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Last Regress

by Rachael J. Thorne (Goodreads Author)

3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 · rating details · 25 ratings · 17 reviews

Alyssa Matthews thought she had an explanation for everything. After all, as a slightly sceptical paranormal investigator that was what she was used to doing; researching, observing and explaining.

So when she began writing a paper about a long forgotten case of death by Spontaneous Human Combustion, she assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill piece. Little did she realise th...more

Kindle Edition, 219 pages

Published July 15th 2012 by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

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Dec 22, 2012 E.L. Lindley rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was with some trepidation that I started reading Last Regress as I am usually far too scared to read horror. However, from the very start, with the very effective prologue, I was hooked. The craftmanship of the writer is evident from the way she draws you in as each layer of the mystery unfolds. It was the mystery of the story that had me totally enthralled making me not want to stop reading until I had got to the end. In fact, the horror elment is only a small part of the novel, it is so muc...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Valentina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a nice, fun, paranormal romance that will keep you entertained from the beginning.
The story is pretty unique, which is this age of paranormal overload, is not so common. The plot is intricate and mostly fast-paced. The beginning is the only part I found a bit slow. I realize we need to know the protagonist’s back-story and all of that, but it could have moved a tad bit faster. But the rest was nicely written, with a good sense of timing for some of the more suspenseful scenes.
There is...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Roberto Mattos rated it 5 of 5 stars

More than a paranormal book, this is one of the best love story books I have read in a long time.The author did a superb job on describing the ambient and the feelings of our main character, Alyssa.
The plot is quite simple: Alyssa is a young woman who lost her parents and after being able to establish herself and finding a job, she left the foster home she was living, without ever creating any bounds with any of the multiple foster-parents she had during the years. As per her best (and only) fri...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Ruty B rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, for-review, from-the-author, ghosts, paranormal, romance, e-book

Rating: 3.5/5

Last Regress is a paranormal romance that will make you cry more than once and will make your heart beat fast with every romantic scene.

Last Regress presents us Alyssa, a woman in her late twenties working for the “Institute of Paranormal Research, Cambridge”. She deals with paranormal phenomenon in her daily basis but she still isn’t ready for what is to come. When Cain enters her life, things will never be the same. Her sanity will be tested and also her friendship with Greg.

The...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Cecilia (rather barefoot than bookless) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was so different from anything I´ve read before! In the beginning of this book I thought it was kind of slow. We get to know so much about our heroine´s thoughts that it feels like time stops or slows down just so she can think and think and think. It almost disturbs the conversation she has, for the reader, because she thinks to much. But if you can overcome that, which I did, you will love this book! It was so good. I guess all this thinking/describing is a writing style I am not all...more This book was so different from anything I´ve read before! In the beginning of this book I thought it was kind of slow. We get to know so much about our heroine´s thoughts that it feels like time stops or slows down just so she can think and think and think. It almost disturbs the conversation she has, for the reader, because she thinks to much. But if you can overcome that, which I did, you will love this book! It was so good. I guess all this thinking/describing is a writing style I am not all that used to. It is usually more common in fantasy so I was not expecting that but once I accepted it, I loved this book.

The Love story is completely amazing, even though it happens kind of quickly. The fall hard and they fall fast for each other and there is just one problem with their relationship. She is alive and he is dead! Not an easy obstacle and that just makes this even more amazing! you can really feel the desperation they feel over their situation. But there are also other forces that keeps them apart to further complicate things!

I also love the side characters in this book like our heroine´s best friend, who loves her dearly, but he has a hard time dealing with her situation and thinks she is slowly going mad. He feels really protective of her and he does not really know how to handle the fact that someone he loves is, according to him, falling victim to madness. We also have our hero´s mentor. He is a really lovely and supportive character to our hero and he has become more than just a mentor, he is a friend. A friend who hates to see his charge suffer.

But love is not all this story is about! There is something dark luring in the shadows and something much bigger than two people, dead or alive, at work here. And it gives this book an exciting twist, and not to mention that the ending took me completely by surprise. It was not what I expected!

This book made me cry a lot but also put a smile to my face so this is so worth your time! You have to read this one! You won´t be sorry I promise!(less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a wonderful combination of paranormal, Sci-fi, and romance. These are three different genres (though paranormal and sci-fi can sometimes go hand in hand), but the way they are woven together makes this story captivating.
The main character, Alyssa, works for a company that investigates the paranormal. She is interested in cases that are unusual and go unsolved.
When she opens the case file of the deceased Cain Andrews, her life is changed forever. Whether that is for better or worse...more

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Dec 13, 2012 A.R. Von rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rr-2012-challenge

Last Regress is a very original, emotional and spooky read that leaves you wanting more of its characters and the whole experience that’s within. I can honestly say there is a bit of everything in here; love, romance, thrills, chills, mystery, suspense, excitement and much more. It is not a read for those that cannot handle a bit of gore, but a definite must read for those that enjoy a different type of paranormal romance without too much heat.

Allyson is a woman that comes off as very lonely and...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Sherre Leach rated it 3 of 5 stars

Last Regress was an interesting and terrifying novel that made one think deeply about life and death and the bridge between the two. It was dark and haunting, but with a love story that connects the living with the dead and provides a bit of light on an otherwise dark tale.

We follow Alyssa, a young and slightly depressed woman as she begins work on a case file at her job as a paranormal investigator. This particular case file is strange in that the ruling of cause of death of the subject Cain, w...more Last Regress was an interesting and terrifying novel that made one think deeply about life and death and the bridge between the two. It was dark and haunting, but with a love story that connects the living with the dead and provides a bit of light on an otherwise dark tale.

We follow Alyssa, a young and slightly depressed woman as she begins work on a case file at her job as a paranormal investigator. This particular case file is strange in that the ruling of cause of death of the subject Cain, was Spontaneous Human Combustion and despite some strangeness of the case, it was never looked into any deeper. Alyssa is convinced foul play was involved and sought to bring it to light.

As Alyssa gets involved in the case, she and her friend Greg discover a CD Cain recorded prior to dying. As they listen to the CD, Alyssa is mentally transported to another plane/dimension where horrible and good things happen. Upon her return, nothing is quite the same. She begins seeing a ghost, dark shadows come for her at night, and her friend Greg begins to wonder about her sanity. All of these events coalesce until they end in one big finale.

As a character, I didn't much like Alyssa. She began the book really depressed due to a prior break up and spent the duration of the novel giving me the feeling that she was weak and vulnerable. She psychoanalyzes everything and spends the duration of the book panicking about what may or may not happen when she gets ready to go asleep. She's a paranormal investigator for crying out loud. You'd think she would be at least a little open about the possibility that ghosts exist and stop thinking she's going crazy.

Greg, her best friend, also didn't always appeal to me. When Alyssa came to him talking about what she believed she was seeing at night, he seemed to automatically think she was going crazy. A true friend (at least any of my friends) would most likely take your comments and not make you feel crazy for what you think you saw. A real friend would say "Hmmm, maybe that could be it, or maybe all the work you're doing may be carrying over into your personal life. Either way, how about I stay with you tonight and make sure everything works out smoothly." Instead, he basically just brushed it off and said she was seeing things because her work is carrying over into her personal life and she needs to just get over it.

Cain, the love interest, was interesting. He seemed to be a tortured soul much like Alyssa so in that way I guess they fit well. He was her protector from the shadows and he seemed to care a lot about her. My issue though is that it was insta-love. Unlike some of you though, I don't always mind insta-love if I can see where it grows from. In this case though, it seemed like too much too fast. I just couldn't connect with it.

As a whole the book was interesting. I liked the concept of what happens after death, and the ways the dead can look back at those they left behind and all that. I also liked the idea that delving in too much knowledge could possibly be a bad thing (Take that Teachers of the world!) In terms of pacing the book was okay. It started off a bit slow and the point of view seemed to switch to random characters life stories I wasn't interested in like, for example, Nathaniel, but I guess it was kind of necessary in the grand scheme of things. This book wasn't completely realistic to me though and kind of reminded me of a Soap Opera sometimes. It got too dramatic too fast and the conversations seemed a bit too formal. Finally, there were a few plot holes that I wish were filled.

Last Regress delved into the possibility that what we think is on the "other side" may well be nothing like what really is on the other side. It theorized that love can still be found after death and that there are more forces at work in the world than we actually know. I would suggest it to those that like creepy terror style books. It's not terribly scary, but if you're one of those people who are deathly afraid of the dark. I'd suggest you don't read it. My score is 2.5 stars.(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Nicki Markus rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book in one sitting and found the storyline fairly engaging. It is a quick, easy read and the prose flows nicely. The premise of this book was interesting, but I wish the author had taken longer to explain a few things in more depth, such as the magic behind the lyrics. I got the impression a sequel may happen, though, so perhaps this explanation will come to the fore then.

The main gripe I had was the seeming 'love at first sight' of the two main characters. I struggled to believe in...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Shelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

Alyssa Matthews works at ‘weird central’ for the Institute of Paranormal Research Cambridge (sounds fancy, doesn’t it) as a researcher for the past two years. She’s a workaholic who has one friend (sounds sad, doesn’t it). She’s decides to take on a new assignment and write a story about an old case, Cain Andrew; years ago he died from burns resulting from Spontaneous Human Combustion (sounds real, doesn’t it).

I’m can’t say that I’m a fan of this type of paranormal story but I appreciate the sto...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Debbie Heaton rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Thorne’s paranormal romance novel, Alyssa Matthews is a skeptical paranormal investigator whose talent revolves around researching, observing and explaining. When she takes on the writing of a long forgotten case of spontaneous human combustion, she assumed it would be fairly typical and ordinary. To her surprise, she is plunged into a situation that would have her questioning her own sanity and her skepticism surrounding the paranormal.

The story is unique, a little slow in the beginning, but...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Naomi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Alyssa is a lonely girl and we spend the first half of the book finding out about her life growing up, what happened to her parents and what happened in the relationship with Alex. We discover how deep her bond is with her drop dead gorgeous but gay best friend Greg, who is the only true friend/family that she has now. Apart from him the only other person in her life is her boss, Dave. They both work at a Paranormal Research company where they document cases and print their developments in their...more Alyssa is a lonely girl and we spend the first half of the book finding out about her life growing up, what happened to her parents and what happened in the relationship with Alex. We discover how deep her bond is with her drop dead gorgeous but gay best friend Greg, who is the only true friend/family that she has now. Apart from him the only other person in her life is her boss, Dave. They both work at a Paranormal Research company where they document cases and print their developments in their newspaper.

Since Alyssa has started a new case to research about she is having trouble sleeping and believes she is having nightmares. She confides in Greg and he is beginning to wonder if stress is bringing on her issues. Alyssa spends time with Greg, confiding all her problems in him and the more he thinks about it, the more he tries to convince her that it is all in her head. The black creatures in her room are not real and there are no such things as ghosts.

The first half of the book was pretty slow for me as we find out about Alyssa’s past and what she is dealing with now. She doesn’t have many people in her life to open up to so she spends a lot of time alone and over analyses everything that is going on around her. She starts to believe she is going insane and repeats the same arguments in her head.

The second half of the book was better as there was a bit more action. We learn more about the other plane of existence and how the souls end up there. It gave more depth to the story and I enjoyed learning about Cain. He is a beautiful soul and cares very deeply for Alyssa. They have an unusual relationship and seem to be getting closer the longer they spend together.

It was a bit of an emotional journey where one girl struggles with who she is and is looking for more in life. She found a connection with someone that she can never have. She deals with rejection poorly as her life has been depressing so far and believes she no longer has anyone to turn to. This was the beginning of something bigger in life after death and the war that is on the horizon.

I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
(less)

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Apr 08, 2013 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: requested-reviews, paranormal-romance, paranormal

Synopsis: "Alyssa Matthews thought she had an explanation for everything. After all, as a slightly sceptical paranormal investigator that was what she was used to doing; researching, observing and explaining.

