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Wicked #4
Wicked Ways
The Greatest Terrors
Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is an ordinary suburban wife and mother. That's what she tells herself as she flits between her realtor job, yoga class, and caring for her daughter, Chloe. But for months now, Elizabeth has worried that she's far from normal. . .that she's somehow the cause of a series of brutal, horrible deaths.
Are The Ones
Her mean-spirited boss. A bullying traffic cop. Her cheating husband. Elizabeth had reason to be angry with them all. She didn't mean for them to die. No one will take her fears seriously--except the private investigator prying into her past. . .
Too Close To See
The more scared and angry Elizabeth becomes, the higher the death toll grows. But those who wrong her aren't the only ones in danger. Because others have secrets too, and a relentless urge to kill without mercy or remorse. . .
Praise for Something Wicked
"Superb. . .a masterpiece of romantic suspense with enough twists and turns to keep the reader eagerly anticipating the breathtaking conclusion." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is an ordinary suburban wife and mother. That's what she tells herself as she flits between her realtor job, yoga class, and caring for her daughter, Chloe. But for months now, Elizabeth has worried that she's far from normal. . .that she's somehow the cause of a series of brutal, horrible deaths.
Are The Ones
Her mean-spirited boss. A bullying traffic cop. Her cheating husband. Elizabeth had reason to be angry with them all. She didn't mean for them to die. No one will take her fears seriously--except the private investigator prying into her past. . .
Too Close To See
The more scared and angry Elizabeth becomes, the higher the death toll grows. But those who wrong her aren't the only ones in danger. Because others have secrets too, and a relentless urge to kill without mercy or remorse. . .
Praise for Something Wicked
"Superb. . .a masterpiece of romantic suspense with enough twists and turns to keep the reader eagerly anticipating the breathtaking conclusion." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2014
689 people are currently reading
4919 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Jackson
271 books9,568 followersLisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
August 1, 2022
The authors bring two story lines together in a novel of suspense and psychic gifts. Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is a wife, mother, and realtor. However, she is worried that she is somehow the cause of several deaths. She’s been angry with them and now they’re dead. Did she wish them dead? The other story line is involves her cousin Ravinia sent to find Elizabeth and warn her that her life could be in danger. A private investigator, Rex Kinston, becomes the link between the two story lines.
Either Elizabeth is a character that people will like and root for or she will be one that readers fail to connect with initially. I thought her feelings of guilt were natural, but her sharing of that guilt to the Mom’s Group of friends was not something most people would do. However, she becomes a stronger individual and eventually experiences some character growth. Ravinia came across as strong and determined. Rex eases into the situation through the pushes that Ravinia gave him and his own curiosity.
The lack of dialogue and the slower pacing make this a novel that is harder to connect with the characters and the story lines. While the premise was interesting, it didn’t quite deliver up to my expectations. A lot of time is spent in Elizabeth’s head rehashing the same thoughts. Despite this, I enjoyed the novel. The ending left some open threads for another novel, but this was published in 2013 and there hasn’t been a fifth book in the series.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Either Elizabeth is a character that people will like and root for or she will be one that readers fail to connect with initially. I thought her feelings of guilt were natural, but her sharing of that guilt to the Mom’s Group of friends was not something most people would do. However, she becomes a stronger individual and eventually experiences some character growth. Ravinia came across as strong and determined. Rex eases into the situation through the pushes that Ravinia gave him and his own curiosity.
The lack of dialogue and the slower pacing make this a novel that is harder to connect with the characters and the story lines. While the premise was interesting, it didn’t quite deliver up to my expectations. A lot of time is spent in Elizabeth’s head rehashing the same thoughts. Despite this, I enjoyed the novel. The ending left some open threads for another novel, but this was published in 2013 and there hasn’t been a fifth book in the series.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
October 28, 2021
2.5 stars
Elizabeth Gaines - wife, mother, and real estate agent living in California - seems to have a unique problem. People who infuriate her die soon afterwards, including her overbearing boss, a nasty cop, her cheating husband, a rude driver, and so on. Elizabeth feels anxious and guilty about this, and in the case of her husband, comes under suspicion by the police.
Elizabeth, an adoptee, does seem to have some unusual abilities. As a child she predicted a bridge collapse - but this is a far cry from 'wishing' people to death. Elizabeth's little daughter Chloe also seems to have some psychic ability, but she's a stubborn, headstrong child determined to get her way - not a sweet little girl.
Elizabeth's social group consists mostly of the women in a 'mother's group', a friendship/support group for young moms. Some of the ladies are quite inappropriate though, attempting to set Elizabeth up with a new man less than a week after her husband's death. (Would anyone really do this?) Moreover, the women and their husbands, who are recurring characters in the story, are hard to disinguish from one another.
Elizabeth's blood relatives - who are unknown to her - live in an old-fashioned, insular community in Oregon and also seem to have unusual powers. Getting the sense that Elizabeth is in danger Aunt Catherine dispatches 19-year-old cousin Ravinia to find and warn her. Ravinia takes off with a few wrinkled clothes and very little money and makes her way to California along with a supernatural wolf who seems to shadow her.
In California Ravinia inveigles a private detective, Rex Kingston, to help her. Though Kingston tries to keep his distance, Ravinia keeps inserting herself into his life and his investigations, insisting she wants to be a partner in the detective business. To me this was not only pushy and annoying but unrealistic and I didn't like Ravinia.
The book follows two story lines. The first is Elizabeth and her everyday troubles: people are dying around her; the police suspect her of killing hubby; she's almost broke; unwanted men are asking her out; fellow realtors resent her recent success; her daughter is having spells, etc. The second is Ravinia's search for for Elizabeth.
Neither thread is very compelling. Moreover the end of the book, which supposedly explains what's going on, is so convoluted as to be almost incomprehensible - and the reason for the danger to Elizabeth is never made completely clear.
I didn't think this was a terrible book but there seem to be some missing elements. Still, fans of paranormal mysteries might enjoy the story.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
October 15, 2018
Oh God give me strength! I got to 38% in this book and had to abandon it before I died of sheer boredom. This book should be a lot better than it is. I really persisted with it but it never grabbed me from the start and got no better. I have noticed other reviewers feel the same. It has a great synopsis so should have been a lot better. I was dying from boredom dear readers, close to expiration.
There was just NOTHING happening.
Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is an ordinary suburban wife and mother. That's what she tells herself as she flits between her realtor job, yoga class, and caring for her daughter, Chloe. But for months now, Elizabeth has worried that she's far from normal…that she's somehow the cause of a series of brutal, horrible deaths.
Elizabeth basically has some type of psychic power she is unaware of, if she things badly about people or wishes them dead, they kind of turn up that way. This is part of a series and I feel readers should start with book one which no doubt gives the background of this "special" group of women she hails from, it might help. As the book doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
The plot moves VERY slowly (snails pace) and by 38% still nothing of value was happening, I mean that's nearly half of the book! Elizabeth as a character is insipid and one dimensional and the other characters are not much better.
It's supposed to be a romantic suspense with lots of twists and turns, well, maybe that is in the second half of the book but an author has to draw in their reader in my opinion before the second half of their book. Surely there could have been more from this one.
This is a very "okay" book, very average, vanilla, boring. Boring, boring, boring. Am I making my point yet? I am on to something else now, forgetting this one easily in the process. I should have taken heed from other reviews that said the same thing.
I put down my reading glasses and call quits on this one..
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Many thanks.
There was just NOTHING happening.
Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is an ordinary suburban wife and mother. That's what she tells herself as she flits between her realtor job, yoga class, and caring for her daughter, Chloe. But for months now, Elizabeth has worried that she's far from normal…that she's somehow the cause of a series of brutal, horrible deaths.
Elizabeth basically has some type of psychic power she is unaware of, if she things badly about people or wishes them dead, they kind of turn up that way. This is part of a series and I feel readers should start with book one which no doubt gives the background of this "special" group of women she hails from, it might help. As the book doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
The plot moves VERY slowly (snails pace) and by 38% still nothing of value was happening, I mean that's nearly half of the book! Elizabeth as a character is insipid and one dimensional and the other characters are not much better.
It's supposed to be a romantic suspense with lots of twists and turns, well, maybe that is in the second half of the book but an author has to draw in their reader in my opinion before the second half of their book. Surely there could have been more from this one.
This is a very "okay" book, very average, vanilla, boring. Boring, boring, boring. Am I making my point yet? I am on to something else now, forgetting this one easily in the process. I should have taken heed from other reviews that said the same thing.
I put down my reading glasses and call quits on this one..
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Many thanks.
April 8, 2015
1.5 stars
I have enjoyed this series tremendously and have given the previous books a 4 star rating. It had everything I like in romance suspense plus a bit of paranormal….and written by one of my favorite romance authors, Lisa Jackson.
Blind Spot
Wicked Game (Wicked series, #1)
Wicked Lies (Wicked Series, #2)
Something Wicked (Wicked #3)
So, it goes without saying that I was so excited when book #4 Wicked Ways became available. I couldn’t wait to get back to Deception Bay and the Siren Song women.
From the 1st page…it was like……totally slow…slow ….slow…nothing ever happens except…..
We get to know Elizabeth and her daughter, Chloe and all the Mom Group members…and all the people Elizabeth wishes dead actually die…like her husband, her boss, the nasty cop…..
Until the last few chapters do we get anything about Deception Bay… before that we get a whole lot of Elizabeth’s daily life and chores at work and with her many many friends!!!!!
The writing was ghastly…..almost no dialogue really!!!!
The only thing that kept me turning the pages was Ravina from Siren Song…she’s such a delightful character and I hope we get more of her in the future…and Rex, the private investigator she hires to find her lost cousin, Elizabeth.
If not for these two I would have given up after chapter 5!!!!!
I haven’t given up on this series though....…well, hopefully it will continue, because there’s a lot more I want to find out about Siren Song and Deception Bay!!!!!
I have enjoyed this series tremendously and have given the previous books a 4 star rating. It had everything I like in romance suspense plus a bit of paranormal….and written by one of my favorite romance authors, Lisa Jackson.
Blind Spot
Wicked Game (Wicked series, #1)
Wicked Lies (Wicked Series, #2)
Something Wicked (Wicked #3)
So, it goes without saying that I was so excited when book #4 Wicked Ways became available. I couldn’t wait to get back to Deception Bay and the Siren Song women.
From the 1st page…it was like……totally slow…slow ….slow…nothing ever happens except…..
We get to know Elizabeth and her daughter, Chloe and all the Mom Group members…and all the people Elizabeth wishes dead actually die…like her husband, her boss, the nasty cop…..
Until the last few chapters do we get anything about Deception Bay… before that we get a whole lot of Elizabeth’s daily life and chores at work and with her many many friends!!!!!
The writing was ghastly…..almost no dialogue really!!!!
The only thing that kept me turning the pages was Ravina from Siren Song…she’s such a delightful character and I hope we get more of her in the future…and Rex, the private investigator she hires to find her lost cousin, Elizabeth.
If not for these two I would have given up after chapter 5!!!!!
I haven’t given up on this series though....…well, hopefully it will continue, because there’s a lot more I want to find out about Siren Song and Deception Bay!!!!!
November 1, 2014
Check out my other reviews at Little Miss Bookmark!
I'm going to just jump right in here. No reason to draw things out. I have read a couple of other books by Lisa Jackson and I enjoyed them. I gave them 4 stars, I really enjoyed them and I just assumed that since I had enjoyed the others that I would enjoy this one. Well, you know what they say about assuming things. I guess that makes me a donkey. A great big one, too.
I was so excited to pick Wicked Ways up that when I started reading it, it was almost as if I was being slapped in the face. Repeatedly. The writing in this book is NOTHING like any of the other Lisa Jackson books. Nothing. Do not get this book assuming that you will get the same type of magic as you did from previous Jackson novels because you will be totally pissed off when you find out that it's just not the same. On the other hand, this is just my opinion and it wouldn't be the first time I didn't like a book that later became wildly popular, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Anyway ... where to start ... 75% of this novel is about the main character being talked into doing something with her friends and then bitching and complaining in her mind about how she doesn't want to be there. Elizabeth is so passive that it's completely annoying. I always felt like Jackson wrote a really good main character but Elizabeth was so boring and wimpy that it really brought the story down and not in a good or calculated way. She's that annoying girl that can never make up her mind or make a decision on her own. She's basically the worst kind of friend - after you spend an hour talking her into hanging out with you, she will act like a stick in the mud and completely ruin whatever time you have together until she can concoct an excuse to get away from you like you have some flesh-eating disease. Elizabeth felt shallow, not shallow like egotistical but she had no depth. After reading almost 500 pages, I felt like I didn't really know her at all. I had absolutely no connection and to be honest, I really could have cared less what happened to her.
There are also WAY too many secondary characters, in my opinion. I had a hard time keeping up with all of her girlfriends and their husbands and kids and what support groups they were involved with at the time. It was just too much. Especially when the story dragged on like it did and with that combo, I was just beyond caring about any of it.
Like I said, it was just boring. Not just boring but BORING boring. The kind of boring where I wanted to put down the book and just not finish it at all. It took me so long (more than a week) to push through this novel that it is ridiculous. I'm glad that I finished it though because the last 10-15% was actually interesting. But only enough to bump up my rating from 1 to 2 stars. And even then, I felt like I was being overly generous. Unfortunately, I think this may have really soured my view on Lisa Jackson completely. I don't know if I will pick up another one of her books after this.
