REVIEW: Broken Souls by Patricia Gibney (ARC)

Broken Souls (DI Lottie Parker #7) by Patricia Gibney

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural

Read: 31st October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 18th October 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

I'm no stranger to DI Lottie Parker and have been a fan of the Irish crime series since the beginning. So I was excited to see where this one would lead, as I thoroughly enjoyed the last book "Final Betrayal" but for the cliffhanger Ms Gibney left us on. The premise for BROKEN SOULS was intriguing with two women found dead in suspected suicides, both wearing wedding dresses.

Cara Dunne, a schoolteacher, was found hanging in her bathroom, a belt pulled taut around her neck. By all accounts it appeared to be a suicide, particularly as she had recently been jilted by her fiance local pub owner Steve O'Carroll. What little was known about Cara said that she was devastated over her broken engagement. Is that why she chose to end her life wearing her wedding dress? But why was there no note? And wasn't hanging a little dramatic? Women usually opt for an overdose of pills, a clean and painfree end. Something didn't add up for Lottie. Cara had scratches on her neck that weren't easily explained. Added to that, her new found faith would see suicide as a mortal sin. Surely she wouldn't jeopardise her eternal soul for the sake of a broken engagement?

Fiona Heffernan was a nurse at the Ballydoon Abbey nursing home and, having finished her shift the day before she was to married, she is found dead by a colleague, having seemingly thrown herself from the Abbey roof. She, too, was wearing a wedding dress. But not, it seems, her own - unlike Cara who was.

No sooner were investigations into Cara's death underway with her body having hardly reached the mortuary when word reaches the team about Fiona. Two suicides in one day? In Ragmullin? Surely not. Then through the course of their investigations, the team learn that Fiona had an 8 year old daughter that no one had thought to tell them about, until her husband-to- be Ryan did, and the race is on to locate her. Her last known whereabouts was at the theatre where she has dance practice. But upon their arrival, there is no sign of Lily.

With two suspicious deaths and now a missing child to contend with, Lottie needs to make sense of it all, piecing together the puzzle and work out how each case is linked. But most importantly, to find Lily and her back safe and sound.

Then the team find a link to the suicide of a Robert Brady, who was found hanging from a tree two weeks ago. But where he was found was of great interest to Lottie...just a few hundred metres from the residence of their prime suspect, shift solicitor Colin Kavanaugh, Fiona's ex-partner and father to her daughter Lily. It seems wherever she turns, Kavanaugh's name continues to crop up. So what exactly has he got to do with these cases?

Aside from the pressures of her professional life, Lottie's personal one seems to be just as much turmoil. Although one would think that after the abduction of her own daughters in the previous book, it would draw them all closer as a family but it seems to have the opposite affect. Her daughters are now both adults and doing their own thing while her 15 year old son angrily shuts her out. I was very surprised at the dynamics in her family after such a traumatic event.

And then there is Lottie's relationship with her DS, Mark Boyd. His proposal at the end of the last book surprised us, including Lottie, but in this book both are behaving like they are anything but engaged. Boyd's behaviour has become somewhat furtive as he continually skives off to Galway on what Lottie believes is a pretense of seeing his mother. Lottie thinks he's found someone younger so that puts her in a continually bad mood, sniping and snarling at everyone...instead of actually sitting down and talking with Boyd. However, it is Boyd who broaches the subject and says they need to talk at the close of the case. Lottie thinks "This is it. He's changed his mind and doesn't want to marry me. He's found someone else." and voices her thoughts of that nature to him before he can get a word in. But when he does...nothing will prepare her for his revelation.

I do like Lottie but I find her increasingly frustrating. She has an annoying habit of pre-empting everything, which is especially annoying in her personal relationships with her family and Boyd...instead of talking to them. And in many cases she is way off the mark. I really like Boyd though he was more of a silent partner on this outing, probably due to his personal issues. Sometimes I have to wonder what he sees in Lottie but then he is about the only one who keeps her centred when she starts to spiral out of control. Her family feature so little in this book, except as ships passing and all that, although Lottie does enjoy a little outing with her grandson Louis.

I don't think BROKEN SOULS was as exciting or as thrilling as past books but it was still marginally compelling. I think because the case seemed a little convoluted in parts making the investigation long and frustrating on all count. And I found her kids incredibly frustrating as well when they should have been drawn together, particularly after the last case.

BROKEN SOULS is an intriguing police procedural with mystery, murder and mayhem all combined to make for a compelling read. There are references to previous events and occurrences from the series but while I don't think they deter from the storyline, the series is best read in order to gain a fuller understanding and appreciation of Lottie and the other characters.

After the bombshell delivered at the end of this book, I can hardly wait to see what happens for Lottie next!

I would like to thank #PatriciaGibney, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #BrokenSouls in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Close to You by Kerry Wilkinson (ARC)

Close to You by Kerry Wilkinson

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 28th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 17th October 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

I always thoroughly enjoy reading Kerry Wilkinson's standalone thrillers and he never fails to disappoint! This one drew me in with its premise.

A friend snaps a photo of Morgan at an awards night. When looking at the photos later, Morgan is shocked to see her ex-husband hidden in the background of a group shot. Primarily because she knows she killed him. And then things start to go a little helter-skelter.

Morgan Persephone (per-sef-oh-knee and not rhyming with telephone) is a personal trainer with a life seemingly going nowhere. She appears successful on the outside but inside her life is riddled with turmoil. Two years ago her husband David disappeared...but Morgan knows differently, because she killed him. Now she is in a relationship with Andy, seemingly happy, and about to move in with him. And yet, just a few days before the move she has yet to pack anything. To me, her heart just didn't seem to be in it. Or was it she was just distracted?

After the awards ceremony, Morgan had booked a room to stay the night but found she couldn't sleep....with thoughts of David filling her mind after seeing him in that photograph. So she decides to make the two hour drive home instead, arriving around 5am. As soon as she walked in she knew someone had been in her home. Things seemed out of place. Her Tigger jar David had bought her for £5 that always sat on the bench was now missing. Why that jar? Only she and David knew of its significance.

The next morning when she wakes, she discovers her car is missing. So she does what anyone would do in this situation - she calls the police to report it stolen. But then that afternoon when the police arrive at her flat, they are not there to take a statement regarding her stolen car; they are there to question her in regards to a road accident where an elderly pedestrian was critically injured...with her car, which was left abandoned at the scene. The police don't entirely believe her story, finding her claims of being stolen somewhat convenient. But Morgan knows she wasn't driving...so who was?

Things begin to unravel for Morgan and yet she confides in no one. Not even her lifelong friend Jane, whom she has known since primary school. Jane knows most of her secrets...but not this one. When David disappeared two years ago everyone believed it to be the case as he wasn't exactly reliable. Only Morgan knows the truth. So she was hardly going to confide in anyone her confusion and panic at the possibility of his return!

CLOSE TO YOU is told entirely from Morgan's perspective over two timelines, The Now and The Why. The story builds slowly, creating a tension that was palpable for a good portion of the book, but petered out into an anti-climax by the end. I am not saying that this is a bad book, as it isn't entirely as I did enjoy it for the most part, but it's not one of Kerry's best...largely because I could not connect with its main character.

The picture painted of David throughout the "why" chapters highlights him as such an unappealing person I fail to see what Morgan ever saw in him! Although I can't say that I liked Morgan either, who seemed more robotic in character with no real affection for anyone. This made her difficult to relate to...but not only that, I was also left wondering could anyone be so stupid? And trust me, David was just one of her many stupid decisions. But then, throughout the whole story, I wondered exactly why was she even with Andy she hardly seemed connected to him. The woman was an island I just failed to understand.

Aside from the unreliable characters, CLOSE TO YOU is an incredibly thrilling read which has the reader asking questions throughout. Did Morgan really kill David? Is he really dead? Is it someone else masquerading as David? And if so, why?

CLOSE TO YOU is a cleverly spun tale that will certainly keep readers on their toes and racing through the pages. It is a slow burn, so have patience as all will be revealed. It will certainly keep readers guessing. I only started putting the pieces together as it neared the end as I had no idea who was behind it all. But then the ending was not what I expected and while it failed to satisfy me it still seemed to be a fitting conclusion.

