Review: The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

AMAZON | KINDLE

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence #2) by Jessica Sorensen
Contemporary / New Adult  
Forever (July 30, 2013)

Rating: B-
Heat: Warm

Heroine: Callie Lawrence – Broken, Grows Stronger 
Hero: Kayden Owens – Abused, Survivor

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way he stands a chance against the charges is if Callie speaks up, something he'll never ask her to do.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But saving him means admitting her secrets aloud. Callie and Kayden are stronger than they think, especially when they're together. Together they move forward, face their demons, and finally start to heal from their traumatic pasts.

Review:

After reading the first book in the series, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this installment. The cliffhanger left me stunned. I was reeling from shock. And I was literally choked up. Jessica Sorenson delivers another emotional story that left me satisfied… but with mixed feelings.

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden picks up where book one left off. Kayden is in the hospital after his abusive father stabbed him. Kayden is trying to recover from the trauma but feels overwhelmed and shuts out everyone, even Callie. She wants to help Kayden but feels helpless. Finding out Kayden is a cutter makes her fear for his life, yet she is too timid to confront him on it. While Callie struggles with finding a way to re-establish a connection with Kayden, he is slowly drowning in pain and despair. The way his mother treats him is cold and leaves him feeling hopeless that his life will never change. The strong bond that ties Kayden and Callie together begins to unravel as they grow apart. Kayden must find a way to release the darkness inside his head so he can move on with his life.

There are so many questions that floated through my mind once I started this story... Can Callie and Kayden rekindle the connection they had for each other? How do you overcome the darkness left after your father stabs you? Is there hope for a better life? Does Callie finally tell her family about the rape? Will there be character growth with these characters? Jessica Sorenson does not leave us hanging. We get answers.

“Maybe if I try hard enough, we'll fall into each other and become one single person and we can share our pain instead of carrying it by ourselves.”

Callie and Kayden are really lucky to have found one another. They are wonderful together. It was nice to see Callie and Kayden finally open up to each other and unload their heavy secrets. With each other, they find comfort and understanding. They find strength in one another to share what they’ve been hiding for so many years. It will take time for them heal from it all, but now they realize that silence is no longer an option. Eventually, the fragile connection they had at the beginning of the book becomes emotionally stronger. Callie and Kayden have lived with so much pain and suffering in their lives that they are broken emotionally and that makes it really hard for them to be normal teenagers in love – which means they have a long road of healing ahead of them.

Jessica Sorrenson does not let up in this installment. This story is MUCH darker than the first book. There is A LOT of angst. TONS. Both characters have so much inner turmoil and it was intense. Confusion, sadness, heartbreak, guilt, anger… All war within these characters heads. But Kayden is the one suffering the most in this book. I really wanted to love this story, but I found being inside Kayden’s head at times was overwhelming. I knew he was suffering a kind of pain that I could never imagine, but the angst was just too much. Too heavy. It overshadowed the storyline at times. There were even times when I just put the book down to feel something other than all that angst. I really needed a hug when this story ended.

I really enjoyed the scenes with Seth and Luke and Callie. Seth is awesome and a really good best friend to Callie. I do like that Callie finally found her backbone in this story. She showed a great amount of strength to help Kayden during his time of need. She helped him realize that picking up a razor wasn’t the only solution to his problems. Callie deserves a high five for how far she’s come.

The next book is called The Destiny of Violet and Luke and I’m looking forward to reading Luke’s story. Oh, Luke. I adore him. I have a strange and shivery feeling that the secret Luke is keeping will be extremely gut-wrenching. And Violet, Callie’s roommate, definitely has some issues that have been hinted at since the first book. Both these characters are a mystery and I can’t wait to read their story.

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden took me on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride that never let up. Not once. Their story will tug at your heartstrings repeatedly. This story may be dark and sad and painful, but the romance is sweet enough to make your heart smile. While there was some resolution in this story, there are definitely a lot of things that were not resolved. This installment may have left me with mixed feelings I still think it’s worth reading.