Words are my weapon.
Stories wrap around my soul, choking me, capturing you.
I don’t work in dreams.
I don’t offer escapes.
I cage you within my nightmares.
Magnolia Grace is a horror writer, despite what the name might suggest.
One of the best in the business, if you asked around.
Pressure comes with that title. Expectation for the next nightmare. The next bestseller.
Sickness.
That’s what it … next bestseller.
Sickness.
That’s what it is.
She can’t be healthy. Because that means she won’t write.
And she hasn’t been writing.
A looming deadline and a crumbling psyche drive her into the woods. To a cabin which was the site of a grizzly murder.
A serial killer, butchering women, toying with her.
Her plan is to borrow some of the horror that seeped into the soil.
But hers follows her.
The woods are meant to be her escape. But they are almost her demise.
Almost.
He was an unlikely saviour. An unlikely muse. He has horrors of his own. A motorcycle club looking to settle a score. A soul too broken to offer her anything but pain.
more
I cannot express enough just how good this book was. This is the first book I’ve read by this arthur and it’s definitely not going to be my last.
I fell in love with the heroine (Magnolia) granted she probably wouldn’t think she was ha she’s trying to finish a book but is suffering from writer’s block and decides she’s going to get away from everyone, because she’s not exactly a meet n greet kinda person she ends up at this cabin that of all thing’s was a murder scene and thinks it’ll free up her block and ends up meeting Mr Saint he’s a loner with attitude which their perfect for each other hmm maybe he’s the killer but she figures out she likes him to much, so he can’t be the killer lol I loved how she would talk to herself and her snark, but things are about to change when she decides she’s going to solve the murder the police can’t solve, but to finish her book and yet the killer has his sights on her.
I definitely would recommend picking this book up.
If you are at all familiar with Anne Malcom’s books, you will realize while reading Splinters of You that it is completely different from anything else she’s written. The closest book in her library that I could compare it to is doyenne. which is not quite as Dark, but has the same type of heroine; strong and intelligent, fierce and capable. And while it is Dark, Splinters is also intriguing, suspenseful, whip smart, and definitely different. It is more horror, than romance; more mystery, than just fiction. It is slow to start, but builds to make up for that in spades. And while the storyline has a lot going on, Malcom’s writing masterfully reigns it in to a tightly bound, well-crafted read that leaves you very satisfied with what you finish with, an excellent read. 5 Intense Stars!
5 *SELFISH* star
Splinter of You is the first book in the Retired Sinners MC series. It is completely different than Anne’s other books. It is her DARKEST book EVER and it has become my fav from her. It is more than horror, romance, mistery and crime, it is more than ABOVE ALL. It is EVERYTHING! It inspired me, yes maybe I’m weird, but that doesn’t appeal to me. The story was inhaled me into the first pages and I enjoy every single moment while a read.
We can read this story in present time from Magnolia’s POV. She is a horror writer, she’s the darkest and the most honest heroine who I know. In spite of all these she is very likeable character to me. She has skeletons in her closet, she is lonely, but she like that. I liked that she didn’t think too hard, don’t want to comply with anyone. She did what she wanted.
Beside the dark heroine we can know a similar and yet completely different hero. His name is Saint. He is patient and caring but but there are skeletons in his closet too.
They are perfect together but they are destroy each other too. They don’t want fake people in their lives. Like you or me.
This book is a war! War with ourshelves, with everyone. But maybe in the end you finally have peace. I find peace!
I cannot tell how much I love this book!!! Splinters of You gripped my soul, and yours will too! What I feel is indescribable. I want to cry, broken and crushed. I’m can’t wait to read the next books in the series.
If Criminal Minds, Stephen King, and Isla from The Vein Chronicles had a baby, it’d be this book times a million. Picture the darkest and most depraved thing you’ve ever seen or can think of and then multiply by a gazillion, then you’ll get this book. It’s not the kind of evil that confronts you face forward, but instead slowly seeps into your pores and drains your insides until your nothing but an empty vessel. It’d be absolutely terrifying if I wasn’t completely fascinated by it.
If you’re an avid reader of this author’s then you know that this isn’t her usual stuff. Sure, there are still hints of her independence, strength, sass, and alpha male tendencies in her characters. But there’s a tint of darkness to them, and a development of complexity I’ve never seen from her before. And yes, there are similarities to doyenne. but there is more than one monster in the dark and it’s safe to say these two books are dark in their own right. If you’re looking for her usual romance stories, this probably isn’t the book for you. Sure, there’s love to be found in this, but for the first time, it’s not the focal point of the story. And I’m actually quite impressed at how beautifully it’s written.
