Shattered Illusions (Short Story) (SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE)
Publisher: Twin Star Books
Ebook: $0.99
#SW ISBN-13: 9781311781338
#ASIN-
Heat index: sensual to stimulating (1 flames) Pages: 25
Cover Artist: Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover"
Available at:
Ebook: Amazon / Amazon UK / iTunes / Smashwords / Nook / Kobo
In Print: Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes and Noble / Createspace / Book Depository
Blurb:
Brona lives in an isolated house on the cliffs, which overlook the sea. She arrives home to find the door ajar. Her husband is out of town and her sister, who is staying with her, has disappeared.
Bloodstained floors appear and disappear; low whispering voices greet her, and a storm outside rages causing the lights to flicker. Brona must put her fears behind her and unravel the mystery that haunts this house.
Reviews:
Karen M. Nutt’s Shattered Illusions might be short, but it packs quite an impact into these few pages. This somewhat eerie story of love, loss, and realization combines mystery and the paranormal as a woman finds out that her life is not quite what she had believed it to be.
I found this story to be a pretty compelling read. It swept me along with Brona as she cycles through fear, joy, betrayal, and ultimately acceptance and peace. Her adoration for her husband shines through the narrative, making it a very poignant love story. Even when she feels angry and betrayed, Brona can’t deny her feelings, and when she finally acknowledges the truth of the situation, her devotion to her husband leads her to realize what she must do to bring him peace.
The setting for Shattered Illusions is perfect for a ghost story. Ms. Nutt sets the stage carefully: a stormy windswept night along Irish cliffs, lightning and thunder, darkness and silence within the house, accompanied with the unsettling feeling that one is not alone. It is chilling enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck.
While the moment of truth is not entirely a surprise, Ms. Nutt does a good job leading up to it. She builds the tension gradually until it comes to a head in the shattering of Rona’s beloved mirror. And while that image may be a little heavy-handed, it is a very effective tool for delivering the climax.
If you’re in the mood for a bit of a chill as well as a love story, you could do worse than reach for Shattered Illusions. I’m glad read it, and I’ll probably be seeking out more of Ms. Nutt’s stories in the future.
--Bobby, Book Wenches Reviews
Book Video: