Big Little Secrets (Are Exposed) by A B Whelan @AuthorABWhelan

Big Little Secrets

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

A B Whelan is a must read author for me, so I was super excited to have another novel from her. AND secrets, I love when secrets are exposed and the shit hits the fan, so let’s get started on the review for Big Little Secrets.

First, we’ll meet Nelli Horvath, a Hungarian immigrant and the wife of Clint Horvath. She made one mistake during her teenage years and it has haunted her ever since. Her life has been gray, with moments of happiness here and there. She keeps tight control of herself, lest her secret from the past escapes. She didn’t expect much from life when she fled Hungary and came to the United States…but then, she met Clint. What can be so bad she can’t share it with her husband?

Things are happening around her and when the invitation for her twentieth reunion came, she felt she had no choice but to attend. She loves her husband, but she will travel to Hungary alone. I can’t imagine living under the weight of her worry, her guilt, just waiting for the anvil to drop and crush her.

She had lived under socialism in Hungary where you learned, ‘It is what it is.’ I learned a bit about Hungary, its people and their cuisine. I love when an author does their research.

My rating: For most of the book I kept thinking my rating would be a three, but the mystery was not easily solved because of so many moving parts and the ending was worth a star, seeing it was unexpected and left me feeling sad and angry, and sad and angry….

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Big Little Secrets by A B Whelan.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A complex and fast-paced atmospheric thriller—a terrifying journey through a maze of secrets and locations, leading to a jaw-dropping culmination of unexpected events.

“I now know that my wife has dark secrets, and I must discover how a horrific accident twenty years ago is connected to my wife’s disappearance … before it’s too late.”

Nelli Horvath is a Hungarian immigrant, seemingly living the American dream with her husband, Clint, and their son, Ryan, in Las Vegas. After receiving an invitation to her 20th high school reunion, Nelli flies back to her home country for the first time after nearly two decades, and that’s the last time her American family sees her.

Determined to find his missing wife, Clint travels to Hungary for the first time, where he races against the clock, chasing clues through historical towns and dangerous places to investigate the whereabouts of his missing wife.

Caught in a web of old secrets and murderous lies, Clint realizes how little he truly knows his wife, leaving him to wonder if he really knows her at all.

ABOUT A B WHELAN

New release: No One Can Hear You Scream is a gripping, atmospheric psychological thriller about obsession, survival, and family bonds, releasing on October 20th.

A.B. Whelan

Whelan is an Amazon bestselling author of domestic psychological thrillers.

She currently resides in California with her husband and two children. When she isn’t writing, editing, marketing, or researching her next book, you can find her walking her two rescue dogs, socializing online, coaching soccer, or doing another DIY project with her husband.

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MY A B WHELAN REVIEW

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Fanged Mania #6 – Giveaway/Review – Being Mrs Dracula by Faith Marlow

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(To see the complete rules for Fanged Mania, go to the end of the post)

Being Mrs. Dracula

When Van Helsing died, he left a diary. That, in turn, led to more diaries by the Mrs. Dracula‘s. The story is told from the wives perspective.

Valeria’s father aligned their family with Count Dracula by Valeria’s marriage to him. The Count was a good man, but he scared her very much. He had courted her for a short time, so they weren’t strangers when the wedding finally took place. The sex was more wonderful than she could imagine. Afterwards, she lay with her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat.

As Hungary and the Turks fought, he had to go into battle. When he returned at the first of the year, he was a different man. Rumors that he slaughtered thousands of men women and children ran rampant.

She feared him, but couldn’t fight the attraction she had for him. He had changed. She touches him and he feels so cold. His teeth seem longer and he is stronger, even though she never sees him eat. The light shines on his red eyes.

red eyes Pictures, Images and Photos

She had been ill, but recovered while he was gone. When he had come home, she seemed to get ill again. She also noticed, she had another “love” bite. It seemed as they made love, he could read her mind. He fed off her, which was her illness. She has such love for him, that she doesn’t mind. He is now a man-creature, who comes home from battle in the middle of the night and enters through the window.

