BLURB
On May 15, 1975, fifteen-year-old Ginny Lemon is abducted from a convenience store in Fort Lauderdale by a member of one of the most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs in South Florida.
From that moment on, her life is forever changed. She gets a new name, a new identity and a new life in the midst of the gang’s base on the edge of the Florida Everglades—a frightening, rough and violent world much like the swamps themselves, where everyone has an alias and loyalty is tantamount to survival.
And at the center of it all is the gang’s leader, Grizz: massive, ruggedly handsome, terrifying and somehow, when it comes to Ginny, tender. She becomes his obsession and the one true love of his life.
So begins a tale of emotional obsession and manipulation, of a young woman ripped from everything she knows and forced to lean on the one person who provides attention, affection and care: her captor. Precocious and intelligent, but still very much a teenager, Ginny struggles to adapt to her existence, initially fighting and then coming to terms with her captivity.
Will she be rescued? Will she escape? Will she get out alive—or get out at all? Part psychological thriller, part coming-of-age novel, filled with mystery, romance and unexpected turns, Nine Minutes takes readers into the world of one motorcycle gang and inside the heart of a young girl, whose abduction brought about its fall.
On May 15, 1975, fifteen-year-old Ginny Lemon is abducted from a convenience store in Fort Lauderdale by a member of one of the most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs in South Florida.
From that moment on, her life is forever changed. She gets a new name, a new identity and a new life in the midst of the gang’s base on the edge of the Florida Everglades—a frightening, rough and violent world much like the swamps themselves, where everyone has an alias and loyalty is tantamount to survival.
And at the center of it all is the gang’s leader, Grizz: massive, ruggedly handsome, terrifying and somehow, when it comes to Ginny, tender. She becomes his obsession and the one true love of his life.
So begins a tale of emotional obsession and manipulation, of a young woman ripped from everything she knows and forced to lean on the one person who provides attention, affection and care: her captor. Precocious and intelligent, but still very much a teenager, Ginny struggles to adapt to her existence, initially fighting and then coming to terms with her captivity.
Will she be rescued? Will she escape? Will she get out alive—or get out at all? Part psychological thriller, part coming-of-age novel, filled with mystery, romance and unexpected turns, Nine Minutes takes readers into the world of one motorcycle gang and inside the heart of a young girl, whose abduction brought about its fall.
Review..
When it comes to writing reviews I normally wait a day or two after I've finished to let myself absorb the story. With Nine Minutes I couldn't wait, I had to throw all my words down immediately. The way I felt was too strong for me just to sit on it. So here goes. I'd love to tell you how I felt whilst reading this but I can't, I don't know how to explain what this book did to me. I was engrossed from the very first page, the prologue is one of the most intriguing prologues I've read and it certainly fulfilled its mission to draw me in.
As well as not being able to pin down the way I felt I'm also struggling to fit this book into a category. Is it a romance? There are certainly aspects of love but for me I couldn't accept the way this love as born so it's definitely not your average romance. The way in which Ginny tells her story is less hearts and flowers and more matter of fact. It didn't feel as if I was actually reading a story it was more an account of somebody's life.
There are triggers, rape, violence, and under age sex all of which are handled well, at no point does the author undermine the severity of any of this. I don't particularly like darker reads and the fact I loved this is not only testament to the way the author handled these dark moments but also the way they are told through Ginny's eyes. It was the norm and halfway through the book it began to feel 'normal' to read about them. There were certain scenes which when reading made me question my sanity and why I was actually enjoying it but it all played a part in completing the bigger picture. Although the book has dark aspects, it's more the theme that's dark rather than the scenes we read. I didn't feel overly uncomfortable reading them and coming from a girl that likes unicorns and glitter that's credit to the way they were written.
I read the first 25% and had to begrudgingly put it down as I had other arrangements the next day I picked it up and finished the rest of the book within a couple of hours I really could not put this down. Every chapter left me hooked and wanting to find the answers. This is the first MC book I've read but I'm told it's not like other MC books which is a shame as I thought I'd just stumbled across a new category to love!
