Lovesick by JA Campion

Lovesick
Author: J.A. Campion
Thriller/Suspense
Rating: R – Violence and Gore
Coffee Beans: 3.5/5
Favorite Line:"Blanche's made-up mouth puckered like a pug's bottom." (Pg 15, ebook)
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.
 
The introduction and takeoff of ebooks (in case you haven't been convinced yet) is a wonderful thing. Yes, there are some minor, negative points, but we aren't discussing those here. Here, we're talking about the doors ebooks have opened. They've made reading cheaper for the consumer, more cost effective for the distributor, and easier—distribution wise—for the producer. They've also made it possible for an author wanting to get their work out there into the hands of us readers. And for some, they've been picked up by publishers because of their success. The success that they maybe never would have seen if they'd continued to try the traditional route. Dreams are coming true, people. For example: Amanda Hocking (The Trylle Series), Susan Ee (Angel Fall), E.L. James (Fifty Shades Series), E. Lynn Harris (Invisible Life), etc.

The bottom line is, good books can be found anywhere. People who assume that a book is "crap" or "unworthy" because it isn't traditionally published, or alternately think that just because it's been picked up by one of the Big 6 it's automatically worth reading or of quality, are ignorant. I've read some pretty hyped up Big 6 books that made me want to chuck it across the room.

Okay, rant over. *Takes deep breath*

The fact that good books (heck, GREAT books) can and are being self-published, is one of the main reasons I started reading and reviewing indie and self-published books. If it's good, it's good. And I'll scream it to the world from the highest mountain top my broken little foot can climb!

Lovesick by J.A. Campion is one such book.

Official Summary:

FINDING A ROOM CAN BE MURDER

Handsome cab driver Steven Finn is looking for a room. Blanche Hunt offers him one in her run-down mansion. Seduced by its faded grandeur Steven moves in believing his luck has finally taken a turn for the better. But that's before he meets Ellen, Blanche's lonely, delusional daughter. Before long Steven's casual kindness ignites a dangerous obsession in Ellen and everyone in his life becomes a target for her deadly campaign of terror.

My Review:

First off, look at that cover. I mean, seriously. That's the way to do a self-published cover, folks. It looks professional. Which probably means the author put some money into it. Which will ALWAYS be worth the investment (especially with visual people like myself).

I'll admit, psychological thrillers aren't usually my cup of tea for reading. Movies yes, reading no. And if I weren't so gosh darn excited to get review requests when I first started, I probably would have said no to this book. But I'm so glad I said yes.

Campion did a brilliant job of showing us a revolting and psychotic Ellen. This woman made my skin crawl. So much so, that I would have liked to spend a little more time in her head to fully realize how crazy she actually was. Steven's POV was well told and strong. Although you might think that the story would be told from only their POV's YOU'D BE WRONG. There were several (I'd say close to 10) POV's throughout the book. I could picture this book as a Lifetime movie. Although Ellen is deranged from the beginning but I like how the author developed her actions and thinking into full psychosis. And poor, poor Steven, oblivious until the end.

It's a long 381 pages, but that's because there's so much going on. At times, almost a little too much. There were some POV's that were brought in that never really went anywhere, and although they did give me a glimpse of a little something extra going on in the story, the story would have moved along just fine without them. And I think it would have left just the right amount of blindness on our part, put us more in Steven's shoes to experience his terror better.

So, why the 3.5? Part of the rating is fueled by the amount of POVs and the confusion of all the characters. The other part of it is head hopping within the scene. Sometimes we'd go to three different people's heads in one scene. Overall, good book and worth the read. Pick it up on Amazon. It's only $2.30 right now. I think you'll be glad you did.

Happy reading, my friends!