The Bitter End

I thought I wasn't going to like this book but I ended up enjoying it even though it is a dark read and tense in parts.

This is a new author to me and she draws you into the storyline straight away and holds your interest throughout. The pace of the story kept me wanting to read more and I can thoroughly recommend this book.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books, and the authors Ann Evens and Robert D Thrall for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Bitter End.
Wow! What a book! From the very beginning of the story, the reader is immersed in all the action. The storyline was well thought out and fast paced.. You cannot do anything but keep turning the pages until you reach the stunning conclusion. This is not a book you can pick up, read a few pages and put it down again. A book of this calibre needs to be read in one sitting.
I habe no hesitation in recommending this novel, and cannot wait to read more from the authors. Hopefully, that won't be too long!

This book was really addictive. I read it in a day, in fact I couldn’t put it down!!

It’s a very different type of book and very enjoyable. I do think that there’s a lot that we don’t understand, especially in other worlds and I know from other people about demonic possessions and things that happen. You only have to read Caroline Mitchell’s paranormal intruder to see what can happen to ordinary people.

I must say, however, that the ending was a bit lame, but on the whole it was a very gripping read.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

The title "The Bitter end" might give you an inkling how the story is going to end but all through the book I was hoping evil would not be the winner.
Thanks through NetGalley and Bloodhound Books I got to read an advance copy prior to the publishing date. I can highly recommend reading this book.
It's an easy read but full of mysteries. Touches on some of the beliefs in Christianity and even uses the name "Lamia" out of Greek Mythology to represent the evil spirit. Through all that it even brings up some historical and current political possibilities. It all ties up together nicely in this book.

The Bitter End is very much a supernatural thriller. I loved how it starts off when Hitler is in power. Right from that moment i knew this was going to be a dark read and i wasn't wrong!

Paul has been through quite a bit in his life, mainly the death of his wife which must be an awful event to try and come to terms with. Especially with how it happened and the fact that he saw her die. How does someone get over something like that? Luckily for Paul he meets Sally who gives Paul a new meaning in life.

The setting for the story added to the whole eeriness of this book. A cottage tucked away in the woods, it was like something out of Little red Riding Hood. The fact that it is a small community and it was where Paul lived as a child before his accident, it was intriguing to see Paul remembering things as well as revisiting past haunts of places he played with his childhood friend Owen.

The book did have me reminiscing about my own childhood and am so glad that this is just a work of fiction as otherwise I would be having nightmares! Not that I did some of the things that happens in this story but the knocking on doors and running away was one of them. As children we would have similar thoughts as to Owen and Paul about the little old lady that lived on her own. Child hood imagination is a marvellous thing but it can also scare the heebie jeebies out of you.

The Bitter End whilst definitely being a story of the supernatural kind, would definitely make a great horror film. I was literally pinned to the book, on edge, waiting to see what was going to happen next. It reminded me slightly of  The Omen with that over bearing sense of evil throughout. A dark and tense read which had me racing towards the end to see what the outcome was going to be.

I would never normally read a supernatural book but it had a great story, well written and an incredibly fast pace. Crime, mystery and a bit of witchcraft thrown into the mix. I didn't know what to expect and certainly don't know if I'd read another in a hurry - I guess it's the literary alternative to horror films!

I think this book will be with me for a while!

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read it.

This is another one of those books where I’m so happy I signed up for a blog tour. I know that if I’d have heard there was a supernatural thread running through this I’d not have picked it up. However after reading the blurb I signed up for a blog tour and I’m so glad I did because this is a book I’m glad I didn’t miss out on reading.

Paul hasn’t had it easy but his life seems to be getting better after meeting Sally and moving in with her. A strange turn of events has him second guessing every thought he has.

This was a great read. I sat this afternoon in the sun and read it in one sitting. Although it took me a while to adjust to the supernatural aspect I thought it was a well written story. It was certainly a page turner as I found myself glued wondering what was going to happen next.

Gotta mention all the birds that decided to join me in the garden today while I was reading this. I’ve never heard them so vocal. The crow was quite noisy while reading parts of this story. Now as I’m sitting here writing this review there’s no birds to be heard. Strange or what !!!!

Happy publication day to Ann and Robert ♥

I do not think I will be able to sleep again! If I could swear through this whole post I would too! I think I spent most of that book so anxious about what was going to happen next, even in the lighter scenes with Paul and Sally happily in love. I even made the mistake of reading it in the dark, so obviously my imagination went wild, I kept thinking if I looked away from the Kindle light I will see the witches face next to me. I can confess I freaked myself out when I read this book! Credit to both authors for creating such a creepy suspenseful book and well that front cover just did not help me!!!

