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Smetteloos
Wanneer Holly de charmante Jack ontmoet wordt ze halsoverkop verliefd. Binnen zes weken zijn ze getrouwd en beginnen Holly en haar dochtertje Katy en nieuw leven, weg uit het bekrompen stadje in Massachusetts waar ze tot dan toe woonden. Holly kan haar geluk niet op, maar ze weet niet veel over Jack en vindt het vervelend dat haar opa en haar beste vriendin vragen blijven stellen.
Al snel blijkt het wantrouwen van haar omgeving terecht te zijn. Onherroepelijk haalt het verleden Jack in en Holly komt erachter dat het mooie leven op een leugen berust. De prins op het witte paard lijkt ineens wel heel veel weg te hebben van een monster...
Al snel blijkt het wantrouwen van haar omgeving terecht te zijn. Onherroepelijk haalt het verleden Jack in en Holly komt erachter dat het mooie leven op een leugen berust. De prins op het witte paard lijkt ineens wel heel veel weg te hebben van een monster...
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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543 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
February 28, 2010
Unbelievable and ridiculous. I'm embarrassed to say that I continued reading until the very end. While it may be an interesting idea to think that one could meet, fall in love and marry someone that they really don't know at all, this story pushes all of the boundaries. The characters are weak and foolish and have the vocabulary of jr. high student... the F-word abounds... especially when they are angry, frightened, bored, apprehensive, upset, unhappy, tearful, miserable or tired. I wouldn't bother with this one.
July 26, 2018
Vlot lezende 'vrouwenthriller'... , Zo wordt dit boek op de cover omschreven. Tja, het is inderdaad een boek dat je vlot kan lezen, maar het is wat mij betreft te voorspelbaar, op bepaalde momenten te hol, te cliché
May 26, 2010
Ugh, what a bunch of melodramatic tripe this is. The only suspense in the book is exactly WHEN thing will go wrong, not if they will. I read the whole thing, but I have no idea why. I get really upset when characters are just too stupid for words, and that's the protagonist in this one. She falls in love with this perfect guy, they move in together within a few weeks, and a few weeks after that, he packs up all her old framed photos (including those of her fairly recently deceased parents) and throws them away in order to replace them with photos taken since he's become part of her life. Throws them away. Doesn't move them to the attic; he literally throws them into the garbage. Hello? That wasn't a big red flag right there? I knew right then and there I should just give up on it; I'm very sorry I didn't.
June 17, 2024
3.5
This reminded me of TikTok’s Reesa Teesa “Who TF Did I Marry?” series at first. And then it turned absolutely insane. I was never fully satisfied with the explanation for why Jack had Katy doing secret things with him. I have my own theories, but wish the author delved into it more. Everyone writing reviews saying that Jack was a walking red flag and no one would ever stay with him…Have you ever heard of toxic relationships? I felt like this was a true depiction of someone who didn’t know their worth falling in love and ignoring red flags thinking the relationship was a “sign”. The ending left me wanting more and I will gladly make up my own happy ending in my mind.
I would recommend this to someone who likes listening to true crime podcasts. Not really my thing, but sometimes is fun to indulge in. Plus it was a quick read.
This reminded me of TikTok’s Reesa Teesa “Who TF Did I Marry?” series at first. And then it turned absolutely insane. I was never fully satisfied with the explanation for why Jack had Katy doing secret things with him. I have my own theories, but wish the author delved into it more. Everyone writing reviews saying that Jack was a walking red flag and no one would ever stay with him…Have you ever heard of toxic relationships? I felt like this was a true depiction of someone who didn’t know their worth falling in love and ignoring red flags thinking the relationship was a “sign”. The ending left me wanting more and I will gladly make up my own happy ending in my mind.
I would recommend this to someone who likes listening to true crime podcasts. Not really my thing, but sometimes is fun to indulge in. Plus it was a quick read.
July 13, 2017
A stark reminder of why I rarely read thrillers...
To be fair, I picked it up because I wanted a quick and easy read - which it was. I knew from the cover (sometimes it can in fact be used to judge a book) and the blurb that this would not be good quality literature. I was not wrong.
