Pretty Nightmare (Creeping Beautiful, #2)

JA Huss does it again- another twisting, jaw dropping, tangled tale of complex actions and characters. From page one until the end, my brain was working overtime , much like I imagine Donovan’s brain is during an Indie therapy session- as I was trying to grasp the bigger game at play, or hell, who even the players were.

JA delivers on her promises for book 2- we’re back with our core 4 characters trying to figure out how they all fit together and move on from the discoveries in book 1 – which is complicated enough as it is- but on top of that, we still have the troublesome issue of Indie’s psychological state, the Company enigmas, the lingering mystery of Nathan St. James, and the added dynamic of Maggie- who, I must say, I find even more interesting than Indie (begs for future Maggie books).

This book keeps on you on your toes- both in terms of plot and the emotional arcs. We get: answers we wanted, and answers to questions we didn’t even know we had. Even more questions. That heart pounding, twisting plot combined with a deep psychological study of these potent personalities, and all the mystery. The last book very much felt like Indie’s story- and while all our characters progressed here, I feel like this book was mostly about McKay and Adam’s journey, in my opinion.

I struggled to understand the dynamics of relationships- to understand just who loved who and in what way, what the nature and motivation of that love was, who loved who best, what people really needed, etc. And, to be honest, I think that is the point- our characters are struggling with this, too. They know they love each other, need each other, and rely on each other- but the magnitude, nature, and meaning of that love varies not only from character to character but almost moment to moment. All of our characters are psychological scarred and unstable in some ways and emotionally erratic- that makes for incredibly interesting relationship dynamics, but they are not clean, easy, or explicable. In fact, at one point I just had to push myself outside of the box and let my need for clearly defined relational boundaries go- that isn’t gonna happen for these characters- it is not who they are. And, even when I thought I was clear, even in the last few pages, I was still unsure. What I do know that a theme here is connection- the need for connection to each other (that at times can be hard to understand) but also the need for connection to your own self- knowing who you are.

The layered, dynamic characters are what drew me back to this series. They are somehow both solidly defined yet constantly mutable and opaque- and that dichotomy is a fresh and unique take on character building. While other authors who characterize piece by piece through linear plot progression, studying characters who are normally trying to know and embrace their present selfs, JA flips that model on its head. And that’s really part of the brilliance- instead building it piece by piece, we constantly are moving pieces around, some completely disappearing- and the puzzle is never complete, because our characters are NEVER static. Our characters aren’t just trying to understand their current realities and how this shapes them, but they’re also trying to figure out their past selves, which means our understanding of their present selves is always shifting. Our characters, in fact, are just as much painted for us by what they don’t know about themselves as by what they do. And “reality” here isn’t reliable – so our characters (and our) understanding of each other and themselves is always evolving. As readers, we’re experiencing parallel emotions and knowledge building – which connects us to them even more. It’s intriguing, highly skilled, and riveting- even if, at times, you, like our characters, are frustrated by how little you know or understand about someone or something.

I will see midway through the book I had to push myself to stay focused-it just got incredible meta- our characters just all up in their heads, and us trying to figure out what they’re really feeling. The pacing of the last book was so perfect- kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time- and this one seemed to be hoarding revelations, even though we had some breadcrumbs. Donovan, in particular, I started skimming parts of his POV- both his analytic nature made his parts more challenging but I had a harder time connecting to him and his motivations, harder time understanding him. But, the book starts out really strong- I was flying through it trying to understand this new normal based on the bombshell ending of the last book. And the last leg, after that lull, EXPLODES- zero to 100 pretty quickly, and I could not stop reading. Jaw dropping moment after jaw dropping moment. Shock and twists and bittersweet understandings. AND THAT FINAL CLIMACTIC MOMENT- I mean, OMG, I didn’t even see it coming until the last minute.

And, like always, I’m left with questions. I’m still confused about where some of our characters stand with each other and why (but again, trying to let go of the box), and we have still much afoot both between them and the Company. I’m not sure I’m happy with the state of things at the end- but I’m pretty sure if that is because of my need for a neatly wrapped up ending. And, this world is not neat. The ending was quite a mind-F- but wow, what a twisty and windy and deeply psychologically rigorous journey this was. JA is such a talent. Overall 4.5 stars.

HAIL TO THE QUEEN
This book was an insane, mind fuck that had me glued too my kindle. These characters are absolutely unforgettable. I love what was revealed and also like wtf I didn’t see that coming. Truly an remarkable story that everyone must read. Another 5 star read that will blow your mind.

Pretty Nightmare is the second book in the Creeping Beautiful series. You MUST read Creeping Beautiful before you read this book!!! Indie Anna Accorsi, Core McCay, Adam Boucher and Donavan Couture and Maggie Accorsi are back and their stories need to be told!

I HIGHLY recommend Pretty Nightmare and series!

If you love twisted mind games and love suspense then you should love this book. There are some twists that I had to keep picking my jaw up from the ground and the twists kept on a coming!

I am finding that JA Huss is a master when it comes to writing & pulls those puppet strings with complicated precision!

I can’t wait to see what’s next for JA Huss because I know that I will be picking up that book and reading it! 10+ stars

This pretty nightmare was perfection! 5 stars

Wow, my mind was blown away by this book! But, now I will go back! For the first section of the book my thought was that I loved these guys and loved being back in their world. McKay, Adam and Donovan: I love how this author writes their personalities and how they interact with each other. They all had different relationships with Indie too, and I appreciated that. I was glad to see Indie journey to find her truth in this book. When the truth and pretty nightmare was revealed, my jaw dropped and my mind was blown! This book/series was a perfect mix of a riveting world full of captivating characters and mind blowing twists that I highly recommend!

*I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

5 stars don’t do this story justice.

What else can I say other than WOW!!! This book took the previous story and tipped it sideways, backward and upside-down. Shook it out and tossed away the bag. Now it’s covered in more mystery and secrets, even though some have been uncovered and told, more have taken their place.
Julie Huss knows how to write a twisted, crazy story. We all know it too. We all love it, that’s why the ‘rabbit hole’ is so enticing. We want to know more. Need to know everything. The Company wants its due, and someone has to pay it.
Indie, McKay, Adam, and Donovan have had quite a ride in this second part in the ‘Creeping Beautiful’ trilogy. They’ve argued, made up, told lies, and kept secrets. They’ve also fallen more in love. Indie can’t separate them in her mind. She wants all of them or none. And that’s the essence of their relationship, it’s matured, and with all of them together it’s not long before passion is let loose. But, there’s still danger lurking. Some much closer to Old home than any of them ever knew.
Grab a comfy chair and get ready to have your mind blown once more.

Hitchcock had nothing on Huss

The last chapters of this psychological thriller had my heart thumping, my breathing shallow, and my mind spinning. How often does a book do that? Every freaking time with a Huss thriller. In between the reveals and the twists the plot lulls you into complacency with romantic interludes and sweet sexy moments, then the floor falls out from under your perceived story destination. Indie, Adam, McKay, Donavan and cast are and are not what we believed in the first book, they haven’t changed we just know them better and love them more, mostly. The next book can’t come fast enough. How will they all end up, I have no clue, but can’t wait to see.

Plot twists, jaw dropping turns, and sweltering panty-dropping moments! Pretty Nightmare is the book you’ve been waiting for!

J.A. Huss doesn’t leave a stone unturned in the return to the Creeping Beautiful world. When we left Indie, McKay, Adam, and Donovan we had just come to know not only how the young girl was raised by the three men, but also how she fell in love with the boy next door and how that all went wrong.

We pick up where Creeping Beautiful left off and much like that story, Pretty Nightmare weaves us back and forth through different years and different POV’s. I have loved reading in this format for not only building the tension and suspense, but it also was like watching a magic show…the illusionist effect of look over here while I’m doing something over here…so in essence, is the character POV you are reading the truth? Everyone has grown up in The Company, was born and breed from The Company and even though they tried to break away from it, are there still genetically dispositioned traits that never go away? There are so many mind blowing moments this book was unputadownable!

Without giving too much away this review will stay short and sweet, because the plot is all interconnected to each character and each twist, so I’m just going to say if you loved Creeping Beautiful you will love Pretty Nightmare! I would also not recommend reading this book as a standalone as it goes hand-in-hand with Creeping Beautiful.