Book Review: The Mad House
Chained to floors and locked in basements, Ophelia McCammon has spent her life praying to far more than the Lord Jesus in search of forgiveness.
After her step-sister–Cedar Lewis–vanishes in the middle of the night, Phe is abandoned with parents who will do everything it takes to make sure their only remaining daughter proves pure and devoted to The Temple.
On her knees, she begs for mercy. With an open mouth she receives the Priests’ blessings and recites her prayers. But her curious mind gets her deeply into trouble, and the Demons in her own personal Hell have become her Saviors.
The divide between dark and light is only the beginning. Now, that she’s committed an unforgivable sin against her parents and has fallen into the care of her long-lost Cedar–she begins unravelling between the segments of her monster and her madness.
Forbidden desires build home in her flesh and blood, tempting her with sins far worse than she could have ever expected.
Which side of her will win?
The Monster.
Or The Devoted.
My Review
This is the first book I have read by Liza. I have wanted to read her books for a while now. Well after reading this one, I will definitely be reading her other books. This story is so dark, twisted, and oh so HOT. I loved it.
Ophelia, aka, Phe and her sister Cedar did not have a normal childhood. Where the two sisters are concerned, I instantly felt for Phe. Cedar took a little longer for me to warm up to her. Due to her tougher attitude that came off a bit rough around the edges. Plus, it felt like what was happening to them was more geared towards Phe.
As the story progressed, so did the physical attraction between Phe and Cedar. There were plenty of steamy moments. Enough to give you sweet dreams. Also, I have to take a quick moment to say....the ending! That is all I am going to say. To find out what I am talking about you will have to pick up this book for yourself.
Grab Your Copy Here!
Meet Liza James
I had decided back then, that when I grew up I was going to be an author. Funny how we grow up and things change so drastically, right? As I got older, I began the age old search of trying to figure out exactly what I wanted in life.
At 18, moved across the world and spent the next several years trying so many different things in order to find my fit. I fell in love with so many things as well, including photography, calligraphy, music, and letterpress.
But writing and reading have always remained a constant love of mine. Oddly enough, it was the only thing I never spoke about. I kept it very private, starting several different stories and ultimately not finishing them. I never spoke about what I was writing with anyone, or very very few people once in a while. I didn’t even share what I wrote with my closest friends and family.
Over the years, a lot of things changed. I found myself coming to a place in my life as a mom, a wife at the time, a friend, but still not as MYSELF. I continued struggling with my own identity, struggling with who I was outside of being a wife and mother. So, I made it a goal to write and finish my first novel in 2019. I decided to CHOOSE my path and create it for myself, choose my identity and allow my passion for writing to come at the forefront of that.
2020 was even harder. Alongside the pandemic came my own realization of so many other things I hadn’t worked through. I’ve struggled to find my own acceptance, and only recently have finally begun falling in love with who I truly am outside of every standard, every expectation, every societal mold and ingrained belief I had held on to so tightly.
I had to crash, and burn, and essentially die to become who I was truly meant to be. (Insert writing Vibe.)
I am a mother. I am a creative. I am a friend and a lover of many many things. But I am also a writer, I’m an author, and loving every moment of embracing myself in all of those discoveries.
So, here I am today, writing this blurb about my “story” and laughing to myself just a bit. Because this is just the beginning of what my story was and is going to be, and I’m ready to embrace whatever this new adventure has for me.
To learn more about Liza and her books, visit here!
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