I'm going to just jump right in here. No reason to draw things out. I have read a couple of other books by Lisa Jackson and I enjoyed them. I gave them 4 stars, I really enjoyed them and I just assumed that since I had enjoyed the others that I would enjoy this one. Well, you know what they say about assuming things. I guess that makes me a donkey. A great big one, too.
I was so excited to pick Wicked Ways up that when I started reading it, it was almost as if I was being slapped in the face. Repeatedly. The writing in this book is NOTHING like any of the other Lisa Jackson books. Nothing. Do not get this book assuming that you will get the same type of magic as you did from previous Jackson novels because you will be totally pissed off when you find out that it's just not the same. On the other hand, this is just my opinion and it wouldn't be the first time I didn't like a book that later became wildly popular, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Anyway ... where to start ... 75% of this novel is about the main character being talked into doing something with her friends and then bitching and complaining in her mind about how she doesn't want to be there. Elizabeth is so passive that it's completely annoying. I always felt like Jackson wrote a really good main character but Elizabeth was so boring and wimpy that it really brought the story down and not in a good or calculated way. She's that annoying girl that can never make up her mind or make a decision on her own. She's basically the worst kind of friend - after you spend an hour talking her into hanging out with you, she will act like a stick in the mud and completely ruin whatever time you have together until she can concoct an excuse to get away from you like you have some flesh-eating disease. Elizabeth felt shallow, not shallow like egotistical but she had no depth. After reading almost 500 pages, I felt like I didn't really know her at all. I had absolutely no connection and to be honest, I really could have cared less what happened to her.
There are also WAY too many secondary characters, in my opinion. I had a hard time keeping up with all of her girlfriends and their husbands and kids and what support groups they were involved with at the time. It was just too much. Especially when the story dragged on like it did and with that combo, I was just beyond caring about any of it.
Like I said, it was just boring. Not just boring but BORING boring. The kind of boring where I wanted to put down the book and just not finish it at all. It took me so long (more than a week) to push through this novel that it is ridiculous. I'm glad that I finished it though because the last 10-15% was actually interesting. But only enough to bump up my rating from 1 to 2 stars. And even then, I felt like I was being overly generous. Unfortunately, I think this may have really soured my view on Lisa Jackson completely. I don't know if I will pick up another one of her books after this.
November 25, 2014
I tried to read this but in the end had to put it down. The telling of stories backward (first we have her husband being killed in the crash, then goes further back to when the realtor dies, and then back AGAIN to when the cop dies. There's far too much just sitting around and thinking (Ravinnia, specifically comes to mind). There's no action...nothing just sitting around..."Oh, I couldn't have done this, but what if I did?" stuff.
September 9, 2015
The fourth book in the Wicked series and sixth book in the Colony series by authors, Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. People that have angered Elizabeth Gaines Ellis are now dead and Elizabeth wonders if she somehow murdered them with her mind. Elizabeth is a Real Estate agent and mother to Chloe and now a widow when her cheating husband is killed in an auto accident. But the police claim there was a second driver that may have caused the accident and they are looking at her. Meanwhile, an cousin of Elizabeth's, Ravinia has come to California to locate her cousin and warn her of danger. She hires a private investigator, Rex Kingston to help with her search.
First of all, this is really not a romance. It's a mystery suspense with a minor romantic element late in the story. But it was good and interesting. I think I might have appreciated it a bit more had I read the other books in the series. But it wasn't hard to follow and no real cliffhangers.
First of all, this is really not a romance. It's a mystery suspense with a minor romantic element late in the story. But it was good and interesting. I think I might have appreciated it a bit more had I read the other books in the series. But it wasn't hard to follow and no real cliffhangers.
December 25, 2014
I also picked this up at Walmart along with Play Dead by Harlan Coben, and it just didn't hook me either. The summary on the back sounds very good, but after 40 pages I put it down, too. What I read came across as tedious and I was very bored. I also didn't realize it was the fourth in the Wicked series until after. Sorry, Ms. Jackson, but there are just too many better books out there I could be reading instead.
February 15, 2015
Review can be read at It's About The Book
I guess you can tell from the 2 Star rating that I wasn’t impressed with this book. I didn’t like Elizabeth. At. All. I understood…..in the first chapter…..that she thought she had “wished” her husband, her former boss and a policeman, who had given her a ticket, to death. Yeah. She wished they were dead and just days later, they died. It was bad enough that she thought her mind was that omniscient, but I had to read about it over and over again. And again. I got it the first time. Let it go! Please! Then I had to read about every conversation with every one of her multitude of friends, what they were wearing and what they had to drink and eat. It was too much pointless information. And every time she was with her friends, all she did was wish she was somewhere else. What about that omniscient mind of hers? Couldn’t she just wish herself….gone? She was so sure she could put a death wish on anyone she was angry with! Sheesh. If that isn’t enough to earn a 2 Star rating, there is more……she was a terrible mother. After suffering similar symptoms as a child herself, she totally ignored her daughter’s fainting spells and just kept dragging poor Chloe to the doctor, and worrying because the doctor never found a thing wrong. Elizabeth had a “gift” for seeing tragic events before they happened that caused her to have coma like episodes but never saw, because she was so self absorbed, that her daughter was struggling with a similar problem? It was tedious!
The most interesting character, to me, was Rex Kingston. Rex is the private detective that Elizabeth’s cousin, Ravinia, hired to help her locate her long lost cousin. Ravinia needed to find Elizabeth to warn her of the dangers they all might face because of their various “gifts. Rex was the only potential love interest in the story, and I rather liked him.
Romance? This book is being marketed as a romance? Really? There wasn’t anything faintly resembling a romance in this story. I think Rex touched Elizabeth on the arm once before they were both struck by “insta-love”. They never had a single conversation about their attraction on page, not to mention not one panty melting kiss. I’m not sure what genre this book is, but it isn’t romance by any standard I’ve ever known. I might say it’s some sort of pseudo-paranormal mixed with women’s fiction, but that doesn’t seem quite right, either.
This was a disappointing and tedious read. Having said that, if you enjoy endless repeats of the same mental self-bashing; if you enjoy a “romance” with no connection, this might be the story for you. Good luck.
