The Hand That Feeds You

The Hand That Feeds You A.J. Rich 2/5	Published 2015 First Sentence "Yes or no:"
Publisher's Description: Morgan's life seems to be settled - she is completing her thesis on victim psychology and newly engaged to Bennett, a man more possessive than those she has dated in the past, but also more chivalrous and passionate. But she returns from class one day to find Bennett savagely killed, and her dogs - a Great Pyrenees, and two pit bulls she was fostering - circling the body, covered in blood. Everything she holds dear in life is taken away from her in an instant. Devastated and traumatised, Morgan tries to locate Bennett's parents to tell them about their son's death. Only then does she begin to discover layer after layer of deceit. Bennett is not the man she thought he was. And she is not the only woman now in immense danger ...
Dear Reader, I feel so let down by this book. What should have been a page turning thriller, not to mention well written... became an annoyance to me. A dog loving psychology student comes home to find her fiance murdered by what looks to be her dogs. That alone sounds horrifying and a good twisty mind frak. So yes, I was intrigued and wanted to stick with it and find out what truly happens. Being a dog lover myself, I was definitely on the side of "the dogs didn't do it". I'm not going to give anything away, don't worry! Let's just say that the thriller wasn't what disappointed me... One thing I can't stand when reading is superfluous descriptions that don't DO anything for the story. These needless sentences bother me so much that I can't focus. Now maybe, just maybe The Hand That Feeds You suffered from this because two Authors were cooking in the kitchen (a small kitchen) and didn't cut down on the ingredients enough?! If you don't know what I mean about "two" authors, go search online because A.J. Rich is just another pseudonym. Anyways, I guess I should back up my complaints with some examples, and since this isn't an ARC (just a plain old book I decided to purchase), this is finished work. Here's a few examples of unnecessary wording that had me so distracted:  "I hung up the black dress I had bought for the funeral. I had worn it before to a cocktail party, but this time I'd wear it with black tights instead of lace thigh-highs." -Do we REALLY need to know exactly how she wore this dress before? "I could not read any more, so I changed into a larger pair of sweatpants and continued reading more." -What?! I'm not sure if I'm missing something or what but really? Before I go any further, I have to admit that for some people, this won't bother them and might in fact enhance the story, giving even more background to the characters. I'm just not one of those people. It bothers me to the point that it takes away from all the good this book has to offer. For example, I DID not see that ending coming at all. The characters were well written and very intriguing and the story itself was very unique. I would rate this higher overall in general but I'm sticking to my low rating for me... I have to be true to myself.  Happy Reading, AmberBug

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