Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Tainted
In a dazzling tour de force of suspenseful storytelling, first-time novelist Brooke Morgan ingeniously peels away layers of artifice and deception to reveal the fears and uncertainties that live in the hearts of us all.Holly Barrett first saw Jack Dane early one morning—tall, tan, and so heartbreakingly handsome he took her breath away. He also seemed like the last person...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
December 1st 2009
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
841)
Ugh, what a bunch of melodramatic tripe this is. The only suspense in the book is exactly WHEN thing will go wrong, not if they will. I read the whole thing, but I have no idea why. I get really upset when characters are just too stupid for words, and that's the protagonist in this one. She falls in love with this perfect guy, they move in together within a few weeks, and a few weeks after that, he packs up all her old framed photos (including those of her fairly recently deceased parents) and t...more
The back cover of the book essentially gives away half of the storyline so that you end up not being surprised by the turn of events and just expect it. It's hard to believe that this book was published by an actual publisher seeing as how it was in such need of editing. It's the author's first novel and it shows, but in ways that could have been fixed before printing had it been edited. Also, naming a main character Billy Madison is a very poor choice and just brings up images of Adam Sandler m...more
view 2 comments
Jan 18, 2010
Laura de Leon
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
review-copy
This was an utterly engrossing book, heavy on the suspense and creepiness. While I was reading, I was completely drawn in by the characters and their actions. I think this is a testament to the quality of the writing, which I never found obtrusive (this is probably how I'd define what I like in a writing style-- effectively captures my attention while never forcing me to pay attention to the actual words).
When I stopped reading, I found myself questioning the story. Did I find Holly realistic in...more
When I stopped reading, I found myself questioning the story. Did I find Holly realistic in...more
Starred Review. The real-life murder case of British toddler Jamie Bulger helped inspire Morgan's excellent debut, an impeccably paced suspense novel set on Cape Cod. When 17-year-old Holly Barrett becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with 18-year-old Billy Madison, Billy, who comes from a privileged background, splits after learning the news. Five years later, Billy returns to Shoreham, Mass., eager to be a father, but Holly's not interested. Having endured the loss of her parents and not t...more
Brooke Morgan's debut novel, Tainted, is a thrill ride in a small, shoreline town in Massachusetts -- Shoreham -- as Holly Barrett meets the man of her dreams on a bus. Jack Dane is dashing, charming, and British -- an accent to die for -- but there is something below the surface that is not so inviting.
"Tell your heart lies enough times and it will fashion them into the truth." (Page 34)
Holly's had a tough youth from getting pregnant at a young age to losing her parents and struggling as a sing...more
"Tell your heart lies enough times and it will fashion them into the truth." (Page 34)
Holly's had a tough youth from getting pregnant at a young age to losing her parents and struggling as a sing...more
Holly Barrett has lived a hard life. She was never popular, always somewhat of a nerd. She was not noticed until she got pregnant in high school by a guy who didn’t speak to her after she told him about the baby. Little Katy was a blessing, but a few short years later, Holly’s dad died of a heart attack and three days later her mother was crying so hard driving down the road, she lost control and also died. Holly moved into her parents summer home right next to her grandfather, Henry, and things...more
Suspense, thrills, racing hearts, and heartbreak are just a few words that I would use to summarize Tainted by Brooke Morgan. From beginning to end, I was utterly engrossed within the story, turning page after page to see what would happen next. Never was there a spot within the story that was lacking, nor anywhere were my attention was diverted from the story and its characters.
Tainted is one of those books that I can honestly and truly say that I loved the story and plot line, but felt very bo...more
Tainted is one of those books that I can honestly and truly say that I loved the story and plot line, but felt very bo...more
Brooke Morgan's first novel is a gripping read. From the very first chapter, right up until the last sentence, I was sucked in and just wanted to find out what the secrets of Jack's past were, what was going to happen, and whether Holly and her daughter Katy would be safe in the end.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed 'Tainted', I couldn't help but want to scream at Holly for not finding certain things about her new husband odd. Holly's life up until she met Jack on the bus in the first chapter was in...more
Although I thoroughly enjoyed 'Tainted', I couldn't help but want to scream at Holly for not finding certain things about her new husband odd. Holly's life up until she met Jack on the bus in the first chapter was in...more
This book did grab a hold of me in the same way a car wreck does... There was forever a sense of doom coming, it was just a matter of WHEN. I kind of wish the description on the cover hadn't given so much away...out-rightly telling us that Jack would prove to be a monster. I had a bit of a problem getting over the fact that author chose to have a character in the book named Billy Madison. Authors know full well the power of names, so I'm unsure why she would CHOOSE one that is connected to a hil...more
I enjoyed this book, although I never really got sucked into it. Basically, it was good enough where I always wanted to keep reading but not so good that I had a hard time putting it down. (Solid read, though, and it's in paperback.)
Holly is a single mom (to five-year-old Katy). She doesn't really have much of a social life (partly due to Katy; partly because she's a homebody anyway). Katy's dad isn't in the picture and Holly's life is Katy and Henry (Henry is her grandfather, Katy's great-grand...more
Holly is a single mom (to five-year-old Katy). She doesn't really have much of a social life (partly due to Katy; partly because she's a homebody anyway). Katy's dad isn't in the picture and Holly's life is Katy and Henry (Henry is her grandfather, Katy's great-grand...more
Holly Barrett is a single mother to her 5 year old daughter Katy. They reside in Cape Cod near Holly's grandfather and, although her life isn't ideal, she is definitely a survivor and has made the best out of her situation in life. The three of them are a family.
Then one day Holly meets handsome, Englishman, Jack Dane. She is utterly charmed by him and after a whirlwind courtship he moves into her home and they are promptly married. Everything is fantastic for Holly... not only is she in love, b...more
Then one day Holly meets handsome, Englishman, Jack Dane. She is utterly charmed by him and after a whirlwind courtship he moves into her home and they are promptly married. Everything is fantastic for Holly... not only is she in love, b...more
Ein sehr spannendes Buch, welches ich nur empfehlen kann.
"Befleckt" war wieder mal ein flüssiger Psychothriller, der meine Erwartungen durchaus übertroffen hat.
Sehr gut fand ich auch hier, dass aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt wurde.
Allerdings empfand ich Holly teilweise zu naiv. An einigen Stellen hätte ich sie gerne geschüttelt, weil sie einfach blind vor Liebe ist und schon Kleinigkeiten durchgehen lässt, die mir gleich ein Dorn im Auge gewesen wären und ich mich ernsthaft gefragt hätt...more
"Befleckt" war wieder mal ein flüssiger Psychothriller, der meine Erwartungen durchaus übertroffen hat.
Sehr gut fand ich auch hier, dass aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt wurde.
Allerdings empfand ich Holly teilweise zu naiv. An einigen Stellen hätte ich sie gerne geschüttelt, weil sie einfach blind vor Liebe ist und schon Kleinigkeiten durchgehen lässt, die mir gleich ein Dorn im Auge gewesen wären und ich mich ernsthaft gefragt hätt...more
This book was thoroughly enjoyable 3/4 of the story. It was suspenseful and charming. And then the ending took a turn. It seemed as if the author did not know what to do with the main charachter so she had her mumbling on the couch in a comatose helpless state as her child was abducted by an evil man. After this there were two visitors that added nothing to the story except to fill pages. Why were they there? What did they want? And what answers did they have to add to the story? We'll never kno...more
Although overall I did enjoy reading this book, and for a new novelist I had to commend Brooke Morgan for her efforts. However, There were a few times I felt like I was reading the equivalent of a Life Time movie. You know.. when the woman acts so naive and oblivious to the blaring signs of danger that you think to yourself "Do they really expect me to buy into this?" The plot is interesting, suspenseful in the right places and just creepy enough without being offensive. It did keep my attention...more
Not my usual style of book I'll grant you, but my mother finally read a book for the first time in her life, (she doesn't do that often, and never finishes them so it was a surprise) and liked it so she wanted to talk about it with someone, and has forced the task upon me. So I'm giving it a chance, because it must have done something to warrant her out of character behaviour.
EDIT: I did like it. Not my usual style and not exactly a masterpiece, and you could see where it was going quite early o...more
EDIT: I did like it. Not my usual style and not exactly a masterpiece, and you could see where it was going quite early o...more
Unbelievable and ridiculous. I'm embarrassed to say that I continued reading until the very end. While it may be an interesting idea to think that one could meet, fall in love and marry someone that they really don't know at all, this story pushes all of the boundaries. The characters are weak and foolish and have the vocabulary of jr. high student... the F-word abounds... especially when they are angry, frightened, bored, apprehensive, upset, unhappy, tearful, miserable or tired. I wouldn't bot...more
Given the synopsis of the book, as well as what is on the back of the book, obviously it has already given a huge spoiler. I liked this book, but I have to tell you that Holly is about the dumbest, naivest woman I have ever read about. Granted she was young, 23, but if the author was going to give her a five year old child, it would have been nice if she had a little bit of backbone during the storyline. Listen up women, when a man tells you he expects a hot breakfast every morning at 7:30 and l...more
My friend Staci lent me this book a while ago and I just got around to reading it.
Holly was so excited that Jack fell for her, that she failed to really find out who is really is or what his motives are. You would think that someone with a little 5 year old daughter would be a little more careful about who she falls for and lets live in her home.
Billy who is her daughter Katy's real father disappeared from her life, but he wants to start out fresh with her and get to know their daughter. She doe...more
Holly was so excited that Jack fell for her, that she failed to really find out who is really is or what his motives are. You would think that someone with a little 5 year old daughter would be a little more careful about who she falls for and lets live in her home.
Billy who is her daughter Katy's real father disappeared from her life, but he wants to start out fresh with her and get to know their daughter. She doe...more
Easy read which I like. The beginning of the book drew me in. However, as I continued reading, Holly started to irritate me more and more. I just could not fathom how naive she was! And the naïveté got worse and worse as the story continued. How can a person sit back and watch someone rip out all their family pictures and toss them in the garbage and not say anything??!! How could everyone she knew have suspicions about Jake, confront her about it, and she STILL doesn't question him? Ugh! I will...more
Wow...this was quite haunting. Although the characterization wasn't very detailed, the plot was powerful overall, opening several areas for discussion/consideration: (1) Can a child criminal truly be rehabilitated to be a "normal" adult? (2) it can be easy enough to relocate and create a new life, how can you ever be certain of another's character when you meet him/her? (3) How do you determine whom to trust with those you love? It was a good read, but honestly, a bit too creepy for me...
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Another book where at first I wasn't sure if I would like it. But in the mid 100's, I couldn't put it down. I read from page 150 until the end in one day. Tainted was about a young woman, Holly, with a daughter, Katy, who falls in love with a British man she meets on a bus. Within two weeks, they are living together and planning on marriage. But as the book unravels, things don't seem quite right with the man. Everyone sees it except for Holly. The last 1/2 of the book focuses on everyone's sear...more
This was another Readers choice books that I read. It was definitely a page turner, however, there were many times I wanted to scream at the book because I knew something the character didn't. I had figured it out and wanted Brooke Morgan to write about it. The main character, Holly, wasn't too smart yet she tried to do what was best for her daughter. The last page surprised me which is a good thing because I wasn't expecting it. A lot of language which was annoying but overall it wasn't too bad...more
There was a lot of swearing. *Spoiler* It was unrealistic how Holly automatically believed Jack and let all the weird things he did be explained away. The ending didn't really wrap anything up and left you at a cliffhanger. She still loved Jack even though he killed Henry and tried to kill her daughter, Really???? He was psychotic and she was way too hung up on him.
I liked the suspense and not knowing when he was going to go crazy.
I liked the suspense and not knowing when he was going to go crazy.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a very gripping book. I couldn't put it down. Literally. I have had to rearrange my entire day's scheduled because I started it while eating breakfast and couldn't stop. I had to finish it. It was very intense. It was very disturbing. At the back of the book, the author answered a few questions. One of those was where she got her inspiration for the storyline. I understand it. I don't know that I like it.
Wow! I read about half of the book, then had to put it on the back burner due to my workload, but boy, when I picked it back up, I finished the last half of the book in 2 days. Very, very good. Keeps you on the edge of your seat (especially the last half of the book) right until the very last sentence! And that last sentence leaves you saying... Well? What happened? Must read!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Holly Barrett meets Jack Dane on the train from Boston to Shoreham. She is instantly attracted to him and totally surprised when he seems equally interested in her. To make things better, her grandfather, Henry, and her daughter, Katy, both seem to love Jack. But Katy's father, Billy, doesn't trust Jack and he is appalled when Holly and Jack marry. Jack seems perfect on the surface, but Billy suspects that he isn't all he appears to be.
The book starts a little slowly, but really picks up speed a...more
The book starts a little slowly, but really picks up speed a...more
What if her majestys prison let out an offender who killed as a child was now an adult with a new identity? And he could never return to the place of the murders. Would he offend again if given the chance? Most likely yes. A brilliant book. Im coming at it from a different perspective read it and see where you end up.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“You can never make peace with grief, sweetie. You just work out a way to live with the war grief wages in your heart.”
—
8 people liked it
More quotes…
