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Hurt Mountain
An estranged mother and father join forces to uncover the truth about their missing daughter in a haunting novel about trauma, loss, family, and hope. When patrolman Brandon Hall comes upon a broken-down car on a Colorado highway, he finds a young girl in a bloodied nightgown at the wheel. In the back seat, the brutalized body of a teenage boy. The girl will say only one word: Hurt . The doctor on call is Olivia Blake. For Olivia and Brandon, the traumatized Jane Doe opens a floodgate of memories. It’s been four years since they shared their own tragedy―the unsolved disappearance of their eight-year-old daughter, Carly, and the end of their marriage. As Olivia focuses on Jane Doe’s care, Brandon makes a startling discovery: a series of disappearances from across the country, over decades, that could finally lead to the truth about their missing daughter. But will unraveling the past trigger a backslide into grief, guilt, and obsession? Or is finding out what horrors lie in the Colorado mountains the only thing that can heal them, and the mysterious young girl in their care?
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 435 reviews
February 27, 2024
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 25/02/24
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 25/02/24
February 4, 2024
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.
Finally, a first reads freebie that's finally worth it. Suspense, intrigue, and an ending that makes it all come together.
February 25, 2024
This book was just okay for me. The story wasn't bad, but I didn't care for the execution of it. I liked Brandon well enough, but I didn't like 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 like it wasn't explored well enough. Overall it was a decent story, I just didn't gel with the author's writing style.
April 12, 2024
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.
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.
February 9, 2024
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 dislike 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.
February 5, 2024
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 me
March 11, 2024
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.
February 24, 2024
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.
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.
February 9, 2024
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.
February 19, 2024
A very good story with sympathetic characters.
April 29, 2024
TW: Child loss, SA, violence
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This read like a Lifetime movie (derogatory).
The pacing was all over the place and almost incoherent. The police investigation went at a breakneck and unrealistic speed. Because the criminal case was solved so quickly (at least from the reader’s perspective), it sapped any tension from the plot. I wish we had gotten some more background on and context for the Family. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to read what Father and his Family were doing to the victims, but since we saw so little of them, I wasn’t invested in them as characters. They were just boogeymen…and maybe paranormal? Jury’s out.
I also think this novel suffered with nearly all its characters. No one was likeable, and the ensemble cast should’ve been pared down considerably. Secondary antagonists like David and Sheldon added absolutely nothing to the story. On the opposite side of the coin, characters who could’ve been compelling, like Lisa, exited in the first third of the novel.
Main characters Olivia and Brandon were so difficult to read and enjoy. With Olivia, I had a problem with her similar to what I had when reading The Wishing Game last year: just because you’re drawn to a child and really feel you can love them DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN ADEQUATE FOSTER PARENT. Olivia was enabled to keep making irrational decisions about a child’s care that were completely unrealistic to real life. It drove me nuts. Brandon wins the award for worst fiancé ever. Having an emotional affair with your ex wife and then being hurt that your current fiancée leaves is not the emotional development readers are looking for. Add that to him continually breaking investigative procedure for Olivia, and I was ready to tear my hair out. These two should’ve stayed divorced and got therapy.
Not for the first time, I fell victim to an Amazon First Reads. This could’ve been an okay first draft, but it needed a lot of reworking. Two stars because I could see the premise being interesting and because I was able to finish it. One-star books are DNFs! On to the next.
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This read like a Lifetime movie (derogatory).
The pacing was all over the place and almost incoherent. The police investigation went at a breakneck and unrealistic speed. Because the criminal case was solved so quickly (at least from the reader’s perspective), it sapped any tension from the plot. I wish we had gotten some more background on and context for the Family. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to read what Father and his Family were doing to the victims, but since we saw so little of them, I wasn’t invested in them as characters. They were just boogeymen…and maybe paranormal? Jury’s out.
I also think this novel suffered with nearly all its characters. No one was likeable, and the ensemble cast should’ve been pared down considerably. Secondary antagonists like David and Sheldon added absolutely nothing to the story. On the opposite side of the coin, characters who could’ve been compelling, like Lisa, exited in the first third of the novel.
Main characters Olivia and Brandon were so difficult to read and enjoy. With Olivia, I had a problem with her similar to what I had when reading The Wishing Game last year: just because you’re drawn to a child and really feel you can love them DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN ADEQUATE FOSTER PARENT. Olivia was enabled to keep making irrational decisions about a child’s care that were completely unrealistic to real life. It drove me nuts. Brandon wins the award for worst fiancé ever. Having an emotional affair with your ex wife and then being hurt that your current fiancée leaves is not the emotional development readers are looking for. Add that to him continually breaking investigative procedure for Olivia, and I was ready to tear my hair out. These two should’ve stayed divorced and got therapy.
Not for the first time, I fell victim to an Amazon First Reads. This could’ve been an okay first draft, but it needed a lot of reworking. Two stars because I could see the premise being interesting and because I was able to finish it. One-star books are DNFs! On to the next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2024
Predictable
…and leaves you wanting more details. Simple family tragedy story. Child abuse was off-putting and slightly graphic (implied). Wouldn’t really recommend.
…and leaves you wanting more details. Simple family tragedy story. Child abuse was off-putting and slightly graphic (implied). Wouldn’t really recommend.
August 29, 2024
A solid read, with good character development and a fast paced story. It was tough to put down, but parts of it were so unbelievable that I couldn’t rate it higher than a three.
March 4, 2024
I liked 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 liked Delilah’s character and I liked 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.
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 liked Delilah’s character and I liked 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.
December 19, 2024
4.5 rounded up!
Review to come!
Review to come!
April 16, 2024
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!!!
February 25, 2024
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, It was just confusing and these missing pieces left me feeling unsatisfied when the book ended.
October 11, 2023
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.
February 24, 2024
3 hours I will never get back
Shallow , annoying (Olivia's falling asleep at the most critical times just about put me through the roof - and what was that crazy head bump scene - really??) characters; improbable, ridiculous storyline;
Shallow , annoying (Olivia's falling asleep at the most critical times just about put me through the roof - and what was that crazy head bump scene - really??) characters; improbable, ridiculous storyline;
March 21, 2024
Really good and quick page turner 👏🏻 & Honestly freaked me out in portions of it
January 16, 2024
Hurt Mountain contains an engaging combination of a crime mystery, a hint of the supernatural, and romance. What made this book especially enjoyable was the character development. I found myself truly caring about the people in the novel, feeling like I was right along with them as the events in their lives unfolded.
February 4, 2024
- The first time I have read an accurate description of the feeling you have before you faint.
- Main female character reacted exactly as I would to something another character said
- Quick read as in the kind where you don’t want to go to bed until you read more.
- Main female character reacted exactly as I would to something another character said
- Quick read as in the kind where you don’t want to go to bed until you read more.
February 26, 2024
Although I was looking forward to reading this story, sadly I was quite disappointed. The outline had good bones, but the depth of characters and story telling was sorely lacking.
If there is one concept that describes this entire story it is 'lack of communication'...not only in the back story, which was fine as it offers promise to be corrected in the future. But alas it prevails and relationships continue to severely suffer with no repair, but then astonishly when the story ends everyone is happy and living a wonderful life.
In my opinion, there is no possible way that given the extreme and obvious grief that the main characters experienced and then the continued trauma, that 'suddenly' all would all be rosy and sunshiny. The characters did not make any attempt to work through their mental health individually, or as a couple and there is no way the 'baggage' that was stored and continually rehashed through the writing, would miraculously be gone.
For the readers that graze through books reading fast and not thoroughly, then perhaps you might enjoy. For those readers that like strong characters, a good backstory and depth to the writing, that like to 'get into the story' then please don't bother reading.
If there is one concept that describes this entire story it is 'lack of communication'...not only in the back story, which was fine as it offers promise to be corrected in the future. But alas it prevails and relationships continue to severely suffer with no repair, but then astonishly when the story ends everyone is happy and living a wonderful life.
In my opinion, there is no possible way that given the extreme and obvious grief that the main characters experienced and then the continued trauma, that 'suddenly' all would all be rosy and sunshiny. The characters did not make any attempt to work through their mental health individually, or as a couple and there is no way the 'baggage' that was stored and continually rehashed through the writing, would miraculously be gone.
For the readers that graze through books reading fast and not thoroughly, then perhaps you might enjoy. For those readers that like strong characters, a good backstory and depth to the writing, that like to 'get into the story' then please don't bother reading.
April 27, 2024
This sounded much better than it turned out to be. Story should have been gripping but just wasn’t. Bored by Olivia’s constant nerves and panics - not a doctor I would want to be treated by! Very weak plot and poorly crafted characters. Disappointing.
February 17, 2024
Awful absurd plot , storyline and characters . I've never read a book where characters weep so often .
March 7, 2024
Painful. The main character spent the entire book crying.
February 19, 2024
I’d actually give this 3.5 if I could. It’s an easy and quick read and the plot is decent. The pacing is a bit fast that I feel like some points could’ve been explored further and lasted longer than a chapter. But overall a nice read
dnf
May 20, 2024Going to call this one a DNF on page 50. I haven't picked it back up and I'm just not in the mood for thrillers.
March 26, 2024
This was a mystery novel that centered around reconciliation and forgiveness. This reads more like general fiction vs a mystery. Olivia was very emotional throughout a lot of the book, but I can only imagine what losing a child is like. I definitely won't hold her emotions against her, but some of that could've been left out. It was very repetitive.
I liked the premise of the story, but felt the execution was lacking. I would've liked to have seen more surrounding the victim's and their experiences. Instead, I felt Olivia and Brandon were the focal point of the story. This was just an ok read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I liked the premise of the story, but felt the execution was lacking. I would've liked to have seen more surrounding the victim's and their experiences. Instead, I felt Olivia and Brandon were the focal point of the story. This was just an ok read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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