REVIEW: Flora by Linda O'Byrne

Flora (Cousins of Pemberley #7) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 21st October 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th September 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In 1837 it is not considered desirable for a young lady of good family to have views and opinions that are different to those of society.

When scandal surrounds Flora McGregor, Mr Darcy’s niece is sent from her home in Scotland to Pemberley in order to learn refinement and ladylike behaviour.

But insisting on speaking her mind and following her heart means that trouble follows Flora, no matter how hard this Scottish wildcat tries to avoid it - and falling in love only complicates matters!

MY THOUGHTS:

In 1837 it is not considered desirable for a young lady of good family to have views and opinions that are different to those of society...

But that has never stopped Flora McGregor, niece to Mr Darcy of Pemberley. She spends her days roaming barefoot the lochs and moors of her highland home in Scotland whilst her mother, Mr Darcy's sister Georgiana McGregor, wants to see her settled and wed before she and Flora's father Rodrie set sail to the new world in Canada. But Flora loathes the man her parents have chosen, Gordon Erskine who promises to purchase her home of Tawny Keep in exchange for her hand. But it's not her hand he's wanting as Flora well knows from the lascivious look of lust she sees burning in his eyes. He wants her and he'll stop at nothing to get her. Flora however has other ideas and spares not a thought for the man when unleashing her displeasure at a dinner he is hosting.

And so Flora finds herself packed off to Pemberley where she is to learn manners and decorum, as any young lady should. Her journey is broken at Courtney Castle in Northumberland where she gets into merry mischief with young Matilda, daughter to Sir Robert Courtney and husband to Flora's cousin Catherine. It is there she meets the acquaintance of a man she met previously at her home in Scotland on the banks of the loch and later again at the fiasco that was Gordon Erskine's humiliating dinner party. 

Daniel Kincaid is on his way home from Scotland when he comes across the redheaded wildcat berating a villager over his poor treatment of his dog, which she then implores Daniel to take charge of the animal. He is a man of means but by no means wealthy, having inherited the neighbouring estate to Courtney Castle, Brenchley. The estate had run into disrepair and he means to restore it to its former glory. His journey north had proven productive where he had acquired a healthy herd of highland sheep that he intends to farm.

Between them, the young couple are thrown together in all sorts of circumstances and each time Flora fails to curb her tongue, unleashing her every thought the moment she has them. And then immediately regretting them...mostly. 

But when beautiful Arianne Richmond returns to Courtney in need of filling her fast depleting coffers, she can't decide whom to set her cap to. Martin Courtney, brother to the earl of Courtney Castle? Or the silent and brooding but dashing Daniel Kincaid?

Flora had meant to be only stopping at Courtney for a few days but her stay has turned into weeks. Which is no small pleasure with the dashing but infuriating Daniel Kincaid always seeming to appear at every turn. But when Flora makes a shocking discovery, she is sworn to secrecy lest her reputation be in tatters. All the while, she continues to fight the growing attraction between her and Daniel. After all, falling in love will only complicate matters.

Told in the style of Jane Austen reimagined, this is the seventh in the delightfully entrancing Cousins of Pemberley series. I have devoured every one of them, my only complaint being I have to wait so long for the next one! And the next one is one worth waiting for...I have long been waiting and hoping for the youngest Darcy daughter, Bennetta, and her story to be told. We have watched her grow from a teenager to a young woman of 21 in this book, and far more mature than she has been in previous ones. I eagerly await her story...

1. Cassandra

2. Catherine

3. Miriam

4. Jane

5. Merryn

6. Beth

7. Flora

8. Bennetta

I would like to thank #LindaOByrne, #SpellboundBooks and #ZooloosBookTours for an ARC of #Flora in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: The Baby Group by Jade Lee Wright

The Baby Group by Jade Lee Wright

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic suspense

Read: 3rd August 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 31st July 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Six mothers-to-be. One of us is lying.

My fiancé and I traded our cramped London flat for a beautiful beach house on the Cornish coast. With our first child on the way, it’s the perfect place to start our new life. Quiet. Peaceful. Safe.

But the isolation is suffocating. Alex is working all hours, and he’s showing no interest in our wedding plans. 

So I join an antenatal class - a chance to make friends with other mums-to-be. That’s where I meet Cora, Carmen, Violet, Rachel and Lucy. We bond over baby names, birth plans, and the sleepless nights ahead.

But something’s wrong. 

I don’t like the way Lucy looks at Alex.

I’ve heard whispers about her husband’s first wife – and how she died.