So when she began writing a paper about a long forgotten case of death by Spontaneous Human Combustion, she assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill piece. Little did she realise that she was about to be plunged into a situation that would not only force her to question her own sanity, but also...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Tiffany (Book Cover Justice) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

After being brutally dumped by her boyfriend, Alyssa Matthews decides to make some changes, starting with her job. She is now a paranormal investigator and loves every minute of it. That was, until, she picked up the strange case of a man who appeared to have died of spontaneous human combustion. She just can't get this case out of her head. Literally. She is obsessed with it and it is starting to cause her problems. She is starting to see weird things, like creatures in her room at night.

Her b...more After being brutally dumped by her boyfriend, Alyssa Matthews decides to make some changes, starting with her job. She is now a paranormal investigator and loves every minute of it. That was, until, she picked up the strange case of a man who appeared to have died of spontaneous human combustion. She just can't get this case out of her head. Literally. She is obsessed with it and it is starting to cause her problems. She is starting to see weird things, like creatures in her room at night.

Her best friend, Greg, is more than a little worried about her. Especially now that she swears there is this weird man in her house. He knows she needs some professional help, but will he be too late?

I don't usually read paranormal books but I took a chance on this one because spontaneous human combustion kind of fascinates me. I am so glad I decided to give it a go! This book has everything you need for a successful read. It's funny, creepy and there's even a little romance!

Alyssa was a pretty likable character. She's very lonely with no family and only one friend, Greg, and because of this she works a little harder than she should. She fills her nights and weekends with the strange cases from work and has a good sense of humor. Oh yea, she is also losing her mind. She hasn't slept in weeks, ever since starting this new case. She's been having crazy nightmares with dark creatures crawling along her walls and trying to attack her. And now they seemed to have escalated because there is a rather strange man hanging out in her bedroom too.

The paranormal aspect of this story was quite fascinating. Rachael has invented a strange portal to other places where people may go after they die. I really enjoyed this part of the story and learning the life stories of some of the other characters. I was sucked in immediately by the story of Nathaniel, a man living in the other realm.

There is of course, also a little romance. I can't go deeper than that because it will totally give away a major plot point, but man! I was so desperate for this to work and I just couldn't wrap my head around how it could be done and it killed me that these two characters might not end up together.

Overall, I found Last Regress to be a very inventive, fascinating read. I inhaled this book quickly, not wanting to stop for anything. While some of my questions were not completely answered in this story, it is left open for a sequel so I am hoping that will be the case.

If you are a lover of paranormal or just looking for a fresh plot with lots of twists and turns, I highly recommend you go download yourself a copy of this book right now!(less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

After a devastating breakup with her boyfriend, Alyssa’s best fried Greg encourages her to get a job at the local paranormal research institute. Alyssa’s thrown herself into her work to escape the pain and loneliness she feels constantly. She enjoys going through cold cases and seeing what she can uncover, especially with her skeptic’s eye. The latest case she’s delving into is a case of SHC or Spontaneous Human Combustion. Yet it doesn’t exactly fit the pattern of SHC. As Alyssa is drawn deeper...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Mandy Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author did a wonderful job of writing this fun, paranormal romance that will keep you entertained from the beginning. The storyline is pretty unique, intricate and mostly fast-paced. The book has a lot of mystery and romance in the novel. The romantic scenes were the kind that makes your heart beat. The characters are witty, entertaining and Alyssa being a good heroine who needs everything done for her. A recommend this book. I give it 3 stars.

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Jan 02, 2013 Penny Ross rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just finished Last Regress: Last regress kept my interest, the plot is unique and there was a great deal of suspense. I didn't like the gory parts, I must admit I skipped those pages but I enjoyed the rest of the story. Cain was a mystery and he drew me into the story with the parallel universe angle.

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Shelves: ebooks

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Shelves: for-review

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About Rachael J. Thorne

Rachael J. Thorne is trying to make it in the world as an indie author between tending her garden and being a geek!

She lives in Essex, UK with her husband and crazy dog.

LAST REGRESS is her first novel and she is currently working on her second, RUNNING FOR A LIFE.

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