Giveaway and Review: The Nature Of Cruelty by L H Cosway

A standalone contemporary romance novel about love, hate, cruelty and forgiveness.

Her name is Lana. She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago.

His name is Robert. He breaks the ones who love him. He’s always liked to play games with Lana, see how far he could push her. He once thrived on her pain, but no more. Now she’s coming to London to live with his sister for the summer and this time he plans on being her friend instead of her tormentor. But Lana is scarred by his past bullying. She doesn’t trust him, nor does she have any reason to.

When the two find themselves living under the same roof, they call a truce. This summer will change both of their lives, as they put their history aside and learn one another from scratch.

When fear takes over, we use cruelty as a mask. Robert and Lana’s story will see their masks slip away as the love they felt on the inside shows its true face.

**Not suitable for younger readers. Contains strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.**



4 Star Review by Lisa Kane

Lana has been friends with Sasha her whole life. Now Sasha’s twin brother, not so much. When she was a child, Sasha and her brother, Robert moved in to the house next door to her in Ireland. Their parents had a bitter break up. For Sasha and Lana, it was the start of a life long friendship. While Lana was a little in awe of Robert, who was 4 years older than her, Robert seemed to instantly despise her. He rarely missed an opportunity to bully her, ridicule her and engage in general verbal warfare. Lana would instantly be on guard when she was around Robert, and her whole personality changed when he was around.

 

Years later, Lana is spending the summer in England where Sasha lives. She is getting ready to research her post grad thesis and is thrilled to spend the summer with Sasha, who now works as a journalist. It must be her lucky day, because as soon as she arrives, Robert comes over. Seems he has just broken up with his on/off again girlfriend and let he have the apartment. What better place to stay than at his sister’s hanging with her and her best friend.

This book alternates between Robert’s POV and Lana’s. Robert has always covered up his real feelings for Lana but being cruel to her. He harbored feelings of resentment towards her because she was his twin’s best friend, a replacement for their once close relationship. But his feelings changed, and he acted like most adolescent boys who tease girls they really like. His problem-he can’t stop his cruelty to Lana. The more he feels, the less he can let her in, but he wants that to change. 

How can a pattern of abuse be stopped? When your heart desires someone you never believed you could have, what do you do? I enjoyed this book. Robert has so many layers he hides under and has fought his attraction to Lana for so many years. He truly believes he isn’t worthy of her and despises himself for his cruelty to her. Lana has always wanted Robert, but has been hurt for so long that she trusts neither Robert nor herself. This story slowly builds through a series of flashbacks. Well worth the journey.  

“No matter what form the cruelty takes, it often births an offspring called regret. That emotion of remorse, where you wish you’d never acted the way you did. You wish you’d never made the girl you love think you hated her.”

 

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