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Something Wicked
After a nasty break-up with her boyfriend, high school student Ann Lippens is invited to go to the town's new night club, Whispers. At the club, she finds herself in the arms of the mysterious and handsome Cody Rhodes. When she rejects Cody's advances, the musician turns his attention to Ann's best friend, Kim. Kim couldn't be happier.
Within days, Kim is changing her appearance and behavior to please her new boyfriend. Ann investigates the singer, only to discover that Cody is the very image of a long-dead rock star named Bobby Winters. Winters and his band had a dark and troubled history until their fiery demise. Bobby's string of girlfriends all died early, suspicious deaths.
Discovering the secret timetable for Kim's murder, Ann realizes she's the only one who can stop it. But it's not Kim that Cody truly wants....
Within days, Kim is changing her appearance and behavior to please her new boyfriend. Ann investigates the singer, only to discover that Cody is the very image of a long-dead rock star named Bobby Winters. Winters and his band had a dark and troubled history until their fiery demise. Bobby's string of girlfriends all died early, suspicious deaths.
Discovering the secret timetable for Kim's murder, Ann realizes she's the only one who can stop it. But it's not Kim that Cody truly wants....
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First published April 8, 2011
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About the author
Renée Harrell
16 books5 followers“Renée Harrell” is really two people. Our pen name is the semi-pseudonym of Renée and Harrell Turner, and we're a wife-and-husband writing team. Our first novel was a work-for-hire YA mystery and was written under a much more famous pseudonym. It did pretty well, too.
Under our own pseudonym, we've written a trio of e-books. "After Things Went Bad" and "Bill Shakespeare's Next Big Mistake" came out under our own Hunting Monsters Press logo, while "Wicked Games" can be purchased by the good people at Cobblestone Press.
In April, we published "Something Wicked", a young adult mystery, in both paperback and electronic editions. In September, we'll be publishing "The Atheist's Daughter", a supernatural thriller.
We're currently working on "The Preacher’s Son", our next novel in the Winterhaven series.
To learn more about us, the Things We’re Doing, the Things We Like, and That Thing We Did, go to our website. Thanks!
Under our own pseudonym, we've written a trio of e-books. "After Things Went Bad" and "Bill Shakespeare's Next Big Mistake" came out under our own Hunting Monsters Press logo, while "Wicked Games" can be purchased by the good people at Cobblestone Press.
In April, we published "Something Wicked", a young adult mystery, in both paperback and electronic editions. In September, we'll be publishing "The Atheist's Daughter", a supernatural thriller.
We're currently working on "The Preacher’s Son", our next novel in the Winterhaven series.
To learn more about us, the Things We’re Doing, the Things We Like, and That Thing We Did, go to our website. Thanks!
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 25, 2011
Something Wicked
Renee Harrell
Kim and Ann have been best friends since grade school. But when Ann and Kim meet performer Cody Rhodes at the hot new club, whis*pers, something strange happens. Having just ended her relationship with her boyfriend, Ann is not interested in Cody’s advances; however, Kim is more than eager to strike up a relationship with the brooding singer. Within a few days Ann notices that Kim is acting strange. Her gorgeous long, blonde hair is suddenly fiery red and short. Plus, she’s wearing the most atrocious outfits straight from the hippie era. Ann has no idea what is going on with her normally level-headed friend, but she assumes it’s because of Cody’s influence.
At first, Ann is happy for Kim’s new relationship, but then Kim starts acting even stranger. It’s no longer just her appearance that is changing—now she doesn’t act the same either. Kim has started lying to her parents and staying out all night with Cody. With her friend’s strange behavior, Ann decides to do a little research on Cody’s striking resemblance to dead rock star Bobby Winters. What she finds, however, is chilling. Cody looks exactly like Bobby. Even more frightening is the horrific history behind Bobby Winters and the Reapers (his band). Now, Kim is in danger and time is running out.
