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Michelle Heard
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The Girl In The Closet (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Michelle Heard (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,179 ratings
From International Bestseller Michelle Heard comes a STAND ALONE, Suspense Romance in the Southern Heroes series.

BIRDIE

Escaping an unthinkable nightmare, I’m given a second chance at life. Cole Trenton is the first person to look past the broken girl. But the moment I give him my heart he leaves.

Secrets never stay buried, and mine returns with a vengeance.
Cole walks back into my life when I need him most. He shows me how to be strong, that monsters only have the power you give them.

But my biggest fear remains.
How do I silence the girl in the closet before I lose Cole again?


COLE

I always knew Birdie Liles was different, but that didn’t stop me from falling for her.
After years of being away, I return home to bury my best friend,
only to learn that Birdie’s in trouble.

If I had known about the monster from her past, I never would’ve left.
I went to fight someone else’s war while I left the woman I love unprotected.

But I’m here now, and I’m ready to send Birdie’s demon right back to hell.

Please note: The Girl In The Closet contains graphically violent scenes that may be upsetting to some readers.

Reading Order of Southern Heroes Series:

The Ocean Between Us
The Girl In The Closet
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
All The Wasted Time
We Were Lost
Read more
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  1. Book 2 of 5
    A Southern Heroes Novel
  2. Print length
    191 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    November 25, 2018
  6. File size
    3.3 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 5 books in this series.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KW877K9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MA Heard
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 25, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 191 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 2 of 5 ‏ : ‎ A Southern Heroes Novel
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 1,179 ratings

About the author

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Michelle Heard

Michelle Heard

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Michelle Heard is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon #3 Bestselling romance author. She writes emotional, heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of angst and romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book shows the strength of the characters who will burn down the world for each other.

Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son, Sheldon, who's also her right-hand man when it comes to all things publishing, and her daughter-in-law, Tayla, who's her best friend.

Reading Order on AMAZON

MAFIA EMPIRE:

The Hermit

The High Priestess

Death

The Empress

The Devil

THE KINGS OF MAFIA SERIES:

Tempted By The Devil

Craving Danger

Hunted By A Shadow

Drawn To Darkness

God Of Vengeance

ST. MONARCH'S MAFIA WORLD:

THE SAINTS SERIES:

Merciless Saints

Cruel Saints

Ruthless Saints

Tears of Betrayal

Tears of Salvation

THE SINNERS SERIES:

Taken By A Sinner

Owned By A Sinner

Stolen By A Sinner

Chosen By A Sinner

Captured By A Sinner

THE CORRUPTED ROYALS SERIES:

Destroy Me

Control Me

Brutalize Me

Restrain Me

Possess Me

New Adult / Contemporary Romance

ENEMIES TO LOVERS SERIES:

***College & New Adult Romance***

Heartless

Reckless

Careless

Ruthless

Shameless

TRINITY ACADEMY SERIES:

***College Romance***

Falcon

Mason

Lake

Julian

The Epilogue

THE HEIRS:

***College & New Adult Romance***

Coldhearted Heir

Arrogant Heir

Defiant Heir

Loyal Heir

Callous Heir

Sinful Heir

Tempted Heir

Forbidden Heir

SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES:

***Suspense Romance***

The Ocean Between Us

The Girl In The Closet

The Lies We Tell Ourselves

All The Wasted Time

We Were Lost

OTHER STANDALONE NOVELS:

Lifeline - Suspense FBI Romance

Not My Hero - Dark YA Romance

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,179 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book emotionally powerful, with one review noting how it deals with tragedy well. Moreover, the story receives positive feedback for its portrayal of abuse, and customers praise the phenomenal writing and top-notch character development. They appreciate the romance, particularly Cole's character, and describe the book as dark and resilient.

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Emotional contentStory qualityReadabilityWriting qualityCharacter developmentRomanceDarknessResiliency
17 customers mention "Emotional content"13 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the emotional depth of the book, describing it as a powerful love story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

"...I loved Cole. Patient. Loving. He was just... He was just everything and more a girl needs. What Birdie needed...." Read more

"...Full of emotion this story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming." Read more

"This is my perfect kind of love story. Girl with a tragic past and a good, strong man comes in to save the day. I loved each character...." Read more

"This is a heartbreaking, suspenseful dark story about two damaged people who, though resilient and courageous, both need saving from their pasts......" Read more

13 customers mention "Story quality"10 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, with one customer describing it as a haunting tale and another noting how well it portrays abuse.

"This story was good and poor Cole with all his lost and Birdie, gosh, what she's been through...." Read more

"...I loved each character. Definitely a feel good story with a little bit of tame spice." Read more

"This is a heartbreaking, suspenseful dark story about two damaged people who, though resilient and courageous, both need saving from their pasts......" Read more

"...emotional everythingy... And it lured me into the abyss of dark, gritty stories and didn't let me go again... Meet Bridget "Birdie" and Cole...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and amazing.

"So hard to read, yet so good. Love Cole so much and feel so bad for Birdie. Tears in my eyes through most of it. Love Michelle' s books" Read more

"...you are by far the best writer I've come across, I have yet to be disappointed in your books..." Read more

"The Girl In The Closet by Michelle Heard is absolutely phenomenal. It's dark and deals with abuse so this book may be triggering for some...." Read more

"...the story line at times a little creepy and intense, but overall really good." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting it can be read as a standalone.

"...This second book in the Southern Heroes series can be read as a standalone; however, characters from the earlier instalment do pop up in this story,..." Read more

"So hard to read, yet so good. Love Cole so much and feel so bad for Birdie. Tears in my eyes through most of it. Love Michelle' s books" Read more

"...you are by far the best writer I've come across, I have yet to be disappointed in your books..." Read more

"...Michelle Heard's writing is phenomenal in this book, you could feel all the emotions of these characters...." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the character development in the book, with one customer noting the deep and honourable hero, while another mentions feeling all the emotions of the characters.

"...Cole is such a deep and honourable man, and in doing the right thing, has lost people to the evil that infects our world, both in war, and at home...." Read more

"...I loved each character. Definitely a feel good story with a little bit of tame spice." Read more

"...Throw in a seriously swoony hero and well, it's a match made in heaven. The intense and gratifying ending filled me with such joy...." Read more

"...Cole and Birdie's story is very well written. Character development is top notch...." Read more

5 customers mention "Romance"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book, with several expressing love for Cole, and one describing it as an intensely hauntingly beautiful book.

"...5 Stars for an amazing intensely hauntingly beautiful book that is your next must-read." Read more

"...as the story moves from high school into adulthood... theirs is a sweet and passionate slow-burning love story.. but faced with shadows from the..." Read more

"So hard to read, yet so good. Love Cole so much and feel so bad for Birdie. Tears in my eyes through most of it. Love Michelle' s books" Read more

"Holy hotness, I loved Cole. Loved the story line at times a little creepy and intense, but overall really good." Read more

3 customers mention "Darkness"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the dark elements in the book.

"...is bone rattling amazing emotional everythingy... And it lured me into the abyss of dark, gritty stories and didn't let me go again... Meet Bridget "..." Read more

"The Girl In The Closet by Michelle Heard is absolutely phenomenal. It's dark and deals with abuse so this book may be triggering for some...." Read more

"I’m in love with this dark, twisty, page turning POV!!!!!! Michelle Heard, you rocked it!!!!!!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Resiliency"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's resiliency, with one describing it as courageous.

"...This story was dark, sad but also showed the resilience of the human spirit...." Read more

"...Girl with a tragic past and a good, strong man comes in to save the day. I loved each character...." Read more

"...suspenseful dark story about two damaged people who, though resilient and courageous, both need saving from their pasts......" Read more

Too much death
3 out of 5 stars
Too much death
The story was good, except it has too much tragedy in it. Too many people killed off in Cole's life and that really took away from the meaningful stories of him losing his best friend and Birdie's living hell. That's why I'm giving this only 3 stars, but it was still a good read. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. I only wish we could have had Hunter's story and not his death.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Marns
    5.0 out of 5 stars “I’ll fight for you if you fight for me. I can do that...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    ...I’ll pick up all your pieces, and I’ll cherish them in my heart, but don’t ask me to look for my pieces. I don’t know where they are.” Birdie, (chapter 23).

