The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick was my first read of the year and I gave it five stars. It’s pure Gothic goodness! When I saw that there would be a companion novella, Lover, I KNEW it was a must read and was lucky enough to get an ARC. This novella isn’t a prequel or anything like that. It follows the events from The Cruel Dark almost chapter by chapter and is told from Callum’s point of view. If you have not read The Cruel Dark, you can NOT read this novella. It will spoil the entire story and because of this, it’s not on Goodreads and is only available through Bea Northwick’s website. With that, I’ll get into my thoughts and there will be spoilers.
My Thoughts:
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As I knew it would be, it was so fascinating, but heartbreaking, to be in Callum’s head during the events of The Cruel Dark. While Millie didn’t remember him and was battling what she assumed to be the supernatural, Callum was in agony. It was torturous for him to pretend not to know his beloved wife so that she could hopefully recover her memories naturally. What seemed like Callum being cold and indifferent in The Cruel Dark, was him desperately trying to keep control and not overwhelm Millie. Of course, though, his love for her was all consuming and she ended up falling in love with him twice.
I was stunned when it was revealed in The Cruel Dark that Millie was Callum’s wife and her problems in the house was from somebody trying to murder her, not the supernatural. I thought it was a very well done twist. It’s interesting to see things from Callum’s point of view because that supernatural aspect is gone. In Lover, it’s simply a broken man trying to heal his wife’s mind.
The ending of Lover was beautiful and perfect. We get to see into their future, beyond where it ended in The Cruel Dark. I won’t spoil it but they get the happy ending they deserve.
Final Thoughts:
Do you plan to read Lover? If you enjoyed The Cruel Dark as much as I did, you need to! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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