| Title | : | Stockholm (Getaway, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 41 |
| Publication | : | First published August 31, 2022 |
Psychiatrist Olivia Cole is a shell of herself after only two years with her tyrannical husband, the outwardly perfect Sebastian. On their two-year anniversary, she’s subjected to one power move too many when Sebastian whisks her away on a surprise trip—first to the charming capital of Sweden, then to an unexpected final destination. Miles from home and help, the only way for Olivia to wrest back control of her life is to give Sebastian an even bigger, shocking surprise.
Stockholm by Catherine Steadman is part of Getaway, a collection of six stories about dream escapes that take unimaginable, even sinister, turns. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single sitting.
Stockholm (Getaway, #3) Reviews
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Stockholm by Catherine Steadman
narrated by Samara Naeymi
Olivia Cole's dating life with Seb has always been about taking risks to the edge, pushing each other as far as possible, a power struggle that fueled each of them. Then they got married and Seb got the upper hand in a way that has Olivia trapped forever, with no way out. She is powerless under his control, she has lost everything.
A surprise trip to Sweden turns into a journey into frigid no man's land. The house they are staying at is beautiful but it's a prison for Olivia and there is on one to see the captive. Olivia has a plan but when it's thwarted she lands on a foolproof one that will be the surprise of Seb's life.
This short story is part of Getaway, a collection of six stories about dream escapes that take unimaginable, even sinister, turns. -
I enjoyed my first Steadman's book,
The Family Game and I'm happy to try another. This is a good short story with a brow-raising ending. 🥶
Husband and wife travel to Stockholm for their second anniversary. The seemingly perfect couple is anything but. She plans to leave him in Stockholm but to her surprise, their destination is an isolated cabin outside of Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden in sub-zero temperature, snow, and reindeer. Atmospheric. Fitting title. Enjoyed this one!
Part 3/6 in the Getaway short story collection. Free with Prime/KU. 59mins/41pages -
If you have Amazon Prime-there is a new short story collection included with your membership-THE GETAWAY series.
The common theme of each is that they are all about dream escapes that take an unimaginable or sinister turn. Each can be read or listened to, in a single sitting.
I always find these collections to be a great way to sample the work of an author you have not read, or a way to enjoy bonus content from a favorite author between full length novels.
This collection includes:
Uncharted Waters-Sally Hepworth
His Happy Place-Zakiya Dalila Harris
Stockholm-Catherine Steadman
Belle Mer-Luanne Rice
Catch Her in a Lie-Jess Lourey
She’ll Game-Rumaan Alam
In Stockholm, we meet Psychiatrist Olivia Cole. How did a once successful, strong woman become only a shell of her former self after just two years of being married to Sebastian-a man who appears perfect to those outside of the marriage but is actually far from it. (A common theme in books lately)
And, will she be able to finally make her escape from him, when he takes her on an extravagant Anniversary trip, miles away from home…….?
Estimated reading time: 41 minutes and also available as an Audible -
Ok I loved the snowy setting of this one. Perfect wintery read for us Canadians who are settling in for another 4 months of snow LOL. I thought the descriptions of the northern lights were well done and I would be down for a quiet weekend in the cabin..
Although the plot had potential, the execution lacked logic. I had many questions. Plus that ending????? Are you dead ass??? Catherine Steadman if you don't get your ass back here and write at least three more pages to wrap this up. Acting like it's a guarantee she's gonna do xyz when she can't even legally lock a door for privacy.
These short stories are like a litmus test if I want to endure a full length novel from that author. In this case, I can say most likely not lol. I can see myself tiring very quickly of her writing style and this main character. Even for 40 some pages, it was beginning to feel repetitive.
3 generous stars. -
I was looking for a fun and fast read as some downtime between books when I found this collection of stories!
I really liked the Christmas-y, winter feel of this one and it was incredibly unexpected in a good way.
What didn’t totally work was I felt a bit underwhelmed by it. I was hoping for maybe some cool twist or a big change in the story, but it just never came.
I may have liked this more had the ending been explained further and wasn’t so abrupt. Good for a fast read to pass the time. I’ll definitely read the rest in the collection. -
A quick read that I enjoyed. In very little time we are introduced to a destructive relationship that she wants to escape from. A fascinating cat-and-mouse game. I rooted for her from the beginning, not an easy feat when you have so little time to get to know a character.
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This short story is part of the Getaway series, but may be read as a standalone. Olivia’s marriage appears to be perfect and enviable. Appearances prove to be deceiving as the tragic truth comes to light. Persistence, risk and extreme tension describe this intense and atmospheric psychological thriller. The narrators expertly add a layer of suspense and anxiety. The final twist was jaw dropping.
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the setup…
Olivia Cole once had a big life of her own…that is until she met her husband, Sebastian, and what started as risky and provocative fantasies, ended up with him assuming absolute control of her life following their marriage. She never saw it coming and now they’re on a trip to Stockholm to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Olivia has a getaway plan until she realizes that will not be their final destination, thwarting her plan for the moment.
the heart of the story…
Sebastian is all about mind games and Olivia had thought she was an equal partner until she wasn’t. Now she’s got to reengage to figure out how she can find her freedom when he has all the power and control. I was drawn in right away, plotting and looking for seams to open for Olivia as she used her brain to best him.
the narration…
Though she’s new to me, the narrator was outstanding as she carefully delivered a subtle and understated performance in a story that was rather dramatic. That just ratcheted up the tension, which was excellent.
the bottom line…
I am wild about the ending, which delivered the irony I was hoping for. This was a gem, my favorite in the series so far. Well done, Olivia.
Posted on
Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Brilliance Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.) -
Quite the journey.
Very good short story by Steadman. Good tension throughout and perfect ending. This wasn't my first read by this author and this didn't disappoint.
A worthy entry in the Getaway collection. -
Escape in the Sami Lands
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (August 31, 2022), released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook.
The setup and the location of this was intriguing. Despite the title hint which made me think of "Stockholm Syndrome", it was instead a bait and switch which took us into Northern Sweden and the lands and customs of the Sami people (known as Laplanders to many). That made me hope for some sort of intriguing twist with the protagonist escaping the abusive controlling relationship that she was in with the help of the local indigenous people. Unfortunately it did not end that way. I'll admit then that my Finno-Ugric heritage bias affected my rating.
Stockholm is one of six Amazon Original Kindle eBooks/Audible Audio audiobooks released on August 31, 2022 as part of the
Getaway Collection of short stories where "Secrets follow you everywhere. Perfect vacation or last resort? In this collection of short psychological thrillers, bestselling authors bring trouble to paradise. Today’s itinerary: surfing, sailing, hiking, facing your worst fears... Most dream vacations never live up to expectations—but few cause this many nightmares."
Trivia and Link
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Kindle short stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page
here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region). -
Damn...I feel cheated! You go girl! I sure do wish I had witnessed the final swing⭐⭐⭐⭐+ Kindle unlimited with audible...getaway series
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Succinct portrayal of how an accomplished, intelligent woman can find herself in thrall to an abusive husband. And her attempts to escape. Well done.
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I found this anthology on Kindle Unlimited recently and decided, hey! I don’t read many short stories, there are some fantastic authors in this anthology, and jumped right in! It took around an hour to finish….that made me feel accomplished!🤣
A woman and her husband are going to Stockholm, Sweden (or so the woman thinks.) They end up in a remote part of Northern Sweden. This is not a healthy relationship in the least….a situation where the woman wants to leave her husband, but doesn’t know how. She has been caught and stopped before. What would be different this time?
It kept my attention, which has been short lately. I recommend it for sure!
Now, onto another short story in the series! ✌🏻 -
So intense, especially at the end.
I didn't want this one to end. It ended open, so you can imagine what happened. I would have preferred a full length novel with details on Olivia and what happens.
I'm still so very invested!!
I definitely want more from this author also. Such talented writing to have me this gripped!
4.5/5 -
The ending ruined it for me.
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Olivia Cole and her husband Sebastian head to Stockholm on their anniversary, or so she thinks.
This was a suspenseful story that kept my attention! -
3.5 stars
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2.5-3
Domestic Violence … thought the story would be about the syndrome or surviving with it; and not a hopeless situation sort of. Ambiguous ending. Meh.
Okay writing. -
3.5 rounded up
This was short but well handled. -
Good.... a woman losses control of everything...wow. Is she crazy or is her controlling husband?
He takes to a remote cabin.... -
4¼⭐
I really liked this one…it packed quite a punch for how short it is. It was well written with great narration and it grabbed my attention right from the start and kept it till the end. It does have kind of an open-ending but that’s not always a bad thing. -
This is a terrifying short story of a modern woman trapped by a legal document to a child like existence inside her marriage.
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Read via Kindle Unlimited and audible audio *
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story: 3.5 stars 🌟 -
PLEASE please please write a sequel to this or make this into a longer book 🖤
Book 3 in the Getaway series. This so far is my favorite in the series. Although the 6 books are standalone & completely unrelated to each other (just have a common theme).
All of my reviews will be pretty short so as not to spoil anything, especially since all of the books were shorts☺️ This is my first book by Steadman & I’ll definitely be adding more of hers to my reading pile.
This is such a messed up disturbing little story!! I loved it!! I loved the story itself, the writing was fantastic & at times so beautifully descriptive. Their trip (to Scandinavia I think it was?), you could visualize it & feel the temperature as if you the reader were right there.
The title ‘Stockholm’ is interesting, play on words maybe😜 I’m assuming it’s titled as such because of a location in the book, instead of Stockholm Syndrome like I’m assuming most people think of when they hear the word. So if it is a play on words I think that was pretty clever.
The ending was great & complete! At the same time I would love a longer version (even an added chapter), or if it had a sequel since we technically don’t know what actually happens. So much of the book could be expanded on such as more backstory to their relationship pre-marriage, during marriage & how they got to where they are now in the book. And of course add more to the ending on what happens after this book ends. Great short story, definitely recommend!!
Thank you Amazon for the free book!! -
Ok
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I loved this individual cover and I'm a huge fan of this author. This was another story that sucked me in right from the start. I had made an early hope that proved to not be so and I was riveted by the twist. I absolutely would have read more of this story. I was so sad when it ended, so good!
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May the Getaway Collection be my first (and hopefully not last) foray into thriller short stories!
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2.5 STARS
This started out promising, an increasing sense of dread as Olivia and Seb get further from civilization. The ending is abrupt and unfinished. It’s alluded to, but I’m doubtful Olivia would be successful with her plan. -
This snack-sized book was a whole five-course meal.
Ooh, this was a fun little ride. I was a little skeptical of how the author could tell a good thriller story in so few pages, but I thought she did it expertly. This easily could be a full-length novel, but instead she pulled out the core of a longer story and gave us just that portion without all the chaff. It was almost like you were the MC's friend or relative or therapist, listening to her describe what she went through--you're not going to get all the early relationship stuff or the minutiae of daily life, just the crazy shit. And I liked how she worked in bits and pieces of information that the reader would need to fully understand what was happening with this couple and why.
It was super tense the whole time, and I really wasn't sure where it was headed, especially in the last few pages, but I loved the ending. I find it funny that some readers are like "the ending is too vague and I'm unsatisfied" because ummmmmmmmmmm the ending is not vague. We don't see what's going to happen on the page, but like, you know what's going to happen. You don't need to see it. You can just gleefully imagine it. Also, to the people thinking the whole story is hard to believe, LOLOL congratulations on never having been in an abusive relationship, I guess!! Welcome to real life, where some men are absolute pig monsters.
I do wish we had just a little more about each character's backstory, that maybe we'd gotten just five or ten pages more at the beginning leading up to the flight. But I found this to be quite entertaining and now definitely want to read a full-length book from this author. -
Psychiatrist Olivia Cole met and fell in love with Sebastian. Shortly after their marriage, things began to change, and he has her declared incompetent and is her legal guardian. On their two-year anniversary, Sebastian whisks her away on a surprise trip, one that she hopes will end their relationship, and allow her an escape. What will this trip mean to both of them? This is a short story, but I was immediately pulled in and could feel Olivia's terror. Listening to the audiobook, allowed me to feel Olivia's pain and become part of her planning to escape. It was tense and I was surprised that such a short story could be this gripping. I know I am pulled in when I start yelling at the characters. I loved Samara Naeymi's narration and will definitely listen to other books she narrates.