    As I’ve read every book this year, I have a list of prompts for me to take notes or quotes. Above is my favourite quote, and showcases the intense emotion that is kept on ‘High’ right through this book. There is no reprieve. Two more prompts are my Shock/Horror and Heartbreak moments, and with Michelle Heard’s book, those moments almost never stopped. She has this way of unpeeling the plot throughout the book, and I’ve used this analogy before – like an onion. And, just like an onion does, each time a layer is peeled back it made me cry, only this time, my heart broke for Birdie and Cole, each time.

    Cole is such a deep and honourable man, and in doing the right thing, has lost people to the evil that infects our world, both in war, and at home. He’s survived the first, now he’s at home to work on the second.

    Cole has crushed hard on Birdie since his Freshman year, and like everyone else, bar her adoptive parents, never knew the true horror that she had barely survived as a child. I’ve seen the news, and I’ve watched Criminal Minds and other programmes of that ilk. Extreme evil exists in our world, yet Ms Heard, can imply it, and describe the humanity surrounding it’s survivors so succinctly that the despair and hopelessness pervades you: body and soul. My heart was breaking, I was a crying and headachy mess, and I couldn’t put this book down. I consumed it in one sitting. This was an early copy for review, but, I love it so much I had to one-click my own, as well as the first book in this stand-a-lone series. I’ll also be waiting for each book as it is released, because I have to read more from this author.

    5 Stars for an amazing intensely hauntingly beautiful book that is your next must-read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Neringa
    4.0 out of 5 stars EMOTIONAL
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I was apprehensive about this story from snippets I saw. But it wasn't the way I thought it will be. And I don't mean it in bad way. It was just different. The story brought emotions from me.
    What Birdie been through... It just... It just made me sick. But... When we are at the present,... I'm sad, frustrated and all other things, because how Birdie is. I don't say she have too be cheerful, bright and all unicorns, rainbows and hearts. No. She's been something really traumatic. It will leave scars for the rest of your life. But... I think she gave her boogeyman too much power. And again, I'm not trying to diminish her experience. I'm just saying she was a defenseless child back then. Everything was through a child eyes, everything looked bigger. And by bigger I don't meant only physically. Her boogeyman f***ed her over mentally, so at the present she don't even realize that she is the one, who's giving him all the power over her. Birdie living like she's still that 5 year old powerless child. She needs to realize that he has no power over her. Not anymore. She just needs to grab that power back. And that the scars she have doesn't make her less, they show that she's a survivor and not a victim.
    I loved Cole. Patient. Loving. He was just... He was just everything and more a girl needs. What Birdie needed. But did he was enough to make Birdie to walk out of the closet?
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Lisa Hines
    5.0 out of 5 stars Review: Southern Heroes 2: The Girl In The Closet
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The Girl In The Closet by Michelle Heard is the second book in her Southern heroes series. a standalone romance, this one is dark and twisty but throughout has an air of redemption and possibility. Told in multiple POV's, mostly between Birdie and Cole, this book will start you someplace dark and mysterious and lead you out slowly into the light.

    Birdie has suffered so much in her short life to date. She has the scars to prove it - ones she never lets anyone see. She will keep them covered no matter what. But when Cole, the object of her crush and affection, begins to show more interest in her she is afraid. Afraid of what trouble she will bring him and afraid of what he will think of her when he finally sees her, scars and all.

    Cole has been infatuated with Birdie and her shy small for what feels like forever. Given a chance to spend more time with her, he leaps at it, only to come fact to face with the aftermath of her demons. Not knowing the why or how he is still determined to battle these demons for her, if only she would let him in.