I guess you can tell from the 2 Star rating that I wasn’t impressed with this book. I didn’t like Elizabeth. At. All. I understood…..in the first chapter…..that she thought she had “wished” her husband, her former boss and a policeman, who had given her a ticket, to death. Yeah. She wished they were dead and just days later, they died. It was bad enough that she thought her mind was that omniscient, but I had to read about it over and over again. And again. I got it the first time. Let it go! Please! Then I had to read about every conversation with every one of her multitude of friends, what they were wearing and what they had to drink and eat. It was too much pointless information. And every time she was with her friends, all she did was wish she was somewhere else. What about that omniscient mind of hers? Couldn’t she just wish herself….gone? She was so sure she could put a death wish on anyone she was angry with! Sheesh. If that isn’t enough to earn a 2 Star rating, there is more……she was a terrible mother. After suffering similar symptoms as a child herself, she totally ignored her daughter’s fainting spells and just kept dragging poor Chloe to the doctor, and worrying because the doctor never found a thing wrong. Elizabeth had a “gift” for seeing tragic events before they happened that caused her to have coma like episodes but never saw, because she was so self absorbed, that her daughter was struggling with a similar problem? It was tedious!
The most interesting character, to me, was Rex Kingston. Rex is the private detective that Elizabeth’s cousin, Ravinia, hired to help her locate her long lost cousin. Ravinia needed to find Elizabeth to warn her of the dangers they all might face because of their various “gifts. Rex was the only potential love interest in the story, and I rather liked him.
Romance? This book is being marketed as a romance? Really? There wasn’t anything faintly resembling a romance in this story. I think Rex touched Elizabeth on the arm once before they were both struck by “insta-love”. They never had a single conversation about their attraction on page, not to mention not one panty melting kiss. I’m not sure what genre this book is, but it isn’t romance by any standard I’ve ever known. I might say it’s some sort of pseudo-paranormal mixed with women’s fiction, but that doesn’t seem quite right, either.
This was a disappointing and tedious read. Having said that, if you enjoy endless repeats of the same mental self-bashing; if you enjoy a “romance” with no connection, this might be the story for you. Good luck.
November 1, 2020
This is my favorite in the series.
Getting to know the characters and becoming accustomed to their gifts was a big factor to enjoying the story. Elizabeth and her daughter Chloe grieving the loss of her husband was the main focus of this story. Elizabeth was easily looking like the person who killed her husband. The twist and turns made it impossible to know who really killed him.
The side story with Ravinia coming from the colony to find Elizabeth and tell her she might be in danger, was a good story on its own. The way Ravinia was surviving on her own with little experience outside the colony was really interesting to follow. When she meets the private investigator Rex and becomes his potential side kick, things really fell into place.
The story was really good overall.
Getting to know the characters and becoming accustomed to their gifts was a big factor to enjoying the story. Elizabeth and her daughter Chloe grieving the loss of her husband was the main focus of this story. Elizabeth was easily looking like the person who killed her husband. The twist and turns made it impossible to know who really killed him.
The side story with Ravinia coming from the colony to find Elizabeth and tell her she might be in danger, was a good story on its own. The way Ravinia was surviving on her own with little experience outside the colony was really interesting to follow. When she meets the private investigator Rex and becomes his potential side kick, things really fell into place.
The story was really good overall.
February 25, 2016
This is my first book by both Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush and I am wondering whose writing style this book falls under. To me it was long and tedious. So many pages with nothing happening!
Let's start with the biggest issue in the book. Elizabeth. We spent so much time in her head I really wanted to gouge my eyes out with a dull pencil. #1)This woman apparently spends a lot of time wishing bad things to happen to a lot of people. Not just bad things but death. What kind of person wishes evil things onto people? Not a good one in my eyes. Which leads us to #2) She thinks she has a psychic ability to actually make people die if she wishes it so we spend a lot of time reading about how guilty she feels because she made it happen. What kind of person truly believes they can wish someone to death? Oh wait...she believes it because #3)When she was a child she could see bad things happen before they actually did. Oh wait...she really didn't remember that for the most part so I guess she's just a nutball. #4) After a week trying to get used to her husband being dead she falls in lust with someone else. #5) Her well meaning friends worked hard to engage Elizabeth to get out of the house and have some fun. Once Elizabeth accepted the invites we then had to read her internal musing on how much she hated it and couldn't wait to ditch her friends. Yes I hated Elizabeth.
Let's talk plot: Well, the secondary storyline with Elizabeth's cousin Ravinia going on a journey to find Elizabeth was actually better than the one with Elizabeth, herself. The hunt for Elizabeth (who had been adopted as a baby) was faster paced than the primary mystery. Not a whole lot faster but some. However, the addition of a romantic interest for Elizabeth 2/3 into the book was a mistake as there wasn't enough time to see a relationship form let alone something as complex as love. Especially since Rex and Elizabeth do not spend more than a few minutes together over the course of several days. The ending seemed rushed as it finally wrapped up the plot thread introduced in the prologue in what felt like an afterthought. Seriously, the beginning is not mentioned in any way for over 400 pages other then we readers could speculate if Elizabeth was that stolen baby or not. Who the stolen baby was seemed a total stretch even factoring in the paranormal psychic stuff into the equation.
In a Nutshell: I didn't like this book at all. I'm character driven and I just didn't like many of the enormous cast of characters in this book. To tell the truth the only character I was intrigued by was more of a ghost of a character as they are mentioned within the book but no one is really sure if they were actually there or not. When coming up with my 2 star/cup of coffee rating I factored in whether or not this book could be read as a standalone or not. This is the only book I have read to date in this series. I do not think that I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read the first three. To tell the truth if the first 3 are similar to this one I probably would have quit the series after book 2 and never got to book 4 to begin with. I think there probably is some background on the Colony and the women who live there that may be of interest to readers, in addition to some plot details of earlier books that had been mentioned in this one briefly but I'm really not interested in going back and reading the first three. Except I also have the 3rd book (Something Wicked) from NetGalley which I feel obligated to read and review, which I will do....someday.
Let's start with the biggest issue in the book. Elizabeth. We spent so much time in her head I really wanted to gouge my eyes out with a dull pencil. #1)This woman apparently spends a lot of time wishing bad things to happen to a lot of people. Not just bad things but death. What kind of person wishes evil things onto people? Not a good one in my eyes. Which leads us to #2) She thinks she has a psychic ability to actually make people die if she wishes it so we spend a lot of time reading about how guilty she feels because she made it happen. What kind of person truly believes they can wish someone to death? Oh wait...she believes it because #3)When she was a child she could see bad things happen before they actually did. Oh wait...she really didn't remember that for the most part so I guess she's just a nutball. #4) After a week trying to get used to her husband being dead she falls in lust with someone else. #5) Her well meaning friends worked hard to engage Elizabeth to get out of the house and have some fun. Once Elizabeth accepted the invites we then had to read her internal musing on how much she hated it and couldn't wait to ditch her friends. Yes I hated Elizabeth.
