Laura's dead, isn't she? Or is she alive? Jacob, her boyfriend, moved and rebuilt his life after her death. Now, he's happily ensconced in Vermont with his dog and his coffee shop and his air B&B. And then it all starts to come apart. First someone signs Laura's name in the guest book, then he sees her- or does he? And then someone kidnaps his dog and things go very wonky. This is a thriller with some gothic overtones. Lots of twists and some unexpected secrets slowly leak out. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. it's a good diverting read for a pandemic day inside. No spoilers from me!

Jacob Reese has turned his life around after the death of his girlfriend, Laura.

He now runs a coffee shop, in the quaint town called “The Hollows”, in Vermont and is an overly generous boss.

He also rents out a cottage on his property, which comes complete with a fire pit and all of the ingredients for S’Mores.

Life was good but a bit lonely, until he adopted Murphy, a Lab mix, who is now his constant companion and best friend.

Until the day, a woman with a striking resemblance to Laura, rents the cabin out for ONE night...

Things begin to unravel from there as someone clearly knows that he knows more about Laura’s death, than he has ever confessed to-and he could lose everything if his secret gets out.

Jacob shares the past with us through recollections, as he tries to stay a step ahead of the person seeking revenge on him in the present day.

The premise is one that I always enjoy and this book has MOMENTS, but it doesn’t come together as a whole.

Like with the “Nightingale House” the author’s strengths lie with the “relationships” he creates...
That book featured a grieving father and young daughter and in this book, it’s a man who will do anything for his canine best friend! 🐶

I loved spending time in “The Hollows” especially on Halloween night, and hearing about the “guests” who rent out the cottage-the author’s writing IS engaging and a whole book could have be written about this town and his guests without the backstory.

Because, the PLOT is the weakness.

No suspects, no misdirection, and an explanation which didn’t work for me AT ALL because it was not developed AT ALL in the back story.

First off, I really hate giving a negative review, but Steve Frech's Dark Hallow really isn't good. The 1st half starts with an intriguing premise and the 2nd half falls into plot cliches. Without giving plot twists, Frech could have improved maybe in writing it from the perspective of 2 characters, instead we have a rather straight forward narrative with parts happening in the past. I was really enjoying the first half and when I got to the cliche plot twist, I thought it was an easy cop out. Ugh, I really did not like this novel.

Extremely well written thriller with an enjoyable plot.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52711692

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of Dark Hollows by Steve Frech. This is my first time reading a book by this author and it won’t be the last!

Jacob Reese runs a coffee shop and cottage rental property in The Hollows, Vermont. He enjoys living the quiet life with his dog, Murphy. Just when he is about to make it big with an investor who is interested in franchising his coffee shop, strange things begin to happen. Someone is trying to sabotage his good fortune by pretending to be Laura, his ex-girlfriend. However, it can’t be Laura, because she is dead. Or is she?

I really enjoyed the idyllic description of small town life in The Hollows. Jacob’s relationship with his dog, Murphy, is heartfelt and captivating. When the creepy events begin to happen (think stick dolls and cockroaches) around Halloween, I was hooked. The mood is set for a harrowing journey and the suspense keeps building. Unfortunately, the plot went awry for me from there. Jacob is not who he appears to be, which prevented me from completely being able to root for him as the hero. Conflicted as I was, the reveal was somewhat obvious as well. It is a quick read and the writing is superb. It would have been a 4 star book, but here was a small plot hole and I am not a fan of the ending. All that said, I am still intrigued to read more from Frech.

3.5/5 stars

After having mixed and underwhelming feelings for “Nightingale House,” I was really hoping I’d be wrong about this one and love it as much as I love the author’s book covers.

Sigh...

Jacob Reese lives in The Hollows, a beautiful town in Vermont with old school charm and some fun history. He owns a coffee shop, and also rents out the cottage on the property where he lives via a fancier version of AirBnb. With his faithful dog, Murphy, by his side, he’s made a nice life for himself. That is until a woman checks into his rental cottage for the night...a woman who looks like his college girlfriend, Laura...a woman who vanishes early the next morning just as suspicious events start to happen in his life.

I enjoyed maybe the first 45% of this book. Reading about Jacob’s relationship with his coworkers (and especially his dog) was interesting...as were the cottage guests he discussed. The town of The Hollows was very well described, and I could feel some major Fall/Halloween vibes. Unfortunately, the rest of the book loses steam as improbable event after improbable event occurs. The backstory about Jacob’s past doesn’t seem realistic to me...nor does the current predicaments he finds himself in. I’m also not a fan of the dialogue. I found it a bit unrealistic and cheesy. That’s also one of the problems I had with “Nightingale House”, in addition to thoughts that cut off mid-sentence. That happens here as well, and it gets old. Oh, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how much disposable income Jacob seems to have, and all of the things he does with it.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this author’s books are a good fit for me. However, there are many folks who really enjoy his work, so I would recommend checking out their reviews too.

Thank you to HQ Digital, Steve Frech, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgally for letting me read this ARC for my honest opinion.
This was a dark and twisty thriller, that had me on the edge of my seat. I did think the beginning was a little bit slower, as we are getting alot of backround information on Jacob, his past and his relationship with his parents. But I do think it was necessary to the story. Jacob owns a coffee shop in this wonderful little town called the Hollows. He also owns a little cottage that he rents out for tourists. When his newest client shows up, he his amazed at how much she looked like his old girlfriend Laura, and when he sees her later and she does a couple weird things thats even more like Laura he gets pretty weirded out. I mean that can't be Laura, becuase she is dead..
Warning Spoilers Ahead***

When other things start to go wrong in Jacobs life, with his coffee shop, and when he sees "Laura " in the middle of the holloween parade in town he rushes home, What he finds is that this person has kidnapped his dog, and wont give him back until he tells the truth.
Jacob decides that he will do anything do get Murphy back. Including lying to Lauras mother, digging into Lauras past from before he knew her, and lying and blackmailing a medical professional to get patient information.
Which is some dedication I can get behind..
They finally meet, and only one of them comes out alive.. and Murphy he was fine.. :)

What a intriguing read. The Hollows town was written wonderfully and made me want to visit there. The main characters had good development and I kept trying to figure out myself who did what. Fast read and a good thriller.

I feel so shallow. Dark Hollows features an adorable black lab mix named Murphy. His owner is Jacob and Jacob loves Murphy more than life itself. He'll do anything for this dog! He and Murphy are best pals, they work together, play together, sleep together...life kind of revolves around Murphy since Murphy has a bed on both floors of Jacob's house (but also sleeps in Jacob's bed) and he has a bed by the cash register at Jacob's coffee shop. So I'm liking Jacob so much, he can do no wrong because of Murphy love. But then we get to know Jacob and I realize that I was seeing him through Murphy tinted glasses. 

Jacob has a very successful coffee shop and also a very successful cabin rental situation. But life is about to fall apart when the past comes smashing into the present. A woman who reminds him of his dead ex-girlfriend rents the cabin and other strange things start happening that point to someone knowing about his ex-girlfriend's death. That's a bad thing since Jacob was there when his ex-girlfriend died and no one else should know anything about her death.

So Jacob proceeds to lose his mind, possibly in an overreacting way, until we learn more of his past. Turns out just because a guy loves his dog, doesn't mean the guy is a good person. This story goes from spending time in an almost enchanted historical town, meeting an interesting cast of townspeople, to a chaotic race to save the life of a very dear friend. 

Something to keep in mind, at the ending of this book, is something that the town preacher tells his congregation during a Halloween service. The werewolf "brings destruction to itself and all those around it. It is in his nature."  The ending requires us to decide something and this passage helped me make my decision. 

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers/HQ Digital and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you HQ Digital and Netgalley for my ecopy
 
My second book from Steve Frech and boy it didn't disappoint! A story about Jacob, the groundworks coffee shop and rental cottage owner who’s life suddenly changes after meeting a mysterious guest. Jacob’s past started to haunt him and it is unbelievable. A story told between past and present to solidfy the plot but it also is the main reason why I contemplated if I like Jacob or not because of the extensive background of who he was then versus who is he now. I also love the new England setting of The Hollows, the author brought it to life, and it is very interesting. If you like a provocative and hair-raising read, don't waste any time and read this book!

Dark Hollows is a creepy, atmospheric, slow burn thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat, second guessing the entire time you’re reading it.

Jacob is a very average man you’d never look twice at, living alone with his dog, Murphy, and spending his time running his coffee shop business. He makes a little extra money by renting out an extra cabin on his property. His coffee shop is about to be franchised and life is looking up for him, and then someone who looks exactly like his ex-girlfriend stays for one night at his cabin. Suddenly, he can’t sleep, and he sees the woman everywhere. She can’t be his ex-girlfriend, because his ex-girlfriend is dead.

The stakes keep moving higher and higher because the woman who’s not Laura won’t stop until she takes everything he loves from him.

I read this in one night. I couldn’t put it down, and I forgot that I was reading with the purpose of writing a critical review—it was that good. I just settled down to lose myself in the story. I don’t have any critiques. This book is my new favorite thriller of 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars
Dark Hollows is the first book I have read by Steve Frech. While initially I found it a bit slow, I quickly began to appreciate the author’s care with establishing a cast of characters (mainly Jacob and Murphy), a hero who seems like a regular guy (a coffee shop owner, a bit OCD, with a rental cottage on his home property for only carefully vetted guests), and a story line that is plausible. The author ably sets the story in a slightly mysterious, Salem-esque New England small town called The Hollows. As the reader gets to know Jason, the layers of his life, then and now, peel away to reveal a troubled man haunted by his past. I liked the twists in the story; it was suspenseful enough to hold my attention to the end. I’d recommend this as a tightly written psychological thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Collins HQ for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Welp. I just FLEW through that book! This is a quick, edge of your seat read with a charming setting and a semi- unreliable narrator (more on that later).

The hauntingly gorgeous cover made me want to dive in immediately. Who doesn't love a cabin in the woods-type suspense novel?! Upon starting the book, I absolutely fell in love with the quaint New England town, The Hollows, that the author brought to life. I was ready to pack up, move to the woods and start a coffee shop and Airbnb rental (which, of course, is the main character, Jacob's, story) until the creepiness kicked in. The premise is just enough of a mind-bender, with a touch of a supernatural feel to keep you nice and confused for about half of the book. There was also a touching "man and his dog" relationship that I actually enjoyed way more for its uniqueness vs. the author putting a love interest into Jacob's life.

Now - I say "semi-unreliable" narrator because you tend to go back and forth on whether or not you're rooting for Jacob. The minute you start to get excited that he's taking matters into his own hands, you remember his dark secret. This secret is slowly unraveled through the first half but leaves one or two nice questions lingering until the very end.

My only hang up is that I wish the book had been a bit longer. I felt as if I read it almost TOO quickly, and that the resolution seemed to come too fast. Regardless, I highly suggest it as a gripping, can't put it down, stay up late read for all suspense and thriller fans.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for my ARC! This was a slow burn mystery. Some of the plot was very slow and unnecessary. I loved the setting of the quaint New England village, the Hollows. It sounds like a place I would enjoy visiting, especially during Halloween. There were times throughout the story filled with suspense. I definitely wanted more twists and felt the ending was slightly rushed. Overall it was just okay. Because it kept me reading I am bumping up my rating from 2.5 stars to 3 stars.

This is one of those books that’ll have you looking over your shoulder & doing double takes to make sure you’re actually seeing what you think you’re seeing. I really loved the small town setting & I think that really added to the creepiness!! Despite his flaws, I thought the main character was really likeable, especially with Murphy by his side.

This was the second book I’ve read by @stevewritesstuff & I have to admit that I am impressed! He’s definitely becoming one of my favorite authors & I’d be happy to read anything he writes!

The premise of the book was interesting, but the story failed to deliver. I really tried to hang in there with this book, but the plot fell apart after the first couple of chapters. After slogging through a little over a quarter of the book (26% according to my Kindle), there was nothing happening plot-wise. After the weird woman stayed at the cabin, it felt like the plot & storyline decided to take a vacation. Multiple chapters were dedicated to describing the main character's coffee shop and the possibility of franchising it. There were some flashbacks but they were out of place and abrupt. I gave up at that point. I definitely do not recommend this book.

I really just couldn't get into this one. The story was a bit too slow burn for me. There was only one real character that we got to here from throughout and I couldn't connect with him or get him at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Jacob is running a successful business and building another when he gets a rather strange guest at his cottage. She remind him of a girl he used to know. But it can't be because he knows he that she is dead... After the guest leaves things begin to go wrong and Jacob begins to think he might be losing his mind.

As his life is falling apart around him, he relives the memories of what happened to Laura and starts looking into the things he didn't know about her to figure out what is happening to him now...

So vague I know, but there is a lot going on in this book and I am not giving things away at all. I was sucked in, although I will say it was confusing go back to the past and then being in the present, because it wasn't always clear. In fact I will say it took me longer than I am willing to admit for me to figure out what was the past. I fully admit at times I though it was just an abrupt change of scene.

Jacob was interesting character even by the end I am not sure how I fully feel about him, one the one hand he is likable and engaging. That being said he has some skeletons in his closet that make me question if I should like him. Plus that ending..... I want to know what was going to happen. I am not normally a fan of a open to interpretation ending, but this one was well done. I look forward to seeing what this author does next. This was a great debut.

Jacob Reese lives a simple life with his dog, Murphy in Vermont. He owns a coffee shop in town and rents out the guest house as sort of an exclusive AirBnB to make some extra money.

One night, however, a guest arrives that stirs up trouble in Jacobs simple life. She is the spitting image of Jake’s former girlfriend Laura. Only Laura is dead.

This suspenseful mystery definitely gives the reader a slow burn. Is Laura really alive? And if so, will Jacob’s world come crashing down because of it?

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this ARC. This is the first book I have read in a long time that is written in the first person and it was really effective. In the beginning I was put off by how the different timeline was introduced because sometimes it was clumsy, but I got used to it. Jacob is a great character, but the star for me was Murphy. This was a great story. It unfolded slowly, but once it got going it really got going! The ending was a complete surprise to me and it kept me reading. (I started it this morning and didn't stop reading until the end.) I'm not sure how I feel about the last sentence though!