I received an advanced/review copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content and honesty of my review.
The Torment of Rachel Ames by Jeff GunhusSuffering from writer’s block, novelist Rachel Ames escapes to a lake cabin to calm her mind and regain a sense of herself. The location is perfect. Isolated. Beautiful. Inspiring. It even comes with a good-looking landlord who shows an interest in her. But she can’t shake the sense that something terrible has followed her to the lake, something just beyond her consciousness, something out on the edge where the sounds of a raging fire and sirens linger whenever she slows down to listen. Determined to make the cabin work, she tries to settle in and give her new life a chance. But when strange things begin to happen around her, she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. As the darkness that’s followed her manifests itself in inexplicable ways, her concept of reality is stretched thin and she realizes nothing at the lake is what it seems. As she fights to survive with her sanity intact, she understands too late that the location she’s chosen for herself is far from perfect.
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Romance, Dark
Format: ARC, Paperback
I should begin by being completely frank: the genre this book falls under is not my preferred genre in the least. While I love thrillers in the movie genre, I tend to gravitate more toward romances in the book genre. Yes, there is an underline of romance in this novella (and yes, I am woman enough to admit that it thrilled me), the actual story is what kept me reading. In fact, once I started reading, I could not put it down.
Rachel is a tormented soul (hence the title), and the journey she begins at the lake is not only enticing and shocking, but it’s completely unnerving–and at times, downright frightening. Throughout the entire story, I was wondering right along with Rachel what secrets the cabin at the lake were hiding, and whether or not she could trust anyone. Honestly, I didn’t want to trust anyone in this story because I had no idea if I could or not! And the thing is, I absolutely loved the suspense! The whole thing played out like a movie in my mind. Gunhus has an incredible way of writing; he knows exactly how to describe each scene with an imaginative amount of detail and understanding.
This is a psychological thriller that will appeal to lovers of books of all genres–take it from the romance junkie! I cannot get this story out of my head (trust me, I mean that in a good way) and I’m dying to read the rest of his works now. I am so glad I found this novella!
Happy reading!
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