The Gift Horse

Rating:
Summary: A detailed and efficient thriller
Review: Pamela J. Dodd tells the story of high school student Angela ("Angie") Donalson's abduction by millionaire Marc Avery with a detailed, straightforward approach. Angie's new life begins with her harsh imprisonment--capably managed by Ms. Billie Chapman, an ex-Marine who knows how to break people down and build them back up--and quickly moves into a mental territory more remote than Avery's vast estate. As Angie changes, she must decide whether it's for better or worse and whether she has any choice in the matter either way. "The Gift Horse" carries us through the resulting emotional landscape with relentless efficiency.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: The Gift Horse is the story of Angie Donalson, a promising student from the poor side of the street, kidnapped and placed in a huge estate, locked up, chained up, searched, humiliated and taught to be a mistress to spoiled, rich Marc Avery.

A story with many twists, each one of them resulting in some form of 'What the...' or a gaping mouth! Yet each making psychological and factual (fictional) sense.

The author has an excellent grasp of the mind - both outer and inner - and utilises it with amazing effectiveness. Apart from one or two confusing time skips, Angie's situation is and mindset are made easy to follow and understand. Even the time skips that halt the reader momentarily are quickly explained and allow the story to flow steadily towards the conclusion that was always inevitable, but only seems that way when it happens!

The bad guys are shown from the start, and as Dodd elaves the story to unfold even Angie's keepers become human and - dare I say it? - likeable!

Dodd has a remarkable talent for telling a story the reader just can't look away from! She instills just enough colour into scenes to allow the reader to develop the surroundings him/herself - though she is also very set in what she wants to definitely be there. This could have been a problem, if it wasn't for the fact that everything is put there for a reason.

She shows the feelings of the characters, rather than tells, and slips into the minds of others when appropriate, giving the story a fully rounded feel, and giving the reader an insight into what makes certain of the characters tick.

The book as a whole is fantastic, a great story which seems far-fetched on the surface, but becomes obvious and real when reading the whole thing.

Dodd obviously has a great talent and will rise far in the ranks of the writing field of she continues the way she has begun!

-- Taken from angiehulme.com

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing tale a good read
Review: This book was a real page-turner; I found that it was so unbelievable that I kept wanting to know what happened next. I was reading a Baldacci novel at the same time and kept going back to The GIFT HORSE because of the pace and original story. The characters are pretty well-rounded and the dialogue is believable. An interesting way to be entertained for an afternoon.