At one of our get-togethers, she clutches Violet’s baby a little too tightly. The child begins to choke. No one forgets how long it takes her to let go.

I should have trusted my instincts. 

The closer I get to my due date, the more frightened I feel. It seems like I’m falling apart – but I know my baby is in danger.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book starts off with an explosive prologue, making me want to swipe the pages of my kindle faster. Darcy has just given birth and her baby has been taken, leaving her and her fiance Alex lifeless beside the birthing pool.

"My baby's been taken," Darcy sobs into the phone. And before she can digest all that has just happened, she slumps into unconsciousness.

Darcy and Alex have been together just under a year when Darcy fell pregnant just a couple of months into their relationship. But this was what she had always dreamed of - being a mum. OK, so it wasn't planned and it was unexpected but it could work. And so they are looking for a fresh start when they decide to move from the busyness of London to the quiet Cornish seaside village of Rock and preparing for the arrival of their baby together.

Darcy decides to join an antenatal class, figuring it might be a good way to make new friends. They could share their experiences together whilst forming firm friendships. But Darcy has always struggled to make friends and she finds it difficult to connect with the women in the group, her past insecurities looming heavily. Add to those along with pregnancy hormones, her paranoia flares.

At first, she connects with Cora and feels an affiliation with her but soon her insecurities cloud her judgement as she begins to feel shut out from the rest of the group. This is highlighted even further as one by one the women begin giving birth and each becomes a mother. The dynamics of each begin to shift as tensions rise and their little group becomes smaller, shutting Darcy out completely.

Stupidly, Darcy confides in no one about her fears but then how could she? Who could she really trust? It was clear from the outset that there are insecurities around her relationships and for the most part it is completely understandable why she in turn shut everyone out. But did she really have no one? It seems so.

Of all the women in the antenatal class, Carmen and Lucy are the ones Darcy trusts the least. But when Cora, Rachel and Violet all start to shut her out, Darcy wonders what she has done to upset them. Why are they meeting up in cosy little gatherings in cafes, some of them with their bundles while others still awaiting the arrival of theirs? Even Lucy, with whom she had grown much closer to in recent weeks, has ghosted her while gathered with the others laughing away - most likely at her. Again, her paranoia flares. She can't confide in Alex her insecurities - he doesn't even know the half of it, let alone will he understand. He's her rock, her security; if he didn't believe her she doesn't know what she'd do. So she kept her fears, her paranoia and her insecurities to herself.

As her due date approaches, despite the women shutting her out of the group entirely, Darcy has noticed Lucy sidling up to Alex. Is something going on there that she isn't aware of? Darcy is sure something is going on but Alex will only deny it and throw familiar accusations at her. And he wouldn't be entirely wrong. Needless to say, a ton of drama ensues.

After most of the book detailing Darcy and her insecurities, constantly whining about having no friends and being left out to be being jealous of all the women for a variety of reasons and berating Alex for a previous infidelity, we get to the culmination of events that precede the penultimate climatic conclusion. And boy, does it get interesting! Up till now I found myself skimming pages with a dragging realisation that Darcy was infinitely annoying and Alex was a complete knob. But now the tension mounts as Darcy goes into labour and things get hairy to say the least. She changes her mind about birthing plans but no one seems to be listening to her. She is terrified and scared and tries calling for help but to no avail. And then secrets burst to the surface as Darcy realises the dreaded reality of her situation. And in the end, her baby is gone. Darcy is inconsolable.

The final twists were revealing in themselves, although it was the very l ast one in the epilogue that I didn't see coming, as I predicted everything else that unfolded with ease. But that was a nice a touch to leave readers dangling.

This is a fairly quick read though it took me longer due to personal reasons and time being a factor. But I raced through over half of the book this afternoon to its thrilling end. Darcy was hard to like because of her constant whining. I could relate to her with not making friends as I too find it hard to make friends but she just constantly moaned on an on about it. I didn't like Lucy either. She was completely transparently fickle and bitchy. The other women were OK but most of the focus was on Lucy and sometimes Carmen and Cora. So it was up to us as readers to work out which one we couldn't trust. Alex was a complete twat. He could have at least tried to be a little more understanding but he didn't even try. Instead he shoved Darcy in the direction of Lucy when it was clear she wasn't comfortable with her. Instead of taking her concerns seriously, he waved them away and told her to get a grip basically. I would have liked to get a grip on him - firmly around his neck!

A quick read, it was intriguing enough but the pacing was a little sluggish in parts and I found it hard to stay fully engaged. I loved the ending though. Everything from where Darcy goes into labour to the birth and the aftermath was nail-biting and I raced through those pages till the final conclusion.

I would like to thank #JadeLeeWright, #JoffeBooks and #ZooloosBookTours for an ARC of #TheBabyGroup in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Whilst writing my next book I am a mother wrangling two under two and pursuing a BA (Honours) in English Literature and Creative Writing through the Open University. I'm currently in my third year and have received a distinction. My writing has also been highly commended in the UK's Writing Magazine and I have been shortlisted for The Marlowe & Christie Novel Prize. I run a popular Bookstagram page called Boho Bookworm, where I share my passion for literature. Through this platform I have connections with various publishing houses and authors.

Now I’m incredibly proud to be signed with Joffe Books on a two-book deal. My debut with them, The Baby Group, is set for release in July 2025. It’s a suspenseful, emotionally charged thriller about motherhood, identity, and trust. My second novel, The Family Secret, will follow in 2026.

When I’m not writing (or daydreaming about the next twist), you’ll usually find me with my nose in a book.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tik Tok | Goodreads

REVIEW: The House Swap by Miranda Rijks

The House Swap by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Domestic suspense, Psychological thriller

Read: 7th December 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th December 2024

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell.

When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday arrangement.

The Browns will exchange their London townhouse for a stunning chateau in the south of France, the perfect place to relax and rekindle their flagging marriage.

And the Lesters are looking forward to showing their son, Rafael, around their old haunts in the British capital.

Sounds wonderful. Except for one thing - both families are hiding dark secrets, and secrets have a way of coming out...

In France, there’s a mysterious break-in at the chateau. Then the Browns discover that a woman who lived there disappeared and was never seen again. Instead of feeling rested and relaxed, they now feel isolated and vulnerable.

Then, in London, 17-year-old Rafael vanishes without a trace.

As the tension mounts to an unbearable pitch, both couples are forced to face their darkest demons. Someone won’t be coming home…

MY THOUGHTS:

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell...

So who's fancied a house swap at some point or another? I mean, we've all secretly wished we could literally swap houses...but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with strangers staying in my space. And I'm not entirely sure I'd be all that comfortable in theirs either. But never fear, this book will put that idea to bed quick smart!

Elodie and husband Lewis live in the very affluent area of Knightsbridge in London and their house is simply to die for. While Lewis runs a string of semi-successful (but not really) gyms, Elodie is in the prestigious real estate business with her best friend Niall. Together they own and run Hutchinson Brown, marketing prestigious properties both in the UK and Europe to affluent clients. As part of the business, the pair decide to branch out in a new venture of house swapping. And Elodie and Lewis guinea pig the trial with similarly aged couple Piers and Susan Lester who own a crumbling villa in Provence, with the sole intention of renovating it.

From the first moment, it is obvious that the Lesters have landed firmly on their feet as they take in the stunning home they are to inhabit for the next two weeks with their 17 year old son Raf, who would much rather have holidayed at the seaside. While Elodie and Lewis have drawn the short straw in this house swap. And from that first moment, Elodie wonders if this really was a good idea after all. Especially when she begins to see photos of her home plastered all over Susan's social media.

The first morning in France, Elodie and Lewis are woken by construction workers who have been employed by the Lesters to work on the renovations. It's obvious as soon as you set foot inside the villa that it is tired, old, run-down and in serious need of some renovating. But this is meant to be a holiday. While the Lesters are living it up in their luxurious home back in England, they have been sold a lie and have to deal with constant noise and discomfort. This isn't quite the holiday they had hoped for.

Meanwhile, Susan and Piers are enjoying the luxury of the Brown's stunning home. Only Raf is a fish out of water here. Though he was born in London, he has spent most of his life in France and England is foreign to him. And while Piers thought this would be the holiday that would bring the family together, Susan is out every day till all hours shopping up a storm. That is when she's not quietly trying on Elodie's designer gowns and stunning clothes. Piers tries his best to make his wife happy but there's something not quite right. And then his visit to Harley Street brings news that shakes his world and everything he thought he knew to the core. When Raf suddently goes missing, Piers and Susan are out of their minds with worry...but things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Back in France, the quiet solitude Elodie had been hoping for is but a pipe dream. Strange things start happening - someone keeps trying to break into the house, there's a strange smell that seems to emanate from somewhere and Lewis is constantly going out for bike rides leaving Elodie by herself. And then she discovers something shocking and begins to question everything.

The story unfolds through Elodie and Piers' respective narratives with the odd chapter through Raf's POV peppered throughout. It was fast paced for the most part though it did take a while to get going. There's a whole lot of drama and plenty of baggage that these families are carrying around. But in the end, the tale was relatively entertaining, a little OTT, filled with secrets, lies and deception. I guessed the two major lot twists quite easily though to be fair they weren't immediately easy to spot. They were just random guesses on my part.

Overall, an entertaining tale though I'm still not a huge fan of continent-based tales and prefer them to be in miserable old blighty. lol

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheHouseSwap in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: The Missing Heirloom Mystery by Rachel Ward

The Missing Heirloom Mystery (Supermarket Mysteries #5) by Rachel Ward

Genre: Cosy Mystery

Read: 29th October 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 22nd October 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Meet Bea Jordan: a checkout girl with a heart of gold and a knack for solving murders.

With the annual Kingsleigh Flower and Produce Show fast approaching and a tomato thief on the loose, Bea and best friend Ant have had little time for each other.

Now a grizzly discovery is waiting for them by the pumpkin patch . . .

The body of Dylan Bradley, their old history teacher. Someone stuck a trowel in his head and left him for dead.

But who would want to hurt Dylan?

When the discovery of a second body throws the townsfolk into full-blown turmoil, Bea must juggle small-town secrets, rivalries and murder with her growing feelings for Ant.

Can Bea dig up the truth before the killer strikes again, or has she finally planted the seed for her own demise?

If you love Richard Osman, Peter Boland, the Reverend Richard Coles and Ian Moore, prepare to be enchanted by this gripping British cozy murder mystery full of twists and loveable characters.

MY THOUGHTS:

Finders keepers, losers . . . Dead?

Bea works as a checkout chick at the local Costsave supermarket where her best friend Ant corrals the trolleys and whatever else falls under his remit. The pair are an unlikely duo - best friends and amateur sleuths - and Bea loves hanging out with Ant. 

Recently, Ant has taken up gardening discovering a love for growing things where he helps his older mates get ready for the upcoming flower and garden show...and with Marvin the marrow taking pride of place in their allotment garden. One afternoon after work, Ant asks Bea if she'd like to accompany him and to meet Marvin. Hesitant after her near miss (in a previous book, I daresay) but intrigued, she agrees and together they take a picnic to the allotment. All is going well until Ant discovers friend and fellow gardener Dylan Bradley dead in his locked shed, a trowel through his skull.

Soon the police are in attendance, the allotment is cordoned off and after giving statements the pair is dismissed, free to go home. After investigating alongside Bea, Ant has decided to uncover the culprit who murdered his friend but is surprised when Bea wants no part of it. So he and his friends at Costsave draw up their own investigation in their makeshift incident room at the back of Costsave.

Determined to uncover the truth, Ant and his friends decide to stake out the allotment at night with a metal detector to see if they can unearth some more treasures like the one Dylan had discovered shortly before his death. But what they discover instead is far more grisly than any of them anticipated. Human remains buried deep in one of the garden beds which open up a forty year old mystery.

Bea still declines to join in the investigations until Ant comes across a book Dylan had published about the history of Kingsleigh, marking some items with circles and dates. She decides to visit the council to view some of the artefacts but nothing prepares her for what she's about to uncover.

A delightful modern cosy mystery centred in the fictional village of Kingsleigh and its inhabitants, this series is an amateur version of Midsomer Murders with the local supermarket as its centrepiece. An easy read that was enjoyable from start to finish has a host of very well drawn characters (both good and bad). It's not easy to identify the villains and the end result is somewhat surprising but satisfying nonetheless. Given that this is book 5 in the series and I've not read any of the others, I didn't feel disadvantaged in any way as this can be read as a standalone.

Overall, an enjoyable and entertaining read for fans of Midsomer Murders and cosy mysteries.

I would like to thank #RachelWard, #ZoolooBookTours and #JoffeBooks for an ARC of #TheMissingHeirloomMystery in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Ward is a fifty-something award-winning author who writes adult crime books, YA thrillers and non-fiction. 

Her first book, Numbers, about a girl who can see death dates won numerous awards in the UK and around the world, and was published in 26 countries and is optioned for film/TV. 

Her cozy crime series, The Supermarket Mysteries, set in and around a supermarket in a small English town, has hit the Amazon top 20 Cozy Mystery chart, and starts with The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery. Rachel hosts a monthly crime book chat on X/Twitter, #cosycrimeclub, at 11.00am UK time on the first Tuesday of each month. 

She has also written psychological thrillers (as R. M. Ward) including Safe With You, which was featured in Heat Magazine.

Her new non-fiction book, Write Your Cozy Mystery: A Practical How To Guide, was published in 2024. 

Rachel has two grown up children, and lives in Bath, UK, with her husband and two little dogs. She is also an artist and photographer, and has exhibited locally. She likes to post a cheerful photograph every morning on social media (X/Twtter: @RachelWardbooks) to start the day off the right way.  

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Godchild by Miranda Rijks

The Godchild by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller

Read: 6th April 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 31st March 2024

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Everything was fine until Alicia arrived.

After her own mother mysteriously disappears, seventeen-year-old Alicia turns up on her godmother’s doorstep and asks if she can stay. Carina can’t say no to the godchild she hasn’t seen in over a decade.

And in a way, Alicia is the daughter she always wanted – she’s so smart and driven, definitely scholarship material. Carina is only too happy to help this brilliant young woman achieve her full potential.

But husband Don and children Tegan and Arthur aren’t so sure. There’s something about Alicia… Is she just too good to be true?

Then, out of the blue, sixteen-year-old Tegan is accused of a horrible crime and life for this ordinary family spirals down into chaos.

Does Alicia have anything to do with the terrible secrets that are only now being exposed? Has she set out to destroy this family? Before she can answer these questions, Carina will have to face her own troubled past, stepping out of the light and into a very, very dark place…

The Godchild -the shocking psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and Make Her Pay.

MY THOUGHTS:

Be careful who you let into your home...

Wowsers! This is so not what I was expecting. With a title such as this, I'm thinking something to do with a new baby (especially with that cover) and all that follows in such domestic thrillers. But no. The godchild is not a baby at all. Not even a child. But boy, she is something else!

Carina and her husband Don have been together since their university days and have three children - Tegan (16), Arthur (14) and baby Ethan (9 months). Carina is the head teacher at their local selective school at which her two children attend whilst hubby is a stay at home dad to Ethan working on his novel.

Then one day a knock at the door reveals Alicia, Carina's long lost godchild and daughter of her old uni friend Gina. After the scene she created at their wedding nearly two decades before, Carina has not set eyes on Gina since. And the news Alicia brings tells a familiar tale of woe that seems to follow Gina. Drugs, alcohol and who knows what or where Gina is now. 

But Alicia arrives with her bags in tow and nowhere else to go so Carina begrudgingly invites her to stay, if not as a nod to her old friend. Don is not best pleased and neither is Carina's teenage daughter who finds herself having to share her room with Alicia. 

And from there, everything seems to go downhill...especially for Tegan, who finds herself the subject of bullying. But it's not just that...mysterious things begin happening...and while the Ruff family's world begins to implode, Alicia is the only one who seems to be sitting pretty. But their bad luck just continues with the death of a student, bullying, drugs and secrets and lies in abundance.

Unfolding through the THEN and NOW format, this is another stellar read by Miranda that is indeed easily devoured in one sitting. Plenty of twists, plenty of red herrings and oh so many secrets, lies and deception. Despite some of its predictability, this is one compelling read that will still manage to shock you even if you can easily figure out much of what it going on.

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheGodchild in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: The Lost Girl by Mark Gillespie

The Lost Girl by Mark Gillespie

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 1st March 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 21st February 2024

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Darcy vanished thirteen years ago. Today, she’s coming home.

Darcy Drummond was four when she was kidnapped on a crowded beach. A massive police search and media frenzy followed but the girl was never found. Most people gave Darcy up for dead. Or worse.

Then, one fateful night, she walks into a police station. Seventeen years old. A chance to start over.

As the world celebrates Darcy’s return, Margo Martin, journalist and friend of the Drummond family, receives a strange phone call. A call which leads her step-by-step towards a horrifying revelation…

The real reason for Darcy’s disappearance is a long-kept secret. A secret so shocking, so unexpected that it will plunge the Drummond family into a nightmare they will struggle to survive. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Sometimes the truth is best left hidden...

Where to even begin? That was...INTENSE!! I actually finished this a day ago but I just had to let it sit and think about it because it was just...wow. So where do I begin?

Darcy Drummond disappeared from Bournemouth Beach when she was four years old and for years her parents, Sophie and Mike, have always lived in hope that she would return.

Now thirteen years later they are still trying to pick up the pieces, with Sophie self medicating with pills and Mike with drinking and gambling...and trying to forget the moment they took their eyes off their little girl for a few seconds and she disappeared never to be seen again. 

And then they get the phone call. It's the police. A seventeen year old girl has walked into a police station in Glasgow claiming to be Darcy. There have been imposters in the past making the same claim...but this is the first time the police have called them.

Of course there are doubts. Is it really her? Where has she been all these years? How quickly can they do a DNA test to confirm her identity? But all doubts dissipate as soon as Sophie sees her. She is the mirror image of herself at that age. This is Darcy. At last she's come home.

But what should be a happy reunion is tinged with a wariness and apprehension. There are unanswered questions about where she's been and what happened to her and how she escaped. What sort of life has she had? And what about the couple she had been living with who are now dead? But at whose hand? Their own? Or Darcy's?

Once the DNA test confirms her identity, the media awaits the story. But Sophie gives the exclusive to friend and aspiring journalist Margo Martin. Like everyone, Margo is salivating for the details but what Sophie gives her is the bare minimum resulting in a dull story. But it's what the Drummonds are not saying that pique Margo's interest. Something is not right in that house...and it's no surprise when she begins to dig a little she receives an anonymnous phone call urging her to look closer. What are the Drummonds trying to hide?

There is little else I can say without revealing spoilers but all I can say is that nothing is what it seems. This is not the usual missing child trope and what it does reveal is far reaching and shocking. It's no surprise that Darcy will have had a tough life after being kidnapped so the little girl the Drummonds hoped to have returned to them is long gone. But who is the girl in her place?

The story unfolds through the narratives of Sophie, Darcy and Margo and is divided into four parts. As each part develops, the turn the story takes ramps up and will have you flipping the pages faster than the speed of light. 

This is no light breezy story with a happy ending. This is gritty, intense and brutal. But wow! What a read! And what an ending! I'm still digesting it all...

I would like to thank #MarkGillespie and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheLostGirl in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mark Gillespie writes psychological thriller and suspense novels. He’s a former professional musician (bass player) from Glasgow, Scotland who spent ten years touring the UK and Ireland, playing sessions and having the time of his life. Don’t ask though. What happened on the road stays on the road.

He now lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife and a small menagerie of rescue creatures. If he’s not writing, he’s jamming with other musicians, running on the beach, watching mixed martial arts and boxing. Or devouring horror and thriller movies.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: A Soul for a Soul by Carol Wyer

A Soul for a Soul (Detective Kate Young #5) by Carol Wyer

Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller, Police procedural, Mystery

Read: 24th January 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th January 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down—or die trying.

DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night—even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he probably had it coming. But now Kate has photographic evidence that someone else knows her terrible secret…

Tormented by guilt and the voices of the dead, Kate is desperate to unmask the rest of the corrupt officers before her own sins catch up with her. When DI Harriet Khatri, awaiting trial for the murder of Kate’s mentor, claims she was framed by Dickson’s syndicate, Kate reluctantly agrees to help in the hope of finding answers.

Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson finds herself on the hunt for a double murderer—a man who incapacitates his victims with a powerful narcotic called Devil’s Breath. Desperate to measure up to her role-model boss, Emma finds herself hurled into the deep end in more ways than one…

While Kate’s grip on reality wavers and the syndicate closes in, and with the mystery killer taking a special interest in Emma, could this be the case that defeats both detectives?

MY THOUGHTS:

Where to even begin?

I have followed this series from the start so I'm familiar with Kate's flaws and foibles. Does she get on my nerves? A little. Especially with the constant monologuing with the dead William and Dickson. Chris' dialogue was enough but now we have her mentor and her nemesis to battle it out in her head!

OK, so if you haven't read any of the previous books, don't start this one until you have done so as the culmination of events and everything that went beforehand will make absolutely no sense. Some series you can pick up here and there and read without missing out on anything else. But this series is not one of them. In fact, the entire series hinges on Kate's relentless investigating into a corrupt syndicate involved in sex trafficking, drugs and murder - and that of the murder of her husband Chris. A syndicate compromised of corrupt police officers, some of whom were at senior level. It's like a series of "Line of Duty"...lol

Since the previous book, Kate has been promoted to DCI and taking the place of her mentor and friend William Chase who was brutally murdered by one of the syndicate, DI Harriet Khatri. Harriet, however, is protesting her innocence loudly though no one is listening. Least of all Kate who was not her biggest fan in the first place. But Harriet calls on Kate with a special request...but how will Kate react?

Since Kate's promotion, it has left room for her previous position as DI open as well as Harriet's also, since she now sits under house arrest with strict bail conditions awaiting trial for William's murder. And so Kate handpicks her two DS's, Emma and Morgan, to step into the Acting DI role until they can take their Inspector's exams.

