In Full Circle by Buffy Eau Claire, eighteen-year-old lab technician Stacie feels life is passing her by and is in dire need of some excitement. When Mark, eight years her senior, enters her life, he brings the passion and adventure she has been searching for. Unfortunately, Stacie is already in a relationship with Kyle, her sweetheart and friend for the past two years. Cheating on Kyle with Mark and breaking his heart weighs heavily on Stacie’s conscience. However, Stacie’s desire for Mark is too strong to resist. She believes Mark is her ticket to happiness and looks forward to the future. It doesn't take long before Mark's true Jekyll and Hyde personality emerges. As his disturbing behaviour becomes more erratic, Stacie seems to have no way to escape, until a chance meeting brings her a ray of hope that happiness could be hers once more.

Full Circle by Buffy Eau Claire is a very realistic tale about the subtle but destructive direction a relationship can take. I thought the characters' behaviours and actions were totally believable. The author has clearly gone to great lengths to create personalities that the reader can resonate with. I especially loved Stacie, she was very intelligent and good-hearted but her life choices had led her down a path of darkness. Her response to Mark’s domineering and cruel behaviour was understandable and very relatable if you have experienced a similar situation. Stacie seemed trapped with no clear way out and this built great tension in the plot. Rachel was my favourite character; her strength and kindness were admirable and her words of encouragement to Stacie were absolute perfection. I thought the use of the flashback to Stacie’s parents' relationship was fantastic and this explained many of her views of how relationships should be. The ending was very emotional and I believe Part Two, Full Circle will expand further on the characters. I look forward to learning more about Kyle, Stacie’s ex-boyfriend. A highly engaging and well-written novel.

Full Circle: Part 1 is a book of thrills and tragedy by Buffy Eau Claire. With so many dreams of a wonderful future ahead after graduation, Stacie embraces her new job, enjoys being around people and loves life. Her colleagues at work feel she is suited in a job elsewhere as Stacie is far too positive and happy compared to the other employees at the lab. But when a bunch of roses is personally delivered to her workplace by Mark - an employee of the local golf club - Stacie is swept off her feet in a whirlwind love affair filled with incredible romance and steamy sex. Living life to the fullest, Stacie is sure things could not get much more wonderful until the night that Mark has too much to drink at his employer's Christmas party. Suddenly Stacie sees a side to her white knight which quickly knocks off her rose coloured glasses. As time draws on, Mark's demeanour becomes darker and darker until she finds herself in a fight for her life.

While Full Circle: Part 1 was a truly hard book to read for me due to the graphic content, I found it to be brilliantly written. Buffy Eau Claire's writing style easily turns words into pictures, allowing you to almost watch a gripping film playing before your very eyes, filled with thrills and spills. The ending gives a small glimpse into what lies ahead for Stacie after she finally develops the courage to flee the terrifying circumstances she finds herself in. Not only is the main character fighting the reality of the horror of a domestic violence situation, but Stacie's memories are drawn back to her childhood as she sleeps, with night tremors waking her in the middle of the night. As a domestic violence survivor, I felt that Full Circle: Part 1 was extremely realistic in its detail and cannot wait to read what lies ahead for Stacie. I love what I have read so far of this series and recommend it to all readers over 15 so that they know help is out there if you need it, as long as you know where to turn, and that not all that glitters is gold.