I must add that I love Kerry's humour and wit peppered throughout the pages that had me laughing...particularly those regarding little Norah's hilarious use of the English language and the comparisons made to it. Tree, duck, cow, the 45th President of the United States...all had me laughing till I cried.

Despite this not being my favourite of Kerry's books, nothing will stop me looking forward to more standalone thrillers in the near future!

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #CloseToYou in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: A Woman's War by S. Block (ARC)

A Woman's War (Keep the Home Fires Burning #2) by S. Block

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 26th October 2019

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Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 17th October 2019)

★★★★ 4.5 stars

When I requested A WOMAN'S WAR I had no idea it was the sequel to another. I do wish Netgalley would state if a book is part of a series - sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. I guess it depends on the information received from the publisher. But it would be helpful for reviewers to know beforehand as sometimes it is difficult to pick up series midway through. Fortunately that was not the case with this wonderful book.

However, that aside. A WOMAN'S WAR can be read as a standalone or as a sequel to "Keep the Home Fires Burning" which follows on from the now ended ITV series "Home Fires". You can easily pick up the characters and their stories either way, as they are each recalled well enough to do so.

The women of Great Paxford draw strength from each other once again in the face of their darkest days during World War 2. The year is 1940 and much has happened in their little village since war broke out just the year before. Some have lost loved ones, some are prisoners of war, some have lost their homes...while others fight inner battles that no one else knows about.

Meet Frances, Erica, Laura, Sarah, Pat, Steph, and Teresa - the women of Great Paxford. Each of them have a story to tell but some of them have secrets that they keep to themselves.

The story opens with Frances, the leader of the Women's Institute, addressing the WI ladies of the events that had recently taken place in their little village...and how it has affected each of them. Frances is a born leader but can come across a bit brusque at times though she only has the best interests of the women at heart. She speaks of the Spitfure than crashed landed, destroying the homes of the Simms and the Campbells. She speaks of the death of their local GP and the grief of the family he left behind. She speaks of the German airman shot by a farmer when discovered. Throughout all this and more, the village must come together and find the strength within each other to get through this war. No one knows how long it will go on for - it could end next week, next month or next year. However long it takes, they must stick together.

Erica Campbell is the widow of the village GP, who had recently succumbed to cancer. Her daughters Katy and Laura are also grieving. Katy is studying in Manchester (so she doesn't actually largely feature) and was recently widowed herself when her husband Jack's plane crashed during flight training.

Laura is just 17 and has taken to heart her father's last almost indecipherable words to her, believing him to say that she would make a good doctor, despite her never showing an interest before now to follow her father's footsteps and study medicine. With no money to pay for university, Laura sets about cramming and studying for a scholarship into medical school. When her boyfriend Tom tells her that he has decided to become a pilot, Laura is devastated and says that she cannot step out with a flyer...not after what her sister went through. So will Tom give up his plans to become a pilot and stay with Laura? Will Laura pass her exams and be granted a scholarship?

Sarah Collingborne is Frances' sister and the wife of their local vicar, who is currently in a German prisoner of war camp. Sarah doesn't feature as largely in the story as some of the other women who have a greater part to play, but she is part of the backbone of Great Paxford and one of the few who knows the truth about Pat's marriage to her brute of a husband Bob.

Which brings us to Pat Simms. She has been married to Bob for about thirteen years and in the beginning he was an attentive romantic man which soon fell by the wayside after rings and vows were exchanged. There has been many occasions when Pat has turned up to the WI meetings or her job at the telephone exchange with bruises that she tries in vain to cover with plenty of powder. When the Spitfire crashed into their semi-detached house alongside the Campbells' semi on the other side, Pat and Bob were taken in by the kindly and former leader of the WI, Joyce Cameron. Pat soon found the benefit with living with Joyce was that Bob would control his temper whenever she was around, playing the perfect guest and husband. But Pat has another secret. One that Bob inadvertently discovered. She has a lover. A Czech soldier named Marek. They shared a few stolen moments and secreted letters to one another in the graveyard...until Bob discovered their hiding place. Now Marek has been shipped out, leaving Pat with promises of a life together should he survive the war and return. But when Bob shows a complete change, Pat begins to wonder how sincere the change is. She has seen it many times before...only to fall into a false sense of security and feel the sting of his fist before long. But Bob has shown a complete turnaround and, in a gesture of not wanting to outstay their welcome with their incredibly kind host, has decided that the time has come for he and Pat to find a home of their own again. Now that his book is selling and he has the advance for another they now have the money for a comfortable life in a bigger house. Pat cannot help but question Bob's motives or wonder what he has planned...but could this be real? Has Bob truly seen the error of his ways?

Teresa Lucas is newly married to Nick, a Wing Commander for the RAF. But there is someone who suspects Teresa's marriage isn't all it appears - Nick's best friend Annie, also a pilot recovering in hospital after crashing her plane. Teresa's secret is one that would not be understood nor accepted within their quaint little village and so she must keep it from everyone. Only Annie knows her secret...but is Annie the best person to keep that secret? And will it come between Teresa and Nick?

And then there is Steph Farrow. She is a farmer's wife and although it is a reserved occupation, Steph's husband Stan had decided to join in the fight for their country, leaving Steph to farm the land with her 16 year old son Stanley and a kind of helper, Isobel. I'm not sure I knew what Isobel's actual role was though I got the impression she was some sort of farm hand. Steph has one of the biggest secrets that soon everyone in the village will know about. And she doesn't know how she can live with it. She writes a tearful letter to her husband who soon returned and decided to leave the army and maintain his status in the reserved occupation of farmer. But when her son Stanley tells her his news, Steph collapses in shock...and it is then an even greater concern comes to the surface which promises to change all their lives forever.

There is so much packed into this heartfelt tale with a difference and yet there is still so much more to discover. I loved reading about the lives of each of these women and their families and though it did take a little to gain momentum in the beginning, once it did I did not want to put it down. When I finished A WOMAN'S WAR I felt as if I had left Great Paxford and found myself missing the women and their own private struggles.

Although A WOMAN'S WAR wraps all the stories of each character that readers/fans were a part of throughout the the TV series and both books, I still hope the story continues as there is room for expansion on those that we have left behind in this book. I would love to see where the war and their stories take them next.

I thoroughly recommend A WOMAN'S WAR for fans who enjoy WW2 historical fiction, and those who had followed the TV series and the book that followed.

I would like to thank #SimonBlock, #NetGalley and #BonnierZaffre for an ARC of #AWomansWar in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Christmas Wedding by Dilly Court (ARC)

The Christmas Wedding (The Village Secrets #1) by Dilly Court

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 24th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 17th October 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

I've not read Dilly Court before but I'm a huge fan of Catherine Cookson and while not in the same vein as one of Ms Cookson's rags to riches tales, THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING did promise something of a lovely historical read.

Daisy Marshall has been working as a governess for a wealthy family, the Carringtons, and is secretly engaged to their eldest son Julian. However, she receives a letter from Julian stating that he has a job offer as a diplomat in Paris and that unfortunately their union would not be one that would be accepted in society so therefore breaks it off with her. No sooner had she read these words than she was summoned by the master informing her that her charge, Timothy, is to be sent to boarding school and her services were no longer required. She was to leave immediately.

Daisy is devastated. She returns to the flat she lives in above the cobbler shop with her Aunt Eleanora, Uncle Sidney and brother Toby. But she has no time to settle back there as her aunt informs her that her uncle has sold the business and they are retiring to Little Creek in Essex. However, upon arrival it seems that Little Creek is far smaller than they expected - without even a carriage to take them to their new home! However, luck is at hand when Toby's friend Nick who studied medicine at the London Hospital arrives at the station to collect a parcel and offers to drive them to their new home of Creek Cottage.

Nick Neville has inherited both his father's medical practice in the village as well as the somewhat neglected Creek Hall. The cottage is not what Toby had envisaged as his new home and after a couple of nights with Nick up at Creek Hall, he decides to head back to London and take up a position he has been offered there at the London Hospital.

Poverty is rife in Little Creek, thanks to a most dastardly squire at Creek Manor who owns most of the country, including the village of Little Creek and the leasehold upon which Daisy's new home now stands. The squire Esmond Tattersall is a brute of a man who does nothing to maintain the damp-ridden cottages in the village while charging the tenants exorbitant rents for the privilege. However, Daisy also discovers that Nick's father was so far in debt to the squire that the repayments were beyond his ability to meet them...and now Nick is faced with the same adversity. If Nick does not come up with what's owing on the loan, plus an extortionate amount of interest, then Creek Hall will fall into the squire's hands. Daisy refuses to let that happen and devises a plan to ensure Nick keeps his ancestral home.

But she underestimates Esmond Tattersall. Having never met the squire, Daisy went in unprepared for his roving eye and wandering hands. When she confronted him, her disposition intrigued him...for no one had dared to do so before, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of his wrath or even homeless. But Daisy wasn't afraid of him and he found that attractive. So he pursued her, much to her disgust, but he was relentless in his attentions because when the squire wants something, he gets it. And he wants Daisy.

In his pursuit of Daisy, however fruitless, Tattersall invites them all to dine at Creek Manor. Aunt Eleanora was thrilled at the prospect and soon began hinting at what a wonderful catch the squire was. Daisy couldn't be more repulsed. But the squire has charmed her aunt and she wouldn't hear a bad word about him, believing Daisy to be unfair in her assessment of the man. Daisy soon realises to truly escape the repulsive squire, she must return to London and find work there.

Upon her return to London, Daisy sought out her brother Toby at his lodgings but was unable to raise him when she knocked. So she decided to call on him at work at the London Hospital but before she could do, the Sister on duty thought she was there to sign up as a probationary nurse and soon ushered her into an interview. Before long, Daisy found herself accepted as a probationary nurse at the London, to start Monday. She finds lodgings with another probationer at a nearby boarding house, where Toby finally tracks her down.

Then Nick finds he must return to London to obtain a proper paying job, for the village folk of Little Creek were so poor they could not pay him, and he needed money to be able to pay of Tattersall. He joins a practice in Harley Street as a private doctor to the more affluent in London. But he is not too busy that he can't take time out to see Daisy, and soon their friendship picks up from Little Creek and blossoms.

When a cholera outbreak in Little Creek calls Nick back to treat the sick and dying, Daisy soon questions if her loyalties lay with her village or her fledgling nursing career. And she also wonders about her growing feelings for Nick.

And then a stranger returns to Little Creek, bringing more trouble and excitement. And soon Daisy is caught between the kind-hearted and gentlemanly doctor, Nick, and the village bad boy, Jay, who was exiled from Little Creek some years before after a stint in prison. Not only that, but she also has the unwanted attentions of Tattersall to contend with.

Daisy must then decide if her life is in Little Creek or London?

A lovely story with a good mixture of characters - some of whom you love to hate and some you adore - THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING is the first in a new trilogy featuring Little Creek. Though I must say the title is a little misleading as it is not really a Christmas story as such...just a story that leads up and ends at Christmas.

Both compelling and heartwarming, THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING will draw you in and transcend you into 1867 that you won't want to leave. Personally, I would much rather the simple quiet life in Little Creek to the hustle and bustle of London.

Despite being drawn into the Victoria era both of village life and London, I found myself growing frustrated with Daisy on a number of occasions I could have happily throttled her myself. Then the tangent the story seemed to take towards the end which lead back to Little Creek once again (a somewhat long way around) which seemed to have come out of nowhere and so out of character of both Daisy and the story that I found it somewhat unbelievable. Added to that I was very disappointed in the surprising ending. I did not expect that at all and certainly didn't see that for Daisy.

However, despite my misgivings about the tangent which lead to the unexpected ending, I did enjoy THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING and I'm looking forward the follow up "A Village Scandal" (coming March 2020) and "The County Bride" (coming June 2020). At least we won't have to wait long for the trilogy to continue...though I do hope for a more satisfying outcome for those.

An enjoyable story perfect for historical fiction fans.

I would like to thank #DillyCourt, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheChristmasWedding in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries (ARC)

Snow Angels (Lovely Lane #5) by Nadine Dorries

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 23rd October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 17th October 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

SNOW ANGELS by Nadine Dorries is the fifth book in the Lovely Lane series but the first one I've read. I've often come in partway through a series and picked it up, but I do wish I had read the other four first. I found it took me a while to get my head around some of the characters and had I read them in order I would have been able to make sense of them far quicker.

At first, I found everyone to be a confused gathering of characters always in a flutter that I felt as if I was rushing around alongside them. Everyone always appeared to be in a hurry and this made the pace seem rather fast while at the same time being slow for me as I tried to play catch up on those I was only meeting for the first time. However, I was drawn in to the story rather quickly, even if I couldn't follow it as easily at first. But I don't put that down to the book or the author...but rather my own fault for not reading the books in order.

Set around the St Angelus hospital and the Lovely Lane home for nurses in 1950s Liverpool, SNOW ANGELS begins with a young woman seeking shelter from the cold in the Seamen's Rest boarding house. We don't know who she is or what she is doing here - only that she wanted to be near the Lovely Lane home and the hospital. Malcolm runs the Seamen's Rest and did not normally take in women as boarders but rather sailors who've come from the docks - hence the name Seamen's Rest. Malcolm tried to refer her to other boarding houses that would take the young woman in, but she was tired and adamant - it had to be here. Malcolm took pity on her and gave her a small room reserved for single occupants so she would not have to share with drunken sailors. The woman, whose name was Eva, was quiet and kept to herself - her sudden appearance a mystery.

Christmas is approaching and the staff at St Angelus are rallying around Sister Emily Horton and her husband Dessie as the finalisation of baby Louis' adoption nears. Emily is Sister Tutor at Lovely Lane while Dessie is Head Porter at St Angelus under the firm but fair hand of Matron. Along the way we meet many a character from nurses to doctors to clerks to cleaners to housewives - all in some way, attached to the hospital. But the focus on this story is baby Louis.

Little baby Louis was found abandoned in his pram in a garage a year before. He was severely underweight and malnourished that it was touch and go as to whether he would make it. The nurse who initially cared for him named him Louis, by which he became known to everyone. Instead of being sent straight to Strawberry Fields - a care home for children - it was agreed that baby Louis could go straight into the care of Emily and Dessie, who feel in love with him and set the wheels in motion for his adoption. The adoption, however, could not be complete for another 12 months until all avenues and attempts to find Louis' birth mother were exhausted.

Now a year has almost passed and baby Louis, who has grown into a thriving and happy little boy, would soon be their's. But someone is lurking in the background and is watching from a distance. Who is this person and what do they want? And then a complaint is made to child services about the raising of baby Louis - outlining that he is being passed from pillar to post as a handful of women take care of him throughout the day while Emily works. But baby Louis thrives in each person's company with always a smile for everyone...and everyone adores him. But is that enough?

There are also a number of background stories emerging to keep the reader engaged throughout. Nurse Victoria is now married to Roland Davenport, heavily pregnant and living miles away from the Lovely Lane home she had come to know and love. She makes a last minute trip to Liverpool for a sewing afternoon with her friends when the Braxton Hicks she thought was preparing her was actually the onset of labour sends her straight to the hospital to give birth. Teddy, Roland's brother, is a doctor at St Angelus and is on hand when Victoria comes in well into the final stages of labour. With her is Nurse Dana Brogan, whose heart Teddy broke causing her to flee home to Ireland before returning and continuing her nursing career at At Angelus.

Then there is Dr and Mrs Gaskell, Bertie and Ida Botherthwaite and their delightful granddaughter Gracie, Biddy, Elsie, Matron and many more that make up this delightful tale set in 1950s Liverpool.

SNOW ANGELS is filled with the warmth and charm of a feel-good historical novel, with the added Christmas glow as we approach the festive season ourselves. An excellent portrayal of working-class life in the post-war era of the 1950s, particularly for women who were just beginning to flourish.  The war may be over but rationing had left its mark and the scars ran deep. Some goods were still scarce and everyone seems to have their own story of loss and yet against all odds they stood in the face of their own grief and loss and made the best of it.

