Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Brotherhood by Jo Fenton. It's the first book of this two book blog tour. It's a psychological thriller, a crime story in a dark manipulative setting.
Enter the Giveaway below to Win 3 x E-copies of The Brotherhood and The Refuge (Open Internationally)
Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.
Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.
When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband, two sons, a Corgi and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.
Buy The Brotherhood
When a young woman becomes pregnant in a religious sect, how far will she go to escape the abusive leader and save the people she loves?
The Brotherhood – safe haven or prison?
After her parents’ sudden death, a grieving Melissa falls back on her faith and into the welcoming arms of a religious sect. Captivated by their leader, Dominic, she leaves her old life behind and moves to the countryside to join them.
But life in The Brotherhood is not as safe as it first appeared. When engineer Mark joins The Brotherhood, Melissa finds herself conflicted between her growing feelings for him and her crush on Dominic. With their leader's initial encouragement, Melissa and Mark grow close.
But as her haven becomes a prison, Melissa's newfound happiness is destroyed by Dominic’s jealousy. How can she escape and save the ones she loves?
I have an intense dislike for people who purport to be the voice through which God speaks, and even more so for cults who target and manipulate the lost and the vulnerable. Regardless of whether they are out to take their money, control them or convince them that have a special connection to God.
Fenton uses that particular scenario to play with in this story.
The main character, Melissa, is grieving and completely vulnerable to the attention Dominic is showering upon her. It's not really a surprise when she lets him convince her to heal in a safe place. Except that safe space turns out to be everything but safe.
It's a hard read at times, perhaps more so because the people within the cult are controlled so easily. Basic human rights and needs are thrown out the window in an attempt to please the Messiah. Seriously, someone calling themselves the Messiah - that should be a huge alarm bell for anyone.
Abuse and torture go hand in hand with what is considered the norm in regards to punishment behind the doors of the sanctum of the brotherhood. The sexual abuse, the rapes and plenty of other heinous crimes aren't perceived as such, because hey the Messiah said so and he makes the rules.
It's a psychological thriller, a crime story in a dark manipulative setting. It should be a warning, despite the fictional setting and story. These types of cults and manipulative leaders do exist and they do pull masses of people in by playing on their weaknesses and their need to belong and be safe.
Buy The Brotherhood at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Crooked Cat Books; pub date 25 July 2018. Buy at Amazon com.
Enter the Giveaway to Win 3 x E-copies of The Brotherhood and The Refuge (Open Internationally)
a Rafflecopter giveaway *Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.*
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