We start the story in a concentration camp, where Hitler is, as widely speculated, dealing with the occult in such he is possessed by Lamia, a demonic entity. This entity then passes to a woman, the sole survivor of her family now trapped in her own body. We jump some years and see our main protagonist as a young boy, Paul Christian with his best friend Owen. Regularly, and reluctantly on Paul's part, playing knock up ginger on the "old witch"' house. I mean it is such an innocent game because let us be honest we have all probably done it at some point, but not to the devasting end of when Paul was nine and a half. Fast forward a few years and we watch another devasting act in Pauls life, witnessing the death of his wife, I mean seriously give this guy a break! 

Then present day! Paul has found love again with Sally. He is moving in with her, to his old town! Hmmm....nothing is going to happen, is it...WRONG!! They move into her quaint cottage, which sounded so beautiful, in the middle of nowhere!!!!!!  He then sees the old outhouse and there is an axe hanging on the wall, my nerves really could not take it anymore by then! He finds a passion for carving wood, and somehow it absolutely brilliant at it as if someone is guiding him along, to the right wood and instruments. Any scene with that bloody axe just had me on tenterhooks! As you can imagine things begin to escalate.

It just all gets so creepy and dark and intense and downright scary, apparitions, familiars, more deaths and shocking events. Even at the end of the book I really did not, and still DO NOT, feel like I can relax! The ending is semi-wrapped up, but I feel there is more to the story and I really do hope there is a second book. I really did not want to put this book down the first night I picked it up, and I kept picturing scenes from the book when trying to sleep - well that was not helpful! This book has stayed with me! I can't look at crows the same way now, and I will be staying away from knitting needles - I urge you to do the same!! 

The writing just flows in this book, every word counted, nothing was added in to fill in. Every word had me hooked, every page I was dreading the end of the story. Yet at the same time hoping for a relief that it was the end.  I could imagine this being on the big screen, I think I would be holding my breath all over again if I watched it.

What a fantastic debut for Robert and a fab 31st book to Ann!! I will definitely be picking up more by them.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me there is a second book. I need to unwind......

"The Bitter End" is a dark and disturbing thriller and as most people know I am a sucker for those type of books. I always have been and always will be! It isn't just a straight crime genre read, there are supernatural elements to it too. It's easy-to-follow and get through and the pace is sound. The different threads are tied up neatly to create the conclusion.

It is set in the time Hitler was in power and begins with Paul managing to get his life back on track after a throroughly miserable time. After his wife burned to death in a car crash which Paul was witness to he meets Sally who helps him to move on from the horrific memories of the crash. The setting certainly adds to the creepiness of the book - Sally's cottage in the woods which Paul moves in to. Due to an accident when he was ten years old, Paul has no memories before that time. Then suddenly, he starts to see flashbacks and past memories appear to return and they all include his childhood friend Owen. Was it really an accident or does Owen know more about it than he is letting on? Does he have anything to do with the mounting death toll due to a series of accidents in the local area?

This is one of those novels that if you can manage to suspend your disbelief you will likely enjoy. Those who appreciate a realistic plot may wish to avoid this one. I found it tense and suspenseful enough to hold my interest. At its heart, this is a revenge tale and includes some interesting and unique elements.

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

4 Disturbing Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Well now... this book was very dark and very disturbing.... i’d say it almost slipped into the horror genre with some supernatural elements... you really do need to suspend belief for this one, so if that’s not your bag I’d avoid it.... it also had a dark creepy atmosphere that made me a little more afraid of the things that go bump in the night....

Hitler... a cottage in the woods... missing memories... this book really has all the elements of a really freaky movie.... the kind of movie I’d spend hiding behind my popcorn for most of.... this book really is not for the faint of heart! Perfectly paste... well plotted... with something creepy around every corner.... this book will keep you on edge, your brain on overdrive, your heart beating fast, and your palms sweating... when I was done I needed a shower, a cocktail, and a romcom!

Absolutely recommend to fans of a thriller with a supernatural and dark element...

*** many thanks to Bloodhound Books for my copy of this book ***

Well, this was a far creepier book that I was expecting from the blurb. I thought it was going to be a tense psychological thriller but though certainly not short on tension, The Bitter End is actually a dark supernatural story that has very definite horror elements to it. The prologue takes place in 1944 and it very quickly becomes apparent that malevolent forces are at play which have been active in manipulating the lives of humans for many years.
The book then fast forwards to 1980 with two young boys, Paul and Owen playing in the woods. Owen is the more dominant of the pair, even bordering on bullying Paul as he urges him to carry out acts ranging from animal cruelty to the malicious harassment of an old woman who lives in a cottage in the woods, who they suspect is a witch. A tragic accident results in Paul ending up in a coma for 9 months but it later transpires that the events of that day had even longer repercussions than a head injury. As the timeline moves forward again to 2012 we learn that though Paul survives his childhood accident, he is destined to face yet more horror when he witnesses a terrible crash which kills his wife, Helena. As readers we are not given any time to know Helena but it's obvious that they shared a deep love and he was left utterly bereft by her death.
Most of the action in the book takes place in 2018; Paul has found love again and the story sees him returning to the village he grew up in as he moves in with Sally. At this point in the proceedings I could really picture The Bitter End as a horror film. The suspense builds gradually with just the odd hint at first that things aren't quite right. Paul and Sally seem to have an almost idyllic relationship but even though there are plenty of scenes which underline their love and desire for one another, there is always a feeling that things are not as perfect as they may seem. Even at this stage in the novel, there's an ominous sense of foreboding; we know something terrible is going to happen but we don't know how or when. It's almost a relief when the first death does occur although it's a short-lived respite as Paul gradually begins to understand that though he has years of experience dealing with dictators and terrorists, he now facing a far more dangerous enemy.
The story is mostly told in the third person from Paul's perspective but there are occasional snippets from the evil being which help to ratchet up the fear factor that bit more as we realise long before that characters that they are considered to be little more than puppets, ready to do the bidding of other forces. I liked Paul, he's not perfect but as a young boy and as the man he grows in to, he is obviously principled and prepared to stand up to those stronger than he is when necessary. There's something enjoyably macabre about wondering which of the other characters will fall victim to the supernatural terror because not everybody will make it to the end of the book...
The pace of the story increases towards the end with the concurrent escalation of tension meaning I almost needed to read through my fingers. The Bitter End is a spine-chilling and unsettling novel with a clever plot which I can easily see being expanded further in subsequent novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this rather scary read and look forward to being unnerved in the future by Ann Evans and Robert D. Tysall.

4☆ A Very Dark Thriller/ Horror

The Bitter End is a very dark psychological thriller that gave me chills!

At times it was a little too dark for me, i had no clue where the book was taking me at times as it crossed over to the horror genre.

To start with the story opens up with a hard hitting scene from a gas chamber.
One mum survives and they think she is a Witch. So Hitler calls on her to become his next shell when he dies. Basically Hitler has been possessed and needs the gypsy to be his new body.

There is lots going on. At times a lil too shocking for My liking.

But what I will say is this book is dark, disturbing, kept me on tender hooks, i didn't want to carry on reading but I was drawn in and couldn't stop turning the pages.

If you love thriller horrors that literally play with your mind, creepy, atmospheric, tense, a lil sadistic then pick up The Bitter End you will love it!

This was different type of book for me I don’t usually go for a supernatural/mystery book but I enjoyed this book. It held my interest and was quick read only because I wanted to know what would happen next! Sometimes the past is best left in the past is one thing I picked up from this book! Four out of five stars for me!

Auschwitz 1944 - Petronella miraculously survives gassing by the Nazis. She is taken to Hitler where something evil and ancient departs his body and enters hers.
Oakwoods, England 1980 - young Paul Christian and his friend Owen are harassing the local witch and she retaliates by attacking Paul. As a result he spends a long period of time in hospital and loses a large chunk of his memory.
West Sussex 2012 - Rear Admiral Paul Christian witnesses the death of his wife Helena when she is burnt alive after her vehicle is hit by an out of control tanker.
Oakwood Residential Home 2018 - the entity aka Lamia continues to inhabit Petronella’s ageing body. Her hatred for humans grows as she waits and plans for the destruction of human souls. Her only master is Satan and she will serve him well
2018 - Paul Christian has found love again with Sally and they move back to her cottage in the village he grew up in. He can’t believe he is lucky to have found love a second time round. Paul discovers a shed full of tools and develops a skill for wood carving. He also learns the witch from his childhood is still alive and residing in a nearby nursing home.
After reuniting with his childhood mate his memory starts to return and a series of strange events make him suspicious they may be linked to the past and involve witchcraft.
A terrific read. The only other thing I will say it you will look at your cat in a different light after reading this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review