Down the Rabbit Hole

Sanctuary #0.5

by Charlotte Abel

A "Sanctuary Series" stand-alone short story that gives readers a tantalizing peek inside Jonathan's head. (Approximately 7,000 words)

Reliving the night before Jonathan and Franklin leave for Basic Training.

You do not need to read "Down the Rabbit Hole" before enjoying "River's Recruit."

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, New Adult, Ebooks, Short Stories, Young Adult

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2012

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As promised, Down the Rabbit Hole by Charlotte Abel gave me a "tantalizing peek" into Jonathan's scattered mind. This little trick definitely makes me want to dive right into the Sanctuary series. I read this as part of the Midnight Surrender series and it was a first for me from Charlotte Abel. I am sure there will be more.

[Bri Vogel]

I haven't read River's Recruit, but this made me want to. That was intense.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, intriguing short.

A great intro to the series, ready to read more. I wish it were included in the Channie series collection, but otherwise thumbs up.

[Dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, wonderful in this contemporary with no fantastic or elements but a surprise in the ending!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book5 in the Rivers series but also the prequel

Powerful, explosive, gripping. The story of Jonathan's loss and struggles before he goes off in search of peace and finds River. The story is told as seen pretty much through Jonathan's eyes as he is at a therapist and under sedation. His memories of his identical twin brother and a cave in at a bonfire. while the events are not accurate the memories are all mixed up with what happened in the war. Jonathan has to be physically brought out of the trance by water thrown in his face when he is struggling and won't respond to commands anymore. When he comes to he is even more confused about things. I definitely recommend this as a read for anyone reading the series though I don't think it should be read last I think it should be read along with the first book. The author definitely has a great way of description when writing you actually can see the vivid colors he talks about seeing whilst in his trance.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was on ....

This is a short read that just kept my attention enough to finish it. This is a good way to give you a glimpse of what Jonathon's character is like before reading River's Recruit and how it will change when you read on to the next book. The short story was OK but really.....


Maybe when I read River's Recruit it may come in to the story somehow but I doubt it if its a stand alone read.

[Loni Engledow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the short story "Down the Rabit Hole". It was only 19 pages but it set me up to purchase River's Recruit. Johnathon and Franklin are twin brothers and as the book begins we know that somehow Johnathon as lost his hand and he is seeking help to relieve himself of the "phantom" pain this injury has caused him. we are inticed with a little insight into the characteristics of the brothers. I dont wat to give too much detail or it will ruin the story for you. Just know that the book was free for my Nook and I had already read Charlotte Abel's "Channing Series" so I knew that this would be a good read. If you haven't read that seies I can honestly tell you it is FANTASTIC!! Thanks so much for this read!! Now on to River's Recruit!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down the Rabbit Hole is one of those prequel novels that really don’t give much too much away about the full length books. It focuses on Jonathan, a veteran who lost his hand and his brother in Afghanistan. It gives us some insight on the person he use to be and why all of that has changed, but I can definitely tell Abel didn’t reveal everything about his painful past and that River’s Recruit (book one) is going to deal with it. I wish it had given me some idea of what to expect in River’s Recruit, but the writing is solid and I definitely feel confident that the author will be able to pull me into the full length novel.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this novella after reading River's Recruit and wasn't sure what to expect, being as it took me 75% to get to grips with that book. This book was just over too quickly and I didn't really get much from it. We already knew that Jonathan was the 'reckless' twin and that Franklin was the golden boy. This story didn't really do much apart from compound that. It was enjoyable for the 15 minutes it took me to read it but not really one to get excited about.

http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogsp...

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting little teaser, but it was less romance and just an odd back story on how one twin brother lost his hand......it's probably a really interesting back story of the two boys if you know the later story - to go back and read this one and see how ti starts.

but as a start, it was just confusing and only kind of interesting to read on it's own. I think I would enjoy it more after I read book 1 in the series.

[Racheal Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have just included this in the first book. It was small enough to fit and gave a decent enough "in between" backstory into Jonathans life after the accident and before River. Other than that the read was enjoyable. I think I got it for free off Amazon. If its still free I would recommend anyone who enjoyed River's recruit to read it.

If you have to pay...well it's certainly not worth much as it seriously feels about a chapter long, but that is up to the purchaser to decide.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good set-up.

I recommend the book to those interested in River's Recruit because it does help you understand some of Jonathan's behaviors as well as his protecting demeanor. it wasn't w blow me away book like River's Recruit was but it is defiantly worth the short time it took to read it.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd read: Jonathon and Frankie are twin brothers. Jonathon has chose to seek out a hypnotist to help with the phantom pain he still feels in the arm he lost during the war. While under a trance, Jonathon revisits a time in his life during high school where Frankie was almost killed.

1st read: This story was not needed. It was nice insight into the brothers connection but not needed.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone craving more after reading the first book, this was a great teaser with more insight into the hero. The rough courageous snarky hero that is refreshingly unique in the genre. Can't wait for book 2.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

*** Free from Amazon ***

This is the first thing I have read by Ms. Abel. It is a very short prequel but it was interesting enough to get me to also download the first book in the "Down the Rabbit Hole" series.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to pick this up just because I was dying to know more about this story. The first book ended so abruptly and I was left hanging until the sequel was released. This novella didn't shed much light on the story. So, I didn't cure my craving.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purple houses

I read River's Recruit before I read this. I am so glad I did. If I had read this first not sure I would have even picked it up. This had a great title, wonderful cover, but I didn't like the story.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved River's Recruit, so this was a nice little backstory on Jonathan and his lost twin, Franklin. There were some typos and errors (like a change in name for Jonathan's ex for a couple pages) that is just careless for a story so short. Proofread!

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down the Rabbit Hole is a short story prequel introduction to Charlotte Abel's Sanctuary Series.

Obviously this is not a standalone story. That said it does work well creating a curiosity to learn more.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

Didn't want it to end. Wow! My version did have a name, Trisha, wrong twice. I'm sure it's fixed by now.

[Kim Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Great prequel. I can't wait to start the next book. River has a lot to think about. I want to read the rest.

[Faith McKay]

I haven't read River's Recruit, but this made me want to. That was intense.

[Anika · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 It was just getting interesting when they short story ended. I want to see how it fits in with the next book in the series.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad short story

It's just a prequel something very short but it was so sad.

Not sure I'll continue reading the rest of it is something I would be interested in.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs proofreading

Not too bad for a start of a series. There were a lot of errors in this book though. Despite that I plan on reading the next book in this series.

[Lyn Mckenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not quite sure what to say about this book. I didn't dislike it but I kept on waiting for something to happen. Maybe I have to read the series first

[Maisie Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow woah wow wah.

Words can not explain the journey i just went on in such a short period.

[Delta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free 10-05-14

[Darlene Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't read River's Recruit

I haven't read River's Recruit so I read this book as a stand alone. It was super short and felt more like a sample. There was no story set up and no real finish. It read like a random chapter of some other book. There wasn't anything too original or wowing about the story either. That being said it entertaining enough and a super easy read. I'll consider buying River's Recruit so along as its 3 bucks or less. Wouldn't recommend this book as a stand alone purchase.