Christmas Terror

Amelia Montgomery returns to her childhood home in Shady Knolls, New Jersey over Christmas to escape the stresses of her lucrative life as a New York City commercial real estate broker. She also needs to dodge Jake Grayson, her domineering ex-fiancé who won’t accept her desired break-up. Amelia takes refuge in her family home with hopes of a traditional Christmas with loved ones.

We soon learn Amelia’s not the only one with troubles. Her brother Matt and his wife Kate are pregnant, but Kate has a history of having miscarriages. Amelia’s mother is fighting heart disease and her dad is embroiled with financial worries.

Jake Grayson plans on retrieving his property from Shady Knolls and return to New York with Amelia whether she wants it or not, even though the blizzard outside would deter any sane traveler. Regardless, Jake has a plan. Upon arrival at the Montgomery home he will execute Plan A, which consists of gifts, whiskey, and overnight attire. Plan B is a more draconian: rope, handcuffs, drill, syringes, duct tape, and firearms.

Billy Campbell, Amelia’s high school sweetheart, arrives at the Montgomery home to plow the driveway, but he also gets invited for Christmas dinner. Jake doesn’t take kindly to Billy’s comfort around Jake’s turf and he decides the ex-boyfriend will be the first to go.

Thus begins Winter Road: A Novella by Kristina Rienzi. The author tells her story through Amelia and Jake’s point of view. Billy’s viewpoint is added to the mix late in the book increasing reader confusion. Also adding to reader trepidation is the use of different names for the heroine: Amy, Mel, and Amelia.

Winter Road  is a high-octane roller coaster ride. It’s an exciting thriller where it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen next. The only sure thing on the reader’s mind is that Jake is a psychopath and people will get killed if this man is not stopped.

Rienzi’s Winter Road: A Novella is a 127 page crime thriller that will keep readers riveted to the text from beginning to end.

About the Author

Raised on the Jersey shore, Kristina Rienzi is a new adult thriller author, certified professional coach, and the former president of Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey. She encourages others to embrace the unknown through her stories about fierce women risking their lives to become who they were always meant to be. When she’s not writing Kristina dissects true crime stories and sings and dances to Yacht Rock Radio. She believes in all things paranormal, a closet full of designer bags, weekly manicures, the Law of Attraction, aliens, angels, and the value of a graduate degree in psychology.

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