It’s Book Review Tuesday time! Thanks for joining me today with my latest reviews. I spent a good deal of time formatting In Search of McDoogal, (my upcoming short story) last week, so my reading was minimal.
I had hoped to release McDoogal in February but with my publisher doing a big splash for my Hode’s Hill Series (Cusp of Night FREE from 2/20 through 2/25 and End of Day and Eventide at .99c all month), I felt it was better to devote time to promotion for the series.
That means McDoogal will be releasing in March.There may even be a cover reveal in store before the month is out 😉
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy today’s review!
Dark Hollows
by Steve Frech
I’m not sure if I liked Jacob, the MC in this book. He made horrible decisions when he was younger, causing his past to catch up with him in an unexpected way. What I do know is that I disliked the person who turned on him a helluva lot more—and that made for interesting reading.
Jacob owns a quaint coffee shop called Groundworks in the small town of Dark Hollows. His workers, and the people who populate the town, are wonderful characters although their roles are relatively small (the Halloween costume contest is a fun extra).
In addition to Groundworks, Jacob also rents a cottage behind his home for weekend getaways. When a woman who bears an eerie resemblance to his dead girlfriend, Laura, books a stay, Jacob’s world is thrown into turmoil. It’s hard to say more without giving away spoilers.
What makes Jacob semi-likable and redeemable is his devotion to his dog, Murphy, a lovable golden retriever who likes to play fetch with a red tennis ball. Murphy is a scene stealer, and I adored Jacob’s loyalty to him. Despite the skeletons in his closet, you can’t help cheering for Jacob as he recklessly tracks down the person who upends his world. The extremes he goes to, and the ending confrontation, all make for entertaining reading. Although the ending is rather abrupt, I found it satisfying. 5 Stars.
Amazon Link
Genre: Horror/Suspense > Noir Crime
Note: Although this is tagged on Amazon as horror/suspense, I viewed it as mystery/suspense without horror elements. I’m not sure why that tag is on there!
From the Pen of Mae Clair 
I’ve noticed the misplaced tags on Amazon too, and yes, it was horror, when the book clearly wasn’t. If I’d noticed the tag before picking up the book, I don’t think I’d have read it either. Congrats on the coming book and good luck with the promo!
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Hi, Jina! So you read this one, too? Yeah, that horror tag really threw me. I didn’t notice it until I was writing this review, but as you said, Amazon has been doing some weird tagging of late. I had to email my publisher to contact Amazon because of incorrect tags on my own books!
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I haven’t read this book, no, and I can’t remember the book that had the horror tag, but I know it was fantasy. I’ve had the misplaced tag on my book before – and was told that any tag that can closely fit with the book is added, and the highest tag rank shows first (or something to that extent).
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Hmmm…interesting. I just don’t get Amazon most of the time when it comes to things like this. Thanks for explaining!
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This looks like an interesting read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mae 🙂
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My pleasure, Harmony. It was a good read, and I especially ADORED Murphy 🙂
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Sounds like a book I would be interested in reading. Yeah, the horror tag would turn me off too.
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Yes, I think that tag could be hurting him in the long run. Definitely not what I think of as a horror novel!
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I clicked on the link and saw it was .99 cents. Bought a copy.
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I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. It’s an odd one for sure, but a cool mystery.
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Sounds cold-chills suspenseful. Love the title! And Murphy – I’m not surprised that he’s a scene stealer. Sounds like a wonderful read ❤️
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Cold-chills suspenseful is the perfect description for it, Tessa.
And I just wanted to give Murphy a big sloppy hug! 🙂
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Thanks for sharing your review! Sometimes the Amazon tags puzzle me. I once read a violent suspense novel set in the real world, and it was tagged as fantasy . . . wha’?
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Wow, that’s got to be one of the worst goof-ups I’ve heard of. They had a few of my Hode’s Hill novels tagged inappropriately (fantasy and faerie fiction; magical realism), but at least those were quasi in the ballpark!
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Give a character a pet and they instantly become more likable, lol. Love that cover. From the sound of it, I’m thinking it would be better classified as mystery/suspense also. Fab review, Mae!
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The cover is what initially drew me in, then the blurb sealed it.
And everyone who has a dog should have one as lovable as Murphy! 🙂
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Good luck with your upcoming release!
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Hi, J.R! Good to see you. Thanks for dropping by with the well-wishes 🙂
Hope all is good with you!
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Excellent review. I always want likable protagonists so Jacob would stop me, too. I am glad you mentioned your concerns with him. Dogs though–winners all the way.
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I always want a likable protagonist, too. I liked the “present” Jacob, but he was also tainted by what he’d done in the past. Definitely an odd balancing act.
And yes, Murphy, was a winner from the moment he entered the story!
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I love the name of the coffee shop–Groundworks. Clever. But I don’t think I’d ever move to a town named Dark Hollow. It sounds ominous:) I’m looking forward to your new book! But promo takes a lot of time. Good luck with the Hode’s Hill series. Those are some of my favorite books.
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That’s so wonderful to hear about Hode’s Hill, Judi! Thank you 🙂
It’s so hard to keep up with promo. I should probably be doing more, but I do have several paid ads circulating throughout the month. I also need to make some graphics for Twitter, but I have that treading water feeling again. I’m actually looking forward to March and releasing McDoogal–but that involves more promo, too. ARRRRRGGGGH! LOL!
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Promo’s just connecting with readers, and that’s a good thing:) (But it’s a lot of work)
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I really like the sound of this one, Mae. A super review.
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Thanks, Robbie. It was different from most anything I’ve read in quite a long time. Jacob was definitely an anti-hero, but an odd one treading a fine line between past mistakes and conscience struggles. It was an interesting book.
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It sounds it.
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Sounds like an entertaining read.
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It was a nice diversion and a quick read. I’d definitely try this author again. He wrote such an unusual story.
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Love that moody cover! I like to read about flawed characters who redeem themselves- this sounds promising.
As to the tags, if the author is indie, he may have used the wrong keywords in his metadata to get the horror tag.
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I fell in love with the cover, Jacquie. It’s what initially drew me to the story. Jacob was an odd character to cheer for, but I so wanted him to come out on top at the end 🙂
I did check and the book is through a publisher, but Amazon had tags on two of my Hode’s Hill books messed up, too. They were correct originally and somehow they got switched to unrelated genres. Fortunately, after contacting my publisher, they got it sorted out!
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Amazon makes mistakes? Crazy! 😀
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LOL! 😀
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This sounds like an intriguing read, Mae. I look forward to you releasing a short!
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It was a good story, Denise. Odd, but good.
And I’m looking forward to the short. McDoogal is very different than anything I’ve published before 🙂
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Good review, Mae. Thanks
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Thanks for checking it out, John!
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Sounds like a compelling story, Mae. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
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Glad you popped in to check it out, Jan. Thanks!
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I love hearing that Jacob loved the dog so much.
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That’s what made the story for me 🙂
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Interesting how you didn’t like the main character. Most books are geared towards building an empathy and eventual affection for this person. Thanks for sharing, Mae.
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Jacob was an anti-hero, but even those I normally get behind. This was just an odd, but fantastically delivered story. I’m still not sure how I feel about the MC, LOL
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Haha, don’t you love it when an ‘evil’ or ‘muddy’ character is good to animals so you can’t totally HATE them. 🙂
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Yeah, Jacob was a quandary. He wasn’t evil so much as stupid (for the things he did in the past), but I was smitten with his devotion to Murphy. Everyone should have a Murphy 🙂
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I love pets in stories… unless they get hurt 😓
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Same here!
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I tend to like flawed characters as they can be quite interesting. And one, who has the love of a dog definitely must have some good in him! I’m adding this to my tbr.😊
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Hi! So nice to have you drop by and visit. If you like flawed characters, I think you’ll definitely enjoy this book. It was most unusual with a unique MC in Jacob. And Murphy was just adorable. Happy reading!
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Great review, Mae! My TBR list loves your reviews…
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I’m glad you and your TBR enjoy them, Julie! 🙂
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