If they had been stronger, maybe they could have found strength in each other, but instead, Olivia had found her solace in the bottom of a vodka bottle, and he had turned tail and run all the way to Manhattan, Kansas.

This was one of my Amazon Prime First Reads selections and it didn't disappoint. A mystery that carries a theme of healing and forgiveness. I would say it was "mystery light" as most of the story focused on Olivia and Brandon's reconciliation. A good Sunday morning read.



Publication Date. 27/02/24
Goodreads review 25/02/24kindle-kindle-unlimited26 s2 comments Rebecca Stapleton46

Non stop page turner

Finally, a first reads freebie that's finally worth it. Suspense, intrigue, and an ending that makes it all come together. 25 s Stacy218 9

This book was just okay for me. The story wasn't bad, but I didn't care for the execution of it. I d Brandon well enough, but I didn't Olivia at all. Understandably she's going to be destroyed having lost a child four years ago, but she spent so much of the book crying and fainting and having tantrums and collapsing she just seemed so unstable. Not exactly someone you'd want as your child's doctor. I would have preferred she'd been stronger. There's a touch of the supernatural too that seemed a bit out of place. What the victims went through was absolutely heartbreaking, but I feel it wasn't explored well enough. Overall it was a decent story, I just didn't gel with the author's writing style.20 s7 comments Chris MacKechnie59 2

There is a lot of crying in this book. The protagonist cries when she thinks of her missing kid, talks to her mother, speaks to reporters, talks to her ex husband, spends time with her best friend, deals with her boss, and, well you get the idea. There is so much crying that it became a bit of a drinking game. How many pages will I need to read before she cries again. The plot and characters are mid at best.

Edit: Haha. I had added my highlights of all the crying passages in this book but they seem to have been deactivated. I guess my review got under someone's skin a bit.16 s Tiffany401 9

I found the theme of healing and forgiveness in this book intriguing. Although the story was not bad, I felt the author could have done better in its execution. The victims' experiences were truly heart-wrenching, but I believe that the author could have delved even deeper into their struggles. Despite this, I still found the book a decent read and appreciated the author's effort. While the writing style may not have been my personal preference, I can see how others may enjoy it. I would rate it 3.5 stars - rounding down this one. I don't think I'd recommend this one. 12 s2 comments Meredith347

I am going to try and write this review without spoilers. The book was part psychological thriller, part romance, part crime novel and part something supernatural… which made for a hodgepodge of a read. Unfortunately, that lack of identity carried throughout the book making it really difficult to enjoy. It was so incredibly disjointed and there was way too much going on. Don’t get me wrong, a bunch of stuff happened, but it was never fully addressed so it ended up making very little sense and offered nothing to the actual plot of the book. I found the characters flat and not believable. I also strongly dis books that have an epilogue that starts with “X number of years later”… because you know that all 500 loose ends are going to be tied up in a few pages with a cute little bow, and everything will turn out happily ever after.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review11 s Michael Lopez1 review

Such a great story, but ended way too briskly. The author should have taken some extra time to write in between the remaining chapter and epilogue. So much needed to be said that wasn't concluded. If the ending was better, this would've been a 4.5 or 5* read for me11 s Lynda Kelly2,074 96

This was a Kindle First offering and I greatly enjoyed it and I have to say that Brandon was a great creation-a lovely chap. We could all do with a Brandon in our lives, ladies !! Lisa was another lovely character, as was the spirited Arlene. It didn't have the ending I wanted, really, and I made a note that I thought it a bit of an odd ending but it didn't spoil the over all tale.
It was also quite strange that it was set in 2013. Not really sure why she did this. Then about two-thirds of the way in I noted that things were getting a little disjointed here and there.....and I did spot some mistakes.....apostrophes misplaced, for example. One expression she wrote I'd never heard before...."..they would've thrown me under the jail" which apparently means you'll effectively die in prison !! (Thanks, Google). Then she also does that American thing of writing leaped and never leapt or shined and never shone.
I loved a particular passage she wrote about a field of dandelions-that was rather splendid to imagine and a line about Daddy had me decidedly sniffy, too......
I'd definitely try another by this author for sure. I hope she'll write more in this genre.10 s1 comment Karen R864 521

A very good story with sympathetic characters.7 s Brooke Phelan50 2

Predictable

…and leaves you wanting more details. Simple family tragedy story. Child abuse was off-putting and slightly graphic (implied). Wouldn’t really recommend.6 s Mrs Julie78

I’ll try to avoid spoilers so this review will be quite short. It can’t make up its mind if it’s a psychological thriller, a crime novel or a supernatural tale. The characters are 2-dimensional (apart from Olivia who goes from being a superhuman doctor to a quivering wreck with the turning of every page!) and sometimes stereotypical. Remove the ghosts & the unrealistically quick re-romance of the protagonists and it would be a half-decent story despite the breaks of protocol. Disappointing. 6 s1 comment Hunter Herron27 2

I d the plot but didn’t love the writing. There was a lot more going on than there needed to be. I enjoy reading thrillers and I enjoy romance. I also enjoy books on addiction and LGBTQ characters and even books referencing the medical field. I enjoy reading about POC and I enjoy mysteries and trying to solve them. Pick a few topics, outline what you want to say, and write it well. This was just not it. More is always less… don’t always add more just because.

So many things I found unnecessary: the random whirlwind romance of Brandon’s fiancé, who just up and leaves with no issue..

The small mentions of alcoholism in the main characters that only added a few pages to the page count but NOTHING to the story. Didn’t need to be in the book.

Throwing in LGBTQ undertones and mentions to these characters just to have them in there when most of it didn’t even contribute to the plot or the story at all.

The strange way a doctor acted through this entire book. The medical terminology was weird and inconsistent and the way we only got to see one aspect of a doctor patient relationship and no other mentions anywhere else..

Also… Delilah couldn’t speak more than a few words for 70% of the book then randomly she tells Brandon everything? What? Makes no sense.

Why is Olivia so whiney also? Oh nooo Brandon don’t leave meeeeee. You’re grown! What the heck!

That being said, there were parts I enjoyed.

The story of murder/serial killer/religious cult vibes was enjoyable and honestly the only reason I kept reading. I enjoyed the small part at the end learning about Hurt Mountain. I d Delilah’s character and I d the whole putting the pieces together thing.

I give it a generous 3 stars. Maybe I’m a harsh critic. Wouldn’t recommend to a friend but didn’t hate.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review5 s1 comment Kelly7 1 follower

It was free. And not great. 20245 s Amy Cobb156 14

4.5?? rounded up! I was totally hooked on the suspense. Crook comes out of the gate with speed and intensity and never lets off the gas! Keeping this spoiler free so JUST READ IT!!!5 s Jessica Seamons69

The book was fast paced, intense, and heart-wrenching. It was overall okay, but not good. I would have rated it more if it hadn't randomly switched to a supernatural/paranormal book toward the end. If I had known that was coming I wouldn't have read it at all. It also left some questions unanswered. For instance, Delilah told Brandon that there were other people in the mountain with the same arrangement of kidnapping children and starting these "Families." But other than saying that someone burned down the main house and they couldn't find out who, it's never mentioned again. Was it investigated? Did it connect to any other missing children cases, did they find the missing children, the "Families", etc. Also, why did Brandon burn down the Teaching Room? Wasn't it evidence? Of course, that was at the part where it got all supernatural and weird and I was confused so I may have missed something. I also didn't understand Jacob at all. Was he Delilah's brother? If he was subject to Father then why was he able to come and go freely, to the point where he didn't come around as often after Carly was killed? Was he from one of those other Families? It was just confusing and these missing pieces left me feeling unsatisfied when the book ended.4 s2 comments PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps 2,428 230

DNF4 s Lydia Knox2 1 follower

Hurt Mountain was chilling. You could feel the cold of the Colorado mountains. It was a page turner. Once you meet the girl in the beginning you want to know her story. You find that throughout there are more stories of more characters you want to uncover. You'll find yourself unable to put the book down as Brandon and Olivia learn the haunting truth. It was a great read and I wish there was more to read.4 s Molly Chenault 78 2

Really good and quick page turner
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