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A review by tag_gregory
The Stradivarius by Rae Knowles
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Literal Gaslighting & Scary Narcissism! Oh, my!
After Mae’s father is killed during the robbery of his priceless Stradivarius, the traumatized child is shipped off to live with her conservative conspiracy-nut Aunt. Not a nice place to live for a sensitive, artistic, young queer. Is it any wonder she’s the perfect prey when an apparently rich, older man begins to pay her attention? Carter says all the right things. He’s charming. He’s suave and sophisticated; he’s everything a girl raised in a trailer park dreams about. And when he asks her to marry him after they’ve only been ‘dating’ a few weeks, Mae immediately accepts, desperate to escape her aunt and start a real life.
Of course, I hated Carter from his first introduction.
Luckily, this evil villain’s presence is offset by Ollie, the quirky NB handy-person who’s hired to help Mae and Carter rehab the old house Mae inherited from her murdered father. Yay, queer romantic interest! Good thing Ollie is onto Carter almost from the start.
I really enjoyed this psychological drama with a queer twist. Not sure you can really call it a ‘mystery’ though because it’s pretty clear who the bad guy is from the beginning. But I kept reading because I had to know if Mae would ultimately succumb or triumph. You’ll want to as well.
Mind the CWs!
My review is based on the ARC I received of this title.
After Mae’s father is killed during the robbery of his priceless Stradivarius, the traumatized child is shipped off to live with her conservative conspiracy-nut Aunt. Not a nice place to live for a sensitive, artistic, young queer. Is it any wonder she’s the perfect prey when an apparently rich, older man begins to pay her attention? Carter says all the right things. He’s charming. He’s suave and sophisticated; he’s everything a girl raised in a trailer park dreams about. And when he asks her to marry him after they’ve only been ‘dating’ a few weeks, Mae immediately accepts, desperate to escape her aunt and start a real life.
Of course, I hated Carter from his first introduction.
Luckily, this evil villain’s presence is offset by Ollie, the quirky NB handy-person who’s hired to help Mae and Carter rehab the old house Mae inherited from her murdered father. Yay, queer romantic interest! Good thing Ollie is onto Carter almost from the start.
I really enjoyed this psychological drama with a queer twist. Not sure you can really call it a ‘mystery’ though because it’s pretty clear who the bad guy is from the beginning. But I kept reading because I had to know if Mae would ultimately succumb or triumph. You’ll want to as well.
Mind the CWs!
My review is based on the ARC I received of this title.