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Reviewed by Jessica Barbosa for Readers' Favorite
Bryan Cassiday’s Hotbed begins when Phoebe started to have suspicions about her marriage to Jason, the popular mayor of their little town. Jason was the ideal man. Everyone who supported him believed he was incorruptible, which was why Phoebe felt her marriage was a dream. However, there is no such thing as a perfect man. The mayor’s conduct seemed to have changed, and he was frequently out at night, claiming that he needed to finish some job. What could keep him so occupied every night that he had no time for his wife? Phoebe's worries grew by the day, so she decided to follow him one night. Just as she thought, she caught him picking up a hooker by the Strip. The pain she felt made her decide to investigate further for the next few days. However, things seemed to take a turn for the worst after that as she witnessed something terrifying. Her eagerness to find the hooker put her life in jeopardy because a deadly viral disease had spread in the Strip. Quarantine had begun, and she had no intention of staying any longer, yet one false move and she'd be shot along with the infected. What is Phoebe going to do now?
Hotbed by Bryan Cassiday is action-packed, fast-paced, and well-written. Every time Phoebe and Meredith were fighting for their lives, I was on the edge of my seat. The emotions and action scenes were so realistically depicted that I was absorbed till the very end. I was annoyed with Phoebe during the quarantine period. She was considerate and kind yet there were times when she was being too naive and failed to recognize that the people outside were sick and dangerous. She refused to recognize that, aside from the firearms being fired outside, the infected individuals were the next threat to her life. Her fixation and constant mention of the hooker, Val, also got on my nerves, but this touch made it all the more relatable because people do behave in this manner when they are profoundly damaged by someone they love. The finale left me wanting more. Overall, it was a fascinating and great read. Excellent work!
