Wicked Charm by Amber HartWicked Charm by Amber Hart

Wicked Charm

byAmber Hart

Paperback | January 30, 2018

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about

Nothing good comes from living in the Devil's swamp.

Willow Bell thinks moving to the Okefenokee area isn't half bad, but nothing prepares her for what awaits in the shadows of the bog.

Girls are showing up dead in the swamp. And she could be next.

Everyone warns Willow to stay away from Beau Cadwell-the bad boy at the top of their suspect list as the serial killer tormenting the small town.

But beneath his wicked, depthless eyes, there's something else that draws Willow to him.

When yet another girl he knew dies, though, Willow questions whether she can trust her instincts.or if they're leading to her own death.

Amber Hart resides on the Florida coastline with family and a plethora of animals she affectionately refers to as her urban farm. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of the Before & After series and the Untamed series. Rep'd by Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Liter...
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Title:Wicked CharmFormat:PaperbackDimensions:304 pages, 7.96 × 5.61 × 0.78 inPublished:January 30, 2018Publisher:Entangled Publishing, LLCLanguage:English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10:1633758966

ISBN - 13:9781633758964

Reviews

Rated 3 out of 5 by from good book This was a very suspenseful story. It is a great mystery. Girls who dated Beau go missing and are murdered near his home. It seems like Willow will be next. I didn’t guess who did it, but the solution makes sense if you look back on the story. I didn’t feel a connection with Willow or Beau. I felt like they were only focused on the murders, and didn’t talk about anything else. Of course, the murders were concerning since Beau was a suspect, but I think they should have done some other things to build their relationship and develop their characters. This was a great suspenseful story. If you’re looking for a creepy teen story, you should check this one out! I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Date published: 2018-02-10
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Fell Short I was really excited when I found this book on Netgalley. I may be aging and all, and have gotten into more NA and darker novels, but I still love and sometimes miss my YA novels. While I reread the ones I’ve always liked I’m finding I’m getting pickier and pickier with choosing new YA books/ series to get into. The cover of this first drew me right in. It’s striking and beautiful with the contrasting pale colours. Mystery and beauty comes to mind. The summary sold me. Something right up my alley to bring me back to my YA books The book was okay but it could definitely have been better. First off, there was ZERO character development for ANY of the two characters especially Willow and Beau. Chapter one: here’s Willow being warned about Beau from her grandma. Chapter two: here’s Beau hitting on her as the new girl. The author tried too hard to get the romance rolling...meaning that was the only thing she did with this book. All the other characters we meet, just nothing special about them. No history. Attached to that, Beau is made out to be the bad boy...emphasis on bad. As cliche as that is, I still fall for the trope so that’s fine. What isn’t fine is how they made him out to be a man*hore from the get-go. He himself admits to breaking girls hearts, taking them and only keeping them for a short time and as Willow is the pretty, new girl he wants the same opportunity. Instantly unlikable!! You can make a character a player but still have him likable. But as we were shown nothing about these characters there’s no way to know that. I see what the author was going for here; she wanted to create that bad boy we often find in NA books and how the girl is the one to settle him. And that’s fine, except none of those guys start out saying ‘I’m gonna break her heart’ For me, it just didn’t work. In the middle of being interested in Beau, she accepts a date from another guy. Normally I’d say, good character. She’s trying to move past the guy that won’t be good for her. BUT SHE IS NOT. Brody here is just a filler character. Someone to add drama to the whole upcoming romance: the jealousy factor. Again could work, if maybe she had an inkling for this guy but she just accepted his offer after meeting him out of pure randomness. Worse off, she compares his kindness and “light” qualities to Beau’s “dark ones”. The friends are pure supporting characters. There’s no depth. They just show up when the book needs to have Willow or Beau have a conversation with other people than each other. And showing up when needed...her parents were introduced out of nowhere. Just showed up one day and instantly her mother is a horrible character. Literally tells her daughter to date Beau even after Willow explains that she’s uncomfortable with the fact that he is moving on from Samantha so fast and effortless and she doesn’t want to be a Samantha #2. But good ol supporting mother here tells her to just have fun. She likes him so that’s all there is too it. Seriously?! Mother of the year over here. Nearly mid way through the book and they still haven’t gotten together yet. This makes me very happy. What doesn’t make me happy is when Charlotte tells Beau to get over Willow or that she’ll help him with her because she sees that he’s “falling for her”. I’d like to know when he’s had a chance to fall for her. In one of their few short conversations or when he’s been watching her for her appearance? It’s a shame. Given everything so far in this novel I was hoping the actual romance between them would be slightly more progressive, since their thoughts are not. I will say this though. Now finished the book I reflect back on the whole thing. The second half of the books is definitely better than the first half. At this point the characters are more familiar to the reader and we’re into the plot. It’s what kept me going through the book and I’m happy I finished it. Again, the second half was immensely more entertaining than the first half and I found myself *wanting* to read on and not just reading to finish the book. Ultimately the plot is good. It’s just the characters that need work in my opinion. I thought about DNFing it early on when a lot of the book’s qualities were nagging at me but in the end I wanted to see where the story would go exactly. I’m not sorry I finished it. I wasn’t bored through it and I can’t say I liked this book, but I enjoyed it. I’m glad I finished it. Again, plot wise for a novel, it’s good. The writing flows and there’s no grammar issues or anything and that’s a big thing for me; knowing how to write properly. And the killer... I’ll be honest; I didn’t see it coming. I had other suspicions but it wasn’t any of them. I don’t usually do mysteries, thrillers or anything related but I enjoyed this one and am happy that I am surprised with the outcome. Having one of my guesses be correct would be because it’s too obvious and that’s not good for a novel of this nature. If the characters had more development to them than this could easily be a really good book. Which is why I’m giving this 3 stars. I debated 2, but ultimately the story kept me entertained enough to not stop reading so it definitely deserves a 3 for that. I can see all the hard work the author put into it. Will I reread this again? For sure not. Would I read something by the author again? Perhaps if I found something interesting by her. I’d give her writing another shot. Would I recommend it to someone? Personally, probably not. I volunteered to review this ARC. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.
Date published: 2018-01-31
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Mysterious & Atmospheric Willow Bell moves with her parents to live with her grandmother in Waycross, Georgia, on the edge of the Okefenokee wetlands. When she sees Beau Cadwell, the grandson of Gran's neighbour, she is instantly smitten and it's not long before her feelings are reciprocated. However, Gran holds an intense dislike for Mr. Cadwell and believes he and his grandson are evil. Beau is exotic and mysterious. He breaks the hearts of all the girls in Waycross and fully expects to do the same to Willow. Gran warns her away from him, afraid he will steal Willow's soul. Rumours and whispers spread through the town about him and his family. Willow feels intensely drawn to him, though and sees another side to Beau that is thoughtful and kind. Willow is fascinated by the swamp and feels at home there, even with an array of hidden dangers lurking behind the heavy trees and beneath the murky water. But she has more to fear than gators, snakes and a smooth-talking heartbreaker, when Beau's newly ex-girlfriend is found murdered in the bog and the killer remains at large. The novel kept me transfixed wanting to know more of the history between the Cadwell and Bell families, what caused the rift between Virginia Bell and Parker Cadwell and what had really happened to Beau's parents. Beautifully written, descriptive and atmospheric, Wicked Charm is filled with mystery, darkness and secrets.
Date published: 2018-01-30
Rated 2 out of 5 by from Not what I expected or wanted Lesson learned: read reviews AS WELL AS the summary because I was tricked. And not for the better. With a title like that, and the promise of murder, I was hoping for a spooky thriller of a novel with maybe (and I don't know why I assumed this) a dash of paranormal. Instead, I was disappointed to find that 70% of the book was a consuming, almost nauseating, Twilight-esque teen romance with a few murders scattered throughout as an afterthought. As a result, it got quite repetitive. Willow, trying to figure out the bad boy, and Beau, trying to understand why he's falling for this girl. Countless mentions of sunlight on hair and eye colour and staring. It sucked too, because I actually really enjoyed the characters on their own. Willow was a fun girl and Beau was relatable. I think if I'd gone into this knowing it was a straight romance, I'd have enjoyed it quite a bit, but as mentioned my expectations were set somewhere else. I fell in love with the swamp setting at first, but after the twentieth rendition of it being described, I got bored. Another thing that made me sad, because it was a unique environment and one that gave me ideas for my own WIP. I get it, it's hot and wet with gators and snakes and murky water. The murders, as mentioned, are described as being a central point of the plot. However, the first few are nothing but a tiny blip in the story when surrounded by this consuming romance. There was a strange disconnect between that, without them flowing and influencing the other. It wasn't until about 75% in that it actually took central stage. As for whodunit, I figured it out pretty quick, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It wasn't some crazy thriller that kept me guessing until the very end, but it was well hidden. I'm choked that I feel this way, and simply because the summary was very misleading. I might have felt differently had I known.
Date published: 2018-01-26

Editorial Reviews

5 stars: "Atmospheric, lush, and razor-edged, this romance is the best sort of trouble-the kind that keeps you up reading all night long. " -Jenna Marie Thorne, author of The Wrong Side of Right4.5 stars: "When I started reading this it reminded me of Beautiful Creatures, however, this mystery was like nothing I've read before and I was hooked on every page. I love the swamp setting and the suspense." -Danielle, Chapters Through Life5 stars: "From page one to the end, Hart offers up another irresistible read that will keep the reader guessing and rapidly turning the pages." -Heather Smith Meloche, author of Ripple4.5 stars: "It had everything it needed to be a very good book. An amazing romance, fast paced suspense and great character development. I'm going to keep a close eye on this author because this book was simply amazing!" -Lena, The Printed Girl4 stars: "Solid romantic suspense. I loved the swamp, the characters, and the Southern Gothic atmosphere." -Outlaw Poet5 stars: "Wicked Charm is the perfect balance of dark and eerie paired with romantic and suspenseful. It's completely addictive and enthralling and one of the best young adult contemporaries I've ever read." -Kristina, Kristina's Books & More4 stars: "If a sultry southern romance with serial killers, gators, and snakes is your glass of sweet tea, then this novel is the perfect read for you." -Erica, Goodreads Reviewer5 stars: "Her narration and description of the swampland will pull you directly into the setting and make you feel like you are truly there with Willow and Beau." -M.C. Chronister, Tolkien & Company4 stars: "Wicked Charm unfolds at a Southern pace a tale of two souls grown deep in the Georgia swamp as history, circumstance, and gruesome murders draw them together like a moth to a flame. Both wicked and charming this story is one that will seep into your skin like a Southern summer and stick like beads of sweat rolling down your neck." -Angela, Pooled Ink Reviews5 stars: "I am in love with this book and I highly recommend checking it out!" -Madison, Stylish Brunette4 stars: "This story was so atmospheric, I could feel the stickiness of the swamp. The setting is similar to The Beautiful Creatures and Heirs of Watson Island series and the setting of the swamp becomes its own character." -Erika, Goodreads Reviewer