The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Title: The Retreat
Author: Mark Edwards
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: May 10, 2018

A missing child. A desperate mother. And a house full of secrets.

Two years ago, Julia lost her family in a tragic accident. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter, Lily, in the river near their rural home. But the little girl’s body was never found—and Julia believes Lily is somehow still alive.

Alone and broke, Julia opens her house as a writers’ retreat. One of the first guests is Lucas, a horror novelist, who becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Lily. But within days of his arrival, the peace of the retreat is shattered by a series of eerie events.

When Lucas’s investigation leads him and Julia into the woods, they discover a dark secret—a secret that someone will do anything to protect…

What really happened that day by the river? Why was Lily never found? And who, or what, is haunting the retreat?

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Well, this is one writers' retreat where I never want to go....LOL

The Retreat is a creepy suspense novel with multiple twists and turns making it quite enjoyable for this reader. 

Julia has opened her home, Nyth Bran as a writers' retreat. Two years ago, her husband drowned and her little girl Lily disappeared. It happened when they were taking a hike as a family. Lily was walking ahead of them. After a few minutes, when neither parent could find her but her favorite toy was spotted in the water, Julia's husband jumps into the river to look for her. Julia saw all this without being able to help since she didn't know how to swim. Later on, her husband's body was recovered but not her daughter's. 

"It's like I dived into the river two years ago. And I'm still under the water, holding my breath."

Lucas Radcliffe is a horror writer who's suffering from writer's block. His recent novel Sweatmeat was a great success but to his dismay writing his next book is not coming as easy as he thought. A change in venue and a new ambiance away from the city could be the solution to his problems.

When Lucas learns about Julia's tragedy, he decides to get involved. Julia doesn't think her daughter drowned. She believes someone took her. With this in mind, he decides to hire a private investigator to dig for information into Lily's disappearance. He soon learns about the Red Widow, the legend of a woman who every thirty-five years asks for a girl to be given as a sacrifice to her in order for a child not to be stolen at random. Then, weird and eerie things start happening at Julia's home. Everyone starts thinking that the house might be haunted after all but Lucas doesn't believe in ghosts or legends. The question is....Is he wrong?

I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil it for you. I can say that I thought The Retreat had a strong plot full of suspense and with a diverse set of shady characters. The Retreat also gave us Lucas who was my favorite character. He never gave up and was genuinely worried about Julia. He wanted to bring her closure. 

I also can't forget to mention how shocking the ending was. Talk about revenge!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julia (New Amsterdam #1) Ashley Pullo

Title: New Amsterdam: Julia (New Amsterdam #1)

Author: Ashley Pullo

Release Date: March 11, 2016

Goodreads

Inspired by the captivating stories from Humans of New York, and the narrative structure of a television mini-series, Ashley Pullo lends her unique voice to a new series releasing this fall. Combining her unmistakable wit and distinct writing style, New Amsterdam will feature a trio of petite novels chronicling the lives of three women as they define love in NYC.

Julia Pierce is a popular wedding columnist for a highly-respected NYC newspaper. She creates modern fairy tales by penning editorials about wealthy couples with spectacular wedding venues. Julia is cautious and cynical, and appears to have horrible luck with romance, but finding true love is closer than she realizes.

Amazon

When Theo returns with his beer, he sits down at the table and pushes his plate to the side, watching as Juliabites off the heads of the helpless cubs. “You know,” he says, lining up the five colors of bears in a single file, “there’s a lot of debate about the flavors of gummi bears.”

“They all taste the same.”

“You’re wrong, little grasshopper. The red, your bear of choice, is actually marinara sauce.” He pops the red raspberry gummi in his mouth and chews with his eyes closed. “Orange is a favorite among Cheetos lovers – which goes great with banana cream pie.” Theo eats the orange and lemon bear, keeping his smile at bay while he continues. “Now the colorless wonder of this guy,” he pinches the pineapple bear between his fingers, “is the biggest secret in the candy world. I’ve heard rumors ranging from LSD to old man jizz, but I know a guy, who knows a guy, who works at Haribo … and I can tell you, off the record, the clear bear is silicone.”

“You’re so full of shit, Theo Barnes.”

He holds up a hand. “Let me finish.” Taking the last remaining bear from the lineup, he mutters, “Poor, poor, unlovable green. What did the flavor green ever do to you?” Theo holds the bear between his thumb and index finger, and speaks directly to its disfigured face. “I know, fella. It sucks to be tossed back in the bowl. But I will eat you, green gummi!”

“So what’s the flavor of green, according to Theo?”

Lobbing it at his sexy mouth, he reveals, “Oh, it’s definitely strawberry.”

New Amsterdam: Tess (#1) – Released Oct 2015

Thessaly Sinclair owns an artisanal shop in the historic Seaport district of Lower Manhattan. She's savvy and charming, and appears to have it all, but a romantic hang-up is holding her back from experiencing true love. 

**From the Author** 

New Amsterdam is dedicated to the Humans of New York 

In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton began an ambitious project - to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. The photos he took and the accompanying interviews became the blog Humans of New York (St. Martin's, 2015).

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New Amsterdam: Darby (#3) – Releasing 2016

Inspired by the captivating stories from Humans of New York, and the narrative structure of a television mini-series, New Amsterdam chronicles the lives of three women defining love in New York City.

Darby Wallace is an anthropologist covering human interest stories for a trendy online magazine. She watches people, studies their habits, and then gives them an interesting narrative - but her own life is a spiraling disaster of bad decisions. Selfish and careless, Darby must seek the help of a mysterious stranger in order to understand the power of human connection. 

​**Residing in New York with her husband and two children, Ashley Pullo is an author, an entertainment blogger, and an advocate for cultural literacy.**

 

Hey y'all!

NYC is an amazing place to find inspiration - the random and the ordinary that make up reality. My writing showcases inspired ideas, as well as my love for dichotomy, authenticity, pop-culture, and humor.

 

Dreams need chasers.

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