Review: Secrets by Liz Schulte

"While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn't know and sometimes what you don't know can kill you."

There were a ton of things I adored about this book. Number one was the characters. Even in a situation that goes above our own comprehension of reality, Liz managed to create believable, lovable characters that you will celebrate in their triumphs and sob in their defeat. The friendship between Olivia and Juliet almost reflected perfectly the relationship between M and myself. And if you love a great bad boy, you'll be swooning over Holden. Second, I loved the format of the book. It switches back and forth from Olivia to Holden's perspective which gives so much more of an understanding and insight. From Olivia's side where she's fighting to figure out what's going on to Holden's where he struggles with himself and how to deal with his newfound emotions.

But what do you do when you're faced with only three decisions about the direction of your life and none of them seem to be in your best interest? That is exactly where Liv finds herself and her decision is one that truly exceeds anything I think I could handle if placed in her situation.

It was a bit frustrating going through the book not knowing what was going on with the underlining story, but with a title like Secrets you can't ask for much else! But when the truth bursts through and comes to light it's a pretty awesome spin on the paranormal genre. I want to go into so many more details, but I don't want to give anything away about this novel because this is one you absolutely want to read. I'm very happy Liz decided to take her hand at writing the paranormal genre and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

My rating for this book:

Note: There is a sex scene and a bit of profanity which I note only to warn readers it could offend. However, I thought everything was done so tactfully that it didn't bother me.

About the Author:

Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn't always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more. When Liz isn’t writing or on social networks she is inflicting movie quotes and trivia on people, reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Liz is a Midwest girl through and through, though she would be perfectly happy never having to shovel her driveway again. She has a love for all things spooky, supernatural, and snarky. Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allen Poe to Joseph Heller to Jane Austen to Jim Butcher and everything in between.

You can follow Liz's blog here.

This novel was provided to The Ink Puddle by the author.

Review: Dark Corners by Liz Schulte

"Ella Reynolds knew from the first moment she walked into the old house someone or something was watching her. Waiting. Her husband's violent murder sent her spiraling into a world of grief and isolation, but Ella isn't alone. Who or what is responsible for her husband's death is still with her. Darkness has engulfed the past year of Ella's life. Everyday reality slips a little more between her fingers as she struggles to break free from her memories. She must look deeper into her past as well as the present to discover truth of her husband's homicide. A string of uncanny events takes place and practical explanations run thin as Ella follows the terrifying road to closure. As the past and present come to a head, Ella must decipher who or what the murderer is before it takes her as well"

When we meet Ella, she's a mess. Drinking and throwing her life away to anger and self pity, we find ourselves feeling sad and sorry for her as she reveals to us her story through flashbacks and dreams. Ella is convinced her house is haunted by a ghost, but being an author of horror books, the small town goes from considering her a local celebrity to simply a crazy nut job. But there's one person who keeps coming around despite Ella's rude, broken nature, and that person is Detective Troy. But is he friend or foe?

Though this book is slightly different from the paranormal/ supernatural feel we usually review here at The Ink Puddle, I was not disappointed. Liz takes us through character by character and keeps us questioning who has the best intentions for Ella. You will cheer, cry and scream as you fight for her to move through her pain and find some normalcy to life again. The book takes a very legit, real life approach and is a storyline that could unfortunately, happen to anyone (there are some crazies out there...). Needless to say, there isn't a dull moment in Dark Corners, you won't want to put the book down. And if you're like me, you'll have to leave the lights on for this one.

My rating for this book:

About the Author:

Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn't always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more. When Liz isn’t writing or on social networks she is inflicting movie quotes and trivia on people, reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Liz is a Midwest girl through and through, though she would be perfectly happy never having to shovel her driveway again. She has a love for all things spooky, supernatural, and snarky. Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allen Poe to Joseph Heller to Jane Austen to Jim Butcher and everything in between.
You can follow Liz's blog here.

Also! Be sure to check out our small interview with Liz where she sits down to tell us about a ghost story of her own.

A copy of the book, Dark Corners was provided to The Ink Puddle by Liz Schulte.