The Other Cheek: Boy meets girl. Girl beats boy. Just your typical love story...

Finalist Medal, 2020 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS: "Best First Novel"THE OTHER CHEEK: Boy meets girl. Girl beats boy. Just your typical love story... He took his vows seriously. So did she. Especially the 'Til Death part... It's1992, and Rich and Tami have a fantastic future ahead of them as husband and wife: he as a technical expert behind the Hollywood scenes, she an up-and-coming actress. They both have drive and ambition and, knowing life isn't always fair, are willing to tough it out to succeed. But is that enough? Does working in a town run on secrets and backstabbing doom any institution requiring trust and loyalty? On the outside, this beautiful couple present an enviable façade, including their ability to stick it out when the going gets tough. Behind closed doors, however, their struggle includes keeping the noise down so the neighbors aren't privy to the pitched screaming, the hurled objects, and the soul-crushing cage fight happening next door. Complicating matters already far from simple is that the aggressor here is the 105-pound wife against her strong and capable husband, who is all too aware of the stigma surrounding "ordinary" victims of domestic abuse, let alone the male partner. Rich has no intention of being a victim, not in his own estimation and not in the eyes of a society with an aversion to weakness, particularly in those appointed to act as its protectors. Will Rich's closely-held secret result in his demise or will he escape the cycle of abuse--and at what cost?