Cover Design: MadHat Books
Release Date: August 24, 2016
Book Description:
When I opened my eyes, I was in a cell, my body covered in bruises.
Not a jail.
I’d been kidnapped and imprisoned.
I wasn’t alone. I shared the cell with Garin Woods, the man I’d loved since I was a kid.
The man I couldn’t be with because of the secret. A man who would kill me if he found out what that secret was.
Someone wanted to torture me.
Torture us.
One of us deserved it.
It wasn’t Garin.
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28436321-prisoned?ac=1&from_search=true
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2bz7CJ2
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2beaqG6
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2bc0pim
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2bf0UHj
Our Review:
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***
“But there weren’t many more
nights like that one… The ones that followed weren’t fun at all. They were
tragic. They were devastating. And they were really fucking dark…”
My love affair with Marni Mann began just over three years
ago after one fruitful trawl through Amazon desperately finding something to
read and I have never turned back since. Having read everything that this
author has written, it never ceases to amaze me how with every book she puts
out, she just gets better and better. More layers, more depth, more emotion,
just everything more. Marni Mann hones her craft with every book she writes and
frankly you couldn’t ask for anything more.
Prisoned is more the original Marni Mann for me, the dark
side, one that this author has always pulled off exceptionally well and
Prisoned is no different. Having been away from this type of read for a few
years, Marni Mann delved back in with both feet and has delivered one hell of a
mind fuck. It is this genre that she seems to thrive in, as if given free rein
to unload every dark thought that she has ever possessed. This seemingly sweet
and innocent author who comes across like butter wouldn’t melt definitely has
an evil streak and one that she manages to pen with finesse.
Prisoned is one of those books that will have you
frantically reading between the lines trying to decipher what the hell is going
on. Even when you think you have it all sussed, bam, blindsided and your
thought processes have to start all over again. Layer upon layer this story
builds, clues are smattered throughout with a fair few red herrings to throw
you off the scent, but that is what makes a great mystery, that constant build
of suspense, the curve balls, those A-HA moments all wrapped around a second
chance romance with a huge difference.
“The Heart wasn’t well lit. Most
of the streetlamps were out, so were the lights outside our front doors.
Whenever the city replaced one of the bulbs, it was stolen within a few hours.
Lights showed faces, they showed dealings, they showed things exchanged between
hands, they showed evidence. The Heart didn’t like that. The things that happened
here needed to stay in the dark.”
Kyle and Garin were kids of “The Heart,” an unsavoury
neighbourhood born of poverty, crime, drugs and all manner of illicit
activities. The kids were the victims, they had no childhood, no food, no
warmth, they made the most of the shit hand they were dealt. Friendships were
everything and they all stuck together, they had each other’s backs, they were
family. Garin was the one that took responsibility for his “family,” he was the
one that made sure that they were clean, warm, fed and watered, no matter whose
back he had to scratch in order to get it done. He did what he had to, no
matter how bad.
“It was named after the organ
that gave you life…but there wasn’t any life around here.”
Kyle had always looked up to Garin, she adored him as a
friend but the older she got the more she wanted more and just when it looked
like it may finally happen, The Heart ripped them apart. The Heart takes
everything away, it decimates, it destroys, it makes you it’s bitch.
“I believe our soul mate is
revealed only once during our life. Maybe it’s a glimpse of a stranger. Maybe
it’s our best friend. The timing may not always be right. But when they’re
shown to us, we know it’s them. Then life happens. We grow. We age. We develop
scars. And we remember that glimpse. Some are lucky enough to be spending the
rest of their lives with that person. Some, like me, have only memories.”
Years later, reunited in grief Garin and Kyle’s paths cross
once again, but The Heart hasn’t finished with them, how much more can The
Heart take? Secrets that were destined to be taken to the grave make their
presence felt once again and Kyle and Garin find themselves held captive,
prisoned with only their pasts for company.
“I’ve wanted to fuck you for
fifteen years. Do you know what that kind of want does to you after a
while?”
Garin was an enigma, he was intriguing, extremely guarded,
resourceful and resilient. From what we knew of him as a kid and to the man he
was today he was totally beguiling. For as much as he was dark, we were treated
to those glimmers of light and those shone brightest when he was with Kyle.
Despite their circumstances their time together gave them the opportunity to
bare their souls but was it too little too late?
“The only thing we have inside
this cell is words, Kyle. Don’t hold them back from me.”
Kyle was stuck between a rock and a hard place, eaten alive
by a secret that had tortured her for years. A secret that forced her hand and
her allegiances. While at first it seemed she was weak, she was strong, so
strong. This was her chance, but would she live to reap the rewards?
“But underneath this cosmetic
blanket, I was just a girl from the projects. A girl who had been holding in
the biggest secret. A secret I had never spoken to anyone. The secret lived in
this state so why would I ever come back here?”
This was one heck of a ride, one that had me chewing my
nails and gave me palpitations. While some scenes are graphic in nature,
nothing was superfluous, it all added to the story, to the scene setting, to
the circumstances. Yes, it was hard to read, but as difficult as it was it was
a necessary evil and Marni Mann really submersed you into their prison cell.
You felt it, you lived it, you breathed it. This story was gripping from start
to finish, totally unputdownable and totally unforgettable. I will be forever
scarred by “the babies” and just cringe at the thought. Once again, Marni Mann
has hit a home run and I cannot wait for the next one.
Bestselling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts sexy, titillating stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their two dogs, who have been characters in her books. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.
Connect with Marni:
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Z8b5z
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ayhI8u
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2aKxNe4
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2arY2Yt
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2arYBBz
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2aKzvMr
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2avbGb2
Giveaway:
Giveaway
$10 Amazon Gift Card & Signed paperback of Prisoned
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