Blog Tour Review: Glimmer of Hope – J. A. Andrews

Hello everyone and welcome to today’s blog tour review of Glimmer of Hope by J. A. Andrews. I am really glad to have been offered to take part in this particular blog tour. As always, I’d like to say a huge thank you to both the author and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to be sharing my review of Glimmer of Hope with you today.

Glimmer of Hope turned out to be a book that pushed my boundaries – but in a good way. More on that below; now, here are the details of the book: –

 

Glimmer of Hope – J. A. Andrews

Glimmer of Hope by J.A. Andrews | Goodreads

Sometimes chasing a dream can become a nightmare…

Alecia Preen is living in poverty and desperate to make a better life for herself. Having moved to a new area for new beginnings after being disowned by her family, money was fast running out. She is struggling to make ends meet.

With the intention of charging lonely men online for her services, Alecia realises she can supplement her income by being unscrupulous. In meeting Jake Parker he requests that she role-plays as a psychiatrist, but he makes her aware of an underground millionaires playground called Sordida. He warns her to stay away.

As Alecia’s curiosity gets the better of her, she is amazed by the wealth and decadence on offer. Sordida is not the club she had anticipated because behind the legendary name lurks a very dark secret. A secret that could cost her everything.

He pays by the hour and Alecia pays in ways she had never imagined.

 

Purchase Links –   Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

Glimmer of Hope wasn’t the book I was expecting it to be. In reality, it was so much better! With a fast-paced, intriguing narrative and an unexpected plot twist at the end, it’s definitely a novella for fans of thrillers. This book is the first I have read by J. A. Andrews, but I would definitely read his other two based on Glimmer of Hope.

One word of warning is that the book is NSFW. I had anticipated from the synopsis that there may be some parts of the book that had mature content. If I’m perfectly honest, had I known the prevalence of it in the book, it would have made me think twice before picking it up. It’s not really my cup of tea, but in moderation, I can handle it. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the novella. I only mention this to make potential readers aware of it so they can choose whether it’s their cup of tea or not. As I said, it isn’t mine, but it still worked for me so it might for you too. Either way, you can make an informed decision.

The main character Alecia is a young woman, down on her luck with life after starting again away from her family. Money is tight and stacking shelves at the local supermarket hardly provides a cushy lifestyle. Those personal circumstances are very easy to relate to, and the poverty cycle is something we are all familiar with. When Alecia is presented with an opportunity to earn more money and sustain a better quality of life, of course, she takes it. The events that follow and the consequences are far from expected and spiral out of her control.

Alecia is a likeable character and I loved her determination and spirit to better her life. Whilst they are not choices I would ever make, I can appreciate that she is being opportunistic where she can to try to get herself out of a grotty bedsit and into a place of her own. It shouldn’t be too much to ask… and it’s no more ambitious, greedy or selfish than the rest of us.

Glimmer of Hope was a reasonably quick read for me. The narrative and pace of the novella had a good flow, so it was easy to get engrossed and read chapter after chapter and lose awareness of time. At 205 pages, it’s approachable for all readers to pick up.

 

Author Bio

J.A. Andrews is the author of gripping twisty psychological thrillers. Mummy’s Boy, and You Let Him In, are his full-length novellas, while Glimmer of Hope is a shorter story as a Kindle exclusive.  As well as writing fiction, JA Andrews enjoys reading a mix of genres, watching various reality TV and spending time with family and friends.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @JasonA1980