Let me begin by saying that I have a bad habit of starting new books when I should be getting ready to go to bed. Renee Harrell’s book Something Wicked was no different. I started reading it shortly before my “bed time” but I realized I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked into the story by the second chapter. I shirked my Easter bunny duties to read this book in one sitting! The plot was pretty interesting. The idea of a long dead rock star coming back from the grave to find his long lost love is riveting. It certainly kept me interested. As far as pacing goes, the plot is fast paced. There aren’t too many loops in the story, but it moves consistently and thoroughly. I loved how the ending leaves Ann anticipating another encounter with Cody. It’s pretty obvious there will be a sequel to this book, which is a good thing. I want to see what happens next.
The characters in the book invoke a variety of emotions. I liked Ann, even though she seemed a little OCD at times. Her father was hard working and caring, which reminded me of my dad. I loved that he was firm but fair when it came time to administer punishments. He seemed like a true over-worked single father trying to take care of his teenage daughter. I also like Eric, although I felt like there wasn’t enough of him in the story. He came across as Ann’s knight and shining armor, but I didn’t always see why he was so drawn to her. I hope in the next book that their story continues to develop and goes a little deeper. Now, as far as despicable characters go… oh boy! There are plenty to choose from. The ones that stand out the most to me are Scott and Cutter. Scott is you typical meat-headed teenage boy with “one thing” on his mind. I was completely revolted by him in the first chapter. The things I could say!! You can imagine what he was like. Every girl has met that boy. Cutter, however, was interesting. If an animal could be in human form, he would be the most dangerous of predators. I would hate to ever encounter someone like him! He seemed full of nervous energy that he was too willing to convert into physical violence. In fact, hurting people made him happy. If I had to liken him to a real-life person, I would imagine he would be the equivalent to Al Capone’s henchman. Very disturbing.
I managed to read the book in one sitting. Partly because it was an easy, quick read, but mainly because I wanted to know what happened. I didn’t want to wait until the next day to finish the book. I really enjoyed the story. As I said, I think that the second book has a lot of potential because it will continue to further develop the plot and the characters. With that being said, I would give this book a solid 3 to 3 ½ stars. I anticipate the next book getting even higher marks.
If you like ghost stories tinted with murder and romance, then this is certainly a book you would enjoy.
Renee Harrell
Kim and Ann have been best friends since grade school. But when Ann and Kim meet performer Cody Rhodes at the hot new club, whis*pers, something strange happens. Having just ended her relationship with her boyfriend, Ann is not interested in Cody’s advances; however, Kim is more than eager to strike up a relationship with the brooding singer. Within a few days Ann notices that Kim is acting strange. Her gorgeous long, blonde hair is suddenly fiery red and short. Plus, she’s wearing the most atrocious outfits straight from the hippie era. Ann has no idea what is going on with her normally level-headed friend, but she assumes it’s because of Cody’s influence.
At first, Ann is happy for Kim’s new relationship, but then Kim starts acting even stranger. It’s no longer just her appearance that is changing—now she doesn’t act the same either. Kim has started lying to her parents and staying out all night with Cody. With her friend’s strange behavior, Ann decides to do a little research on Cody’s striking resemblance to dead rock star Bobby Winters. What she finds, however, is chilling. Cody looks exactly like Bobby. Even more frightening is the horrific history behind Bobby Winters and the Reapers (his band). Now, Kim is in danger and time is running out.
Let me begin by saying that I have a bad habit of starting new books when I should be getting ready to go to bed. Renee Harrell’s book Something Wicked was no different. I started reading it shortly before my “bed time” but I realized I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked into the story by the second chapter. I shirked my Easter bunny duties to read this book in one sitting! The plot was pretty interesting. The idea of a long dead rock star coming back from the grave to find his long lost love is riveting. It certainly kept me interested. As far as pacing goes, the plot is fast paced. There aren’t too many loops in the story, but it moves consistently and thoroughly. I loved how the ending leaves Ann anticipating another encounter with Cody. It’s pretty obvious there will be a sequel to this book, which is a good thing. I want to see what happens next.
