They were taken.Off the street. From parking lots. Malls. Playgrounds.Snatched from life and thrust into hell.They took Orion Darby on a perfect summer day, while she could still taste her first kiss on her lips.She joined the others with chains on their ankles and scars on their souls.They turned into nothing more than statistics. Cold cases. Lost girls.Years passed and the world forgot.Until … and the world forgot.
Until the day they escaped.
This is not about their captivity.
This is about their struggle to return to a life that’s passed them by.
This was the real world.
But for Orion, this was hell.
You see… freedom isn’t enough.
She needs blood.
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This is not a book for the faint of heart but amazing if you can handle some darker content. I have read 100 books this year and this one was hands down the best one I have read year to date. The way that Orion was written was so beautifully dark that you could not help but fall in love with her strength as well as her vulnerability. I felt all of her emotions the entire book. Anne Malcom and BT Urruela knocked
it out of the park with this book!!
This story is straight out of hell, it’s dark, twisted and has an ending that I didn’t see coming.
This is Orion’s story. Kidnapped, raped, tortured and held captive for 10 years. This is her story of revenge and ladies her payback is a bitch! It’s not a true love story, but there are elements where you can see what might have been, only if….only if she hadn’t been taken, only if she hadn’t been through hell and back, only if….
Maddox and Orion never had their chance. Their love never started, but at the end of the book I have to believe they find their way to something they both can live with.
What did I just read? That ending! Woah! Sometimes Monsters get their own special happy endings. – Elizabeth @ Carolina Chic’s Read
Blurb:
They were taken.
Off the street. From parking lots. Malls. Playgrounds.
Snatched from life and thrust into hell.
They took Orion Darby on a perfect summer day, while she could still taste her first kiss on her lips.
She joined the others with chains on their ankles and scars on their souls.
They turned into nothing more than statistics. Cold cases. Lost girls.
Years passed and the world forgot.
Until the day they escaped.
This is not about their captivity.
This is about their struggle to return to a life that’s passed them by.
This was the real world.
But for Orion, this was hell.
You see… freedom isn’t enough.
She needs blood.
Book Review:
If I could give this one more than 5 stars it would totally be 10 stars!
So listen up… I just finished Hush a few minutes ago and this is the first time that I am saying… what the hell did I just read? I’m saying this in the best way possible. This story filled all the deep dark places that my mind loves to go when reading a dark story. What these girls face could possibly turn them to monsters and for Orion this Is exactly what happens. The unfolding right up to the end is so jaw dropping good. You know sometimes Monsters get their own special happy endings.
I have been wanting a collaboration from these two for a while now and when that announcement came I was filled with so much joy. I just knew that they would take me to the dark places my mind loves in these stories.
Hush by BT Urruela and Anne Malcom is a brand new thriller stand-alone.
With only reading the blurb, I went into this book blind. I just knew from this blurb that this book was going to shatter my mind, heart and soul.
I am just going to say one thing, trust these authors. Go into this book blind, take a risk, venture into the unknown without reading those reviews.
This book does tackle some triggers that may trigger with your own, so please when picking up this book be known of that.
This is a book that I feel people should read and it is what is needed. The world is filled with so many fucked up things and one of those things are kidnapping and abduction.
Ever wondered about what happens to those girls and boys who get taken from the street. This is the story of how we find out what life is like for those lost girls when they are set free.
I’ve watched a million shows and read so many books about how, why and what happens but never about the aftermath.
Especially the aftermath, learning how they adapt to life itself and learn the new norm.
After learning Orion’s Story, I fed off her anger, her pain was living for her thirst of seeking blood, justice and vengeance for those who wronged her.
That was what she craved.
They took the wrong girl.
Besides all that happened to Orion, I loved her fierceness and how strong she was throughout this book. Her strength and determination was shown in every aspect in this book.
It’s not the darkness in this book that got to me, it was what is to happen to this girl that cut me real deep in the feels.
One thing that I loved was that the romance side of this book wasn’t the whole focus point but there is that touch that I think was needed as it gives hope and light to this already dark story.
I’ve never read anything by BT but Anne I have, it was easy to see where one would start and one would pick up but the whole story flowed as one and blended together perfectly.
Definitely pick up this story as I feel it is one that needs to be read. This is a story that will stick with me forever as it’s something that I have never seen written before, especially in the way that we see a heroines life after her life had been stolen from her.
Hush by BT Urruela. Anne Malcolm was a story I didn’t expect. Ri aka Orion was a 14 year old girl who is from the wrong side of the tracks. She has captured the eye of her best friend’s older brother. What should have been the happiest day of her life turns into a house of horrors. Kidnapped into a pedophile sex house she is abused for ten years. The real story is about how her and the 2 other girls deal with life after they rescued themselves. Orion as she now likes to be called has to deal with a life she no longer has, her childhood best friend and her first and only love who is now a cop. Jackie had been at the house years before Orion. Her freedom ends up on a path of over indulgence. Shelby had only been in the house less than a year and was determined to get her life back. Orion is hurt, angry and wants revenge. She has lost so much, endured unthinkable horror and doesn’t know her place in this new world. Just a good story that pulled me in from the beginning and the ending blew my mind. I would love to know more. I want a continuation book. Don’t want to give to much away. If I get an opportunity to read a book by these 2 again I will. Just enjoy. 4.5 stars for me.
This story, it’s a all consuming darkness that eats away at every bit of rationality you possess. From the minute I opened this book I was thrust into the abyss. Into this dark and deeply deprived all consuming world filled with heart wrenchingly brutal and raw realities that are hard to comprehend. It’s not even a little bit sweet and swoony. This is your darkness nightmares turned into someone’s reality and it’s not easy to read. Don’t look for someone to be the hero, it doesn’t happen in the ways you’d think.
It’s gutting in a way you don’t see coming but this story is supposed to hurt. This isn’t a fairytale or sweet romancing. I appreciate the willingness to delve into topics that are not easy to read or write. I love that these two captured the dark and didn’t alter it or try to make it seem less than exactly what it was. Not every story can have a HEA in way you’d think. Sometimes it has to be the kind that leaves room for growth, to be able to live even if it’s not pretty but it’s true to them. That’s exactly what they did. Orion’s story isn’t pretty but it’s hers. Every painfully raw and honest thought, feeling and action.
I felt rage that was gut burning. I shouted, ranted and spewed profanity at this kindle. I cried in shock, in sadness and in despair. I cheered at her vengeful need to fix what’s broken and I broke in the rare moments of raw vulnerability she allowed herself. Your going to want more. You’ll feel all these emotions and wish for her happiness. But in the end you’ll understand and accept her reality for what it is and what she becomes because of it. She’s strong despite it all and I so appreciate her strength, her character. She’s a bad***.
This book is a absolute rollercoaster of emotions that completely consume you. The book hangover isn’t even funny and I’m honestly still not over everything that happened. This is a phenomenal book and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I’m a romance girl all the way in all the great varieties it comes but this, it’s different in a way that I won’t forget. I finished it and went to work only to be plagued with thoughts of this book and everything that happened.
I finished it and I wasn’t ready for it to be finished. These characters, their journey… Everything about this book is gripping and all consuming in a way you won’t forget.
Also I love you cannot tell were one author ends and another begins. They’ve written this story so seamlessly you can’t at any point tell who wrote what. It’s just a master piece that’s carefully crafted but pack a huge punch emotionally and I’m not over it.
If you can’t tell from my rambles above.. I love it!!
4-1/2 Stars!
Let me start off by saying this book was extremely well written! It sucks you right in & drags you down a deep dark hole of horrors. How I’m going to sleep tonight I don’t know.
This book is dark, it’s twisted, it’s heartbreaking & most of all it shines light on what I know way way too many people go through in real life. I’ve seen more of it on the news lately & this book just punches you in the face with reality. This isn’t a romance by any means. I was actually completely surprised by the ending. I thought it would end on more of a romantic note. But when I think back, the ending brings it all full circle.
This book is not for the light of heart. Prepare yourself. I received an arc of this book in return for an honest review.
Dark, depraved, and desperate in places, I would listen to those around you that say pay heed to the trigger warnings. Not really a romantic suspense in my eyes, but too soft to be relegated solely to the criminal suspense genre. It is perfectly written as it is, and I really enjoyed watching BT Urruela’s words dancing, and sometimes fighting together on the page with Anne’s.
My heart broke, and bled, and cried for those girls. Not just for them though, I cried for the friends they touched, the parents who missed them and wouldn’t say goodbye. We all so badly want to take books like this, real life situations like this, and run an eraser over it as if it were a white board and we were fully capable of offering a clean slate and no nightmares.
Unfortunately as far as we’ve come in society, some simply don’t have to pay any price for the evil $hit they do, and so then it may behoove you to question why the woman in the corner of the bar with the dead eyes is so beautiful it is almost physically painful to look at all her angles and sharp edges. Why does she make you so uncomfortable with her mere presence? Are you wondering what she’s thinking? Maybe next time you should.
There’s more than one generation of damaged and stolen women passing you calmly, while their souls scream violently at each brush of air on their skin, on the sidewalk each day. 5 brilliant stars for Anne Malcom and BT Urruela’s Hush, I hope they collaborate again soon.
