Alicia Singleton

This book has a lot going on. It starts off with Leila leaving home and ending up on the streets at the age of 16. She faces insurmountable odds and becomes a child advocate in her adulthood with the help of a surrogate family. She loses a close friend which defines her future.

In her adulthood she is recognized nationally for her advocacy efforts and is kidnapped by the president of an African nation. She meets and is rescued by Elijah and both must face their pasts.

With that said, there is a lot of action and the book moves quickly. There were many evil characters that I did not like but they are necessary to define the story. It's a tough read as it faces many tough circumstances but a good story.

Reader received a complimentary copy from Good Reads First Reads… (altro)

DARK SIDE OF VALOR by Alicia Singleton is a fast paced suspense/thriller/romance. What a complex and intense story of child abuse,teen runaways,child advocate,mercanaries,conspirancy,revenge,vengeance, suspense,romance and past demons. It is the story of the true meaning of valor. Well written with details and a great plot. The characters will have you on the edge of your seat. A wonderful debut novel full of suspense and drama. Follow Elijah Dune and Lelia Freeman through the jungles of Zaire, as they try to survive a madman. A must read!”Dark Side Of Valor” will have you turning pages and biting your nails. Received for an honest review from Pump Up Your Book and the publisher. Details can be found at Strebor Books International, the author’s website,and My Book Addiction and More.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING:Sweet: No sex or scenes of physical intimacy except some kissing. No graphic violence or profanity.

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More… (altro)

Dark Side of Valor is a story of child advocate Lelia Freeman. She is a woman who as a teenager ran away from home because she had higher dreams than living in a dump with her mother, who is an alcoholic. She feels that her mother does not love or care about her so she leaves. She spends two years on the streets of L.A. among druggies and pimps. A very dangerous situation indeed. She comes across a young girl, Joelle, who gets ill and Lelia vows to take care of her and she does the best she can until her and Joelle are shot by an angry pimp. Lelia wakes up in the hospital and finds that Joelle has died. Leila finds herself with no place to go until she goes to a church and meets an elderly lady who offers her help if she wants it.
Years later Lelia is a child advocate and because of her works, she is sent to Washington D.C. to be on a committee to aid orphaned children of an African country. While in Washington, Leila finds herself kidnapped and ends up in this war torn country, the man who kidnapped her is the President of this country and very corrupt. He does not care about the people in his country or the children, just the power his position gives him and he will use Leila to achieve his goals.
Elijah Dune is a man who is angry and guilty over his own losses. He meets Leila while he is at the President Deng's Palace, supposedly to sell arms to the president but he does have deeper, darker motives. He becomes Deng's prisoner along with Leila, but they are eventually able to escape and find themselves in the jungle. That is all I am saying about the plot lest I give away the story.
This book is a fast reader, I read it in two nights, very suspenseful. This is the authors debut novel and very well done indeed. A story of two people who are finding it hard to live with their guilt and until they can forgive themselves they are unable to have any long lasting relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it if you like a suspenseful/thriller that is also about forgiveness, redemption and love. I give it five stars...… (altro)