Sunday, November 15, 2015

Creep - Jennifer Hillier

Pulsing with the dark obsession of Radiohead’s song “Creep,” this taut thriller—Jennifer Hillier’s superb debut—rockets from its seductive opening to a heartpounding climax not easily forgotten.

If he can’t have her . . .

Dr. Sheila Tao is a professor of psychology. An expert in human behavior. And when she began an affair with sexy, charming graduate student Ethan Wolfe, she knew she was playing with fire. Consumed by lust when they were together, riddled with guilt when they weren’t, she knows the three-month fling with her teaching assistant has to end. After all, she’s finally engaged to a kind and loving investment banker who adores her, and she’s taking control of her life. But when she attempts to end the affair, Ethan Wolfe won’t let her walk away. . . .

no one else can.

Ethan has plans for Sheila, plans that involve posting a sex video that would surely get her fired and destroy her prestigious career. Plans to make her pay for rejecting him. And as she attempts to counter his every threatening move without her colleagues or her fiancĂ© discovering her most intimate secrets, a shattering crime rocks Puget Sound State University: a female student, a star athlete, is found stabbed to death. Someone is raising the stakes of violence, sex, and blackmail . . . and before she knows it, Sheila is caught in a terrifying cat-and-mouse game with the lover she couldn’t resist—who is now the monster who won’t let her go. Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: Creep
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Publication Date: July 5, 2011
Format: Finished Copy
Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 
Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters.
My rating: 2/5

I was intrigued by the premise for Creep. It showed such promise. A professor, having an illicit affair with one of her teaching aides, also newly engaged to another man. A missing student, whose body is found. It was laden with all of the markings of a great read.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. I feel like it tackled the topic from one direction, without thinking that it could have been written from a different point of view altogether. The characters were one-dimensional, lacking substance. I couldn't connect to them. If the story had been written from a different view, targeting the villain and following the mystery aspect, rather than the supposed psychological aspect, it would have been so much better. It felt like a first draft rendering. With work, it could be something better.
I hate writing negative reviews. I have had a friend read it and rave about it, it just didn't work for me. Hillier has potential, and I hope that now that this book is under her belt, that she continues on to bigger and better. 

The End of the Unintended Hiatus.

Hello everyone.

It has been several years since I have blogged with any regularity. Life certainly has been busy, and I ended up having next to no time to blog, let alone read. I was working three jobs, and now am down to one, which is giving me ample time to get back into reading, and writing reviews.

I have a lot of books to review from the last several years, and will be getting to those books as I can. I will also be adding in reviews of my own books as well sporadically. I apologize for the delay in getting these reviews written. Unfortunately, life happens. I hope you stick with me, but if you decide not to, I understand.

I look forward to getting back into blogging, and being part of the blogging community again.

Thank you! :)