The servants were terrified and many of them fled, but she didn’t care. Valeria and the Count fed off each other, sharing their life force – blood. She loved him, even though she thought she would die because of him. Even she thought herself odd.

When he left with the peasants, she realized she had been abandoned. She sent the rest of the servants away and she was now all alone. She would kill herself before she would let the Turks take her.

As she dies, she is reborn. Like her husband, she is now a vampire.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Castelul_Bran.jpg/640px-Castelul_Bran.jpg

She is vicious in her revenge of the Turks looting her home. She tells of her anger when she is abandoned by Vlad. She rampages through her home, and the carnage and savage killing of the Turks are beyond description.

After two years, she takes up her pen and begins her diaries.

https://i0.wp.com/i-love-cartoons.us/snags/clipart/christmas/looney-toons/Christmas-Taz.jpg?resize=138%2C131    5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

A vampire book like no other. It is told in the form of diaries, and begins with his first wife, Valeria. Needless to say, he is immortal, so one wife would never be enough. Vlad’s callousness, cruelty, and betrayals are so selfish and self-centered, it makes you wonder how the wives are able to keep their sanity. Or do they?

The story is told from the wives points of view. The confusion, loneliness, hatred, grief, love, pain, and betrayal they experience will leave you feeling emotionally drained.

When I first opened the book, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. I’m not huge on books written as diaries. It didn’t take long for me to become totally engrossed in it. You must keep reading or you will miss a truly unique story of a love like no other.

I fell in love with Valeria. Even though she is a vampire and has the capacity to be truly vicious and savage, her love encompasses so much more than she thought she would ever be able to give. The horrible things she goes through would make you think she would be incapable of what she does at the end of the story. The ending blew me away and I can hardly wait to read the sequel. I hope you are a fast writer Faith. lol

Faith Marlow takes vampires to a whole new level. I never saw where this book was going and I am so glad, because the surprise was well worth waiting until the last page to discover. I loved where she went with the book and the journey was well worth traveling.

As I sit here writing the review, all I can think of is WOW. I am still caught up in the story, trying to think how to describe it to you, so that you will be sure to pick up your copy and enjoy Valeria’s story.

I was given this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

About the Author

Faith MarlowIn the fifth grade, Faith Marlow discovered a fondness and talent for writing and has considered herself a storyteller ever since. The notion of transporting a reader into another place or time, to allow the reader to experience life from the perspective of the character is as intriguing is it is challenging and is at the heart of any project she undertakes. In addition to writing, she is an avid reader (a dedicated student of Dean Koontz), movie connoisseur, and a veritable repository for all manner of useless yet entertaining knowledge.

Faith lives in Tennessee with her high school sweetheart/ husband, Scottie, their son Avery, and Moses the loyal family turtle. As often as their schedules and weather will allow, the Marlow’s take a break from the stress of everyday life and all its technology and escape into the natural beauty of the Appalachian countryside to hike, camp, and take countless photographs.
Faith sincerely hopes you will enjoy her first novel, “Being Mrs. Dracula”, which chronicles the lives of Count Dracula’s three beautiful, yet very different wives. She is currently working on its sequel “Being Dracula’s Widow”.

To stalk Faith Marlow, follow the links below:

Website

Goodreads

Giveaway

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos  Faith Marlow is offering 5 e-books for the giveaway (must be able to download from Smashwords). Entry is easy, as always. Just leave an email address, so I can contact you if you win, and answer the question – Would you be able to share your vampire husband with another wife?

Closed. Winners will be announced on confirmation.

Giveaway runs 12/21 – 1/4/2013.

Please tweet it out to share with your friends, family and followers, not required.

It is always appreciated if you follow my blog, also, not required.

To order the book from Amazon US, just click on the cover below.

Can also be ordered through the links below:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UK4FE0#_
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view…
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/being…

Fanged Mania rules:

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!