REVIEW: My Best Friend's Secret by Karen Clarke

My Best Friend's Secret by Karen Clarke

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 16th December 2023

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Amazon

Published: 28th September 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

She knows her. But can she trust her?

When Rose’s old friend Elise suddenly arrives on her doorstep having just escaped a controlling marriage, she offers her a place to stay.

But Elise wants more than a safe refuge, she wants Rose to help her get her daughter back, so that she can truly start afresh with five-year-old Daisy safely in her arms. Every little girl needs her mother, after all.

Ready to insert herself into Elise’s old home, Rose gets a job as a teacher, home-schooling Daisy.

But when Rose is asked to take the little girl and bring her to Elise, she gets cold feet… Elise’s behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic, and Daisy’s father is far from the monster described…

Will Rose take Daisy and return her to her mother, or is the real danger closer to home?

Who should she trust?

An utterly gripping novel of suspense and drama from the bestselling author of My Sister’s Child. Fans of Claire Amarti and Nicole Trope will love My Best Friend’s Secret!

MY THOUGHTS:

I know her...but can I trust her...?

Rose and Elise haven't seen each other in years. Not after something happened to drive them apart. But now Elise is back, having just arrived on Rose's doorstep after escaping her marriage to a controlling man and his equally controlling family, and Rose offers her a place to stay. But Elise wants more than a roof over her head. She wants Rose to help her get her daughter back and away from her controlling husband...after all, Rose owes her.

So Rose approaches Isaac outside the school one afternoon and before long, she's been offered the job of home schooling five year old Daisy. Her mission is simple. Return Daisy to her mother. While she sympathises with Elise's distressing story, evoking some equally emotional memories of her own past, the more Rose spends at Isaac's house with Daisy the more she begins to question the validity of Elise's story. Added to that, Elise's behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. Is she really being a honest as she made out? Or is there more to the story than Elise is saying? 

This tale is filled with secrets, lies and a load of deceit. Who is really lying? The deception is next level. Nothing and no one is as innocent as they seem and everyone is suspect. And the holes in Elise's tale that Rose began to unravel create even more misconception. A twisty narrative, this made for uncomfortable reading much of the time. I didn't know who to trust. Everyone had their own version of Daisy's mother - but which of them is the truth? And yet in the middle of this nightmare is Daisy who is blissfully (and thankfully) unaware of all these events happening around her.

With so many layers to this tale, the author keeps readers guessing right up to the end as she peels back each layer to reveal a little more. This is my first read by Clarke on her own, having read a few she has penned alongside Amanda Brittany. A well-plotted psychological thriller.

I would like to thank #KarenClarke, #Netgalley and #HQDigital for an ARC of #MyBestFriendsSecret in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHORS:

Karen is a multi-published author of romantic comedies and psychological suspense novels, as well as co-writing thrillers with Amanda Brittany.

She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children and when she’s not writing, she reads (a lot), loves walking and taking pictures — the birds in her garden are probably the most photographed in the country.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The New Wife by Amanda Brittany and Karen Clarke

The New Wife by Amanda Brittany & Karen Clarke

Genre: Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 4th December 2022

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Amazon

Published: 29th November 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The people you trust are the people who hurt you the most.

Nell Cosgrove is the new wife who got it all. She married her handsome, wealthy boss within six months of meeting him. They live in a beautiful riverside home. She has a flourishing career.

The only problem is her two stepdaughters, Ruby and Poppy, who are fiercely loyal to their mother, and reject all her overtures.

But now everything is falling apart. Nell’s marriage is starting to crack. Her husband spends more and more time away on business.

She gets creepy text messages from an unknown admirer. He sends mysterious bouquets of flowers to her office. She starts making mistakes at work.

Everything Nell thought she knew about her marriage and her new life is about to be turned upside down.

MY THOUGHTS:

"The devil doesn't come with horns - he comes disguised as everything you've ever wanted..."

Having read Amanda Brittany's brilliant thriller "Traces of Her" some years back, I was excited to see her pop up again this time paired with an author I've not yet read in Karen Clarke. But I had so loved the one thriller I had read by Brittany that I felt I couldn't possibly be disappointed in this new offering...especially given its intriguing premise. And I wasn't. And now I'm keen to check out Clarke's solo work!

Being the new wife to someone who already has grown children, or any children for that matter, is not an easy feat. There is bound to hurt and feelings of betrayal as well as abandonment. And then there is the prospect of a stepmother who has taken the place your mother used to hold dear as you father's wife. This is the conundrum Nell Cosgrove faces as Oliver's new wife. Though they have been married three years, his grown children Ruby and Poppy have refused to accept her as his wife. In fact, they seem to have made it their life's mission to split the couple up so that Oliver can return home and take up his proper place as their father and husband to their grieving mother Fiona.

But when Ruby catches wind of a marriage counselling session between Oliver and Nell, it seems they may not have to try too hard in their mission. Maybe just a few prods here and there, their marriage will crumble and the rest will fall into place. What could be simpler?

For Nell, it seems her troubles with Oliver are only the beginning. Strange things begin happening at work - simple things like a misplaced item or a diary mix-up to the more troubling occurrences like the wrong items being delivered, a slashed costume that was due for immediate delivery or even more concerning the tirade of bad publicity posted about her and the company on social media. And if that wasn't bad enough, she was receiving flowers or love notes from a supposed lover as well as texts alluding to their time together. And Oliver was present when every one of them were delivered. Of course Poppy was filled with a spiteful glee at this prospect and goaded her older sister Ruby into helping their father see the error of Nell's ways.

Nell knows she isn't having an affair or that she isn't making stupid mistakes at work. Someone seems to be out to get her, determined to destroy her life and her career...and she has no idea who that could possibly be. Or is it just bad luck or something more sinister at play?

Oh, how I love a domestic suspense tale! Layered with secrets, lies, deception, manipulation and gaslighting, THE NEW WIFE kept me engaged from beginning to end. I raced through the pages eager to uncover the truth of who or what was behind the vicious attacks. And why? But as no stranger to this genre I knew what to look for and what to look over...and I saw what no one else did. But that never ruins my enjoyment of a good story. As long as it keeps me turning the pages with those short snappy chapters I so so love and it keeps me intrigued and entertained throughout, then I'm happy.

THE NEW WIFE has everything you could possibly imagine in a domestic suspense thriller, right down to the creepy stalker and the hateful exes or stepchildren. Filled with red herrings and twists that still couldn't hoodwink me, I thoroughly enjoyed this easy thrill ride of a read and can't wait for more by either author or again as a duo.

Perfect for domestic thriller fans...need I say more?

I would like to thank #AmandaBrittany, #KarenClarke, #Netgalley, #JoffeBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheNewWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHORS:

Amanda lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and cute dog. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her family and friends, walking her dog, reading (her go-to is fictional crime and psychological thrillers) and she is far too keen on red velvet cake.

She loves sunny days by the sea, and snowy days through the window of a cosy room.Amanda has raised over £8700 in ebook royalties for Cancer Research UK in memory of her sister.She is the author of six psychological crime thrillers, and co-writer of psychological suspense novels with author Karen Clarke.

Social Media links:

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Karen is a multi-published author of romantic comedies and psychological suspense novels, as well as co-writing thrillers with Amanda Brittany.

She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children and when she’s not writing, she reads (a lot), loves walking and taking pictures — the birds in her garden are probably the most photographed in the country.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads