A HORRIFIC RECURRING NIGHTMARE IS THREATENING TO STEAL HER SANITY… Dr. Corinne Cabot is living the American dream. She’s a successful ER physician in Chicago who’s married to a handsome husband. Together they live in a charming house in the suburbs. But appearances can be deceiving–and what no one can see is Corinne’s dark past. Troubling gaps in her memory mean she recalls little about a … about a haunting event in her life years ago that changed everything.
She remembers only being in the house the night two people were found murdered. Her father was there, too. Now her father is in prison; she hasn’t been in contact in years. Repressing that terrifying memory has caused Corinne moments of paranoia and panic. Sometimes she thinks she sees things that aren’t there, hears words that haven’t been spoken. Or have they? She fears she may be losing her mind, unable to determine what’s real and what’s not.
So when she senses her husband’s growing distance, she thinks she’s imagining things. She writes her suspicions off to fatigue, overwork, anything to explain what she can’t accept–that her life really isn’t what it seems.
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* A review copy was provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
So let me tell you how excited I was to hear that Courtney Cole was branching out into a new genre of writing….SO EXCITED!!! I couldn’t wait to read this book.
I dove into this book with gusto!! I will say it was an enjoyable read and I think Courtney has a strong future in this genre of writing. My only complaint really was that I think she focused more on Jude’s side of the story more than I would’ve liked. I wish the story would have focused more on Corinne and what led up to her problems.
I will warn readers though, this book does have cheating in this story. So if you aren’t a fan of cheating or extra marital affairs then this is NOT the book for you. I normally don’t like reading about affairs in my books but because Courtney is a favorite author of mine I had to give it a try. I am not sorry that I read this book, but I hope that if she continues to write in this genre that her next stories don’t focus around cheating. To be fair I knew what I was getting into when I chose to read this book, so I really can’t mark it down for that, but I thought it was too much the focus of this story.
This is a psychological thriller that will have your mind racing while you read it. I can’t say much about the storyline because this is a story that has to unravel itself for each reader. I will say that Courtney was correct in the blurb when she states that it is like the movie Fatal Attraction….I totally got that vibe while reading this story. Of course Courtney put her own spin on this type of story to make it unique. I will say that as the story progressed I was able to figure somethings out and some of the secrets that were hidden in Corrine’s mind. But even with that Courtney was able to surprise me along the way.
Such Dark Things is a standalone novel told in Dual POV. It is told in both past and present time. I understand why it was written that way, but I have to be honest and say that at times I had to keep reminding myself what time frame we were in…kind of got a little confusing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a different side to Courtney Cole. This book is UNLIKE anything else she has written. Also if you are a fan of that thriller, suspenseful love story, that is filled with angst, secrets, lies and betrayal and you don’t mind cheating, then this is the story for you
I started this book with the sample from Amazon. I couldn’t click purchase fast enough! This story is so amazing! It’s one of those that once you start, you keep saying just one more chapter and then I’ll go to bed. I don’t want to say too much because there are some twisty turns in this book that are really good!
Such Dark Things is a riveting psychological thriller/romance. It’s a book that grabbed me from the very beginning and never let go until I was finished.
Corinne seems to live a charmed life. She is a successful ER physician and has a handsome, successful, and seemingly devoted husband, Jude. We all know appearances can be deceiving, so no one would know that she is falling apart on the inside. No one would know that when she was a child she was present when a horrific murder took place, and her father is in prison for the crime. She can’t remember exactly what happened that night, but she does have nightmares. She has spent her life trying to move on. Yet, the past always has a tendency of coming back and haunting you. Corinne works very long hours, so she blames her exhaustion when she starts having bouts of paranoia. As things begin escalating, she has trouble determining what is reality and what isn’t. She will have to either face her past or become swallowed up by the darkness that threatens to drown her.
The book is told from both Corinne and Jude’s POV. That element allowed me to see a deeper part of their personalities, and Corinne’s was frightening at times. It also gave me a better look at their “perfect” marriage, and I saw how it was slowly falling apart. Honestly, there were times I wanted to take my Kindle and throttle Jude!!!!
The writing is impeccable and quite addictive. I would think I would have the mystery figured out, and the writer would throw in twists I never saw coming. If you are looking for a book to keep you reading long into the night, this one is a perfect pick!!!!
Such Dark Things is the perfect title for Corinne and Jude’s story because it hints at the very nature of the story line, and in doing so, it leaves readers anxiously anticipating the messed up world they’re about to enter as they begin page one.
And let me tell you, Courtney Evan Tate places her readers in an extremely precarious position because as Tate’s main and secondary characters fully develop and ‘show’ their true colors, readers must delve through the uncovered information and determine what incidences are based in reality and which ones are more fantastical than anything else, which is not an easy task due to the very nature of the plot line and the number of players involved in the chaos that has become of Corinne and Jude’s marriage as well as the Corinne’s every vanishing sanity due to a chain of events that she has no recollection of except minute details that continue to lead her astray.
The most important question that I was desperate to answer was about how Corinne’s past and present align…I desperately needed Tate to fill in the holes of Corinne’s memory and in providing those facts/details, I believed that everything would make sense…that there would likely be reasons for all actions taken, and while to some degree, the clues do provide a sense of enlightenment; it’s not until everything has been laid bare that readers will truly be able to understand all characters’ true nature and why they played the role that they did in the storyline.
I was a bit apprehensive about how Tate would be able to provide readers all of the clues and necessary information required for the story to make sense, but Tate’s method for dispensing information, moving between the past and the present and offering both Corinne and Jude’s perspectives, actually worked quite well, and while I didn’t necessarily need Jude’s conflicted thoughts, it did lay some necessary groundwork because without Jude’s point of view, I’m not sure if readers would be able to accept Corinne’s decisions towards the end of the book.
It’s clear pretty early on that nothing and no-one is what it/they seem, and that’s what adds to the intrigue of the story. In order to truly understand all of the characters’ motives, readers need to be able to look at the big picture of events and use the clues to sort through the information because that is the only way that they will be able to unravel all of the chaotic events of the past and the present and reach some sort of cohesive resolution.
Such Dark Things is definitely a change of pace from my usual reading choices, but in some ways, it still has most of the attributes that I’m used to…they’re just a bit more suspenseful and thrilling. In other reviews that I’ve read, some reviewers bring up the fact that there is quite a bit of sex throughout the story line, which they feel doesn’t belong in a story of this kind…I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with them…how I see it is that any author has a poetic license to alter technical devices of his/her storytelling as s/he sees fit, and as long as its addition to the story line makes sense, it’s not really the readers call when it comes to what’s done; they, of course, can have expectations, but it’s still left to the writer’s discretion each and every time.
Corinne and Jude’s story will definitely challenge readers on a number of levels; it’s one wild ride that twists and turns in the unlikeliest spots, but once the resolution is clear, all of the sneaky maneuvers and foreshadowed information falls into place and the reality of the story becomes quite understandable, which helps to keep readers sane after the up and down experience of reading such a dark and highly erotic and suspenseful story.
4 Poison Apples
What a wild ride!
Once I picked up this story, I couldn’t look away. I have never read this author’s work before and after reading the blurb, I immediately placed it on my TBR list. I am so glad I was able to pick it up so soon. This story is like a wreck that you just can’t seem to look away from.
Corinne and Jude have been married for over a decade. She works a an ER doctor and he as a therapist. Lately, their marriage has taken some hits. They aren’t getting along with each other as well as in the past and Corrine’s crazy schedule is making things worse. Jude finds Corrine with both of her wrists slit and they make the decision for her to live in a mental hospital. Will this help her? Will they be able to salvage their marriage?
This story is fast paced and told by going back in time as well as in the present. I love that it was told in both Jude and Corrine’s point of views. It may seem like this would be confusing, changing the time and point of view every chapter, but it was not at all confusing. It was easy to follow along. This was very different than other psychological thrillers that I have read lately and it was a very nice change. It helped me get reinvested in the genre when I felt like I was slipping away.
I enjoyed the whole cast of characters in this story as well.
Don’t be afraid to pick this story up! It was a wonderful psychological thriller with a hint of romance thrown in. The romance doesn’t over power the story in any way. It helps to connect on a higher level to the story and the characters.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
Corinne is battling her past and also trying to figure out exactly how she ended up in a hospital after a suicide attempt she doesn’t remember.
Jude is also in a battle. A battle of his strained marriage, why his wife attempted suicide and the looming Halloween holiday that puts his wife on edge.
Waiting for the “dark things” to surface made this a page flipper. I loved the combo of suspense and romance elements and the twists and turns had me devouring the chapters.
Courtney Cole – writing as Courtney Evan Tate – has done it again with Such Dark Things.
Sometimes I need a darker read, a mind bender, one that will have me thinking WTF? as I turn the next page.
Jude and Corinne’s story was full of heartbreak and sorrow and hope and just a few bunny boiler moments.
I am not going to lie, I wanted to nut punch Jude more than once, and slap that tramp Zoe from here to Sunday!
My heart hurt for Corinne so much. From her child hood to the present she has been in a mental whirl pool and I hated that people made her feel like she was going crazy.
There is more than one twist that had my head spinning. Days later and I am still wondering what did I just read.
Well played Ms Cole/Tate, well played.
I can’t wait to see what she brings us next.
Hmmm. I don’t even know where to begin with this review. Normally I can come up with words but I seem to be all out of them. One thing I can say is that the author was able to pull out some of the strongest emotions I have experienced while reading a book. I don’t think I have felt so much hate or anger toward a book and even characters. Top that with fear, sorrow, and overwhelming love and you have yourself a book I absolutely became engrossed in. This book just isn’t about all of those though. It’s about healing and forgiveness.
I would go a little more into the book as a whole but I feel like you need to go into this one blind. I didn’t even read the blurb to be honest. So I will say that this is some of this writer’s best work (when comparing to her Courtney Cole pen name) in my opinion. I’m a fan and now will be stalking for the next book. It’s been too long.
Well my goodness….Just closed the kindle on this psychological suspense novel. I’m still sitting here with my mouth wide open. What the heck did I just read?
Dr. Corinne Cabot-a over-worked, running on fumes, barely surviving as an ER doctor in an understaffed hospital in Chicago. Never getting a chance to leave at a decent hour, always trying to save the next person who comes through the door of the ER. Her marriage is suffering but it’s her coping mechanism after suffering through what she witnessed at a young age.
Mr. Cabot is a therapist, working normal hours and home each night to have dinner with himself. How many nights he’s thought how wonderful it would be to have his wife home to spend the evenings with. He understands she has had a rough life. But how much can a person take… This isn’t what he signed up for when he said through sickness, till death, I do.
The one constant in his life is the diner he goes to for the majority of his meals. They know him there, they know what he orders, they are on first name basis with him.
While I couldn’t put this book down, I at times wanted to smack both these characters upside the head. Knock some sense into each one of them. I understand no marriage is perfect, but… grow some balls and say NO. Better yet…don’t put yourself in the situation!
But….like I said, I couldn’t stop reading this one… The twists and turns and the got to figure this one out was pounding in my head. You are left turning the pages so quickly just so that you can have your answers. And boy do you get them!!!
In the end, it was a good book that had me guessing until the end!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
I’ve been a fan of this author ever since she unpended my world with her NOCTE series. I didn’t know which side was up, like being inside a churning cage. She has a knack of writing such psychologically twisted stories that’ll make you question your realities around you. I distinctly remember walking around in a daze after Nocte, all thanks to my bestie -Laveda’s recommendation. I knew I had to jump at the chance of reading this book, as soon as she announced it.
And she doesn’t dissappoint at all !!
The strongest steel is forged by the fires of hell. and to prove this adage, Courtney seats us in this book-capsule and takes us inside Dr. Corrine Cabot’s mind. As the journey starts INSIDE Corrine’s brain, we see that it’s frozen, in a time space where she’s just 18, standing in a pool of blood, her father standing by two dead bodies, and she holds him responsible for destruction of her family, his mistress Melanie’s family and her own consciousness. I do believe her mind is comatose even if her body moves on inertia. Her thoughts are set in concrete shoes, unable to move.
a dissasociateive behaviour-You blocked out what your father did so long ago, and it stands to reason that your brain has developed that as a defense mechanism.
Jude, her husband is helpless in her suffering and her panic attacks and anxiety are triggering vicious nightmares. I can toatlly picture Corrine running through foggy moors of her past, trying to find a way out or make sense of the ominous shapes surrounding her.
The word building is so fantastic, you start doubting what is right in front of you, very much like Corrine & Jude. The mood is very tense & intense. I could feel my pulse thrumming, my heartbeat faster and eyes narrowing. Why are there holes in Corrine’s mind? what would it take to fill them? what is this full picture?..aaaaaarghhh!!
It was so frustrating for ME, imagine the quandary of poor Corrine, who’s forever just fingertips away from the truth.
I applaud Courtney’s masterful endeavour to play mind games of this complex variety.
There are secondary characters who are of utmost importance in the story.
The catalyst is Zoe. She’s a vixen, a delectable morsel of temptation, as if created by the devil himself in his own image. A powerful, alluring seductress, who’s got her talons in Jude’s libido and she’s digging deeper and harder, Upping her game in every encounter
Zoe is a modern-day Jezebel. She’s showing me her goods on purpose and trying to make it seem innocent, and this all has the very real possibility of crossing a line.
The proverbial Angel and demon on the shoulders having a perpetual war of words tugging at Jude’s conscience, would be hysterical if it wasn’t so pathetic.
“I indulge for just a second, then I push the images out of my head. It’s a fantasy. That’s all. I’m normal. I love my wife. I miss my wife. Corinne is my world. ”
Michel is another fabulous character, a priest and Jude’s twin. He’s the sane, sensible one who cares deeply for the couple . Many a times giving Jude a wollop on his head or holding Corrine’s hand .
The story is TOTALLY unique and mindbending, meandering from unbelievable hallucinations to uncontrollable intentions. Jude is “Royally Fucked”, if I want to be honest.
But WAIT!!! Nothing is what it seems at all, it’s Courtney Cole book after all. So tighten your seat belts, Courtney-capsule will move at warp speed in side Corrine’s mind, heart, soul and psyche and you’ll be wondering if you’re walking on earth or hanging from the sky.
A rush of adrenaline later,the fog clears and you’ll be standing beside a grave.
Talk about UNEXPECTED ironies of God!!
Loved…Loved…Loved the book, you will too, I guarantee !
5 Ribbons Of Fate stars
#BookBistroBlogApproved
4.5 Suspenseful Stars!!
What a ride! It was most definitely a page turner and had my attention just from the synopsis. Courtney took me down yet another rabbit hole in this book. Corrine broke my heart. Her past slowly creeping up on her until she broke. Being separated from her husband who seemed to only want what was best for her added additional stress to her situation.
One thing I learned early on in this book was never to assume you knew where the story was going. Just when you think you know something the story takes another turn which will truly engage you even more.
The story is weaved so intricately that you are lost between the pages. I truly had a hard time pulling myself away to do “adulting”.
Temptation can be a very strong thing and it definitely was conflicting for Jude. When conflicted he would seek out his brother Michael. Although he tried to resist spending time with Zoe the absence of Corrine seemed to override his thinking. Unfortunately it’s his fall that adds so much more to the story. As we peel back the layers of the story and the actions that get us to where the story starts, all the pieces fall in to place leaving you with a gasp.
This book is told in both past and present day. With an amazing secondary character in Jude’s brother, Michael. All I can tell you is that this book is truly worth the ride. If you like a little mystery, a bit of a thrill and not knowing what’s coming on the next page….this is the book for you.
Your first introduced to Corrine, who is a busy physician working in the emergency room. She throws herself into her job to help escape from her past which she herself finds to have some missing pieces. Her father killed two people, leaving her behind as a teenager. All while keeping busy this leaves little time for her husband, Jude which you find out is having an affair with a very young woman named Zoe who is in her early 20s who later admits to having been molested by her foster father. Zoe exhibits many of the common symptoms of someone who has been severely abused as a child, yet Jude is not concerned. All he cares about is his sexual needs. The only thing I did not enjoy was the amount of sex scenes, I’m not a fan of romance novels or anything of that nature so it started to lose my interest at that point. Overall, the book had potential to be great but it kind of went left field into the erotic/romance section. I wish this book kept me more intrigued and had a better more suspenseful ending.