Emma's first big case comes along investigating a killer who maims his victims with a psychoactive drug, leaving no trace in their systems. Or so he thought. It seems he is cockier than he is clever. But will he outsmart Emma before she can uncover the truth?

Meanwhile, Morgan has been tasked to Operation Moonbeam who are investigating the people trafficking and with a mole in their midst, Morgan is feeling frustrated with the slow progress, despite months of work. And it's affecting his home life with Emma.

On top of it all, Kate must maintain a professional integrity in overseeing her teams but she misses being in the thick of the investigation. But under the mantle of DCI she is also able to continue looking further into the syndicate and its remaining members, and attempt to bring it all down once and for all.

Then just when you think that's the end of it...Wyer delivers those final lines. Is this the end? Or is it not?

I admit to having further suspicions but in hindsight, I'd like this to be the end for Kate. To sit back and relax and just let it all go. To remain and continue digging would just be tempting fate. 

The twists are delivered with fervour in this story but alas, I could not be hoodwinked. I correctly figured two out of three. That last one had me surprised. But the identity of the killer nor the first of the remaining syndicate members revealed were not. Sorry (not sorry!).

This series is so different from Carol Wyer's others and I could see how it could be so all-encompassing, when she locks herself away in her office for hours on end leaving Mr Grumpy to fend for himself. I think I'd be exhausted with navigating all this!

Overall, an entertaining taut crime thriller that will have you turning the pages until the very end, and then leaving you scratching your head.

I would like to thank #CarolWyer, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #ASoulForASoul in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol, had found her true niche.

To date, her crime novels have sold over 800,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

The much-anticipated new series, featuring DI Kate Young, was published on 1st February 2021 with the first novel, An Eye For An Eye,  a second, A Cut for a Cut, published on 24th June 2021 and a third A Life for a Life to be published 15th March 2022. An Eye for an Eye was chosen as a Kindle First Reads and became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Amazon Australia.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Make Her Pay by Miranda Rijks

Make Her Pay by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 8th December 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 10th December 2023

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Leonie has the perfect life. Someone wants to take it away.

Leonie is living her best life. Still in her twenties, she’s beautiful, successful and has just met Markus, the man of her dreams.

But Leonie has a secret. Ten years ago, she was involved in an accident in which another driver died. Leonie shouldn’t have been behind the wheel that night – no license, no insurance – so she fled the scene. And ever since, she’s been struggling to deal with the terrible guilt.

Now, as her wedding to Markus draws near, it seems someone is out to get her. It’s little things at first – botched work appointments, a cancelled bridal dress - but it soon escalates into a terrifying campaign which threatens her business, her family and even her life.

Leonie, caught up in a relentless nightmare, has no idea why anyone would set out to destroy her. Until she realizes there’s a link to the accident that happened all those years ago.

Someone knows what she did. Someone is determined to make her pay.

Make Her Pay – the gripping psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and What She Knew.

MY THOUGHTS:

I love Miranda's books since discovering her around the same time as Daniel Hurst and both have become firm favourites of mine. This book is by far one of her best and I just loved the revenge plot despite it being clear as day what was going on, it's still a thrilling read none the less. My only complaint is how it all ended with, well, everything. What the hell was that? Everything was going well till then. 

Leonie lives a charmed life. In her mid twenties, she's beautiful runs her own successful business and then she meets Markus, a handsome client whose stunning home is sold and she was tasked with finding him something illustrious in London. But soon, that property search went by the wayside as Markus was pretty much living at her place in South Kensington and after meeting her parents at their country estate in Sussex, he proposes. Leonie can't believe her luck. How did she get so lucky?

Indeed, she wonders. Because Leonie has a secret. Ten years ago when she was just sixteen she took her mother's Range Rover with the intention of meeting up with her new boyfriend, only to be involved in an accident which claimed the life of someone else. Almost at once, Leonie knew she shouldn't have been behind the wheel that night. She was underage, no licence, no insurance and as such she fled the scene at her father's behest, lest she end up in prison. For the past ten years Leonie has relived that night and tried to forget it but she has been haunted by the terrible guilt she has carried with her since. And her father covering for her has left her in his debt.

But now she has struck gold. She is marrying Markus, the man of her dreams, and everything seems to be falling into place. Until...it isn't. Suddenly, just weeks before the wedding things begin to fall apart. At first she believes it is her father's influence trying to control how he thinks the day should go ahead - after all, it's an opportunity for him to rub shoulders with clients and network with business acquaintances. His daughter's happiness appears to be the furtherest thing from his mind. But her mother claims ignorance leaving Leonie wondering who is trying to sabotage her big day. At first it's the flowers, then she arrives to pick up her wedding dress only to discover it's been sold to someone else. Then there are botched appointments and soon Leonie realises that someone is out to make her pay. When she arrives at the church, she immediately gets the uneasy feeling that something isn't right. Where is Markus? Her happiest day threatens to become her worst nightmare. What is happening? Who is doing this?

An addictive and easy ready read from start to finish, I read this in one sitting. The predictable plot didn't matter as it was entirely entertaining. It was enthralling and dark in places but was completely suspenseful throughout. Filled with secrets and lies and a multilayer of twisted deception, MAKE HER PAY was a delight to read.

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #MakeHerPay in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: The Homemaker by Miranda Rijks

The Homemaker by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 28th October 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 22nd October  2023

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Maria always wanted a family. Now she’s found one.

Imogen has never been so busy – she’s juggling two jobs, has a young family and now she’s pregnant again.

Enter Maria, the perfect housekeeper. Hard working and capable, she seems like the ideal solution to Imogen's chaotic life. But Maria isn’t at all what she seems – she has a sinister agenda of her own.

Little by little, she installs herself at the heart of Imogen’s family – doing the school run, cooking meals, caring for Imogen’s little girl.

But once she has won the family’s trust, Maria starts to do some digging. And discovers that Imogen has been keeping a terrible secret, a secret which Maria threatens to reveal unless Imogen starts to run this home the way Maria sees fit.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Imogen has no choice but to comply.

A terrible mistake. Because as the full scale of Maria’s horrifying plan becomes apparent, Imogen realises that everything she holds dear – her marriage, her family, her friends – all may fall victim to The Homemaker.

The Homemaker – the chilling psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and What She Knew.

MY THOUGHTS:

Maria always wanted a family...and now she's found one...!

What a deliciously disturbing domestic suspense thriller Miranda Rijks has cooked up for us. This time we meet a lonely middle-aged woman who is desperately searching to belong. Only problem is, does she belong to THIS family?

Imogen has a perfect life with her dentist husband Josh and their 5 year old daughter Ava. She wants for nothing and the beautiful house in which they live was clearly too big for them with seven bedrooms but the moment they saw the 18th century property, they fell in love with it. As an aside, Imogen rents out two of the ensuite bedrooms, which are accessed separately, operating as a thriving Bed and Breakfast whilst providing a consultancy business for hotels. It's not that she needs the money - she just loves doing what she does.

But then Imogen discovers she is pregnant. And the news is not at all welcome, given the devastating revelation her mother made just days before her death three months before. Now Imogen has no way of knowing how she can come back from this. And how can she bring another child into this world knowing what she knows?

Hubby Josh is oblivious to Imogen's silent heartache but he has noticed her looking tired and pale of late and suggests a visit to the doctor. Imogen then reveals her pregnancy to which Josh is ecstatic and announcing it to anyone and everyone. Imogen is not so sure. But one thing she is sure of and that is she is going to need the extra help especially now with a baby on the way. And that's when she hires Maria.

Maria enters Fairvew House with her own agenda. Sure, she's there to help Imogen, providing a cleaning service and whatever else she may require but Maria has a hidden agenda. She plans to inveigle her way into every aspect of Imogen's life so that she can no longer be without her...and then she will reveal the truth to her. However, it's not long before Maria uncovers Imogen's own hidden secrets and only then does she have the power of the upper hand. And Imogen doesn't know what's hit her.

OK, so Maria is not who she appears to be. That much is obvious from the start but then we wouldn't have a story then, wouldn't we? But just how much is Maria keeping from Imogen and just how much power does she yield? One thing is for sure, Maria has plenty of secrets of her own.

Once again, Miranda Rijks has pulled me in from the very first page and kept me engaged throughout. Her thrillers are addictie, compelling and definite page-turners, and this one is no different. Of course I wanted to slap Imogen for trusting Maria and punch Maria in the face. I could have gladly given Kyle a swift kick up the gluteus maximus also for his bad attitude. And Josh? So quick to believe the worst of his wife without even sitting down and talking with her. Only Ava seemed to make any sense and she's a five year old! But then again, who is sane in this psycho-domestic thriller?

With its snappy chapters a perfect length, the pace moved steadily through to the nail-biting end. Another great read from one of my favouritie authors.

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheHomemaker in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads