REVIEW: She Made Me Do It by Anna-Lou Weatherley

She Made Me Do It (Detective Dan Riley #9) by Anna-Lou Weatherley

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 9th January 2026

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 12th January 2026

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I trusted her. I shouldn’t have…

Samantha Valentine didn’t drift into my life, she collided with it. Soon it was like we had been friends forever. She told me everything about her perfect life, but I always felt there was something she was leaving out.

Then one night, I get a frantic call from Samantha, hysterical and begging me to protect her from her boyfriend. Rushing to her house, instinct takes over and soon my heart is hammering out of my chest as I stand over the body of a man I had never met before this evening.

But by the time the police arrive, Samantha has vanished. The officers tell me that there is no record of her anywhere. The woman I thought was my friend has tricked me into killing a perfect stranger.

As the police slip the handcuffs on my wrists, I know I’ve made a terrible mistake. By protecting a woman I never really knew, I’ve destroyed my life. Who is Samantha really, and why did she make me do this? She’s taken everything from me, but she has no idea how far I will go to get the truth…

A gripping and page-turning psychological thriller absolutely packed with twists. Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan, Frieda McFadden and Daniel Hurst.

MY THOUGHTS:

Another crazy wild ride by Anna-Lou Weatherly in this ninth outing with DCI Dan Riley. And what a ride it is! I do love this author; her style is addictive and engaging with likable main characters, even the questionable ones.

We meet Erin seven years prior having just fatally stabbed Ari Hussein whilst protecting her best friend from his abuse. But what if it was all smoke and mirrors? Soon Erin, who happily told the police everything thinking it would help her case, had sealed her own fate and found herself locked up for manslaughter. And her bestie? Nowhere to be found.

Fast forward to present day London and Tilly Ward has just been found at a similar scene. She has just fatally stabbed Milo Harrison whilst protecting her best friend from his subsequent abuse. The same best friend Erin had protected seven years ago. Samantha Valentine. Coincidence?

DCI Dan Riley surveys the scene and nothing escapes his notice. Not the body on the floor, the knife by his side, the shoes behind the door or the shaking diminutive woman in the next room who had inflicted the fatal wound. Dan is drawn to her story from the start. It's far too complex to be fabricated, surely. 

And then the Erin Santos file falls across his desk. And he begins an investigation down the proverbial rabbit hole, unable to let that nagging feeling at the back of his mind go. Something about this whole scenario just doesn't add up. And it's up to Dan Riley and his team to find out what.

As per usual, we are delved straight into the madness and mayhem from the very first page and throughout the entire tale, the reader is pondering what is real and what isn't. It's the kind of tale that messes with your head but Riley and the team were not to be thwarted like the Yorkshire police who dropped the ball far too early in Erin's case, dismissing her as delusional. The question is, is she really delusional? And even if she is, the police had a duty of care to investigate her claims fully instead of dismissing her as a nutjob. And yet, we are left wondering were they right all along? Or did they drop the ball?

Another cracking read by Anna-Lou that had me race through it in under 24 hours (two sittings), despite my somewhat dry spell with reading just now. I thoroughly enjoyed this twisted tale. And can't wait for Dan Riley's next outing.

I would like to thank #AnnaLouWeatherley, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SheMadeMeDoIt in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna-Lou Weatherly is well known for her engaging and compelling mystery suspense novels. Instantly grabbing the attention of the reader, she delivers her stories in a straightforward style that really works for her material. Often writing about darker subject matter, too, she doesn’t hold back when it comes to more serious topics, really delivering gripping narratives. Her work is set in a league of its own when it comes to rich and immersive thrillers that allow the reader to escape into them.

Constantly keeping her audience guessing throughout, she’s a writer gifted in the art of compelling narratives with plenty of twists and turns. Pushing the boundaries of what the romance genre can really do, she allows her stories to speak for themselves essentially when it comes to telling them. Her books come alive off of the page, enveloping the reader and holding them there for the complete duration of the novel. Establishing her own style and tone, too, each book of hers is unmistakeably hers, as she really does have her own voice and approach.

When it comes to characters, she really embeds herself in their mindset, providing readers with a clear view of their perspective. This style gives her readers a front-row seat when it comes to the action, really making it engaging on all levels. Winning awards for her work, too, she’s written for many outlets, from Smash Hits to the NME, to Marie Claire, making her one of the most prolific writers within her area. There are plenty more titles planned for the future, too, as her writing career continues building from strength to strength.

Born in Southampton in England, Anna-Lou was raised in London with a passion for reading and writing. Nurturing this interest of her over time, she would hone and refine her skills as an author, discovering her own unique voice in the process. Studying further, she would continue to apply herself to her craft, building a profile for herself within the literary world.

Going on to work as the editor for several different publications, she would get to sharpen her writing skills for a mass audience. Drawing in inspiration from her surrounds, she would proceed to put much of it back into her writing and work. Currently still living in London to this very day, she continues to write regularly, with lots more set for release on the horizon.

Prior to writing fiction full-time, Anna-Lou Weatherly worked as an editor for prestigious publications such as Smash and J-17. Creating a big name for herself as a novelist, she would slowly come to find her own voice before writing her first complete novel. This would be titled ‘Ibiza Summer’ back in 2006, and it would give her an insight into her many writing processes and what she had to offer.

Before long, she would begin writing suspense novels and mystery thrillers, establishing a profile as a writer known for tension. Beginning her ‘Detective Dan Riley’ series with the novel ‘Black Heart’ in 2018, she would soon be on her way to being a hugely successful author. Winning awards for her work, she’s been in the industry for over ten years and counting as her career grows upwards and onwards.

When she's not writing, which isn't often, she likes to hang upside down on a pole - she's a qualified pole fitness instructor, and drink fancy wine (though not necessarily at the same time, that would be dangerous). She adores creating exciting, three dimensional, glamorous and flawed characters against a backdrop of exotic locations. Revenge, sex, sin, glamour, excess, crime and intrigue is her speciality. Her next novel, title to come, promises all the above and more!

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: If He Finds Us by Daniel Hurst

If He Finds Us (Shocking Short Stories #1) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Short story, Quick reads

Read: 11th January 2026

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 6th December 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

He's looking for us. What if he finds us?

When I arrive at the house and see the man who lives there, I feel safe. I feel like he can protect me. He has two children. They seem safe too. So I hide with them. I hide from the man who wants to find me. But if he does, I've just put a whole family in danger. If I have, I might not be able to save them...

A standalone short story with a shock ending from Daniel Hurst, the bestselling author of UK #1 The Doctor's Wife, The Couple's Revenge and Til Death Do Us Part

MY THOUGHTS:

Not sure what I expected with this short story but I was pleasantly surprised. I'd talked myself into NOT liking it when I saw it was set in Texas as I read British authors because I prefer British settings. However, Hurst has surprised me with this quickfire offering of just 70 pages which barely had enough time for surnames to be exchanged. It had an estimated read time of 1 hour and 40 minutes. I think I was done in an hour. It was a very quick read. And to the point.

But that point goes off on a bit of a tangent that I, a seasoned thriller reader, didn't see coming which placed this little quick read up a notch.

Sherry is running from an ex who wouldn't let her go and Marcus, with his two children Elsie (8) and Theo (5), is also running from the past. Thrown together, they make the perfect family. All of them in hiding together.

After three months on the farm, it's like Sherry has always lived there and the couple, still unsure of the future, find themselves attracted to each other. Plus Sherry adores little Elsie and Theo and spending time with them.

But then a trip into town for supplies threatens to become deadly for them all. Will they escape alive?

A fun-filled quickfire read that was a little predictable in part...until Hurst throws us a last minute twist that changes everything sending chilling vibes with it.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: Spare Us!: A Harrody by Bruno Vincent

Spare Us!: A Harrody by Bruno Vincent

Genre: Humour

Read: 26th November 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 6th April 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

'All I had ever wanted was privacy. In order to get it, it seemed that an exceptionally detailed 500,000-word book was in order...'

He was born into an ancient powerful dynasty and, through no fault of his own, became one of the most recognisable men on the planet.

His life was a constant barrage of press intrusion and manipulation. Until finally, he demanded that it stop. In order to get the privacy he so craved, he has written a frostbite-and-all book that goes deep inside the castle walls and exposes every shouting match, fist-fight, betrayal, teddy bear, awkward hug and tear-stained wedding rehearsal for the world to feast their eyes on.

All for privacy!

This is his story.

MY THOUGHTS:

'All I had ever wanted was privacy. In order to get it, it seemed that an exceptionally detailed 500,000-word book was in order...'

I wanted a laugh and that's what you get here. This brief 112 page hilarious "harrody" (with its own sarcastic twist) poke at the royal spare whose exploits we are so often regaled with through the media and, quite ironically, via his own claim for privacy. I have never ever seen anyone so intent on privacy flouncing their apparent need for such privacy and shouting it from the rooftops of Buckingham Palace and later the mountains of California where he and the wife who must be obeyed migrated to after their harrowing brush with the British media and even bloodier Royal family.

Prince Harry and his concubine, aka Ginger and Whinger or Hank and Skank, are the most publicly known private couple ever to walk to face of this earth. His obvious harrowing upbringing is alluded to highlighting the fact that he is none other than an entitled privileged "spare" that lives only second to his (apparent) bullying older brother William. The author cleverly weaves his own version of Harry's perception of his entitled upbringing and subsequent life in the shadow of the death of their mother Princess Diana. Yes, he does wear his victimhood like a badge of honour and it gets somewhat wearing to those of us who also have troubled lives and difficulties we must navigate without the benefit of money and royal titles.

I read the letter "Spare Us, Prince Hassle" prior to this which serves to speak for much of the public who at one time thought Harry to be a loveable rogue and now only sees him as a whiny entitled millennial snowflake seeking to shift the blame for his own misdeeds onto others. A quick read that took about an hour. Which is more than I can devote to the immigrant formerly known as Prince Harry.

My favourite part of the book (besides the quirky anecdotes) is the cover. Yes, spare us please Harry!

(NOTE: this review is pretty much the same as the one for Spare us, Prince Hassle since I read them one after the other and they both tended to blend into the other.)

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Bruno Vincent was a former book editor and bookseller before he became a bestselling author. He made his fiction writing debut when he penned “Grisly Tales from Tumblewater,” the first of the “Grisly Tales from Tumblewater” series in 2010.

