Genre: Horror, Thriller
Reviewer: Linda, Paranormal Romance Guild
Get It On Amazon | Publisher | B&N
About The Book
A mysterious figure. A dead televangelist. A series of bizarre rituals.
Margo has spent most of her life without a family, and with a telekinetic gift she can’t quite explain. Since losing her mother less than a year ago, she’s felt more alone than ever. When her fiancé Sam takes her to his remote Iowa hometown to meet his family and begin planning their wedding, Margo finally begins to feel like she’s home. But the feeling doesn’t last long, and Margo soon feels out of place among her future in-laws. Sam’s family is different from what she’d expected. Not only is their obsession with a deceased televangelist unsettling, but Margo has begun seeing a strange, mysterious figure from her past—a figure that she thought was put to rest with her mother’s passing.
As Sam’s family begins to take over the wedding plans, Margo tries to regain some control by turning to the town’s sole wedding planner, who soon becomes her only confidant, perhaps because she reminds Margo of her former love. But the more Margo tries to distance her past from her future with Sam, the deeper his family pulls her in, forcing upon her generationally archaic traditions that border on ritualistic. As Margo unearths the family’s dark web of secrets, she begins to suspect that she may have been brought here for a reason, and it may cost her her life.
In the psychologically unsettling vein of I’m Thinking of Ending Things and The Women in the Dark, combined with the socially aware suspense of Get Out, The Ever End takes elevated horror to a new level with a queer, twisted, feminist story that will keep readers guessing until the end, and stay with them long after that.
The Review
It has been a year since Margo’s mother died, and six months since she met and became engaged to Sam Wailing. Now they are on their way to Iowa to meet his family. The only thing Sam said about them is that they are very religious, and he and Margo can’t share the same room. Sam has already decided they will not have sex until they are married but Margo will be sleeping alone in a house with strangers.
When they finally arrive, the meeting with Sam’s parents leaves her uncomfortable. There’s a grandmother who just sits and watches a televangelist, a sister who seems way too comfortable with her brother, and another sister and her husband and little girl. Margo tries to understand everything that is happening around her but as soon as she begins to, something else occurs.
Sam’s parents begin handling the wedding arrangements, while Margo seeks to regain some control. She contacts a potential wedding planner, but Sam’s parents tell her that they prefer to manage the planning themselves. Whenever Margo attempts to put herself back in charge, she encounters opposition, and Sam supports his family’s decisions.
Sam’s mother even goes so far as buying a nightgown that she wants Margo to wear, and she won’t take no for an answer. It’s is ugly and uncomfortable, but Margo decides to wear it anyway, instead of making trouble. Everything the family does makes her uncomfortable but when she discusses it with Sam, he just brushes her off, telling her that his parents are just set in their ways and there is nothing to worry about.
Margo’s previous relationship was with a woman, so being with Sam is new for her. She tries to pursue him, but he rejects her each time. She wonders if it’s due to his parent’s religious beliefs, or if there’s another reason. She becomes more and more uncomfortable with his family, but he begs her to stay until the day they were originally planning to leave.
So many strange things happen that Margo begins to question her own sanity. The baby’s first birthday is coming up, and that is when she realizes that Sam’s family is not just different and religious, but crazy. She has met with the wedding planner privately and feels more comfortable with her and questions her real feelings for Sam. Even with all the craziness surrounding Sam’s family, she is still ready to go ahead with their wedding.
Then Margo discovers Sam’s secrets that should make her question their future together. Will she heed his warnings, or realize too late that marrying Sam would be a nightmare?
Secrets, lies, surprises and a future life that will not be a happy one. The ending is worth the price of admission.
5 stars.
The Reviewer
I am an avid reader the mother of 3 sons and grandmother to seven grandchildren. Since retiring I have been doing more reading while volunteering as a CASA worker. CASA is an organization that works with the family court system to ensure that children are in the best living situation. There are way too many children that get overlooked in the foster care system and I visit homes and make visits to the parents. I was born and raised in New York and my husband of 50 years and I live in Upstate New York.
The Paranormal Romance Guild was established in 2009 by 8 Indie Authors and one Reviewer to be a constant help for authors. You can be a free author member, submitting your work for review OR become a Premium Author Member for a small yearly fee and enjoy many extra services including Free Beta Reads, Author Giveaways and many others. Your reviews are posted on our 3 FB Sites, Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram. WE REVIEW ALL GENRES LGBTQ+ welcome.
Check out our website: https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/
FB: https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/
