What are the Readers saying?
Matt – the Beginning
by Viveca Benoir (Goodreads Author)
IN To Murder Matt by Viveca Benoir, Matt was hated, wanted dead even. But that was to be expected as he was evil and nasty and abusive as well …so much so I wanted to murder him and he is a character in a book!!….
A book raw and edgy and filled with characters you will love to hate so much that you cannot put the book down and by the very end of the journey your jaw will be slack from the jaw dropping action and you will feel wrung out emotionally. The epic skills it took and the amazing mind that came up with this book is to be applauded.
NOTE this book is not for anyone under 18 or faint of heart
5 stars – Dark and twisted! Published on Amazon
ByAngel Dust May 8, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Where do I start ?
This isn’t one of my typical reads, and I took a chance after reading the warnings about being DARK and Twisted.
I actually decided to read this first, before To Murder Matt, and I’m glad I did.
It will have you messed up with emotion from heartbreak and feeling sad for Matt, to down right hating him and wanting to punch him out.
If your after a sweet read, than this isn’t the book for you.
There are situations that are difficult read and I had to step away a few times to take it all in.
But I was so drawn into the story, that I picked it up again after taking a very short break. I had to keep reading.
Can you be born with a cold heart?
Or can one only take so much pain, so many times being let down, that it’s just a matter of time until the heart doesn’t care about love anymore?
I have to say I really enjoyed the book, some parts not so much . I did follow on and read To Murder Matt, and I look forward to reading more from this Author…
*****5 stars*****
5 stars Published on Amazon.
You know the books are fantastic if you can’t wait to discuss them with your …
ByBookWormon May 9, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
A friend and I were discussing what we were reading and I was between books even though I have a TBR list a mile long. She told me what she was reading and I asked what it was about. She told me the story was a bit dark and twisted. I replied that it sound wicked and I needed a change! You know the books are fantastic if you can’t wait to discuss them with your friend when you are both on two different time zones! So this brings me to this review. i have just completed a day and a half marathon reading Viveca Benoir’s books and I am absolutely hooked and in love with this author’s writing!!!! She has a flair for telling a story that just leaves you sitting theire with your jaw hanging open. I am still shaking my head. Viveca writes a tale that has the characters so intricately woven together it literally leaves you hanging to the end to piece the puzzles all together! I am still sitting here perplexed with how she does this!!! On the suggestion of my reading friend, I read this book first and it really made following the story easier for me. This book takes you back to the beginning of Matt’s story, starting with his birth, through his childhood, and beyond showing how he became so troubled. It showed us how he became the devil among us! Are we born with both evil and good in us? Does one prevail over the other depending upon how one is raised? How much pain and heartache can one experience before the heart turns black and unfeeling? This series is definitely not for everyone but I absolutely loved it! 5+ stars for me!!!!! The writing is extremely top notch and so creative. I need another book now!!!!!
Published on Goodreads.
Matt – the Beginning
by Viveca Benoir (Goodreads Author)
BFDU‘s review
What makes a man a monster?
A deviant?
A predator?
A maniac?
A psychopath?How does a young boy become any of those things?
How does he become so shut off from emotion that he considers nobody?
How does he lose his innocence?
How does he lose the ability to feel, to love?
How does he become cold and callous?The Beginning is a novel that takes us into Matt’s life.We were introduced to Matt when we read To Murder Matt which we absolutely loved.
But in The Beginning we are taken back to Matt’s childhood and how he was ultimately moulded into the man he became.Again Viveca Benoir has given us another brilliant read.
It’s dark, confronting, raw and again highly emotional and at times disturbing.
But we simply couldn’t put it down.
Again we cannot understand how this book is to be banned.
The content at times can be distressing and quite disturbing but why the decision was made to ban it stills leaves us dumbfounded.
And why????
There are two reasons for this…
1. Reading both To Murder Matt and
Matt -The Beginning, the author clearly explains that if at any time a reader should feel uncomfortable and unable to continue, simply put it down.
As readers we are not forced to read a novel, it’s a choice.
2. The subject matter in both novels while again at times graphic, disturbing and confronting, for us it is simply no different than picking up an autobiography with the same subject matter.
Again for us as bloggers/readers we just simply don’t understand the bureaucracy behind the decision.
To Viveca Benoir again thank you very much for giving us a heartbreaking read. Full of feeling and written with such depth we could feel the emotions throughout the pages. Congratulations on another amazing novel.
We look forward to reading more of your work and wish you all the very best.
For us a definite 5 star read.
Karen Hrdlicka‘s review
This was the first work of Viveca Benoir’s that I have read. I looked at the synopsis for To Murder Matt and wondered why the main character was so twisted and despised. After reading Matt-the Beginning I can more fully understand why Matt is such a tormented and hated character. I like Ms. Benoir’s style very much. The story is well paced and the action is rapid fire. So much happened in the first thirty pages, I found myself stopping to process what the poor young man was going through.This book begins with Matt’s tragic birth, along with a sister he never knew existed. The twins are sent to separate adoptive homes and live completely different lives, each never knowing the other lives nearby. Matt’s life is hardly ideal. His mother loves him intensely however, to say his father is an ass, is an understatement. The abuse Matt and his mother suffer is the driving force behind much of the development of Matt’s character. Throughout the story he is thrown curveball after curveball, molding him into an young man who uses sex for power and control. He is ambitious and headstrong and if someone crosses him there will be retaliation. No spoilers here, just be aware that Matt has seen a lot of crap in his life and except for his mother no one seems to have given him a fair shake. I am looking forward to reading other books by Ms. Benoir
Published on Goodreads.
Okay, let me start off by saying that I did read To Murder Matt and knowing all that I know from that book, I would most definitely recommend reading that whether be it after or before. That being said, get ready to be stumped off your ass with this book. I went into thinking that I would change my mind about him. Boy, was I wrong! I dislike him even more, if that’s possible. Maybe not so much dislike. I love to hate him. His depravity knows no bounds. This is a Crazy Ass Must Read! I can’t wait to read what Viveca writes next!
Published on Goodreads/ Amazon
At first I really felt bad for the main character, Matt, but as time went on he became worse and worse. This reminded me a lot of the works by V.C. Andrews. There are a lot of characters you will dislike, yet the horribleness of it all will make you keep reading. You want to know what else is going to happen to these characters.
I wanted to like Matt, but I guess after time you start feeling sorry for him and just realize he is a pure monster. You feel sorry for every woman he meets because you know he will end up using her in some way.
This novel may be harder to read for some readers, it has sexual abuse, violence, rape, etc. However, these things sadly go on every day. I think it is great how Viveca can put it out there in a way to make people open their eyes. I also loved how this mostly all took place in France.
No matter how much this book made me cringe – I still want to read the rest of the series. I look forward to reading other novels by Viveca Benoir.
Published on Goodreads
Fee’s review
Mar 28, 15
4 of 5 stars
After reading “To Murder Matt” I was left reeling about Matt and what could have possibly have happened in his past to make him the way he was and in Matt: the beginning we find out just that. Can I just say that you do not have to had read “To Murder Matt” before reading this one.
To be honest it makes me hate him even more – if that is possible? At first I was beginning to feel sorry for him – everything he had to endure from his father and his childhood, that is until he got sent to live with a foster family – a rich family at that.
From there I lost all sympathy for him and realised he was just pure evil. From the moment he realised what he was doing and that he just kept on that path, not to mention the things he does, shocked me (although I had insight from reading To Murder Matt).
Some readers may find this a hard read due the nature of the storyline but there is no denying that this is a book you cant put down as you want to know more about him.
It was good to get the little insight – or reminder depending on if you have read the other books – on certain characters he meets which leads up to “To Murder Matt”.
Published on Goodreads:
Mar 29, 15
VBV rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: dark-twisted, murder-mystery, suspense-romance, brilliant-books
Main characters are Matt, Natalie, Marie, Julia, Venia, and a brief glimpse of Ellen
This book takes you through Matt’s journey from his first breaths. How he goes through life being shaped by people and events around him. He can go one way or another. The fact that there is a book called “To Murder Matt” already tells us he can’t turn out well. It’s already hinting at a car crash in slow motion. And we get to see him rise and fall.
One after another the women come into his life. They change him bit by bit. He falls into sex, into love and as he is spurned by one, he plans his revenge on all women. No surprise there. Matt isn’t an angel. For the reader there are the what might have beens. The ‘what ifs’. What if that hadn’t happened? How would a nice Matt be?
Matt shows he has a heart in this book and I, for one, felt hope. After all, isn’t that what he ultimately wants and is searching for? Love? What could the love of a good woman do for Matt?
Matt is damaged goods. He starts off broken and by the end he’s the nasty Matt we know and love. Totally beyond redemption.
A devil amongst men? He’s a bloody sexy one at that.
Vikki Love‘s review
I love dark and twisted stories and this is certainly one of those, it even made me cringe a few times. In some parts I almost felt sorry for Matt, ALMOST!
I like reading books out of the norm with lots of OMG moments and this story was full of them. This is a fantastic story that was written perfectly and I will definitely be reading more of Viveca’s books.
If you like books with taboo storylines you will love this!
Published on Goodreads:
Read in March, 2015
Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars
Okay this is the first book I’ve read from Viveca Benoir.. I didn’t read “To Murder Matt” first so I wasn’t sure if I should read this one first.. after looking through a few reviews of “To Murder Matt” I figured it would be okay.
After reading the blurb and the first chapter.. I was getting ready to sympathize for Matt.. He had been through a lot and he wasn’t very old. I felt bad for him up until he moved in with Natalia.. then everything went crazy!
I get that he had a bad rap.. but his actions.. shouldn’t justify what happened to him!
Matt is truly a devil amongst men! He is awful! The stuff he does.. I can’t believe I felt sorry for him!
I have to say it was well written.. the only problem I had was trying to think of the characters at certain ages.. I get that he was more mature than whatever age he was supposed to be.. but to me it wasn’t believeable .. I just couldn’t think of him doing the things he was doing when he was that age.
Matt: The Beginning is definitely a page turner because I wanted to know what happens!
*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Private Message via Facebook
I finished and I loved it. The back stories for all of the characters. My goodness. I am amazed!!!! All of them. Stand out and have their own voices. It’s like reading a movie!
My favorite scenes are with Venia. I am completely in love with her character.
And Matt. I can’t hate him!!! I just CAN’T
Published on Amazon
Viveca Benoir 