The Experiment in Terror took over my life for a while when I was binging on reading and catching up.
358898
~Reviewed by FRANCESCA & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog

Its the end of an era for me.  The Experiment in Terror took over my life for a while when I was binging on reading and catching up.  And I loved every second of it.  Since then, Ive become a rabid fan and cant recommend it enough to anyone I talk to.  Dex and Perry are now part of my life.  I was both sad and happy to see the series end.  In a way sad because I really don't want to let them go, I could read about their dilemmas forever!  But happy because I love seeing a series end on a high note and not when Ive lost my love and interest.

That being said, I was petrified to read this.  I had come to all kinds of conclusions of where this book had to go based on events leading up to it.  I had talked to friends and we had plots made out in which there would be bloodshed and death.  And I carefully faced cracking this open.

My thoughts?  Let me try to break them up.

Dex

Dex is as always one sexy pervert.  I wish my sexy pervert.  Hes going through a lot in this book as this final installment is all about him going back to his past and dealing with his demons.  Quite literally.  It was tough to see him crumble.  But there were still moments when he would shine through and be his adorable self.  I laughed with him, I cried a little for him.  I definitely drooled over him quite a bit.  Dex will forever be one of my top book boyfriends.

Perry

I admit I started off this book wanting to slap a bitch.  Shes still kickass but she was turning into a teenager with the way she was thinking, acting and speaking.  Throwing tantrums at times.  She did managed to snap out of that stage and I was all glad for it.  Its amazing to see how far shes really come from the girl we started reading about.  Kudos to you, Perry on still being one of my favorite chicks!

The Shock

Wow.  Did Karina Halle go there?  Yes, she did!  I was surprised about one scene in this book, that I won't say what it is so as to not spoil anything.  I kept thinking it would stop.  But I also see how it was necessary for it to happen so that there would be a moment of clear thinking and realization.  I hurt with Perry, and with Dex for it.  I wanted this further addressed and discussed in the end.

After I got over that shock, there was another.then another. Gah!  My poor heart.

The Horror

After ASHES TO ASHES I was expecting to get be in a fetal position in the corner of my couch with a safety blanket wrapped all around me while I read this and had good view of every angle of the room to make sure nothing was coming at me.  Not quite.  This was a little scary at times, but not nearly as scary as this series has been in the past.

The Smexy

I wanted more, good, hard sexy times!  That is all.

The Words

Karina Halle can sometimes create magic with just words.  And especially the words that come out of Dexs mouth.  That broken man that has given everything he has, his soul, to Perry. But his words make me fall harder and harder for him every time.

I love you. Always. Beyond death.

Satisfied with the ending of the series?

Yes.  Overall I am.  Do I think this is the strongest book in the series?  Not by far.  Did I want it to go out with a bang that rocked my socks off.  Absolutely.  But I think this wasn't it.  I do think all the major threads I wanted wrapped up were addressed.  But overall, Im happy with how things finished and where our favorite couple ended up.  They will be missed.  And I will recommend this series to anyone who wants a good scare and an adorable set of characters to absolutely fall in love.  And because Im greedy and not really ready to let go, now Im ready to continue the saga with Ada!
4952837
My girlfriend was reading this and I started browsing one day to kill some time and ended up finishing the whole thing.
The amazing thing about this book is how it documents the long term terror and all the psychological loose ends that come from such a traumatic experience. It's truly great that the author had the guts to write about this topic and try to help others, since I have known several people who were affected by it (really we all do, even if we don't realize it).
4850801
This book reminds me a lot of a television show that only ran for a season about a man who was in a wreck and some days he woke in a world where his son lived, others was a world where his wife lived. The two realities slowly collide and then the ending was just insane. The book is more of a psychological thriller than a horror story. I had some difficulty getting into the story at first, as the war thing is not really my genre. Fortunately, I am big into psychological thrillers.
2035099
My emotions were rolling with concern for the characters, frustration with the system in which they lived and worked, and suspense.
321431
Had a lot of twist and turns that had me rereading sections over again but my comprehension is not what it used to be.
3323575
The first chapter of this book gave me a nightmare, as I read it just before bedtime; I wasn't going to go back to it, but curiosity got the bast of me, and I found myself drawn back to it.  I actually enjoyed the book, and it was full of surprises!  it's not for the faint of heart; it's creepy.  But I couldn't stop reading until I reached the end.
2370733
It took afew pages to catch on, but then I was i tothe last page. The theme is frequent but treated with much imagination from a new perspectve. Scary because their is something very possible in it. A goob book, full of suspence end reversal
4668682
Like I said above it took a while to be pulled into this book. But what I was told it I was hooked. I was there so many emotions but this book I didn't think it was possible to read a book and feel that connected to a character. Not only that but this book Tommy lot about my home life. I suffered from two stroke so year ago at age 29 and I have been down and depressed ever since. People have it a lot worse off that I do and I need to start living every day for what it is.
2451934
Note: Any and all quotes need to be checked against the final copy as they are subject to change before publication. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

<<<<<My synopsis (Actual Review Follows)<<<<<
When a serial killer makes his presence known he strikes fear into the masses. When he's captured or stopped, everyone breathes a sigh of relief because his or her reign of terror is finally over. For the survivors, however, it never really ends, it just gets easier to persevere on. For the past 10 years that is exactly what Sasha Keeton has been doing. Taking life one day at a time, one step at a time, trying to put the nightmare behind her. Held by a madman the press nicknamed "The Groom", she's finally going home to the very place where her ordeal began. Her dream had once been to take over her family's Inn and she's decided she won't let the madman identified as Vernon Joan take that away from her too. Taking back her life at this point should be easy, but almost from the moment she steps foot back in town, someone seems bent on making her feel unwelcome...

'I hit the cobblestone roundabout and made a beeline for the car I'd Parked outside the carriage house, grateful none of the guests were early risers. Thinking I would have just enough time to help Mom do the continental breakfast, I stopped in front of my car.

My mouth dropped open. "Oh my God."

I blinked, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but my eyesight was just fine. Stomach twisting and turning sour, I took a step toward the car. Glass crunched under my feet.

Glass that belonged on my car and not on the ground.

Every single window of my car had been shattered. Every one.'

Broken windows, however, are only the beginning, Bigger and much worse things have yet to come...

<<<<<My Review: <<<<<
This was a very suspenseful roller coaster thriller of a ride with a gernerous slice of romance to go with it. This one had me scratching my head as to who was causing all the chaos, although it was pretty clear from the first page that the person had ties to the original killer. The big question was who, and how entangled were they in everything that happened ten years ago. A trail of breadcrumbs exists, but the path to the killer wasn't obvious to me until the big reveal. Then of course I did a huge head smack. lol

Cole, Sasha's love interest, was a bit too much of an eager beaver for my tastes. His seeking her out and wanting to date her so soon after finding out she was home, didn't sit well with me. The two had been dating when she was abducted all those years ago, and he's never gotten over her or what happened. Luckily, I soon got over my discomfort with him as I quickly ruled him out as being the bad guy. When bad things start happening, he's right there to help her in a way he couldn't years ago. You see Cole now works for the FBI and he uses his connections to make sure nothing that happens to Sasha is dismissed as being insignificant.

Sasha is a strong woman who is ready to conquer her fears. Unfortunately someone is not going to make that easy for her. She has supportive friends and her mom to help her face the past, but when things turn deadly, I'm not sure how Sasha managed to keep her cool or her head. If it was me, I'd have turned tail and run--fast.

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 roses out of 5 roses. There was plenty of suspense. drama, romance, and mystery. I enjoyed all the red herrings, twists and turns in this fast-paced novel. It was one of those books that you pick up and don't want to put down until you finish. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. This one is definitely a nail bitter with some disturbing violence geared towards women. I definitely recommend this one.
422344
I couldn't put it down and when I did, I thought about it until I could resume reading it.
575448
I may not get back in the saddle, but Mrenda Bates has at least helped me to understand my fears.
2652623
This was my first Lizzy Gardner book and it will not be my last.  I will be the first to admit that I struggled for the first 50 pages.  There was a lot of back and forth between story lines and time and I found it a bit confusing and disjointed.  I persevered, though and I am so glad that I did.  The different threads all start coming together and you get sucked into the mind of a madman as well as the mind of Lizzy, a survivor of another dark mind.  There is a little bit of romance, terror, and harsh realities.  I literally couldn't put it down and finished it one evening.  I am looking forward to reading the next one.
1093292
Prior to reading this book I knew Anne Frank had perished long ago but for a short time she was alive sitting in my home full of promise desire and expectations.  I dreaded reaching the end but here I sit wishing to reach into the past and shield her.
4635180
From the mail box out at the street to the house, I read the first 34 pages and I knew I had a book that was going to cause me to be late or lose sleep because I had been so caught up in it. I learned things and remembered things all part of this dramatic relationship the United States had in trying to understand the Middle East.
3015979
When I spend days reading a book, I know it isn't for me.  Maybe there was too much build up?  I was 1/3 into it when I went to the end, it was as I suspected and now I can go on to something else
3117151
I started reading about 3pm one day and finished it at 11am the next day. I have hot done that in years  Well written, very intense and, yes, scary, it is we'll worth your time.
46698
I have never been one to watch a movie more than once.  I watch it, I move on.  The same is more true with books.  This may be the first book I have ever read more than once.  The first reading seem to drag a little in the beginning but I soon found I was reading at a furious pace by the time the book ended.  I was reading like I had been starved and stumbled onto a huge table of food.  I couldn't get it fast enough.  I waited a long time before I read it a second time but was not disappointed.  It was so entertaining to read it again.  I knew what was going to happen which made me take in that much more of the story.

This book is a combination of Sci-Fi, Superhero, Distopia, and Love story.  It has something for everyone!