Defiance

The Human Sacrifice Series Book 2

Romance - Suspense
375 Pages
Reviewed on 03/05/2015
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite

M. Elaine Moore writes a powerful narrative in Defiance. Picking up right where Human Sacrifice left off, Detective Chris Avery has been suspended from duty. “The department can’t have a cop who takes matters into his own hands.” Aubri is in the hospital after being severely beaten and tortured. But, she survived! Although Chris saves her, he blames himself and is ridden with guilt and regret. Aubri suppresses her pain and vulnerability and begins to utilize her defense mechanism, repeatedly stating, “I’m fine.” But in reality she is far from fine. She can’t sleep, she is haunted by her memories; even drinking doesn’t help. Chris and Aubri are severely screwed up by this whole thing. All they want is for things to be normal again. Returning back to work the team works a new case – a woman has been abducted. No leads, no ransom, nothing about this case makes sense! Until the unthinkable happens. Aubri finds herself staring into the eyes of evil incarnate, realizing defiance has a price.

Defiance is masterfully written. M. Elaine Moore takes her readers to a whole new level in this sequel to Human Sacrifice. The adrenaline surge grows exponentially - fast paced, action packed and emotionally moving! As a reader, I was breathless. The characterization within the narrative is extraordinary. Moore draws her readers into the story, captivating your heart and mind. The realistic depiction of the aftermath of trauma is painfully accurate. Full of empathy, I wanted to jump inside the pages and give hugs and solace to Aubri and Chris. Moore delicately portrays the heart wrenching relationship of her main characters, yet never slows momentum. Moreover, the minor characters don’t just fill up space, they play significant parts within the plot scheme. Timing is everything, and Moore does it with excellence. The past of her characters unravel, but never too much too soon. She expertly places pivotal and climatic events within the plot. Once again Moore held me captive, and anxiously gasping for resolution, I fervently read to the end.

Jessyca Garcia

Defiance by M. Elaine Moore is the second book in The Human Sacrifice Series. It is also the first one I have read. The book follows up on Detective Aubri Payton after her abduction in the first book, Human Sacrifice, and her rescue by her partner Chris Avery. This book is not so much a crime novel as it is a book about a woman trying to live again after a brutal kidnapping.

Defiance is a book of emotions. After Detective Aubri Payton’s kidnapping, the only person she lets get close to her is her partner and savior Chris Avery. Even then she keeps him at arm's length. The book goes back and forth with their feelings for each other. Both characters try so hard to be strong and fight their need for each other. It is obvious to the reader that these two characters are better off together and have a strong connection. I admit I wanted to crawl into the book and slap both characters and handcuff them together at times. Moore does throw in a little excitement when more crimes similar to what happened to Aubri start occurring, but the main focus of the book is Aubri and Chris and their relationship.

Defiance is a book of fiction, but what Aubri feels and goes through after her abduction is real to actual kidnapping victims. They cannot just 'get over' what happened to them like they would in a book. I liked that Moore kept that part of the story true to life. I also really liked how Chris treated his informant Constantine and that he valued him as a person. That is something I have never seen in all the books I have read.

I did enjoy this book. At first it was a little too emotional for me but once I read the whole story I understood why. I would like to read Moore’s next book in the series to see if it is any different of if the crimes keep repeating.

Faridah Nassozi

In Defiance: A Novel (The Human Sacrifice Series Book 2) by M. Elaine Moore, Detective Aubri has just gone through an ordeal that would put an end to most people's sanity. She had been abducted and tortured in the most horrific ways possible. However, she refused to let what had happened to her, as dreadful as it was, define her. In her usual way, she locked the pain away and tried to go on with her life. Six weeks after being rescued, she was already back at work and ready to take down bad guys once again. However, Chris could see through her and he knew that she was not at all okay. That is why he was completely opposed to her taking on the new case with circumstances that exactly resembled what she had just gone through. Aubri wanted in on the case, hoping that saving another woman would somehow save her drowning soul. The case, however, hit too close to home and before long Aubri, Chris and the whole team, found themselves reliving their worst nightmare, only worse this time.

Defiance: A Novel (The Human Sacrifice Series Book 2) by M. Elaine Moore picks up exactly where Book 1 left off and once again takes you into Aubri and Chris's complex personal and work relationship. This time, however, the situation is made worse by the deep emotional wounds that they are both still nursing. Just like in Book 1, M. Elaine Moore did a wonderful job portraying the main characters and their emotional struggles as they nursed wounds that were reopened before they had a chance to heal. This time Aubri's fears, although well masked to the public, were even greater because she knew exactly what was coming, and that was so much worse than not knowing what to expect. The book brought out what it feels like when your worst fears come true, and the pain of reliving your worst nightmare.