Roses At Dusk (The Demonic Series) by M.W Russell

What do you do when the one you trust can no longer be trusted? Where do you turn when the one you gave your heart to, your body, your blood, the murky depths of your soul, defies mortality's rules? What do you do...YOU RUN!

Hannah Malcolm has been through more in her short lifetime than any young woman should have to bear. So after the well-publicized death of her family, Hannah decides to leave the bustling streets of Chicago and seek refuge, in the sleepy seaside town of Bar Harbor, in Maine. A new job, new friends and a quaint cottage on the cliff overlooking the sparkling waters of Frenchman Bay give her just the opportunity she needs.

But complications have always been a specialty of Hannah's and Bar Harbor is to be no exception. The town is reeling after an unexplained murder and several random assaults, which have small degrees of separation from her. One disaster after the next begin to swirl at Hannah's feet and to add to her worries her new found man is starting to appear not quite as he seems.

Bone chilling and a lesson in trust Roses at Dusk is a psychological thriller with a paranormal twist that will have you questioning your judgement with everyone you meet.

I was quite surprised by Roses at Dusk by M.W Russell and pleasantly so.  This is not your normal paranormal romance, for it is dark, twisted and in its own way horrific. My kind of book! I was hooked after the first page and could not put my kindle down. This story is not an easy one to read for some of the topics may be not for the faint of heart.

Roses at Dusk follows Hannah who is looking for a fresh start in a new town Bar Harbor and hopes to leave the pain of the loss of her family behind her.  Starting a new job and making new friends. When Hannah has chance meeting with a stranger named Marcus her life changes. In this new relationship her reality shifts and the world as she knows it is ripped out from under her feet as she fights to break free from evil’s grip.

For me it was the beginning of the book that really drew me in as the author gave me a taste of what is to come. After reading the first chapter I had so many questions that needed answers for she throws you smack dab in the middle of the plot not knowing how the main character Hannah got there.  Which I feel is a brilliant move as it engages the reader which leaves them wanting more.

Now for the Characters in the book, the main character is Hannah and who is the catalyst for all that happens in the book. She becomes unbeknownst to her caught up in a supernatural battle for her mind, body and soul. I really enjoyed watching her evolve as she begins her relationship with Marcus who plays the villain/hero in this book. Theirs is a very twisted relationship and she finds herself in deep and doesn't even know it is happening. The only thing that bothered me about Hannah was for a brief second she feels pity for Marcus, even after everything he had done to her. Granted it was only a few seconds but it was enough for me to shout NO!! Don’t do it!  The supporting characters did a good job at lightening up the story line  such as Penny the lighthearted man loving best friend, to Felix the funny coworker who as the story plays out becomes a major character and really comes into his own. He annoyed me at first because he was so different than Marcus…I have a soft spot for tall dark and evil lol  But as his story started to reveal itself Felix made sense. There was one supporting character that I just kept waiting to jump out but she never did was Audrey Brewer, I kept fantasizing in my head as to what role she played but it never panned out.

The book was well written and very easy to read. The story line played itself out well with kept me asking questions of who, what, when and why, this is a must in my book when it comes to phychological thrillers. I do want to mention that the supernatural theme is one that hasn't been written yet and something new to me so that was a plus!  

All in all this was a great book to read and this is an author to watch in the paranormal thriller genre. Again I wanted to mention that this book is for adult with sexual themes.  Now for the rating, I would have given this book 5 stars except I had to take a bit off for my frustration with the character Audrey brewer, I just felt her character didn't really help the story line. So with that said I give this book 4.5 Stars 

                                                            Reviewed by Rayven

 You may purchase "Roses at Dusk" here : DarkissReads Bookstore

You may find M.W Russel on the web here : http://www.mwrussellbooks.com/