Light in the Shadows (Find You in the Dark #2) by A. Meredith Walters

From goodreads: How do you keep going when you feel like your life is over?

Maggie never thought she’d see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to.

Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie. Even after ripping their lives apart and leaving her behind to get the help he so desperately needed. He is healing…slowly. But his heart still belongs to the girl who tried to save him.

When a sudden tragedy brings Maggie and Clay face to face again, nothing is the same. Yet some things never change. Can the darkness that threatened to consume them be transformed into something else and finally give them what they always wanted? And can two people who fought so hard to be together, finally find their happiness? Or will their demons and fear drive them apart for good?

The thing about love, is even when it destroys you, it has a way of mending what is broken. And in the shadows, you can still see the light.

This is an unconventional love story and that’s how I love my books, different.  It’s heartbreaking, it will fill you with hope and it will generate many discussions.

Light in the Shadows is by far even better than the first book in the series.  It’s brilliant and perfect all rolled into one and I couldn’t get enough of this heartbreaking story!  This sequel rocked me to my core because there is something about Clay that breaks my heart but this book isn’t all doom and gloom, there are shreds of hope that moved me to pieces.

“I can only say, with one hundred percent certainty that I love you. That I live and breathe for you. That I would lay down my life a million times over for you. And no matter what happens tomorrow, next week, next year, my heart will always be yours.” 

This story moves at a perfect pace, it’s not rushed but it’s now slow and yet, it’s slow building story.  It’s a character driven story and frankly, it’s beautiful.  The writing is hands down, flawless and the dialogue felt genuine throughout the entire story.  The journey of Clay and Maggie felt incredibly real to me and at moments, I forgot I was reading because I was so caught up in their world and only a truly talented author can do that to a reader.

“The choices we make in our life don’t have to define us. It’s what we learn from them that’s important.” 

You might think that Maggie and Clay aren’t meant to be together because of how their relationship started, in the darkness.  Some even said their love was obsessive and oppressive in the first book but I didn’t see it that way.  It started off filled with such intensity that it can give the wrong perception.  However, their relationship was re-charged and brought back to life when he returned home.  All the same intense feelings were still there but there was clarity that Clay had upon his arrival.  He was selfless, going through the healing process.  And Maggie was forever faithful to Clay but trying to move at the same time.  Her heart clearly wasn’t on the same page.

“You are everything good in my life. Even when I thought all I had was the darkness, you were there. And you gave me something to live for. I couldn’t let you go. No matter how hard I tried. I know now that’s because to lose you would be losing the very best part of myself.” 

There is nothing about this story that I didn’t like, I loved it from start to finish.  If you need a series that’s edgy, different and beautiful…this is it!!!