Heart on a Chain by Cindy C Bennet

17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns. 

Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him. 

Kate can't figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely it is a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her? 

Kate finally decides to trust Henry's intentions, opening her heart to him. Just when it seems he might be genuine in his friendship, tragedy strikes, threatening everything Kate has worked so hard to gain. Can Henry help her to overcome this new devastation, or will it tear them apart forever?


So I finally read a e-book, it was all completely coincidental. You see I do have kindle books on my ipod but only ones I've won, been asked to review or been given. Last week some time I was at college in one of my free periods having finished all my work and not having a book to read in my bag (who knows why!) and so I picked up my ipod and remembered I had a kindle on it. I chose to read Heart on a Chain over the other e-books on my ipod because lets face it it's an enticing name for a girl isn't it? and well the covers pretty. 


I am so glad I got to read this, maybe a little mad at myself for letting it sit on my ipod for months going unread because it is that good. You may not of heard about this book and you know why that is, because there are tons of books out there who've never made it to mainstream but deserve to be there, they are just undiscovered! I encourage you to go out of the top selling corner of amazon or smashwords or whichever site or bookstore you use and pick up a couple books you've never heard of but like the sound of because I guarantee 9 times out of 10 you are going to love it just as much as one in the top twenty best selling. 


Heart on a Chain deals with a very delicate subject yet Cindy handled it perfectly and although it is fiction I think it stuck very true to reality. You'll find yourself tied up in Kate's world and all the emotions that come with it. I fell in love with one of the main characters Henry, who is a perfect gentleman, and Kate I really liked also; finding myself almost in tears for her at some points. However certain characters I disliked but I'm sure that's how we were suppose to see them. It is such a heartfelt book, but sometimes we need to step away from magical fantasy lands and read real stuff like this.


Within all of what Kate is going through love happens, and it is played out so subtly and beautifully you can actually see and feel them fall in love. No it's not a completely soppy love story, it's love being born and surviving in the midsts of disaster. My favourite kind of love, because it's real. 


I found myself glued to this book whenever I began to read it again, literally I'd be walking to the bus stop or something reading my ipod. It is not the kind of book you can predict the ending nor is it the kind you hope for something to happen and get disappointed. I am that sort of reader who does predict endings, yet Heart on a Chain left me with conflicting feelings I wasn't sure how I wanted it to end. Which makes the ending that much better to read. I could have died when I was intensely reading the last few chapters and my ipod died, luckily I was at home and ten minutes later I could resume reading. 


The way the whole book fitted together with all these complex pieces is amazing, I am just stunned and inspired. Heart on a Chain will both break your heart and restore your faith. It would make the perfect *eat ice-cream, cry your eyes out with your mum and mates* kind of movie. It deserves more than space on my ipod and soon will be taking up space on my bookshelf. 


I could talk about this book all day, but I've probably bored you enough with my babbling so all I have left to say is... Get it. Seriously, it's like $3.94 on smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/37566) that's what barely £2 for us UK'ers. It's a must buy guys!




Check out Cindy's blog here: http://cindybennett.blogspot.com/