I’m honestly unsure how to review Hush. This book…. Lordie, this book! I really hate to say Anne Malcom and BT Urrella combined my favorite genres. The horror (I don’tmean horror in the traditionalsense but a horrific event), the suspense and thrills, the darkness… it’s all here in spades. There’s a flicker of romance, more the shadows of what could have been. OK so here we have Anne Malcom’s first ever co-writen story. I’ve never read Urrella before this book but I’ve read all of Anne Malcom. I’ve become obsessed with reading ALL of Anne’s words ASAP and HUSH was no different. This story is obsessive and completely horrific and I mean that in the absolute best possible way. I can’t keep rambling… but grab this story! If you like your stories dark and the outcomes real, than this I can’t recommend this more than I have… read it now!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Wow! I got a glimpse of this stunning cover and had to read. Both authors are new to me, but they worked together seamlessly with this story. I couldn’t tell where one author started and the other one ended. I hope we get to see more of their collaborative work in the future because this book was amazing.
This story was raw, brutal and heart breaking. It was full of twists, turns and jaw dropping moments. It was definitely not for the faint hearted. Even now I can’t stop thinking about this story. It will stay with me for a long time. This is one of those books you must read and experience for yourself. I don’t want to give spoilers.
4 Dark and Painful Stars!!
This is a book that, if you can handle the triggers, should definitely be read. It brings to light a part of our world that most of us are sheltered from and in this case both BT and Anne did a spectacular job of writing a book that at times made me uncomfortable with what was happening. But given what Orion went through for those long years she was held captive, I wouldn’t expect anything less from either of them. They’re both well versed in writing subject matter that can at times be violent and dark.
I loved how the book was written in that we get flashbacks of what went on during her captivity through her flashbacks however brief they may have been. This is a woman that has withstood atrocities that most people would crumble from. Seeing who she was when she escaped versus the young girl from years previous is so difficult to endure especially when one of her rescuers is none other than the boy she had the biggest crush on as a teenager. I felt his pain in my heart in how he and his sister have also changed because of this one event in their lives.
I’m not going to say much more about this book because you need to go in blind on this one to really feel everything that this book is about. You’re in for a ride that will take you to places unimagined and this is all thanks to the authors who have written a phenomenal book!
This dynamic duo of authors has certainly penned a tale which shreds and destroys the heart from the very beginning! Orion is 14-years old and is riding home on her bike with her head in the clouds as she has just had her first kiss from her best friends brother, when she is snatched off the street, raped and held captive with other girls in the same predicament. After 10-years of being held chained up and mentally and physically tortured and abused, the girls manage to escape and Orion is understandably struggling to exist but Maddox who was her 1st kiss is now a detective and is there to help and support her. This is a well written flawless story which is unique and decadent, and is a dark, raw, gritty, intense, emotional, and a powerful story. I was hooked throughout, but this is not a story for the faint-at-heart, and please be aware of triggers. I cannot wait to read more from this duo.
You know when I first heard of this book, I was so excited. After all I just love Anne’s work so much. I have not read BT before, but since Anne was involved I was game. But these two together are so damn good. I loved this dark book so much. What ever you think is dark before this, now you will know that a dark book means. So be warned this is not a romance, though there are a small and I mean small traces of it.
So the basis of the story is of a girl that was kidnapped young and forced to live with a killer who abused them. When someone would displease him he would kill her and then fill that space with a new girl. What happens when you live with that for years, never knowing when your time comes. But there is more going on than just what is on the surface. So years later when three strong girls escape, but have to kill one of their abusers? I will tell you what happens, it opens up vengeance like you have never seen in one of the girls. She has a taste for blood now.
So just to warn you, if you have triggers you may want to tread carefully here. There are most definitely some themes. Yes this book is dark but I so loved every minute of it. You do not know what would become of you if something like this ever happened to you. Here we get to read about how one girl decided to take back her lost years and pain. Bravo Anne and BT, you guys did an amazing job.
Heartbreaking Survival and Revenge
This was such a well written story, not only of survival but the lengths that Orion will go for her revenge.
Stolen off the streets as a 14year old girl.
10 years caged and abused for the depraved pleasures of monsters in ways that have ruined her ability to heal. Or so she thought.
These authors should consider co-writting more together.
It was a tragically cruel however beautifully written story about more than the abuse. More than just survival.
While heartbreaking to read in parts, it was captivating and kept me intranced throughout. I want more.
OMG what did I just read. This is a very dark brutal read with some triggers so if that’s not your thing I would avoid this book.
