Not A Rock and A Hard Place...Maria’s Spot Was Worse

The telling sentence in the author’s synopsis for me is, “Jonathan has to solve the mystery of his own mind or risk losing his wife to the dangerous clutches of a madman.” Yes, Jonathan’s wife, Maria, finds herself not between a rock and a hard place, but caught between two madmen.

Fatal Eclipse is the story of Jonathon’s fight to control his bouts with extreme jealousy, anger, and paranoia, apparently starting on the day of his marriage to Maria. But what is it about marriage that triggers his maladaptive response? Jonathon spends the rest of the book trying to answer that question. Unfortunately, in seeking that answer, he unwittingly makes Maria vulnerable to an even greater threat. With the people and personalities at play by the end of the book, a number of outcomes are possible...few of them good. And the author keeps you guessing which one it will be, right to the end.

In general, I liked the author’s style, although occasionally, he was prone to some rather dense prose. The author also switched between storylines, paragraph to paragraph within a chapter, particularly toward the end of the book. I did not mind the technique, but something to indicate a switch, like a blank line, might have helped. A larger concern was the pace of the story. Jonathon was prone to declaring he was fully cured after gaining a minor insight, only to be plunged back into fits of rage and jealousy two pages later. The cycle repeats often enough that it becomes somewhat predictable.

Overall, however, the author weaves a taut psychological thriller, placing Maria in a spot much more precarious than just between a rock and a hard place.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I received a copy of Fatal Eclipse from the author for an honest review

From the moment the wedding vows are finished , the journey into the emotionally unbalanced life of Jonathan surfaces. He has married Maria, a woman he fell in love with when she was going through a tough time in her life. As Jonathan starts to unravel , it will take everything they have to keep their marriage together.

Mr. Davis has written a story so emotionally charged and thought provoking that I stayed up late into the night to finish the book. Jonathan seeks out the help of a therapist because he is having nightmares and seems to be distancing himself from his wife. The therapist, Dr. Evans seems like your typical therapist . You go in to her office, she asks questions and writes notes as Jonathan begins to talk. At one point she tells Jonathan, "Consider your fears as protectors of the truth. Through the fear lies the truth that has been hidden." Jonathan realizes that one of his fears is that he has to know that his wife is loyal. He asks himself "How do you know if you can truly trust someone if their loyalty has never been tested?" He then remembers his grandfather telling him that women can't be trusted.

This story has raw emotions that surface to the top in explosive ways. Mr. Davis has not only given us a character that seems to be on the edge of losing control, but shows what someone is willing to do to find a loyal , trusting person to spend his life with. Jonathan doesn't like the feeling of rejection and perhaps that is something that has been buried deep inside him since he was a little boy.

This book will take the reader to the depths of a person's despair and see how something buried deep inside can take over your life.
Is going to the therapist helping Jonathan? Can Maria help her husband find his way back or will she have to watch him losing his grip on reality?

Mr. Davis has written a story that will have you questioning your own emotions long after the last word is read. I loved the way he took us to a dark place in Jonathan's mind and showed a man who wanted to be free of the disturbing thoughts that have haunted him throughout his life.
Thank you Mr. Davis for writing a book that grabs you from the start, takes you on an emotional journey and wishing the story wouldn't end. ( )