Telephone Road by Ann Swann
ABOUT THE BOOK
Marlena caught the eye of one of the richest, hottest guys on campus, Preston. But when her attention shifts, and she falls in love with a hometown boy, Jimmy, she finds out that Preston is also deeply disturbed.
What follows is a life-changing evening out on Telephone Road, and Marlena knows she will never be the same when she takes matters into her own hands.
Justice has a new meaning. It’s called revenge.
MY REVIEW
Ms. Swann immerses the reader into a sinister and disturbing story about how a young college girl being terrorized by a sick and twisted madman tries to turn her life around by no longer being the victim.
Marlena is a strong and intelligent young woman who is to be admired for trusting her instincts as long as she did and surviving a horrific attack. However, justice doesn’t always prevail and she takes matters into her own hands at the detriment of someone close to her. Can she have a future with the man she loves after all that’s happened?
The author’s characters are very believable and well-developed. Jimmy is a kind soul who truly loves Marlena and would do anything for her, but in stark reality, Marlena can’t erase what happened to her. She is different from the person Jimmy first met and Ms. Swann does a fantastic job describing Marlena’s thought process throughout the whole story. As for Marlena’s friends and family, they are amazing and strong role models.
Overall, this tense, fast-paced suspense thriller with a thought-provoking ending is filled with terror, pain, love, and survival. Recommend highly!
Triggers include rape, murder, and stalking.
Thank you to Ms. Swann for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Giveaway: $25 Amazon gift card (International)
BUY THE BOOK
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ann has been a writer since junior high, but to pay the bills she has waited tables, delivered newspapers, cleaned other people’s houses, taught school, and had a stint as a secretary in a rock-n-roll radio station.
She also worked as a 911 operator and a police dispatcher.
Her fiction began to win awards during her college days. Since then she’s published several short stories, novels, and novellas. She’s always reading and always writing, but even if she never sold another story, Ann would not stop writing. For her it’s a necessity, like breathing. Most of the time, it even keeps her sane.
Follow Ann on her website, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
EXCERPT
Back at college, Preston did not take rejection well at all.
He began to follow me to work, never bothering me, just being there, in the parking lot. He even attended some of my classes, sitting in the back, watching. His demeanor was never violent or angry, just persistent. And really, I told myself, how could a well-known rich kid be a stalker? That would be ridiculous. Besides, he didn’t accost me or try to make me interact with him, he just always showed up.
Joanna told me to call the cops anyway. She said he seemed to be trying to intimidate me even if he didn’t talk to me.
But I didn’t call them. Every time I made up my mind to do it, that would be the day he wouldn’t show. I guess he had to attend at least some of his classes.
It became almost a joke. He would be there, like a puppy, waiting for a pat on the head. I never gave it to him. Never acknowledged him at all. Some days I forgot all about him. He became part of the landscape, part of the background.
“If this is stalking,” I told Joanna one day, “it must be the slow-motion variety.” But in the end, it was all a ruse so he could play out his line, set the hook, reel me in.
That’s how I wound up running from him that night on Telephone Road. Running for my life through the trees, the brush, through the cold, dark night.
I didn’t want to go with him that evening. Of course, I didn’t. He tricked me. He tricked me and he almost killed me, but I got lucky, and then I ran.
I ran for my life.
Some folks are saying they can’t get the contest to accept that they visited my FB page. Any suggestions?
I checked the code that was provided to me and it is correct. I tried it and it worked for me. As far as I know, I’ve never had problems in the past. Sorry.
Sharon