Blog Tour: Nightmare of Caitlin Lockyer [Review Excerpt & Giveaway]

TITLE: Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer
SERIES: Nightmares, #1
AUTHOR: Demelza Carlton
GENRE: New Adult, Contemporary, Suspense
RELEASE DATE: 30th July 2013
PUBLISHER: Lost Plot Press
RATING:  (3.5 stars)
PURCHASE IT AT: Amazon | B&N
REVIEW COPY: Blog Tour @ Tasty Book Tours
BOOK BLURB:

There are real monsters out there. The worst part is that they're human. 

They took her away from me. 

I mumbled a protest through the haze of pain and exhaustion that had turned me into little more than a zombie. I'll never be able to watch a zombie movie again without remembering this night, I thought. 

"It's all right - we have to move her to take care of her. She's hurt worse than you," I was told. "We need to treat you, too. There's a gunshot wound in your shoulder."

One of the hospital staff looked grim and came over. She started firing questions at me.

"Name?" 

"Nathan Miller."

"What happened?"

"I was shot."

"By whom?"

"A homicidal lunatic with a gun and bad aim." 

"Her name?"

"Caitlin Lockyer."

"What happened to her?"

"Looks like someone tried to kill her."

Nathan found Caitlin on a beach covered in blood. Saving her life was just the start. Now he's the prime suspect and he has to find out who's really responsible. Both of their lives depend on it.

Who hurt her? 

Why was he shot? 

What did he promise? 

Why doesn't his story add up? 

Who was the dead man on the beach? 

What will she remember when she wakes up?

Dark, disturbing and definitely scary - Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer is the first book in Demelza Carlton's Nightmares Trilogy. The second book is Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller.

REVIEW

When I first started this book, I don't know what to expect. I didn't predict I'd read a story about murder, abuse, rape, etc. I didn't think that this one is so serious. 

Do you know about the Japanese girl who was brutally tortured, raped and murdered? By a bunch of high school kids? Same age as hers? Do you know Junko Furuta? If not, then I suggest you DON'T ever search her on Google but at the same time I want you to know about her. WHY, you say? One, this is a true-to-life incident. It happened a long time ago. Back in 80's, I think. Two, you can't EVER stomach what those men did to her. YOU CAN'T. I tell you, it is your worst NIGHTMARE.

Three, you'd want to murder the bastards yourself if you know what happened. Did I gave you enough reasons? No? Go ahead. If you have a strong stomach, go to Google and search her name. Or better yet, click this link, Junko Furuta. Her 44 Days of HELL. I kid you NOT. This is real. It happened.

Let's go to the REVIEW of NIGHTMARE OF CAITLIN LOCKYER. If we based her story on the snippets of memory of Caitlin, you'd say that what she'd been to was nothing compared to Junko Furuta. Caitlin was tortured but this is a bit mildly, if I dare say. I am not saying that it is right. Or whatever. It IS NOT RIGHT to torture a person brutally. NO. Why did I mentioned Junko? Because what Caitlin went through reminded me of her, Junko. BUT Caitlin is so damn lucky to got out of the torture ALIVE. 

And that she is ONE LUCKY GIRL to have NATHAN. Although I was a bit confused as to what was Nathan's role or reasons for his actions earlier but as the story progressed, we see the reason why. Nathan took care of Caitlin. He got his reasons why. BUT towards the ending, like the last chapter, I didn't get what they are talking about. LOL. I don't know if it's just me not comprehending it or what. I do like to read the second book because I think it'll be Caitlin's POV for that one.

Anyway, the way it was written was good. I was not bored and I look forward to the story. Maybe because, yeah, I was reminded again of Junko. The story or plot itself is not that bad. BUT I'm a still a bit confused with the characters... I mean, I know that they did what they did because they are bad but hey, how could you not show remorse over that? I mean, they're like robots with no feeling when he/she shot them. I guess, they are numbed? Because of what they did to her? 

And I still want to know how Caitlin did it... There's so much more with her. I want to explore her mind. What was she thinking? I want to know her thoughts. All of it. I'm shocked that she can suddenly do that and that Nathan just kinda accepts it. :O I'm still wondering about things. But this is such a good book that I bumped this up on my ratings at Goodreads.

Will I recommend it? YES. Absolutely. You should read it.

EXCERPT

Dark. Pain. Cold. Tears. 

Screaming for them to let me go until my throat hurt and my voice was almost gone. 

No one. 

No reply, no light. 

More pain. 

Bitter tears. 

Alone in the dark when I needed HELP. 

I remember lying down, sobbing. 

Cold, rough, hard concrete. 

Dusty. Made me cough but no one heard. 

Cold and alone and hurting in the dark. 

Pain. 

Relief that no one had heard me, that there was no reply. 

Not alone was worse. Oh hell... 

"Go away – leave me alone!" Caitlin cried in panic.

I woke with a shock in the middle of the night. She was screaming and struggling to get away from someone – but there was no one else here.

I sat on the edge of her bed and shook her gently, but she didn't wake up. She was locked in a deadly struggle with the people in her nightmare.

She screamed abuse at me as I panicked and let go of her. There was nothing I could do.

Gradually, her struggles gave way to helpless tears. "Please help me... you promised..." she whimpered.

I tried to tell her I was here, that she was safe now, that there was nothing to worry about, because she was in the very best of care, but she kept going like she never heard a word of it. Her whispered, desperate pleas continued as I pressed the button to bring a nurse. It felt like forever before a nurse arrived.

I heard her in the corridor, talking to another nurse. "You go on down to tea, Judith. I'll just see to this one and I'll join you. It's that girl who came in last night – the one with the police guard. I heard one of them's pretty hot."

The other nurse thought this was funny. "You mean the young one who looks like Matt Damon? I heard he's her boyfriend. If she needs a nurse, it's probably because he isn't there to help her. Have fun, Carol."

Sick of waiting, I spoke. "If you're the nurse, come here."

The nurse entered the room and sized me up, her look openly curious. 

At another time, I might have found her obvious approval gratifying. I know I would have liked what I saw. I would have responded by verbalising the invitation in her eyes. Maybe I should have. I know I wanted to.

Later. 

All those fleeting thoughts dissolved in my irritation that her attention was on me instead of Caitlin, whose sobs made my chest ache in sympathy.

"She's having nightmares and she won't wake up. Is there anything you can give her to help her?"

"I can't," she told me flatly. "What she's on, and the condition she's in – hell, she's so sedated she shouldn't be able to have nightmares. She won't be waking up for a while."

"I see." I kept my voice equally flat.

"Please. You promised," Caitlin sobbed. "No, don't let them..."

"Who's she talking to?" the nurse asked.

"Me. She wants me to help her." It came out bitter. Because I couldn't stop her nightmares.

The nurse looked like she wanted to ask something else, but I didn't want to explore this any further. I let my eyes wander over her body. When I lifted my eyes to her face, I gave her a look that plainly said, "Damn, not bad." I hated myself for raising her expectations, knowing I was only going to dash them again in moments. She looked flustered, and I took the opportunity to get rid of her.

"If there's nothing you can do for her, then I guess you're better off going back to the nurses' station, or wherever else you're needed." I flashed her my most charming smile, feeling cheap for not following it up with anything else. "Go to tea, Carol." Which Carol did, without hesitation.

I stayed by Caitlin, where I promised I'd be, Nurse Carol's words running through my head. She won't be waking up for a while. Caitlin wouldn't miss me if I went downstairs for a few minutes. Not if she wasn't waking up for a while.

I'd be back before she woke up. Perhaps I could make up for my curt dismissal of Nurse Carol and offer to pay for her tea. 

Caitlin was weeping quietly now, oblivious to me. I stood up and moved away from her toward the door, thinking of joining Nurse Carol for tea, coffee or anything else she cared to name. Maybe getting to know the shapely Singaporean girl better... 

"No... please... don't leave me!" Caitlin's voice grew louder and more panicked with each word. "You promised!" Swearing softly, I sat down beside her again and she was silent. 

Swearing a bit more, I realised there was only one way I was going to get any more sleep tonight. 

I grabbed a sheet and pillow from my bed and carefully cocooned her body in her own sheet. I squeezed in behind her, so I was half under her pillow and up against the headboard. If she hadn't been so small, I wouldn't have fitted. 

So, I didn't get to have a drink with Nurse Carol, but I got the consolation of sleeping with Caitlin. 

I stuck my pillow behind me to cushion my head from the cold, laminated surface of the headboard and spread my sheet over myself as best I could. My last thought before I fell asleep was that, under better circumstances, with a bigger bed and less clothes, I'd be happy to climb into bed with Caitlin, so maybe this wasn't so bad after all... 

Ah, who was I kidding? It was a bloody nightmare.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.  She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below. Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.  

Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world. 

The bestselling Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. If you'd like to know more about Demelza or the background behind her books, you can check out her website at demelzacarlton.com or any of the other places she frequents:

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