NEW RELEASE & REVIEW - Forgive Me (Lost Souls #1) by Eliza Freed

When two lost souls find each other, are they still lost?

Charlotte O'Brien is lost in the devastation of her parents' death. With her foundation in ruins, she buries herself in an unlikely lover, Jason Leer.

When they're together it's everything, but when they're apart it's utterly frustrating. Can love survive when distance is measured in more than just miles?


Forgive Me is the first book in The Lost Souls Series.

Overwhelmed. That is the only way I can explain how I felt when I finished Forgive Me. I was filled with so many emotions I actually proceeded to dream about this book and its characters. I woke up thinking of how I was going to write this review. What words would I use? How would I explain how I felt? See.. Overwhelmed.

We meet Charlotte “Annie” O’Brien in what becomes a symbolic moment of her life. Having just gone against the expectations of not only her mother but her entire town, Charlotte is taking the long lonely road home both literally and figuratively until Jason Leer happens upon her.

Jason Leer is a cowboy - a New Jersey cowboy. And hot. Oh yes, we know the moment Charlotte encounters Jason on that lonely road that he is intriguing, sexy, strong, and completely at the mercy of Annie.

You’ll notice I changed our heroine’s name. Jason is the only person that still uses the nickname Annie had in 2nd grade. She is his Annie. At this moment you realize that not only does that fit perfecting into their connection, it is truly who Charlotte is -- two different people fighting within herself for self identity. Both love fiercely but Annie has a fire in her that nobody can deny.

After suffering a loss that only Jason understands, the connection Annie has with Jason is undeniable. Leaning on him and trusting him with her heart and what she needs for weeks and then months becomes almost who she is. The passion these two exude is scorching. The sex - they have a lot of sex - is hot and passionate and most importantly, loving and trusting. Throughout it all, everyone around Annie begins questioning her choices, forcing Annie to question them too. Is love enough? Can she simply accept that the person that completes her, supports her unconditionally, loves her with so much passion he almost can’t control? For Annie it is and she can. It is a fight she won’t lose.

The entire time I waited for the title of the book to come into play. When was the forgiveness going to be necessary? Many times I hoped it was Jason and Annie forgiving the people in their lives. Never had I seen a group of secondary characters so  completely frustrating and quite frankly unsupportive. As long as Annie was Charlotte and doing what everyone expected they supported her. The moment she chose her happiness and what her heart needed that support fizzled. Were these the people asking for forgiveness? I forgive those people. They simply don’t understand the undeniable need Jason and Annie have to be together. Nobody really can. It is more than words can express, it is something you experience. Then finally the moment comes. The very last few moments of the book. The signs were there. The foreshadow to the slap to my face. The feeling you held deep down - knowing it would happen. Turning to the final page, I cried. I gasped. I don’t know if I can forgive. I look forward to Redeem Me and how I will try to forgive.

Eliza Freed graduated from Rutgers University and returned to her hometown in rural South Jersey. Her mother encouraged her to take some time and find herself. After three months of searching, she began to bounce checks and her neighbors began to talk; her mother told her to find a job.

She settled into Corporate America, learning systems and practices and the bureaucracy that slows them. Eliza quickly discovered her creativity and gift for story telling as a corporate trainer and spent years perfecting her presentation skills and studying diversity. It’s during this time she became an avid observer of the characters we meet and the heartaches we endure. Her years of study have taught her laughter is the key to survival, even when it’s completely inappropriate.

She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and a beagle named Odin. An avid swimmer, if Eliza is not with her family and friends, she’d rather be underwater. While she enjoys many genres, she has always been a sucker for a love story...the more screwed up the better. 

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