“Cassie is caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, where the only rules are kill, or be killed…

Charleston, Illinois –
Cassie and Frank’s animalistic rutting climaxes with rage, pain, and disappointment, when he disappears, trailing burnt and bloody remains in his wake.

Rome, Italy –
A gorgeous stranger sweeps Cassie off her feet, lighting her soul with every touch, his deep, brown eyes harbouring a dark secret.

Perugia, Italy –
Cassie’s lover disappears, leaving a blood-soaked message, and the image of a familiar ghost on her phone.

…exhausted, frozen, alone, Cassie must now hunt down the killer before it’s too late.”

Have you ever judged a book by it’s cover?  I guess we all have at some point whether knowingly or not.  I think what I’m trying to convey is that this book was NOTHING like I expected it to be.

Cassie, an Illinois college student, decides to take a last minute break to Italy.  Christmas is approaching and her father has a new family to spend the festivities with, so why not?  She announces her departure to Frank (her on/off bunk up) the same night he confesses his love for her.  Frank is outraged and follows Cassie to the airport, then onto Rome.  The chase is on but will Cassie and those she cares about survive to tell the tale?

Oh how I blushed from start to finish. This book is quite naughty (very naughty!) and I don’t think you get much warning of that from the blurb (there is a small note about it being a darkly erotic psychological thriller on the cover but I’m afraid I missed that!) . I’m not really one for eroticism in my books but this one had it in spades.  I could see how some of it fitted into the story but other sections felt a little unnecessary and just there for the shock factor.

I’m afraid I found the story very predictable and was able to guess what was going to happen from quite early on.  My addiction to crime fiction could be to blame for that; always looking out for the clues!

I found parts of the story difficult to believe.  Certain scenarios just didn’t seem to ring true and it was almost like another character had suddenly appeared from nowhere.  I wanted to love it but I’m afraid I couldn’t.

Two out of five stars.

Many thanks to Booklover Catlady Publicity and Eddie Slain for providing me with a copy of Bled in exchange for an honest review.

Bled by Eddie Slain was publsihed in the UK by Lulu.com on 27th August 2015 and is available in paperback and eBook formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com