'Tainted' bore all the hallmarks of a substandard relationship thriller - attractive woman who lacks self-esteem (due to past trauma) meets too-good-to-be-true man (dominating yet chivalrous), races headlong into intense relationship against advice of all loved ones and it turns out she's fallen in love with a bonafide psychopath and nearly loses everything (not a spoiler, blurb totally gives it away) - predictable plot (another reason why the above is not a spoiler - if you read this book and you don't see it coming then you're either a moron or a.... bigger moron), flat characters, picturesque yet mind-numbingly dull sounding setting, pet dog who senses the evil right from the start (seriously???) and most infuriating of all, THE WEAKEST FUCKING FEMALE PROTAGONIST IN EXISTENCE. When she's not crying at a table because dreamy Jack with the suspiciously short temper is throwing away all her old family photos, she's turning a blind eye to the fact that he keeps taking her daughter out on weird midnight trips. I mean even for this genre she was fucking awful. I'm surprised I was able to read the text given all the eye-rolling that it induced.
Not for me.
To be fair, I picked it up because I wanted a quick and easy read - which it was. I knew from the cover (sometimes it can in fact be used to judge a book) and the blurb that this would not be good quality literature. I was not wrong.
'Tainted' bore all the hallmarks of a substandard relationship thriller - attractive woman who lacks self-esteem (due to past trauma) meets too-good-to-be-true man (dominating yet chivalrous), races headlong into intense relationship against advice of all loved ones and it turns out she's fallen in love with a bonafide psychopath and nearly loses everything (not a spoiler, blurb totally gives it away) - predictable plot (another reason why the above is not a spoiler - if you read this book and you don't see it coming then you're either a moron or a.... bigger moron), flat characters, picturesque yet mind-numbingly dull sounding setting, pet dog who senses the evil right from the start (seriously???) and most infuriating of all, THE WEAKEST FUCKING FEMALE PROTAGONIST IN EXISTENCE. When she's not crying at a table because dreamy Jack with the suspiciously short temper is throwing away all her old family photos, she's turning a blind eye to the fact that he keeps taking her daughter out on weird midnight trips. I mean even for this genre she was fucking awful. I'm surprised I was able to read the text given all the eye-rolling that it induced.
Not for me.
July 6, 2018
I always seem to love Brooke Morgan's books. If any reader has not read one of Brooke Morgan's books I highly recommend them all.
November 1, 2023
Goed boek, wel volhouden om verder te lezen. De essentie van het boek begint pas halverwege..
August 18, 2021
Meh, leest prima, maar geen diepgang en soms rare vertaalkeuzes. ('Ik zal je moeten bezeren' wie zegt dat..?)
Schrijven is schrappen had hier nog wel een keer extra gemogen.
Schrijven is schrappen had hier nog wel een keer extra gemogen.
January 26, 2010
Suspense, thrills, racing hearts, and heartbreak are just a few words that I would use to summarize Tainted by Brooke Morgan. From beginning to end, I was utterly engrossed within the story, turning page after page to see what would happen next. Never was there a spot within the story that was lacking, nor anywhere were my attention was diverted from the story and its characters.
Tainted is one of those books that I can honestly and truly say that I loved the story and plot line, but felt very borderline with the main character. I have to admit to feeling incredibly frustrated with Holly, the main character. She seemed to be very submissive and willing to push aside many "odd" occurrences and very strange behavior, by Jack. The old saying "Love is Blind" definitely applies, though not in a good way. In retrospect, Ms. Morgan does a wonderful job portraying a psychologically disturbed man through Jack. My favorite characters are Henry, Holly's Grandfather, and Billy the father of Holly's daughter who skipped town when he found out that she was pregnant. Henry is such a delightfully spunky character with a wonderful soul, and Billy caught my appeal with his perseverance and desire to right the wrongs that he made in the past.
In addition to excellent characterization, Brooke Morgan does a marvelous job of bringing the scenery of Cape Cod to life. The reader feels as though they are there as each and every scene plays out. One rather unique aspect, I thought, was the fact that throughout Tainted, the author would take the reader into the minds of a character. This does not occur very often, but it was a very interesting twist and the transitions flowed rather smoothly, when they did occur.
Here are a couple of excerpts that stood out to me:
pg. 67
She heard the soft slap of a small series of waves hitting the beach, a subtle undertow from a passing ship. Even noise was quiet on nights like this, she thought. The crickets didn't chirp as shrilly, the hum of boat motors took on a lower tone. Everything was dampened down by the moisture and darkness.
"Someone once told me that you can't move forward if you're looking over your shoulder at the past. It sounds trite, I know." Jack took her hand in his. "But trite works sometimes."
pg. 143
"Jack. Please. Stop it. Those are my parents. They're what I have left of my parents."
Tears were now cascading down her face. This couldn't be happening. Not to them. They were happy. They were in love. Everything was going right. But the man who would hug her to him at night and tease her and excite her was starting at her with an impenetrable, unfeeling expression. She didn't know what to do, could only stand watching helplessly as he tied up the ends of the garbage bag and hauled it outside.