The characters in the book invoke a variety of emotions. I liked Ann, even though she seemed a little OCD at times. Her father was hard working and caring, which reminded me of my dad. I loved that he was firm but fair when it came time to administer punishments. He seemed like a true over-worked single father trying to take care of his teenage daughter. I also like Eric, although I felt like there wasn’t enough of him in the story. He came across as Ann’s knight and shining armor, but I didn’t always see why he was so drawn to her. I hope in the next book that their story continues to develop and goes a little deeper. Now, as far as despicable characters go… oh boy! There are plenty to choose from. The ones that stand out the most to me are Scott and Cutter. Scott is you typical meat-headed teenage boy with “one thing” on his mind. I was completely revolted by him in the first chapter. The things I could say!! You can imagine what he was like. Every girl has met that boy. Cutter, however, was interesting. If an animal could be in human form, he would be the most dangerous of predators. I would hate to ever encounter someone like him! He seemed full of nervous energy that he was too willing to convert into physical violence. In fact, hurting people made him happy. If I had to liken him to a real-life person, I would imagine he would be the equivalent to Al Capone’s henchman. Very disturbing.
I managed to read the book in one sitting. Partly because it was an easy, quick read, but mainly because I wanted to know what happened. I didn’t want to wait until the next day to finish the book. I really enjoyed the story. As I said, I think that the second book has a lot of potential because it will continue to further develop the plot and the characters. With that being said, I would give this book a solid 3 to 3 ½ stars. I anticipate the next book getting even higher marks.
If you like ghost stories tinted with murder and romance, then this is certainly a book you would enjoy.
October 31, 2013
Book review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
When Ann meets Cody and his band in a local club, she agrees the band has some weird attraction, but she’s not interested, having just broken up with her boyfriend. Her best friend Kim, however, is more than willing to dive head over heels into a relationship with lead singer Cody. But the more Kim hangs out with him, the more she starts to change, and Ann suspects something may be wrong.
Ann does some research into Cody, and his odd resemblance with Bobby Winters, a musician who passed away ages ago. She finds out what happened to Bobby and his band, the Reapers, and the story is more than a little terrifying. If Cody is completely obsessed with the singer, than he may even be dangerous.
But what if it goes even further? The more Ann finds out about Cody, the more she grows convinced something supernatural and eerie is going on…
By the third-or-so chapter, I was so sucked into the story that I couldn’t finish reading. The book pulled me in. The characters were intriguing, and I wanted to find out who Cody was and what exactly he was upto.
But then, the appeal greatly diminished. Halfway through, the book gets a little jumpy, moving from one scene to the next, and characters lack consistency. On top of that, the “big reveal” is kind of anticlimatic. I’d expected horror, since the book was labeled as such, but instead I got something closer to paranormal romance. Not bad, just not what I’d expected.
I did like Ann though. She doesn’t give up, she’s stubborn when needs be, and she’s brave, even in the face of real danger.
The author has a great writing style, and the plot was decent, I was just a little disappointed it’s not actually horror. The book had a lot of potential to throw in some original elements, but it stayed too close to well-known tropes for me.
When Ann meets Cody and his band in a local club, she agrees the band has some weird attraction, but she’s not interested, having just broken up with her boyfriend. Her best friend Kim, however, is more than willing to dive head over heels into a relationship with lead singer Cody. But the more Kim hangs out with him, the more she starts to change, and Ann suspects something may be wrong.
Ann does some research into Cody, and his odd resemblance with Bobby Winters, a musician who passed away ages ago. She finds out what happened to Bobby and his band, the Reapers, and the story is more than a little terrifying. If Cody is completely obsessed with the singer, than he may even be dangerous.
But what if it goes even further? The more Ann finds out about Cody, the more she grows convinced something supernatural and eerie is going on…
By the third-or-so chapter, I was so sucked into the story that I couldn’t finish reading. The book pulled me in. The characters were intriguing, and I wanted to find out who Cody was and what exactly he was upto.
But then, the appeal greatly diminished. Halfway through, the book gets a little jumpy, moving from one scene to the next, and characters lack consistency. On top of that, the “big reveal” is kind of anticlimatic. I’d expected horror, since the book was labeled as such, but instead I got something closer to paranormal romance. Not bad, just not what I’d expected.
I did like Ann though. She doesn’t give up, she’s stubborn when needs be, and she’s brave, even in the face of real danger.
