Devil's Creek

Bittersweet Hollow Book 2

By: Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by: Gwendolyn Druyor

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Grace may have problems, but Anderson Rockwell loves his sassy, spicy, and slightly unfaithful wife. A recovered heroin addict who's now struggling with sex addiction, Grace tries her best to control her inner demons. She's relapsing less often. And when she does, she always calls. Always comes back home. Until this time.

The man calls himself Chandler. He found Grace on Facebook under a false name and lured her away with promises of excitement, danger, and plenty of steam. But when Grace gives in to temptation and follows the trail, she finds herself at the mercy of a monster who knows who she really is and whose sole obsession is revenge - on Anderson.

Time is running out for Anderson to rescue Grace from deadly danger that's beyond imagination before the past drowns them both for good. Because this time it's personal.

©2015 Aaron Paul Lazar (P)2015 Aaron Paul Lazar

Even more intense than the first book.............

Devil's Creek follows the first book, Devil's Lake, and I think this book is better enjoyed as part of the series because it is truly a sequel. The author gives the listener a glimpse into the marriage between Grace and Anderson in book one, but they are the main characters in book two. I liked both Anderson and Grace, but I was perplexed by their relationship. Luckily, the author explores this so much deeper in Devil's Creek, and I finally understood more about what drove Grace to constantly push her boundaries and what motivated Anderson to accept her promiscuous, reckless ways. I loved Grace's family in the first book, so I was very excited that they continued to play such a large role in her life in this book. Although the family and relationship drama in the story is intriguing, it is definitely the mystery that kept me glued to my iPhone. This author really knows how to build the suspense, and I found my heart racing at many of the unexpected and shocking twists the story takes as it unfolds. The ending blew me away, and I still feel a little shiver along my spine at the evilness of the villain.

Gwendolyn Druyor is an incredibly talented narrator, and she performs to her usual high standards with Devil's Creek. She also narrates the first book in the series, which makes the transition between books smoother. Druyor can really ratchet up the suspense by infusing her voice with just the right amount of emotion. This combination of Lazar's writing and Druyor's narration has produced another winning audiobook.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

The Story was intense and the Narrator is Great!

Would you listen to Devil's Creek again? Why?

I would definitely listen to Devil's Creek again. I would probably listening to it after listening to the first book. I felt like I missed a couple things by starting with book two instead of one.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

I really enjoyed every character by Gwendolyn Druyor. She was great at changing her voice for each of the characters. I thought that's what made the narrator amazing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was totally taken by surprised by the events that occurred in the book. I thought Gwendolyn was great at keeping up with the suspense. It kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Not my cuppa

The narrator did an excellent job and the writing was fine but I just couldn't get on board with the heroine. After the first few chapters and knowing she is a cheater whether it was a "condition" or not, I just kinda checked out. I also wasn't a huge fan of the hero either, so there wasn't a hook for me to want to stick around even though I did but I just didn't care at all about the characters and that's what I need in a book. oh well, onto the next!

Devil's Creek Was More of an Erotic Thriller

Minus the Thrills.

The saving 'Grace' of this story was the narration by GWENDOLYN DRUYOR. She did a great job reading this audiobook. She captured the characters with good emotion and trepidation. She also had good voice control and inflections as well. I'd listen to more books narrated by her.

DEVIL'S CREEK: BITTERSWEET HOLLOW BOOK 2 was bittersweet for me. This was more erotica than thriller. To me, this book was a slight twist with a lot of inconsequential events and conversations. Perhaps it needed editing. Whenever it seemed to be going nowhere there was sex thrown in, which I could've lived without. To me it was just filler. Judging by the other reviews and being listed as mystery/thriller and suspense, I expected more. I'm sure AARON PAUL LAZAR is a good author, this book just seemed hurried and lacking in the thrills department.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Devil's Creek: Bittersweet Hollow Book 2

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

This is definitely an adult only book.Grace trades drug addiction for an addiction to sex. Her marriage isn't enough to satisfy the addiction. Enter mysterious stranger from the internet.

The story shifts back and forth over a 19 year period. There is a lot of mystery, action, drama and sex involved. I am hoping this series will continue!


The narration was well done, The characters were excellently portrayed.

Marvelously intertwined

What did you love best about Devil's Creek?

I did not expect such action in this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I also was worried about not understanding much, as this is the second book of the series, but this book can be read as single book. It did a great job of keeping my interest.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Okay, I wouldn't say that this book kept me on my edge of my seat. It did, however, make me consider downloading the rest of it on mobile data when I came home from work and found out that the internet was out. I ended up walking a mile to the nearest free wifi to download it.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

Anderson, he's just a peach. I wish I could just take him away from all these issues.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

I really enjoyed the personal note I received from the author. I will definitely come back for a certain book!

Enjoyed.

This book was very good it really kept my interest I did enjoy reading it. I try to read book 1, the narrator was nice to listen to.

Definitely a good book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Though at times the book was really disturbing, the story kept me wanting to know more.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It always seemed to leave me asking questions. Thankfully at the end, it was all tied up nicely.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

Grace's mom. I know she wasn't a main character, but I loved the depth of her character and how she was the epitome of what a mom should be.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I wanted to answer the next question.

Any additional comments?

I truly recommend that you give this book a listen. It will keep you on your toes. :)

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Suspenseful!

This is the second book in the Bittersweet Hollow series. I really enjoyed it!

This audio book is again narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor. I must admit that I enjoyed listening to her a lot more than I did the first book. Maybe because I became used to her reading style. She has a pleasant voice but she, whether by accident or design, made the main character Grace sound incredibly whiny. Other listeners may disagree with me.

Grace Rockwell is a complex character. I am not sure if I liked her when I first met her in Devil's Lake, though she certainly was the bravest (or stupidest) character I'd met in a book. She's Portia's (from Devil's Lake) younger sister, and had gone through hell when her older sister was kidnapped and turned to drugs to cope years before. Now clean and married to Anderson, whom she loves, she finds herself in a bind when her libido gets her caught in a dangerous situation.

Anderson Rockwell is a fantastic character. I really liked this Professor and felt that he and Grace made a strange couple. However, they say opposites attract and these two certainly have their issues. When Grace unexpectedly gets dragged into danger by an old nemesis from Anderson's past, he's terrified that history will repeat itself.

This book is told through the eyes of both Grace and Anderson. Though Anderson's tale starts many years before he meets Grace. I enjoyed getting to know Anderson better this way. However, this also confused me at first, though my confusion cleared up as soon as I realised why the author had started the story this way. Chandler is not who Grace thinks he is. He is a skeleton from Anderson's closet that has come out to haunt him. This character is incredibly creepy and totally insane. Why does this family seem to attract the loonies? Anyway, I found myself completely hooked by the intense suspense that built up though the story. There are several twists that I didn't see coming. The danger Grace faces is eerily similar to what her sister faced but, the author gave this story a sinister twist that sent a chill down my spine. Grace will need some serious psychological help for her problems (drug and sex addiction), though I am glad that Anderson is so supportive of her. Their marriage may be rocky, but they are both determined to face their demons together. That can only make their relationship stronger.

I reached the end of the book with mixed feelings. I was sad that the story ended, but happy with the way it concluded. I am now looking forward to reading/listening to the next book in the series, Devil's Spring as soon as I can.

Aaron Paul Lazar has written a fantastic tale that captured my imagination. I love his writing style, which is fast paced and entertaining. The story flowed wonderfully (apart from my issue with the narrator). I am a huge fan of this author. I am now looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.

Although this book doesn't have any bad language, there are some explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Therefore, I recommend this book to older teen readers (18+) and to adults who love contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton

My goodness this family has gone through a lot

I really enjoyed the main storyline of this book and I like how Mr. Lazar has separated the book into different time periods. I'm afraid that even though I know sex was part of the story I wish that the author didn't feel like he had to go into detail. I think it could have been glossed over more so people like me didn't have to fast forward past scenes. Other than that the story is excellent and I'm really starting to feel sorry for the main characters, my goodness they have been through a lot.
I received a free code for this book from Audiobooks Unleashed to listen to on Audible. This review is my own honest opinion