Fatal Agreements

By: Ashley Fontainne

Narrated by: Andrea Emmes

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Whispered rumors tickled the ears of the residents of an entire town for decades about the disturbing secrets of the old Halstead House, dating all the way back to the early 1920s. Most people didn't believe them. Several people will soon discover they should have listened.

Three years after struggling to cope with the death of her beloved father and escaping an abusive relationship, Samantha Chapman decides it’s time to return to her hometown of Hot Springs. She buys the ramshackle Halstead House, eager to transform the dilapidated, abandoned piece of history into her new law office and residence, hoping it will be the start of a brighter chapter and a safe haven to escape her personal demons. 

Instead of newfound freedom, things take a dark turn when the resurrection of the old home reveals the disturbing secrets hidden within its walls. When youthful transgressions of numerous people come to light, including ones some members of the Chapman family are desperate to contain, it reveals the sins of the past. They collide with the grave mistakes of the present, creating a perfect storm of chaos and death for not only the Chapman family, but others as well. 

Some will survive. Others will get burned. Sam and her loved ones realize some family secrets should have remained buried.

©2018 Ashley Fontainne (P)2018 Ashley Fontainne

Suspenseful!

I'm a big fan of this authors work and was eager to listen to this one! Once again, the author has crafted a story full of drama, suspense, twists and turns, and I loved it!!

This focuses on Sam and her family. Sam and her twin Suzys' relationship suffers when Sam steps in to stop Kip, a jock, from making a fool of her. Sam smashes Kips' nose in and Suzy takes offence. She didn't like that Sam made her look like a fool. When Sam finishes school, she moves away and enters a Law Firm. It's not till her father dies, that Sam makes the move back to her hometown. She buys The Halstead House, a dilapidated house she has always wanted to live in, and begins her own Litigation practice. Unbeknownst to most of her loved ones, Sam left behind an abusive relationship, at least she hopes she did! Her past and the past of some of her loved ones is about to come back to haunt her!!!

This author has a knack of creating some strong characters and non more so than Sam. I loved her!! She was put through so much yet she was able to break away and start her life over. She wasn't afraid to do what was necessary!! I also loved Nana. I wish I had one like her! She was such a character and my heart broke at a certain part. Then we have Richard, gosh he was evil!! Richard was Sams' ex, but to him, she was his property and would always be. What he put Sam through was horrendous and hard to read.

The plot was well written and developed. The author was a step ahead of us all the time and the plot was better for it! It was fast paced, entertaining, kept me on the edge of my seat and had me listening with eagerness to see what happens next. I listened to this every chance I could get!

Andrea Emmes is amazing!! She puts so much life and soul into her readings that I had tears pouring down my face at times. She was able to bring across the feelings and emotions of the characters perfectly and her performance was flawless! I will say though that the production quality wasn't perfect. The whole way through the audio the sound would shoot up and down, which became quite annoying. The first few times it made me jump because it went so loud. Initially I thought it might have been my kindle or my headphones, but I tried it on my phone with different headphones and it still happened.

I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

6 people found this helpful

Great writting

The narration needs better editing, there are many parts where the volume increases significantly for a few seconds and then decreases again. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is speaking and occasionally the wrong characters voice is used.
The pace and tone of the narration are a good match for the story, it builds tension where it's needed and conveys the emotions of the characters.

I loved the descriptions, they allowed me to make vivid pictures in my mind as I immersed myself in this story. The plot is complex and twisting, if there was a chance for things to go sideways they generally did, I loved how unpredictable actions were and how the past kept coming back to haunt people.

Beautifully written I listened to this quite long book all in one sitting. It held my attention and left me wanting to read more of this author's books.

Great character development meant it was easy to connect with the lead characters. Their personalities their strengths and their flaws all came through in the dialogue and their actions.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

3 people found this helpful

You want a creepy story with suspense you got it

For listeners who enjoy this genre the Writer delivers all the creepy suspense they could possible want and more.

The story is well constructed with a great variety of characters that will hold their interest.

The Narrator gives a good performance that enhances the enjoyment of the Book.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

3 people found this helpful

If not for the bad audio

I started and stopped this book several times. There were too many occasions throughout this listen where the sound quality was subpar and it just took me completely out of the story. I stayed with it but the irksome audio kept happening, even in the final chapters. Ugh.

This story centered on twin sisters, their relations, and oh so many secrets. There was A LOT going on!! I sincerely enjoyed the story. At the end, I found myself counting all the people who were no longer alive. It was quite a significant number!!

I liked the narrator's voice and will look for other books. There was is just no excuse for the bad audio.

2 people found this helpful

Love the southern feel to this!

Like the headline says, I just love the southern feel to this story. It took a bit to get into the story. It needed to build the background. But once everything opened... it was like an avalanche or suspense and, oh, the twists were great! I got this thinking it would be fun for a Halloween type of story... a little bit of scary... it worked! I didn't see it coming with that southern voice!

The accent the narrator whipped out was great! That southern accent just works for me so well! I thought that with so many female characters that I wouldn't be able to figure out who was who but I was. My only problem with the narration was that it seemed like the volume would sporadically turn up, then go back to its normal volume.

2 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable mystery

I’m reading more and more thrillers lately. I was exacted to get a copy of this audiobook for review. This is a new-to-me author, but I’ve listened to this narrator before and liked her work. I have to say, this was an enjoyable listen.

Samantha Chapman is a litigator who has left her previous firm and moved back home. She buys an old house to convert into an office with living area upstairs. Her mother and sister are in the same town, along with her father’s mother. Her father has passed away, so he’s not in the picture, though he is mentioned quite a bit.

There’s quite a bit that goes on in this story. It does take place in the small Southern town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It does have the small town feel; there is a ton of gossip in the town. There are also a lot of skeletons in the closet which came out as the story progressed.

I don’t want to share too much, because I don’t want to spoil anything if you choose to read this story. I will warn that Sam did suffer from a violent relationship (the reason she left the firm in Little Rock). There is quite a bit that is going on in this story, but it’s a very enjoyable story. If you like a good mystery/thriller, this is a great story for you.

Narration:
This is my second listen from Andrea Emmes, the first being a cozy mystery. I have to say, I’m really enjoying her narration. She does a great job bringing the characters to life. The first listen took place in upper Michigan and this one in Arkansas. I think she did a great job with the way the characters of two regions speak. It wasn’t a overly thick southern accent, but still had that southern feel, which I thought fit really well. Her pacing and tone were also perfect for this mystery.

**I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

1 person found this helpful

Fatal Agreements

LOVED this book!I didn't want it to end! Some bad choices puts Sams life,as well as her familys in danger.Will she ever be free? Andrea Emmes was a gret narrator. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

1 person found this helpful

Fatal Agreements

This is for adults due to the profanity and violence. I did find the book creepy which shows the author knows how to use words that sends chills down your spine.
The book does have a soap opera feel to it with a more darker twist.

1 person found this helpful

Chilling tale

I shouldn't listen to these books so late at night because i end up visualizing some of the things i see and it freaks me out.. in a good way i suppose and the book does its job really well.

1 person found this helpful

Really enjoyed once i got into it

I was expecting a mystery/thriller but it was more just a semi-thriller. there really wasn't anything unexpected with any of the characters or their actions, but if you're looking for a good story this is the book for you. I like it when i can just kick back and go along for the ride and this story accomplished that! Sometimes with the dates i got a little mixed up since there was a little bit of back and forth in the time line, and for the most part the dates being stated really didn't matter at all and could have been left out.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

1 person found this helpful