I must say at the outset that, for some reason, I had it in my head that this novella was going to be about vampires. I have NO idea why... perhaps just the title, and the mention of blood?? I really don't know...but believe me, it's not about vampires! I won't say what it IS about, though at least one other reviewer has told you. At least if it's only my review you read, you will still be shocked at what comes at you in this novella.
I was on Twitter one day when I just happened to see a tweet from Meghan Ciana Doidge noting that she was looking for reviewers willing to read and review her new novella, Love Lies Bleeding. I jumped at the chance and she sent me an e-copy to read. I had no idea, really, what I was getting into at that point - I don't even think the product page was up here on Amazon, or if it was, I didn't come here to read the summary. Anyway, I'm really GLAD that I didn't know what was coming, because that just made it all the better of a reading experience for me. The first third or half of the novella was sort of creepy and felt a little dream-like to me; I hadn't gotten very far when I sent Meghan a message saying her writing was very "atmospheric" (hoping I'd used the word in the correct way). The way she writes just made it like I could see every single thing that was happening, like I could hear the music in the background or see and hear the DVD playing in the laptop. The imagery was gorgeous and I could absolutely feel the main character's pain. You're really in the dark at the beginning as to what's going on, and why a woman who's putting on her wedding dress and gloves and jewels is so unbearably sad... and it all just takes off from there!! After what you think must be the seminal event of the novella (but just might not be), the tone really changes and you get funny, horrific, horrifically funny :), strange, and truly surreal plot and language from Meghan. I'm pretty sure you'll find it's like nothing you've ever read or, at the very least, like not much else! I definitely felt the whole time that I could see this playing out on the stage or screen. It certainly played like that in my head.
There are a few times in the first part of the novella where you might be confused about what's going on, especially when certain characters are mentioned/pointed out and you wonder, who the heck is that?! But rest assured, you will find out! There was nothing that was left hanging, not one thing that I could look back and wonder why it was brought up, because everything was tied up at the end. It was a really fun and unique story, too! I never felt like it was one of those endings that was "too neat," you know, where you get to the end and groan, like, "*that's* what it was all about?!?" I think the plot is so different from anything else I've read lately, it just felt so fresh and I was pretty gobsmacked by everything that unfolded. As someone who reads a LOT, that was very much appreciated by me because I'm always searching for not just *good* books but also ones I haven't essentially read before under a different title or by a different author. Kudos to Meghan for being brave in her writing and just putting this out there!!! I had a blast reading it, and I'm very thankful she gifted me a copy so that I could.
Some random comments I wanted to share: (1) As another reviewer commented, the cover is simply gorgeous! I love it, and I looked at it a number of times while I was reading. (2) If you are easily offended by "colorful" language, violence (even mild or, if not so mild, mostly hinted at rather than described in great detail), or a moderate amount of gore ... well, then, perhaps this particular novella is not for you. I definitely had no problem with any of it, but I know there are a lot of people who are much less tolerant of these aspects in books (just as there are a lot of people who read way more violent/gory/nasty books than me).
I would definitely recommend this novella for fans of Meghan's work; for those looking for a unique story with the ability to make you cry, squirm, and laugh out loud all at the same time; for those who love a "happy ever after" ending, whatever form that may take... Above all, if you read this, just let yourself go with the flow and you'll have a great time!
(Disclosure: As mentioned, I received a free copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for my HONEST review, which is exactly what this is.)
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