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A Slaying Review

 Grady Hendrix has composed a story with southern charm, riveting suspense and extensive character development. This novel spans over 11 years, centered around the antics and pandemonium of a house wives' book club. The main character, Patricia Campbell, has two children and a husband who works full time outside of the home. She handles day-to-day schedules within the home, along with participating in community events. Patricia does have a past working full time as a nurse with extensive schooling, however, she chose to be a stay at home mother to better tend to her children and keep her family afloat comfortably. Participating in the neighborhood book club allows Patricia the opportunity to bond with her fellow stay-at-home mothers, all ranging with a variety of personalities and family sizes.

With normal growing mundane, the neighborhood gains a single gentleman who reaches out to Patricia after a nontraditional meeting and inquires about assistance with fitting in. The tasks seemed simple, Patricia even placed them as reasonable in order for her conscience to allow her to help this man, James Harris. Although, in time, Patricia is able to put instances together where Mr. Harris' presence becomes more suspicious and she's unable to look the other way. Between other housewives and individuals who take precedence in Patricia's everyday life, she's able to uncover the real man behind the pressed shirt and dress shoes. Let's just say, he's got quite a bite.

All in all, I'd have to give this novel 5/5 stars. I believe the pace was appropriate given the eleven year span of the novel. Patricia was an easy character to empathize with, but it was ultimately easier to side with her later on in the story. There were multiple moments throughout the novel with misogynistic undertones, which is to be expected given the time period. However, I appreciated Patricia bouncing back from a decisive life changing event at the end of the novel that allotted her the opportunity to gain her independence back and remember the badass woman she always was. Descriptions and details were portrayed easily, characters were easy to follow and grow attached to besides the main family. I'd recommend this novel to anyone interested in a different take on "slaying the day" -- both bloodsucker style and women empowerment.

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