Afraid: Three Riveting Stories of Suspense

Lisa Jackson · Alexandra Ivy · Lisa Childs

Feb 2022 · Zebra Books

About this ebook

A thrilling new book featuring the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Third Grave, that fans of Allison Brennan and Lisa Gardner won’t want to miss! Dark secrets and revenge converge as former students from an elite boarding school, which is also a haven for the daughters of the rich and famous, come face to face with the crimes of the past…
 
LUCY
Lucy Champagne was sent to St. Cecilia’s after her movie-star mother was brutally attacked by her sleazy boyfriend, Ray Watkins. Lucy’s damning testimony landed Ray a twenty-five-year sentence. But now, Ray is free. And he’s going to find Lucy and make her pay, no matter how far and how fast she runs . . .
 
RAYNE
Rayne Taylor found unexpected happiness at St. Cecilia’s, until her roommate, Natalie, committed suicide. Only when Rayne finds a box of mementoes from that time does she realize how wrong she may have been about Natalie’s death—and how far someone will go to keep the truth hidden . . .

ERIN
Erin MacDonald remembers little about the long-ago night she and her sister, Anna Beth, were kidnapped. While Erin was found safe, Anna Beth vanished forever. Now Erin has reluctantly come back to the family estate, where Detective Rafe Montego hopes to finally crack the case. But as flashes of Erin’s memory reemerge, she learns how deep the danger goes . . .

Ratings and reviews

This collection of short stories is full of crazy twists and suspenseful turns. Each has there own flair with a tiny bit of romance but not enough to be called romantic suspense. They are sum what connected but can be read as stand alone. St Cecelia’s School for girls in Salzburg, Austria is the center of there connecting story. Murder and lots of tragedies. Crazy, creepy, families and story endings I sure didn’t see coming. Overall this is a good collection of novella’s but my favorite was Alexandra Ivy.

Afraid – Three Riveting Stories of Suspense A private boarding school for girls in Austria is where all three of the female lead characters of this collection were sent by their families. Each one of the girls experienced something that impacts them and lingers long after they leave St. Cecilia’s School for Girls. Stayed up till 2am and continued reading in the dark when we lost electricity to find out how it all ends… What I liked: * RETRIBUTION by Lisa Jackson: Lucy and a pair of scissors may have saved her mother’s life. But, she can’t remember the details, or hasn’t been able to. She is a bit damaged, fearful, and anxious but then…she may have reason to. I really liked her daughter and her ex-husband, Ian, and wouldn’t mind hearing more about them in the future. * GHOSTS by Alexandra Ivy: Rayne was inconvenient so was sent away by her mother. I liked her strength and independence. I enjoyed the way she and Niko, her deceased boarding school roommate, worked together to find out what really happened to his sister. This one had me guessing. * ALONE by Lisa Childs: Erin was young when she and her beautiful older sister were kidnapped. She finally returns “home” to the scene of the crime for the funeral of her father. I had a feeling I knew who the bad guy was early on and was validated BUT there were many red herrings that could have been the baddie. I really liked Montego and the epilogue of this book. * I liked that all three stories overlapped * I enjoyed the past-present timeline of the story with flashbacks as it built suspense * I enjoyed the twists and not always knowing for sure who was the real bad guy…not till the end * I liked that the three women were strong, capable, educated, and did what needed to be done. What I didn’t like: * The traumas each woman experienced and how it impacted them * Who and what I was meant to – the evil people and what they did Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more by these authors? Yes Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

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About the author

LISA JACKSON is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five novels, including Paranoid: Liar, Liar; One Last Breath; You Will Pay; After She’s Gone;Close to Home;Tell Me; Deserves to Die;You Don’t Want to Know;Running Scared; and Shiver. She has over thirty million copies of her books in print in nineteen languages. She lives with her family and three rambunctious dogs in the Pacific Northwest. Readers can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com and find her on Facebook.

Alexandra Ivy is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She has also written Regency historicals under the name Deborah Raleigh. A five-time RT Book Award Finalist, Ivy has received much acclaim for her Guardians of Eternity, ARES Security, Immortal Rogues, and Sentinels series. She lives with her family in Missouri and can be found online at www.AlexandraIvy.com.

Lisa Childs is an award-winning and international bestselling author of more than seventy novels. She loves spinning dark and twisty stories that keep readers awake because they’re either too busy turning pages or too scared to sleep. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance. Lisa loves to hear from readers who can contact her on Facebook, and through her website www.lisachilds.com.