Book Review Of The Stranger Novels & Stories

] [Even if they don't like me, I'm going to stand up for you. Before, a message like that would’ve melted my heart. I would’ve believed that Jim really cared about me, that he was the only one who truly understood how I felt. Now, it just felt like a cruel joke. I didn’t reply his message, and put him on Do Not Disturb. Then, out of nowhere, I got a friend request. It was from Rowena. The moment I accepted, she flooded me with photos—dozens of shots of her and Jim looking intimate and close.

My headache was getting worse and worse as I struggled to recall what had happened. Slowly, fragments of what transpired the day before began to resurface in my mind. Immediately after Brix dumped me, and I saw him banging another woman, I went to a bar and drank, and to my surprise... When I realized what had happened between the stranger in bed and me, I was shocked and horrified. "I had sex with a complete stranger!" I disregarded the nagging voice in my head that appeared like it was saying something "What a fool! In bed with a naked man, why do you think you're naked?"

The smell was too much for Willy; He felt faint with hunger as he watched the Stranger go past him. A whiff of that delicious smell: It was just enough to make an empty stomach growl with bitterness. All of a sudden the guy turned and grinned at Willy: A perfect grin. The strange man’s face was long, thin and bony, as if it was depleted and devoid of fat. Than suddenly, the Stranger said something that was equivalent to heaven: “You can have these,” the Stranger held the grocery bag of food towards Willy. It was all too good to be true. Willy cringed suddenly thinking that it was a trick: He was self conscious, he already had a broken nose to contend with.

Her breath caught. It had been a long time. Too long. And it shouldn’t be this. Not to the sound of a stranger’s voice. Not to someone she hadn’t spoken to. Not to someone she couldn’t trust. But her body didn’t care about any of that. When she came, it was quiet. Shallow. Shameful. The kind that left a sting behind her eyelids. She didn’t sleep again. The next day was warm. The kind of dry heat that stuck to the skin and made clothes feel too tight.

His presence shifted the room; suddenly the air felt like a cage, each of us aware of how volatile the next second could become. “I don’t touch,” the stranger said. “I observe. I decide. And I make consequences unavoidable.” My chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe. The words pressed against my ribs, heavy as stones. I wanted to scream, to bolt, to hide but instinct told me the men behind me wouldn’t let me. And instinct also told me the danger was more than physical. It was psychological. Emotional. The kind that stayed long after the threat had gone. Elliot’s hand brushed mine, subtle but grounding. Liam’s presence at my back made my spine rigid, but somehow safe. Marcus’s gaze burned into t

He seemed almost indifferent to whether Noah believed him. Which made him harder to read. "Then why are you here?" The stranger glanced down the tracks. "As a courtesy." "From who?" The answer came immediately. "Jasper." --- Noah felt something tighten in his chest. The man noticed. "That reaction is becoming very common lately." "You knew him." "Yes." "How well?" The stranger looked thoughtful. Then answered. "Well enough to dislike him." That wasn't the answer Noah expected. Apparently the stranger knew it. "Most people assume admiration when someone remains loyal after death."

CHAPTER 4 Lyra's POV The stranger smiled, and Jesus, it wrecked me. That hard face, so sharp and ruthless, went soft around the edges. Like sin dipped in honey. “Does it really matter?” he asked slowly, his voice smooth as bourbon. “Tonight, we are just two broken souls hiding in plain sight.” Fair. “Then here’s to strangers,” I replied, raising my glass with a shaky hand. “To strangers,” he echoed, clinking his glass against mine.

The gray-coated man quietly whispered, "It remembers you." Adrian stopped. "I've never seen this book." The stranger looked into his eyes. "No." "But it has seen you." A low hum filled the island. The first page slowly turned by itself. The second page... was completely blank. Not a single word. Not a single mark. Only a tiny sentence appeared at the bottom. Place your hand here. The First Reader immediately raised his voice. "Don't." "If the book accepts you..." "...there will be no turning back."

My heart slammed so violently against my ribs that it almost hurt. The stranger stood a few feet away from me, calm and composed, as though he had not just spoken words capable of shattering my entire world. His silver eyes remained fixed on mine. Unwavering. Patient. Dangerously observant. A faint smile lingered on his lips as he asked the question that made every drop of blood in my body turn cold. "What was it like... dying?" The bookstore fell silent. Not ordinary silence.

But I’m not so sure now that he invited a stranger into his home and still sees me as a random person. The stranger wasn’t just invited, she slept over and from the look of her appearance, must have slept in his bed. She had really fooled me with her kindness. I never saw her as an enemy when I met her and that was my mistake. Everybody is my enemy in the world of Dawson Briggs, the sooner I learn that the better for me. “Ten months of consistent visiting and never have I crossed paths with a stranger until today.” I glanced back at who made the statement and saw a guy approaching. He looks handsome and about the same age as Dawson.