Review: The Gleaners by Ashley Ehlers

Title: The Gleaners
Author: Ashley Ehlers
Series: Harvesting #2
Publication: January 23rd 2016
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 4/5

Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

    

Escaping doesn’t mean it’s the end….

It’s been three weeks since Jason left Ashley at the gas station after their narrow escape from a family of human harvesters- his family’s competitors. Finding out that he used her only as bait, leads Ashley to go insane. He never truly loved her, or at least that’s what she believes, and now Ashley has to learn to move on. It’s the only way to be able to leave the mental institution and get back to her normal life.
But things can never truly go back to normal. For fear that Jason’s infamous father might come after Ashley to finish things she gets sucked into the witness protection program. With a new name Ashley no longer exists to the world but it’s hard for her to just let go of who she was. Logging into her Facebook account has to be the second worst thing she’s ever done in her life but she didn’t think anyone would notice. Now during her first outing as a new woman, a stalker is leaving her threatening messages. Could it be someone from her past?

After leaving her, Jason is trying to not let his feelings for Ashley get the best of him. However being with her has changed him and he doesn’t know if he can continue being a part of the family business. Frustrated, he blows off steam with a random girl at a bar then hours later she ends up missing. Apparently his most recent hook ups have gone missing. Is someone close to him killing them off out of jealousy? This leads him to find out that his father might have a few dirty secrets that are more grotesque then the fact that he’s a human harvester.

All the while, Virginia is devastated but being locked up in a mental institution is better than being in jail after her mother framed her for the deaths of her stepfather and stepsister. Even though to make sure she doesn’t go crazy she has to constantly write down what truly happened that day up at her family’s cabin. And after her mother’s unexpected visit she might have found an ally in someone that was an enemy. However, once they escape the mental institution she’s thinking it would have been better and less bloody if they stayed there after all.

I really liked The Gleaners. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first book, although I thought The Harvesters was already pretty good. Let's just say that this book exceeded my expectations. It was such a page-turner!

The story picks up three weeks after Jason left Ashley at the gas station after they had made their escape. At this point Ashley is in a mental institution and about to be released to go into the witness protection program. But it isn't long before signs of someone stalking Ashley start to appear. 

One of the things I loved the most in The Gleaners were the three points of view. I absolutely love multiple points of view and in this book's case, I thought they were all great to read. My favorite probably was Jason's because he intrigues me the most and I really liked reading his inner thoughts about what he had done to Ashley in the first book, and how he's dealing with all that. I also loved how Virginia (from the prequel story 'The Gatherers') was added to the story.

I also want to add that I loved that this book with 120 was longer than the first one, which only had 29 pages. I also can tell that the author has definitely grown in her writing. It was really good! 

The horror aspect of the story was also on point. Not to mention all the plot twists—my jaw was hanging open my the time I had finished the book.

Overall, The Gleaners by Ashley Ehlers was an excellent mix of gore, unpredictable twists and suspense. The shocking ending will leave you wanting the next book as soon as possible, just like me.

       About the Author:

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Newly married Ashley Ehlers now resides in San Diego with her husband who is currently stationed there. There in their cozy two bedroom apartment she finds the peace she’s been looking for. As they settle into the new chapters of their lives Ashley’s Muses are growing stronger than ever as inspiration is around every corner in her latest adventure.