He would then follow that up with a single-standing novel titled “A Christmas Carol II” in 2011 before making it big with the “Enid Blyton series for Grown Ups,” which is a spin-off of some of the most popular Enid Blyton works. He has also penned gothic horror story volumes for children that were so popular that they would ultimately be adopted for the stage.

Vincent has also published several humor titles for adults collaborating with Jon Butler, most of which would become bestsellers. Many of Bruno Vincent’s novels have been translated into several languages over the years.

In an interview, Bruno Vincent said that his popular “Enid Blyton for Grown Ups” series is not a parody or rejection of Blyton. He believes his novels are a nostalgic, respectful, and unfashionably wholehearted rendition, even though the estate of the late author may have a different view.

According to Vincent, he writes his novels to provide some comic relief for readers that grew up reading Enid Blyton. He optimistically hopes his novels are a great alternative to the very disposable Christmas stocking filler novels that most bookstores love to stock in place of humor.

Nonetheless, the Blyton estate has been heavily involved in the publication and production of the series. In fact, it is Enid Blyton’s distinctive signature which is on the front cover of all the works in the series. Bruno’s name as author is usually embossed in small type on the back of the books.

The novels also come with some of the original Eileen Soper illustrations with some relevant captions.

Bruno Vincent’s “Five On Brexit Island” is a hilarious parody, especially following the Brexit decision. The storyline is all about the Five who avoid real life on the night the referendum is being conducted.

They head to Kirrin Island in George’s territory where they hope to have a brief holiday. Soon enough, there is a fierce war between George who is firmly in the remain faction, and Julian who is strongly in the leave column. George is horrified and decides that Kirrin Island must leave Britain and holds a referendum on the residents. Vincent writes what is a particularly light take on Brexit politics that is both well-informed and humorous. The characters have a striking resemblance to their Blyton counterparts which is only exacerbated by the fact that the author insisted on using the original illustrations.

While this work may not heal those reeling from the pain of Brexit, it is still a well-crafted and clever story with some light relief.

“Five Go Gluten Free” by Bruno Vincent is another interesting work in the series. Anne had always been a huge fan of health fads and decided that the Five need to cut out most of the food they love rather than adopt the much simpler gluten-free diet.

They will cut out beer, chips, and pies going forward for medical reasons and for health. This happens to be one of the funniest of the series especially since we have always associated the child characters in End Blyton’s works with a Peculiarly British love of midnight feasts and picnics.

The Famous Five spent most of their time eating and hence the challenge of whole foods and macrobiotics soon proves a huge problem. Still, there are many hilarious one-liners and laugh-out-loud moments. The five translate particularly well to the contemporary world and bring a spicy nostalgic feeling.

Bruno Vincent’s novel “Five Go Parenting” is the penultimate work in which the Five are handed Ruper Kirrin’s baby.

They are to take care of the kid since Rupert and his wife have been sent to prison following yet another one of their very illegal activities. They now have to live with the six-month infant but thankfully they have a very large London flat. It makes for an amusing look into the world of parenting, particularly for people who know nothing about child care. It also explores how much life can change when an infant is introduced into one’s life.

It is a well-executed and witty work and Vincent does a good job of echoing Blyton. It makes for an excellent tongue-in-cheek gift if you are a new parent or maybe a humorous piece of nostalgia for children that may be left to care for younger siblings.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: You Started It by Daniel Hurst

You Started It by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Short story, Quick read

Read: 16th November 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th June 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Revenge takes time....

Alison thought she lived a quiet, normal life with her husband, Damian. But that all changes when an unexpected visitor reveals a shocking truth about her partner. Things will never be the same after that as a deadly game of deceit begins, full of shocks and surprises, lies and betrayal, and ultimately proving that when it comes to revenge, it's best to take your time.

You started it. But who will finish it?

A fast-paced psychological thriller short story full of twists from the bestselling author of UK #1 The Doctor's Wife, The Couple's Revenge and The Passenger.

MY THOUGHTS:

Daniel Hurst has been one of my favourite thriller writers since I discovered him about four years ago (around the time he became a full time author). His thrillers a fast pacy reads with short snappy chapters that keep you swiping (or turning) the pages right to the very end. I have found in recent times that I've enjoyed his earlier offerings more than his latest ones though they are still quick and easy reads even if more OTT than is per usual for his unique style. Of course, I have my ultimate favourites of his which, to be honest, will be tough to beat no matter how good the next book might be. 

I have recently gone through major surgery and am recovering slowly though I do find it hard to concentrate on reading anything too complex. So I thought I would give Daniel's last short story a go which he published a few months back. I figured that it would be an easy enough tale to digest and I wouldn't have to concentrate too much on it. And given that it's a short story, it's a very quick read which I managed to devour in an hour before dinner.

Firstly, I have to say that Daniel hooks us in from the start with a play by play account of Alison's frantic search for her missing husband and subsequent not being taken seriously when first reporting him missing. She and Damian had been happily married for fifteen years sans children so it was just the two of them. But when he didn't arrive home from work by 6pm as is his usual routine one evening, Alison is naturally worried. By 9pm she is understandably frantic. But the police take her concerns with a grain of salt assuring her that he is "probably working late" or "out for drinks with some colleagues and lost track of time" or any number of reasons. However, after a week they finally take her concerns seriously and question her both for information and as a suspect. At any rate, they are no closer to finding him...or whatever's happened to him.

When she receives a knock on her door she runs to open it hoping it will be Damian with some hare-brained reason as to where he's been this past week or the police with some positive update to share. It's neither. It's a stranger. But while he is a stranger to her, he seems to know exactly who she is.

"Hello Alison..."

He greets her with a smile as she opens her front door to him. He goes on to explain who he is and why he's there. She is speechless. He makes her an offer she couldn't refuse. A chance to get answers and maybe even her own piece of revenge. But what she didn't bargain on was the escalation things took when she finds herself framed for murder...and no way of proving her innocence!

I was pleasantly surprised by the journey this short story took me on, despite its OTT nature (that's just Daniel Hurst's way) and thoroughly enjoyed it even after I found myself wanting to bang Alison's head on something hard to knock some sense into her. The woman was gullible not to mention stupid. And while I enjoyed this twisted tale for those most part it was the epilogue ending that let it down. It was off the scale OTT that past the point of any believability or suspension of belief. It was just plain ridiculous. I'm sure Hurst could have construed a better ending than that and it was this that let the entire tale down. I loved that it was different in concept and thoroughly enjoyed it up until that ridiculous epilogue.

However, that being said - it was still a fast pacy read that I enjoyed and I would still recommend it to others for a quick read, which can be easily done so in an hour.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: The Surgeon by John Nicholl

The Surgeon by John Nicholl

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 5th November 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 19th October 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Your life is in his hands… Exactly where he wants it 👀

When an eminent surgeon is arrested for murder, he knows he didn’t do it. He knows what it’s like to feel a person die on his operating table, but he didn’t inflict the wounds that ended the life of the girl they say he killed.

So, when the real perpetrator comes forward, and he is released, he feels vindicated.

What nobody knows – not the officer who arrested him, nor the influencer who petitioned for his freedom, nor the girl who escaped a killer years before – is that while he was incarcerated, he was making a plan.

Because revenge is sweet. But murder is sweeter…

A totally twisty, unhinged and gripping suspense thriller that fans of Daniel Hurst, TM Logan and Frieda McFadden won’t be able to put down.

MY THOUGHTS:

Your life is in his hands...which is exactly where he wants it...

Professor Alexander Aitken is one surgeon you would not like to be under, nor his scalpel. He is not like other surgeons who value their Hippocratic oath to first do no harm. When he was found by the body of murder victim Holly Larkin, her blood on his hands and his bite marks on her neck, it was naturally assumed that he was responsible for her untimely demise. And for the past five years, he has sat in prison for her murder - a death for which he was innocent in this case. But innocent was something Aitken most certainly was not. Oh, he was of Holly's murder but he was guilty of so much more than the police and the public at large were totally unaware of. And for the past five years and the months after his release once the real killer was discovered, he then spent planning his revenge. Because revenge is sweet...but murder is sweeter.

Ten years before, sixteen year old Megan Matthews was attacked on the dark streets of Tenby one evening barely escaping with her life and not before she'd been stabbed. She never saw her attacker and could never identify him but when she sees Professor Aitken on the West Wales news after his release and hears his voice, she stops. And then she sees those ice blue eyes. Her attacker wore a balaclava but she remembers those eyes and that caramel smooth voice. She takes her concerns to DI Laura Kesey who was always patient with her each time she thought she saw her attacker in the street. But this time, Megan is sure Aitken is the one. 

Aitken curses himself for letting sweet little Megan go all those years ago. And she now sits at the top of his revenge list to be the first of his "lab rats" for him to study and bend at will. She will do as he says and she will feel the blade of his scalpel once again. In fact, it will be the last thing she feels and his will be the last face she sees. He will make sure of that. next on his list is Laura Kesey - the pig who put him away for a crime he clearly didn't commit. He will make sure she pays for her misdemeanour...and he has the perfect way to make that happen. He can almost taste it it is so perfect.

DI Laura Kesey was supposed to be enjoying a holiday with her wife Janet and their son Ed in Lanzarote but she couldn't leave the case of Professor Aitken behind. There was just something about it that didn't sit right. He professes his innocence but she saw the material on his computer. The man is clearly deranged and disturbed. If he is innocent of this crime, he is most certainly guilty of something else. If not now, then he will be. Of that she is sure. But when she returns home and Aitken is freed for being unjustly imprisoned for a crime he hadn't committed, Laura is intent on uncovering exactly what he is guilty of...because he is, that is for sure. But her boss has made it abundantly clear that Professor Aitken of off limits. She is not to investigate him, question him or go anywhere near him in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately for her, that leave Aitken free to his own devices...a clear recipe for disaster for both her and anyone else who gets in his way.

John Nicholl is one of my favourite authors with his gritty writing that pulls no punches in his unique style. He has the ability to draw characters that we can both sympathise and hate in equal measure. Laura Kesey is a mainstay in his standalones and I was thrilled to see her former DS Raymond Lewis return despite his retirement after events that took place in the previous book. 

The chapters were a little longer I felt in this one though the book itself is a relatively quick read. Nicholl definitely knows how to paint a villain that readers love to hate. Aitken's scenes certainly do make for uncomfortable reading with disturbing scenes painted in vivid detail.

Not one of my favourite books but still a good read that packs a punch.

I would like to thank #JohnNicholl, #BoldwoodBooks and #Netgalley for an ARC of #TheSurgeon in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

John Nicholl, an ex-police officer, social worker and lecturer (and now a "serial chiller") as the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of numerous darkly psychological suspense thrillers. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

  

REVIEW: Secrets at the Irish Adoption House by Michelle Vernal

Secrets at the Irish Adoption House (The Irish Adoption House #2) by Michelle Vernal

Genre: Historical fiction, Dual timeline

Read: 7th October 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 3rd November 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Ireland, 1920. Tears fill my eyes as I hear the whispers of the other girls in the dark of the night. But I won’t let them see me cry. I won’t let my secrets out. The family I’m hiding from could find me, and take my baby away…

To the other girls at St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, Cecelia is just another fallen woman. But they don’t know her father is a penniless lord with an English title… And Cecelia is determined that they never will. She came here alone, in secret: if her family knew she was pregnant, the life of her baby could be on the line.

Despite herself, the kind act of stolen bread being pressed into her hands when she’s in most need sees her confiding in the other women. Then the worst happens: Cecelia’s family find her and take her precious newborn. Was she betrayed by another girl in the home?

She’s determined to find her child… but with all her family’s connections, she can’t do it by herself. She hears whispers of a network of women working to unite mothers and babies. But with the baby’s father dangerously caught up in the unrest brewing across Ireland, will Cecelia or her darling daughter ever see him again?

This tear-jerking and unforgettable historical novel, full of family secrets, betrayal and friendship in the darkest times, is perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Sandy Taylor.

MY THOUGHTS:

Ireland 1920: Young and idealistic Cecelia thought she was in love. Dark and mysterious Finian Fahy offered her a world she could only dream of - freedom for Ireland. Not to mention, freedom from the life her family have already mapped out for her. 

With her family's estate falling into ruins around them and nothing but a title to keep their heads held high in respectable society, the plan is to send Cecelia off to London with her lady's maid Lizzie and her mother in tow, to make her debut in society and to hopefully land a husband who will save the family from ruin. A suitor in her mother's sights, Cecelia carries with her another secret; one that will shame her and her family. She confides in Lizzie and together they hatch a plan to return to Ireland where Cecelia will find herself at the mercy of the nuns at St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home which they nickname the Irish Adoption House. 

She's no sooner moved in that she regrets it at once. The nuns are harsh and unfriendly; the mother superior just as bad. Only one nun, Sister Louise, who is a kind and gently soul wanting only to help the women who have fallen through no fault of their own than the life they had been born into. Cecelia keeps to herself and follows the strict rules so as to make her time there as uneventful as she can.

Cecelia's not here to make friends so when Nessa tries to befriend her, she shuns her thus coming across as aloof as if they were below her. Even after she has given birth to a baby girl she refuses to name or get close to, Cecelia stays at the home growing closer to her child she dare not love for fear of losing her. But Nessa, Maudie and Molly soon worm their way into her heart. She soon finds herself confiding in them her story. Maudie knew her from the village she came from though she had never let on. Then when Nessa goes into labour and disappears one night, never to return, Cecelia vows to take the other two under her wing. And in their friend's honour, she names her unnamed daughter Vanessa, Nessa for short.

Soon Maudie has gone, in search of her daughter who disappeared one night, and then Molly, leaving only Cecelia and baby Nessa...and the comings and goings of girls like her. Until one morning, Cecelia's mother sweeps into the home and takes Nessa, promising her a life a plenty - and that Cecelia will never see her child again. How did her mother know where to find her? Did someone betray her?

Determined to be reunited with her child, Cecelia makes a plan with an unlikely source as she cannot do it alone. With all the unrest in Ireland brewing and her family's connections, can Cecelia reclaim her daughter and make it to safety before it's too late?

This is a wonderful sequel to "The Irish Adoption House" which told of Maudie's tale but this one was so much better. When reading the first book, you just know there is a story to be told about Cecelia so I was thrilled to discover at the end of the first one, that Cecelia's story was to come. And what a tale it was! It is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once, filled with secrets, deception, betrayal and the bond of friendship spanning the decades from 1919 to 1985. And with it, brings a beautiful conclusion to the two stories which remain connected throughout time.

Ireland was awash with mother and baby homes run by nuns who showed no ounce of Christ's love and compassion they claim to live by. It is a sad part of the country's history that those in authority weren't ideally equipped to care for these girls and instead they punished them. Most people would judge them for their horrible and harsh treatment which was barbaric to say the least but they didn't know any better and were only equipped with what had been drummed into them. And most of them certainly had no lived experience that these girls had and honestly would have been better placed to take care of them, knowing all too well the fear, guilt and shame that they too experienced. But it was another time and Ireland was under pressure with unrest brewing in the fight for independence. 

Still, this was a wonderful tale I read in one sitting and enjoyed meeting up with Maudie once again.

I would like to thank #MichelleVernal, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SecretsAtTheIrishAdoptionHouse in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Storyteller. Cheese scone connoisseur. Occasional yogi.

Michelle Vernal never set out to become a writer—at least not until she joined a creative writing class while on maternity leave with her first son. Fast forward a few years (and more than a few cheese scones), and she’s now the author of over thirty feel-good, funny, and emotionally rich novels that have captured readers’ hearts around the world.

Her stories, often described as “laugh-out-loud,” “utterly heartwarming,” and “the kind of book you read with a smile,” include the bestselling Little Irish Village series, the much-loved Irish Guesthouse on the Green, and the time-slip favourite, The Dressmaker series.

Michelle lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her husband, two sons, and a pair of particularly spoiled tabby cats, Humphrey and Savannah. 

Her latest book, The Irish Adoption House is available for Kindle pre-order now and will be released in all other formats on August 7, 2025.

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REVIEW: One of the Family by Jess Ryder

One of the Family by Jess Ryder

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 12th October 2025

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Amazon

Published: 30th October 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

My daughter’s boyfriend feels like one of the family. I couldn’t be happier to have him living with us. But now my daughter’s disappeared…

I never wanted to have an empty nest. So when my daughter, Liv, asks if she and her new boyfriend, Jensen, can move in, I’m thrilled.

Jensen is so helpful. He tells me how he loves being part of a close-knit family. He’s felt so alone since his parents died. And for me, his presence goes a little way towards replacing the son I lost.

Still, I can’t help but notice that Liv and Jensen are starting to argue. My daughter seems unhappy. Perhaps they just need some time alone together?

But when my husband and I return from our weekend away, Liv is missing. The relationship with Jensen appears to be over but he doesn’t want to leave. And then I discover exactly what he will do to stay in our family…

An utterly gripping psychological thriller that will have you turning pages late into the night. If you love Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden you will be hooked on One of the Family.

MY THOUGHTS:

Rachel is beginning to feel the stirrings of an empty nester. Her eldest daughter Liv has been away at university in Newcastle for the past three years and her youngest Meg is on the cusp of going away to uni as well. Now she is facing a quiet life with just her and husband Dom. But things haven't quite been rosy there either. Maybe now they'll have the chance to reconnect again.

But first things first. The three of them are making the trip north from London to Newcastle for Liv's graduation. And it is there that they meet their daughter's boyfriend Jensen. Of course the graduation has thrown up a new conundrum - Liv and Jensen are moving back to London and need to find a place to rent. Rachel, who doesn't want either of her children to leave the nest just yet, comes up with the idea of offering them their loft conversion which had previously been Liv's room anyway. All they had to do was shift Dom's desk out of the spare room on that floor and that would give the young couple a sitting room of sorts to themselves. Problem solved! Or so she thought.

Rachel could see no problem with the solution she had offered. But Dom did as did Meg. They didn't know Jensen. Even Liv isn't sure it was the right thing to do, having already lived under the shadow of her mother's helicopter parenting. But it would give them a chance to save up for a deposit on their own place. Unfortunately, to do so meant one had to gain some employment in order to save for said deposit and that's something Jensen is showing no signs of doing. Liv has made some applications but apart from that, the couple seem to treat their time under her parent's roof as some kind of holiday - free rent, free food, free WiFi, utilities. Why would they want to leave? Except Liv does. But Jensen has his feet firmly settled under the table, feeling completely at home and like one of the family.

And then we have Meg. She wants to have her mother's attention for once, who seems to be overly involved in Liv and Jensen, and she doesn't like it. She is the target of some bullying which makes for uncomfortable reading and makes me feel glad that I was a teenager long before the age of social media and the internet. She also doesn't like Jensen so her solution is to remain locked up in her room away from everyone.

Dom? One could almost be forgiven for forgetting that Rachel even has a husband, he features so little. He voices his opinion every so often but he spends more time leaving early and working late before heading off to Dubai for work. And he shares none of Rachel's concerns and shows barely any support. Why is he even there, I had to wonder?

Things come to a head; Rachel and Dom cannot find an even ground and even Liv and Jensen are arguing. So Rachel books a weekend away for her a Dom to "reconnect" (albeit without running it by him first), ships Meg off to her sister's giving Liv and Jensen some time alone together to "sort things out". Unable to go five minutes without checking in with both girls, Dom understandably gets annoyed. After all, they are supposed to be spending time together. They end up having a wonderfully relaxing weekend away and return home refreshed and energised.

But when Rachel and Dom return home, there is no sign of Liv. Jensen said she left after an arguement and hasn't returned since. But what really happened? When Rachel steals a look at the room the couple occupy, she finds a scene of destruction - as if their arguement had become physical. But Jensen assures her it's just a lack of tidiness on his part. Rachel isn't sure what to believe. Dom wants him gone. What's the point of him being there now that Liv has gone? Meg finds him creepy and won't stay in the house if he's there and moves in with her aunt. But Rachel wants answers and won't stop until she gets them.

There is a lot going on here that will leave you irritated and pulling your hair out as well as questioning motives and what's truth and what isn't. Someone is lying, but who? And why? Someone has secrets, but who? And what? And someone is out for revenge, but who? And why?

Rachel annoyed the hell out of me. She was blind to everyone else's needs but her own. It was all about what she wanted and that was she didn't want either of her girls to move out of home which is why she offered the loft to Liv and Jensen. I said you can be forgiven for forgetting that she was married because she seemed to go ahead and make every decision herself without first consulting her husband. Not that she needed his permission but he lived in that house too and he had every right to an opinion as well. But Rachel just stormed ahead like everything was her responsibility. Dom barely featured. Even Liv felt smothered by her helicopter parenting. Only Meg longed for her attention and yet never seemed to get it.

This is a real pageturner that might have you guessing but then again, it may not. It may seem predictable but don't believe everything. I pieced most of it together before the end but there was still a little surprise before the end that wasn't so much a surprise whilst still being one - if that makes any sense.

An enjoyable read that was twisty and compelling that I devoured in a few hours.

I would like to thank #JessRyder, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #OneOfTheFamily in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jess Ryder is the author of five psychological thrillers - 'The Ex Wife', 'Lie to Me', 'The Good Sister', 'The Dream House', The Girl You Gave Away' and her latest, published November 2 2020 - 'The Night Away'. All titles are published by Bookouture. She also writes as Jan Page. With many years' experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers.

Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.

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REVIEW: My Husband Next Door by K.L. Slater

My Husband Next Door by K.L. Slater

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 18th October 2025

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Amazon

Published: 28th October 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The perfect way for us to live. The perfect way for him to hide…

My husband Matt and I are an ordinary married couple in every way but one. At the end of each day, we return to our own homes and our own spaces. Some people think this arrangement is odd, but for us it’s perfect.

But beyond the fairy lights I string at my window, darkness is pressing in. Two local women have gone missing, and I don’t want to be alone. With Matt away for work, I find comfort in chatting to my new neighbour Brenda, who drops in regularly with casseroles and groceries.

Sipping our coffees, looking out of my kitchen window, I soon notice how observant Brenda is. So when she tells me that perhaps my husband isn’t simply working late, something cold takes root. I think of Matt’s recent vague tone, the way he brushes off my questions. Brenda thinks I should pop by when Matt’s not at home. Just to check everything’s as it should be.

I should be able to trust the man I married. But when I do go through my husband’s things, I discover that our perfect living arrangement is hiding a shocking secret…

A completely compelling and twisty page-turner from number 1 bestselling author K.L. Slater. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden will be hooked by My Husband Next Door.

MY THOUGHTS:

Kim's back with another deliciously devious thriller to whet our appetites of twisted mayhem. With so much happening, there's enough red herrings to sidetrack readers from what's really going on. But once again, it wasn't enough to fool me and though I'm not on top form of late (with RL issues) I still managed to see through her cleverly crafted plot.

Sylvie and Matt are happily married yet living apart. A weird concept that I just can't get my head around but it works for them. She lives in the house she purchased after the death of her first husband with her daughter Jess whilst Matt lives two doors down in the house he inherited from his grandfather.

Sylvie regularly hosts a book club meet in which various neighbours and her heavily pregnant daughter Jess take part. It's at the last meet that friend and neighbour Penny drops the bombshell that she and hubby Brian are retiring and moving to Portgual, renting out their house which sits opposite. And in moves Brenda.

Then it all happens at once. Jess goes into labour, has the baby afterwhich both Jess and Sylvie fall ill with separate conditions and are hospitalised. Brenda, a retired nurse, swoops in to help. Soon she has the place running like a well-oiled machine. She cares for the still weak Jess, helps with feeding baby Scarlet and has reorganised Sylvie's kitchen for smoother sailing. Sylvie is thankful for Brenda's quick thinking and for being there when she was unable but now she thinks it's time she took back the reigns. But Brenda doesn't seem to want to relinquish her place in Sylvie's house or her life. In fact, she simply doesn't want to leave!

Despite not living at the house, Matt feels increasingly uncomfortable with Brenda constantly hovering, letting herself in at the crack of dawn and turning up unannounced with bags of groceries whilst continuing her labelling spree. He tries encouraging Sylvie to speak up to let Brenda know that she is no longer needed but Sylvie feels indebted to her and fears offending the kindly woman. Besides, Matt is spending a lot of time away for work and Sylvie finds herself seeking out the comfort of her new neighbour.

But Brenda also has an agenda. She is sure Matt is up to no good and will stop at nothing to protect her new friend from his misdeeds. Even if it means exposing him herself. She knows he has secrets that he is keeping from Sylvie. After all, why else is he happy to continue living in two separate houses? Married couples ought to live together, not separately. And Brenda means to expose him.

Added to the domestic drama, there is the lingering mystery of a missing young woman from the area which adds to the tension. And then another young woman goes missing and someone believes they know the truth!

We welcome back DI Helena Price and DS Brewster, giving the books a sense of connection without being a series as such. Plus it's refreshing not to be bogged down in the procedural whilst still keeping a finger in the investigation.

Unfolding through the various narratives of Sylvie, Brenda and the police, this is an addictive fast paced tale that will draw you in despite the frustrating characters. There are twists, red herrings and plenty of tension as the reader is cleverly guided to a satisfactory conclusion.

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyHusbandNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

After years of trying to get published and never getting further than the slush pile, Kim went back to university at the age of 40 where she gained  a first-class honours degree in English & Creative Writing and an MA in Creative Writing with distinction.

Kim's first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’,  actually started life as a dissertation on her English & Creative Writing degree in 2010. She says "the creepy voice of Anna came to me strong and insistent . . . she wanted to be written, she wouldn’t go away. I’m so glad I listened!"

Kim first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. Her award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for her MA in Creative Writing in 2012.

Kim is now a full-time writer. She has a daughter and two stepsons and live with her husband Mac in Nottingham and Yorkshire.

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REVIEW: What Have You Done? by Nicole Trope

What Have You Done? by Nicole Trope

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 5th October 2025

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Amazon

Published: 17th October 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

“What have you done, Juliet?”

The neighbours look on in shock as two stretchers are wheeled past gated homes on a quiet suburban street. Handcuffs are clipped on a young woman with fear in her face.

The Cordells were the perfect family. But now, in a beautiful home where happy photos line the walls and flowers adorn the dinner table, it looks like a daughter has killed her loving parents.

Everyone tuts and shakes their heads, saying there was always something strange about Juliet.

And one person watching from the sidelines has triumph in their eyes. Someone who knew this would happen all along.

As what really went on in the Cordell’s once-peaceful home starts to unravel, one thing becomes clear:

This perfect family had a big secret. And not everything is as it seems…

An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you shocked at the twists and turns! Anyone who loves Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas or Freida McFadden will be addicted.

MY THOUGHTS:

A perfect family...a terrible secret...

"What have you done?"

The words echo throughout the quiet suburban street as 21 year old Juliet is lead from the home she shares with her parents in handcuffs. Neighbours shake their heads in disbelief while others allude to knowing that she wasn't "quiet right" after her time away in "that place" - as if just mentioning it will somehow taint them by association. But all of them, whilst divided in their opinions, have their phones out capturing every moment of Juliet's parade from the house to the police car, each posturing that "they just won't believe this"!

Juliet is returned to the psychiatric facility, St Augustines, she was discharged from just three months before after attempting to take her own life. It was believed that she would recover in the loving arms of her family but the woman who returns is a shell of the one who left just months before. Her accusations of abuse fall on deaf ears as do her claims that "Adam promised to come back for me. He promised".

Juliet had studied ballet after falling in love with it during her first class as a child. She went on to become the female lead accompanied by her then boyfriend Benji as the male lead. But a tragic accident during rehearsal left her with an injury which would mean she would never dance again. Her life was over. Dancing was all she wanted to do and now that was cruelly taken from her. Juliet could see no way out and tried to end it all one night. Thus resulting in her stay at St Augustines.

It was during her therapy with psychiatrist Dr Choudry at the facility that Juliet recalled flashbacks of memories of her as a child. Memories of abuse; some vivid, some distant. But the memories are very real and Juliet's world is rock even more by the flashbacks and sudden realisation. She is discharged to the care of her parents albeit reluctantly as she no longer trusts them. She stays in her room and barely eats. She stops her medication, hating the feeling it gives her. She has no idea how to get through the rest of her life.

And then one morning, she meets Adam. Handsome, funny, charming Adam. And he listens to her. Really listens to her. They meet every morning at the coffee shop and walk in the nearby park, Adam sympathising with Juliet's situation. He is her lifeline; the one true constant in her life, though she keeps him secret from her family. She can no longer imagine a life without him. And then, he offers to help her.

But then everything unravels and Juliet finds herself back at St Augustines, her world fallen apart. No one listens to her claims. No one believes her about Adam. But he was real...wasn't he? Suddenly, Juliet isn't so sure anymore. He seemed so real; it all seemed so real. Her memories, the past and what happened. But now they are telling her that she did it all?

"What have you done?"

They keep asking her, probing her - trying to get the truth out of her. But she's told them the truth and they didn't listen. They didn't believe her. Why didn't they? It's not true...is it?

This is the kind of tale that will have you questioning everything. It is dizzying and emotional and incredibly frustrating. So many times I wanted to slap Juliet in the first half of the book that unfolds through her narrative. We get to live Juliet's life alongside her and see the world through her eyes and we believe it along with her. But then I began to doubt her and the reality of the situation. And I wanted to bang her head as I felt mine was being banged against a brick wall.

You will question everything you read. Is anything Juliet tells us real? Or is a figment of her imagination? Is she manipulating us or is she being manipulated? Do her parents really love her or is that just a lie? Or is everything she remembers just one big lie? She needs love, care and support so thank goodness for Adam, her one constant. But is he as he appears? No one knows who he is except Juliet so is he even real? Just as well she has Lacy, her nurse, back in St Augustines who lovingly cares for Juliet.

One thing is clear as you turn the final page of this claustrophobic thriller; that Nicole Trope is the master manipulator here, leading us down various pathways into the dark recesses as we desperately try to work out what's real and what isn't. She may have hoodwinked me for a good part of the story but I was a wake up to her methods and unravelled the tangled web she had woven for us so expertly.

My only complaint is there was one aspect that wasn't clarified in the end regarding the apparent "text and calls" between Adam and Juliet. I cannot say more without spoilers. But I drop a star for the slow and frustrating start that made me want to put it down so many times with Juliet's constant whining and claims that no one believed her. While we didn't know what to believe ourselves, the repetitive whining nature had me pulling my hair and made Juliet hard to like and sympathise with her. But I'm glad I stuck it out because Trope came back at us with full force in the second half that would have knocked this for a 5 star read alternatively.

Truly a thriller that messes with your head in a way that I thought only Alice Feeney and John Marrs could do.

I would like to thank #NicoleTrope, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhatHaveYouDone in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband.

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.

She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

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