In Bloom (Sweetpea series, Book 2)

De: C.J. Skuse

Narrado por: Georgia Maguire

Sweetpea TV series starring Ella Purnell now on Sky Atlantic!

She’s back and killing for two…

Rhiannon Lewis should be happy.

Her cheating fiancé is in jail – framed for the depraved killing spree she committed. Her ex-lover is chopped up and buried where no-one will find him.

But there’s one small problem. She’s pregnant.

And as much as Rhiannon wants to continue working her way through her kill lists, a small voice inside is trying to make her stop.

Now Rhiannon has to choose – motherhood or murder.

Readers are LOVING In Bloom:

‘Alright, buckle up, folks, because this book is a rollercoaster of dark and twisted hilarity!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I would give 10 stars if I could!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Outrageous, hilarious and smart’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for C.J. Skuse

‘This darkly comic novel…has the potential to become a cult classic.’ Daily Mail

‘Filthy and funny… a compulsive read’ Sunday Times

‘This isn’t a book for the squeamish or the faint-hearted … think Bridget Jones meets American Psycho’ Red

‘Dark, depraved and devilishly delicious. A full throttle savage and satirical thriller’
John Marrs, author of The One

‘Hilarious, refreshing, dark and memorable. It doesn’t disappoint, I loved it’ Phoebe Morgan

‘You MUST read this book especially if you like your (anti) heroes dirty-mouthed, deadly and dark, dark dark. ADORED IT' Fiona Cummins, author of Rattle

‘Pitch dark, laugh-out-loud hilarious – the Sweetpea series is pure genius escapism’ Susi Holliday

‘Fascinating, intriguing and twist after twist in the tale’ Suzy K Quinn

‘Dark and wickedly funny, and as dry and acerbic as Fleabag, it’s hard not to love Rhiannon Lewis’ Claire Allan

‘Sweetpea hits all the right buttons. A dark, twisted read about a female serial killer with dollops of humour, sarcasm and a lightweight approach…keeping you gripped and on the hook, both smiling and squirming.’ Maxim Jakubowski, Lovereading

‘Witty, vulgar, sweary, darkly funny, but enthralling – a must-read for thriller fans’ My Weekly

‘This book is OUTRAGEOUS’ Compulsive Readers

‘This anti-hero is psychotic without doubt, sexually voracious and incredibly funny’ Shots magazine

Developing the story nicely

I would suggest reading this second book in this series without reading the first would be a poor choice. Read “Sweetpea” before you read this one.

If you’ve read Sweetpea and liked it then you will almost certainly enjoy the way the story progresses. It’s not just more of the same but it is in keeping with the story that you enjoyed.

I expect to be continuing with the series to see how the story evolves after the developments in this book.

I won’t be watching any more of the TV show which is an adaptation that disappoints deeply.

"More cuckoo than Switzerland."

Rhiannon Lewis is not the first murderous anti hero of a literary work. Most notably, there has been the self serving, talented Mr.Ripley, moving up in wealth and society through his carefully choreographed killings. And, of course, Dexter, who pacified his dark passenger by eliminating those whose own serious misdeeds were untouchable by the law. And both of these characters, despite their sociopathic actions, were nevertheless charming and endearing to those, at least, not at the sharp end of their more vicious attentions.. Sadly, pregnant Rhiannon might have rid the world of a couple of sexual predators - her justification for allowing her inner anger loose - but she is also an unpleasant and miserable protagonist, moaning, despising and using those around her, taking advantage of the everyday kindness of others whilst manipulating those she saw as weaker to take revenge. Her internal musings are crude and unpleasant, designed, no dkubt, for humour but definitely falling short. The killings, too, are crudely achieved and the whole seems so unkikely.

Narration by Georgia Maguire is good except that the voicings of the assorted protagonists often seems inappropriate for the character speaking, and, in particular, that of the unborn child, a baby girl, with whom Rhiannon has an ongoing dialogue. Perhaps this, too, was supposed to be amusing rather than the districting interruption it became.

The writing of In Bloom was good. But the story? Apart from bad temper, grievances, and self pity, very little really happens outside of pregnancy, heartburn, nausea and other lavatory movements, plus some attention from a D.I.Jericho. And it takes 12 hours to do this. Perhaps had I first read the earlier book I might have been more invested in Rhiannon and her grubby little world. As it was, I finished it but was disappointed.

Boring, but excellent performance by narrator

The book takes forever to get anywhere, but the silver lining is the narrator’s skill.

Interesting premise

Interesting.
Disturbing.
A bit too sympathetic to a serial killer, but nothing outrageous compared to say, Dexter.

It did rely a lot on the previous book to drive the plot. But I hadn’t read it and didn’t notice big gaps.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a review.

Killing is what makes life worth living

This offering may have taken a few starts, unlike Book 1 – then finally, it grabbed my attention, “In Bloom,” the second installment from C.J. Skuse's Sweetpea series. Narrated by the intensely talented Georgia Maguire, this audiobook is a classic in dark humor and British suspense. Rhiannon Lewis is a pregnant serial killer navigating her new reality while still indulging in her murderous tendencies. “She's back and killing for two” takes on a whole new meaning in this context. Maguire's vocals bring Rhiannon’s twisted world to life with pure genius, making this series a must-listen for fans of dark thrillers. I chose this book via my Amazon Music subscription for August, and I'm so glad I did. I’m looking forward to Book 3, “Deadhead.”

{{Not as audictive as Book 1. However, I’ll continue with this series.}}