Carter Wilson

Penny is a 21 year old savant. She is not your usual savant. She received her abilities through an accident. She has also been raised in a facility. She has been studied because she is so rare. But now she has decided it is time to find her dad. He left after her accident and she needs him. This adventure does not go as planned.

I enjoyed Penny. She is tougher than you think. And she makes some pretty tough decisions, are they the right decisions??? Hmmm! But, I do admire her thought process and her tenacity. I love reading about savants. I have read some stuff before and it is still unique and interesting.

I did figure out part of the ending. However, that was probably the author’s intention. Then there is the part I didn’t figure out. A bit of a surprise but it fit perfectly with this tale.

Need a good cross country adventure…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.… (altro)

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book.

This book went in some totally different ways than I had imagined. What was suppose to be a run-of-the-mill road trip turns into anything but. I was immediately hooked by the book and the writing style.

One of the best parts of this book for me was the characters. I know that other readers felt like they could not relate or grab onto the character, but I had the exact opposite experience. I absolutely loved the main characters. They had such distinct, well developed personalities that I could perfectly picture each of them. Our main three (Penny, Travis and Fia) are so difficult to not become invested in and want the best for. Penny- an über smart, strangely gifted girl confused by the traumatic accident she was in (which gave her, her gifts), Travis- a dropout artist, and Fia- a diner owner and mother sending money back to her children in Guatemala. All three end up tied up an on this roadtrip together for better or for worse.

The goal of the roadtrip is also initially to find Penny's father, whom she has not seen since her accident when she was a child. She plans to drive from the east coast to the west (to the last address which her father mailed her a birthday card from). Let's just say that nothing on this road trip went according to plan.

I loved the way the stories twists started, some of the issues brought up in the book parallel some current issues we see in society today. From gang like murder, to crooked cops this road trip is not what any of them wished for.

I enjoyed this book right up until the ending- which I really disliked. The story itself was full of outrageous scenarios, although I've heard of worse, but the ending just made it completely excessive to the point that it made me completely change my would have been a 5 star rating to 4. (Again though, I know other readers have enjoyed the ending).… (altro)

So this was one of those books that's a bit hard to figure out how to review because after having finished it, I've been thinking about it for a little while trying to decide what to say and feeling like I don't have that much to say about it.
I was hopeful going into this book, but after listening to the first part, I started to lose interest and focus. I felt like this was missing parts to the story and that it needed something more. The idea/premise was a good one, but it fell a little flat for me.
I did love the audio for this book. It was a very quick and good-quality listen despite the story being a bit of a letdown. I thought the narrator did a great job doing the voices and narrating the story.
This story is about Aidan and he holds the winning Powerball numbers.
 So, is today the best day of his life... or the worst?
Aidan Marlowe is superstitious and he's been playing the same lottery numbers for fifteen years, never hitting the jackpot. Until now. On the day of his wife's funeral.
Aidan struggles to cope with these two sudden extremes: instant wealth beyond his imagination, and the loss of the only woman he's ever loved, the mother of his twin children. But the money gives him and his kids options they didn't have before. They can leave everything behind. They can start a new life in a new town. So they do.

But a huge new house and all the money in the world can't replace what they've lost, and it's not long before Aidan realizes he's merely trading old demons for new ones. Because someone is watching him and his family very closely. Someone who knows exactly who they are, where they've come from, and what they're trying to hide. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC/advanced audiobook copy and for letting me listen and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (altro)

Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson is a 2018 Poisoned Pen Press publication.

Alice was a victim of a brutal stabbing when she was fourteen years old, by two girls who said they were acting on behalf of ‘Mister Tender’, a fictional character invented by Alice’s father. Alice survived the ordeal, but she was left with deep physical and emotional scars.

Ten years later, Alice runs a coffee shop and tries to live a normal life, until she receives a package with a new Mister Tender story and a link to a website run by “Mr. Interested”. Alice decides to face her fears and find out who is behind this new threat…

This story was inspired by the real ‘Slenderman’ attacks that happened in 2014, but it is a highly imaginative and gripping tale. It is dark, tense, and atmospheric, and it kept me hooked from the first page.

This story is well-written and very suspenseful. Wilson does a good job of creating a sense of dread and unease- but the book is also thought-provoking, as it explores the nature of reality and the power of the human imagination.

The reader isn’t quite sure if what Alice is experiencing is real or imagined, and this toyed with my mind and gave me something to think about- as more people than ever seem unable to distinguish fact from fiction- blurring the lines of imagination, fantasy, and reality. The effect is quite unsettling as the reader is unsure what to believe, either.

Overall, this is a powerful and disturbing novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This is also a great example of a pure psychological thriller- a rarity, these days. It will challenge you, delving into the darker side of one’s imagination... ,

4+ stars… (altro)