Holly could hear him take the top off the trash can, she could hear the sound of the bag full of pictures being thrown in. And the lid crashing back down.
Tainted is an excellent book for any reader looking for a suspenseful read and one that will keep them hooked from the beginning until the very end. This is Ms. Morgan's debut novel and I anxiously await more from her!
Tainted is one of those books that I can honestly and truly say that I loved the story and plot line, but felt very borderline with the main character. I have to admit to feeling incredibly frustrated with Holly, the main character. She seemed to be very submissive and willing to push aside many "odd" occurrences and very strange behavior, by Jack. The old saying "Love is Blind" definitely applies, though not in a good way. In retrospect, Ms. Morgan does a wonderful job portraying a psychologically disturbed man through Jack. My favorite characters are Henry, Holly's Grandfather, and Billy the father of Holly's daughter who skipped town when he found out that she was pregnant. Henry is such a delightfully spunky character with a wonderful soul, and Billy caught my appeal with his perseverance and desire to right the wrongs that he made in the past.
In addition to excellent characterization, Brooke Morgan does a marvelous job of bringing the scenery of Cape Cod to life. The reader feels as though they are there as each and every scene plays out. One rather unique aspect, I thought, was the fact that throughout Tainted, the author would take the reader into the minds of a character. This does not occur very often, but it was a very interesting twist and the transitions flowed rather smoothly, when they did occur.
Here are a couple of excerpts that stood out to me:
pg. 67
She heard the soft slap of a small series of waves hitting the beach, a subtle undertow from a passing ship. Even noise was quiet on nights like this, she thought. The crickets didn't chirp as shrilly, the hum of boat motors took on a lower tone. Everything was dampened down by the moisture and darkness.
"Someone once told me that you can't move forward if you're looking over your shoulder at the past. It sounds trite, I know." Jack took her hand in his. "But trite works sometimes."
pg. 143
"Jack. Please. Stop it. Those are my parents. They're what I have left of my parents."
Tears were now cascading down her face. This couldn't be happening. Not to them. They were happy. They were in love. Everything was going right. But the man who would hug her to him at night and tease her and excite her was starting at her with an impenetrable, unfeeling expression. She didn't know what to do, could only stand watching helplessly as he tied up the ends of the garbage bag and hauled it outside.
Holly could hear him take the top off the trash can, she could hear the sound of the bag full of pictures being thrown in. And the lid crashing back down.
Tainted is an excellent book for any reader looking for a suspenseful read and one that will keep them hooked from the beginning until the very end. This is Ms. Morgan's debut novel and I anxiously await more from her!
February 9, 2011
The back cover of the book essentially gives away half of the storyline so that you end up not being surprised by the turn of events and just expect it. It's hard to believe that this book was published by an actual publisher seeing as how it was in such need of editing. It's the author's first novel and it shows, but in ways that could have been fixed before printing had it been edited. Also, naming a main character Billy Madison is a very poor choice and just brings up images of Adam Sandler movies. Again...where was her editor?! The story itself was very clever but it gave itself away and I frequently found myself thinking "when is this going to happen" not "I wonder what's going to happen". The language was lacking and was either overly descriptive or trying to shock with ridiculous amounts of obscenities. While reading the book, I probably would have rated it 2-3 stars. And then I finished it. The ending was awful, specifically the last 5-8 chapters. Truly, truly bad. It made me hate the whole book & that doesn't happen all that often.
February 5, 2016
Local atmosphere (thinly veiled Wareham location)silly story.
July 15, 2013
Read it in a day!
January 26, 2016
Excellent book!! It really holds your interest!!
December 24, 2024
Tainted: A Concept
Tainted is a subtly powerful word, seldom used these days, probably due to the religious flavor it seems to have. It makes this book much deeper and more psychologically diffuse than it initially appears. Maybe read it twice. Nope, I did that, so don't do it. Reading it twice made me think I know what I'm talking about, always a mistake. A shy woman with a oops! I had sex on the beach (not the drink) once and got pregnant at 16, meets a Brit on the Boston bus to the Cape and marries him six weeks later with several spoilers to explain my critique and ruin your reading of the book. So. This author using the concept of "taints" paints (sorry) layers of reasoning why some of these taints are not evil modern corruption of children turning them into grotesque hideous monsters with no real love to give or receive and no restraint of behavior (I couldn't help it; it was just sitting there left alone with stuff like haints. . .) Various solutions are offered as POV's of different parties. It this time the baby is six and the father is coming into her life for the first time. My POV may be off wall bcs my father came into my life when I was 7, and while not for the same reasons, that doesn't matter to the child, sorry daddy! The purpose of this book is to make some decisions about some biases you may have, some of which are obvious, whether you've been paying attention to the world around you or not, but a couple a little less so. While I usually speed type upon my podium, today dear ones, I'll let you take your deserved honors. You are smart people or you wouldn't even be looking at this book. Most important point is Shakespeare's and I know you got it about smiling and being a villain. Maybe least: taint is faintly color. It is not evil or bad, it is just a bit of color, different and should be examined and valued for its differential always positively first. Evil usually isn't where you find it, it's where you LOOK for it. Ok. Read the book twice and that will make more sense.
Tainted is a subtly powerful word, seldom used these days, probably due to the religious flavor it seems to have. It makes this book much deeper and more psychologically diffuse than it initially appears. Maybe read it twice. Nope, I did that, so don't do it. Reading it twice made me think I know what I'm talking about, always a mistake. A shy woman with a oops! I had sex on the beach (not the drink) once and got pregnant at 16, meets a Brit on the Boston bus to the Cape and marries him six weeks later with several spoilers to explain my critique and ruin your reading of the book. So. This author using the concept of "taints" paints (sorry) layers of reasoning why some of these taints are not evil modern corruption of children turning them into grotesque hideous monsters with no real love to give or receive and no restraint of behavior (I couldn't help it; it was just sitting there left alone with stuff like haints. . .) Various solutions are offered as POV's of different parties. It this time the baby is six and the father is coming into her life for the first time. My POV may be off wall bcs my father came into my life when I was 7, and while not for the same reasons, that doesn't matter to the child, sorry daddy! The purpose of this book is to make some decisions about some biases you may have, some of which are obvious, whether you've been paying attention to the world around you or not, but a couple a little less so. While I usually speed type upon my podium, today dear ones, I'll let you take your deserved honors. You are smart people or you wouldn't even be looking at this book. Most important point is Shakespeare's and I know you got it about smiling and being a villain. Maybe least: taint is faintly color. It is not evil or bad, it is just a bit of color, different and should be examined and valued for its differential always positively first. Evil usually isn't where you find it, it's where you LOOK for it. Ok. Read the book twice and that will make more sense.
June 1, 2023
This book didn’t have a very good flow or superior writing and the characters were hardly very layered …but not a terrible book.
Holly seemed pretty unrealistic and one dimensional and didn’t have anything going for her but Billy and Jack were alright characters.
I didn’t enjoy reading the build up of the story, it wasn’t intriguing or thrilling, honestly it was just sad and pretty suckish. I don’t have a lot of time for mysterious assholes that just make me uncomfortable, mad and sad.
Also *spoiler*
Its wayyy too convenient how Henry found Jack on the internet (with names and faces and everything layed out perfectly). It also doesn’t make sense that that Jack would give the girls real names -especially if he didn’t want to be caught-which he didn’t.
Things I learnt from this book
1. hot, seemingly talented, educated 26 year olds don’t work as a waiter unless something suspicious is going on
2. People don’t commit murder because 1) it’s not normalised and 2) because they’ve never done it before and they’re scared.
Criminals (like Jack) are in jail/jury where crime is normalised AND they have done it before and crossed that line. That will ALWAYS a make them a high risk in the general population irregardless if they’re a “psychopath” or not
Holly seemed pretty unrealistic and one dimensional and didn’t have anything going for her but Billy and Jack were alright characters.
I didn’t enjoy reading the build up of the story, it wasn’t intriguing or thrilling, honestly it was just sad and pretty suckish. I don’t have a lot of time for mysterious assholes that just make me uncomfortable, mad and sad.
Also *spoiler*
Its wayyy too convenient how Henry found Jack on the internet (with names and faces and everything layed out perfectly). It also doesn’t make sense that that Jack would give the girls real names -especially if he didn’t want to be caught-which he didn’t.
Things I learnt from this book
1. hot, seemingly talented, educated 26 year olds don’t work as a waiter unless something suspicious is going on
2. People don’t commit murder because 1) it’s not normalised and 2) because they’ve never done it before and they’re scared.
Criminals (like Jack) are in jail/jury where crime is normalised AND they have done it before and crossed that line. That will ALWAYS a make them a high risk in the general population irregardless if they’re a “psychopath” or not
December 5, 2021
zoals de cover van het boek het zegt is dit een vrouwenthriller, zelfs nadat ik het boek las, weet ik nog steeds niet wat dit nu wil zeggen.
Feit is dat het hoofdpersonage een vrouw is, een wel erg naïeve, wat wereldvreemde vrouw zelfs.
En het andere hoofdpersonage is een man oftwel een 'monster' volgens de achterflap.
Heel lang kabbelt het verhaal maar door en door en vraag je je zelfs als of je geen roman vasthebt.
maar tegen het einde komt er plots wat spanning piepen, die spanning is eigenlijk al heel snel weer voorbij, zodat het boek toch weer als roman kan eindigen.
enfin niet mijn ding, maar ben er zeker van dat sommige mensen hier echt van houden
Feit is dat het hoofdpersonage een vrouw is, een wel erg naïeve, wat wereldvreemde vrouw zelfs.
En het andere hoofdpersonage is een man oftwel een 'monster' volgens de achterflap.
Heel lang kabbelt het verhaal maar door en door en vraag je je zelfs als of je geen roman vasthebt.
maar tegen het einde komt er plots wat spanning piepen, die spanning is eigenlijk al heel snel weer voorbij, zodat het boek toch weer als roman kan eindigen.
enfin niet mijn ding, maar ben er zeker van dat sommige mensen hier echt van houden
July 1, 2025
This book was very compelling and I couldn’t put it down. Some parts of the book trigger me due to past events in my relationships, and it made me empathize with holly, but since I did not have the full story on everything it made me so mad. I loved how it was written and I got a look inside each characters minds. The ending chapters were not what I really expected so I thought the twist was interesting and I enjoyed the read! However the main character holly was very annoying and the way her and Jack talked was cringe.
August 2, 2018
This is probably the first book this summer that I could not put down. It will find a permanent place on my shelf so that I can reread it in a few years. I would especially recommend it for anyone dealing with grief or the loneliness of single parenthood. The final sentence was one of the most effective endings I've ever read in a novel, and despite my usual knack for anticipating plot twists, I didn't see it coming. I will definitely look for other titles by this author.
April 14, 2023
I was somewhat surprised reading the negative reviews about this novel... For being the author's first novel, it is surprisingly not bad! Even though the book's description already alludes to Jack Dane not being the guy he appears to be, the slow reveal of his true self still kept me in suspense. Just when you think you know the "twist", more information is revealed. It was appealing enough that I definitely could have read it in one sitting!
June 7, 2020
Started this a few years ago and quit. Gave it a second chance but ended up skimming most of the middle. The climax was kind of decent and the author should've stopped there but then followed up with two fairly far-fetched scenes that sealed the rating for me.
August 17, 2019
I would not recommend this book, there are much to many better books out there to recommend to friends, however, I would say it was entertaining.
June 4, 2020
A bit more of a romance than I would have preferred. The characters could have been stronger, too, and more believable. Not to spoil the story, I won't be specific.
July 7, 2020
Als Hörbuch gehört.
September 22, 2022
Amazingly thrilling !
March 8, 2025
I put this book down so many times, ready to DNF it because of how bad it was. Still not sure why I decided to finish it 🤷♀️🤦♀️
nicht-beendet-dnf
March 30, 2025Kann man sich nicht geben, so langweilig ist es. Nach ein paar Seiten habe ich es schon abgebrochen.
December 31, 2015
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the pace of the novel and the flow of the writing. It wasn’t too fast and the writing style was lovely. It kept me interested and engaged without being too tiresome or lagging. I was worried after reading some reviews that I might not enjoy this book because common complaints were the huge spoiler that the back cover revealed, the naivety of the characters, the pace of the book, etc. Granted, the spoiler in the back cover did mention that something bad was going to happen – that Holly had met a monster but as to what and when it was going to happen was still left in the air. Throughout the entire novel, I kept wondering what it was that made him a monster – was he a domestic abuser? Was he a child molester? Therefore, even though the spoiler at the back cover left me without a doubt that something would happen that would deem him as a monster, the book still kept me guessing.
Regarding the naivety of the characters, Holly was certainly naïve. I suppose the saying “love is blind” is completely true in this case - lack of love and the tender age of 23 with a child of 5 years of age certainly led Holly to believe that Jack was the man for her. To her, having any man that could show that much love to both her and her child was something precious and that made her blind. There were a lot of tiny incidences that made me wonder about Jack – when he was throwing all of her old photos of her recently deceased parents into the trash with a proclamation to “forget the past”; when he shouted at her baby to stop crying despite the fact that she is only 5 and therefore, crying is expected and then leaving the house for hours; his strange nightly adventures with Katy, her 5 year old daughter (why I thought he was a child molester and a potential rapist); and many other small occurrences that subtly drew attention to the monster within.
Henry, Holly’s grandfather, was probably my favorite character. His boisterous personality and love for his granddaughter and great-granddaughter was obvious from the way he acted. However, the biggest mistake he made was reintroducing Jack to his daughter in the hopes that she will finally find someone for herself. Of course, this was not his fault but in retrospect, if only…
The other characters: Katy and Billy were both wonderful to read about. Katy was this spunky, energetic and extremely smart 5 year old. I honestly hate kids but Katy was someone I could actually say, okay, I wouldn't mind having her as my kid. Holly did a wonderful job raising her. And Billy - he was someone you hated in the beginning for not only rejecting his responsibility but also avoiding Holly at any given time but I later grew to love him. In the beginning, he was the only one suspecting Jack and rightly so. However, no one ever believed him which honestly did not seem believable. Why would someone (Billy) who had always rejected the idea of a daughter suddenly try to take away Holly’s soon-to-be husband as a means to know his daughter more? Billy never gave any indication that he wanted more from Holly other than knowing his own daughter more – why would hindering her relationship with Jack help that? He later redeemed himself with his perseverance to discover the truth and his motivation to right his wrongs in the past.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I would certainly read more of Brooke Morgan’s books in the future.
Regarding the naivety of the characters, Holly was certainly naïve. I suppose the saying “love is blind” is completely true in this case - lack of love and the tender age of 23 with a child of 5 years of age certainly led Holly to believe that Jack was the man for her. To her, having any man that could show that much love to both her and her child was something precious and that made her blind. There were a lot of tiny incidences that made me wonder about Jack – when he was throwing all of her old photos of her recently deceased parents into the trash with a proclamation to “forget the past”; when he shouted at her baby to stop crying despite the fact that she is only 5 and therefore, crying is expected and then leaving the house for hours; his strange nightly adventures with Katy, her 5 year old daughter (why I thought he was a child molester and a potential rapist); and many other small occurrences that subtly drew attention to the monster within.
Henry, Holly’s grandfather, was probably my favorite character. His boisterous personality and love for his granddaughter and great-granddaughter was obvious from the way he acted. However, the biggest mistake he made was reintroducing Jack to his daughter in the hopes that she will finally find someone for herself. Of course, this was not his fault but in retrospect, if only…
The other characters: Katy and Billy were both wonderful to read about. Katy was this spunky, energetic and extremely smart 5 year old. I honestly hate kids but Katy was someone I could actually say, okay, I wouldn't mind having her as my kid. Holly did a wonderful job raising her. And Billy - he was someone you hated in the beginning for not only rejecting his responsibility but also avoiding Holly at any given time but I later grew to love him. In the beginning, he was the only one suspecting Jack and rightly so. However, no one ever believed him which honestly did not seem believable. Why would someone (Billy) who had always rejected the idea of a daughter suddenly try to take away Holly’s soon-to-be husband as a means to know his daughter more? Billy never gave any indication that he wanted more from Holly other than knowing his own daughter more – why would hindering her relationship with Jack help that? He later redeemed himself with his perseverance to discover the truth and his motivation to right his wrongs in the past.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I would certainly read more of Brooke Morgan’s books in the future.
April 28, 2015
I saw the low rating and had previously decided not to bother, but I changed my mind and am pleased that I did.
In the beginning, I developed sort of a kinship with Holly. It's not easy being unappealingly shy and living what would typically be considered a dry and rather somber life. I felt happy for her when she met Jack. Some of us don't tend to get the guy who not only appears charming and loving, but is so physically attractive that both women and men take note.
As the story developed, I decided I didn't feel any kinship towards Holly after all. I realized she was one of those people, one of the ones that loses all sense of self and reality when they are in love, you know, one of those people who has so many stars in their eyes that they are nearly blinded by them. Almost nothing else matters, the new person in their life can do no wrong, and if they can, pretend they can't.
I do get it. When you've lived a sad and lonely life and suddenly someone wants you and loves you for who you are; it can be a heady situation, but it's not always attractive. Having Jack around pumped Holly up, she became more outspoken and confident with others, and that's a good thing, but it was not good that Holly's new assertive self seemed dependent on Jack being there, on Jack loving her, on Jack's presence making her feel like she was somebody worthy.
I think the book re-enforces some great lessons. You can't depend on others for your self-worth, and trying to make up for lost time by rushing headlong into situations doesn't always have good results.
The writing was fine, but there were some odd things. The author is from Boston, but lived in London. I guess some of London must have rubbed off on her. That I know of, they only say car park in England, and perhaps somewhere else overseas, but not in America. Holly, referred to the parking lot as a car park, and I don't think a Bostonian born and raised would say that.
Two other characters kept talking about "a coffee," once again, I've only read that in books set in England. Americans do not tend to say sit down and have a coffee, or I'd like to order a coffee. I was expecting somebody to start calling the kitchen counters worktops and calling sneakers trainers, at any moment.
It's not the biggest deal, but I think writers need to remember where their story is based and where their characters were born and raised. What's normal for Jack, would not just slide off the tongues of the others.
Added note: My mother just called to inform me that she's stopping for a coffee...I have NEVER heard her say it like that, and I find that so strange that she would call and say that, after I just said Americans don't say that...
In the beginning, I developed sort of a kinship with Holly. It's not easy being unappealingly shy and living what would typically be considered a dry and rather somber life. I felt happy for her when she met Jack. Some of us don't tend to get the guy who not only appears charming and loving, but is so physically attractive that both women and men take note.
As the story developed, I decided I didn't feel any kinship towards Holly after all. I realized she was one of those people, one of the ones that loses all sense of self and reality when they are in love, you know, one of those people who has so many stars in their eyes that they are nearly blinded by them. Almost nothing else matters, the new person in their life can do no wrong, and if they can, pretend they can't.
I do get it. When you've lived a sad and lonely life and suddenly someone wants you and loves you for who you are; it can be a heady situation, but it's not always attractive. Having Jack around pumped Holly up, she became more outspoken and confident with others, and that's a good thing, but it was not good that Holly's new assertive self seemed dependent on Jack being there, on Jack loving her, on Jack's presence making her feel like she was somebody worthy.
I think the book re-enforces some great lessons. You can't depend on others for your self-worth, and trying to make up for lost time by rushing headlong into situations doesn't always have good results.
The writing was fine, but there were some odd things. The author is from Boston, but lived in London. I guess some of London must have rubbed off on her. That I know of, they only say car park in England, and perhaps somewhere else overseas, but not in America. Holly, referred to the parking lot as a car park, and I don't think a Bostonian born and raised would say that.
Two other characters kept talking about "a coffee," once again, I've only read that in books set in England. Americans do not tend to say sit down and have a coffee, or I'd like to order a coffee. I was expecting somebody to start calling the kitchen counters worktops and calling sneakers trainers, at any moment.
It's not the biggest deal, but I think writers need to remember where their story is based and where their characters were born and raised. What's normal for Jack, would not just slide off the tongues of the others.
Added note: My mother just called to inform me that she's stopping for a coffee...I have NEVER heard her say it like that, and I find that so strange that she would call and say that, after I just said Americans don't say that...
February 3, 2010
Holly Barrett has lived a hard life. She was never popular, always somewhat of a nerd. She was not noticed until she got pregnant in high school by a guy who didn’t speak to her after she told him about the baby. Little Katy was a blessing, but a few short years later, Holly’s dad died of a heart attack and three days later her mother was crying so hard driving down the road, she lost control and also died. Holly moved into her parents summer home right next to her grandfather, Henry, and things were going… well, just going. That was until she met Jack Dane. Gorgeous, English, need I say more? They have a steamy date but Jack tells her he can’t see her anymore when Holly tells him about 5-year-old Katy. A little trickery goes a long way when Henry asks Jack to go fishing. 6 weeks later and the couple is married and things get fishy. Katy’s father comes back into the picture and questions Jack. There’s just something not right about him. When Henry starts believing and uses Google to find out Jack’s past, it gets messy.
I got this book from Librarything.com. When I got it in the mail, I actually forgot that I’d signed up for it and had to re-read the back cover because I had no idea what it was about. The synopsis reminded me a lot of the J-Lo movie Enough which I absolutely loved. It’s a book that makes you question your judgement. You always hope that the charming guy you fall for isn’t a murderer, but people are sneaky and sometimes, you don’t know until it’s too late.
The book was absolutely amazing. The copy I had was 400+ pages. I started it late Friday and finished it up by Sunday. I just couldn’t get enough. For the first few chapters, it keeps you reading, but once the drama is revealed, it just keeps coming. Even the very last line in the book made my jaw drop.
There were characters you’ll love in this book including Little Katy AKA Chicken. But then there are also characters you’ll start to hate then love like Billy and one that you’ll surely love at the beginning because your heart is pitter pattering then hate by the end.
I was just talking to a co-worker about this book and realized that the one I have is an “uncorrected proof”. I am going to have to track down the final copy and see if any changes were made in the end. For the books sake, I hope not. I loved it the way it is and think Brooke Morgan did an amazing job. I will definitely keep my eye out for her books in the future.
