REVIEW: The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley

The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley

Genre: Chick lit, Women's fiction, Contemporary fiction, Romance

Read: 8th February 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 11th February 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

One dog. Two strangers. An unfurgettable romance.

Wanted: someone nice, normal and trustworthy to housesit a beautiful cottage in the Lake District while the owner is away on a business trip. Must like dogs.

Wanting to escape from crap bosses and useless boyfriends, Becky jumps at the chance of being a dog sitter and the perfect escape – rest, relaxation and a very cute pooch called Bella.

But looking after Bella comes with a catch, namely gorgeous, brooding, Chris Hemsworth-worthy Ash James, who claims Bella is his dog and will stop at nothing to get her back!

Becky’s not about to hand over lovely Bella to any Tom, Dick or Ash.  She’s determined to watch every move Ash James makes…even if it gets her very hot under the collar.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Zara Stoneley's delightfully romantic THE DOG SITTER.

Ok, I admit, it was the title that first drew me to this book without having read anything of the premise because being a dog lover it was surely a given that I would therefore enjoy it...wouldn't I? Strangely enough, I did. Thoroughly. Although romance chick lit is not my usual genre it was a little of the beaten path of the historical fiction and psychological thrillers I generally devour. But there was something completely endearing about being a dog sitter...in the beautiful Lakes District. Handsome musclebound SAS/gardener/woodchopper was indeed a bonus. But at the mention of Poldark, that's it, all I could see then was Aidan Turner and those gorgeous locks and sensuous eyes strapped out in his Poldark coat...shirtless, of course!

But...I digress...back to the THE DOG SITTER!

What a delightful opening chapter! We delve headlong into Becky's journey to the Lakes from the more civilised London to which she's accustomed, and here she battles lorries leaking liquid cow-dung, tractors flinging straw and she was daft enough to leave her window open letting it all in! Haha...granted her air con was on the blink so I can understand that...but oh, what an amusing monologue it was. Added to that, she had an irate self-obsessed Georgina on the phone demanding where she was, all the while dealing with the sights, smells and goo of the country coming through her window. I found myself chuckling from the first few pages. 

But it didn't stop there...no. Becky's rants to herself were amusing to read as she talks herself in and out of amusing and embarrassing situations. 

However, I feel I must mention the star of the show here...Bella. What an absolute delight she is, clever, friendly and oh so bloody funny! I could actually see her zooming all over the yard, the house, the furniture... If you've never seen a dog with zoomies, you are seriously missing out! They are hilarious! Of course I am a person who prefers dogs to people so I can therefore appreciate their unique personalities.

So Becky is meant to be house and dog sitting at this gorgeous palatial Lake View Cottage for Insta influencer Georgina and makes the long journey from London to the Lake District. After finding a sitter for her own poky little flat, she sets off early and arrives late...thanks to the snotty satnav woman leading her through country lanes laden with lorries spewing out liquid cow poo and tractors dispelling hay. Becky turned up looking like she'd been dragged through a dirty stinking hedge backwards so was thankful to find Georgina had already left and would therefore not see her in this state. Georgina, though, had left her a load of instructions in the form of lists detailing everything from locking the house up to not letting her ex step foot inside, as well as all the instructions for Bella's social diary.

Becky had mistakenly thought Bella was just a dog that she'd bee looking after. She was wrong. Bella is a cute but cyclonic cockapoo that is the canine face of Georgina's Instagram. So when she opens the door before reading all of the instructions, she did not expect to be met with a whirlwind that flew past her at the speed of knots and zoom around the garden and into the shrubbery till she was out of sight. And then to make matters worse, Georgina video calls from the airport in the midst of the chaos. As she relays her most important instructions once again, she reiterates that Becky MUST NOT under any circumstances let her ex go near Bella, set foot in the house or even speak to him at all! Apparently, he is out to dog-nap her back and will try anything.

And so we come to the ex. The SAS-slash-gardener-slash-woodchopper that Becky has imagined him to be from the sneaky pic of him on Georgina's Insta account. As Becky is frantically trying to find the zooming Bella whilst attempting to appease a slightly flustered Georgina on the phone, the very object of Becky's fantasies stands in the open doorway holding onto a wriggling Bella who is excitedly kissing his face. Georgina takes one look at him and screams at him whilst Becky just stands there covered in cow-dung and a wisp of straw in her hair. The picture painted was somewhat amusing.

The ex is Ash James...a swoon-worthy guy befitting of the delectable Ross Poldark (in the form of Aidan Turner, of course). Georgina might see red at the very thought of him but Becky sees lots of lurid fantasties involving him. Bella is apparently in love with even if her owner is not and soon Ash starts popping up at the oddest moments, attempting to lure Bella into his clutches no doubt. But Becky has been told he's the enemy and to stay away from him. But it's a bit difficult when he keeps finding excuses to turn up!

