Repetitive and just slow to the point that I kept putting it down , after just reading a few pages .

I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

I couldn’t even finish this one. Repetitive and just slow. Premise sounded interesting and twisted but execution was flat. I had to put it down around 28% out of boredom.

Annabel is overwhelmed with her mother, so she got away in order to try and regroup. She has no easy path ahead of her, however. As she travels to the coast, she ends up at a town where a series of murders has occurred. Running into a stranger, however, a mysterious man named Jude, brings Annabel a measure of peace.

As the police are searching for the killer, Jude actually becomes a suspect, and the peace that Annabel was seeking is shattered. Not only that, but event after event happens, and Annabel's life has catapulted into a living nightmare.

More about Annabel. And this was a bit difficult to assimilate. She had been hospitalized in a mental institution. It comes to no surprise that she wants to start over. No such peaceful existence for her. She uses her talent at writing poetry to purge her thoughts. Some of these poems are truly disturbing.

Instead, this book, which is a mix of a mystery and horror. It is dark, gruesome and spine-tingling. Not a real favorite, but definitely a page turner. I am still very eager to read more by Betsy Reavley, but won't grab the book if it is labeled horror.

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This book revolves around Annabel and her mental illness, manic depression. Annabel has just been released from a mental hospital and is trying to seek a "normal" in her life. She finds in with a man named Jude who runs a group home whom others have criticized as a cult. All is going well until she starts having nightmares. Soon these nightmares seem to turn reality, but are they really?

The first half of this book is wonderful to read. It has light notes of suspense, romance, and beautiful poetry. The second half however, is terrible. I think the author intended there to be questions unanswered, but that really just makes for a very unfulfilling story.

When the story shifts from a romantic getaway with nightmares into a reality of the nightmares with glimpses of the romantic getaway it becomes confusing. There are absolutely no answers on what's real and what isn't. In fact, you don't even know how she got into the nightmarish situation. There are certainly theories, but it would have been nice if the ending would have confirmed one of them. I have so many great ending ideas for this book, but the author decided this book didn't need one.

While we are on the topic of the nightmarish situation, know that it is trigger heavy. There is very detailed descriptions of rape and torture. There is a warning in the synopsis so it was to be expected.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this twisty book. The book is really not for the faint of heart, and there were a few scenes that didn't go well with my morning snack.... the book was a solid read, but be warned.... its gruesome and gory.

Annabel has recently been released from a mental institution. Back living with her mother and brother is not an ideal situation.

Taking a trip to a small coastal town, she hears news of murders that have taken place recently and the killer has not been caught.

Annabel meets Jude, the leader of a cult and she finds that this gives her the peace she so fervently desires. She hadn't counted on falling in love, but she has and for the first time she can remember, she's happy.

Until .....

Jude is suspected of the murders.

And then the hallucinations begin ... of violence, torture, sexual assault. Are these really only in her mind or has she become the latest victim of a monstrous killer?

WARNING .. . The narrative is disturbing, graphic, and could be a trigger for sensitive readers.

This was an attempt to travel through the mind of someone with a mental illness ...exposing the darkness and pain. The story plot didn't live up to what I had expected and I found myself wanting to skip pages to get to the end.

Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Absolutely loved this domestic thriller! Excellent character development, exciting dialogue and fascinating plot. What more can you ask for?
Highly recommended.

This book was a fast, chilling read, but I say that with a big warn of caution to those who have triggers towards rape and other violence. If you have triggers with dark topics, being written in great detail, you need to skip this book. If you are like me and have no triggers and the darker, more disturbing, the better the book, then buy this book and start it immediately! A great story with many dark and disturbing themes, which made sure to chill, thrill, and shock the reader!
I will be using in a challenge and recommending to those in Chapter Chatter Pub!

I kept forgetting the title of this book and referring to it as "Brutal". The book was basically divided into four stories and I don't believe they flowed properly. The first part is about a young woman who was recently released from a mental hospital and trying to navigate back into her old life, the second part is about a group of friends she meets that live on a hippie homestead, where the main character is flourishing. The third part is basically a fairy tale trip with the leader of the hippie homestead to a paradise vacation. The last part was alluded to during the book, it could almost be guessed because of the hype surrounding the book and the graphic detail warning. The ending was just senseless to me.

This was a quick read for me I enjoyed it tons of mystery and had me questioning each character , I felt like it was a little repetitive at times. I had never read anything from the author before.

This book should come with a warning about rape and violence. Having said that if you can get past that it is a very good book. The book is well written and it is very descriptive. I have never been a fan of books with rape in it. But overall the book is good.

First of all, I love horror and gore, but this was honestly too graphic and should come with a trigger warning for rape victims. The first half of this book felt boring and tedious, the second half felt like torture porn. I just wanted it to end.

All I would like to say, is that I really disliked this book. There were a lot of unnecessary and disgusting details including rape, torture, murder... and I just really can not recommend this book to anyone. Not because of the content of the book, but because I don’t know what the point of this story was.

What happens throughout these pages takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of suspense ad shock. This is a book that once you start reading you do not want to put it down. Who is Jude and what is his story? What is he to Annabel, a friend or foe? Thank you NetGalley for allowing a chance to read this book.

This is a very disturbing book! It’s an extremely dark, grisly and intense book. It contains graphic scenes and horrible acts of rape, murder and madness. Not for the squeamish. Not for me. Advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not quite what I was expecting. Many twists and turns leading to some pretty traumatic events. This book is quite graphic and suggested for 18+. Annabel's attempt to have a new future after her struggles with mental illness, seem to be working out well at first. Annabel is beginning life anew after a bipolar episode hospitalization. Making new friends, getting away from her mom's suffocating, and thinking about her future start this off well, but there is also a murder to figure into the picture.

Lots of twists, turns, and suprises along this twisted road. Definitely worth reading. I was given this book for review purposes.

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist; children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that the dragons can be killed."

Annabel definitely believes in fairy tales even after she recently spent a stint at Redwood psychiatric hospital in Suffolk. Now age 23, Annabel has had a mental breakdown, was diagnosed with manic depressive illness and gotten well enough to be released back to her mother and brother. Desperate to re-enter her life sane and more independent, she tries to follow the program, take her meds and figure out the rest of her life. Things change after she books a trip to a little seaside town named Southwold. It's there that she meets Jude, the love of her life, and starts to have some hope again. But Annabel is fragile and some things are just not to be. NO SPOILERS.

What to say about this -- well, if you can stomach the extremely graphic descriptions of rape and torture and you have the heart to listen to the poetry and ramblings of a woman completely unhinged -- then this is the book for you. It really wasn't my cup of tea but I read valiantly to the end hopping there'd be some sort of payoff for all the violence. All I feel is abject sadness and a sense of melancholy that will require a huge drink of some sort of alcoholic beverage and some happy television to rid myself of all the disturbing prose I've read and the horrific images created by this book. I can't imagine what it would take to write a book such as this but it may appeal to some readers at a certain level that I can't fathom. I can honestly say that I only finished reading it because I always finish what I start. And I can't help but wonder, what was the point of this book?? I'm eager to hear what others can tell me about that. OH, and I'm not a poetry fan anyway, but this is me done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. If you're thinking about picking it up, proceed with caution.

Broken
by Betsy Reavley

Bloodhound Books

Horror , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 18 Feb 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Broken through Bloodhound Books and Netgalley:

Annabel is a troubled young woman who is trying to put the pieces of her life together again when she decides to take a trip to the Suffolk Coast in order to clear her head as well as to get away from her Mother. Arriving at the little sea side town she realizes this is not going to be what she expected at all because she soon discovers a series of gruesome murders has occurred and the police are on the hunt of a twisted killer.

After meeting a stranger named Jude, the course of Annabel’s life the course of her own life changes and she soon finds piece in a world away from what she has known.

But after Jude comes under suspicion for the murder by the police Annabel’s idyllic world comes under threat, her idyllic world quickly turns into a nightmare.

Will Annabel be able to escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? Find out in Broken!

Four out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Annabelle had just spent 4 months in a psychiatric hospital due to manic depression. She is 23 years old and, to her, returning to her mom's house to recuperate is almost a step backward. So, Belle decides to go on a trip, alone. She tells her mom that she is visiting a friend, Toby. However, she travels to a hotel in rural Suffolk - in the vicinity where two young women have just been murdered. There, Belle meets Jude, who takes her to his mansion, and she is pleasantly surprised with his gardens and spacious house. (And she also likes Jude, too).

Eventually, Belle moves in to the house as it is a commune that grows their own food and shares in the chores. When one of the women has a baby and Belle finds out that it is Jude's, Belle is jealous! She wants to be with Jude. Nightmares continue to plague Belle, as well.

Belle tells Jude that she is leaving and he entices her back. The nightmares continue, yet her love for him is so overwhelming that she deals with the dreams. Eventually, Belle and Jude make love and become a couple. Jude announces this at a meal and the commune residents are not too concerned.

At Christmastime, Jude takes Belle on a lovely vacation to Thailand. He wines and dines her, they make love and have fun on the beaches. Even so, the nightmares continue and Belle becomes very afraid of these life-like horrors. On the final night of their stay in Thailand, Jude proposes to Belle and she accepts his grandmother's diamond engagement ring.

However, when Belle wakes up from her nightmare the next day.....

A superb read - one of the best thrillers I have read, yet! A MUST READ!!!

Many Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for one of this year's top reads !!!