Author Christa Wojo – A Well Read Woman Blog 📖

Sick Part III, by Author Christa Wojciechowski

After a night of horrific revelations, John and Susan Branch must invent a lie to conceal the appalling truth. Their marriage is threatened not only by what they’ve learned about each other, but also by powerful forces outside their control.

Kindle Edition, 174 pages

Published April 17th 2017

Genre: Dark Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

Themes: Medical Drama, Mental Illness

Rating: 5/5 Stars

A Well Read Woman 5 Star Book Review

“You made me sacrifice my life for a scheme that I didn’t agree to be a part of.”

Sick Part III was a satisfying conclusion to the series. Although it’s been awhile since I’ve read Sick II, within the first line I was back in the world of Susan and John Branch, and what a twisted world it was!

I loved this series; it was dark, raw, and above all, SICK. It’s a peek behind closed doors and I read it in almost a voyeuristic fashion. This is not a novel that you wish to jump inside the character, walk in their shoes, and live vicariously as if it were a romance or popular fantasy novel. Nobody wants to be John or Susan Branch. As a matter of fact, as I was scrolling through Facebook I saw a status from a popular book blog that asked the question, “You are now the main character of the last book you read, who are you?”, and I thought, noooo, I’m Susan Branch!

There were so many interesting elements to this story, but what I found the most intriguing was Susan’s codependency and her mindset. It triggered so many emotions in me. It also made me wonder about human nature and how others influence our lives. She almost let others steer her life, like she didn’t have any original thoughts because others polluted her mind with what they wanted her to believe. This switch was especially evident at the end. It was fascinating.

Author Christa Wojo created realistic characters who are flawed, yet sympathetic. Susan and John Branch are the kind of people who one minute you want to slap and the next you want to hug. Grab your tissues and download the series. I guarantee you have never read anything like it.

Overall, if you enjoy a good drama with a strong focus on mental illness and relationships, SICK is an original series with accurate depictions. I can’t say too much, because I don’t want to give away the specific illness. Oh, and the ending… is shocking!

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!

SICK I (USA LINK)

SICK II (USA LINK)

SICK III (USA LINK)

Christa (Wojo) Wojciechowski is the author of The Wrong David, The Sick Novellas, and is working on a series of novels called The Sculptor of New Hope. Greatly influenced by Russian and Gothic literature, her characters explore existential turmoil, mental illness, taboos, and the complexity of romantic love. She uses her stories to compare the dark, carnal nature of humanity with its higher qualities of intellectualism and creative expression.

Christa currently resides in Panama with her husband and a house full of pets. She works as a freelance digital marketer and loves to help fellow authors build their brands and platforms. Christa enjoys foreign movies, yoga, wine, and the outdoors. Most of all, she’s passionate about books and writers, and loves discussing them with people all over the world.

Be sure to find her on her blog christawojo.com, Twitter & Instagram @christawojo, and Facebook @christawojoauthor.

Welcome to 31 Days of Halloween Reads, where A Well Read Woman Blog will be presenting horror and dark fiction novels, book reviews, interviews, guest posts, and more with dark fiction and horror authors, daily!

Today’s featured Author is the writer of the Sick novellas, Christa Wojo!

Be sure to find her on her blog christawojo.com, Twitter & Instagram @christawojo, and Facebook @christawojoauthor. — Amazon Author Biography

Let’s check out the Sick book series, shall we?

Everyone has a breaking point. Is this marriage based on unconditional love or an unhealthy obsession?

Susan Branch’s life revolves around the care of her charming and inscrutable husband John, a man born into wealth and prestige who lost his family’s fortune when his mysterious chronic illnesses left him bedridden. Together they live a decrepit existence beholden to the current owners of his family’s former estate.

After years of devoting herself to John’s care, Susan is worn out and frustrated. Yet she is determined to scrape together whatever resources she can to keep John comfortable and happy. This includes stealing Demerol from the doctor’s office where she works to feed John’s ever-increasing need for pain medication.

As John’s condition continues to puzzle doctors, Susan begins to notice strange objects appearing around her house. Ever wary of creepy Old Pete, the groundskeeper, Susan decides to confront the elderly man and put an end to his snooping for good.

John suffers a critical emergency, but he is saved and is soon released from the hospital. As his health begins to improve, Susan dreams of a normal life, but her hope for a miracle transforms into a nightmare one fateful afternoon when she discovers
the true cause of John’s sickness.

Genre: Dark Fiction, Medical Suspense, Psychological Suspense

Published October, 2015

Novella: 82 Pages

Series: The Sick Series

AWRW 5 STAR BOOK REVIEW

Spoiler Free Synopsis

“A marriage made in medicine, John’s and mine. He was the victim, and I, the slave to his diseases. Medications to give, wounds to clean, bed pans to empty, and food to serve. I wondered how long we could endure like this. Surely, it couldn’t go on forever. One day, things would have to change.”

Suze is married to a man with chronic medical problems, and she does her best to keep him happy and comfortable. The family’s fortune has gone to doctors, hospital, and rehab, and they have been reduced to renting the servant’s quarters, of their previously owned mansion.

“No matter how strong my love was, it couldn’t heal him.”

Suze spends her days as a full-time clerk at a podiatrist’s office, and her nights as her husband, John’s, full time nurse. She is sleep deprived, and caught between wanting her husband to die, and wanting him to live. Will life ever get better for the two of them?

My Thoughts

I liked the characters and the POV of Sick. The reader is able to feel Suze’s emotions, exhaustion, and even her desperation to have a husband who is well, again. She comes off as a martyr at times, but you can’t help but feel sympathy for her. I connected with Suze more than I did with John, event though he was the central focus of the story.

The big reveal was powerful! The author peppers clues throughout the novel to help the reader figure out John’s medical mystery. I had my suspicions to the disorder John had from the beginning, but certainly not everyone is familiar with this disorder and won’t be able to guess.

The ending was… interesting. It surprised me and I’m not sure what to think of it. Was she just angry? Or was she angry, but also playing into his sickness?

I HIGHLY recommend this novel to fans of psychological suspense, and medical mysteries! Sick has a gripping, believable plot that will keep your attention to the very last page!

PURCHASE SICK FROM AMAZON! FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED! (USA LINK)

The dark and twisted series continues from the mind of John Branch.

John Branch’s sickness has dominated the lives of all those around him, consuming all it can from well-intentioned doctors, compassionate strangers, and trusting loved ones. His chronic illness also bonds him intimately to his wife Susan, trapping them in relationship of unhealthy psychological attachment.

But John’s disease isn’t the only blight in the Branch family.

Injured and loaded with Demerol, John Branch tells his life story from his filthy sickbed. He confesses the horrific secrets of the past and his warped vision of the future.

Genre: Dark Fiction, Medical Suspense, Psychological Suspense

Published April, 2016

Novella: 107 Pages

Series: The Sick Series

AWRW 5 STAR BOOK REVIEW

In this installment, we learn more about John’s disorder, as well as his upbringing which lends clues as to why he’s the man he is today.

The story picks up within the same scene that Book 1 ended. Author Christa Wojo’s writing is very descriptive and vivid, lending the sense that you are in the room observing the characters. John’s character is more sympathetic in this installment, as we learn his shocking backstory. I really enjoyed getting to know John Branch.

The psychological aspects of this series enthrall me and I’m curious as to what book 3 will have in store for Susan and John Branch!

PURCHASE SICK II ON AMAZON! FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED! (USA LINK)

Lastly, there is Sick Part III. I have not read this novella, but let’s check it out!

The conclusion of The SICK Series

After a night of horrific revelations, John and Susan Branch must invent a lie to conceal the appalling truth.

Their marriage is threatened not only by what they’ve learned about each other, but also by powerful forces outside their control.

Genre: Dark Fiction, Medical Suspense, Psychological Suspense

Published April, 2017

205 Pages

Series: The Sick Series

PURCHASE ON AMAZON! FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED! (USA LINK)

Thanks for checking out Author Christa Wojo’s SICK series! Hope to see you tomorrow for Day 18 of 31 Days of Halloween Reads, featuring Author Kelly Miller!