The biggest thing for me was that I was kept guessing throughout. I did however pretty much guess who her husband was early in the book, what I had no idea about was what I would discover in the final few pages, they actually blew my mind.
Although there's not a Cliffy as such this book does leave you desperate for answers and makes you think so if you hate the waiting maybe wait for book two. I enjoy giving my mind time to stew over possible outcomes though so for me the gap in books is welcomed.
I've sat on this review for a week now as I was struggling with the star rating and I wanted to ensure I did it justice. I was teetering on 4.5 until that final chapter which just blew my mind and left me gob smacked. Three days later on the train home from work I just had to call Donna it was still on my mind and I couldn't shake the imprint it had left in my head. After I made that call a lady next to me apologised for listening to my conversation but had to tell me she's read it too and absolutely loved it. Her mind was also blown, so I figured if a book can get two random strangers on a train in Sheffield, England talking so emphatically about it then surely it deserves every single one of these 5 stars I've awarded.
If you love intrigue, dark, MC, mind fucks or just books that pull you in and spit you out this book is for you. Nah who am I kidding whatever you love to read, this book is for you. This is one book you don't want miss out on, there's a reason behind all these 4&5 star reviews and that reason is Beth Flynn. For a début novel this is brilliant and I'm so excited (and extremely nervous) to see what she presents us with in book two.
As well as not being able to pin down the way I felt I'm also struggling to fit this book into a category. Is it a romance? There are certainly aspects of love but for me I couldn't accept the way this love as born so it's definitely not your average romance. The way in which Ginny tells her story is less hearts and flowers and more matter of fact. It didn't feel as if I was actually reading a story it was more an account of somebody's life.
There are triggers, rape, violence, and under age sex all of which are handled well, at no point does the author undermine the severity of any of this. I don't particularly like darker reads and the fact I loved this is not only testament to the way the author handled these dark moments but also the way they are told through Ginny's eyes. It was the norm and halfway through the book it began to feel 'normal' to read about them. There were certain scenes which when reading made me question my sanity and why I was actually enjoying it but it all played a part in completing the bigger picture. Although the book has dark aspects, it's more the theme that's dark rather than the scenes we read. I didn't feel overly uncomfortable reading them and coming from a girl that likes unicorns and glitter that's credit to the way they were written.
I read the first 25% and had to begrudgingly put it down as I had other arrangements the next day I picked it up and finished the rest of the book within a couple of hours I really could not put this down. Every chapter left me hooked and wanting to find the answers. This is the first MC book I've read but I'm told it's not like other MC books which is a shame as I thought I'd just stumbled across a new category to love!
The biggest thing for me was that I was kept guessing throughout. I did however pretty much guess who her husband was early in the book, what I had no idea about was what I would discover in the final few pages, they actually blew my mind.
Although there's not a Cliffy as such this book does leave you desperate for answers and makes you think so if you hate the waiting maybe wait for book two. I enjoy giving my mind time to stew over possible outcomes though so for me the gap in books is welcomed.
I've sat on this review for a week now as I was struggling with the star rating and I wanted to ensure I did it justice. I was teetering on 4.5 until that final chapter which just blew my mind and left me gob smacked. Three days later on the train home from work I just had to call Donna it was still on my mind and I couldn't shake the imprint it had left in my head. After I made that call a lady next to me apologised for listening to my conversation but had to tell me she's read it too and absolutely loved it. Her mind was also blown, so I figured if a book can get two random strangers on a train in Sheffield, England talking so emphatically about it then surely it deserves every single one of these 5 stars I've awarded.
If you love intrigue, dark, MC, mind fucks or just books that pull you in and spit you out this book is for you. Nah who am I kidding whatever you love to read, this book is for you. This is one book you don't want miss out on, there's a reason behind all these 4&5 star reviews and that reason is Beth Flynn. For a début novel this is brilliant and I'm so excited (and extremely nervous) to see what she presents us with in book two.