BotW: Locked Inside

Welcome to Sunday loves!  You know what that means, it's book of the week time!!! This past week has been rough for me.  Especially due to the shooting that happened in Orlando a week ago today.  I will forever be haunted by the loss of friends and members of the LGBTQ+ community.  I weighed my options when choosing a book for this week, because there are so very many that I can feature - some that I've read, some that I've not. 

However, my decision comes with the knowledge that this woman is a fantastic writer and someone I have greatly enjoyed getting to know through a group on Facebook.  I won a copy of this book in a give away last Christmas, and only recently (in the last few months) got around to reading it and I was not disappointed.  It was also one of the first pieces of lesbian fiction I'd read, period.  I highly encourage you to track down this book and other works by this author, you won't be disappointed.  I'm also including a link to my review of this book, check it out.  

Locked Inside

Annette Mori

If you've read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, are a psychology or medical student you are somewhat familiar with locked-in syndrome.  I'd been familiar with it in vague terms from watching shows on television (as I'm a fan of Grey's Anatomy and House), so I wasn't completely unfamiliar with what Belinda was experiencing at this particular moment in her life.  

I like the characters in this book, their struggles are unique to them and yet bring them together to hopefully give them each that glimmer of hope that love might actually be a possibility between the two women despite various obstacles and fears.  

Review: Locked Inside

Title: Locked Inside
Author: Annette Mori
Format: Kindle
Pages: 199
Date(s) Read: April 3-5, 2016
Rating: 4 (up from initial 3)

Summary:

Belinda is semi-comatose, suffering from what is known as locked-in syndrome.  Carly sees something special in her, and begins spending time with her.  An unusual bond is formed.  Can Carly pull Belinda from her own emotional prison?  Will Belinda's fears keep their relationship from developing into something deeper, something more?

Review:

Thank you Annette Mori for a copy of this book.  It was a surprise and a blessing rolled into one when I was the one chosen in the giveaway.

Yet, for some reason, I was nervous about reading this book...as a member of the LGBT community, and this being my first piece of lesbian fiction...I wasn't sure what to expect.  I wasn't sure what was behind the cover.  However, the uncertainty faded as I started reading, and I was pulled into the story of Belinda and Carly.

Locked-in syndrome is not something nice, not something that we can fully understand, but we know it exists.  The fact that Carly was willing to take a chance on Belinda was something that made me hopeful.  After a six-year coma, Belinda surfaces, however her body at this point is nothing more than a shell.  Locked inside herself, she can only communicate by blinking her eyes.  It was Carly that began noticing the change, as she spent her lunch hours reading to Belinda.  

Eventually, Belinda's recovery begins and Carly is by her side every step of the way.  Yes, this story made me cry at times, but then again what story like this wouldn't move you to tears at least once.  I am very thankful to have read this book, and I will definitely be looking for more of Ms. Mori's work in the future.