Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Save Me

SERIES: Voodoo Dolls #1

AUTHOR: Penny Brandon

PUBLISHER: Loose Id

LENGTH: 197 Pages

BLURB:

From the first moment Steve sees Nathan, he knows he’s in trouble. First, Nathan looked just like the doll he’d found on his bed, and second, Steve couldn’t stop thinking how it would feel having Nathan in his arms and under his body. He’s never desired anyone so strongly before, and he’s reluctant to show it, but then Nathan gives him something he hadn’t been conscious of wanting. Stunned, he craves more, but starts to worry what he feels might not be real.

Alone and vulnerable after being dumped by his ex, Nathan longs for the security of being in a relationship. With no money, no job, and now a Voodoo Doll out to kill him, Nathan doesn’t think things could get any worse, but then he starts falling for Steve. Problem is, it doesn’t look like Steve feels the same way. Even after Steve finally lets Nathan in, Steve unexpectedly withdraws, refusing to explain why.

Unable to cope with another rejection, Nathan succumbs to the evil of the doll. Steve realizes he needs to own up to his feelings, but are they enough to save Nathan?

REVIEW:

The fuck did I just read?? Ok, not what I was expecting AT ALL! That was some weird shit. Kinda like a cheesy low budget horror movie that you’re ashamed to admit scared the crap out of you but strangely, oddly, somehow… I really enjoyed it!

Steve is the least confrontational man ever to walk the earth, frustratingly so, in fact. He lets everybody in his life walk all over him and he doesn’t have any close friends with whom he can talk through his compiling frustration. During yet another night of hiding under his covers, trying to block out the sound of his neighbor’s pounding music, he hears a little voice urging him to “make him stop”. Steve finds a creepy-as-all-fuck cloth doll sitting on his bed and completely loses his mind, banging on the wall and screaming at his neighbor. When the neighbor comes knocking on his door to check on his welfare, Steve is absolutely shocked to discover that Nathan is an exact copy of the doll.

After reading the blurb I figured we were going to get Nathan’s ex sticking pins in a voodoo doll. Instead, in a Child’s Play-esque type fashion the evil little bastard of a doll hunts Nathan, wielding scalpels and knives in its attempts to kill the terrified man. Steve takes it upon himself to help his sexy neighbor and what ensues is the road trip from hell, well, it includes a doll from hell, which doesn’t believe in giving up on his intended target. I know I already used the words, cheesy horror flick, but honest to god, that’s exactly what this was like, to the point where you didn’t know whether to cringe or laugh as the slaughter obsessed doll does crazy shit like trying to neuter Nathan with a scalpel.

I found the scenes with the doll so entertaining that I was distracted from the building relationship between Steve and Nathan. The romance angle of this story, while definitely existing through the majority of the tale, was somewhat overshadowed by the presence of the doll. Whenever the two men were having a “moment” I’d be wondering where the doll was and what he was going to do next, which was great for creating tension but I found myself not really paying attention to what was happening on page. So, I guess, you could take that as a pro, or a con, or just my inability to focus for any length of time.

If I had any complaint about this story, it would be about the character of Nathan. For me, to earn the position of main character in a story, I need to see some strength from a character. Nathan is probably one of the weakest “save me!” screaming characters that I’ve come across. The presence of the doll was brought about through his weakness and I expected him to show some growth by the end of the story and at least help in the battle to save his own life. But instead he relies on other people to save him; it’s left up to Steve’s character growth to make the difference.

If you like a romance with a weird paranormal twist then you’ll probably enjoy this story. I certainly did. There’s no denying the entertainment factor and uniqueness of this book.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

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