This one is hard to rate/review because my feelings about it are sort of mixed. I was sucked into the story, and the3.5 stars - Romantic Suspense
This one is hard to rate/review because my feelings about it are sort of mixed. I was sucked into the story, and the suspense aspect was gripping and kept me guessing.
But the extreme torture and brutality that the heroine endures is graphic and really hard to read about. (view spoiler)[She’s kidnapped, held captive in an abandoned warehouse basement, kept chained to a wall, raped repeatedly, starved, bitten by rats, has words carved into her with a knife, gets pregnant while being starved and abused, is forced to deliver her baby all alone on the cold floor, and then has the baby taken from her. She also suffered childhood mental and physical abuse from her mother. (hide spoiler)] I just didn’t feel like someone who endured such intensive, traumatic abuse like Josie did would be as well adjusted, and it never really mentions her receiving counseling/therapy.
I liked the hero, Zach, and I rooted for him and Josie together. I did bawl my eyes out toward the end when (view spoiler)[Josie finds then gives up her son (hide spoiler)]. The epilogue was bittersweet and touching, but I didn’t like that (view spoiler)[the bad guy wasn’t caught. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I liked this, but it’s heartbreaking and gutwrenching at times and not an easy read....more
I just discovered Karin Slaughter this year, and I’ve loved reading her Will Trent series. The Last Widow is my favorite5+ stars – Suspense/Thriller
I just discovered Karin Slaughter this year, and I’ve loved reading her Will Trent series. The Last Widow is my favorite book by her so far. It’s an intense, gripping, complex, and absolutely brilliant thriller, but it’s also fucking terrifying. The disturbing events and doomsday scenario that unfold in this story are like an all too real worst nightmare.
This book definitely speaks to the current ugly state of the American political and social climate and the alarming rise of white nationalism. Knowing various far-right extremist, white supremacist, religious zealot militia groups like the one depicted in this book exist in frightening numbers and are armed to the teeth with their hatred, racism, misogyny, and AR-15s, it all feels startlingly timely, horrifyingly realistic, and chillingly plausible.
Will and Sara both go through utter hell in this book. (view spoiler)[The scene at the compound when Will finally finds Sara and they hold hands through the crack under her locked cabin door and both try to be strong and not break down and comfort and console each other with silly jokes and banter knowing they have to separate again just gutted me. Thankfully, Will and Sara are back together at the end of the book and are a stronger, more solidified couple and seem to be headed toward moving in together and marriage?! (hide spoiler)] I’m not sure what else Karin Slaughter has planned for Will and Sara or if they’ll really have and/or keep a well-deserved happy ending, but I sure fucking hope so! I can’t wait for the next Will Trent book to find out! Big 5 stars!...more
Gah! This book is so good, but it also made me so freaking angry! I hate and loathe Angie Poison Polaski with5 stars - Crime/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Gah! This book is so good, but it also made me so freaking angry! I hate and loathe Angie Poison Polaski with a passion, and she’s center stage in this one. I love Will Trent and my heart always breaks for him. At the same time, I get really frustrated and annoyed with the way he continually lets Angie manipulate, machinate, and mistreat him, Sara, and everyone else.
The Kept Woman is a rollercoaster! It’s dark, heavy, brutal, and violent, and Karin Slaughter weaves such an intricate web with so many twists and turns that keep you guessing. It’s an addictive, gripping, and smart mystery/thriller. I really wanted Angie (view spoiler)[to get her comeuppance and be gone for good. I’m disappointed that she got away with everything and that she’s still a potential threat to Will and Sara. (hide spoiler)]
This is a well-crafted, chilling, and compelling crime thriller with excellent character development and a seriously5 stars - Crime/Mystery/Thriller
This is a well-crafted, chilling, and compelling crime thriller with excellent character development and a seriously twisted psychopath. It’s also extremely graphic and brutal with horrific, gruesome details of violence and torture that’s hard to stomach at times. I’m definitely invested in Will Trent, Faith Mitchell, and Dr. Sara Linton and will continue with the series. Also, I really hate Angie and hope that Will (view spoiler)[kicks her manipulative, bitchy ass to the curb for good...and soon! (hide spoiler)]...more
In the Woods is an extremely well-written and unique mystery with depth,5 stars – Mystery/Thriller/Crime Fiction/Psychological Suspense
In the Woods is an extremely well-written and unique mystery with depth, intelligence, and emotional complexity. It’s creepy, atmospheric, and heartbreaking with a psychological authenticity that makes it hard to accept for its bitter realness.
