Lisa,
BED is a phenomenal novel and has affected my immensely on a personal level. Thank you for writing such a powerful story and sharing the truths about the abuse that occurs in relationships with someone who has a personality disorder like Nick’s.

Shoot. And there I go crying again.

I can’t wait for Smooth Talking Stranger! <–smiling through tears.

I am just incredibly moved by this review and these comments . . .

In an emotional sense, Blue Eyed Devil was the most difficult book I’ve ever written . . . I think in the interview later in the week we covered a couple of the reasons why. But it has been an amazing experience because of the connection I felt to so many women who have confided in me that they have experienced the kind of bullying/manipulations/outright abuse that Haven Travis goes through.

And I think and hope that some of the information in the book was helpful for some readers . . . you would be amazed how many times I heard the comments “but a rich woman would never allow herself to be abused” or “why didn’t she just leave?” . . . because unless you’ve been there, you just can’t understand the dynamics of abuse or how much an abuser can erode all your strength and self-esteem.

One of the experts I consulted told me that most abused wives have no more ability to leave than a young child would have to leave his or her home. It has nothing to do with the victim’s intelligence or morality or anything like that . . . it’s a mental prison that the abuser creates.

The joyful part of the book for me was when Hardy arrives back on the scene. Ana, I so agree–he is very much like a modern Derek Craven! I just loved the idea that this macho, sexy, very flawed man would want so badly to connect with Haven and try so hard to understand her. I knew only a very strong man would have the patience and persistence to get through to her.

Here’s something I don’t think I’ve told anyone before: the elevator scene took place because I had read about that event happening in real life several years ago, in Houston, where a poor woman actually died under those exact circumstances. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and wondering if a real-life rescue might have been possible, and under what circumstances. So I called an elevator company and examined various kinds of elevator design, and came up with the scenario with Hardy and Haven.

Maybe that gives some insight into the where-do-you-get-your-ideas question . . . although this is not an elegant analogy, it’s rather like accumulating lint on your coat, all these little ideas sticking to you until finally you pick them off and do something with them. LOL!

Thank you for this beautiful review and for these wonderful thoughts you’ve all shared

I bought the book for a friend who doesn’t read romance much and she emailed me to say that when she was reading it, she almost cried because someone was vocalizing the utter truth of her day to day life. Lisa Kleypas made a fan that day. She truly is remarkable. I love this Lisa Kleypas week!

I hope I one day get the chance to tell Lisa Kleypas exactly how much reading that book meant to me!

orannia

PS And I’m with Kristie, the following quote really gets to me too:

I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.