Lovely Bad Things by Trisha Wolfe
- Published on June 14, 2022
- Shalini
- in Book Posts, Book Reviews, Digital Reads Media, Digital Reads PR, Digital Reads Reviews, Fiction
Blurb
In Lovely Bad Things, he’s the devil. And she’s his wicked game.
Halen:
They say eyes are the windows to the soul—but when he looks at me through hues of slate-green and flaring blue embers, I’m terrified of what’s watching me from behind his clashing gaze, something primal and feverish that threatens to melt me like fire in ice.
I fear falling into Kallum Locke’s pitch-black soul.
But after I’m called to a crime scene to investigate the most gruesome act of violence to descend on the legendary town of Hollow’s Row, I have no choice but to turn to Kallum, to the man I had locked away in an asylum for the criminally insane.
He’s the leading expert on all things Nietzsche and occult. And now, to get answers, I’m forced to make a deal with the devil himself.
Kallum:
Really, eyes are the windows to the soul?
Then I wonder what little Halen St. James thinks of all the cryptic eyes watching her in the killing fields…
I wonder if the hairs on her delicate nape lifted away, if a thrilling shiver raced over her soft skin.
She’s desperate for the answer, and she’ll do anything to uncover it—even make a deal with me, dangling freedom like bait on a hook.
But she’s far more tempting to sink my teeth into than any lure.
And the pain will taste twice as sweet.
My Review of Lovely Bad Things
What was it all about
Lovely bad things by Trisha Wolfe was supposed to be a dark romance with thriller-y subplots.
Halen
She investigated odd, grisly murders and was the occasional consultant for the FBI in cases where there was no logic, just madness. Six months ago, she had helped put a sociopathic murderer Kallum in a mental asylum on a supposedly copy-cat murder when she was investigating a serial killer.
She believed that when she looked into the green and blue flaring embers of Kallum’s eyes, it reached her soul. She was scared that something primitive, animalistic emotion passed between them. Something that threatened to melt her inner core. Was she falling for him? Was there no redemption for her soul?
She was forced to deal with the devil, as in Hollow’s Row there were 32 pairs of eyes embedded in the bark of the tree and engravings etched. She knew that she desperately needed Kallum.
Kallum
A leading expert in all things dark – the occult and the Nietzsche, he knew she would come to him. After all, according to her, he was the devil incarnate. He wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into her siren’s call.
She was desperate for answers, and he held all the cards. To uncover the mysteries, he knew she would do anything. Even bend over. And how he would love that.
But she was dangling his freedom like a carrot.
Would he take it and walk away? Or would he manipulate her to the point that her pain would be his salvation?
This was their tale to tell.
The ultimate story of an investigator and a jailed murderer surrounded by taboo and darkness.
This was their tale to tell. The ultimate story of an investigator and a jailed murderer surrounded by taboo and darkness.
How it made me feel
The book confused the heck out of me. The words used felt to be mysterious initially when the chapters started out, then became hollow.
Many times, I had to reread as the whole sentence didn’t seem to have any meaning. Then I realized most of the book was written to give a feel of depth when it was the most shallow drivel I had ever read.
The chemistry between the main characters started out as a tangible connection, most from his side, until it became forced as if the author was trying hard to make her characters feel the attraction.
Being drawn to danger was a concept I was well versed in, but this didn’t feel attraction or compulsion. That existed only in the author’s mind, not in the written words. A pity.
I was actually shocked as the book ended abruptly, and most subplots didn’t make sense. After reading the author’s words, I realized it was a marketing tactic to make it seem the characters were more than they seemed and leave space for the next 2 books.
The Good
The book started off with a psychological thriller-dark romance vibe. The first few chapters had a haunting quality that pulled me in. Period. That was the only good things about the book.
The Bad
Almost the rest of the book was a mirage. Hear me out. Read this line out loud.
His gravity encapsulates every molecule, dominating the elements with his commanding presence.
Holy moly, guacamole. Kill me now. What did this even mean? And this was the easiest of the lines. There were many more which gave zero imagery. There were many such lyrical prose kind of lines, but no real story.
Spoiler alert. The murderer was close to them. She saw the eyes. She knew she would be killed soon. But she still continued sailing on the waves of her climax while having sex with Kallum. What????? Maybe she wanted to have the last bits of pleasure before her life was snuffed out. And yes, there were bits of asphyxiation sex too.
The author tried too hard to create a dark vibe – almost like Fifty Shades – where the hero Kallum kept telling me he got off on her pain, and he wanted her to feel more of it. That was his aphrodisiac. Eeeeks.
The tag line was – he’s the devil. She’s his wicked game. The book spent most of the prose in trying to convince me that he was truly evil, when there were no true actions to show it. Just words.
And it continued
The past murders and Halen’s conviction in the prologue to incarcerate Kallum just told me of it, rather than showing me the murder investigation that would have convinced me of their connection.
The present investigation too was half-assed where the plot to draw out the murderer felt off, and the twists were meh. That was because most of the prose was filled with his internal rumination and so many weird monologues of sigil and antlers and other philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and of course, the infamous Dionysus, the God of wine and ecstasy. And wanting to see her in pain that called out to him.
If all of them were used carefully with a great investigation instead of being a half-hearted teaser, this would have been a fantastic story.
But I am alone in this thought as most of the readers loved being hypnotized by the empty words, not realizing the truth that this was no storytelling. Just plain foreplay of hollow words.
I tell ya I kept rolling my eyes so hard that the action gave me a headache.
The Conclusion
If you love being tortured by lyrical words that sounded it had a lot of depth and poignancy that didn’t have a true meaning, then please read this book.
This was a buddy read with a few of my friends on Instagram, so could not DNF. What a bloody waste of my time and energy.
Oh yes, I do plan to read book 2 when I need a good laugh and eye exercise.
And I did get to book 2 in June 2023. It was so much better than book 1. Check our my review here.
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: 2022
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
If you’ve loved the review, buy me a cuppa to perk me up.
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