Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Wicked Games by J. H. Markert in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this final girl story. It went a totally different way and kept my interest. I read it all in one night.

Wicked Games by J.H. Markert

Haley seems to be an unlikeable and difficult character in Wicked Games by J.H. Markert, but as the story moves quickly and gruesomely forward, she becomes way more than her PTSD childhood. This 6 hour audiobook is a wild ride through an on-line date, a weekend away and into a seemingly planned home invasion. The narrator, Leila Allarie, was enjoyable and kept the tension and storyline moving quickly to a gory and fabulous ending. Haley is a very underestimated, powerful female character who I cheered on more and more while gradually learning her history. If you like horror, tension and twists and a lot of blood, this is for you.

Thank you, #NetGalley/#Dreamscape Media for the advance audiobook copy!

No gory details were spared in the writing of this book!

This is a story of emotional healing in the most satisfying way 🔪
Harley is in the process of finding her self and facing her past traumas, she is attempting to be unapologetically herself and in the process she finds Jules who is her polar opposite.

Harley and Jules don’t always see eye to eye. Jules was born into money and she can’t possibly understand why Harley does the things she does, but no one will tell Harley what to do!

Harley eventually finds herself in a twisted game that forces her to face her traumas head on. Harley must use everything she has learned from her life struggles if she wants to survive.

The book starts off slow, the first %40 of this book is character development and back story it seems to drag but %40-%50 point you start to see how important the character development really is. This story comes full circle in multiple ways!

Healing ❤️‍🩹 self care🔪justice 🩸

A pretty good thriller that had some good moments despite the somewhat overdone plotline. The writing was very good, crisp with a fast sense of pacing. I enjoy Markert's writing and am looking forward to more of his work.

What a dark and fun audiobook to listen to!

The narrator of this audio book was great. She was easy to listen to and did a great job narrating this novel.

I found this book to be engaging the whole time. I found the main character, Harley, to be very interesting and strong character. It was heartbreaking to learn about some of her life experiences, but it makes it makes her such a badass character, and you are really rooting for her in the end. I love the character development with Harley.

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes horror, thrillers, or movies similar to Knives Out.

This was a fun book although it was decently predictable. I enjoyed the main character and how her story progressed but found myself not caring at all about the others.

Just finished "Wicked Games" on audiobook and wow! It's like "Ready or Not" meets a dark family secret.

Harley, the main character, is this tough chick with a messed-up past. Her new boo invites her to his creepy mansion for the weekend, and things get REAL bloody REAL fast.

It's short and action-packed, with some flashbacks explaining why Harley's such a badass. The narrator is great, and the whole thing is like a wild horror movie ride.

If you're into gore and heroines who kick butt, check it out! Just be prepared for some swearing and maybe skip it if you scare easily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wicked Games was a super easy, quick thriller/horror audiobook. Perfect to just have on in the background while you’re going about your day to day activities.

I loved the narrator, she was so easy to understand and in the end I listened to it in 1.5x speed.

Harley was such a badass and I loved the fact that she fought back, she was naive and always picked her fight instinct. I loved her throughout the whole thing and I liked the aspect of it going back to her therapy and trauma and also in the present day, it added depth to the character and helped you understand why she picked the decisions she did.

Sometimes I feel like these sort of books fall flat at the end but I loved the fact that Harley wasn’t silly enough to not protect herself further down the line with it unveiling how big of a cult the family was actually involved in.

10/10 would recommend. I can’t fault the book.

I loved this short audiobook! It was super entertaining and thrilling.

There is something so satisfying about a woman who fights back against her attackers. Who isn’t insanely naive and is strong. Loved it!

I listened to this at 2x and it was the perfect speed. The narrator was great as well.

I highly recommend this!

Wicked Games by JH Markert and narrated by Leila Allarie. In the book we meet Harley
She is a college student who sees a therapist for a crime that made her famous at the age of eight. Jules is her only friend because Harley isn’t one to trust so easily but she likes Jules and they have formed a tentative bond. She is also dating Kiel, A very rich and very handsome guy. When Harley tells Jules she was invited to Kiel’s infamous house Black heart Manor She is shocked when Jules begs her not to go in even tells her all about the famous houses past to try and convince her Harley goes anyway but since her and Jules‘s argument Jules is not responding to any of Harley‘s text. When Harley and Kiel arrive at Black heart Manor they have a wonderful time and Harley even feels as if she’s found the one but when her and Keal get in an argument she hears a gunshot go off and what she find is devastating but little does Harley know it is just the beginning. Like a lot of other reviewers I also didn’t like Harley at the beginning but by the end I was a humongous fan. Usually with characters like her and her corny comebacks I typically roll my eyes but in this one by the end I was lol ling with her and totally rooting for her to be the victor. I would love it if the author wrote another book with her and their list but having said that this was a great book it’s good against evil girl with the past is put in a position to do or die and it is so good. It’s a game of cat and mouse where you should never underestimate the mouse. What more can I say if you love a great book with a great victim to route four then you found it. This is an absolutely awesome book even if in the beginning you think you’re not going to like it keep listening and or reading because you will not be disappointed. I love this book and totally recommend it. I thought the narrator did an awesome job doing all those different voices in all though she ended a lot of her statements as questions I still think she did a superb job I want to thank dreamscape media for this awesome arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
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Wicked Games is a super fast paced, gripping and suspenseful read right off the start. This story follows Harley, who has a dark past, who goes to spend the weekend at her boyfriends families house. Except the house is known for its mysterious murders. Thats when the games begin.
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I loved that Harley is such a strong female lead in this one. She’s honestly badass and I love that Markert decided to be more graphic on giving everyone what they deserve. I absolutely loved the dual timelines in this one; giving the reader more insight as to why Harley was shaped the way that she was. The cultish vibes and cat and mouse games of this one was on point and I loved how every single piece of this story unfolded.
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This book is based off of a movie, which I have yet to see but now I definitely want to check it out. It’s a super fast listen and its one of those audios that once you start you cant put it down. I believe that it is an audio exclusive. It was narrated by Leila Allarie and she was awesome.
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Definitely recommending this to my friends looking for a fans of a quick listen, who love cults vibes and can handle some pretty serious gore. Wicked Games released on 5/25. Hue thank you to NetGalley, J. H. Markert and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Harley’s boyfriend has invited her to spend the weekend at his family's country house. This is a big step for her. She experienced a horrific attack which has left her traumatized and with difficulty trusting men. But her boyfriend has been wonderful, and she agrees to go despite his family's home dark and deadly history.

But then masked intruders arrive....

This audiobook can be listened to in one day. It is not long but it is heavy on suspense, violence, danger, evil, and dread. This book has the trapped feeling that I enjoy in books. It also taps into the fear of home invasion. What happens when someone breaks in and all you-know-what breaks loose? Once the action starts, it never lets up, and readers are taken on a dark, twist filled, ride of horror.


I found this book to be enjoyable. It is different from the author's other books. I believe that is because he adapted this story for an audiobook. Teddy Grennan wrote and directed the movie version. If you enjoyed the movie (which I have not seen), or tales of home invasion, horror, you may love this book. I did find the audiobook to be well done and I enjoyed the narration.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ALC of this dark title!!**

So I loved J. H. Markert's book Mister Lullaby on audio. When I saw this audio exclusive - I knew I was in for a treat.

Wicked Games is a story about vengeance, female rage, and the things that follow us. The fact that this has already been made into a movie doesn't surprise me. The audiobook read as though I was in the action, fighting alongside Harley through these "Wicked Games."

For fans of action, horror, and suspense - Wicked Games is sure to delight. I will absolutely be checking out the movie that this audiobook is written from, and also can't wait to read Sleep Tight by this author ASAP.

This novel reminded me of the movie Ready or not, only not a married couple. Harley has a new boyfriend who comes from a very wealthy family with an estate that he takes her to as a weekend getaway. Unfortunately, the fun isn't to be had by Harley. The cult of people who play deadly games by "taking out the trash" are trying to take out Harley. I absolutely loved this novel because Harley is a strong (both mentally and physically) female main character. Even though she didn't know what she was in for, her unfortunate upbringing and life experiences helped her to fight in these hateful games. The scenes are graphic, which was awesome and clever. This book should absolutely be a movie!

This was a wild ride. I have never read anything by this author although he has been on my TBR for awhile.

Hayley tells it like it is. She is brazen, un-apologetic and damaged. Her life has been tough and she has gone through a lot. Her latest fling invites her to his family mountain home for the weekend. Regardless of her friend’s objection and the fact that this home has a very horrific past, Harley decides to go. She finds herself in the middle of a nightmare and must tap into the damaged girl she was in the past if she has any hope of surviving.

This was a pleasant surprise and kicks off summer with a bang. Lots of action and a kick ass heroine made this a solid story. The narration was done very well. It is fairly short so there are not really any slow parts or a heavy back story. I am definitely going to read more from Markert in the future. Well done.

4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gruesome and dark book with some intense and gory things included. There is also some on-page sex (consensual). While I don’t normally go for reads quite like this, the short chapters and the increasing tension kept me unable to put this down. Finally, a real thriller!

The protagonist is crass and unlikeable, but she has more than enough reason to be that way considering her history and trauma. She’s easy to sympathize with, and I ended up liking her, her strength, and her unwillingness to give up. There aren’t many characters to get to know in this story, but thankfully she was strong enough to carry this book on her shoulders.

If you’re interested in home-invasion thrillers that are fast-paced, seeped in tension, and extremely dark, you’ll probably like this one. The narrator did a fantastic job, and the audiobook is only about 6h long. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wicked Games was like your favorite home invasion movie, think You're Next or Ready or Not. The twists worked and the extremeness made everything feel so grounded and believable to extent. My only negative is sometimes Harley is a bit too sexualized, and loose some of what makes her special. But when things go banana that's where the real fun starts.

I would also like to say that the message deep down could be wildly misconstrued in some places. I think by the end it made very clear but some parts in the middle made me wonder. It gets disturbing and hard to read at times like a book like this should do. I would love to read more from this author or other books like it. Highly Recommend!

I’ve listed to another by JH Markert and enjoyed it, so I was definitely interested when I saw this available.

Let me start by saying the narration was great. I was fully engaged with the way the narrator read and acted the story.
The story itself was not really for me. I didn’t enjoy the graphic sex scene. I didn’t like some of the author commentary / the way he wrote the women. The one character actually repeats “not all men” in her head while in the middle of sex. Yes, she’s referring to the cultural commentary about toxic masculinity that is in the world today. Yes, it was cringey.

I thought the first half of the book was better than the second, as the first actually has story building. The second half, everything just starts happening with no real buildup / climax, it was just action scenes and word vomit.

I was fully ready to give 2 stars. HOWEVER, after seeing ONE other review, it has been brought to my attention that this is a novelization of a movie with the same name. If you look on the cover you can actually see the original writers name credited. I wish this was more obvious. I thought this was a Markert original.

Now, I can’t really rate it. I can see why it fell apart. I honestly bet the movie isn’t that great. Maybe I will watch it and find out. I don’t want to leave a bad rating for this author as I have enjoyed his previous works.

I will say, maybe this book is for you if you can look past some terrible dialogue and “check her out, she’s sexy AND tough” style depictions of women.

This book is exactly what I want to read—there’s rich people. There’s an occultic ritual. There’s women who fight back. Nothings super deep, it flies by, and it’s a suspenseful read. I really enjoyed this book and I’m thankful to NetGalley for permission to read in advance.

Wicked Games by J. H. Markert was wickedly, wild and extremely, exciting! I was not at all prepared for the suspense that is this novelization. From start to finish it will pull you in and intrigue you. This is my 3rd J. H. Markert book and this author is now a autobuy for me! I mean....... wow! I plan to watch the movie that predates the book now as well. Superb audio quality and top-notch narration. Wicked Games will blow you away!