I Tried a Book Out of My Comfort Zone

Sometimes, reading out of my comfort zone is ... well, uncomfortable.

The blurb of the book sounded rather interesting.

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb (Author), Kirsten Potter (Narrator), Blackstone Audio, Inc. (Publisher) It was an Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Grace Alban has spent 20 years away from her childhood home, the stately Alban House on the shores of Lake Superior - for reasons she would rather forget. But when her mother’s unexpected death brings Grace and her teenage daughter home, she finds more than just her own personal demons haunting the halls and passageways of Alban House. Long-buried family secrets, a packet of old love letters, and a lost manuscript plunge Grace into a decades-old mystery about a scandalous party at Alban House during which a world-famous author took his own life and Grace’s aunt disappeared without a trace. That night has been shrouded in secrecy by the powerful Alban family for all of these years, and Grace realizes her family secrets tangle and twist as darkly as the hidden passages of Alban House. Her mother was intending to tell the truth about that night to a reporter on the very day she died. Could it have been murder, or was she a victim of the supposed Alban curse? With the help of the disarmingly kind - and attractive - Reverend Matthew Parker, Grace must uncover the truth about her home and its curse before she and her daughter become the next victims.

One thing I can say - the writing was good. The atmosphere was at times, spooky, exciting, interesting and surprising.

I started to like the story until, I didn't.

I'm not a fan of witchcraft because it's inherently full of pitfalls, like pit, evil, negative, scary and rather depressing.

I looked at some reviews and I agreed with one of them. The mystery was solid, the clues were riviting and it's rather Gothic in nature. But, it really didn't need to be warped by the supernatural angle. The mystery could have stood on its own. I agree with that statement.

I enjoyed discovering that the old house didn't just have a couple of secret passageways, it was riddled with them. It was fascinating. Until I later discovered how effective they were for someone with ill intent.

Eventually, all the secrets are revealed, the villian is dead, and a family can finally look towards the future.

The Fate of Mercy Alban was 42 chapters of revelations, horrors, surprises, shocks and a rather tame romantic theme.

What left a very sour taste and left an unpleasant sensation in my brain, was the epilogue.

This is a spoiler so don't read any more if you intend to read the story.

*******

The evil pouring out of the book to seduce, warp and corrupt two innocent young girls, girls that up until that point were well-loved by their families, were kind of sweet, and shown to have genuine caring and sympathetic personalities, was a vile and sick way to end this book. I was not happy. I was actually disgusted. If that was supposed to hint at a sequel, I won't read it.

Especially after what I went through learning all about the actual fate of Mercy Alban.

If I had to pick anything from this story that was truly horrific and earned the moniker of a supernatural horror story, the epilogue condensed it in a nutshell. Right before the end of the last chapter, the heroine of the novel, Grace Alban, makes a remark that forshadows the epilogue.

Do you know what this kind of ending feels like?

The ending of the 1977's Empire of the Ants. Just when they thought they made it. After going through the guantlet, after fighting to survive against incredible, stacked-against-you odds, they failed. All of it was WORTHLESS! The evil ants WIN. A giant WASTE of my time!!! Why did I bother watching this???

You know, except for Star Wars, 1977 was a sucky year.

Why do I say that? 1977 also brought The Kingdom of the Spiders with William Shatner.

Guess what? EVERYONE DIES even after valiant attempts to survive. The spiders WIN! WHY do people call the end of civilization by creepy crawly means, entertainment?

Another giant WASTE of my time. Why did I bother watching this??? Oh, yeah. That's right. William Shatner. Ha.

Seriously though, The Fate of Mercy Alban gave me the same sensation once I finished the book.

I'm a reviewer. I'm supposed to not give spoilers. If I'm too negative or snarky, they can't use my review. But how can I express what drove me nuts without saying WHAT got my goat?

That means I write about the story on my blog. I don't get too many readers here anymore because I'm sporadic at best about posting blog posts. But this book upset me so much, it drove me to write this post. I had to put it here because no way could I do this in my 'official' capacity. It's a bit too opinionated, and it leaves a visitor with the impression that I ended up not liking this book.

They'd be right.

So What If It Was Written in 2004?

That's what I ask - so what? I can't review this at my normal place because I believe it's out of print; the publisher isn't selling it any longer. I have no idea if the author has her rights back or not but I'm going to talk about it anyway.

The Sexiest Dead Man Alive by Jane Blackwood
Contemporary Romance
320 Pages
Heat was definitely spicy
Old publisher was Zebra Books, part of Kensington Publishing Corp. I guess you can still snag a copy at Amazon - the big giant.

The title led me to believe that I was getting a paranormal romance but it's not and I didn't. It's about a really famous hunky heart throb that is so traumatized by the paparazzi, that he's become a super recluse. He's so hidden that he's considered dead. A person can't get more out of the public's eye than being dead and gone, right?

There's a problem though. Extreme solitude comes with the pitfall of being lonely, and if that hermit's cooking skills run the gamut of toast, cereal and microwaved meals, things like that can make a person crazy. So what to do? Hire someone to cook for you, right? But, who is going to want to cook for someone they've never seen, nor will ever? That's the first hurdle Declan, the hero, has to face.

The heroine has her own issues. They're more unrealized dreams - she wants to own her own restaurant someday but has to have the funds to do it. She's worked like a dog but things just aren't moving forward fast enough and she's out of options. Until, she sees the want ad.

You know where this is going right? Yes, she accepts the offer. But, even only hearing Declan's voice, Rose has an immediate reaction to his voice in her ears and right away a reader figures out that the heroine is VERY receptive to the hero. Which is good because he's more than a little receptive of her. Even though she can't see him, he can see her and it's becoming an obsession.

So, the courtship begins. It has it's ups and downs like all romances do but Declan's chip on his shoulder is a bit more than even Hercules would want to deal with. Guilt. Later on in the story, the guilt is turned on its ear and what a surprise that was. Talk about levels of angst!

Rose is funny, has a very twisted and off-beat sense of humor and is a wiz with food. She is actually the stronger of the couple as Declan's mental anguish and misconceptions and fear, fear with a capital F, has a tendency to take this stud and mire him down in his own emotional quagmire. He's really messed up. My good opinion of Declan was an up and down yo-yo affair but he's basically a decent guy. I personally liked Rose the best. She is in love with him, but she's a survivor too and that is one personality trait I'm glad the author endowed her with.

I really wanted to give this a solid 4 out of 5 rating but I can't. Mostly because of a glaring edit goof on pages 90 and 95 - the exact same three sentences were used twice. It stuck out like a sore thumb. And, because this is a older book, I even highlighted it to make sure I wasn't imagining it. No, it's really repeated. Even the great Kensington Publishing house isn't perfect.

However, to combat that negative, let me share one sentence that the author wrote in this novel:
"... and gazed up at the few stars bright enough to fight the moon for the sky."

That sentence felled me.
It's simply beautiful, eloquent and a masterful imagery that struck me with wonder. I LOVED that sentence. I highlighted that as well in the book.

Despite Declan's shortcomings, and a few strange side trips, plus a heart wrenching family situation, this is a very entertaining read. It has some strong storytelling elements worth checking out and a romance that had some extremely funny and unconventional moments.

The Sexiest Dead Man Alive may be an older book, and the author might not be writing anymore, but if you are able to find this at a library, a book sale or a used book store, it's a deal to pick up and read. I'm glad I took a chance on it because I actually enjoyed myself.