    Second chances don't often come around but Birdie and Cole finally do get a second chance at their friendship and at building it into something more. With him slowly chipping away at her walls and with her finally opening up about the past and the pain she has kept hidden, these two may actually stand a chance. Stand alone with a happy ending, I am excited for more in this series. Enjoy!
    One person found this helpful
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  • SHE GARCIA
    3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This story was good and poor Cole with all his lost and Birdie, gosh, what she's been through. While I love the premise of this story, it felt rush, like it needed more details. Cole parents when they died, how he dealt with it and Troy's sister. honestly it doesn't make sense too that Birdie lives by herself near the waters with her fear of her father and water. Are they in a different time that they have never heard of alarms or Ring that her father can just access in and out of the B&B? I just think this book was written sloppily, like missing details. It was rushed between them like nothing has happened. This story needed more.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Gillek2
    5.0 out of 5 stars Birdie and Cole!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Birdie endured a horrendous childhood and she bears the scars both physically and mentally. She was adopted by a couple and started fresh, but she lives in fear that the person who caused her nightmares will come back to finish the job.

    Cole meets Birdie while they are in school. He knows she is special and becomes his protector, but he leaves her behind when he joins the Marines.

    Eight years later Cole returns however the damage of her past is stronger than ever and he wants to help her heal but will he be able to keep her safe? Full of emotion this story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Codie Riddell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
    Reviewed in Australia on December 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book was everything, it hit all the emotions. I felt for Birdie and the heartache she had experienced. I loved Cole, and the connection they share. So broken, they need each other. It's well written, I am adoring this series for all the raw emotions they empower.
    Report
  • Cookie Munchkin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Light in the Darkness
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is the second in this series of books and I am hooked and these two character’s will take you through a range of emotions. Not a safe read so be warned this could be a trigger for some readers.

    Bridget or as she is known to all as Birdie was adopted by the local Pastor and his wife twelve years ago after a traumatic past, her body covered in scars and scared of everything after everything her father had put her through she was a broken soul but when she was safe and he is locked away she could start to rebuild herself each day at a time. And then she met Cole she fell for him as a young girl but knew that he could never feel that way about her and remained withdrawn from him. She Couldn’t be more wrong and they spend the night together right before he leaves for the marines, its eight years later and Cole has returned from the marines a broken soul who lost his best friend, he is back and staying in her house. The feelings she has always harboured for Cole are still there but her past is still haunting her will she be able to let it go and finally give herself to the man she loves?

    Cole knew that Birdie was different the moment that he met her but with her shy and withdrawn felt that there was no way that she would ever see him in that way and with his best friend enrolled in to the marines but before he leaves he knows he has to make her hips and hopes that she will wait for him. Its eight years until he sees Birdie again and he returns as a shell of the man he was when he left, back in his hometown to bury his best friend but seeing Birdie heals something in him each day. Little does he know that the danger Birdie once was in has returned and when he discovers what she went through he is determined to be by her side. Can they survive their pain together and live the life they were meant to have?

    This book isn’t easy to read but there is no way that you cannot fall in love with both of the characters, Birdie’s strength, fight and the way she can love is astounding and Cole is the perfect hero, together they are two broken souls that are each other’s light. Highly recommended read, 5*
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  • Carol book aholick
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Girl in The Closet . Book 2. .
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Another good story in this series . It may be a shorter story but it reads like a long one . Maybe because it's an emotional one that you have to read every word . Any way Cole and Birdie both have feelings that they have to come to terms with . . A story well worth reading .
    Report
  • Nikki mcauliffe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dark but brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    this book is not for the faint hearted.

    Biride has physical and mental scares from a horrific childhood. as a teen she's trying to live with these and has the typical girl crush that we all do. Cole is teen royalty. popular and a year older. signed up to the military before they realise that they could be together. Birdies past comes back to haunt her and she pushed him away.
    when Cole comes home 7 years later. he's full of rage guilt and remorse. having lost a number of brother in war this last one could break him.
    He gets put in Birdies path and protect her from the horrors of her child hood. and they become some thing special. the most profound sentence goes something like this. I'll be your air whilst you be my light...
    gritty and a page turner. I shed a tear or two at time.
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  • Anne Wright
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I loved loved loved this book and couldn't put it down! It had me hooked from start to finish. A definite must read.
    Report

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