The author has a great writing style, and the plot was decent, I was just a little disappointed it’s not actually horror. The book had a lot of potential to throw in some original elements, but it stayed too close to well-known tropes for me.
March 27, 2013
There are so many things to like about Something Wicked. One of my favorite things about it was that the characters weren’t created to be perfect. Ann and Kim had much in common with normal, everyday teenage girls. Neither one were in the “in” crowd, but nor were they outcasts. Ann was a less than average student, while Kim was a good student. Their flaws made them extremely relatable and likeable and far easier to become emotionally involved with over the course of the story.
The plot was very engaging and drew me into it from the beginning of the story. There was a lot of mystery and suspense, and it was well-paced for the age group for which the book is intended. The conclusion wasn’t surprising, and I usually like to be more surprised with an unexpected twist or two. Generally, I like fewer clues for the “whodunit” and the “why’s”, but for a lower aged young adult reader, I think it was well done.
There are some definate messages in this book. Sometimes those messages in young adult novels can be overdone, making the book less of a story and more of a sermon. But in Something Wicked, it was subtle and didn’t distract from the plot. For Ann, there was the lesson that you don’t put aside your values and beliefs for a boy, a message that I think is great in a young adult novel. Kim’s story taught that it wasn’t important to be yourself, and not change yourself to please someone else.
While the wrap up to this story wasn’t particularly surprising, there was a nice cliffhanger in the last few sentences of the novel, leaving the way for the next Ann book, which I will surely be buying!
The plot was very engaging and drew me into it from the beginning of the story. There was a lot of mystery and suspense, and it was well-paced for the age group for which the book is intended. The conclusion wasn’t surprising, and I usually like to be more surprised with an unexpected twist or two. Generally, I like fewer clues for the “whodunit” and the “why’s”, but for a lower aged young adult reader, I think it was well done.
There are some definate messages in this book. Sometimes those messages in young adult novels can be overdone, making the book less of a story and more of a sermon. But in Something Wicked, it was subtle and didn’t distract from the plot. For Ann, there was the lesson that you don’t put aside your values and beliefs for a boy, a message that I think is great in a young adult novel. Kim’s story taught that it wasn’t important to be yourself, and not change yourself to please someone else.
While the wrap up to this story wasn’t particularly surprising, there was a nice cliffhanger in the last few sentences of the novel, leaving the way for the next Ann book, which I will surely be buying!
July 20, 2016
I listened to the Audible version of Something Wicked by Renee Harrell, which is an enjoyable romantic mystery for the young adult set. I always enjoy a good ghost story and this definitely filled the bill. The plot is engaging and there is enough suspense to keep the reader’s attention until the end of the book.
The characters are believable and easy to like. Ann and her best friend Kim have a lot in common with normal teenaged girls – neither are in the popular “in” crowd, but at the same time they are not unpopular.
What I liked most about the book is the message it sends to young girls - don't set aside your values and beliefs for a boy, and don’t change yourself merely to please someone else.
LC Kane's portrayal of the different characters was very engaging. I’d listen to another one of her narrations any time!
The characters are believable and easy to like. Ann and her best friend Kim have a lot in common with normal teenaged girls – neither are in the popular “in” crowd, but at the same time they are not unpopular.
What I liked most about the book is the message it sends to young girls - don't set aside your values and beliefs for a boy, and don’t change yourself merely to please someone else.
LC Kane's portrayal of the different characters was very engaging. I’d listen to another one of her narrations any time!
April 16, 2011
This book doesn't have the typical "cross-over" appeal I personally am looking for in a YA read, but since it's written for the 12-14 year old crowd, that might very well be a good thing. Tweens and young teens will enjoy the mystery; parents will enjoy the minimal romance.
For a full review, see my blog post: http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com
For a full review, see my blog post: http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com
January 29, 2014
I am listening to the audio version and am not impressed. I don't like the readers voice and tone and that is turning me of to the story. So far the book is appropriate for middle and high school. Ghost, reincarnation, romance.
February 15, 2012
GOOD STORY TELLING. GREAT PLOT. FAST PACE. SUSPENSE. AND ADDICTING.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews