Brutal by A.J. Merlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nothing bad happens at summer camp.
Brutal
That’s what my fellow camp counselors have convinced me of when the nights around the lake get a little eerie.
But when the kids all go home and the counselors throw a party on our last night at Camp Clearwater, things change. None of us could have suspected that there was a stranger watching us or that our machete-wielding visitor doesn’t seem to like that we’re here. But when I’m attacked in the woods, he unexpectedly comes to my rescue in the most ruthless way.
Wren is terrifying, unpredictable, and possessive in a way that terrifies me. I should go to the police and stay away from him at all costs. Instead, I find myself letting him in every time he comes to play.
Can a brutal butcher ever really fall for me, or am I going to become his next victim?
Serial killer/stalker obsessed with camp counselor!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🩵🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: ☺️😆😎😚🥰
The heroine: Hazel – she is in her early twenties, was eight credits from graduating college when her scholarship ran out and has been working odd jobs ever since. For the last two months she has been working as a camp counselor at Camp Clearwater. Though it is August, the kids have all gone home and this is the last night when the counselors have a chance to have an end of the summer party. Hazel tends to get sick when she drinks alcohol, so she isn’t drinking. She is worrying about her life, the girl found dead nearby and the murderer in the woods who has now killed three people in just a few weeks. She is also trying to stay clear of Brett, the twenty-seven-year-old son of the owner of the camp, who keeps trying to get her alone.
The Hero: Wren – he is a serial killer and has serial killer friends. He stalks Hazel when she is a camp counselor, often watching her from the woods. He becomes obsessed with her and when he finally lets her see him, she doesn’t really see him since he wears a mask. He is extremely normal and likable for a serial killer and a stalker.
The Story: When Hazel takes a walk with Brett and he starts to assault her, she is surprised when he is suddenly murdered in front of her. Brett’s neck is cut with a machete, and she is covered in his blood with the murderer wearing a mask staring at her and touching her face. Then he walks past her leaving her alive. Though she is afraid he is on his way to kill all her friends so she does what she can to stop him and runs. Wren catches her and kisses her but doesn’t kill her.
I read Depraved, the first book in this series a few months ago and really liked it. I mentioned in my review that I liked the group of serial killers that Virgil hung around, and though I don’t remember that part of the book, I suspect Wren was one of them. I also liked the fact that they were like Dexter in that they only murdered people who deserved it, like Brett. I really like stalker romance, and I love the fact that Wren is an unapologetic stalker and has no qualms about what he is and does.
“I… I’ll help you. I’ll be your alibi, okay?”
“You’ll be my girlfriend,” he corrects, closing the distance once more until his lips brush mine. “My perfect, gorgeous girlfriend who craves her big, bad serial killer to pin her down and hunt her just like she deserves.”
“How did you know I like to eat here?”
He takes another bite and replies, without hesitating, “Because I’ve been following you.”
“Stalking me, you mean.”
“If that’s what you want to hear, then yes, Hazel. I’ve been stalking you for weeks now.”
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