RED GATE BY THE BRIDGE Book Review

Red Gate By The Bridge by Desi Stowe, eBook

Synopsis from GoodReads: What happens when the dream of a small-town romance turns into a nightmare? Maple stands on the brink of a fairy-tale romance, even if it is decorated with a few red flags. When she finds out that Parker’s sweet words and beautiful promises mask a penchant for violence, she knows she has to run. Maple’s afraid that anyone she turns to for help will become collateral damage of Parker’s wrath. Fearful for her life, she seeks refuge in the woods while he searches desperately to find her. As hope fades, her survival instincts kick in. Will it be enough to save her?

BOOK REVIEW: I started reading this and really forgot that this was advertised as a Psychological Thriller. It was giving more romance until about 40% of the way through and then we got the twist. From there I wasn't sure how I felt about this story. I wanted to like it but there were WTF times that were like holy moly and then there were are you kidding me times.

We had multiple POVs that we followed that felt a little unnecessary. I guess it is really a me thing. I don't mind chapter names but I prefer just chapter numbers and if you're going to name the chapter, give it a name that isn't a character name. That's just a personal preference that doesn't reflect in my rating of the book. The number of POVs does a little factor into my rating though. There were things mentioned and done in the book that felt like fillers that didn't really need to be there and wouldn't be missed if they were omitted.

This is a low 4 star for me. While I enjoyed the story, once we see Parker's dark side, the actions and thoughts of both characters were more often than not were are you kidding me WTF moments. Some of the ones for Parker can be explained away by the fact that he has lost touch with reality, if he ever was to begin with, but some of the things from Maple and even the doctor left me thinking are you kidding me and not in a good way. Do I recommend this, yes. I enjoyed the story a lot but some of those little things just stuck with me and I couldn't move on. This eBook is available for preorder through Amazon with a release date of 6.28.25. I don't know if any other formats will be available upon release or any time after.

4/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 36/50 complete