I have read a few books with a similar subject and they usually follow the perpetrator and their acts but this one is different because the focus is the victims. What happens to the rescued, how can they possibly reintegrate back into society after the horrors they faced. The authors explore this theme with devastating brutality. Don’t go into this thinking the love of a good man is going to save the heroine because Orion saves herself time and time again she is one of the strongest women I’ve read. Her revenge is brutal but it becomes her way of surviving her coping mechanism. There are moments of tenderness, of friendship, even love but this is not a love story.
This is a difficult read but it needs to be said because it happens because for some this was or is their reality.
This story is not fun, its not pretty, its not easy to read. What it story is, is raw, painful and agonizing.
Orion’s silver lining was her best friend. At 14, she knew her life wasn’t great, it wasn’t even good, but she had April, and for a heartbeat, Maddox.
Then her world as she knew it was gone. All she had now was dirty, ugly and broken.
This is a story of survival, of how to go on after the unthinkable, with the help of persistent and unyielding faces from the past. But sometimes people aren’t just broken, sometimes they’re ruined and there’s no coming back from that. All you can do is take off your mask and let the monsters play.
Hug your young ones close! Debra @ Janise’s Jivin’ Book Blog
Heed the trigger warnings in this book. There are moments of light but the dark is truly prominent in the story.
Obviously you are going to feel strongly for these girls but it is also about the people in the girls world who you feel about also. Either you will be sad or angry or just not sure what to feel for them.
I found the story to be realistic in how each of the “girls’ who survived reacted to being free. No two people will ever react the same to any situation even what you have lost or been through is similar.
The reason I gave it 4 stars was the ending was for me like I was on the edge but I was to never know if I fell or stayed there. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the rest of the story.
Hush
This book is UNLIKE anything I’ve ever read! It’s content is dark but the way in which this content is dealt with is so unique and different, it will keep you enthralled from the first word, right until the very last page!
Maddox finally gets his moment to be with the girl he’s falling in love with but she should be off limits because she is best friends with his sister. When she disappears, the butterfly effect is profoundly felt by him and his sister. Ten years later she resurfaces and is nothing like he remembers! This is Orion and Maddox’s story but not in a way you would expect as there is no light at the end of the tunnel, only never-ending darkness
Loved this story and I can’t wait for these two authors to co-write again Thank you to Anne for my advanced copy for which I willingly leave my honest review
***5 Stars***
This book dug its claws into me from the first page and didn’t let go until the very end…and that ending?!?!?! *Gives the evil eye to the authors, even as I applaud them for it*
But this book is one hell of a ride. It’s gritty, gut churning, fascinating, brutal and I got lost in the journey of the Stolen Girls and how what they’d been put through affected not only them, all those around them.
As Orion is something of the main focus, yes there are others and I want to do a total verbal vomit brain drain about everyone we meet in this book, I’ll stick with Orion so as not to get all spoilery. Orion Darby is a survivor. She amazed me with her strength and resolve to find her place in a world that she didn’t understand, but also didn’t understand her. Every reaction, choice and simple thought she had pulled me in deeper and I found that I didn’t want to say good-bye to her because her story was truly just begging.
This is a vague as all get out review because you have experience this book on your own terms. It is obviously dark and filled with all kinds of triggers, but it’s also about hope and how you have the ability to make your life your own.
As for the writing. I’m a fan girl of one of the authors and have not yet read the other, but the writing was seamlessly done. Pacing was very good and the multiple POV’s totally worked for me. So, if they ever choose to do another project together, I will be definitely be making grabby hands at it!
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Have been DYING to read this book since this dynamic duo first announced it. The blurb, cover, teasers and early reviews just hyped up my eagerness even more. Let me say here and now, from the prologue alone, none of it was exaggerated!!!!
“Hush now, girl. You belong to us now….”
I’m sitting here slack jawed and bug eyed, and the book has barely started. That line alone has red flags and warning signs clanging in my head. Already I know this isn’t a book that I’ll forget for a long, long time.
Honestly I don’t know how to adequately convey the heart breaking story that is between these pages. The way the authors have done it, makes you almost feel like you are one of the stolen girls. The strength and resilience they have before, during and after is awe inspiring.
This story is not pretty, not once did it pretend it was going to be something it was going to be something you could tie up with a pretty little bow, (and that was one of the many reasons why i loved it), but still I found myself trying to turn the page after the last page. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to characters and a plot that buried itself deep inside me, tearing me apart.
I cannot reccomend this book enough, and have everything crossed that this author pair write together again in the future as they are amazing writers when working solo, but together…..MIND BLOWN.
Would give more stars if I could!!!