Maybe mild spoilers. TW: Scene that is borderline rape, but isn't technically rape. Still unsettling/upsetting to read.*

Summary:

First off, I must say that this is so beautifully written. I really enjoyed the way the author described things, the setting and characters.

I liked the younger sister, Aaliya, but had a very hard time liking the older sister. First impressions stick with me, and Maddalena annoyed me from the get go. However, I think that might be what the author intended, so good job! But the girl got some brownie points from me as the story went on. The ending was quite unexpected for how the book began. I liked that a lot.

I loved how both girls had a distinct and different personality; you can tell which chapter belonged to who with no problem whatsoever.

I really disliked the sex scenes, especially the last one in the book.

Aaliya has this one sex encounter that caused me to cringe a lot. It's a horrible situation to be in. You got to do what you got to do, I understand, but still felt unneeded to be so graphic about it. [Trigger Warning: It wasn't rape, per say, but it also wasn't wanted sex. Sounds confusing, but it is what it is.]

Each person has their own idea of graphic. The sex/violence in books might be fine for some, but too much for others. I wasn't bothered by the violence. I'm just not an "erotica" fan for the most part and this book did have some juicy and descriptive scenes. I'm honestly not a prude at all, but I am asexual, so that might have something to do with my feelings.

There is also threesome sex (2 male, 1 female) for anyone wanting to know.

Overall, I believe many would like the book.

*Author sent me this to review. I am very thankful!*

Dr. Alex Taylor wakes up alone in an operating room, blinded by bright lights,  and strapped down to the operating table with her ankles  in stirrups. She was naked and only covered with drapes and her private parts were displayed. Alec doesn’t know how she got there or why. She sees a man in surgical attire with only his eyes showing. The Alec wakes up a second time in the hospital with her colleagues all around her. Alec had been found in the parking lot unconscious with a bump on the back  her head but that was all that was wrong with her. No one would believe what Alec had to say about the operating room and the man and the threats of hurting her with hints of rape and stapling her mouth shut.  Her family, friends and colleagues tell Alec she had not been naked in an operating room with a man asking her a question. No one stands by Alec not friends, colleagues, family or even Alec’s boyfriend. They all think she is having a breakdown. Alec wonders if she is losing her mind. Then a pregnant nurse is abducted, when she is found and brought to the hospital she is no longer pregnant and what she says before she dies makes Alec believe the man who torments her thoughts was the same man who took the nurse and caused her death. The police think Alec may be a serial killer. Alec finds out it wasn’t an accident for what had happened to her , someone was upset with Alec and wants her to pay. Even though Alec was released her ordeal isn’t over and her abductor is not finished with their work.

I really loved reading this book. It kept you at the end of your chair also it was unpredictable and I really liked that. It did make you wonder what was real and what wasn’t. It is a great psychological thriller. The ending comes very quick. . It had a great plot and pace. You do keep guessing while reading this. I really loved the ending. I don’t know why no one stood by Alec. She was suppose to be a respected doctor. I loved the characters and the twists and turns and I highly recommend.

Dr Alex Taylor finds herself in a nightmare scenario, but no one believes her, not even the man she loves. Things go from bad to worse as each new disaster unfolds. A great story which keeps you on your toes, fast moving, vivid descriptions (a bit too vivid sometimes) - definitely a thriller. I did work out who it was before the reveal but that didn't spoil the story, perhaps the why did, a little. However Alex was a bit too perfect, a goody two shoes really which was ever so slightly annoying. Be careful if you are reading this on public transport because you might just miss your stop!

This was a fast read for me, in many ways your typical psychological thriller but it was superbly menacing and I give it extra points for being quite unpredictable - not necessarily on the "whodunnit" level, although Liz Lawler does a great job of obfuscating things - but more because it didn't feel at all like things would necessarily work out for our main protagonist. Did all come good in the end? Well you'll have to read to find out.

It has that addictive quality that I look for in this genre, certainly a page turner, also intensely creepy at times. Imagine you are assaulted but nobody believes you. Imagine then that at every turn you are looking more and more unbalanced but you know that you are not. That is an intriguing layer to Don't Wake Up, I also give points for the fact that the characters mostly behaved reasonably given the circumstances. If I had one bugbear it was one police officer character that was way too caricature but I won't say more because everyone reads differently

Overall Don't Wake Up is a great read, especially as a book to sit down with when you just need to read totally in the comfort zone - I have no problem recommending it to fans of this genre, whilst it may not offer anything unique, it is accomplished writing and a banging good story.

Is Wrestling Fixed is the autobiography of Bill Apter.

I got this from Netgalley.

When I was a fresh-faced young lad between the ages of 7 and 32, I was a big fan of pro-wrestling. Back in the pre-internet days, when you wanted something more, you bought wrestling magazines. The photographer on most of those magazines was Bill Apter.

Apter covers quite a bit of his life and all of it has to do with wrestling and the wrestling business, from his days wrestling his brother or the neighborhood kids, to taking photographs for wrestling magazines, and various points in between.

Apter tells some hilarious stories, like defending the Championship Office Wrestling belt at work against co-workers, and some not so hilarious, like Randy Savage being mad enough to threaten to kill him.

All in all, it's an above average wrestling book. Apter's writing is engaging and he knows how to tell a story. However, a couple things lessened the experience for me. For one thing, the stories aren't in chronological order so the book winds up feeling like a collection of blog posts. My other main gripe is that it feels like he's barely scratched the surface. 4 decades in the wrestling business should have yielded more material than this.

At the final bell, I'm giving this a 3. What's there is really good but it could have used some organization and more content.