Quick Summary: A twisted stranger romance

My Review: Stranger by Cecilia Campos is book #1 in the Fear Not series.

About the Book: "One day, a stranger appeared at my door... And, strangely enough, he knew my desires before I even recognized them myself... he claimed me as his own... I got lost in that game... But this adventure? Believe me, it grew wilder and stranger than I could ever have imagined."

In My Own Words: Love, loss, and unexplained secrets lead a solitary young woman into living a life off the grid. Hiding away from everything she has ever known, she soon finds herself as savior to a dark stranger with a vague account of who he is. Together, they unleash intensely passionate feelings in each other. Unfortunately, things are not what they seem and what might have been is interrupted by what truly is.

My First Reaction (at the end): 🤔🕸💬
My Second Reaction (after thinking about what's to come in book 2): 👍

My Final Say: This was an interesting story. I found it to be twisted, entertaining, and very much unpredictable, yet strangely predictable at the same time.

The beginning got my attention, then it became somewhat peculiar. The unsaid dominated, and suddenly, the "feral, animalistic" interactions took over.

The scene play in two particular scenarios mirrored Pretty Woman, as well as Pride and Prejudice. The wording was notably familiar.

This story lightly resembled A Midsummer Night's Dream. (I can't go further, but I would love to discuss that with other readers.)

I couldn't tell if this story was supernatural in the sense of angels, the pantheon, the undead, or what. The mention of famous, departed entertainers, the classic songs mixed with pop and hip-hop, the royalty angle, the otherworldly hints, the military forces oft mentioned, the presence of AI at critical moments, and other such things confused me; I was unable to tell where the story was going.

I did like the way the dark tones were presented. I could clearly tell the obvious antagonists. The main conflict, which became blatantly evident at the cliffhanger ending, was fantastic. That had a dark shadow element to it. Although I was not surprised, it still captured my interest and caused me to wonder why. (I won't say more than that, as I don't want to spoil anything for other readers.)

What was up with all of the nicknames? I got it, but I did not always care for it. It detracted after a point and I needed it to stop.

All in all, I would certainly read book two. The direction the story takes should prove to be riveting. I definitely want to know what happens next for Angelina.

Other: Potential readers are advised to refer to the author's notes to review content warnings.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 😮💬👍
Triggers: Yes

Thanks to the author/publisher and to NetGalley for providing access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. The words I have shared are my own thoughts and opinions. I appreciate the opportunity.

Im not sure what to say about this book. It was interesting but the ending left me angry. After Angies husbands Mickey died, she went off grid and lived alone in the mountain with her dog Patrick Swayze (love that reference as Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie) at her deceased uncles cabin. One day a mysterious man crashes into her mountain and she nurses him back to health, never learning his name. They ended up having rough anamalistic sex in the woods and shortly after he leaves in the night. A couple of weeks later he returns and offers to take her with him. He is wealthy and mysterious and gives very little details about who his, what he does or anything about his life but Angie stays with him on his yacht.

The book ends with a twist and a cliffhanger that made me want to throw my kindle across the room though,

Years after her spouse passes away, Angelina is still mourning and depressed. Her neighbor tries to help by giving her a dog who needs to go out on long walks or her uses her furniture as chew toys. The dog, Patrick makes her see things a little better and because of that she decides to move away from the memories of the one she lost and build a new life at her uncle's cottage in the mountains that she inherited. After being there for a couple of years and finding her strength to make it on her own, she hears something crash near her property and goes to check it out.

She comes across a man in a flying car who seems to have crashed in the trees. He's hurt so she takes him back to her home when he asks her not to call for help or take him to the hospital. Once he wakes up and recovers, she describes him as the most handsome man she's ever seen but he tells her his name is All (Later known as Aris) as in All Knowing. He's weird and kind of rude to her. Their banter seems childish at best.

She talks to her dead husband all the time and he seems to talk back to her in her head but one night she sees him and he tells her that it's time for him to move on. It was sad and brought tears to my eyes.

Things between Aris and Angelina change when she thinks that he can read her thoughts and he knows that she's very attracted to him. Aris tells her that he's not sure he can control himself around her and she is ok with that. So when he tells her to "Run", it's on! He chases her, catches her and they are intimate. The sex scenes in this book are wild and sexy.

He asks her to come with him but can't tell her anything about his life or who he really is. And she has to leave her dog, farm, and animals behind with one of his friends. She can't take her dog? That right there would have been a no from me. You expect someone you've only known for a short time to drop everything and everyone in their life to be with you and you won't even tell them anything about your life? Big red flags, so many red flags.

When I read the description of this book I thought I was getting a dark romance of sorts but that's not at all what I got. We don't get any real questions answered about who or what Aris is and why Angelina can't be told. The twist at the end of this book just made me mad for her. Plus this ends on a cliffhanger and that made me mad.

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Stranger by Cecilia Campos is a captivating psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. With a gripping plot and well-developed characters, Campos masterfully explores themes of trust, deception, and identity, making it a thrilling read from start to finish.

Hotttttt. So hot. What a good read. Obsessed with this storyline. I want more immediately. Searching for other work from this author asap.

Every now and then I may read a book purely for vibes. Like, a palate cleanser to help me take a break from thinking too hard. I thought "Stranger" would fall into that category but unfortunately, I didn't care at all for the writing. Our main character acts and speaks like a teenager. I didn't like her thoughts or being in her mind. The dialogue between the two main characters doesn't make sense half the time. I came for something slightly dark, sexy, and clearly for adults but this story left much to be desired.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for the arc!

This title started off with a great description, but it was very slow getting to the actual point of things. I lost patience with the characters and did not finish. Perhaps with a bit more persistence on my part, it would have made more sense.

This book sure got wilder and steamier as it goes on. It was a bit of an overkill at times, but entertaining none the less. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Surreal adventure from the depth of grief to somewhere else, somewhere different, with secrets and twists, what is real and where exactly are they. And why couldn't the dog come along? Ends on a cliff, so the answers will wait ...