At the Edge of a Dark Forest: An inspirational retelling of Beauty and the Beast

This deeply compelling, raw, and insightful story of Connie Almony's, inserts the reader into Cole Harrison’s intensely troubled life… A life that’s filled with self-loathing, self-absorption, and alcohol abuse. Cole Harrison was only half a man. Ugly on the outside, and ugly on the inside. At least, that is what he thought of himself. A war veteran amputee that suffers from PTSD, he frequently has visions and nightmares of the worse kind, carries an ever-present peace-consuming guilt, and exudes a surliness that he uses along with his disfigurements to keep everyone at a distance.Cole makes a somewhat hesitant agreement with a man he recently comes across, to try out and potentially invest in the prototype prosthetic's that this man’s daughter Carly Rose has developed. Carly, upon Cole’s insistence, moves into his mansion and life to help train Cole with his new limbs. But Carly soon realizes that Cole’s brokenness isn't just physical and that she’s unable to help this terribly damaged man.Can Cole become a whole person again – even though he’ll always be missing limbs? As Carly draws closer to him and begins to see Cole may actually contain a heart - a package from his past arrives for him and everything begins to fall apart for Cole. Carly has to leave and now alone, Cole now faces an even greater battle than he did while on active duty. Can he battle his demons enough to let in the only one that can help? And could the contents of the package that broke his resolve, possibly be also what’s needed to pull him back together again?This modern-day retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story was intensely heart-stirring and inspiring! Barely able to pause from reading, I was surely a captive of this heart-rending though heart-warming novella, as Cole Harrison was of his precarious mental prison. 'At the Edge of a Dark Forest' is immensely well-written, but what I found particularly engaging, were the conversations and thoughts of the characters… They were exceptionally realistic and captivating throughout the entire story! The romance was also tender, sweet, and credible, and brought an overall sheen to this uplifting tale. It is a story that discerningly demonstrates that it is only God that can renew our spirit and fulfill our deepest needs. Thank you Connie Almony for this remarkable story, that is both a tribute to the brave men who risk life and limb to fight for our freedom, as well as those who work tirelessly to help those brave men recover from the ravages of war with the assistance of prosthetic limbs. Highly recommended!!

I needed a touching feel good book.And I got it!Hope it does the same for you!

Cole Harrison is a veteran amputee with severe PTSD and is a full blown alcoholic. Who would have thought that Connie Almony could get the reader to care for a hero who will eventually suffer Delirium Tremens (AKA the DTs)?Carly Rose is trying to save her father's company. He makes prosthetic limbs and early in the story Cole has an encounter with Mr. Rose that is very important to the story. Their romance blossoms when Carly moves into Cole's mansion to work with him on rehab and on fitting him.Connie's Beauty and the Beast story was unique despite it being a twist on this plot. At the Edge of a Dark Forest is especially authentic because of Connie's background working in mental health.This compelling novella by Connie Almony is my top candidate for Best Bibliotherapy Book for 2014 on my blog. I am not a big contemporary romance reader but her story was so well written and so unique that I couldn't stop reading the story until I was done! Strong characterization and a nicely layered storyline. Will be looking for more from this talented author!Highly recommend!

This book was so good, I could not stop thinking about it.I did not like Cole at the beginning, but watched as he changes and becomes the man he needs to be.And NEEDTOBREATHE!

This was a sweet story about a retired Marine who was as scarred on the inside as he was on the outside. I enjoyed many things about this book. I liked that Cole didn't just miraculously overcome all of his issues. He had to work at them, and it took time. The secondary characters were likable and the story line was interesting and invoked plenty of emotion at times.The writing was at times a little choppy, and possessed a number of typos; however this was easily overlooked due to the actual story. Take note that this is a Christian romance, with many references to faith and the bible.I'm not into fairy tales, but I really enjoyed this. The insight into the emotional turmoil that Cole went through was a highlight for me, and I will definitely look out for more books by this writer.

I read this story to gain a better understanding of PTSD. The story revolves around a vet who has lost some limbs in Iraq and his female physical therapist. The vet is very self centered and feeling extremely guilty over the death of a subordinate in Iraq. These meetings are covered up with alcohol and a sardonic veneer. This is a Christian story, and through help, love and prayer, the vet becomes rehabilitated, physically and spiritually. I felt that the character of the vet was better portrayed than the character of the therapist. This is worth reading to see how unselfish love, help and Christ can change a person.

I really enjoyed At the Edge of a Dark Forest written by Connie Almony. This was a heartbreaking story of a disabled vet and his journey when he returned from war. He felt so much guilt because one of his men was killed so he could live. He was angry with God. He was in so much pain he wanted to end his life. But through a series of events God sends a young Christian lady to help him see life is worth living. There are a lot of painful issues that he goes thru such as alcoholism, ptsd, depression and guilt.But when he receives the package from his fallen soldier and reads his bible you can see the changes in his life only God can make. I plan to encourage my friends to read this book

I really enjoyed reading this! It was hard to see how Cole's brokenness led him down self-destructive paths, yet very realistic. I found that the ending seemed a little forced, but I still enjoyed it. Will be reading more from this author!

I've just finished reading this book for the second time. I enjoyed it as much as the first time, almost a year ago. It's a great story and the fairytale links add an extra-enjoyable dimension. I love how the story plays out, how healing and redemption transform ugly brokenness into true beauty and enable beauty to be recognised in others. I signed up to the author's email list just so I could read the extra chapter, which I loved, and recommend any other readers do likewise.

Wow. What a great re-telling. Loved every minute of it. Wishing for more!

Interesting, well written and thought provoking. Clean Christian romance, recommended.