Wow this was a unique plot and storyline and I enjoyed the book immensely. It really makes you think, could this happen? I don't see why not? It was a really good thriller, Jacob gets a heart transplant but then begins to change his whole demeanor and personality take on a darkness and the story goes from there!
Jacobs mum drove me mad always making excuses for him and never wanting to believe anything bad about him, I wanted to strangle her!

Can't say too much really apart from it's a great book not too many twists as it's clear from the outset the reason he changes. However in saying that I did enjoy it and it did have me cringing and on the edge of my seat and some points. Good read for sure.

I have never ever felt such a strong negative emotion towards any character as I did for Jason/Shane in this book. I literally wanted to reach through the pages and put my hands on his throat and just squeeze. This character was the most despicable character ever. I think what grated me the most was how the author gave the reader his feelings, beliefs and reasons that he felt he could do these things to people. Not only was he horrendous to women, he was plain out horrible and rude to everyone who came in contact with him. Except, of course, those, and at times, he needed something done for him. Then he could be the most charming person ever.

This, of course, made for a pretty good book that I was seriously interested in. However, I did feel that there was a lot of the book that was included purely to add length to the book. Those parts did drag along and I ended up skipping several pages.

Overall, I think the book was a good read, just lengthy in some areas and repetitive. The cellular memory part was something that I was not aware of and was an interesting concept in the book. And, I still want to put my hands around that man's neck. HA!!

Thanks to Avon Books UK and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this. Interesting and captivating story line, great characters and easy to read - not the subject matter which is difficult, dark and pretty violent, but the style of writing. A gripping thriller.

I found this book gripping if a little disturbing but a page turner nevertheless I would recommend this book as it was very well written on a quite unusual subject matter.

This story starts off with the thoroughly hateable Shane. He's an abusive bully wirh criminal tendencies who tortures his girlfriend Rosie both mentally and physically. One night he manages to stop wasting oxygen and whilst drunk kill himself whilst speeding. He finally makes a contribution to the world as his organs are given for donation. Enter Jacob, the kind and thoughtful son of a reverend with a failing heart. With Shanes death he gets a new heart and a new lease of life....but also a new personality. The gentle man he was vanishes and he becomes a violent bully who lies, steals and much worse. As he spreads his new criminally inclined wings he meets a sweet girl who soon begins to fall for him....Rosie.

You certainly will find the darkness within these pages. I'm not a Cathy Glass fan, in fact I really detest those sort of novels but I was intrigued by the premise of this story. This is one of those books that whilst not outstanding is really difficult to put down.So much so that I found myself still reading at almost midnight last night when I needed to be up at half four! The weird thing is that this is a really dark story with some pretty nasty moments but it's also really enjoyable. I'm hoping that says more about the authors talent than me personally! It is quite daft at times and takes a LOT of dramatic licence with the theory of cellular memory but if you can suspend your disbelief and like a great chiller of a thriller you won't be disappointed.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book is very different from any other that I've read. I have never read a book that explores the topic of organ transplant recipients. It was an interesting and exciting read and I was hooked to find out what would happen. Really interesting and exciting storyline about a really nice boy who received a heart transplant from a nasty piece of work who died suddenly (this is not a spoiler, no heart = dead) and what happened to the boy afterwards is thrilling and a really interesting angle.

Prior to reading this book the only thing I knew was that it was written by Cathy Glass under the name of Lisa Stone. This book, The Darkness Within, is the author’s first psychological thriller and having enjoyed her previous books i just knew it was something I had to read. Exploring a premise that I found to be quite fascinating, this book had me well and truly hooked from the very first page and really got me thinking. I’m so glad I picked it up!

The book begins by briefly introducing us to Rosie’s relationship with Shane, an abusive and horrible man. It then switches focus and we meet Reverend Wilson, his wife Elizabeth and their son Jacob. Despite his young age, Jacob is critically ill and in desperate need of a livesaving heart transplant so they are all overjoyed to hear that a donor has been found. However their happiness doesn’t last long as after the transplant Jacob’s behaviour and personality both take a nasty turn. He becomes unrecognisable, so different from the kind, caring boy he once was. What they don’t realise at first is that the heart came from Shane, who was killed in a horrific car accident whilst drunk. Why has Jacob’s personality changed? Did he inherit the personality as well as the heart of his donor?

As the perpetrators of domestic violence, Shane and Jacob were two characters who I despised and I couldn’t wait for them to get their comeuppance. As such whilst I know that a parent’s job is to protect their children I really couldn’t understand the behaviour of Jacob’s parents. Despite all the evidence they had before them by acting in the way that they did, they effectively condoned Jacob’s behaviour when instead it should have been punished from the start. For all she was going through, Rosie was one of the only character who I really cared for and I hugely admired her for the bravery and strength that she showed.

From having read a few of the author’s previous books as Cathy Glass, one thing I knew was that she was somewhat of an expert when it comes to dealing with difficult themes. The Darkness Within was no exception to this, it certainly didn’t make for easy reading and did contain many a scene that some readers may find distressing. Despite a few moments that I struggled with myself, I found that I was unable to put this book down - it was fast-paced and full of tension from the very fisrt page although I have to say I’m still very dubious about the idea that a donor’s personality can be passed on to the recipient through a transplant.

With some very real but not necessarily likeable characters and a storyline that I became incredible wrapped up in, I really feel that Lisa has done an incredible job with The Darkness Within. A powerful and emotive read, for her first psychological thriller it was certainly impressive and I hope that there will be plenty more by her in the future.

I found this book very easy to get into, the subject matter was interesting and the storyline believable. I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

A great read and well written. Grabbed me straight away.

A captivating story with an unusual story line, about a young man destined for great things who had a heart transplant which did not turn out as expected... Jacob undergoes a complete change of personality and the story describes the path of destruction that he leaves behind him. Rosie becomes Jacob's girlfriend and adds unexpected twists to the story. A book that I did not want to put down

I have always been a big fan of Cathy Glass so when I saw this one I knew I had to read it.

This was a good thriller and I enjoyed it very much. It was intresting to follow The main character's journey after his transplantation.

If you like thrillers this is a must.

This book was all I hoped for and more. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Loved the writing, loved the characters and loved the story.

I did not finish this book unfortunately.

I found the writing really clunky and hard to follow.

I didn't find some of the situations believable, for example the buying drugs scenes.

I didn't like how we didn't meet Jacob until after he received the transplant so we had no way of knowing what he was like before, was he as nice as his parents made him out to be?

All in all I was disappointed and disillusioned so I did not finish this book.

No-one is born evil…are they?

A lorry crashes on a dark wet road. In the wake of the tragedy, a dying man receives another chance at life – but does he really deserve it? And if he lives, will those around him wish he hadn’t?

When critically ill Jacob Wilson has a heart transplant, his behaviour becomes very strange. His worried parents and girlfriend try their best to understand his sudden mood swings, but as things worsen, they begin to live in terror of what they might find in their son’s bedroom next – and as Jacob’s personality morphs, so too do the lives of those around him…

I can’t say much about this book without giving spoilers, but it’s a dark story which I really enjoyed. 4.5*

Hard to read in some places, this was a novel based on fact and fiction and was truly plausible.
The author has obviously researched the organ donation subject and appears knowledgeable in the area, it makes for a harrowing story.
The characters are strong, although not always likeable and the story is told at a good pace, easily keeping my interest.
I wouldn't mind checking out some more of this authors books, as the style of writing is smooth and easy to read and understand.

I enjoyed this book mainly because I find the whole thing about cellular memory fascinating. It brings into question the nature v nurture debate which is another fascinating subject. Jacob, a young man who lives with his Reverand father and mother has a lovely girlfriend who he plans to marry one day. All he needs is a heart transplant. One day that happens and as he recovers he starts to plan his life. But suddenly his whole personality changes. He becomes abusive, sexually violent and threatens his parents. Why? What has happened to make him this way? His mother is scared of him but she is determined to track down the person whose heart saved his life. A really good story that investigates the cellular memory theory but I was slightly put off by the unnecessarily graphic sexual references especially in the beginning! I am no prude but they felt they didn't need to be there!

I have been debating on what to rate this one and settled on a 3.5. Don't let that put you off this book, because I enjoyed it. I just had a few too many little niggles with it to give it a higher rating. This isn't the first book I've read that uses cellular memory as a plot point, and I find the idea of it quite fascinating. This book dealt with it in a very different way than the others I've read. Look up cellular memory with transplant patients if you're curious! It's the idea of people that have received an organ transplant changing habits, tastes, sexuality, and even blood types! The author actually references some real reported instances in this story. You don't have to believe it, but it's interesting reading all the same.

Shane... is a giant jerk. He takes advantage of his girlfriend, abusing her and using her for money and access to her car. You have to feel bad for her, bullied into submission by this poor excuse for a man. He has absolutely no likeable qualities whatsoever. He meets his maker quite young due to his own recklessness, racing along the road in his girlfriend's car to pick up beer after leaving her bleeding on the floor. Is it possible that something good will come from his short life?

There's at least a few people that hope so. Jacob is a young man with a failing heart who is the polar opposite of Shane. Growing increasingly weak while he waits for a transplant, he relies on his caring parents and lovely girlfriend to help him out. When a match is found, they're overjoyed and thank God. He is the son of a reverend, and his family prayed he would be saved. Their prayers are answered just in time. The reverend swears to God that he will never ask him for anything again... but he had no idea what was coming.

Jacob begins to experience a complete personality change. He snaps on his parents. He shirks his responsibilities. He's suddenly a violent, weed-smoking, pornography addict. Not exactly fitting for the son of a reverend, and certainly not who he used to be. What's happened to the sweet son they used to have, and what's next?

I felt like some of Jacob's actions were in the wrong order and would have been happier if they'd escalated in severity. One of the worst things he does happens quite early in the book, though thankfully we are spared the details. Many of my problems with the book are such huge spoilers that I'm hesitant to put them here, even with a spoiler tag. There were also a couple of continuity mistakes that I hope were caught before the book went to print, one being that the woman Shane was dating when he died didn't know of his demise, then she alludes to the fact that she had a boyfriend who perished in an auto accident, before claiming she didn't know he actually died towards the end. I also thought it featured some pretty weird opinions about marijuana and didn't quite buy the ending. It still boasted some very interesting subject matter and kept me reading.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Avon Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

This book has me in two minds.  The premise of the story is intriguing, and drew me in.  And, there are elements of the story which are really well handled.  

There are, however, a couple of issues for me which took the shine off the tale.  The first is the pacing - it gets a bit boggy in places.  The second is how everyone reacts to Jacob - and that, I admit, is a biggie.  No one calls him out on his behaviour at all - he is just allowed to spiral.

I will say that the pacing did pick up towards the end and that made the story more engaging, but for me, this missed the mark just a little.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

This is a story about a transplant patient, who starts to exhibit different characteristics than his normal ones. Is it his donors organ changing him, or did he always have a propensity to do that which he now does?

Jacob receives a new heart, even as he is coming round his character has changed, he swears, thinks little of women. Once home his family are grateful for his reprieve and do not immediately take in his changes.
Meanwhile his donor's girlfriend has moved on and is living a happier life as a singleton, while keeping her job in a local bank. She hasn't told anyone about how her previous relationship was and is taking life one day at a time.

As the story moves forward Jacob's character changes ever more profoundly and his mother starts to feel concern. She starts to seek help for her son, always wondering whether it is the new heart or the way Jacob was brought up.

The ending is tense and fast paced, I was speed reading to see what the outcome would be for the individual characters. Would any of them be brave enough to solve the matter?

This was a cracking story, different than many others. It explores the idea of memory within donated organs being assimilated by the host bodies. Totally fascinating!

Jacob Wilson is critically ill and needs a heart transplant. To the joy of his parents and girlfriend, he receives one and recovers well. Soon afterwards, however, his behaviour starts to change – he becomes increasingly short and snappy with his parents, starts treating his girlfriend badly and begins to experiment with drinking and drug use despite strict health warnings. Concerned about the changes in their son, Reverend Wilson and his wife try to reach out to him, only to be pushed away. As the days go by, more and more dark and violent aspects of their son are revealed and frustration with his illness seems to be an increasingly unlikely cause. When an elderly lady living in their village is attacked and robbed, Jacob’s parents have to question what their once loving and kind son may be capable of, and what or who is at the root of his sudden descent into evil.

This was a well-written and extremely addictive novel that will stick in your head long after putting it down. It begins by introducing the character of Shane, a violent and obnoxious man who abuses and beats his girlfriend Rosie. On an alcohol-fuelled bender, he crashes his car and dies. Shortly afterwards, a heart becomes available for Jacob. Whilst the general structure of the plot is fairly predictable early on, the author handles it well and injects a few twists and turns along the way that keep you turning pages. Jacob’s gradual metamorphosis from polite vicar’s son to a cruel, manipulative and immoral thug is written in a way that builds up the tension, and his parent's attempts to understand what is happening were mostly believable, although at times their turning a blind eye seemed a bit passive. The ending of the story was dramatic and high in tension and provided some interesting moral dilemmas to consider.

The main problem with The Darkness Within was that the central idea of ‘cellular memory’– that an organ transplant can lead to the recipient taking on the personality of the donor – is complete nonsense and not scientifically valid at all. If you are able to disregard this, the story becomes a chilling and dark novel about evil. Luckily, the author doesn’t spend too long trying to provide scientific explanations for the theory and it is relatively easy to accept it as being true in this story, but some readers may struggle to get over how unbelievable it is.

I did have a few issues with this book and some parts of it were quite dark and disturbing. It touches on themes of physical, emotional and sexual abuse in a fairly frank way that may be upsetting for some readers and some of Jacob’s behaviour was also fairly unpleasant to read about. The author has written previous books under a different name about sufferers of child abuse and is obviously used to covering distressing topics in her work. I also found that whilst they were interesting, none of the characters was very likeable or sympathetic and I did think that the behaviour of Jacob’s parents towards the end seemed almost to be enabling their son’s terrible actions. The ending of the story was exciting but didn’t tie up all the loose ends and felt a little unsatisfying in that some people seemed to get away with some very bad actions with no comeuppance whatsoever.

Overall, this novel is based around an intriguing idea (cellular memory would be an extremely frightening concept if it were real) and very readable but had a few discrepancies that some people may struggle with. It is a good debut novel (as technically this is the author’s first time writing this sort of story) but far from perfect, although worth a read for those looking for a different kind of psychological thriller.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review