You should know by now, Tainted is getting 5 bookmarks! Go out, find a copy and read it NOW!
I got this book from Librarything.com. When I got it in the mail, I actually forgot that I’d signed up for it and had to re-read the back cover because I had no idea what it was about. The synopsis reminded me a lot of the J-Lo movie Enough which I absolutely loved. It’s a book that makes you question your judgement. You always hope that the charming guy you fall for isn’t a murderer, but people are sneaky and sometimes, you don’t know until it’s too late.
The book was absolutely amazing. The copy I had was 400+ pages. I started it late Friday and finished it up by Sunday. I just couldn’t get enough. For the first few chapters, it keeps you reading, but once the drama is revealed, it just keeps coming. Even the very last line in the book made my jaw drop.
There were characters you’ll love in this book including Little Katy AKA Chicken. But then there are also characters you’ll start to hate then love like Billy and one that you’ll surely love at the beginning because your heart is pitter pattering then hate by the end.
I was just talking to a co-worker about this book and realized that the one I have is an “uncorrected proof”. I am going to have to track down the final copy and see if any changes were made in the end. For the books sake, I hope not. I loved it the way it is and think Brooke Morgan did an amazing job. I will definitely keep my eye out for her books in the future.
You should know by now, Tainted is getting 5 bookmarks! Go out, find a copy and read it NOW!
January 20, 2010
Holly Barrett is a single mother to her 5 year old daughter Katy. They reside in Cape Cod near Holly's grandfather and, although her life isn't ideal, she is definitely a survivor and has made the best out of her situation in life. The three of them are a family.
Then one day Holly meets handsome, Englishman, Jack Dane. She is utterly charmed by him and after a whirlwind courtship he moves into her home and they are promptly married. Everything is fantastic for Holly... not only is she in love, but her daughter and grandfather both love Jack just as much as she does. But then Katy's father comes back into the picture and he is quickly suspicious of Jack's true motives. Where did he come from? Where is his family? Who are his friends? By the time Katy realizes something is amiss, it just might be too late.
I will forewarn you that Tainted starts off at a slow pace, but about 100 pages in you become quickly enmeshed in Holly's struggle to take control of her life. The characters Ms. Morgan creates are all fleshed out and you can definitely envision them as being someone you might know. Her descriptions of Cape Cod were fascinating.
I thought Holly was a great character although she did have her faults. I found her frustrating and too forgiving at times. There were many red flags indicating that Jack might not be as "wonderful" as he seemed but she carelessly looked them over. I did feel that she matured throughout the story, redeeming herself in my eyes. I also really liked some of the secondary characters. Holly's grandfather, Henry, was a favorite of mine. He was old and grumpy, but still a loving and caring fatherly figure towards Holly.
I was definitely taken in by this story and found myself at the edge of my seat... and I will confess that I found myself having a hard time putting it down... I mean, I had to sleep, but I picked it right back up the next morning and didn't put it down until I finished it. I thought the ending was superb and made up for any flaws I found along the way. This is a fantastic read for lovers of suspense and one I would definitely recommend.
Then one day Holly meets handsome, Englishman, Jack Dane. She is utterly charmed by him and after a whirlwind courtship he moves into her home and they are promptly married. Everything is fantastic for Holly... not only is she in love, but her daughter and grandfather both love Jack just as much as she does. But then Katy's father comes back into the picture and he is quickly suspicious of Jack's true motives. Where did he come from? Where is his family? Who are his friends? By the time Katy realizes something is amiss, it just might be too late.
I will forewarn you that Tainted starts off at a slow pace, but about 100 pages in you become quickly enmeshed in Holly's struggle to take control of her life. The characters Ms. Morgan creates are all fleshed out and you can definitely envision them as being someone you might know. Her descriptions of Cape Cod were fascinating.
I thought Holly was a great character although she did have her faults. I found her frustrating and too forgiving at times. There were many red flags indicating that Jack might not be as "wonderful" as he seemed but she carelessly looked them over. I did feel that she matured throughout the story, redeeming herself in my eyes. I also really liked some of the secondary characters. Holly's grandfather, Henry, was a favorite of mine. He was old and grumpy, but still a loving and caring fatherly figure towards Holly.
I was definitely taken in by this story and found myself at the edge of my seat... and I will confess that I found myself having a hard time putting it down... I mean, I had to sleep, but I picked it right back up the next morning and didn't put it down until I finished it. I thought the ending was superb and made up for any flaws I found along the way. This is a fantastic read for lovers of suspense and one I would definitely recommend.
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