Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1

By: Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by: Gwendolyn Druyor

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

After two years of brutal captivity, Portia Lamont has escaped and returned to her family's Vermont horse farm - only to find her parents gone to New York to try an experimental treatment for her mother's cancer, and her childhood friend Boone Hawke running the farm. The man Boone has become frightens her to near paralysis, but she's too traumatized and physically devastated to put up a fight.

Like the rest of her family, Boone has never given up hope that Portia would return. But when she turns up battered, skinny as a 12-year-old boy, afraid of everything and unable to talk about what happened, he does the only thing he can - try to help her heal. He summons the town doctor and Portia's parents, and sets out to put this beautiful, broken woman back together again.

Through her family's love and Boone's gentle affection, Portia gradually comes back to herself, and starts to fall for her old friend in a whole new way. But one thing threatens her fragile hopes for recovery: The man who took her promised that if she ever escaped, he'd kill her. Slowly. And someone is definitely watching her...waiting to make a deadly move.

©2014 Aaron Paul Lazar (P)2014 Aaron Paul Lazar

Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1

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 have listened to several books by this author. As of this point, this the best one so far. From the dedication on through the story the

suspense grew.Waiting to the end to see if there would be a " Happily ever after" was difficult ! The characters were well defined, and most were likable.


The narration was very good, each character was brought to life by the narrator .

A haunting story of strength and survival.........

Devil's Lake tells the story of Portia, a young woman fresh out of college whose life is irrevocably changed when she is kidnapped and held captive for two years by a sadist named Murphy. The beginning of the story features Portia escaping from Murphy, returning home and trying to find her way back to herself and her former world. She is joined in this endeavor by her amazing mother, father, sister and brother in law as well as a childhood friend/crush, Boone. Although the story has some very heavy and heartbreaking moments, the love and support surrounding Portia added an uplifting and positive tone to an otherwise sad theme. I especially loved Boone, Portia's father and Portia's brother in law. These were men that knew the value of hard work and taking responsibility for themselves and their families, and they treated the women in their lives like the gifts they are. Add in some incredibly chilling moments when Portia is reliving her time in captivity with the constant worry that Murphy hasn't visited the last of his evil on Portia and her family, and this book is the perfect combination of clean romance, family drama, and action adventure.

Gwendolyn Druyor's narration is superb as always. I am most familiar with her work in the paranormal romance genre, but she handles this contemporary piece with equal skill. She differentiates between characters, places the perfect amount of emphasis to each mood of the story, and her performance is absolutely without flaw. She makes an already incredibly moving book even more enjoyable as an audiobook production.

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

Amazing story of survival, hope and strength

If you could sum up Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1 in three words, what would they be?

Strength. Hope. Love. This book is full of all three. Portia is an amazing character. The years she suffered have scarred and changed her, but she is not broken. Boone is a friend we all wish we have. His compassion and kindness are exceedingly rare. This story of long term captivity and looming danger immediately hook ed me from the beginning. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see what is next.

Any additional comments?

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

Great read!

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.

This book was very good! I really enjoyed it and will definitely be looking into book number 2.

Outstanding

What made the experience of listening to Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1 the most enjoyable?

This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never let go. That's the best kind of book! I will definitely be purchasing other books in this series and I have a new author I love!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1?

Just when you think you have it all figured out, it has a twist and you are caught up again in the plot turns; I didn't want to stop listening!

What about Gwendolyn Druyor’s performance did you like?

Easily recognizable characters just by the voices. The antagonist in the story had a creepy voice, which just added to the story plot.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the main character begins to recognize she can move past her trauma and have her own life, and possibly love...

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.

Another Another Well Crafted Tale

I Discovered Aaron Paul Lazar a couple of his books ago and I am slowly working my way through his work. Thus far, I haven’t been disappointed with anything he has written. This now includes “Devil’s Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1.” In “Devils Lake,” Portia Lamont has escaped and made her way back home to her family’s horse ranch in Vermont. Feared dead, Portia has spent the past two years in brutal captivity. When the opportunity to escape finally came, Portia seized her chance. In the process, she may have killed her kidnapper. Battered, afraid, malnourished and barely able to speak, Portia must put her life back together. If only things were that simple.

“Devils Lake,” has just the right combination of thrills, suspense, romance and action to keep a reader/listener invested. This book is definitely worth your time. Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Bittersweet Hollow

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

This audio book is narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor. I must admit that although I found her reading voice to be clear and understandable, I had trouble with her interpretations of the characters' "voices". Due to this, I had to stop listening to it for a short period before going back to it. This, I feel, broke the story's flow so I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Other readers/listeners may not have the same issue.

Portia Lamont is a woman who has been kidnapped and held against her will for two years before managing to escape. I really liked this character. She has been through hell and has a lot of courage. I am not sure if I would have survived in her place.

Boone Hawke is a wonderful character and I really liked him. He is sensitive to Portia's situation, and since he's been in a war, he knows how emotionally fragile someone who has been in a traumatic event could be. I love how he gives her space to come to terms with things, but is close enough to offer support when needed.

Devil's Lake is definitely a bittersweet story. Having read/listened to other books by this author, I knew that I would be in for an emotional ride. However, I didn't realise how much this story would touch me.

The author wove an incredibly suspenseful, thrilling and thought provoking tale that sent shivers up my back. He dedicated this story to the women kidnapped and held hostage for ten years in Cleveland, Ohio. I cannot imagine what they went through, but they were incredibly brave to survive through their ordeal. My heart goes out to each and every one of them and their families.

This book is told through the eyes of both Portia and Boone for the most part, though there are scenes through the eyes of Portia's father and sister. I found myself gripped with the terror that Portia lived with for two years. Her captor is not exactly sane in my opinion. His actions are not excusable, though his past made me pity him. I cannot imagine living with the fear every day as Portia did, no wonder the trauma can cause PTSD. I have to admit that Grace (Portia's sister) has got to be the bravest (if not potentially stupidest) character in the whole book. I loved the way she handled Portia's kidnapper, but thought she was incredibly stupid at the same time as things could have turned nasty rather quickly.

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 Creek 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 and to adults who love contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton

Devil's Lake

Excellent read on survivorship. Strong characters, narration crisp and on point. Would like to see a sequel!


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

Well done suspense tale

"Devil’s Lake" by Aaron Paul Lazar held my interest from the start. The story about a young woman who escapes the clutches of a madmen after two years of captivity is not new. However, I was captivated by Portia’s plight and the descriptions of family and friends who support and later defend her when the madmen comes to reclaim her. The narration by Gwendolyn Druyor is exceptional. The reason for Portia et al not telling the police everything—clearly a plot device—had me rolling my eyes, but other than that I strongly recommend this one.

Kept me glued and drawn in....

What made the experience of listening to Devil's Lake: Bittersweet Hollow Book 1 the most enjoyable?

Great plot and cast of characters was a roller coaster ride from start to finish.

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

The twists and turns and sequence of events all came together really well.

What does Gwendolyn Druyor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Strong, powerful, credible narration.

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."