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Bitter Sweets
What if there was some truth in fairy tales? What if that truth wasn't very nice?For six months, homicide detective Ethan Calhoun worked a serial murder six young women killed, stuffed and adorned with candy in a gruesome homage to the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. The police had no leads, the town was in a panic and Ethan was stuck with a front row seat to the carnage until a call from a witness offered him a possible break. He left to follow up on the tip... and never came back.Everyone thinks that Ethan is dead, taken by the same monster he was hunting, but the truth is more horrible than anyone could have ever imagined. Trapped in a strange world inhabited by fairy tale creatures, Ethan fights to hang on even as he feels his grip on reality slipping away from him. Tortured, alone and on the brink of madness, he finds companionship from the most unlikely of the Big Bad Wolf. With the help of his only friend in this awful place, Ethan begins to hone a deadly part of his nature to a razor's edge that could either save or destroy him.Left behind in the wake of his disappearance is his guilt-ridden brother, Justin. He is determined to find out what happened to his brother so he can put Ethan to rest even if he could not save his life. As Justin digs through the dust of Ethan's life, he realizes that the brother he thought he knew was only the tip of the iceberg and things he thought Ethan had long outgrown never truly went away.Two brothers, each in their own hell, each whispering through the door, desperate to be heard, must fight to find the truth--both in themselves and in each other. The path through the darkest part of the forest is long and dangerous; without one another neither will survive the final confrontation.Bitter Sweets is a horrific walk through an enchanted forest where "The End" never means the story is over; only that the nightmare has begun.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2014
8 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Justine Sebastian
9 books55 followersJustine Sebastian began writing at the age of four. It took her quite a few years longer to realize she might actually be able to make a living doing so. She was born and raised in the south and does indeed have an accent. She does NOT write romance novels.
Readers can contact her via email at: just_sebastian@outlook.com. She promises not to bite unless you ask her to.
Readers can contact her via email at: just_sebastian@outlook.com. She promises not to bite unless you ask her to.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 30, 2015
Wasn't what I expected...AT ALL...
This was such a gruesome, violent, heart-breaking read. It made my heart pound, it made me cry and gasp in horror. This book didn't hold any punches...and I couldn't put it down even for a minute.
I very half-heartedly tag this story as MM romance. There isn't much of any romance here, except just a hint of a one. It's more of fantasy/horror story, so beware.
Recommended for the not-faint-of-heart.
This was such a gruesome, violent, heart-breaking read. It made my heart pound, it made me cry and gasp in horror. This book didn't hold any punches...and I couldn't put it down even for a minute.
I very half-heartedly tag this story as MM romance. There isn't much of any romance here, except just a hint of a one. It's more of fantasy/horror story, so beware.
Recommended for the not-faint-of-heart.
February 25, 2018
mm тэг не ставлю так как любовь здесь явно не на первом месте, но все же романтическая линия меня удовлетворила благодаря очень колоритному герою. Хотя Волк и нечасто появлялся на страницах, когда это происходило - он затмевал всех.
И для меня - это все-таки сказка, а не хоррор, как указывают во многих отзывах.
И для меня - это все-таки сказка, а не хоррор, как указывают во многих отзывах.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2014
Horror is certainly not my cup of tea and I only gave this work a try because the blurb had me intrigued. I am glad I did.
It is a known fact that traditional fairy tales (Grimm's, Perrault's, etc.) are extremely gory and cruel and that most publishers "adapt" them to make them "suitable" for children.
Ms Sebastian takes them at face value instead: she uses them as a bloody canvas for her own horrific fairy tale, mixing them with small-town US and casting far from innocent police detectives as damsels in distress.
The reader gets his happy ending and the villain is destroyed, but not before blood has been shed; the two brothers will bear their scars for the rest of their lives.
What is really good about this novel is that the rich setting is just that, a setting. The real story is character driven: both brothers are already adults but, before the end, they will have grown to understand themselves and each other much better.
Good VS evil, personal interest VS altruism, inner demons VS selfless actions are common topics in fairy tales and are to be found here as well, but the author twists them so as to make them always interesting. She also creates a third character, the Wolf, who embodies all the conflicts of the story and comments on them while managing to attract the reader's sympathy by his quirks and moods.
While writing is generally good and fluid (only the random mistake here and there), it is not always as sharp as the tone of the story requires. One star had to go for this flaw but this novel is still well worth a read.
It is a known fact that traditional fairy tales (Grimm's, Perrault's, etc.) are extremely gory and cruel and that most publishers "adapt" them to make them "suitable" for children.
Ms Sebastian takes them at face value instead: she uses them as a bloody canvas for her own horrific fairy tale, mixing them with small-town US and casting far from innocent police detectives as damsels in distress.
