A private school with secrets. Surviving Curtis Hall: The Lure of Blood by @LAMatthies #fantasy


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Surviving Curtis Hall

The Lure of Blood


by L. A. Matthies





Attempting to avoid the violence and drugs at Hibernia High, sixteen-year-old Tristen McCoy and his friends have transferred on a sports scholarship to the elite Curtis Hall boarding school. Hometown lacrosse heroes, the boys are tested as they attempt to assimilate into a student body where excelling is the norm. Tristen hones his leadership skills and sense of humor while finding his way in this new environment. He and his friends must rise to the challenge of competing with peers whose skills equal and perhaps surpass their own.

Tristen's attention is soon captured by the beautiful and alluring Marcella Venier. Despite their different origins and upbringings, the two are drawn to each other. Marcella, compelled to live a clandestine life with dark secrets and a covert research mission, struggles with her desire to further her own designs and still remain in Tristen's world.

Events spiral out of control, and a student is lost in the subterranean tunnels beneath the school's campus! Tristen and his friends stand accused of foul play, and in an effort to make things right, he enlists Marcella's help in organizing a search party. During the perilous rescue attempt, danger threatens to not only sever the bonds of friendship of the group, but take their lives as well. They hope they can survive until graduation.

Praise for Surviving Curtis Hall


Ms. Matthies puts together a great mix of characters in this teen adventure! The character backstories unveil themselves from initially mundane to a bit more fantastic as the tale unfolds. A group of teenagers try to integrate themselves into a private school and discover a few of the secrets within its walls. The personal interactions, the day to day routines, and the greater evil all contribute to this exciting story, and leaves me wanting more.



I enjoyed this book more than I would probably admit to others. In fact, it's one of the more enjoyable reads of this year so far. It has one of those stories that deeply moves and touches you. The stories of these boy's lives stuck in a daunting boarding school touched me, as they were so true to life.

I have to also give credit to the author for some delightful touches in the book. You really have to read the book to appreciate both the story and the way the author brings it all together.



I often complain about the teens of today, and that includes my two teenage daughters. What I found most enjoyable about this book was the insights in provides into the lives of teens today. For perhaps the first time I've begun to understand those who say that they have it tougher than when we were young. Peer pressure and moral dilemmas abound in the mind of youngsters today, as this novel shows.

Linda Matthies puts together here a real good read that highlights the pressures of today's youngsters. While this book may well be targeted at the teen-young twenties market, I found it thoroughly entertaining so it should appeal to parents too. Well done, Linda Matthies, on a thoroughly entertaining read.