Everything in Ben’s life is perfect. He has it all. The good career. The perfect partner, Evan. The happy home. They were even talking about turning the extra bedroom into a nursery.But things start to splinter.Evan begins missing time, not knowing where he was or how he got there. Terrors in the night rip them both from sleep, and Evan’s suddenly violent outbursts cost him his job and his … outbursts cost him his job and his reputation.
And voices in his head turn from whispers to screams, commanding him to act.
To turn on Ben.
How far will Ben go to save his partner’s life? How far is too far?
Should he have just run away?
***
This book is part of the Criminal Delights series! Please check out the other novels in the series.
This book is part of the Criminal Delights series! Please check out the other novels in the series.
This novel contains scenes of intense content suitable for adult audiences.
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This is a hard book for me to review. It has all the things I like in a Tal Bauer’s book (a strong connection between the main characters, a very real, almost palpable love, a writing that makes you feel everything), but it was honestly hard for me to read all of it: at first it’s the heartbreaking situation of a relationship that is falling apart, even when the characters still deeply love each other. That is definitely not what I enjoy to read. Then started the creepiness and the suspense part and, even if I knew everything was going to turn out fine, my heart was in my throat.
So, am I glad I did decide to push ahead until the end? Yes, I am. The story is definitely interesting and masterfully written, and I liked that at the end of it we are not really sure about what happened, and how, or why. But what we know is that love and dedication can conquer anything and can steer us through even the most difficult, frightening situations.
With this book Tal Bauer confirmed that he never misses and that I will definitely read anything he writes.
***This review was based on a complimentary prerelease copy.***
“Our original sin is not our rebellion. It’s that we weren’t ready. We weren’t ready for the burdens that came with knowing. Because to truly know good and evil is a terrible thing.”
This suspenseful thriller had me in its grips throughout the story. It is full of conflicting emotions and beliefs that are essential to the characters’ lives.
Ben is an Athiest, living in the house in which he was raised and teaching at his home town school. He has been living with the love of his life for the past few years, dreaming and planning their future together. That is, until Evan starts pulling away.
Ben is sure Evan is ready to leave; to a new job, a new lover, something that does not include him. He is not willing to leave his home, so he just feels more abandoned every time Evan ignores him or just doesn’t come home.
But, Evan’s been keeping secrets of his own. Secrets he’s terrified of, secrets he doesn’t understand or know what they mean. When Ben gets a call from Evan’s HR department, things start to unravel.
Secrets are revealed, rage and terror become the norm, and hope becomes something almost out of reach. But with the intervention of an unexpected counselor, Ben is forced to make decisions about concepts he doesn’t really accept.
In the end, after a lot of pain, heartache, and loss, Ben and Evan are able to reach a point in their lives in which they face a future neither man had expected, but they have each other, and their love.
Happy reading!
* I received an ARC of this book and I am leaving my honest review. *
A very extreme suspenseful thriller extremely dark to be there would be frightening .
Ben a school teacher always lived in the house that was his parents before.
Lives with his partner /lover Evan who works in sales .
When Evan seems to be pulling away Ben gets extremely worried and perhaps he is jumping to conclusions!
Evan hears voices they don’t stop and his head is constantly spinning he feels out of control.
Tal Bauer writes wonderful worded books , so much research goes into his writing but this book Splintered is nothing like his previous books , its still 100% wonderful and extremely hair raising . I could picture all what was happening .