This was kind of silly for me. It started off really intriguing but soon morphed into an unbelievable premise of a famous author deciding to come help some random person out with her book and...more. What a strange idea that some famous dude would just show up at your house out of nowhere, even if you had created a website about him. I'm going to start one for Jamie Dornan and hope for the best!

This was hard to get through at times. I think the description should be more of a "romantic thriller" than anything else. Not really what I expected but the idea of the premise is a good one.

An enjoyable and fun read that kept me guessing and turning the pages, but I have one issue with it. I could not stand the main protagonist. Talk about making bad decisions every step of the way! Wiley's writing carried the story along well but I had trouble engaging with his rendering of a female mc.

This was hard to get through at times. I think the description should be more of a "romantic thriller" than anything else. Not really what I expected but the idea of the premise is a good one.

Man, I wanted to like this. I really, truly did. But it was a flat and supremely irritating affair for me for so many reasons. The book was messy. It starts off okay, if not a little bland. But next thing you know, it rushes into this woman having a stalker, and before you can blink your eyes and wonder when the tension is going to kick in, she knows immediately it is a famous author she is a big fan of. Uhm... yes. The next time I hear something go bump in the night, I am going to hope some hot celebrity I am into is there.

The pacing was so off. It was ridiculous, and I couldn't stand it. Don't get me wrong, the book reads super quickly, but meh. I really didn't like it. There are absolutely no likable characters. This is not necessarily a deal breaker, provided that there is a solid story to tell. Which there wasn't. Not even remotely. Also, there is the way this author flips between the actual book that I am reading (Southern Gothic), and then the book within the book (Red Ribbon). Both stories sucked, and it was jarring to read like that because there was seriously no voice to differentiate between the varying chapters. They both sound exactly the same, and that is something I cannot forgive. The dialogue is all over the show, too, and I found the plot to be glaringly obvious.

There is also just way too much sex in this book. I am not talking the super explicit kind like Nora Roberts, but enough to annoy me. It served no purpose, either. And when Michael and Meredith weren't banging each other, she was constantly thinking about it. Uhm, nope. No thanks. Also, Meredith falls in love with Michael just like that? She doesn't know him. She loves his literary work, and ignores the fact that there is something distinctly off about him? Puh-lease. Idiot. It isn't like Michael was doing an awfully good job of hiding his weirdness.

I wanted to like this more, I did, and it could have been more. But Wiley brings no heart to the book. While it is a fast read, it is a hollow, forgettable one that frustrated me while reading, and not one that I can recommend. I see that it has pretty good ratings, but it didn't work for me on any level.

Meredith is living in Savannah and has always wanted to be a writer, but with no luck just yet. That is- until Michael Black walks into her life and offers her a chance she can't refuse! He's willing to publish a bestselling manuscript for her under her name. Just be careful what you wish for. Now that Meredith has taken Michael up on his offer, things take a turn for the worse and now Merecith is suspected for murder.

Savannah bookshop owner Meredith has long wanted to be an author, but with little success. Then one day her favorite author Michael Black—widely believed to be dead—approaches her with an offer she simply can’t refuse: he’s rewritten her manuscript and Meredith can publish it under her own name. The novel is an instant bestseller, but Meredith’s life takes a dark, drastic turn as the result of her decision.

For me, Southern Gothic started off sort of too slow for my liking, alternating back and forth between Meredith’s sudden, unexpected whirlwind “romance” with Michael and her novel (which is actually Michael’s complete rewrite of her manuscript) “Red Ribbon”. It wasn’t until the second half when the pace picks up. Meredith’s decision to pass the novel off as her own lands her accused of murder, and Michael’s fascination with her is not as it seems. As Southern Gothic reaches its conclusion the tension and danger could really be felt.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.