Three Rules

De: Marie Drake

Narrado por: Margaret Glaccum

What if the secret you believed was your most awful, shocking, and shameful wasn't truly the worst thing you kept locked deep inside your mind? What if you thought you'd survived the worst thing that could possibly happen to you...and you were wrong?

Joey Bishop has loved Hope Wellman since they were children, but Hope finds it difficult to love anyone else when she is less than fond of herself. Turning 21, she carries a childhood full of horrific memories, a bone-chilling recurring nightmare, and a persistent paranoid sense of being followed that she would rather keep repressed. Is evil reaching from beyond the grave to capture the tattered remnants of her soul once and for all, is it only a machination of her disturbed mind, or is there something happening more sinister than even she can imagine?

Attending the funeral of her abuser is the first step in putting her life back together. She struggles with the facts that she never told anyone what happened to her and that the grave they are mourning over is empty. She'd find it a lot easier to move on and believe in the future if he were in the box, ready to be covered with dirt. She fears the last thread of her sanity has snapped when she sees Lucas everywhere she turns and can't escape a recurring nightmare. Is her tormentor alive, or is she imagining it? Is her dream triggered by past fears, or is it a prediction of the future?

Quoted from Three Rules: "I have learned three rules in my life: 1.) The most dangerous people in the world are not always strangers. 2.) The scariest things imaginable are not those that can kill you, but those you can live through. And probably the most prominent: 3.) The most horrible possibility is not what could happen to you, but what you could become - I became a killer."

©2013 Marie Drake (P)2015 Marie Drake

"Awful Things Have Been Done In The Name Of Love"

Any additional comments?

This is sometimes an extremely sad psychological fiction story. It tugs at the heart strings and draws you in to the main character, Hope's mind. Without giving away details, it also has triumphant moments of relief, when you feel everything will turn out okay for her. If you have suffered abuse as I have, it will ring true. If you are fortunate enough to never have suffered abuse, then you will understand the thoughts and feelings of someone who has. I also had this book for my kindle e-reader, and was going to spend nearly a day as a passenger in the car, so I wanted to have it on audio. I can't read in the car, it makes me sick. I listened to most of it, but finished reading it when I arrived at my destination. I found the reader's voice pleasant enough, but it was strange to hear the male dialogue. Over all, I enjoyed the book. The title of my review, "Awful things have been done in the name of love," is a quote from the story that stood out for me, and I think it describes it well.

Extraordinary emotions..

What did you love best about Three Rules?

The theme of the abuse is always difficult to treat, expecially in literature.
You risks to underestimate the psychological consequences and the great impact that it could have on the reader.
Instead Maria Drake has wisely treated such a delicate theme inside a mysterious plot and sharp pain, a yellow scenery
in which neither the protagonist, neither the reader, succeeds in separating what is real from what is not.
It's a novel that involves not only because the reader enters tuning with the voice of the protagonist,
but also because the suspance is elevated up to the end.
Besides the quality of the audiobook is excellent, I warmly advise to purchase it!

Outstanding, Addicting, Gripping!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is one of the books you just can not put down. I have read it previously, but when I saw it was on audible I did not hesitate and purchased it. Drake's writing grabs you and takes you to a whole other world. It is one of those books which transport you, take you to another place and time and you literally feel what the characters do. To me, this is one of the greatest benchmarks of truly great writing. The author makes us feel the wave of all kinds of emotions - sadness, fear, sorrow, joy, relief. Without any doubt, everyone needs to put this books on their reading list. I highly recommend purchasing this book, you will not regret it.

Creative plot surrounded by a sensitive issue!

If you could sum up Three Rules in three words, what would they be?

Relatable, Creative, Suspense

What was one of the most memorable moments of Three Rules?

The most memorable moment of Three Rules for me has to do with the character, Hope. The continuous feeling of the need to keep the deep, dark, secret of her abuse interferes with her everyday life and even as her abuser is found dead, the memory of this abuse continues to haunt her.

Which character – as performed by Margaret Glaccum – was your favorite?

The character that I enjoyed the most is Joey. Joey is a kind and caring character that tries to love Hope but is continuously pushed away. These characters and the circumstances surrounding their "love life" can be viewed as symbolic when it comes to individuals in relationships that have abusive pasts.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At first, I was hesitant to listen to the story as the subject of abuse is a sensitive subject. As I continued to listen, I began to realize that though abuse existed, there was more to the plot. Love, murder, lies, and deceit are also elements found within this story that gives suspense and the author was very articulate in the creation of this story.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook is highly recommended!

My Three Rules Include Buy It, Enjoy, Recommend It

I love audio books mainly because I can do other things while I read LOL. For instance I picked Three Rules to clean the garage. It was a complex story line and just what the doctor ordered for enjoyment while doing that horrible, dusty task.

Author Drake nailed the age old dilemma of your soul mate standing right in front of you that you don't see, only to look beyond where nothing awaits or behind and stay haunted. It's an awesome book about growth and loss and recovery and courage.

There were moments I found myself standing still hardly able to move as the narrator who does a great job interpreting and articulating in words the subtext and pathos of this story. I actually think the value in the characters start with the dialogue. It gives you the depth and nuance of the character. So that you understand why they are making the choices they are making.

I think the book is well structured with no lose direction or veer off the path moments it is a cohesive multiple plot line Romance that delivers in all areas, I'm giving this a five star review.

Riveting

I enjoyed listening to this great audio book. It's hard to believe this is a first novel for this author.

Couldn't Decide Which was Worse

Judging from the time spent, I'm probably about 1/4 of the way through this book and am giving up on it now. Wish I'd gotten around to listening before the return window was up.

The premise of the story intrigued me, but the writing is amateurish and the performance mediocre. I couldn't decide whether the narrator, who reads in a slow, monotonous tone, was to blame for my boredom or the writer, who spent six agonizing paragraphs describing someone eating pizza and watching a movie with her friend. The author attempts to translate bad cliche movie scenes to print, e.g. having a mysterious hand fall on an unsuspecting shoulder and a person literally performing the "Home Alone" palms-to-face gesture in response to shocking news. Atypical behavior by a police detective (who would never in a million years be assigned to investigate a fairly benign mugging) and unrealistic, soap-opera level dialogue by all the characters make this a particularly irritating listen. (And call me picky, but I prefer narrators who know how to pronounce "library.")

Ugh. Walk away.

What an author strives to do when writing a novel is get as close to painting a vivid picture in your mind as possible. One that allows you to connect to the characters, location, situation, etc. This book painted the story with crayons. I cannot convey how poorly written this book is. I was duped by goodreads with 4 and 5 star reviews and thought, why not. What i didn't realize is the book is being virtually given away. I feel for the author. And if you read it, you will understand why. But not enough to not give it the lowest rating possible. The dialogue is of the daytime soap variety...unrealistic.... wooden.... There are points when the protagonist speaks to others as if she is narrating to them. If you want to use a credit for this to truly appreciate what other authors can do so natural, do it. Halfway through, i thought about returning, but i just couldn't stop laughing. But if you want a mystery/suspense/whatever the attempt is....walk away..