When She Escaped by Jenifer Ruff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When She Escaped follows bestselling novelist, Zipporah Bazile, as she arrives at the luxurious Raven’s Hollow Lodge, hoping the secluded and relaxing environment will help her write her next Psychological Thriller.
Early on in her stay, she ends up making a romantic connection though, which wasn’t part of her initial plan, and she does spend most of her free time with this man.
Unfortunately, the romance isn’t the strangest thing to happen to her during her stay. She also feels like someone is following her, digging into her life and putting mysterious powders into her drinks?
Hold on, Zip, that’s escalation! But it’s true and before long she starts feeling like she could actually really be in danger. She suspects her romantic interest, but has no proof, and it he seems so genuine. She’s unsure who she can trust and starts on a bit of an emotional spiral.
In addition to what’s going on with Zip in her current situation, we also get excerpts from the novel she’s writing. It’s an intense story about about a young woman held against her will in a basement of a remote cabin.
As the lines between fact and fiction start to blur, Zip needs to figure out what’s going on at Raven’s Hollow Lodge and how she can escape unscathed.
When She Escaped had an interesting set-up, and I devoured it once I started, but somehow, I walked away underwhelmed. I did find the sections of her novel off-putting. They just pulled me out of the plot every time and threw off the pace.
I understand the author’s choice in including them, but for me, it just sort of missed the mark. There were other things that I wasn’t crazy about as well, but I can’t get into them without spoiling major plot points, which we’re not here for.
I will say it took a sharp turn at the mid-way point, and that’s where my enjoyment level really dropped. It was something else, but yeah, I didn’t see it coming. I just don’t think the second half was as exciting, or fun, for me as the beginning, so a bit of a mixed bag, unfortunately.
With this being said, just because it didn’t knock me out of the park, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If you think it sounds interesting, give it a whirl. You could end up finding a new favorite.
Thank you to the publisher, Greyt Companion Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I never write and author off after only one try, and would be interested in picking up more from Jenifer Ruff in the future.