Book Review
Trust, by Sherri Hayes

Trust is the fourth and final book in the Finding Anna series. Anna and Stefan are apart, after her father brought the feds in and Anna chose to leave to protect Stefan at the end of the previous book.
Though this was sad in a way, the beauty of their split is that it does give Anna the chance to begin to learn to stand on her own feet and take steps to become her own person, which in the end can make her a stronger partner when she and Stefan are reunited.
The book follows their lives apart, as each learns to deal with their separation, finding little happinesses and triumphs, even as they desperately long to be together again. From separation to reunion, Stefan and Anna become who they’ve been growing into since the very beginning of the first book, and it is a delight to watch it happen. We learn the true strength at Anna’s core when she agrees to face the man who enslaved and tortured her, and testify against him in court. The dramatic courtroom scenes are exciting with an unexpected didn’t-see-it-coming resolution.
There was only one part of the story that disappointed me, and yet, in some ways, I think it had to happen, considering who Anna is and what she has been through. She hears something about Stefan and immediately believes it, refusing to talk to him or to try to verify the facts. It’s a feature in fiction that usually irritates me to no end. But when I thought of all Anna had experienced, I could understand her reactions. And even so, when Stefan is able to reach her and tell her the truth, she is able to embrace it, taking a giant leap into trust. I couldn’t help feeling so proud of her.
I fell in love with Anna and Stefan in the first book, and the conclusion of their story only made me love them more. They have grown to feel like friends, in that wonderful way fictional characters can do. I’ve wept for them, cheered for them and reveled in their story. Trust is a fitting end to their journey, as they learn to trust not only each other but their own selves. I’m going to miss them very much.