The reader gets his happy ending and the villain is destroyed, but not before blood has been shed; the two brothers will bear their scars for the rest of their lives.
What is really good about this novel is that the rich setting is just that, a setting. The real story is character driven: both brothers are already adults but, before the end, they will have grown to understand themselves and each other much better.
Good VS evil, personal interest VS altruism, inner demons VS selfless actions are common topics in fairy tales and are to be found here as well, but the author twists them so as to make them always interesting. She also creates a third character, the Wolf, who embodies all the conflicts of the story and comments on them while managing to attract the reader's sympathy by his quirks and moods.
While writing is generally good and fluid (only the random mistake here and there), it is not always as sharp as the tone of the story requires. One star had to go for this flaw but this novel is still well worth a read.
September 6, 2015
This is NOT a romance. It is quite interesting. The main characters are compelling and the story they tell keeps you reading. The writing is overall good, harsh and a bit scary, but good. There are some errors but they aren't too bad. I did think it dragged out a bit at times...lots of descriptions and vague speak. I thought it felt incomplete as well. It just didn't feel like the intensity of the story was done.
I would like a second story, wrap all the loose ends of the story up.
I would like a second story, wrap all the loose ends of the story up.
May 16, 2019
Great storyline, a bit long winded
I enjoyed the book a lot because of the unique storyline amd thoughtfulness of the world building and character development but I found myself skipping through a good amount of it, especially in the beginning with Justin's side of the story. I kind of also feel a little bummed with the ending because Justin didn't really have his HEA moment and there was no sex in the book..sure there were some scenes but nothing crazy hot like I was expecting. I do want to say that the big bad wolf was definitely my favorite character, so witty and charming I loved it 😆
I enjoyed the book a lot because of the unique storyline amd thoughtfulness of the world building and character development but I found myself skipping through a good amount of it, especially in the beginning with Justin's side of the story. I kind of also feel a little bummed with the ending because Justin didn't really have his HEA moment and there was no sex in the book..sure there were some scenes but nothing crazy hot like I was expecting. I do want to say that the big bad wolf was definitely my favorite character, so witty and charming I loved it 😆
October 5, 2017
Very very interesting. I liked how the elements all worked together in the story. I'd like to see more doors that open to other stories.
April 9, 2015
Homicide detective Ethan Calhoun is investigating a series of mysterious murders which reminisce certain fairy tale. When he vanishes without a trace after following a clue received while eating with his older brother Justin, his family cannot cope with the pain of the loss. But the agony they are going through is far from the hell Ethan is suffering while living his own nightmarish fairy tale…
This book has been an amazing surprise. From time to time you grab a freebie and find a jewel. I must recognize that I chose this one because I found the cover attractive and I am a sucker for everything related to revisiting fairy tales. And Bitter Sweets is the hell of a revision of fairy tales. Here, the characters like Duessa sustain unmitigated evil. The happy endings of the tales we know are only a way of diverting attention, while the story goes on and the villains continue their deeds unaffected. Ethan and Justin, like some sort of alternative Hansel and Gretel, have to find their way back home through a menacing forest, shaped mainly by their own fears. At the end, facing and recognizing your own devils is as difficult as killing the witch. I loved the intensity of the emotions in the book, the despair, the anguish, the agony both Ethan and his brother have to face. There are also positive things like the comradeship and unwavering loyalty between the two brothers. To these two tormented and very interesting characters you must add another one, the most unexpectedly attractive one: The Big Bad Wolf: such an intriguing, puzzling and appealing character, and as he himself states “exceptionally striking in appearance, too”.
There are many things going on in this book, and I cannot talk about all them here. I do not want to either. You better discover them yourselves. I must warn you, though, this is not a book for vanilla readers, or bleeding hearts. Some descriptions made me cringe, some made me cry. But if you are looking for a shattering surprise, you should read it. Without any doubt, Justine Sebastian is a writer I want to keep track of.
This book has been an amazing surprise. From time to time you grab a freebie and find a jewel. I must recognize that I chose this one because I found the cover attractive and I am a sucker for everything related to revisiting fairy tales. And Bitter Sweets is the hell of a revision of fairy tales. Here, the characters like Duessa sustain unmitigated evil. The happy endings of the tales we know are only a way of diverting attention, while the story goes on and the villains continue their deeds unaffected. Ethan and Justin, like some sort of alternative Hansel and Gretel, have to find their way back home through a menacing forest, shaped mainly by their own fears. At the end, facing and recognizing your own devils is as difficult as killing the witch. I loved the intensity of the emotions in the book, the despair, the anguish, the agony both Ethan and his brother have to face. There are also positive things like the comradeship and unwavering loyalty between the two brothers. To these two tormented and very interesting characters you must add another one, the most unexpectedly attractive one: The Big Bad Wolf: such an intriguing, puzzling and appealing character, and as he himself states “exceptionally striking in appearance, too”.
There are many things going on in this book, and I cannot talk about all them here. I do not want to either. You better discover them yourselves. I must warn you, though, this is not a book for vanilla readers, or bleeding hearts. Some descriptions made me cringe, some made me cry. But if you are looking for a shattering surprise, you should read it. Without any doubt, Justine Sebastian is a writer I want to keep track of.
November 17, 2018
I love the unexpected and weird take on the old fairy tale here. I enjoy stories and books that go a different way with fairy tales and actually embrace the fact that they were not cutesy stories as Disney would lead use to believe. This book does that and explores the horror aspect of the fairy tale in a spectacularly gruesome way. The fairy tale world in the story is really interesting and I love the cameo appearances of other fairy tales throughout, like the Robber Bridegroom and the Pied Piper, and the way they're all kind of woven together. The Wolf is a cool character and the way the author explores the implications of the wolf as a figure running through a lot of fairy tales and fables interesting and different from anything I've come across before in similar fiction. The witch is a great villain, creepy and disgusting, and I feel so awful for the main characters. The situation seems hopeless and I applaud the author for conveying that so well. A great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror and suspense fiction.
February 11, 2017
This was beyond disturbing but loved the characters. All the characters but the hag that is. Very well written horror story and I will be reading more of this author.
June 23, 2017
Oh wow!
The pregnancy torture! This is so far from a mm romance, I truly am at a lost for words!
You have a detective trying to find a horrific serial killer with a fairytale twist, the sexy as sin big bad wolf, that YOU DO NOT get enough time with...grrrr...a brother, broken and down but willing to stand by his brothers' side (that said brother is GAY ❤️❤️❤️) and a "happily ever after" that really did have a cheeky smile on my face at the end.
Do not start reading this story thinking your getting one of the many cliched mm romance story because you will be sadly disappointed! I already told you what you're getting in the previous paragraph.
Unique, scary, a bit freaky and weird but entertaining to the end!!! An A+ for Absolutely Unique
The pregnancy torture! This is so far from a mm romance, I truly am at a lost for words!
You have a detective trying to find a horrific serial killer with a fairytale twist, the sexy as sin big bad wolf, that YOU DO NOT get enough time with...grrrr...a brother, broken and down but willing to stand by his brothers' side (that said brother is GAY ❤️❤️❤️) and a "happily ever after" that really did have a cheeky smile on my face at the end.
Do not start reading this story thinking your getting one of the many cliched mm romance story because you will be sadly disappointed! I already told you what you're getting in the previous paragraph.
Unique, scary, a bit freaky and weird but entertaining to the end!!! An A+ for Absolutely Unique
March 18, 2015
Really like this author. Presenting new and seemingly impossible ideas. I waivered back and forth between wondering if the big bad wolf was part of the main characters fractured personality or quite real.
The tale starts off with a detective on a serial killer case who leaves the female victims hollowed out and stuffed with candy.
The tale starts off with a detective on a serial killer case who leaves the female victims hollowed out and stuffed with candy.
October 3, 2016
Oh my God. I just love this author.
The first part of this book was just horrible (and by that I mean totally awesome) and I felt so sick about what is happening to MC!
Second half is little lagging and not as good (nor as disgusting) and the finale kinda sucks (it's lame), but it's totally worth the read.
I really, really liked it <3
The first part of this book was just horrible (and by that I mean totally awesome) and I felt so sick about what is happening to MC!
Second half is little lagging and not as good (nor as disgusting) and the finale kinda sucks (it's lame), but it's totally worth the read.
I really, really liked it <3
November 7, 2014
Very strange book but after reading the whole book turned out to enjoy it very much.
Read
July 23, 2017DNF@40%
This was one of the weirdest things I've ever read. It's a murder case based on Hansel and Gretel which could have been fabulous if it had stuck with the murders but quickly went in to bizzaro land. It's supposed to be horror I *think* but I wasn't scared. It was more like a car wreck you can't look away from. I didn't think the writing was strong enough to pull this idea of either.
This was one of the weirdest things I've ever read. It's a murder case based on Hansel and Gretel which could have been fabulous if it had stuck with the murders but quickly went in to bizzaro land. It's supposed to be horror I *think* but I wasn't scared. It was more like a car wreck you can't look away from. I didn't think the writing was strong enough to pull this idea of either.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews