Review - The Chaos of Us by Azalea Hudson

Wow, what an incredible story! From the beginning, which was as dramatic as one can get, to the twists and turns surrounding Savannah and Drew, this book is smoke, mirrors and a LOT of steam.

The drama begins on the first page and doesn't let up for the whole book, as Drew is tormented by Savannah's familiarity to a woman he had loved and hated in equal measure. We get inside both characters' heads as the mystery gradually unfolds. Is Savannah really Drew's lost love, Hailey? Or is she just a doppeldanger drawn into Drew's tortured nightmares?

The sex is HOT, as love, hate and mistrust fight with lust between Drew and Savannah. Savannah begins to doubt her own sanity in the face of Drew's insistence that she is really Hailey, who is supposed to be dead.

I have to mention the head-hopping writing style, which won't be for everyone. I was disconcerted by it at first, but then saw how perfectly it suited this angsty, angry romance. The last time I read a book with head-hopping throughout, it was The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, so this book is in illustrious company. The style isn't something I would want to read every day, but as I said, for this fast-paced novel, it worked fine.

Ditto the exclamation points, which had the characters shouting at each other most of the time. Again, the plot suited that style, because with the kind of problems Drew and Savannah had, they WOULD be shouting at each other a lot.

Suspend disbelief for the denouement, because for a story like this, it wasn't just going to end simply. Oh no. With the mafia involved and the puzzle surrounding a stolen necklace, the book keeps you guessing until the very last page. Even then, you wonder whether you've been drawn into Drew and Savannah's twisted, screwed-up world.

Not for everyone, but a fabulous read for anyone who loves their romances dark, twisty and full of drama.

BLURB

What would you do if your entire life was a living nightmare, and your only wish was to free yourself?

What if the only way to protect the one you loved was to take yourself out of the picture, for good?

Then you were no more…

After the repercussions of his trauma were under control, Drew crossed the seas. A decade goes by and on a cruise he meets the mirror image of his long-lost love, and all the demons from his past strike at him again. In the middle of the ocean, Savannah finds herself instantly connected to the handsome, tormented stranger who thinks she’s someone he knew. The car accident left only bits and pieces of her memory, but Drew wasn’t in any of them, raising many doubts and questions about her old self. They can’t deny the scorching attraction between them, but all the ghosts and secrets from their pasts lurk in every dark corner of their hearts. Drew and Savannah will have to fight hard against the storm that approaches to discover if life has given them a second chance in love, or if it was fate, playing a sick and twisted joke on them.