ARC received for an honest review

Shards of My Heart is not the normal kind of book we have all around us these days.

It is gritty, real. It is not the easiest book to read, as the subject matter is not all rainbows and butterflies. Not a pretty read at all. But a compelling read.

Nina's husband is struggling with mental illness and violent outbursts.

Her daughter requires constant care. Nina is at her wits end.

How would you react in this situation?

Shards of my Heart is written in the form of Nina's journal, and covers the period of a month, from her husband's breakdown, to a separation, to a reconciliation.

The journal format of writing was different to me, and still I am not sure what I think about it. Sometimes I found it difficult to get into the story as the journal style seemed to push the reader out a little bit, but other times it dragged me right back in.

There is a bit of Nina in every woman. She puts everyone else before herself, she is a passionate wife, wonderful mother, loving friend. She is stubborn and independent. And fiercely loyal.

You can feel her struggles as she tries to come to terms with her crumbling relationship, protecting her child. But she also loves her husband and is torn between staying and leaving. It is heart breaking but also inspiring how she gets through every day.

That's what this book is about. The realism comes from the fact that not every problem is happily fixed without a backward glance. It is a realistic depiction that a lot of women (and men too) find themselves in every day of the week. We don't all have a happy life without struggles.

Miss Moore has chosen to go down a darker path with Shards of My Heart. I myself have suffered from depression and as I was reading it brought a few tears to my eyes as I read about Shane's daily struggles. It drew me back to my daily struggles to get out of bed each day and deal with what life threw at me.

If you are after a read with a bit more substance than a lot of the love and fluff books out there at the moment (which I love as much as the next person!!) then Shards of My Heart is the place to start