Trust: Betrayed (Trust #2) by Cristiane Serruya

In BETRAYED, the second installment of the Trust series, Sophia, Ethan and Alistair will face and revisit their past dark deeds.

Each one of them will need to overcome their guilt, fear and pain and learn to see themselves through forgiving eyes.
Or succumb to their misery.

Alistair Connor MacCraig, a powerful banker, and Ethan Ashford, a steel tycoon, are both in love with Sophia Leibowitz, the ravishing owner of Leibowitz Oil.

Sophia fells for Alistair's seduction. She is determined to have a relationship with him but a dark and terrible secret lurks beneath the surface she presents to the world. When she regains her memories, shame and fear will take control of her. Will she be able to find peace within herself?

Alistair is in love with Sophia but he has difficulties overcoming his guilty over his daughter's death and his sexual preferences. Certain that he doesn't deserve to be loved, he would do everything to push Sophia away, despite his love for her. Will he be able to find redemption?

Ethan, no less haunted by his secrets and lies, lives in an alternate reality because the loss of Sophia is too unbearable to face. He would do everything to have Sophia back in his arms.

Trust: Betrayed is a great follow up to Trust: A New Beginning.  You get a great look into the past lives and tragedies of Sophia, Alistair and Ethan.  You begin to know why they do the things they do and how these events will scar them forever. 

I love how Ms. Serruya has you sitting on the edge of your set as you are reading this series.  Just when you think Sophia and Alistair will have a few minutes to be happy, something else happens; and of course Ethan is there to try and resume his relationship with Sophia.  This man will do anything to get her back. 

At one point I thought this was going to be a “boy gets girl and gets married” story, but no sadly that would be too easy.  Sophia finally remembers what happened the night her husband was kidnapped and it just happens to be at the same time that Alistair proposes.  UGH what is a girl supposed to do? She of course runs away and look there’s Ethan to give her a ride on his jet to Rio!  I was never so happy to see Alistair show up and find her.  Of course Ethan was devastated and as we find out from his backstory, this was not the first time he lost his “love”.  He decides to try and destroy the two love birds, but luckily they end up married and totally together.  Stronger for going through all of the ups and downs of their own making. 

Alistair finally faces up to his own demons.  He goes to counseling and realizes that what his wife did to him was wrong; that the trauma she inflicted is something in his past but with Sophia he can become a whole person and live happily ever after (if only she would listen to him and stop being stubborn, LOL yeah right wishful thinking). 

Ethan on the other hand is someone you start to feel even sorrier for.  He was betrayed by his whole family and was never given the skills to cope with losing the person he loves (well more like is obsessed with).  He goes to great lengths to insert himself in Sophia’s life, but what he is doing is setting off alarm bells to everyone else. I’m hoping in the third book that Sophia realizes that Ethan is sick and to stay away from him. 

The supporting characters in this series are amazing.  I would love to have Sophia and Alistair’s families.  They support and love each other and have fun teasing one another too.  Each character is well rounded and the more you get to know them (main and supporting), the more you would love to have them in your life. 

I love how Ms. Serruya writes.  Her descriptions of places and things makes everything come to life!  I can see Alistair’s home Airgead in my mind and I have a feeling if I ever got to there (if it actually exists) I will be disappointed because it would not live up to the picture in my mind from the description in the book. 

One big warning here this book is super sexy steamy.  If you don’t like to read about sex you can skip those parts; but don’t miss all the other fun there is to be had.   I would highly recommend the Trust Trilogy (I can’t wait for book 3 to come out!!!!!!).  I read books 1 and 2 back to back because I needed to know what was going to happen.  I love the ride that I was taken on and can’t wait for the 3rd book.  I think I will need to re-read the whole series again as I know I will go through withdrawals from these characters.   

Cristiane Serruya lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with my husband and two daughters. She is a lawyer, who specializes in cases of sexual abuse and violence against children and women. She also has a Masters in Business Law and a BA in Fine Arts.  Ms. Serruya has always loved to read, write and listen to music. She lived and studied in England, France, Italy, Switzerland and, of course, Brazil. 

After twenty-two years of practicing law, she decided to give writing a go. And - amazingly - it was just the piece that was missing in her life. 

  

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Stephanie