The Beloved

by J.F. Gonzalez and Chantie Valinttine

Book Overview

This is a story about love. The experience of love shows us more about ourselves than anything else in the human experience. Our heroine finds herself caught up in a passionate love affair that ends... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843956941
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Dorchester Pub Co Inc
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

My absolute favorite book!!! It needs to be made into a movie. I read it in two days. Took it everywhere with me. I felt like i was there. Like i was a part of it. Hell, i was even scared a few times as if the story was becoming my reality. Love it!!! Great read! 👍

A wonderful read.

J. F. Gonzalez rocks!!! As does this book. I devoured this novel in a couple of sitting, and was gripped with dread through the entire thing. I really cared what happened to the characters, especially the children, and I've learned from reading some of Gonzalez's other works that he will take your favorite characters, bite their head off, and spit them out if that is what the plot calls for. I won't ruin the book by telling you who bites it and who doesn't, but let me assure you that you will not be disappointed. Read "The Beloved", love it, and then go out and buy something else by this master of horror, because as far as his writing is concerned, it is all good.

The Hidden meets The Thing meets Body Snatchers

3 AND 1/2 STARS I really enjoyed reading this book, written by the hardcore author that wrote "Survivor", also from Leisure Books. While having a slow pace for the first 150 pages, the writing is compulsively readable and consistent, and once the stuff hits the fan - as they say - it rose to another level of enjoyment. I have a theory that if I hadn't read the prologue and only started with the first chapter, It would have doubled the suspense for me and I would have been more scared. I say this because after the prologue, you immediately discover that the 'villain' is not human and something supernatural. I would have loved to have pieced that information together myself as the book unfolded, but I realize publishers need an instant hook to grab the reader... but it would have been interesting to see where my mind would have gone if the prologue was deleted. While not nearly as graphic or violent as Gonzalez' previous work, "Survivor", this book will be entertaining to fans of both horror and science fiction and is definitely worth picking up, especially if you enjoyed the films "The Hidden", John Carpenter's "The Thing", or any from the "Body Snatcher" franchise.

Top Notch Psychological Horror

In 2006 J.F. Gonzalez shocked and disgusted us with the over-the-top, nausea-inducing Survivor; arguably the most graphic novel most of us will lay eyes on. In his 2007 follow-up, Gonzalez delivers delivers a tale that pulls a few of the punches in the raunch department, but still doesn't fail to deliver a lasting psychological impression. Meet Ronnie Baker, divorcee, single parent, and former junkie, who has recently floated from woman to woman, looking to regain his lost love life. All of that is about to change. Now, meet Diana Marshfield. To Ronnie, she's everything he's looked for, and so much more. Almost instantly, he has built a new home, and is relocating Diana and her children to live with him and form a family. His attraction to her goes beyond lust, bordering on addiction. Ronnie's family takes an instant disliking to Diana, realizing that there is more to her than meets the eye. Ronnie is doing all he can to support her, emotionally and financially, and it's taking it's toll. Soon Ronnie begins to deteriorate, leading everyone to believe he's once again fighting chemical addictions. Meanwhile, Diana is more beautiful and charming than ever. Before long, those who disapprove begin to die, and Diana's horrifying true nature is revealed. Perhaps slow to build, and a bit wordy near the beginning, this book certainly redeems itself by the midpoint. Gonzalez has a way of using words to get inside your head, allowing you to feel the trauma of his victims. The characters may be a bit difficult to keep track of at the onset, but many of them will not stick around for the climax, and once it has come, you'll find that the slow build was satisfyingly worthwhile.

Be careful what you wish for

The Beloved is the kind of novel I love. Well-developed characters, a menacing build-up and then heart-stopping suspense and horror. I was glued to the pages and found this book to be superior to his previous novel, Survivor. It's certainly more accessible to mainstream horror readers. The plot concerns a high school teacher named Elizabeth Weaver. She has a good (if occasionally tumultuous) marriage to Gregg, and a young son. Her younger brother Ronnie is recently divorced from his alcholic wife and has custody of their daughter Mary. When Ronnie gets a new girlfriend, Diana Marshfield, who is recently divorced herself with two kids, he brings her to a family barbecue to meet his parents and his sister's family. But something about Diana doesn't sit right with Elizabeth. Is she being overly cautious because Ronnie's ex-wife is a loser and she's afraid her brother has latched on to another? That's what it appears like at first. The novel builds slowly yet suspensfully, with subplots introduced. It seems Diana is not who she is making herself out to be. She has seduced Ronnie so completely that soon all he thinks about is her. Soon, he begins to neglect his daughter, his house, his finances, and himself. What Gonzalez has done is create a horror novel with a creature barely used in horror fiction these days - the succubus. Only this succubus is different than the others we've read about. The family dynamics in this novel are the heart of this story, and the characters are lively and believable. In short, a superb horror novel that succeeded brilliantly!