Let's talk plot: Well, the secondary storyline with Elizabeth's cousin Ravinia going on a journey to find Elizabeth was actually better than the one with Elizabeth, herself. The hunt for Elizabeth (who had been adopted as a baby) was faster paced than the primary mystery. Not a whole lot faster but some. However, the addition of a romantic interest for Elizabeth 2/3 into the book was a mistake as there wasn't enough time to see a relationship form let alone something as complex as love. Especially since Rex and Elizabeth do not spend more than a few minutes together over the course of several days. The ending seemed rushed as it finally wrapped up the plot thread introduced in the prologue in what felt like an afterthought. Seriously, the beginning is not mentioned in any way for over 400 pages other then we readers could speculate if Elizabeth was that stolen baby or not. Who the stolen baby was seemed a total stretch even factoring in the paranormal psychic stuff into the equation.
In a Nutshell: I didn't like this book at all. I'm character driven and I just didn't like many of the enormous cast of characters in this book. To tell the truth the only character I was intrigued by was more of a ghost of a character as they are mentioned within the book but no one is really sure if they were actually there or not. When coming up with my 2 star/cup of coffee rating I factored in whether or not this book could be read as a standalone or not. This is the only book I have read to date in this series. I do not think that I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read the first three. To tell the truth if the first 3 are similar to this one I probably would have quit the series after book 2 and never got to book 4 to begin with. I think there probably is some background on the Colony and the women who live there that may be of interest to readers, in addition to some plot details of earlier books that had been mentioned in this one briefly but I'm really not interested in going back and reading the first three. Except I also have the 3rd book (Something Wicked) from NetGalley which I feel obligated to read and review, which I will do....someday.
November 14, 2014
Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher
Wicked Ways is the fourth volume in the Wicked series written by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, two sisters known for their romantic suspense. Having just read before and with trouble the first volume, Wicked Games, upon its publication in French, I took on reading WW with apprehension. Fortunately for me it’s less boring, even if I wasn’t convinced for all that.
In WW we follow Elizabeth, who’s just learned the death of her husband and his mistress in a suspect car accident. She’s freaked out because they had quarreled some days before, and she had wished for him to die. She realizes that for the third time she has wished someone’s death or disappearance and that has come true. I don’t know about you, but when I get angry at someone I don’t for all that wish he dies. But our heroine does. And some times later same scenario with a fourth person, indeed a reason to freak out. In spite of this interesting hook, I didn’t really liked Elizabeth, I found her too meek, most of the time she lets herself be pushed around by her (numerous) friends while complaining inside. Her five years old daughter has more personality than herself (and unfortunately that gives us a capricious and ill-mannered child).
Alternately we follow Ravinia, a young girl who grew up in the closed community created by her mother and her aunt, and who has been send to look for her adopted cousin to warn her of a possible danger (the all series is about this community whose members and descendents have diverse mental powers). Ravinia is resourceful, frank and straightforward. In fact I found her much more interesting than her cousin.
To complete her mission successfully, she ends up hiring a private investigator, Rex, to whom she give the spiel until he accepts to help her. Rex seems quite a decent character, but I thought he was not detailed enough. He’s often disconcerted by Ravinia’s volubility and tactics, and it was funny to see him yield little by little to her desire to help him in his investigations.
What about the romance? Well, the couple, that is Rex and Elizabeth, only meet in the last quarter of the book, and it’s love at first sight. For all that, in these last chapters, they only see each other three times in as many days, so don’t wait for a big romance and big feelings. Even the epilogue, which takes place several days/weeks after the conclusion, stays quite lukewarm even if there are projects to move together that are mentioned.
As for the suspense side, if it begins quite interestingly I found the story dragged on, with repetitions and unnecessary parts when you wait for the investigation to progress. Here and there we have a glimpse of the killer’s thoughts, but it’s swallowed in the middle of the heroines’ daily activities. And the end leaves some questions unanswered, which either will never have any answer, or will be resolved in the next, as the authors finish the book with the next bad guy (he was seemingly the bad guy in a previous volume, which made me think of the catchphrase for King Kong Lives in French : “he comes back and he’s not happy” that has become a parody now).
To conclude, if WW is less tiresome to read than WG (inevitably, with 200 pages less the big blah-blah problem of the first has been corrected) it wasn’t for all that a good reading. As I’ve been so far disappointed by what I read from them, I abandon definitively these two authors.
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher
Wicked Ways is the fourth volume in the Wicked series written by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, two sisters known for their romantic suspense. Having just read before and with trouble the first volume, Wicked Games, upon its publication in French, I took on reading WW with apprehension. Fortunately for me it’s less boring, even if I wasn’t convinced for all that.
In WW we follow Elizabeth, who’s just learned the death of her husband and his mistress in a suspect car accident. She’s freaked out because they had quarreled some days before, and she had wished for him to die. She realizes that for the third time she has wished someone’s death or disappearance and that has come true. I don’t know about you, but when I get angry at someone I don’t for all that wish he dies. But our heroine does. And some times later same scenario with a fourth person, indeed a reason to freak out. In spite of this interesting hook, I didn’t really liked Elizabeth, I found her too meek, most of the time she lets herself be pushed around by her (numerous) friends while complaining inside. Her five years old daughter has more personality than herself (and unfortunately that gives us a capricious and ill-mannered child).
Alternately we follow Ravinia, a young girl who grew up in the closed community created by her mother and her aunt, and who has been send to look for her adopted cousin to warn her of a possible danger (the all series is about this community whose members and descendents have diverse mental powers). Ravinia is resourceful, frank and straightforward. In fact I found her much more interesting than her cousin.
To complete her mission successfully, she ends up hiring a private investigator, Rex, to whom she give the spiel until he accepts to help her. Rex seems quite a decent character, but I thought he was not detailed enough. He’s often disconcerted by Ravinia’s volubility and tactics, and it was funny to see him yield little by little to her desire to help him in his investigations.
What about the romance? Well, the couple, that is Rex and Elizabeth, only meet in the last quarter of the book, and it’s love at first sight. For all that, in these last chapters, they only see each other three times in as many days, so don’t wait for a big romance and big feelings. Even the epilogue, which takes place several days/weeks after the conclusion, stays quite lukewarm even if there are projects to move together that are mentioned.
As for the suspense side, if it begins quite interestingly I found the story dragged on, with repetitions and unnecessary parts when you wait for the investigation to progress. Here and there we have a glimpse of the killer’s thoughts, but it’s swallowed in the middle of the heroines’ daily activities. And the end leaves some questions unanswered, which either will never have any answer, or will be resolved in the next, as the authors finish the book with the next bad guy (he was seemingly the bad guy in a previous volume, which made me think of the catchphrase for King Kong Lives in French : “he comes back and he’s not happy” that has become a parody now).
To conclude, if WW is less tiresome to read than WG (inevitably, with 200 pages less the big blah-blah problem of the first has been corrected) it wasn’t for all that a good reading. As I’ve been so far disappointed by what I read from them, I abandon definitively these two authors.
August 31, 2015
Whenever Elizabeth is crossed or confronted by someone she really abhorred, she thinks ill of them and sometimes wish them to die. And yes, they soon do! People die a few days after Elizabeth wish for them to disappear forever. From the unfriendly police officer, to her bitch of a boss, and then next, her husband and his mistress. Elizabeth is someone you really should steer away from.
I think this was a fine book, but I can't help but look for something that seemed off with the pacing. I really like Lisa Jackson, having read some of her books before, like Unspoken. But this time, I have to say I was underwhelmed by the rather long narrative and timeline jumping between the past and the present.
Please don't take this as a negative comment or review, but rather as a constructive criticism. To tell you the truth, I am really not impressed with stories that goes switching from current storytelling to recalling the past, all under one chapter. Timelines like this rather leaves me with an unpleasant taste and confusing state.
Trust me, I have read other books that could expertly jump from one timeline to another but can still hold the interest of the reader and won't get confused whether or not the specific event is still in the past or in the present. Aside from that, the too much detailed narrative also somehow put me off, too. It was like a long, winding road before I get to the real destination of the story.
Ravinia really got it going at the start of her narrative, but then she started babbling about something that happened here and there, and then thinking and rethinking about her mission and so on - it was exhausting.
To be fair, there were things I liked in the book: The supernatural aspect surprised me a bit and somehow caught my attention. Elizabeth also has the power to see the future and then later on in her life, people die around her. It isn't everyday that I encounter characters dying after having been wished to be dead. A mean curse, a guilt-ridden one, too.
Overall, this was different from the other Lisa Jackson mysteries I've read before. This is not what I expected from her. Although I must admit I haven't perused one from Nancy Bush, but I was entertained and somehow got sucked into the supernatural realm, but that's all about it. I'd still read Jackson's other novels though.
** I have received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **
I think this was a fine book, but I can't help but look for something that seemed off with the pacing. I really like Lisa Jackson, having read some of her books before, like Unspoken. But this time, I have to say I was underwhelmed by the rather long narrative and timeline jumping between the past and the present.
Please don't take this as a negative comment or review, but rather as a constructive criticism. To tell you the truth, I am really not impressed with stories that goes switching from current storytelling to recalling the past, all under one chapter. Timelines like this rather leaves me with an unpleasant taste and confusing state.
Trust me, I have read other books that could expertly jump from one timeline to another but can still hold the interest of the reader and won't get confused whether or not the specific event is still in the past or in the present. Aside from that, the too much detailed narrative also somehow put me off, too. It was like a long, winding road before I get to the real destination of the story.
Ravinia really got it going at the start of her narrative, but then she started babbling about something that happened here and there, and then thinking and rethinking about her mission and so on - it was exhausting.
To be fair, there were things I liked in the book: The supernatural aspect surprised me a bit and somehow caught my attention. Elizabeth also has the power to see the future and then later on in her life, people die around her. It isn't everyday that I encounter characters dying after having been wished to be dead. A mean curse, a guilt-ridden one, too.
Overall, this was different from the other Lisa Jackson mysteries I've read before. This is not what I expected from her. Although I must admit I haven't perused one from Nancy Bush, but I was entertained and somehow got sucked into the supernatural realm, but that's all about it. I'd still read Jackson's other novels though.
** I have received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **
April 21, 2015
Lisa Jackson's plots have so much potential, but both books I have read have a couple of things in common. First and foremost for me, they move slow. There seems to be a primary and a secondary plot and between both there is a lot of detail that is presented. In this book it seemed like there were a lot of times when the story was revealed by a key character mentally reviewing something that just happened. It leaves the book with the tell versus show type of telling. If a key character just talked to someone why would I want to learn about the meeting via them remembering the discussion in their head an hour later? Why not just write and show the meeting happening?
In both books I was far from enamored of the female lead characters, in fact the most interesting characters are the supporting cast. The cousin, Ravania, who was searching for the lead female, Elizabeth was much more interesting and engaging. Elizabeth had way too much going on in her head and none of it good.
I found Lisa Jackson in a romantic suspense listing of authors, however, I would not categorize this book as such. It's a suspense novel with a paranormal twist. (Spoiler - sort of) Any romance was just an insta-attraction towards the end of the book and then they are together in the epilogue. There was actually very little interaction between what may be defined as the male lead and the female lead.
In both books I was far from enamored of the female lead characters, in fact the most interesting characters are the supporting cast. The cousin, Ravania, who was searching for the lead female, Elizabeth was much more interesting and engaging. Elizabeth had way too much going on in her head and none of it good.
I found Lisa Jackson in a romantic suspense listing of authors, however, I would not categorize this book as such. It's a suspense novel with a paranormal twist. (Spoiler - sort of) Any romance was just an insta-attraction towards the end of the book and then they are together in the epilogue. There was actually very little interaction between what may be defined as the male lead and the female lead.
December 1, 2014
Though this was Book 4 in a series as a stand alone it was fine.
Elizabeth is a wife and mother. She adores her daughter Chloe but the marriage is strained and she does realize that everything is not quite right and that her husband is most probably philandering.
Elizabeth is however not very ordinary. She also knows that she seems to have psychic powers of some kind and when her husband dies in an accident in the company of the woman who was his mistress and especially when the cops are suspicious of Elizabeth as being part of a conspiracy to kill him she knows her psychic powers have gone into overdrive. When Elizabeth hates a person and wishes him ill, the person dies and Elizabeth is now beginning to think that this is a curse as this is the fourth person to have died this way.
Her family background is blurred and this is where Ravinia her cousin comes in. Sent by her aunt to find Elizabeth as she fears for her life Ravinia finds a private investigator willing to help her and also willing to accept that this psychic phenomena runs in the life of this family and is something that should not be brushed aside. During the investigation to find Elizabeth Ravinia also helps Joel in his other investigations and finding Elizabeth and discovering she is in danger but not from what they thought was the obvious was the surprise of this story.
A bit slow in parts it could have been a bit more fast paced especially since the storyline was a good one.
Elizabeth is a wife and mother. She adores her daughter Chloe but the marriage is strained and she does realize that everything is not quite right and that her husband is most probably philandering.
Elizabeth is however not very ordinary. She also knows that she seems to have psychic powers of some kind and when her husband dies in an accident in the company of the woman who was his mistress and especially when the cops are suspicious of Elizabeth as being part of a conspiracy to kill him she knows her psychic powers have gone into overdrive. When Elizabeth hates a person and wishes him ill, the person dies and Elizabeth is now beginning to think that this is a curse as this is the fourth person to have died this way.
Her family background is blurred and this is where Ravinia her cousin comes in. Sent by her aunt to find Elizabeth as she fears for her life Ravinia finds a private investigator willing to help her and also willing to accept that this psychic phenomena runs in the life of this family and is something that should not be brushed aside. During the investigation to find Elizabeth Ravinia also helps Joel in his other investigations and finding Elizabeth and discovering she is in danger but not from what they thought was the obvious was the surprise of this story.
A bit slow in parts it could have been a bit more fast paced especially since the storyline was a good one.
May 2, 2016
I won an advanced copy through GR and I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. Elizabeth is a great character, but a bit wimpy. She always seems to be crying about something or worrying about something. She does redeem herself toward the end of the book though. I really was not to fond of her daughter, Chloe. She acted like a spoiled brat most of the time and it angered me every time Elizabeth gave into her. Elizabeth has many friends from a Mom's Group and they are all fabulous. I kept wished I had a group of friends like them. They all tried to help Elizabeth in different ways without being overly nosy. My favorite person was Ravinia, Elizabeth's cousin. A very blunt, pushy teenager who seemed to win everyone's attention. Joel "Rex" Kingston in the private investigator who makes you laugh and tries not to be too serious all the time. I was highly intrigued by Elizabeth and Ravinia's back story and was unsuccessful in figuring out the mystery. When it was finally revealed I locked myself in my bedroom to I could finish the book. The whole book rolled together very smoothly and kept my interest. I have book 1, Wicked Game, on my Kindle and I'm very excited about starting it (probably next month). I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery/suspense books without all the gory deaths.
January 24, 2020
5 Stars
This is the fourth book in the Wicked series by Lisa Jackson and the sixth book in the Colony series by her sister, Nancy Bush.
This book did not feel like it was the fourth/sixth book of a series. It felt really fresh and more like a standalone. I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It is one of those reads that really keeps you on your toes and continually trying to figure out what is really going on.
The “bad guy” in this goes unnamed so it is a bit thrilling to weed out who among the currently revealed characters this might be.
My favorite part had to be the connection between Elizabeth and Rex, the private investigator. And also the annoying Ravina, Elizabeth’s not known about cousin was quite a hoot as well. Before her age was revealed I was reading her as if she was this quirky 60-ish woman. Then I later realized she was much younger and in her early twenties.
Main premises is that Elizabeth has always had a gift. She sees things before they happen and has been instrumental from saving more than a few lives over the years. And much like how a tarot reader cannot fully understand messages for themselves, Elizabeth couldn’t decipher the clues that were coming in for her about her own life and situation. She had a mental stalker who had all these feelings for her and was willing to do anything, even kill to make her happy. Elizabeth began to think her “gift” was somewhat a curse when these people she had wished dead or injured actually ended up on the coroner’s table. Most of the action happens right after Elizabeth discovers that her husband has been cheating on her and he suddenly is killed by a woman driving a similar SUV to the one Elizabeth drives and the driver looked suspiciously like she did causing the police to continually want to question her and peg her for the culprit.
Such a good book! I was hanging on every word wanting it to end and yet wanting more information about certain characters. I really wanted to see the relationship between Elizabeth and Rex blossom. That totally hooked me. I am a sucker for a great love at first sight story.
This has a lot of supernatural elements but it seemed to be tamped down a bit due to the melding of the universe created by Jackson and the other one created by Bush. I love the idea of these two writing together and plan to read more into these two series just to see where all the world-building has come from.
If you love a good mystery suspense thriller, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
This is the fourth book in the Wicked series by Lisa Jackson and the sixth book in the Colony series by her sister, Nancy Bush.
This book did not feel like it was the fourth/sixth book of a series. It felt really fresh and more like a standalone. I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It is one of those reads that really keeps you on your toes and continually trying to figure out what is really going on.
The “bad guy” in this goes unnamed so it is a bit thrilling to weed out who among the currently revealed characters this might be.
My favorite part had to be the connection between Elizabeth and Rex, the private investigator. And also the annoying Ravina, Elizabeth’s not known about cousin was quite a hoot as well. Before her age was revealed I was reading her as if she was this quirky 60-ish woman. Then I later realized she was much younger and in her early twenties.
Main premises is that Elizabeth has always had a gift. She sees things before they happen and has been instrumental from saving more than a few lives over the years. And much like how a tarot reader cannot fully understand messages for themselves, Elizabeth couldn’t decipher the clues that were coming in for her about her own life and situation. She had a mental stalker who had all these feelings for her and was willing to do anything, even kill to make her happy. Elizabeth began to think her “gift” was somewhat a curse when these people she had wished dead or injured actually ended up on the coroner’s table. Most of the action happens right after Elizabeth discovers that her husband has been cheating on her and he suddenly is killed by a woman driving a similar SUV to the one Elizabeth drives and the driver looked suspiciously like she did causing the police to continually want to question her and peg her for the culprit.
Such a good book! I was hanging on every word wanting it to end and yet wanting more information about certain characters. I really wanted to see the relationship between Elizabeth and Rex blossom. That totally hooked me. I am a sucker for a great love at first sight story.
This has a lot of supernatural elements but it seemed to be tamped down a bit due to the melding of the universe created by Jackson and the other one created by Bush. I love the idea of these two writing together and plan to read more into these two series just to see where all the world-building has come from.
If you love a good mystery suspense thriller, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
June 20, 2024
Why do so many of her books have relationship drama at the center
February 17, 2021
Wicked Ways
Great fort book and the ending was left open so I now there will be more to come. The women of Sirens 's Song will be on my mind for a long time!
Great fort book and the ending was left open so I now there will be more to come. The women of Sirens 's Song will be on my mind for a long time!
May 30, 2023
Intriguing, but paranormal is not my genre. Fast-paced and a quick read. The main character, Elizabeth, was a bit annoying at times. Really didn’t know what to make of the paragraph on the last page - very strange statement by the “evil” Declan.
December 29, 2023
Loved this book, blew through it. I loved the characters, especially Elizabeth. The ending was completely unexpected, and very well done.
December 10, 2022
Honestly couldn’t put it down. Psychic connections get me every time!
December 17, 2014
Wicked Ways by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush is the sixth book in The Colony series. It is a mystery/suspense with a paranormal twist.
Elizabeth is an ordinary wife and mother who has the ability to kill people by wishing them dead! This does not seem ordinary to me in any way. But she thinks bad things about her boss, an evil cop and her cheating husband and they have all died. Is she responsible in someway or is it just a coincidence or or is someone setting her up?
This book has many characters and at times it got confusing to me trying to keep track of them all. Maybe if I had read this series from the beginning then I would have known who they were already. It also seemed to me as though the book is very long. I feel that too much time was spent with conversations between Elizabeth and her friends and then the inner thoughts of Elizabeth about her friends. It got to be a little too much for me. These are a couple of the things that bothered me about the book.
There are a couple of things that I really enjoyed about the book.One of those things is the plot line. I love the idea of someone being able to cause bodily harm to others just by thinking bad thoughts (hope that does not make me sound like a bad person). I just find the idea fascinating and I did enjoy the plot. Another thing I like about the book is the paranormal aspects. Paranormal is one of my favorite genre to read and this one grabbed my attention throughout the entire book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful paranormal mystery. I would recommend reading the books in the series in order, I think it would make it easier to know the characters better. I have read other Lisa Jackson and I think she is a great author. Nancy Bush is another great author to read and together they have written this series. Check this one out for yourself, I think you will enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Elizabeth is an ordinary wife and mother who has the ability to kill people by wishing them dead! This does not seem ordinary to me in any way. But she thinks bad things about her boss, an evil cop and her cheating husband and they have all died. Is she responsible in someway or is it just a coincidence or or is someone setting her up?
This book has many characters and at times it got confusing to me trying to keep track of them all. Maybe if I had read this series from the beginning then I would have known who they were already. It also seemed to me as though the book is very long. I feel that too much time was spent with conversations between Elizabeth and her friends and then the inner thoughts of Elizabeth about her friends. It got to be a little too much for me. These are a couple of the things that bothered me about the book.
There are a couple of things that I really enjoyed about the book.One of those things is the plot line. I love the idea of someone being able to cause bodily harm to others just by thinking bad thoughts (hope that does not make me sound like a bad person). I just find the idea fascinating and I did enjoy the plot. Another thing I like about the book is the paranormal aspects. Paranormal is one of my favorite genre to read and this one grabbed my attention throughout the entire book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful paranormal mystery. I would recommend reading the books in the series in order, I think it would make it easier to know the characters better. I have read other Lisa Jackson and I think she is a great author. Nancy Bush is another great author to read and together they have written this series. Check this one out for yourself, I think you will enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 9, 2015
I tried to finish this book but when the author made the highly unnecessary sentence “they got out of the car using opposite doors” really? No, I thought they clambered out of the same door -.- I just couldn’t do it anymore.
I honestly think I’m going to give up on this author. So far, I’ve only liked two books and after this one, I just can’t make myself continue. I thought they would get better but it doesn’t seem that way. Lisa Jackson is a popular author but she’s just not for me.
This was so boring and would take forever to get to a point. There was even an almost verbatim repeat of a character the readers already know about. It just seemed that half the book is filled with repeats with little tidbits about a stalker and I guess another danger.
Now, I like a good flashback, it gives me insight as to why a character is acting the way they do but this book has an overwhelming amount of flashbacks. I think there was at least three in one chapter.
Thank you for reading my review.
-Sam
I honestly think I’m going to give up on this author. So far, I’ve only liked two books and after this one, I just can’t make myself continue. I thought they would get better but it doesn’t seem that way. Lisa Jackson is a popular author but she’s just not for me.
This was so boring and would take forever to get to a point. There was even an almost verbatim repeat of a character the readers already know about. It just seemed that half the book is filled with repeats with little tidbits about a stalker and I guess another danger.
Now, I like a good flashback, it gives me insight as to why a character is acting the way they do but this book has an overwhelming amount of flashbacks. I think there was at least three in one chapter.
Thank you for reading my review.
-Sam
January 12, 2018
This book sounded promising - Elizabeth's husband Court dies in a car crash when he's with his mistress. Was his death really just an accident? Elizabeth thinks it is somehow her fault because not only is Court dead, but also several other people that she had ties to and didn't like.
Unfortunately this book dragged on and on with Elizabeth continuing to think it's her fault, or no, maybe it's her daughter's fault because she keeps saying all these strange things. And then there is this cousin of hers that is trying to track her town. Apparently Elizabeth comes from a family with mysterious powers, or do they? I couldn't tell if this was just family drama or if there was something paranormal going on in this book, and about 3/4 of the way through I didn't care anymore and gave up. This is my first DNF of 2018. I don't think I missed much IMO!
Unfortunately this book dragged on and on with Elizabeth continuing to think it's her fault, or no, maybe it's her daughter's fault because she keeps saying all these strange things. And then there is this cousin of hers that is trying to track her town. Apparently Elizabeth comes from a family with mysterious powers, or do they? I couldn't tell if this was just family drama or if there was something paranormal going on in this book, and about 3/4 of the way through I didn't care anymore and gave up. This is my first DNF of 2018. I don't think I missed much IMO!
March 12, 2018
I really like the writing style of Lisa Jackson. Her characters are interesting and the plot twists exciting.
I did not like this book though.
In truth, I have read two of the "Siren Song" series. I find them clunky. The characters are unrealistic - beyond my regular "suspension of disbelief".
As for this book, it was actually boring. This novel could have easily been pared down to make a short story or novella. It was very drawn out and the real action did not occur until the final quarter of the book.
The female protagonist was uninteresting and I felt little connection to her. The male protagonist was also boring. Any sparks between the two characters were due to plot requirements - not any real character development.
I would skip this one.
I did not like this book though.
In truth, I have read two of the "Siren Song" series. I find them clunky. The characters are unrealistic - beyond my regular "suspension of disbelief".
As for this book, it was actually boring. This novel could have easily been pared down to make a short story or novella. It was very drawn out and the real action did not occur until the final quarter of the book.
The female protagonist was uninteresting and I felt little connection to her. The male protagonist was also boring. Any sparks between the two characters were due to plot requirements - not any real character development.
I would skip this one.
July 31, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/mini-rev...
I wanted to like this book, considering the authors are well-known and I’ve heard good things about their work. But this…It wasn’t what I expected. The plot moves along painfully slow. There are way too many characters and none of them gets enough screen time so that I didn’t connect to them at all. Dialogue is almost non-existent. The only person we spend a lot of time with is Elizabeth – we spend nearly all the time in her head – but still, I couldn’t connect with her either. Dissapointing.
I wanted to like this book, considering the authors are well-known and I’ve heard good things about their work. But this…It wasn’t what I expected. The plot moves along painfully slow. There are way too many characters and none of them gets enough screen time so that I didn’t connect to them at all. Dialogue is almost non-existent. The only person we spend a lot of time with is Elizabeth – we spend nearly all the time in her head – but still, I couldn’t connect with her either. Dissapointing.
October 15, 2018
I thought it was a piece of trash! At page 57 I decided enough was enough. The plot was ridiculous and the writing stilted. How this junk gets published is beyond me. C’mon, you are sleeping in the park but you get your muffins and coffee at Starbucks? I think you’d be more comfortable at a 7/11 ! DNF
March 7, 2015
I've liked this story the least so far but it did pick up towards the end. That said, I'll definitely buy book 5 when it comes out. I'm liking the story line and it's the only series that's kept my interest in quite awhile.
July 19, 2015
This was more entertaining than I expected because of the supernatural twist mixed into this typical thriller. I also enjoyed the romance, which came at the end when I wasn't expecting it. A pretty solid mindless read.
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