The setting was incredibly authentic for the era and each character unique. I enjoyed reading their gossipy banter, some of which made me chuckle as we saw their various quirks. Some held secrets, some couldn't keep secrets but everyone had their own secrets. And despite their idiosyncrasies, beneath the surface and in the face of adversity, each of them ultimately showed they had a warm heart.

While this was my introduction the staff at St Angelus and Lovely Lane, the series should be read from the beginning to enjoy the characters and their foibles to their fullest extent.

A delightfully sweet story that I ended up thoroughly enjoying, SNOW ANGELS is both charming and gratifying and will delight both fans of historical fiction and the Lovely Lane series.

I would like to thank #NadineDorries, #NetGalley and #HeadOfZeus for an ARC of #SnowAngels in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Mother and Child by Annie Murray (ARC)

Mother and Child by Annie Murray

Genre: Women's Fiction

Read: 21st October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 17th October 2019)

★ 1 star

I chose MOTHER AND CHILD for it's cover and the wonderful historical author Annie Murray. So I was surprised to find upon reading it, that this book is not the usual historical type of fiction Annie Murray normally writes. In fact, it's not really in the historical vein I even read...and therefore I couldn't really get into the story, as sad and as tragic as it was.

I also found the cover to be somewhat misleading as it portrays an historical war to post-war era...which is what I thought I was going to read. Instead it is something completely different.

We begin the story in 2014 with Jo and Ian, whose marriage is barely surviving after the sudden and tragic death of their only adopted son Paul by a joyrider two years before. The driver barely shows any remorse with crocodile tears and the couple now find it hard to move with their lives. They move closer to Ian's mother Dorrie, who is aging and somewhat frail, and Jo begins to spend a lot of time with her mother-in-law whilst Ian appears to have become a workaholic.

Forever haunted by the death of her son, Jo is shocked to see a picture of a boy in a magazine who closely resembles her son and reads about the tragic Bhopal disaster in India, which severely impacted his life.

On its own, the story is of tragedy, loss and grief. But then along with the tale is the true story of the Bhopal disaster, a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. This was considered to be the world's worst industrial disaster with at least 30 tons of a highly toxic gas called methyl isocyanate, as well as a number of other poisonous gases being released. The pesticide plant was surrounded by shanty towns, leading to more than 600,000 people being exposed to the deadly gas cloud that night. The gases stayed low to the ground, causing victims throats and eyes to burn, inducing nausea, and many deaths. Estimates of the death toll vary from as few as 3,800 to as many as 16,000, but government figures now refer to an estimate of 15,000 killed over the years. Toxic material remains, and 30 years later, many of those who were exposed to the gas have given birth to physically and mentally disabled children.

For me, it bears a striking resemblance to Chernobyl, the worst radioactive disaster in the Ukraine also in the 1980s.

As sad and as tragic as this story is, it was not for me. I couldn't connect to anyone and didn't much like Jo. But it is highly commendable of Annie Murray to write using this tragedy and donate all proceeds from the sales of this book to the Bhopal Medical appeal, which provides free treatment for victims of the Bhopal gas leak in 1984 and the toxic water left by the Union Carbide Corporation.

While this book was not to my taste, there would be many who would enjoy it. I feel awful at not being one of them. There is obviously a lot of research gone into such a tragic disaster and the hard work that ensued in bringing it to life in MOTHER AND CHILD.  I, for one, knew nothing of this disaster, so thank you Ms Murray for making us aware of what happened on that tragic fateful night.

I would like to thank #AnnieMurray, #NetGalley and #PanMacmillian for an ARC of #MotherAndChild in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Seven Days by Alex Lake (ARC)

Seven Days by Alex Lake

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 21st October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 10th October 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

OMG - WOW! What. A. Ride. I literally could not put this book down and cursed every moment that I had to! I just have one thing to say before I go on...

...go out and buy this book NOW! Read it! You won't regret it!

Maggie has SEVEN DAYS before her son Max's 3rd birthday. Seven days  before he will be ripped from her arms, never to be seen again, just as her two other sons - Seb and Leo - before him were taken on their 3rd birthdays. Seven days to devise a plan to thwart the man's intentions. Seven days to save her son Max from an unknown fate.

Twelve years ago, the year is 2006, and 15 year old Maggie Cooper is a typical teenager. She has two loving parents, a young brother who annoys her, a circle of friends she confides in and a boyfriend she's thinking of breaking up with. She decides she will walk over to her cousin Anne's place on the other side of the village and talk things over with her. But before she does, her father confronts her with the extortionate phone bill to which she responds wouldn't be a problem if only they would allow her a mobile phone. "Not until you're 16!" her father tells her. But unlike typical teenagers, they agree to discuss things later and call out "I love yous" as she leaves. Her father offered to drive her to Anne's but after pondering Maggie decided to walk...that way she could sneak in a cigarette on the way.

When she doesn't return home for dinner that night, her parents aren't overly worried but think it strange that she didn't let them know a change in plans. They thought maybe it was her way of saying "it wouldn't happen if you got me a mobile!" But soon the hours turned into days and Maggie still hadn't returned. Friends had been called, her boyfriend, her cousin Anne who said she had never turned up, and the police were notified. No one thought this was a typical missing teenager case. Something had happened to Maggie. And yet she had disappeared without a trace.

And yet the reader is privy to Maggie's quandary throughout...even if her loved ones weren't.

On her way to Anne's, Maggie was abducted whilst performing an act of kindness to a stranger. She was sedated and awoke to find herself in a small basement with nothing but a mattress, two buckets, a bowl and a barrel. There are no windows so she cannot see the sun, the rain, the birds or the trees. She can hear nothing from outside. All she knows now is this basement...and the man who comes to her with breakfast and dinner...and sometimes later in the night, dressed in nothing but a blue robe. She soon learns what seeing him in that blue robe means.

As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months then years, Maggie soon realises that this is her new reality. She will never see her family again - her mother, her father, her brother - or her friends. The man now keeps her prisoner - "for her protection" he says. Protection from what? She does not know; nor does she have any idea who he is, why he has taken her or where she even is.

Maggie was 15 when she was abducted and by the time she is 27 she has given birth to three sons - first Seb, then Leo and now Max. The man has kept her prisoner in this basement for twelve years. She has not seen the sun or felt the fresh air on her skin in all this time. Her sons have never known life beyond this little room...until their third birthdays, when they are taken from her, wretched from her arms and never seen again. But not Max. Maggie has vowed she will do anything she can to protect her son from whatever fate awaits him beyond that basement door. The man is not taking Max from her. She will die before he does.

In the wake of Maggie's disappearance, her family have become distraught by her sudden absence. Her parents, Martin and Sandra, are trying their best to keep what is left of their family together but James, their then 14 year old son, feels his sister's loss deeply. He grows up with severe trust issues and the only serious relationship he had ended after his obsessive behaviour, and constant need to know where his girlfriend was and who she was speaking to, tore them apart. But James was scared of losing another loved one just as Maggie had disappeared. He couldn't go through that again.

DI Wynne is the detective in charge of Maggie's disappearance. She has her suspicions but she is unable to act on them as the man she suspects knows more about her disappearance has had allegations made against him in the past that were never proven. Therefore, she cannot disclose this information in the course of her enquiries as that would be slanderous and she could lose her job. But determined to get to the bottom of Maggie's disappearance, she continues her investigation...keeping a close eye on her suspect as she goes.

Colin Best is cunning. He knows DI Wynne is watching him. He knows she suspects him. But she has no proof. And he enjoys toying with her every time he sees her.

As the world continues above her basement prison, Maggie has no idea if her parents are still alive or if her brother is married with kids. But she knows one thing for sure...that she has just seven days to save herself and her son. Before the man comes to take him from her too.

"The man", Maggie's captor, is a sinister and terrifying character. Straight from an episode of Criminal Minds, his delusions are the most frightening. He is so convinced that he truly believes that he had no choice - that imprisoning her and raping her for twelve years is saving her. And then his audacity in so many of his actions were incredibly infuriating that it made my blood boil! As was his toying arrogance that he would never be caught. He was malevolent and a fine example that evil can truly exist in masked form anywhere.

Told from multiple perspectives, the story unfolds in a very clever timeline beginning from 7th July 2006 - the day Maggie vanished - to the days following her disappearance. We are then taken to the days surrounding the anniversary every four years until we reach the present day, of which we are witness the the final seven days. Throughout the different stages of their lives following Maggie's disappearance, we see how it has affected her family and continues to do so. We also see Maggie at these different stages of her life in captivity, as she bears each son to having him ripped from her.

Although it is written in multiple POVs and timelines, it is very cleverly done and is not as confusing as it might sound. You are never confused with whose narrative it is or when it is taking place. It just flows seamlessly as each piece is cleverly woven together to create what essentially is the bigger picture. We know who has Maggie from early on and while that is never a secret, it cleverly gives you palpable tension with the suspense building as you wonder if it will indeed end well for those affected. It is like a Hitchcock film - that same tension, that same suspense, that same edge-of-your-seat thrill ride...even though you know who is behind it all, you are still scared witless for all those entangled within.

SEVEN DAYS is a psychological thriller of magnificent proportions. We are embroiled within everyone's lives as we see how they cope with their loss, the tragedy, their grief. Throughout every page we are entwined within a plot that twists and turns at every opportunity to leave us feeling breathless.

Will Maggie be able to save Max? Will she save herself? Will she ever see her family again? Will DI Wynne close the case? Are Seb and Leo OK and living happy lives? Will there be a happy end for all?

One of my favourite parts - along with just about everything else - is the short snappy chapters which keep the story moving along at a rapid pace and has you turning pages long into the night, devouring every word.

Highly addictive and heart-stopping, SEVEN DAYS is a dark, disturbing, twisted tale of masterful suspense. It is easily one of my favourite books - one of the best I have EVER read - and I guarantee you won't want to let this one pass by.

I've read Alex Lake's first book "After Anna" but it pales in comparison to this and it would take something momentous to outdo and outshine SEVEN DAYS. I doubt he could top this one it is THAT BRILLIANT!!

If I could give it more than FIVE STARS I would. It deserves a TEN STAR rating!!

I would like to thank #AlexLake, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #SevenDays in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch (ARC)

This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 20th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 10th October 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE is the compelling new debut from A.S. Hatch that had me hooked from the first page. It was different from what I expected, although I really didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't the dark and twisty ride that it certainly turned out to be. The reader is left questioning just what exactly is going on which keeps you guessing right up to the end. Nothing is as it seems and leaves only more questions. Even Lucy's identity wasn't forthcoming to me until just before the end...

The story begins in a unique way narrated solely by Dan in the form of letters to someone named Lucy, taking readers on a journey throughout all that lead up to where he is today. He shares the harrowing days of trying for a baby with Victoria and all her superstitions she has attached to falling pregnant. She becomes completely obsessed with it all. Her wardrobe soon only exhibits orange clothing; changing her diet to promote fertility; joining a gym; taking up yoga; but the one that hurt Dan the most was when Victoria stopped visiting his mother with him. That particular superstition was one that saw you cut off any friends of loved ones that were ill or on the brink of death. Victoria loved his mother and she loved her...but Victoria's desire to fall pregnant was far greater than her love for Ivy.

Then one day, the news they have been waiting for - Victoria is pregnant! They are both elated and overnight, it appears the old Victoria is back again, as they begin to plan the nursery and for when the baby comes. Dan is a carpenter, like his father before him, and he decides to surprise Victoria with all the necessary baby furniture - made by hand by him. He spends days and nights secretly working on them - a change table, a cot, a rocking chair for Victoria to sit in whilst nursing their baby. When he had finished, he planned to surprise Victoria when she returned home from the gym. But instead, they argue...and he never got to share the surprise with her. Later that night he finds Victoria in the rocking chair in the nursery...but nothing prepared him for what he would find.

In the midst of the turmoil he found himself in with Victoria's obsession of having a baby, Dan ultimately found himself somewhat superfluous...and incredibly lonely. It is during this time, whilst cleaning out his inbox that he discovers an email inviting him to join a virtual pen pal program called Inbox Inmate, where people exchange letters via email with prisoners. At the height of his loneliness...or maybe it was more like rock bottom...Dan fires off an email one New Years Eve. He never thought anything more about it. Until a few days later he finds a reply in his inbox from a prisoner named Ruby.

It isn't long before Dan and Ruby are exchanging secrets in their letters; deepest their fears and their darkest desires. Dan finds himself looking forward to Ruby's bright and cheery letters as opposed to the indifference he receives from Victoria.

Then when Dan's mother Ivy dies, Victoria doesn't even attend the funeral, and soon Dan learns that his mother had a cottage in the country that he knew nothing about. He drives out to this isolated cottage called Lanes End and upon finding it dilapidated decides to renovate it himself to something resembling inhabitable for he and Victoria to move into. The cottage finally ready, packed and ready to go, on the day they are to move in Victoria drops a bombshell - she is not going with him. But moving in with her personal trainer Scott.

Dan is devastated. Making the move himself, he soon becomes something of a hermit at Lanes End, cutting himself off from everyone and speaking to no one. This was meant to be a new start for him and Victoria...and instead he finds himself alone.

Added to that, Ruby dropped her own bombshell prior to the move - she was in love with him. Not knowing how to respond to that, he decided to do nothing at all. Having been rebuffed by his silence, Ruby becomes irate in her emails to Dan demanding an explanation...but he says nothing, ignoring her.

Until one day, Ruby comes looking for Dan...and never leaves. Soon, Dan finds himself questioning her motives. Who is she really? What does she want with him? Why is she here? And can she be trusted?

Woven throughout the story of Daniel's past is the one from his present - in jail. We see another tale unfolding throughout his letters to this Lucy and we are left wondering just who can be trusted? And who is Lucy? Can she be trusted?

There is so much unfolding throughout the pages of THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE, and the unique style in which it is written is a wonderfully clever concept. The entire story is told through a series of letters to the aforementioned Lucy, although at times it doesn't seem so...but rather more like it is happening as we read.

There is such an isolation to this story that is almost claustrophobic and the descriptions are chilling in parts, particularly of those surrounding Lanes End.

My only complaint is with the ending...I felt all that tension building was a bit of an anti-climax that simply didn't do the rest of the story justice. It felt a little rushed and a bit of a let down when compared to the love, pain, grief and obsession throughout. I thought it would have been a little more elaborate and satisfying.

A twisty tale of love, obsession, grief and betrayal, THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE is compelling debut that is both addictive and suspenseful.

I would like to thank #ASHatch, #NetGalley and #SerpentsTail for an ARC of #ThisLittleDarkPlace in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: To Keep Her Safe by Kate Bradley (ARC)

To Keep You Safe by Kate Bradley

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 18th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 10th October 2019)

★★★ 3 stars

A tense, dark and shocking psychological thriller, TO KEEP YOU SAFE by Kate Bradley was nothing like I expected at all. It is a chilling read that is disturbing and twisted but compelling just the same.

Being a teacher is not an easy job, particularly teenagers, and no one knows this better than Jenni Wales. Ex-military, she is now teaches mathematics at a financially stretched school under the watchful eye of George Danvers, the kind and compassionate headmaster, struggling to do his best for the children. But trying to engage students who are more interested in their phones and social media is proving to be anything but easy.

Jenni suffers from alexithymia, which involves a lack of emotional awareness and the ability to identify and distinguish feelings. She struggles to read people, is socially awkward and has a tendency to take things a little too literally. Relationships of any kind are difficult for her and she doesn't understand the concept of small talk. Even her students tease her. She left the military, refusing psychological therapy after the the death of soldier under her command. Suffering continual flashbacks, Jenni is left with PTSD and an overwhelming sense of guilt and failure that she was not able to save him.

But the military gave Jenni that structure she could relate to, so when she left the army she felt like a boat without a mooring, drifting out to sea. That was when she found herself competing in regular Ironman events, enjoying both the challenge and the discipline it provided. Becoming a teacher gave her the structure and stability she missed but what she ended up with was far more than she ever bargained for.

Destiny Mills is a 15 year old student who is both clever and intelligent with the potential for a bright academic future. However, Destiny comes from a troubled background, taken from her prostitute/drug addict mother and placed into foster care at a young age, she is a challenging child now living in a care home with a history of running away.

When Destiny turns up to school with a black eye, Jenni begins to worry that something is seriously wrong, but also knows she must tread carefully. Despite being in the care of social services, Jenni fears that Destiny is in danger and that she has nobody she can turn to or protect her. But Jenni has no proof that she is in danger so what can she do?

Then Jenni witnesses an attempt to abduct Destiny from school and she knows beyond all doubt that she must do something, even if social services won't. Aware that it goes against every rule in the school's protocol, Jenni knows that she must step in and rescue the girl from certain danger at the hands of these men. But is she prepared for what she is about to step into?

Something incredibly sinister is going on and when Jenni uncovers the shocking truth, she must then draw on all her military training to save both Destiny and herself.

Told primarily through both Jenni's and Destiny's eyes, with also the voices of headmaster George and the Polish Aleksander, TO KEEP HER SAFE is a twisty and disturbing read where nothing is as it seems. The reader is left to wonder just how reliable Jenni and Destiny are. Can we trust their word at all? Are either of them who they appear to be?

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, except maybe Gary. I kind of felt sorry for him. But Jenni felt too closed-off, Destiny a troubled and obnoxious teen, Aleksander was just a power hungry arrogant bastard and poor George just couldn't seem to do anything right. I am not a fan of strong female leads so that could be another reason I couldn't connect to Jenni but the fact that she had trouble with feelings also made her seem emotionless.

TO KEEP HER SAFE is not a comfortable read as we watch lives unravel through trauma, abuse, dysfunctional families, loss, grief, guilt, PTSD and exploitation. It is very dark and disturbing throughout while at the same time making you aware of some horrifying issues. Then just where you think it is all heading, along comes another major twist turning everything about once again.

I was immediately gripped with this book and the unique concept of every occurrence taking place at each particular time. However, it did make it seem drawn out in parts as I wondered where the banter was going and if it was actually pertinent to the story. Well, as it turns out it is but at the time it seemed a little superfluous.

A hard-hitting disturbing thriller, TO KEEP HER SAFE is perfect for those who love their crime reads gritty, dark and twisted.

I would like to thank #KateBradley, #NetGalley and #BonnierZaffre for an ARC of #ToKeepYouSafe in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll (ARC)

I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 16th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 10th October 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

I love Teresa Driscoll and simply devour her thrillers before they've barely seen the light of day! So when I saw a new one hitting the shelves this month, I headed straight to NetGalley to request it. And while I did take a few days to read it, that is not reflected in the book at all, but rather how busy I've been the past few days that I simply wasn't able to devour it as quickly as others...but instead I had the time to savour it.

I WILL MAKE YOU PAY - the threatening words are enough to instill fear in anyone, conjuring up images of a vengeful hate puzzling to the logical mind. For journalist Alice Henderson, they began slowly and unremarkable that she dismissed them as nuisance calls. She didn't even notice that they only ever occurred on a Wednesday each week...until one Wednesday the tone changed.

"I am going to use a cheese wire on you."

It is then Alice begins to feel fearful. Someone has been toying with her, making idle threats that are now becoming more troublesome with each passing week. As she processes everything that has occurred each Wednesday it becomes frightfully clear that she is in danger. There have been phone calls, hang ups and the odd "gift" and, as every Wednesday comes around, something even more intimidating and frightening occurs.

Someone is stalking her and wants her to suffer. But why? What has she done? Is it something she has written? Is it something - or someone - from her past? Whoever this stalker is, he knows a lot about Alice and her personal life. There are even vague threats regarding her mother. But how did he even know her mother's favourite flowers are pink peonies? Or what care home she is in?

Clueless as to who this person may be, Alice is determined to continue going about her life as per normal. But her boyfriend Tom is so concerned for her safety that he hires ex-copper Matthew Hill, now a private investigator, to help keep her safe and find out who is behind the growing threats. Engaged to follow Alice on Wednesdays, Matthew works closely with former colleague DI Melanie Sanders whose hands are tied and is limited to what she can do unless the stalker follows through on his threats.

The good news for Alice...most stalkers are NOT killers.
The bad news...many killers are stalkers first...

But as the investigation goes deeper, Matthew discovers that Alice has been keeping her own secrets and is not who she says she is. Alice isn't really Alice. So who is she really? And who is she hiding from? Is her stalker something to do with her past?

And what is the significance of Wednesdays?

However, Matthew isn't the only one following Alice. Her co-worker from the paper, Jack, is also tailing her. He says he is concerned for her...but is that just a cover for something more sinister?

The stalker himself has a very dark, very sad past which is slowly revealed layer by layer throughout his alternate narrative told in the past and up to the present. It is easy to feel sympathy for him growing up with what he silently endured for many years and to see the love he had for his gran, and the closeness they shared. These chapters humanised him...despite the terror he inflicted on Alice in the present day.

Woven into the story is that of Alice's mother, who is battling a cruel disease that will soon take her mother from her. Throughout Alice's narrative we see her love for her mother and the heartbreak at the knowledge that she does not have much time left. These pages are enough to make you tear up.

The narratives alternate between Alice and Matthew in the present and the stalker in the past, showing snippets of all three as each chapter unfolds revealing more of the story, layer by layer. The tension builds throughout with a pace that has the reader devouring each page with speed. With plenty of red herrings and twists thrown in along the way, I narrowed my suspect pool down to two - but which two, you say? That would be telling. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover my suspicions were correct which, as I've said many times before, never deters my enjoyment of a good mystery thriller.

I WILL MAKE YOU PAY is a brilliantly written thriller with just the right amount of suspense and heartfelt emotion. The opening line "I am going to use a cheese wire on you" is enough to have you hooked right away and you will not want to put it down until the end.

I was thrilled to see the return of Matthew Hill and DI Melanie Sanders, both of whom have appeared in previous books "I Am Watching You" and "The Promise", although none are a part of a series. Each book are standalones and in no way follow on from the ones before. In fact, "I Am Watching You" was the first to feature Hill and Sanders but interestingly "The Promise" actually takes place prior to the first book. So don't worry if you haven't read the others...although I highly recommend it simply because they are just brilliant!

As a journalist for more than 25 years, Teresa Driscoll was also a BBC TV news presenter before turning her talents to writing fiction. This story was inspired by her own story when as young journalist starting out, she took a threatening call, three times, the same day each week. Fortunately for her, her calls ended with an apology on the third week, but her experience helped her to picture a scenario where that wouldn’t be the case, as the fear stayed with her much longer. This story helped her to examine that fear with a fictional story.

A delightfully creepy mystery, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY is a compelling, twisty and intriguing tale you will not be able to put down.

I would like to thank #TeresaDriscoll, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #IWillMakeYouPay in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Good Girls by Amanda Brookfield (ARC)

Good Girls by Amanda Brookfield

Genre: Women's fiction, chick lit

Read: 12th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 8th October 2019)

★ 1 star 

When I started GOOD GIRLS by Amanda Brooksfield, I had no idea why I requested it. It is not my usual genre, and the synopsis wasn't even particularly grabbing either. So I was puzzled what had attracted it to me in the first place. Even so, I began in the hope that I would discover its attractions. But it was not so.

I don't know if it was my frame of mind, but I found the characters irritating - particularly Kat - and I just didn't want to know anything about her. I felt she was a bit of an entitled bitch and treated her sister like crap. I felt for Eleanor (who was a little like me), the unnoticed unappreciated sister. It seemed that Kat just took advantage of her older sister's good nature.

GOOD GIRLS is the story of sisters Eleanor and Kat, who were once close but became estranged as they grew older - each of their lives moving in a different direction. Then fate cruelly brings them together once again - but is it too lat for the sisters?

The story begins with Eleanor rushing to her sister's side after receiving surgery for bowel cancer. Surgery was successful but Kat was an irritating patient and a complete pain in the butt. She didn't seem to appreciate Ellie's efforts at all being there for her. Their father resides nearby in a care home, suffering from dementia. Ellie doesn't get to visit him as much living in London, and the travel to Surrey is too costly to make the trip on a regular basis.

Kat has always been the popular sister, the one everyone loves. She even married a rich man, produced three perfect children, lives in a lovely perfect house and has the most amazing perfect life. Ellie, on the other hand, is too tall, too awkward, too nice, to unnoticeable and despite being incredibly clever with a sports degree from Oxford, she lives in a small flat in London with an unexciting job, no money and no one interesting in her life. Both girls are products of their upbringing with their somewhat stern clergyman father and their mentally ill mother who committed suicide when they were young.

An obviously dysfunctional family from the start, this story focuses on the tension between the sisters. Told through varying perspectives, primarily Eleanor and Nick (a childhood friend of the girls), the story drifts back in time to when the sisters young to when Ellie left for university. I always enjoy dual timeline narratives but with this book I just found myself becoming more irritated with Kat as the story progressed.

The promise of something I'm not entirely sure of gives way to a somewhat slow and drawn out story with people living miserable lives and basically being incredibly horrible to each other. I really struggled with this book and didn't enjoy the journey at all and spent most of the time waiting for something interesting to happen...which invariably didn't.

I feel really terrible about giving a bad review but in all honesty I couldn't seem to connect to the characters or the find the story remotely interesting. I'm not sure what genre the book is meant to fall into, but I would categorise it as a family drama.

While I didn't enjoy GOOD GIRLS that isn't to say others will. I urge you to make up your own mind, as I can't categorically state whether this is a bad book, a bad story or just not appealing...because everyone is different. Everyone's tastes are different and what appeals to me may not be the same for you.

I would like to thank #AmandaBrookfield, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #GoodGirls in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Revenge by Gaynor Torrance (ARC)

Revenge (DI Jemima Huxley #1) by Gaynor Torrance

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural, thriller

Read: 12th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon
(publication: 7th October 2019)

★★★★ 3.5 to 4 stars

Whoa! What did I just read?

As the first in a new series by Gaynor Torrance featuring the somewhat troubled DI Jemima Huxley, it goes without saying that REVENGE is a very dark and incredibly twisted crime novel. It is nothing like you would expect. What starts out as a slow moving narrative into Jemima's obsession with conceiving soon becomes an all too real reminder to be careful what you wish for.

But before I go any further, I must begin with a trigger warning. This book is packed full of triggers - rape, domestic abuse, infertility, self harm, incest - not to mention the usual run-of-the-mill gruesome factors of a murder investigation, which are also incredibly detailed and graphic in nature. If any of these issues are a trigger for you or make your stomach turn, then I would consider this as a warning before choosing to read REVENGE.

The Prologue is somewhat graphic, leaving little to the imagination, and yet it is puzzling to the reader as to what it might mean. So we shelve it in our minds to return to when things start to become clearer. If nothing else, this killer is both relentless and sadistic.

We then open with two chapters of narrative surrounding DI Jemima Huxley and her innermost thoughts and the demons with which she struggles in her attempts to conceive. It is almost slow going, bordering on irritating when she passes silent judgement on her DS' inability to form some sort of routine with their now three month old baby - as if she's suddenly the expert on parenting.

DS Dan Broadbent hasn't had a complete nights sleep since the arrival of their little screaming bundle of joy, and habitually turns up to work dishevelled, tired and often wearing the same clothes for three days previous. Jemima silently envies him of having what she so desperately wants - a baby - and thinks him ungrateful to moan about the sleepless nights and nappy changes when he should thank his lucky stars he has been blessed where she has not been.

Thankfully, the tirade of judgement does let up when the investigation begins, but then we find Jemima comparing herself to others whenever she comes across a pregnant woman. It is a little irritating at times, but for anyone who has known the emptiness of being unable to conceive, the struggle is indeed real.

Despite what I have already outlined, it isn't long before what started out as the discovery of one body has turned into several bodies being unearthed in shallow graves on the grounds of Llys Faen Hall, the ancestral home of the Tremaine family, located on the outskirts of Cardiff. David and Helen Tremaine were on their morning constitutional of the grounds when their staffy Corbett sniffed out a hand poking from beneath the dirt in the woodlands, promptly calling the police on their return to the house.

What ensues is an investigation that isn't all it seems. The Tremaines are a strange couple, and their staff are also somewhat questionable, and it's clear from the outset that they're not being completely honest with the police. But what is it that they are hiding? Do they know who the bodies are? Maybe they know who the killer is and are protecting them? Or is it something more sinister? Whatever it is, something strange is afoot in that household and Jemima is determined to get to the bottom of it.

The murders are revealed to be ritualistic in nature and incredibly sadistic. And it isn't long before Jemima connects the victims to a women's refuge that Helen Tremaine had set up some years before. Helen identifies some photographs of missing women as those to have been at the refuge as dental records systematically confirm their identities. So what has the refuge got to do with these murders? These women lived in fear of their partners finding them, so they would only go with those they trusted. Did that mean Helen was somehow involved or knew more than she was letting on?

While the bodies are being retrieved, Jemima and DS Broadbent start to look into the backgrounds of the Tremaines and their staff. They claim to have no family, except Helen's brother, with whom they have had no contact for fifteen years after he shamed the family after being convicted of the brutal rape of several women. Was he, Bernard Shackleton, somehow responsible for these murders which involved a brutal and sadistic form of simulated rape?

In the midst of what she sees as the biggest case of her career, Jemima is left with feelings of inadequacy in both her professional and personal lives. She is a DI and a woman in a man's world, who has to work twice as hard to gain the recognition and respect of her peers, but she is also a wife and woman who yearns to be a mother. Her desire borders on obsession at times as it is all she can think of. And yet, when disappointment looms once again...how does she deal with it? She doesn't talk it over with husband Nick and work it out together or even see a specialist. No, she locks herself in the bathroom, takes out the razor blade she has hidden in a tampon box and cuts herself. Just one small shallow cut, but enough to feel the pain. She even leaves in the middle of an interview to cut herself in an effort to maintain control of her investigation.

Then at the end she has some sort of epiphany and begins to question the stability of her marriage. She doesn't talk to her husband, and yet she yells at him when she comes home to find he hasn't cooked for her or cleaned the kitchen. In (not only) my opinion, it takes two to make a marriage but it also takes two to break a marriage. Laying it at her husband's feet that he hasn't noticed her pain (when she doesn't talk about it, 'cause let's face it, men don't really notice things unless they are naked and in front of them) or saying he doesn't understand her, just doesn't cut it with me.

I didn't really like Jemima very much - she is incredibly self-obsessed in my view - but I would be interested to see more of her and DS Broadbent in the future. I'd like to see how things progress for her both personally and professionally, particularly with the addition to their team at the very end, opening the floor for further investigations in the series.

REVENGE is a hard book to categorise as it is a police procedural but it is also very dark, very gruesome and very twisted. It reads more like something from the gritty streets of Glasgow than the sleepy Welsh locale in which it's set.

Filled with more secrets, more lies and more twists than you could imagine, REVENGE is not for the faint-hearted. And despite it's slow start, this well-plotted tale is a riveting and compelling crime novel of disturbing proportions.

I would like to thank #GaynorTorrance, #NetGalley and #SapereBooks for an ARC of #Revenge in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Lock Me In by Kate Simants (ARC)

Lock Me In by Kate Simants

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 11th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 3rd October 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

LOCK ME IN is a compelling and tense psychological thriller debut from Kate Simants. I really didn't know what to expect but that haunting cover drew me in straight away! And it is so good it is hard to believe it is a debut.

Chilling in its complicit manipulation, this thriller throws us twist after twist...just as soon as we think we have it all figured out...that just keeps adding to the puzzling plot. But one thing is for sure - nothing is as it seems.

Ellie Power is a normal 19 year old girl by day, but by night her mother Christine has to lock her in her bedroom to keep them - and everyone else - safe. Ellie has Dissociate Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder or split personality - an illness that put her and everyone around at risk. You see, at night after Ellie and her mother have gone to sleep, Ellie becomes a different person. At night, her alter named Siggy, comes to life. And Siggy is angry. Siggy is violent. Siggy is unpredictable...but most of all, Siggy is dangerous.

One morning, Ellie wakes to find the lock on her bedroom door broken, she's covered in bruises, her hand is badly cut and her clothes are caked in mud. But even more so, Ellie has no memory of what happened during the night.

Later that day, she discovers her boyfriend Matt is missing and her cuts tally with the barbed wire fence near the narrow-boat he's been living on. Then she finds his car parked just behind their flat. At first she thought Matt had driven her home...but then she realises that all the adjustments - mirrors, seat etc. - match her build and not Matt, who is over six feet tall. It is then she realises...Siggy can drive. What has she done?

Both Ellie and her mother are horrified. This has happened before and it cost her best friend her life. They thought they could control Siggy, but it appears they cannot, as she seems to be getting worse. With Christine always in the firing line, coming out second best with black eyes and bruises as a result of Siggy's anger.

What then unfolds is a frightening journey into the mind of someone with Dissociate Identity Disorder, a missing person, a questionable psychotherapist, the discovery of child exploitative material, stolen drugs with severe side effects and so much more. LOCK ME IN is filled with secrets, lies, deception, manipulation and murder...but above all, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS!

With short snappy chapters, the alternating perspectives between Ellie's first person narrative and Detective Sergeant Ben Kwon Mae's third person POV is both compelling and clever. Through Ellie's eyes we get that personal insight into the inner turmoil she suffers mentally and emotionally as a result of her DID. And yet, in Mae's third person narrative we are privy to the unfolding investigation into what began as a missing person but ended up so much more.

I had my own suspicions throughout and while I was correct in my assumptions in part, nothing could prepare me for the unabated truth of the bigger picture. The plot developments towards the end were brilliant and fascinating all at once, bringing what was essentially an incredibly sad tale to a satisfying and happy end.

An absolute page turner I could not devour quick enough, LOCK ME IN is a psychological thriller of the highest calibre that is fast paced and will keep you guessing to the end.

I would like to thank #KateSimants, #NetGalley and #HarperImpulseAndKillerReads, #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #LockMeIn in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Lying Room by Nicci French (ARC)

The Lying Room by Nicci French

Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller

Read: 9th October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 3rd October 2019)

★★ 2.5 stars

The husband and wife duo making up Nicci French was one of the first psychological thriller authors I had read and have long been one of my favourites. It has been quite some time since I have read anything by the duo with the rapid influx of so many other authors now flooding the market, and in my opinion, better.

So when THE LYING ROOM came up for request I thought it was time I headed back to one of my old favourites. However, I was somewhat disappointed. Maybe the style no longer appeals to me and I prefer the punchier thrillers of newer authors or maybe this book was lacking where previous ones were better - I'm not sure. It's not a bad book, but I don't think it's their best either.

“O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!” 

There is no greater truth than those within these lines when it comes to Neve Connolly. She has been married to Fletcher for some twenty years, having met him at university, but has also been engaging in an affair with her boss. When during the usual morning derisive banter she receives a text to meet him at his Covent Garden flat, she does at the first opportunity after sending the children off to school and kissing hubby goodbye.

But when she gets there, he's dead...laying in a pool of blood with his head caved in. Beside his body is a hammer, the obvious murder weapon. Knowing there are traces of her all over the flat from their clandestine meetings, Neve goes into a blind panic and sets about scrubbing the flat clean of any trace. She strips the bed and throws the sheets in the washer whilst systematically washing dishes, scrubbing floors and wiping down every surface she come into contact with. She removes her clothes, makeup, shampoo, toothbrush, perfume - anything that would indicate she had been there. Tossing everything in bin bags and with a last look at the place, she leaves the flat and tosses the bags in the bins that are emptied daily in this affluent neighbourhood. And only then does she cycle home.

It's not until the middle of the night that she is laying in bed and realises suddenly - her bangle! She had taken it off and left it on the windowsill when washing the dishes. She dresses herself quietly so as not to wake Fletcher and soundlessly leaves on her bike, cycling her way back to the flat. But when she gets there, she cannot find her key. It's not in its usual hiding place and short of breaking the door down, she is left with no option but to return home.

The next day her key miraculously makes an appearance at the bottom of her bag and when she has shunted the boys off to school and Fletcher is seconded to his study to work, she surreptitiously makes her back to the flat and lets herself in quietly. Saul's body is still laying lifelessly, his eyes staring into nothingness. Neve rushes into the kitchen and reaches for her bangle...but it's not there! Maybe she dropped it? Maybe it's in another room? Or did bin it accidentally? But then she notices that something else is missing...the hammer. Someone else has been here. But who? Only the killer would remove the murder weapon...but did they take her bangle as well?

Neve knows she is now in a precariously dangerous situation. Someone knows about her and Saul. Someone is trying to set her up. Or...does someone actually want her dead and they killed Saul instead? It doesn't make any sense. Everyone loves Neve. She's the one everyone goes to, the one everyone gravitates towards, to confide in, to talk to. She's the sensible one. Everyone loves her. So who would want to frame her...or worse yet, kill her?

What ensues is a kind of cat and mouse game with Neve attempting to find out who would want to do this to her and what they hoped to gain from it. She goes around blindly looking for clues while all the while trying to maintain some form of normality at home. But someone knows her secret...and is keeping her secret. And nothing prepares Neve for the shock of discovering who it is. Or why they are keeping her secret.

Neve finds herself up against DCI Hitching's questions on more than one occasion. At first they are just seemingly friendly exchanges but soon turn into more ardent questions, creating a real tension which is palpable. I could almost feel the tension Neve felt whenever Hitching turned up at her house. He was there so often it appeared he must have suspected her as Neve panicked with his every visit.

But her primary concern was for her somewhat wayward daughter Mabel. Protecting her above all else was paramount...no matter what the outcome, Mabel must be protected. Although there are times I just wanted to slap Mabel. Her disrespect for her mother was evident, not just in the way she spoke to her but in addressing her as "Neve" rather than "mum"...just as she addressed her father as "Fletcher". That is just disrespectful to your parents to address them as such where I come from, and for that of authority. Mabel's past was alluded to quite often and the trouble she had brought both her parents but it wasn't really explored. I felt that that should have been explained in more detail as part of her backstory.

Told in the third person narrative, THE LYING ROOM is wholly from Neve's perspective. We see the story unfold through her eyes, see what she sees and feel what she feels. But the fact that it is in the third person I would sometimes confuse conversing characters when it would just say "she said" and I found myself re-reading the dialogue to work out which "she" was being referred to.

And honestly? How one person can survive on so little sleep is beyond me. Neve seems to remain awake all night only to return home and see to her family or the never-ending visitors to their house. All on little to no sleep...and after her own investigations. She would be too emotionally drained to remain upright.

However, my biggest gripe with the book were the endless chapters. I loathe long chapters and it strikes me as a little odd that authors continue to write such lengthy chapters when readers have stated how much they detest them. I nearly died when I found they were over an hour long! Admittedly, the last few chapters were shorter but most of them were 58 minutes and upwards! That is far too long in my opinion. There were plenty of opportunities to cut each chapter down into shorter, punchier chapters throughout the more lengthy ones and yet they weren't. Shorter chapters are snappier, punchier and easier to pick up and put down for those readers who are too busy for lengthier ones. This fact alone reduces reviewer rating.

THE LYING ROOM is a compelling read but it's not the writing duo's best. There were several points which disappointed me, some of which I can't divulge due to spoilers. But I certainly wasn't satisfied with the ending.

THE LYING ROOM is a slow burning psychological thriller with a strong domestic drama attached to it. It is well plotted and there are several twists to keep you guessing. I especially enjoyed DCI Hitching and his lulling you into a false sense of security. I always felt there was more to him that met the eye, and he was completely likable and fun. It's just a shame there isn't a series featuring him. I found him far more appealing than Neve.

I would like to thank #NicciFrench, #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchusterUK for an ARC of #TheLyingRoom in exchange for an honest review.