustain them? Or will the darkness win once and for all?