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Watched
A luxury spa break seems like the ideal place to recover from a nervous breakdown. But staff and guests are behaving strangely. Voices whisper from the walls. What is the secret lurking within La Hotel de Aiguille Noir?
After an explicit video is leaked to everyone she knows by a jealous ex boyfriend, Alison Ransford is left a shell of her former self. Her husband, Frank, only wants to see her smile again. Taking her to an exclusive spa resort in the Swiss Alps, it was meant to be a chance for Alison to begin to heal from the humiliation and pain.
But as soon as she arrives, Alison can feel something isn't right with the place. Something is wrong. Something is waiting for her.
And it won't be denied.
Please be advised, this is a work of extreme horror and contains graphic scenes of sex and violence that may cause offence. Readers should use their discretion.
After an explicit video is leaked to everyone she knows by a jealous ex boyfriend, Alison Ransford is left a shell of her former self. Her husband, Frank, only wants to see her smile again. Taking her to an exclusive spa resort in the Swiss Alps, it was meant to be a chance for Alison to begin to heal from the humiliation and pain.
But as soon as she arrives, Alison can feel something isn't right with the place. Something is wrong. Something is waiting for her.
And it won't be denied.
Please be advised, this is a work of extreme horror and contains graphic scenes of sex and violence that may cause offence. Readers should use their discretion.
ebook
Published July 19, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 13, 2026
I really did not care for this book at all. It felt extremely reminiscent of Clive Barker’s The Hellbound Heart, even including a character named Frank, too. The story felt like it was building to something during the first 60% of the book, but then just devolved into an attempt at vulgar and sadomasochistic experiences. And even at that point, the violence and sexual situations felt very forced and brought nothing original to the genre. But nothing felt like it was fully linked, and the story came across like a bunch of random ideas thrown together. The characters were all underdeveloped and nothing was really resolved or explained by the end. I also got very bored of reading the same slang for Allison’s private parts so many times, and there were many other examples of constant repeat verbiage throughout, too. The ideas may have been decent, but the execution was not done well here. There were also a ton of formatting issues on the kindle edition, which made certain sections feel disjointed, too.
August 4, 2021
This was a great debut, but for me personally it took too long to get to the good stuff considering it was a novella. But when Iain did, it was great, fantastic! His descriptions were well done and the story was quite original. I liked that it wasn’t a rose coloured glasses ending. Four solid stars.
August 28, 2021
I absolutely loved the atmosphere that the book created, it was tense, making me feel like shit was going to hit the fan at any moment. From the very beginning the book draws you in with hints of something horrible that’s weighing over their marriage, causing unease and lots of tension. This is definitely a slow burn, with much of the action happening within the last few pages, but I didn’t mind, the ride there was enjoyable. If you’re a fan of movies like Hereditary and Midsommar, you will be reminded of them while reading Watched. As I stated, the amount of tension and dread within each page is palpable, and may cause the reader to feel the narrator’s anxieties. Watched is a superb debut from Iain, he’s earned himself a fan with this title.
August 2, 2021
Rating 4.5. I enjoyed this story and the characters - the main character being quite complex (I kept saying - this woman is cray-cray!! lol). However, we've all seen what social media can do and how videos can spread like wildfire - I can sympathise with her and the mistake she made.
The author has a talent with his detailed descriptions of the gory parts, they were great. I marked it down .5 because, to me, it took too long to get to these enjoyable gory parts. I wish there were a few more. I'm gonna keep an eye on this author to see what else he can churn out... more blood, please!
The author has a talent with his detailed descriptions of the gory parts, they were great. I marked it down .5 because, to me, it took too long to get to these enjoyable gory parts. I wish there were a few more. I'm gonna keep an eye on this author to see what else he can churn out... more blood, please!
July 21, 2021
Thunder and lightening. Absolutely marvellous writer, cannot wait for more!
August 2, 2021
"Watched" takes you on several different journeys and they're all absolutely wonderful. We follow Ali on her journey of psycho trauma stemming from being a victim of an atrocious revenge scenario. We follow Frank on his journey trying to console his wife throughout this nightmare. Then we're taken on a journey far more sinister, ancient, and dark than you can imagine. Outstanding work.
October 4, 2021
So this horror novella is about a Scottish couple attempting to save their relationship after Alison, the main character who is mentally frayed by a horrendous social media skewering. Her husband Frank drives them to a Swiss mountain resort, hoping they can relax and maybe strengthen their relationship.
But there are voices. And Alison is so wrecked by what she's been through she seems to be imagining things and it seems like panic attacks are going to be a thing. Why on earth her husband loves her so much at this point is beyond me. But her feelings of guilt and self-disgust are too much and she discovers a way to punish herself but still feel pleasure.
She seems a desperately self-absorbed and pathetic creature and around 60% of the way into the story I'm pretty sure it's Clive Barker's Cenobites whispering shite to her.
Again I'm reading another "extreme horror" novel - here we find a female figure who is tortured by society and herself for enjoying sex. I'm not really sure the point of this novella outside that author wanting to describe sexual torture. I absolutely have no compassion for any of the characters, but if that's your thing you'll enjoy the read. Me? Not so much, but I appreciate the efforts of the author to bring about some story, I guess it just shows that certain personalities are just ripe for the cult picking.
But there are voices. And Alison is so wrecked by what she's been through she seems to be imagining things and it seems like panic attacks are going to be a thing. Why on earth her husband loves her so much at this point is beyond me. But her feelings of guilt and self-disgust are too much and she discovers a way to punish herself but still feel pleasure.
She seems a desperately self-absorbed and pathetic creature and around 60% of the way into the story I'm pretty sure it's Clive Barker's Cenobites whispering shite to her.
Again I'm reading another "extreme horror" novel - here we find a female figure who is tortured by society and herself for enjoying sex. I'm not really sure the point of this novella outside that author wanting to describe sexual torture. I absolutely have no compassion for any of the characters, but if that's your thing you'll enjoy the read. Me? Not so much, but I appreciate the efforts of the author to bring about some story, I guess it just shows that certain personalities are just ripe for the cult picking.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews