Amanda's Payback

by Marcia Carrington

Amanda Parkinson loves to shop at Johannsson’s, her favorite department store, but the staff there, specifically Magda, an older service assistant, have taken a dislike to her. Magda enlists the help of her lover, security guard Bellamy, to shame Amanda into not shopping there anymore. Matters take an unexpected turn when Amanda kidnaps Bellamy, aided by her brother Thomas, for a night of revenge, and humiliation, Bellamy will never forget…

Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Marcia Carrington writes about the human condition, exploring what makes people tick, but in an upbeat and optimistic tone. She writes in a variety of genres, mainly romance but also, comedy, suspense, crime, paranormal, mystery, YA and NA. Her collection of thirty-four books vary in length from full-length works to novellas, novelettes to short stories.

Marcia's latest book is short story romance THE FUNERAL, released in September 2019, and will be venturing again into science fiction/paranormal territory with DREAM STATE, a novelette slated for release in December 2019.

Apart from writing and reading, Marcia also has a great love for coffee. The morning coffee has always been a staple for Marcia, and something which she cannot do without. There is just something about the fresh aroma of coffee early in the morning, and anytime for that fact, which proves irresistible to her.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge, humiliation, belittlement are all covered in this engaging short story.

Amanda loves going to her favorite department store, but the store manager , along with the security guard, for some reason have decided that she is not 'good enough' or 'rich enough' to shop their store. They make degrading remarks to her and once the security guard followed her around the store watching her every move. When he stopped her as she was leaving the store and demanded to see her receipt for a scarf she bought, that was the last straw.

Amanda and her brother put their heads together and come up with a plan that should eliminate any further nonsense for the store employees.

Did they go too far?

This is a very short story.. less than 50 pages. Although I'm not sure I would have taken these steps... it did make for entertaining reading. The 'devil ' in me enjoyed the just desserts.

Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this well written short story. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Parkinson has had about enough of people treating her like a low class citizen, especially Magda and Bellamy who work at Amanda's favorite store. With her brother, Thomas' help, Amanda is going to teach the two a lesson they won't soon forget. The author goes into a bit of a dark place with this novel, but in a great way. The author writes books about real emotions and real people in incredible circumstances and I love them all.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick easy read. it was enjoyable and funny. made me laugh and smile. it was fast paced and short so simple read. i liked it

[Dorel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I read by Marcia Carrington. I'm sorry this book's storyline was unbelievable to me. "I received a free copy for an honest review."

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia Carrington is fast becoming a go-to for quick bedtime reads that are full of story but still easily finished in one sitting. This one fit that perfectly, coming in at just under fifty pages. What I didn't expect was the time I spent thinking about it after I finished. I won't go over the premise as that can be found in the blurb, but I will say Amanda's Payback got a bit twisted and I found myself torn over where empathy should be placed. I can understand Amanda's feelings about Magda and Bellamy - anyone who's ever been mistreated by a sales clerk can understand, but these two take it a lot further than just misplaced rudeness. Then Amanda and Thomas concoct a dark plan for revenge and wow, do they really go over the top with it. In the end, I found myself waffling on the lesson here. On the one hand, we get a reminder that actions do come back on us, sometimes in a very big way, and on the other, there's a great lesson about judging people because you might come across someone with less moral qualms about their actions than you have. Whichever way you want to take it, this one is certainly entertaining and even provides some food for thought.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this book as part of an arc program. This is the story of Amanda, a young woman who likes to shop at a high end department store. Amanda is singled out by a saleswoman named Magda and a security guard named Bellamy. Magda thinks only certain people of certain wealth should be shopping there and enlists Bellamy to get rid of anyone she thinks doesn't belong. Amanda is targeted and along with the help of her brother, they decide to take revenge on Bellamy and Magda. This was not really my favorite book i read by Marcia. I felt the revenge was a little too much for the reasons Amanda had against Bellamy. Magda deserved to be fired. I think Bellamy was being used by Magda and he should have stood up for himself.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

PAYBACK IN ALL ITS WONDER!!!
Sweet revenge! Twists and turns abound along with a few bumps and bruises catapulting this baby to life skillfully. A slew of unpredictable surprises and conflicting circumstances push all of your emotions bursting forward in this inconceivable storyline and scheming plot. All the drama, uncertainty and suspense make for one incredible experience. The characters are authentic and realistic with such depth and individuality you feel like you can just reach out and touch them. You can picture each scenario as they play out with such colorful descriptions it blends and flows smoothly. Remarkable job Marcia, thanks for sharing this amazing little jewel with us.

[Debbie Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW this one quickly turned dark and raises the question about judging people on their looks/dress/manners etc

Amanda Parkinson loves to shop at Johannsson's what she isn't so enamoured of is the way the sales assistant Magda and boyfriend security guard Bellamy treat her in fact the final straw is when Bellamy follows her around the store the entire time she is there then insists on seeing a receipt for the scarf she bought. She has had enough so he and her brother Thomas plot revenge but do they take it to far when they add kidnapping to their plans.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short novella with Amanda getting revenge on Magda and Bellamy who treated her badly while shopping at the store they work in. The author brings out the emotions felt from a victim of abuse and takes it to the extreme of a person reaching their limit. The characters are strong and the story moves quickly. I enjoyed reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Jamie Mounts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow revenge, humiliation, and payback all in this short story! Amanda is treated poorly in a department store and her brother Thomas wants to seek revenge for her. Magda and Bellemy are trying to rid the store of what they feel are poor customers. So Amanda and Thomas take revenge and humiliation out on Bellemy.

[Myrna Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story rather creepy and sinister and not for the feint hearted. It gives a whole new meaning to revenge and pay back. It is a good story but it is really dark and I am not sure it will be everyone's cup of tea. I think it would depend on how far you would be willing to go to teach someone a lesson?

[Linda Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda has been treated terribly from a few people in the department store she likes to go to but a sales lady and a security guard make her feel less than adequate. Don’t worry Amanda and her brother Thomas aren’t taking it lying down

[Simera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay for me. I didn't care for the way Amanda went about getting revenge on the store guard or the manager. It all seemed a little high school for me. Yes, they treated her poorly and rather rudely.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc review for honest review. Amanda at Johansson's department store magda and bellamy are snobs to the finest but Amanda and her brother will have the last laugh cute.

[LORRIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing

[Melissa Ledet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good revenge story. Like how Armand’s brother help her get revenge.

[Reads by Starburst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda's Payback is a novella filled with suspense, revenge and drama. It is really surprising how the author managed to fill so much in such a few pages. The synopsis of the story is all you need to know and don't dwell too much on the character development or ponder if what Amanda did was wrong or the right thing to do. I think thinking too much about her actions is not going to help because the dark element is the true beauty of this story. The author tries to explore how much it takes for a person to retaliate and move over the dark side. If you like dark stories then do try out this one!