Splinter’s of You by Anne Malcom is like watching a Criminal Minds episode come to life, narrated from the perspective of the serial killer and victim, before the murder. It’s an interesting thing to watch unfold, especially seeing their thoughts on paper. Coincidentally, during this self-isolation, I started binge-watching Criminal Minds again from the beginning. So that means, reading about Magnolia’s profiling and research made absolute sense to me and I even could predict a few things before I read them, because of it. I loved it.
It’s a long book. Very long. Right from the beginning, there’s a feeling of trepidation, doom, an end of the world feel. It’s disturbing. But like a car crash, I couldn’t look away. It’s such a dark story. It’s definitely daunting and eerie as hell but also has a soothing quality to it. It’s almost enough to scare me. Give me goosebumps. I feel like I’m diving into the darkness and depravity of the author’s mind and I can’t get enough despite its horrors.
I won’t go much into the plot of the book or describe the characters, because I feel like this is a book that needs to be read blind. It’s the only way to fully experience it. I will say, the passages at the beginning of each chapter creeped me out. It was like a foreboding on all the vile things to come. It added to the mood of the story. There was also a bone-chilling scene, that literally made me scream out because of the full-body shiver it made me do. I won’t say anything about it apart from the words, “I’m your biggest fan.” Literally had me jump up and look around my room, double-checking I locked my door and windows.
Honestly, it was a beautiful read, because, despite its depravity, my soul could relate in all the ways that matter, and I don’t know if that’s the real reason it scares me. Thank you, Anne Malcom, for sharing your soul with us. I can’t imagine the energy, effort, and pieces of your soul it took to write this but I’m grateful. Reading that book has left me alert and questioning a lot of things in my life. It’s 8 am, and I haven’t slept. But I couldn’t go to sleep without seeing it to the end and draining my mind of my review before sleep and have nightmares of Magnolia and Saint. I’m horrible at putting my thoughts to paper or properly expressing them, but I hope this review shows how much this book affected me. Fantastic novel and I’m so excited for everyone to get their hands on it.
This book felt like you were there with the author
and the protagonist. I can feel that she put a lot into
this book. It was an interesting experience, but a good one.
It was a little dark, a little intense but oh so good
It began slow and monotone
I’ll be honest when I started I put it down and did not pick it up for a while, but new to me author did not disappoint.
When I picked up this book again I pushed thru the 1st chapter and I could not stop, while yes the characters can be hard to connect with, I did with the heroine in the end she was a stronger than most especially in the HEA that was not a typical because this is not a Romance, definently a suspenseful ride worth pushing thru.
This is a book I never knew I needed. The cover and blurb called to me so I couldn’t not read this book. From beginning to end it sucked me in… Oh boy when it ended I found myself not knowing if any book would be able to do the same.
“Of course, people inspired me. Their flaws, faults, their depravity. I collected it all and mixed it with my own nightmares, created a story…”
Magnolia Grace is a horror writer with some serious writer’s block. She has ran away from her vapid, luxurious life in New York to lock herself away in a cabin she bought in Washington to get this book done. Magnolia may write about demons and the evil in the world that may give people nightmares but they all don’t come close to the ones she has locked away. She isn’t friendly really and would love nothing more then to be alone but the people in this small town are curious about the person who has purchased the cabin where there dear Emily was murdered. Pst… The murderer is still at large…
Saint is a recluse and a neighbor to Magnolia. Finding her in the woods injured and taking her to the local doctor seemed like the right thing to do but he didn’t realize what he was about to get himself into. Saint has a past of his own full of nightmares and some dangerous people he has been hiding away from.
Magnolia needs a muse right now and Saint might just be it.
Sharing their demons, nightmares, and darkness might just be what they both need.
A murderer on the loose still, a crazy fan, and a motorcycle club Saint left behind.. things get a little.. okay a lot crazy.
This book is so much more than a dark romance. It’s got suspense, mystery, and is so thrilling. A must read if your into these kinds of books.
This is a dark and twisted book. I loved every minute of it. It’s so different than most of the books I’ve read recently that it was refreshing. I love dark books with a bit of romance and this was just what I needed!
I have to first apologise for not reading this earlier!!! I one clicked April 30th and then it sat on my kindle. I think maybe I was subconsciously working my way up to it! If you have read anything by this author, you know she puts her heart and soul into each and every book she writes. And I knew that this was not going to be an easy read, how right I was!
What a fantastic read! Every word, every feeling attaches itself like a barb to your skin making you hurt as much as the characters do.
No spoilers of any kind included.
I thought Splinters Of You was pretty good.
The story kept me entertained from the first chapter right up until the very end.
Anne Malcom is a great story weaver because I always look forward to the next book she writes and I also enjoy rereading past books of hers.
So yes I do recommend this book because it is a good story to climb into and get lost within its pages.
*An ARC was provided by the author, publisher or a promotional service and I have chosen to publish a fair and honest review*
Whatever genre Anne delves into, she delivers beautiful words, original stories, and book hangovers that last days. Magnolia was one of the coolest, more inspiring and also scariest heroines I’ve ever read and I don’t hesitate to say, I am in love with her!
3.5 stars. I want to first start of with saying I really liked this book! It wasn’t a book that I could just push through though. I took my time with it. I was hooked from the moment I started reading it. Anne’s writing was flawless! I love dark books. I love getting sucked into them. Magnolia was written perfectly. You had a love hate view of her. You loved her because she was unapologetically herself, but at the same time she came across as rude and uncaring. My problem with the book was the flow and build up of the story. I was disappointed that there was build up and then nothing would really come from it. Then things would be mentioned as if it was an after thought. So what you thought was going to be the major part of the story throughout the book wasn’t and it just ended. I don’t want to leave any spoilers so I won’t go into specifics. Overall I would still recommend this book to people.
Received an arc for an honest review
Splinters of You (Retired Sinners MC #1) by Anne Malcom
5 STARS
Splinters of You was my first read from the author Anne Malcom. I went blind in to the book, didn’t knew what to expect, but I was blown away.
It was my kind of dark, it was AMAZING. I am speechless.
The mystery, the darkness, the horror, the suspense…….I am DEAD.
I was pleasantly surprised to read something difrent, something different from what I have read before.
Definitely won’t be my last read from Anne Malcom.
I definitely HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
My first book by this author and the blurb called to my black heart… The book delivered everything it said in the blurb… it was dark, raw, grizzly, no descriptions were spared (mental note to self, never read Anne Malcolm’s books whilst eating ever again)!! This author was very graphic, I felt everything.
Two characters who were so alike in their needs, their souls … “If you weren’t comfortable in your nightmares. I don’t offer dreams.” Absolutely spot on!! These two thrived off things that go bump in the night… I’d be a paranoid bag of nerves if my life read like Magnolia’s. Both of their live hid untold horrors, events that made them the characters they are today. Saint was the strong silent type, you could feel his power without saying a thing, but he also had a caring, nurturing side… Swoon! Magnolia had the attitude I wish I could have… the don’t care mentality.
Loved the writing, the plot but felt the ending was a long time coming and over way too quickly. Without adding spoilers I was expecting a bit more of a twist over a couple of events so it felt a bit anti climatic to me. A fault of my brain always looking deeper for meanings,
A great introduction to this authors work and glad its the first in a new series so I can continue with it.
Anne Malcom has outdone herself with this one! It was a phenomenal start to this new series
Anne really started this off in a way that gripped your attention from the very beginning. It was a slow build but it seriously held your attention. Once the pace picked up I was on the edge of my seat and very glad my husband was playing his PS4 so I could read in peace and uninterrupted.
Magnolia Grace and Saint were complete opposites but they were perfect together. They were so in-sync with each other, they gave each other strength and support. Saint is her unlikely saviour when she is tormented by s serial killer. Their darkness and demons seems to call to each other.
I don’t want to give the plot line away as its something you should experience for yourself. You need to feel every emotion and twist in this book.
I can’t wait to see what Anne brings us next.
Wow! Just when I thought Anne Malcom couldn’t get darker, here comes Splinters of You. She has evolved so much as an author and continues to bring readers amazing stories. To call this dark romance is limiting this book to a single label. Splinters of You takes you on one hell of a ride. It will keep your attention from the first page to the last. The characters are created perfectly as is the world in which they live. I could go on forever but I’ll leave you with this: Go grab this book. You won’t be sorry!
When you open a book you are either going to escape into a world you’d love to live in or bleed because the story rips at your soul. Splinters of You makes you bleed. Your heart begins this rapid pace to devour each word. You don’t want to miss an angle or a secret yet to unfold. Anne Malcom has written a very deep dark story of survival in the mist of chaos. Not chaos that’s physical but mental. You will get to see into the mind of an author and why writing this story could very possibly end her life.
Magnolia Grace is an author. She’s writes horror. The grisly type. The unredeemable type. In order to write her next novel, she decides to leave NYC to go to a small town in the middle of no where. A town shrouded in murder. She’s forced to meet the locals because in every small town everyone knows each other’s business. She’s not friendly or kind. She’s abrupt, sarcastic and badass. Her search for the story for her next novel has her researching a dead woman. Will this turn into the story of a lifetime or the one that ends her life?
“Of course, people inspired me. Their flaws, faults, their depravity. I collected it all and mixed it with my own nightmares, created a story. But I could’ve done it without them, if I really wanted to deep dive into my psyche. I had more than enough depravity.”
Saint is depravity. His appearance raw, rough, definitely scary. He’s the type of man you would never want to meet on the street alone. His past life within a notorious MC has given him plenty of his own ghosts to haunt him too. As a recluse, he wants nor needs human interaction. Finding there’s a new new owner the next property over intrigues him. When he watches her something about her cold solitude draws him in.
“Sure, there are clubs out there that aren’t gangs. But that wasn’t what mine was. It was a gang. Lost boys looking for a family turned into ugly men with rotten hearts, scarred with the sins they’d committed in the name of brotherhood.”
Their connection is hard, tough, and unforgiving. They set fire to each other in a way that will only burn them both. The push and pull game they play of using each other fuels Magnolia’s insatiable need to feed off of others secrets, no matter how horrid to write her stories. It’s her ability to get into their minds and learn their type that gets her the nightmares she needs to horn her craft.
“I needed to know his hard limit. It would help me know him. For if I learned anything studying the lives of others, it wasn’t what people would do, it’s what they wouldn’t that defined them.”
You will turn each page wanting to hear the words of a killer. Dig in to this story to learn how the mind of a killer works and thrive on each sentence. It’ll fuel your own need to face your own demons.
Do you sleep alone at night.? Did your childhood have dark recesses you keep secret? Be prepared to delve into your own darkness when reading this brilliantly written book. It’s a one of a kind.
“I’d much rather live my nightmare in peace rather than my dream in terror.”
Splinters of You is book one in Anne Malcom’s new series Retired Sinners MC. I finished reading this book days ago and it’s taken me a few to reel in enough to write this review.
Firstly it is dark, intense, emotional and all consuming. Be mindful it may contain triggers, but it needs to be on your must read for the year.
Magnolia Grace, not a name you would distinguish as a Dark, gritty and demon filled author, but that is exactly what she is. Magnolia is a New York bestseller with 15 best seller books. With writers block and in need of change, she packs up her life in New York, leaves behind a fiancé and moves to a small town called Terror in the middle of nowhere. Now the name alone should make you wonder what a New Yorker with loads of money would want in this town, but it’s got more to do with Emily. Emily a local woman murdered gruesomely in the backyards first her cabin, the cabin that Magnolia now owns and lives in.
This books was addictive, fast paced, and intriguing, I was hooked from the beginning and could wait to see what was going to happen. The characters were interesting, honest, and witty. I loved every minute of this story and was upset and disappointed when it ended only because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
Well done Anne and another wonderful story and I look forward to what more you have in store for this series.
This book was great! It was thrilling and dark! It was raw and unhinged. I can always expect some crazy reads from this author.
It’s been said to never judge a book by it’s cover, the same can be said about anticipating a book and being completely kicked off kilter by what the author gives us. Splinters of You is something I didn’t expect, actually hated the first few chapters, but instead of giving in and not finishing I kept reading. Why? Because Anne is one of my go to authors. Is she writes it, I’ll read it.
After a rough start, I finished Splinters of You, having grown to be amazed by Magnolia Grace and her unapologetic presence. She is a splintered thorn on the outside, she portrays someone that is hard as nails, doesn’t care about what others think of her and is unashamed of speaking her mind. On the inside, she’s scared of not being taken for who she is and loved regardless for her flaws. There couldn’t have been anyone for her other than Saint. His demons are a perfect match for her darkness. He knows who she is regardless of what she shows everyone else and loves her for it.
This isn’t a typical love story. It’s hard, sometimes cold and brutal. Magnolia and Saint aren’t the love, heart and flowers couple. They each have dark pasts that define who they are but those are also what make them work so well together.