My review: Restore Me by J.L. Mac

Title: Restore Me

Author: J.L. Mac

Genre: Contemporary

Published date: April 29, 2013

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17405850-restore-me

Book Description:

Navigating the world alone is all Josephine Geroux has ever known. Life altering tragedy struck early on for her. She endured an admirable struggle through her youth and learned the hard way how to adapt and survive. She managed to arrive at adulthood in one piece in spite of it all. 

After such chaos, maintaining a life free of complications is a priority for her. 
Everything changed when a man with amber eyes came through her door and claimed her heart. She fell hard in more ways than one. The pull between Jo and Damon seemed like fate bringing things full circle.

With another devastating loss looming, Jo fights to hold on to the very thing that brought her to her knees. She finds herself torn between a promising future and clinging to a devastating past.
But that’s not the most worrisome problem on her hands. 

She must convince more than just herself to let the past stay in the past, where it belongs, but on her journey to find closure and resolution, she does the exact opposite. An old wound caused by a heinous act becomes exposed for what it is. The truth is catastrophic and Jo is helpless, watching as the ruins of her fragile world endure more turmoil. 

Can something conceived from tragedy and malice end well? Can something so completely poisoned conquer adversity? Jo is left to make a decision; accept the circumstances she finds herself in or fight with unwavering ferocity to restore what has been damaged.

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About the Author: 

J.L. Mac is twenty-six years old and currently resides in El Paso, Texas, where she enjoys living near her parents and siblings. She was born and raised in Galveston, Texas, until she married her husband in July of 2005. She has two young children and is married to a soldier in the United States Army. J.L. and her family have lived all over the United States and have enjoyed each new experience in each new place. J.L. admittedly has had a long and sordid love affair with the written word and has loved every minute of it. She drinks too many glasses of wine on occasion,and says way too many swear words to be considered "lady-like." J.L. spends her free time reading, writing, and playing with her children.

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Review:

**Do not read this review if you have not read Wreck Me, MAJOR spoilers***

Restore Me picks up right where Wreck Me left off.  At first when Jo is making arrangements, picking out clothes, and meeting with Damon’s assistant Brian I thought for sure he was dead.  Damon obviously isn’t or we wouldn’t be reading another book about Damon and Jo.  Damon may not be dead physically but emotionally he is.  He sits in his hospital bed and stares off into space, he doesn’t talk he doesn’t show emotion he’s just a shell of the man he used to be.  The doctor says it will take time for Damon to return to his old self but when the mind experiences severe trauma the mind retreats and pretty much goes on holiday.  Jo helps him dress and get home and get around but he doesn’t say anything or show signs of the man he used to be.  With truth in hand and wanting to try and do whatever she can to save her relationship, Jo decides to stick it out and be whatever Damon needs her to be so he can get better.

‘Zombie Damon’ as she refers to him gets home and moves around the house on his own but doesn’t say anything.  Jo falls asleep on the couch but when she’s awakened by Brian she discovers that Damon is missing and when they locate him he’s in his office standing in front of his filing cabinet when he notices he’s not alone in the room he immediately closes and locks the cabinet and speaks for the first time but when he does it’s to address Brian and not even look in Jo’s direction asking to speak to Brian alone.  Dejected Jo leaves the room and doesn’t talk to Damon for the rest of the night.  She decides to be strong and supportive and do whatever she can to get him to talk to her.  Finally having enough of sitting around feeling sorry for herself she goes out to work on the bookstore and visit Grams and try to continue to live her life.  But when she gets a text from Brian regarding Damon demanding to know where she’s at.  Angry and upset that Damon couldn’t even ask himself she goes home to demand that he talk to her himself.  She yells and finally feels bad about yelling and goes to make him his dinner; she tries in vain to get through to him at which point he announces that he wants to have sex and nothing but sex.  No talking, no thinking, he just wants sex in every way he can imagine and anytime he wants.  Jo decides to oblige him trying in vain to gain a connection with Damon in anyway that she can even at the expense of her feelings.  Jo may seem strong but she’s hanging on my a thread especially since after they have amazing mind blowing sex he just shuts down and walks away leaving her feeling used and like garbage.

For me it was very difficult to watch.  I had to stop about halfway through this book because I just couldn’t handle the way Damon was treating her, it broke my heart.  Jo wanted so much to repair what they had, but it’s a two way street and you can only do so much on your own before it becomes too much.  Damon at one point even told her that if he didn’t want her he would have paid her and tossed her out on the street I could feel the pain that caused her.  But I kept going hoping to see things get better between them and finally it paid off.  Damon said he was trying as hard as he could, but the light that was once in his eyes is still missing so Jo finally decides that she must do something to help him.  What she doesn’t expect to find is the reason for his sorrow and self loathing to be his journals he wrote growing up locked away in that drawer that documented the torture and pain he experienced growing up and the hands of his father, Edward, who never wanted anything to do with him from the start.  With truth in hand and the tools to comfort Damon he finally seems to snap out of the haze he was in, but there’s still one loose end that Jo feels she needs to address and that’s locating Damon’s mother and seeing if she’s still alive and interested in reconnecting with her son.  Obviously I can’t really go into that because that’s towards the end of the book, but closure is needed.

Just when you think their story is over, you will discover that by the end of Restore Me that it’s far from over.  When it’s discovered that someone has been stealing from Grams, Damon’s sister is quick to point the finger at Jo but Jo is fast to point out that their father Edward is desperate for money and is in need of 45,000 dollars.   It’s not until Jo tells his family the truth of his father’s abuse does Damon’s family begin to understand why Damon doesn’t want to help his father.  So when Edward enters the picture as a threat and Damon’s mother on the verge of re entering his life, what will happen?  The wait until Accept Me is out is going to KILL ME but I am glad their story isn’t over yet I could use some more Damon and Jo.  This was very well written and left me wanting so much more.  J.L. Mac is an amazing author and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.  (I especially loved hearing what inspired her to write this story.  It’s not everyday you get to hear what the inspiration was and believe me sitting in traffic every single day to and from work I can totally sense what she was feeling).

Favorite Quotes:

“No, Josephine.  I don’t hate you.  If I did, I’d give you a generous amount of money and send you away.” Loc 865

“You refuse to just talk to me.  You fuck me then walk away.  It makes me feel like some used up piece of trash, Damon!  I love you and I’m waiting for you, so if you think I give two fucks about some maintenance guy, you’re dead wrong!”  Loc 1167