“How do I survive without you?” “One day at a time.”

I am so completely and utterly filled. Filled with happiness. Filled with pleasure. Filled with peace. That’s what Leanne Davis’ work does to me. I leave her wonderful worlds fully satisfied. She crafts perfect realms with equally purely flawed humans. Each has an incredible story to share that Davis composes for us, comprised equally of heart-wrenching honesty and vulnerability and authentic compassion and love.  

I first met Davis through River’s End. I had just purchased my kindle with the sole purpose of paying for kindle unlimited and binge-reading sappy romances, when I stumbled upon a free book titled River’s End. I read the summary and figured I’d give it a shot, I’d never been into the whole cowboy fanfare but there was always a chance I might find something I liked. And like it I did…I LOVED it. I read every book in that series back to back. Yep, all ten books. I sobbed and laughed and clung to my blankets through every single unparalleled adventure. It is safe for me to say that Leanne Davis is my favorite author. When I found her website and saw that she had written tons of other stories, I actually cried. At my desk and work. Huge, soggy, toddler-size tears of pure elation. I know this is meant to be a review of The Other Sister, but I felt I needed to preface with my abounding devotion. Although this is the first book I have reviewed for her on my blog, it surly won’t be the last. I mean…I have at least 20 more books to read 🙂 WOOHOO!!

Alright, here we go. So. The Other Sister. Where do I even begin? Davis really has a penchant for strong women. Women whose strength is hidden underneath years of suppression and degradation. Jessie, our heroine, is everything I needed and everything I wanted. It’s not often that you find a female lead described as a “whore”.  That’s how we first meet Jessie. She is the younger daughter of General Bains, a world renowned general in the US Army. Her older sister, Lindsey, serves as a Lieutenant, and is the favorite among the two. Jessie is only twenty when we are introduced, but has already experienced more pain in her life than most of us could ever imagine. At the beginning of our tale, she has been “captured” and stolen away to Mexico…and is being held for ransom. Her father, General Bains, doesn’t want to involve the police or military in this, for reasons unknown to us at the time, so he enlists Will Hendricks, a special forces solider, recommended by Lindsey (the favorite sister), to rescue her. Secretly. Little does everyone know, but Jessie has been brutally tortured and raped for the seventy two hours she is held in Mexico while awaiting her rescue. Will witnesses a great deal of it before he can save her and, in turn, they share a bond that cannot be broken. The story continues, and as luck would have it, they fall in love. It’s not an easy love. It takes years. It takes healing and strength, on both their parts. As I’m writing this, I’ve already downloaded book two, The Years Between, because I can’t stop for a moment without knowing more of their story. 

I had some issues with Jessie’s sister, Lindsey. She really turned around once she truly became aware of Jessie’s suffering, but it took a while. I was in physical pain reading about Lindsey’s desire for Will…and his attraction in return. I know it was necessary, what good is a story without a healthy dose of family drama? Nevertheless, here was my reaction when I read the the scene where Will and Jessie go to the General’s house for dinner and find Lindsey there: (fair warning, it’s very dramatic but I was feeling a lot of feelings at the time)

I’ve never hated a character so much in my life as I hate Lindsey. She is perfect without trying and Will is drawn to her. Jessie has been through so much without even a second thought from her sister. Lindsey gives Will looks and speaks to him with her body, something Will and Jessie don’t do. Jessie is his WIFE. Not Lindsey. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t know that Jessie was abused by her father. It doesn’t matter what Jessie has done. She is still her sister. That bond is unbreakable and she is letting a man, one she hardly knows and she’s been out with TWICE, break it.  I’m sick with disgust. Jessie deserves better from the people around her. I’m surprised, by this point, that she hasn’t truly tried to kill herself. If the cutting and whoring herself out weren’t screams for help, what more? What else can she do? She is oppressed and alone and scared. I can’t think straight. 

It was only a few pages later that Will first realizes he is falling in love with Jessie. So the above thought chain was basically null and void. Still, I think it’s important to lay it all out there. Lindsey turns around later and redeems herself in more ways than one. I actually am really looking forward to reading her book. She is complex in her own way, and I’m dying to know her secrets. This book gave me the ultimate feels. I’m so happy I could scream. I didn’t think I would ever find a couple that I felt as connected to and that I loved as much as Erin and Jack, yet here we are. Thank you, Davis, for changing my life through your words.

“Someone had to love her enough to convince her to save herself.”