I had so many mixed feelings about the characters throughout the book. I cared deeply for Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox and felt their emotions and frustrations in working the case. I developed a love/hate relationship with Detective Ryan, the narrator, over the course of the story, and I became so angry and exasperated with him toward the last third of the book. It’s definitely a credit to the author that she manages to evoke feelings of love, anger, empathy, frustration, and compassion toward the characters because they read as real people with genuine flaws, emotions, issues, and frailties.
I had an occasional (and ultimately accurate) hunch regarding the true villain in the current murder mystery case. However, the story kept me guessing, and I was still shocked when all the atrocious details were revealed.
*Major spoiler warning...(view spoiler)[Rosalind rubbed me wrong from the moment she was introduced and something about her set off warning bells. I was still surprised and appalled by what a truly evil, twisted psychopath she turned out to be. And it was a nasty pill to swallow for the detectives and the reader that she essentially got away with everything. (hide spoiler)]
In regards to the eerie past mystery, I can understand why there is controversy and disappointment for some readers.
*Major spoiler warning...(view spoiler)[I felt frustration and dissatisfaction that the mystery of what happened to Adam/Rob and his two missing best friends from childhood was left unresolved. But at the same time, I also think the author’s choice to remain true to the psychological complexity of Rob’s deeply flawed character and not force a neat and tidy plot resolution made it more honest. (hide spoiler)]
It’s definitely not all tied up with a shiny ribbon or fancy bow, but that’s part of what makes this mystery/crime fiction story more haunting and brilliant for its cruel sense of realism. That being said, I still hope we find out at some point in another book exactly what happened to (view spoiler)[Rob and his friends “In the Woods.” (hide spoiler)] I’m also holding out hope for a (view spoiler)[Rob and Cassie reconciliation because I want them back together, at least as partners and friends, if not a couple. (hide spoiler)]
It’s worth noting that I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Steven Crossley. He did a great job bringing Detective Rob Ryan and the other characters to life, which really enhanced my enjoyment of the book....more
Brotherhood in Death is one of the best of the series, but it’s not an easy read.
This time the murder case was particularly brutal and a difficult one for Eve that made her relive her traumatic past. Knowing the horror Eve endured and survived as a child made this even more disturbing and emotional. But Roarke, Peabody, and Mr. Mira were there to support her, lend their strength, and to help her stand tough and strong, as always. (view spoiler)[The scene with Mr. Mira gently comforting Eve when she broke down while telling him about her abusive past was so touching, tender, and heartbreaking. (hide spoiler)]
I was really torn with the murder case in this one. The male murder “victims” made me revolted and enraged, and I didn’t feel any sympathy whatsoever for them. (view spoiler)[A brotherhood of powerful, wealthy, privileged white men with advantaged Ivy League Yale backgrounds abusing their power and wealth to prey on and rape women together for 49 years. I don’t condone violence or vigilante justice, but I felt compassion and understanding for the rape victims/survivors who got revenge on their vile rapists. And I wanted the women to get justice and find peace. (hide spoiler)] I thought J.D. Robb handled it really well.
Also, the timing and relevancy of reading this book really struck me. With so many men of various public stations abusing their positions of power, fame, and wealth by engaging in sexual misconduct, harassment, abuse, and/or assault, it’s glaringly obvious that there’s still a huge chasm of inequality in how girls and women are treated in society. And far too often justice is not just or served, especially when it comes to powerful, wealthy white men in power. Female victims are far too often ignored, shamed, and blamed, and have their lives ruined while their abusers/rapists go unpunished....more
5 stars – New Adult/Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Chick-lit/Romance)
I have so many thoughts and feelings about this exceptional, powerful book, and I5 stars – New Adult/Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Chick-lit/Romance)
I have so many thoughts and feelings about this exceptional, powerful book, and I had a much stronger emotional reaction to it than I expected to. I read this primarily because it won Best Romance in the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2016 and it was highly rated by several of my GR friends. I avoided reading reviews and spoilers, so I went into it expecting a new adult contemporary romance, which is how it’s labeled/marketed. But it’s really a women’s fiction story and not technically a romance, especially considering the serious, heavy subject matter of (view spoiler)[domestic violence (hide spoiler)].
Given my usual preference for romance and expectations, I should’ve been disappointed, but this book ended up being more, unique, and so much better than I’d anticipated. I actually listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did a fabulous job and really engaged my emotions and further enhanced my love of the book.
There will be spoilers going forward in the next few paragraphs/sections, so heed the spoiler warning/tag if you don’t want any spoilers about the content/story.(view spoiler)[
I’m sure a lot of readers fell in love with Ryle like Lily did and subsequently felt even more anguish over the sad turn of events and rocky, violent demise of their relationship, but that didn’t really happen for me. I had a strong sense of foreboding the moment Ryle burst out onto that rooftop and kicked the lawn chair in a fit of anger/temper about where the story would lead. There were other things about his personality and actions, even early on, that set off red warning flags for me: his complete lack of relationships and adamant stance against them, his unhealthy obsession with Lily, his controlling nature, his emotional inexperience and immaturity, and the deep-seated trauma/issue (revealed later in the book) that he suffered as a child.
Lily and Ryle’s entire relationship and romance was sort of tainted for me since I expected where it was headed and could sense things were eventually going to get very ugly. Because of the unease I felt towards Ryle’s character from the start, I never fully trusted or totally warmed up to him as a romantic lead and love interest for Lily. Still, he managed to grow on me over the course of the middle part of the story and dare I say, nearly stole my heart along with Lily’s. His childhood backstory was so unbelievably sad and tragic and really made me sympathize with his character. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I wanted so very much to be wrong about him and to love him like she did; so even though I wasn’t surprised by the abusive turn, it still gutted me and broke my heart right along with hers.
The Dear Ellen diaries/journals and glimpses into the past were such a compelling and moving aspect of the story. I fell completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with Atlas and wanted/needed/hoped for Lily and him to be reunited and end up together. So that also negatively impacted my feelings towards Lily’s relationship and romance with Ryle. I was really frustrated by the lack of honesty and communication between (the grown-up versions of) Lily and Atlas because so much pain, anguish, and heartache could’ve been avoided. Then again, that also would’ve taken things in a very different turn, altered the course of the characters, and completely changed the depth and focus of the story.
Some random thoughts/questions/quibbles:
*For readers wondering/concerned over this story having a love triangle, it technically doesn’t. It’s hard to explain, but just don’t let that possibility keep you from reading because it really isn’t that, at all.
*I wanted to know more about what happened to Atlas after Lily’s father beat him up and how he managed to still make it into the military?
*I felt like Lily and Ryle didn’t really know each other that well and didn’t share enough about their pasts. Their relationship jumped into marriage too fast.
*Why didn’t Lily and Ryle seek professional help and/or go to therapy together following Ryle’s revelation regarding his anger issues and blackouts? Ryle mentioned going to therapy since he was 6-years-old after his brother’s death but they never discussed the idea or possibility of going or getting help together. And unlike a lot of couples, they could definitely afford it.
*I was disappointed with the rushed ending and too brief epilogue. I wanted a more definitive ending with Lily and Atlas finally together and more revealed about their future together. How did Ryle fit into that? How would Ryle handle Lily being with Atlas?
*What about the possibility of Ryle having one of his anger/emotional induced episodes or blackouts around their daughter?
*I loved Atlas, and this was one of my favorite quotes. “In the future...if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again...fall in love with me.” (hide spoiler)]
There were a lot of questions left unanswered for me and things left unresolved that should’ve lessened my enjoyment and lowered my rating. But I just can’t give this book less than 5 full stars because it’s so damn well-written, brilliant, unique, important, daring, poignant, and powerful. And the Author’s Note is so honest and emotional and worth 5 stars alone. So big 5 stars for this excellent read!
Also, I would love for Colleen Hoover to write Atlas’s story...just saying.
“Flawed” indeed...not to mention infuriating, cheesy, choppy, rushed, melodramatic, and nonsensical. I didn’t like the1 star – Contemporary Romance
“Flawed” indeed...not to mention infuriating, cheesy, choppy, rushed, melodramatic, and nonsensical. I didn’t like the hero or heroine (at all) and felt absolute nothing, zilch, for their contrived, supposedly deep, emotional, powerful, all-consuming connection/love besides frustration. And the big, dark, earth-shattering, soul-destroying “secret” that kept the H/h apart for five years was utterly ridiculous. Needless to say, the “romance” fell very flat and the disjointed storyline and characters just didn’t work for me....more
I really enjoy a good hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers romance when it’s done well, but sadly, this one missed the mark.2.5 stars – Historical Romance
I really enjoy a good hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers romance when it’s done well, but sadly, this one missed the mark. The H/h were both awful, annoying characters, and I especially despised the hero. They were horrible, downright nasty to each other for almost the entire book, and their constant meanness and perpetual fighting was exhausting. The bickering and animosity eclipsed the book, and I wanted more actual romantic development between the H/h. I just didn’t feel the love, and there definitely wasn’t enough groveling to satisfy me. But the writing was still good and the audiobook narrator was fantastic, so it held my interest....more
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