It isn't long before Becky starts to feel completely relaxed at at ease in the beautiful scenery of the Lake District. She came here in the hope of putting some distance between her and her controlling ex who not only dumped her but sacked her as well. Up until recently she has lived her life trying to please Teddy and letting go of what she really wants. No one in her family, but her father, liked him and saw right through his snobbery from the start. Becky only wished she had too...but now she has. And now she is in the beautiful Lake District ready to reignite her inspiration and paint what she really makes her happy. Animals. Scenery. Nature. Magical ponies. That's what makes her happy. And it's here that she finds it again. In the breathtaking scenery, the waterfalls, the lake, the flora and fauna...and most of all, in Bella. 

But it seems Bella comes as part of a package...with the handsome and somewhat delectable Ash. And what ensues is an entertaining and sometimes hilarious tale as Becky finds her inner inspiration to be who she really wants to be and paint what she really wants to paint.

I have to add, the descriptions of the scenery was simply beautiful. I live on the other side of the world and have never stepped foot in the UK, let alone the Lake District, but I could see it's beauty and natural wonders through Becky's eyes.

There is so much fun and silliness in this book it is difficult not to laugh at Bella's antics, as well as Becky's narration and enjoy the entertaining read that THE DOG SITTER is. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did but Bella really was the star here, hands down. There was a time early on that I started to get a little weary of Becky's sexual obsession of Ash...the woman sounded like a sex starved nymphomaniac at times...lol Although admittedly, the quick witted way she described it all it was quite amusing.

THE DOG SITTER is truly an entertaining read that I enjoyed more than I anticipated. It is fun, amusing and delightful in many ways. Not my usual genre but a definite feel-good read, nonetheless. And as no dogs were harmed or died in this story, it makes it an even better read for me.

Terrific rom-com read that will make you laugh out loud.

I would like to thank #ZaraStoneley, #RachelsRandomResources, #OneMoreChapter and #Netgalley for an ARC of #TheDogSitter in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date.

Born in a small village in the UK, she wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true.

She writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.

Zara now lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Zara’s bestselling novels include ‘The First Date’, 'Bridesmaids', 'No One Cancels Christmas', 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Harry's Instgram | BookBub | Amazon | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from One More Chapter by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse

An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse

Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, WW2

Read: 5th February 2021

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Amazon

Published: 9th February 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love, loss—and one last extraordinary dance.

Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories.

London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice, and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance, only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart.

Now, lying in her hospital bed, Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago. But she is not as alone as she thinks.

Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but?

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Amanda Prowse's beautiful, heartfelt and poignant story AN ORDINARY LIFE.

Having not read Amanda Prowse before I had no idea what to expect, apart from what the premise outlined that had initially drawn me to the book for it's wartime subplot. And yet I wasn't prepared for the emotions it evoked in me. I can see why she is such a high-rated author as she has that ability to draw you in and make you feel as if you are the main protagonist with all her experiences of love, life and loss. I was initially drawn to this book for his historical fiction aspect but it's the easy contemporary style that leaves you feeling emotive. 

AN ORDINARY LIFE is about one woman's extraordinary life that was anything but ordinary. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it will make you feel. It spans the years from 2019 to 1943 and throughout the years to the present day again. It is a tender tale, a beautiful story that is both heartfelt and heartbreaking...and it is about a secret carried over seven decades.

Christmas Eve 2019: Ninety-four year old Molly has a secret. A secret that she has carried for seventy five years and now she is the only one remaining that knows of it. She knows that at her age time is no longer on her side and this secret which she carries, she knows the time has come to impart that knowledge to the one whom it affects the most. Her son. And so she begins a letter but is unsure where to start. And then she sees another envelope marked "Private Correspondence" that spoke of the news the recipient never got to read and a tear escapes her eye. She places her unfinished letter to her son with the other aged envelope in her book "The Study of Flora" and sets it aside for a moment until she can gather her thoughts. A quick cup of tea and then she will finish it.

Molly carried the delicate teacup along the half-lit hall of her cosy cottage. She knew every nook, every cranny and every nuance of this house she purchased seven decades ago for her a little Joe. But her socked feet misjudged the two hundred year old staircase and she clutched her little teacup to her chest as if her life depended on it - it had been her grandmother's teacup - as if protecting it was of greater importance than any attempt to protect her aged bones. And as her frail body descended, she felt her head hit every step as she thumped her way down. The only two thoughts in her mind were - "This was my grandmother's teacup!" and "This may be how I die but I must finish my letter!" This, she thought before she drifted into dark oblivion.

It was her granddaughter Frances who found her and as Molly tried to tell her and the paramedics about her letter, she found her voice could only utter grunts and sounds. Now Molly finds herself in a hospital bed having suffered a stroke that has taken her words from her after a fall that has broken her body...but her mind remains alive with memories... And the thought that she must finish that letter.

London 1943: Nineteen year old Molly Collway works as a translator of both German and French for the Ministry of Information in her bid to help the war effort. She hopes this position will be a stepping stone to a career in Diplomacy although her family would rather she settle down with a nice young chap and have babies. But Molly wants more from life than domesticity. That is until her best friend Geer drags her along to a dance one evening and introduces her to her handsome brother Johan. As soon as their eyes meet, Molly forgets everything else and sees only him. They dance as if no one is watching, as if they were the only people in the room. 

Time is short, as it was in wartime fraught with stolen moments, and Molly and Johan's was just that. A lieutenant in the navy, Johan is stationed in a secret location, though he assures her he is quite safe as he remains on English soil. The couple share only a handful of moments together before it is all tragically torn apart. But not before one stolen moment together that  she now treasures - the memory of Johan's touch, his kiss and the feel of their nakedness.

But Molly while has no time to mourn, her mother has no time for her grief. She returns to work hiding a secret from everyone...except her sister Joyce, who urged her to tell their mother before she guessed. But too late, Molly returned home from work with a backache that lead to her locking herself in the bathroom and giving birth to her beautiful son who she named Joe, after his father. Her mother was shocked at the shame that Molly had brought on their good family name and told her that she nor the baby were not welcome under her roof. Molly's plan had been to save enough money to see her through her confinement and return to work whilst acquiring someone to look after Joe in her absence. 

But things change. Especially in wartime. Molly soon found herself without a job and no way of taking care of Joe. So she decided on a temporary solution while she saved enough for her and Joe to live a comfortable life. She asked her sister Joyce to look after him and keep him safe until after the war when living in London was no longer a risk. It seemed the ideal solution...for now.

The remainder of the war saw Molly become an undercover operative with the French Resistance until she realised the danger before becoming a POW liaison officer for the duration of the war and beyond. Once the war was over, Molly decided a move to the countryside would be a far better life for a child and bought a cottage in Chelmsford in Essex. She decorated Joe's room in shades of blue and suspended her father's wooden airplanes from the ceiling...and prepared to welcome her son home at last. After nine months growing and blooming under Joyce's loving care, is this finally to be her's and Joe's happy ever after?

Without giving any spoilers away, suffice to say Molly's life continues throughout the years from post-war Britain to the sexual revolution of the 60s, the decadence of the 70s, the changes of the eighties, the losses that came with moving into another century up until her fall on Christmas Eve 2019. She changes as the times change and she loses many people she has held dear...including her beloved sister Joyce. Leaving Molly the only one remaining who carries the secret. And now, it seems she may never finish that letter that was so important to her.

Molly's story, her secret, her life...is anything but an ordinary life. It has known tragedy, heartache, loss, grief and pain but it has also known love, happiness, hope and even contentment. Her story is one that will touch you and leave you with tears of sadness as well as happiness. 

AN ORDINARY LIFE is definitely a tale of a life that was anything but ordinary. It is a tale of reflection and of acceptance that is both emotive and compelling from beginning to end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it...with tissues!

I would like to thank #AmandaProwse, #RachelsRandomResources, #AmazonPublishingUK and #Netgalley for an ARC of #AnOrdinaryLife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty six novels and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner', 'The Things I Know' and ‘The Day She Came Back’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5's 'The Jeremy Vine Show' and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national independent Radio stations including LBC and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as 'The queen of family drama' Amanda's novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award while 'Perfect Daughter' was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016.

Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

Praise for Amanda Prowse:

'A powerful and emotional work of fiction' - Piers Morgan

'Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subjects with delicate skill' - Daily Mail

'Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues' - Hello!

'A gut-wrenching and absolutely brilliant read' - The Irish Sun

'You'll fall in love with this...' - Cosmopolitan

'Deeply moving and eye opening. Powerful and emotional drama that packs a real punch.' - Heat

'Magical' - Now magazine

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads

REVIEW: His Hidden Wife by Wendy Clarke

His Hidden Wife by Wendy Clarke

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 2nd February 2021

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Published: 4th February 2021

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

The first time you see them, out for an evening walk on the cliffs, you’ll think they’re the perfect family. You’ll see a wife who looks so happy, strolling peacefully beside her husband in his dark winter coat, holding her daughter’s hand. But you have no idea what’s really happening in their house…

If you come a little closer you might hear the way the man speaks to his wife.

You might notice that the woman doesn’t have any close friends. That sometimes her husband doesn’t want her to leave the house. You might wonder if that’s a scar her beautiful daughter is hiding on her neck.

When you read the local newspaper and hear the news that the wife has fallen from the cliffs, you’ll question whether it was really an accident at all.

And when the husband starts dating someone new – a woman with the same long dark hair and big blue eyes as his wife – will you say something this time?

Because someone has to protect the little girl and stop history from repeating itself. And it may already be too late.

A thrilling and twisty tale, His Hidden Wife will keep you up all night, desperate to race through to its final conclusion. Readers of Gone Girl, The Couple Next Door and Lisa Jewell will be hooked.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Wendy Clarke's latest psychological thriller HIS HIDDEN WIFE.

Throughout this book I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not, despite not being able to put it down...lol There was something engaging in the plot that just made you want to keep reading but I'm not sure what it was. Is it the underlying mystery of what happened to Maya's mother? Is it the sinister feel that shrouds you as the fog on the Dorset clifftop? Or is it that everyone is hiding a secret you simply have to uncover? Whatever it is, it makes HIS HIDDEN WIFE an intense and addictive read.

The story centres around behavioural psychologist Stephen and his 18 year old daughter Maya who was just six when she witnessed her mother plunge to her death from the cliffs behind their house. Her memories are understandable sporadic from her childhood but the father and daughter are incredibly close and Stephen has never failed to let Maya know how much her mother loved her. Every night, instead of a storybook that most children go to bed with, Stephen would open the photo album and tell Maya stories of her mother before she was born and when she was growing up. So Maya has always known how much her mother loved her.

But life at Crewel House hasn't always been rosy. Since her mother's death twelve years before, Maya has witnessed the dark moods that envelops her father. The times when he would shut himself away in his room, he won't eat, he won't talk to her...just lay in the dark until those moods subside. She also recalls a time, not long after her mother died, when she discovered him standing before a desk lined with tablets of all kinds. She was too younger to understand at the time, but she now realises her father must have been in the depths of despair after losing her mother that he felt he couldn't live without her. 

Maya has always worried about her father, which is why she didn't go to university to study medicine as she had always wanted to. Instead she stayed behind and took up a job as a care assistant at Three Elms, a care home that specialised in those with dementia. Maya loves her job and her patients. But it's when she comes home that she dreads finding her father in one of his dark moods. She must protect him from the past and from himself.

Then one day, Stephen announces he has met someone. And suddenly Maya fears that she will not be able to protect him with the presence of another. But it is when he brings his new girlfriend Amy home and introduces her that Maya is shocked. Amy is not only half his age but is the spitting image of her mother, with her soft dark hair and big blue eyes. Maya starts to feel uneasy as this rather odd coincidence begins to stir up a lot of questions. Her father has always refused to talk of her mother's death - why? She has no recollection of seeing her mother fall and yet she was found at the top of the cliff - but why won't her father tell her what she possibly saw? And then there are the whispers in the village about the arguments her parents used to have, but her father always told her how happy they were - is this a lie? But it's when he sees the bruises on Amy's arms that she has covered that Maya really begins to question how well she knows her father. She knows she has been keeping secrets from her and is determined to find out what they are.

Was her mother's death a tragic accident? Was it suicide? Or was it something far more sinister?

But these questions and the memories that are beginning to surface from the past confuse Maya. And so she seeks refuge in Teresa, another therapist in her father's Wellbeing Clinic, knowing that whatever she discusses with her will  remain confidential. But the questions she raises in her sessions Teresa quickly debunks, offering plausible explanations. If I were Maya, I'd be thoroughly confused!

We meet Teresa in the beginning as her chapters alternate with Maya's. It is clear from the beginning that she has a crush on Stephen, despite being married herself, although her marriage is not a happy one. Teresa has known Stephen since university but parted ways many years before. When he set up the Clinic he contacted Teresa and asked her if she would be interested in joining. 

Teresa's story is a sad one. After confiding in Stephen about her marriage, he offers her the cottage he keeps for holiday rentals for both her and her teenage son Dale. And then there is her mother who has dementia and is proving to be unable to remain at home, particularly after she receives a call to say she has had a break-in and yet nothing was taken. Teresa moves her mother into the cottage with her until she can find something more permanent for her. It's then she remembers Maya working at Three Elms. 

Although Teresa's is a side story to the main one revolving around Maya, Stephen and Amy, it is also integral to the bigger picture. Particularly when Maya comes to Teresa for therapy. Why is it that Teresa is so quick to dismiss Maya's concerns about her father? Is it her desire to protect Stephen due to her feelings for him? Or is it something more sinister? Does she know more than she is letting on?

HIS HIDDEN WIFE is certainly unpredictable as I didn't see the twist coming until right before it was revealed. But more than than, it is an emotional tale that focused on the power of memories - how they define us, how they shape us, how they can change over time and how they blend into our present.

A well written tightly told plot, HIS HIDDEN WIFE has a bit of everything throw in - secrets, lies, deception, manipulation, gaslighting, threats and murder...or was it suicide? Everyone has secrets to hide and no one is to be trusted. Even Maya and Teresa are unreliable narrators due to Maya's confused memories and Teresa's blindness towards Stephen. Neither can relate the truth as they are unable to see it. Which makes HIS HIDDEN WIFE a somewhat clever tale.

I won't lie, HIS HIDDEN WIFE is a slow burn but there is something underlying that just makes you want to keep reading. It is compelling and compulsive and makes for addictive reading. The ending, I felt, was a little anti-climatic but that's just personal opinion. The book is still an enjoyable read.

Recommended for fans of psychological and domestic thrillers with a creepy undertone.

I would like to thank #WendyClarke, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #HisHiddenWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Wendy Clarke was a teacher until the small primary school where she worked closed down. Now she is a writer of psychological suspense but is also well known for her short stories and serials which regularly appear in national women’s magazines.

Wendy has two children and three step-children and lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex. When not writing, she is usually indulging in her passion for dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

Social Media links:

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Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: Silent Voices by Patricia Gibney

Silent Voices (DI Lottie Parker #9) by Patricia Gibney

Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural

Read: 30th January 2021

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Published: 5th February 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The words blurred as she read the note. She could feel her blood turning to ice. ‘Before you make the biggest mistake of your life, meet me. If you don’t, her blood will be on your hands.’

When Beth Mullen returns home, expecting to find her twin Rachel waiting for her, the silent house sends a shiver down her spine. She races upstairs to find her beautiful beloved sister cold in her childhood bed, her sparkling blue eyes closed forever, the morning after attending a glittering party…

Newly engaged Detective Lottie Parker knows that Rachel has been murdered the minute she enters the bedroom. Rachel’s neck is bruised and a shard of glass placed in her throat. Confronted with such a horrifying killing, Lottie wastes no time in pursuing every clue.

While interviewing the partygoers, Lottie discovers that Rachel’s handbag and keys are nowhere to be found. But as she is searching for them, a brilliant young doctor is found murdered with glass in her throat. The doctor was nowhere near the party and Lottie is forced to question everything. Two beautiful young women with the world at their feet have been brutally silenced. Why did the killer need them to die?

Desperate to find proof of what really happened to Rachel that night, Lottie gets close to the hostess of the party, whose two daughters were friends with Rachel. But Lottie’s hunt for the truth is getting under the killer’s skin, and when Lottie’s fiancé Boyd goes missing, will she be able to find him before it’s too late? Or will he too be silenced forever?

An unputdownable crime thriller from bestselling author Patricia Gibney, with an ending that will blow your mind. If you like Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine you’ll be totally hooked by Silent Voices.  

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Patricia Gibney's latest crime thriller SILENT VOICES.

It only seems like yesterday that I first met DI Lottie Parker, DS Mark Boyd and her team. And here we are at book 9! I may have missed a few in between the first books and where I next picked up with Lottie and Boyd, but it feels as though I have been with them every step of the way. And when a new book comes along it is always a treat to catch up with them all once again.

That being said, SILENT VOICES suffices quite well as a standalone (as does each book in this series) but as with all series it is always best to start from the beginning to get to know the characters and their backstories. Sure, I've missed a few pertinent happenings but I'm well caught up in the books that have followed since.

This 9th installment of the DI Lottie Parker series may be called SILENT VOICES, but I think "Silent Screams" might have been a better choice, given how the victims in the book died...which soon becomes clear.

For the past several books, we have been skirting around Lottie and Boyd's engagement and wonder are they ever going to get married?  After all, the two certainly danced around the topic often enough. But finally, that day has arrived. After an opening which saw the death of a young boy being pushed to his death in a quarry, we then move on to the prologue which sees Lottie out of her standard jeans and shirt and wearing a chiffon dress in front of a mirror, pondering the day ahead. This is her wedding day! After a tumultuous week, she and Boyd were finally getting married! But when she walks outside and sees her daughters, her mother and Boyd's sister Grace standing together along with Kirby, acting as Boyd's best man, her stomach drops. Something has happened. Racing into the cottage where Boyd and Kirby were dressing for the ceremony, she finds a note addressed to "Mark Boyd" with a cryptic message inside...as the world suddenly goes black and Lottie falls to the floor.

Rewind a week earlier and Rachel Mullen attends a drinks networking gig at the newly opened Annie's Restaurant, owned and operated by Annie Fleming. The next day Rachel's twin sister Beth returns home from Dublin to find her dead, her back arched, her fingers clawing at her neck and her mouth opened in a silent scream. The cause of death returns as strychnine poisoning, a particularly nasty (and very painful) way to die. But who would want to kill Rachel? And in such a painful way? Who hated her that much? Lottie and her team pose the question to her devastated twin Beth who can think of no one. As the team dig into Rachel's background they discover that she was just starting her own cosmetics business which was to be sustainably sourced from organic products such as rock and stone...things found in a quarry. And then they learn that her meeting just prior to the drinks party she attended the night before at Annie's restaurant was with Matthew Fleming, Annie's estranged husband...and owner of a local quarry. Are the Flemings somehow linked to Rachel's death?

Then a couple of days later 15 year old Maddy Daly returns the bike she had borrowed from her friend Ellen Gormley, but upon getting no answer to her knock, goes inside. There she finds Ellen in a broken heap at the bottom of her stairs, her face in apparent agony and her mouth open in a silent scream. Toxicology comes back also as strychnine poisoning. But the time of death was at least 24 hours prior to Rachel's. Lottie must work out how the deaths of these two women are related...and where does young Maddy fit in, whom Boyd seems to have a soft spot for?

When a third woman is found in similar circumstances, Lottie realises she has her hands full...what with the investigation and Supt Farrell breathing down her neck. How is she to get this case solved and put to bed before her wedding in two days' time?

And then Lottie's sixteen year old daughter has an apparent new boyfriend whom she is yet to meet, and who she knows nothing about. But Chloe has been through a lot in the past five years since her father's death from cancer, as has the whole family, Lottie has given her daughter the freedom to work at a local pub and become her own person. It's her son Sean that is the worry for her. Her eldest Katie now lives in New York with her two year old son Louie, whom Lottie misses terribly. But they will be back for the wedding which she can hardly wait for - on both counts.

Then when there the massive storm that has been brewing all week hits on the Thursday and flooding half the town, Chloe rings Lottie in a panic because the hotel where the wedding reception is to be held has been flooded and they have no back-up plan! But then a though occurs to Lottie...however unethical it might be. She just wants to marry Mark Boyd.

There is so much going on in this book, but in a good way so you don't get confused. Murders, Maddy, weddings...with a bit of drug dealing and the odd quarry explosion not to mention the batch of shifty characters...there is everything in SILENT VOICES you need for another twisty suspenseful thriller. I love how the Lottie Parker series is not JUST a police procedural...but a crime thriller as well. You get to see the story from various perspectives without giving anything away. For me, this is the best kind of police procedural, as it keeps the pace going at the rate of knots.

I have loved to see Lottie grow into the woman she is now. I have to admit to not really liking her all that much when I first met her. She was stubborn (she still is) and a bit arrogant in wanting to get to the truth whatever the cost, whilst going home to down a couple of bottles of red or white or whatever was on offer. These days she has mellowed somewhat and I think Boyd has been good for her. I must admit to missing Boyd working alongside her in the previous couple of books, what with his receiving treatment for leukaemia. In the last book he was still there but not back at work yet, so it wasn't quite the same. The book before I don't recall him being around much at all and I must admit to missing him at Lottie's side. Together they make the perfect partnership...which begs the question, where will that leave them when they marry? Will their partnership be split after their marriage?

SILENT VOICES is a brilliant addition to the series and very probably the best yet...but that may be down to the return of Boyd to their partnership. I have no hesitation in recommending this book or the entire series for that matter. Should you choose to read this as a standalone, it can be done, but I do recommend starting from the beginning to appreciate the characters and their personal growths more.

Overall, a fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages right up to the end. Thoroughly enjoyed it and welcome the return of Lottie and Boyd!

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Patricia Gibney is an Irish author of crime fiction who sold 100,000 copies of her first crime thriller as an e-book, and had total sales exceeding 500,000 copies in 2018. By 2019, total book sales had passed one million.

Patricia is from Mullingar, County Westmeath and has lived there all her life. She spent 30 years working with Westmeath County Council.

When her husband died in 2009, aged 49, three months after a diagnosis of cancer, Patricia turned to art and writing, self-publishing a children's book entitled 'Spring Sprong Sally'. She then started writing crime fiction and created her first novel in that genre featuring DI Lottie Parker with 'The Missing Ones'. She worked with the Irish Writers Centre to improve her writing. Eventually she began a second novel 'The Stolen Girls' and through that acquired an agent and a publishing contract with Bookouture.

Patricia currently has 8 DI Lottie Parker novels to date, with the ninth 'Silent Voices' to be published in February 2021, and is set in the fictional Irish town of Ragmullin, which is an anagram of the real-life town of Mullingar, where Patricia lives.

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REVIEW: Stormy Days on Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke

Stormy Days on Mulberry Lane (Mulberry Lane #7) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Post-WW2

Read: 31st January 2021

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Published: 2nd February 2021

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

London 1950

Peggy Ronoscki is happily settling into life running her guesthouse on Mulberry Lane, surrounded by close friends and family. Life just seems too good…

But then disaster strikes.

Pip, her beloved son is left in a coma following a devastating car crash and a young girl collapses in the market leaving Peggy no option but to nurse her back to health.

As things begin to go awry, Peggy worries she has brought trouble to her doorstep?

Can her life ever return to normal? Or has Peggy’s good nature led her astray?

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Rosie Clarke's latest heartwarming saga STORMY DAYS ON MULBERRY LANE.

A delightful journey to the London's East End in this seventh installment in the Mulberry Lane series, STORMY DAYS ON MULBERRY LANE follows the women and their families who live in and around Mulberry Lane. I can't believe I have not read anything from the series before now because it is simply a wonderfully easy read that is gentle, light and heartwarming. Despite having never read the previous six books, I was still able to pick it up as if I'd just left the women and I was revisiting them once again. Not once did I feel out of place or as if I had missed out on too much because everything that is needed for this story is found within these pages. I not once found myself lost in a story I had come into partway but felt as if I had always been there from the beginning.

It's 1950 and this story focuses on Peggy Ronoscki, or "Peggy of the Lanes", as she is more fondly known as. It is clear from the beginning that Peggy, her husband Able and their twins Fay and Freddie have moved back to London from the slower pace of the Devonshire coast where they ran a successful and highly profitable cafe. 

Now Peggy is happily settled back into life in the Lane and running her guesthouse whilst helping out in the Pig and Whistle pub with her daughter-in-law Sheila. Surrounded by her family and friends, with the exception of her daughter Janet who now lives in Scotland with her husband Ryan and daughter Maggie, Peggy is the sort of friend you would want any type of crisis. She is a rare gem with her strength of character, strong values and her ability to always see the good in people. If she could do a good deed for anyone, she would...no questions asked. And she would ask for nothing in return. But sometimes that kind of generosity can be taken advantage of...as Peggy is soon to discover.

With the war now over and rationing still rampant on selected items, the effects may still linger but the backbone of the people remain. They have lived through a World War, some of them two wars, and yet the people of Britain remain stoic. Five years on and the city, as well as the country, are slowly rebuilding their homes and their lives. And Peggy's guesthouse is somewhere I would love to stay, should there be such a thing in this day and age. She is a caring hostess who goes out of her way to make every one of her guests feel at home with lovely rooms and hearty home-cooked meals. Such is her hospitality that someone puts her name forward to the Landlady of the Year award which will see her shortlisted and invited to cook a traditional menu that she would normally serve her guests at the illustrious Savoy Hotel. Peggy does it just for the love of what she does and doesn't expect to win when up against other more talented hostesses. But will she surprise them all and take out the prize?

Peggy's life has not been without heartache. She was once married to a man who betrayed her with another before falling victim to the war. She and her two children, Pip and Janet, moved on and she met and married Able Ronoscki and had twins Fay and Freddie, now aged 10. But throughout every challenge, Peggy's unfaltering resolve and hope gives both herself and others the strength and the courage to be the best they can in any circumstance.

Now Peggy's daughter-in-law and publican of the Pig and Whistle is heavily pregnant with her second child, her daughter Janet is miles away in Scotland expecting her second child also and one of the other women in the lane, Rose Barton, is also expecting another. All three women are heavily pregnant and all due within weeks of each other and Peggy being Peggy, intends to be there for each of them. 

However, Sheila's baby arrives a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and as she calls to tell her son Pip the news that he is the father of a beautiful little girl, she is greeted with the news that he has been involved in a car accident and is currently in hospital in Winchester with critical injuries that have left him in a coma. Peggy's first instinct is to go to her son but Sheila needs bed rest and she must take over the running of the pub as well as her guesthouse in her place. But upon hearing the news about her brother, heavily pregnant Janet travels down from Scotland to see her mother before making the trip to Winchester to see Pip. And then Sheila decides she must also go to see her husband, despite needing bed rest after the birth. Leaving Peggy behind to run both establishments...with the help of her friends. But when Rose goes into labour, she then finds herself down one pair of hands.

In the midst of it all, Peggy's kindness is taken advantage of when she takes in a young girl called Gillian whom she finds half starved, pale and weak on the street. She feeds her, clothes her and gives her a place to stay until she is stronger. But every time Peggy suggests she take a walk with her outside, Gillian becomes fearful and skitters away to her room. She is aware that the girl has been used and abused by someone or others, but what damage has it left on the poor girl? Then things start happening in the guesthouse...salt in the sugar, phone messages not passed on and then Fay takes a tumble down the stairs, leaving her unable to skate for some weeks. But when things start going missing, Peggy realises that her generosity has been taken for granted and she must have a word to Gillian. Only when she knocks on her door, she finds Gillian has trashed the room and left. Peggy is stunned. She only did what she thought was right by the girl...how could she repay her like this?

We also catch up with friends such as Maureen and her husband Gordon, daughter Shirley and boys Gordy and Matty, as well as Rose and Tom Barton. In the guesthouse there is also sweet Alice who Peggy has known since before the war and took in because the woman was lonely living on her own, and then there is Pearl who comes in to clean the guesthouse. We follow Shirley on her working holiday to Clacton-on-sea with her boyfriend Richard and her ambitions to become a doctor, having already been accepted to study medicine at Durham university. 

There is always something happening in the lanes that you are made to feel a part of as you watch romance, illness, new life and mysteries unfold. As well as Peggy's mouth-watering food. There are plenty of ups and downs as life continues for the women of Mulberry Lane and their families.

I am only sorry I have not discovered this series before now as I would love to follow the women from the beginning...but I guess one day I will find the time to go back and revisit them from the start.

A heartwarming story from beginning to end, STORMY DAYS ON MULBERRY LANE is a must for any and all fans of historical fiction, particularly those of heartwarming sagas.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #RachelsRandomResources, #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #StormyDaysOnMulberryLane in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie Clarke has been writing for several years and has written under various names for a variety of publishers.  She lives in Cambridgeshire, is happily married and enjoys life with her husband.  She likes to walk in the Spanish sunshine and eating out at favourite restaurants in Marbella is a favourite pastime, but writing is her passion.

Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.

 

Social Media links:

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Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: The Secret Within by Lucy Dawson

 

The Secret Within by Lucy Dawson

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 27th January 2021

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Published: 26th January 2021

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

It was supposed to be my family’s promising new start, but now it’s a nightmare I can’t wake up from…

 

I need the two men sitting opposite to trust me. My family’s happiness is riding on my getting this job. I smile – there’s no link between having a friendly face and being trustworthy, but humans are programmed to think there is. Even us doctors, who should know better.

 

They’ll know about my past from the newspapers – the court case, the threats, the lies that were told – but what’s important now are my children. This has to be the new start we so desperately need. An escape from my old job, my ex… and the scandal that nearly ruined me.

 

What I don’t know yet is that if I convince them to trust me, I’ll be putting my family in terrible danger. I’m trying to make things right, but this is when it starts to go very, very wrong…

 

Utterly twisty and completely unputdownable. This insanely gripping page-turner is perfect for anyone who tore through Friend Request, Gone Girl or My Lovely Wife.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Lucy Dawson's latest psychological thriller THE SECRET WITHIN.

This is a difficult book to review as it evoked so many conflicting emotions in me. The first half was slow and I thought "I don't think I'm going to enjoy this" and then it picked up and I'm thinking "Mmm, now this could get interesting"...and then I got to the point I just felt like banging heads! And then...it ends up being like a car crash - you just can't look away. You just have to know what happens next!

Plastic surgeon Julia Blythe is looking for a new start for her and her family. She relocates to a small town in Devon after turning whistle-blower on a fellow surgeon for dangerous and unethical practices that put patients at risk and finding herself the victim of a witch hunt by the hospital trust. Her trial was broadcast nationwide in which she fought to get her job back on principal but knowing full well that she could no longer work in that environment, Julia and her family packed themselves off to a coastal town in Devon.

Now she finds herself at the final stage of interviews where she needs to convince the panel of two - Hamish and Tanveer - to take a chance on her despite what they might have heard about her in the media. Her family's future and happiness hinges on her getting this job at Exeter Memorial Hospital. But Hamish and Tanveer have their own reasons for wanting Julia as part of their team - both of them different. And so they offer her the job...which is perfect because now her husband Ewan can take up the teaching position he was offered at the local school in which their children Alex and Cassia have reserved places. But Julia will soon discover that this wasn't the fresh start she was hoping for...and that she may well have placed herself and her family in danger.

Enter Nathan Sloan. The third in the team of surgeons that Julia will be working with...but who wasn't on the panel when she was interviewed. He is movie-star handsome, successful, charismatic and well-liked throughout the hospital and with patients...but he is a narcissistic misogynist and an expert manipulator who believes he can get away with anything. After all, he has done for years. So full of himself is he that he is well confident that their new colleague Julia won't call him out or blow the whistle on his secret practices due to her past. Because really, who will believe her if she does it again? But then Nathan has plans for her.

But then Nathan's plans go awry when Julia walks up to him outside the school where their children attend and introduces herself. He had their first meeting all mapped out...how he would make a grand entrance at the hospital and charm her with his devilish good looks and captivating smile. Unfortunately for him, Julia is nobody's fool and she doesn't plan on being hoodwinked or charmed by him. And so she stands there in her wellies and shakes his hand. The moment she does is electric. Nathan is suddenly dumbstruck, staring at her plain-ness and yet is completely under her spell. From that moment on, Nathan makes it his mission to have Julia fall under his...

And then Julia's ex-husband, Dominic, turns up outside the school gates very drunk...and in danger of not only embarrassing Julia, but their son Alex as well. Julia is mortified but Nathan cleverly diffuses the awkward situation by suggesting he and Dom go for a cigarette before the kids come out. Instead, Nathan puts Dom back on a train to London with £100 for his trouble. Nathan is sure now that Julia will be indebted to him and sees this as his way in. Thanking him the next day at work, Julia is incredibly grateful. But she is not as grateful as he had hoped she would be...as he is to discover. 

Becoming obsessed with Julia, Nathan will go to any lengths to ensure that she will love him back. Even to the point of lunacy. Even Hamish, who has been Nathan's best friend for twenty five years, thinks his friend has lost the plot. Women are there for the taking not to fall in love with. But Nathan is blind to anything else...he is convinced he loves Julia and will do anything to be granted her love in return. And then he comes up with a foolproof plan to ensure her gratitude and love for him forever...

Nathan is truly deplorable but as the story develops he becomes almost childlike in his excitement and plans to make Julia fall in love with him. And although he claims that her existence has changed him completely, his obsession for her is indeed dangerous. When she uncovers the truth of what he has been doing, she threatens to report him but Nathan refuses to believe she will...especially when he shows her the photo that Hamish took of them kissing on the beach. Julia visibly pales but is resolute in her convictions. 

Seemingly innocuous at first, Hamish is an incredibly nasty character. While Nathan was openly creepy, Hamish watched from the sidelines...and even took a piece himself when the opportunity arose. If Nathan was dangerous, Hamish was even more so. He was Nathan's twisted conscience to ensure he didn't blow their "little operation". After all, they all knew of the troubles at her previous hospital and didn't for once think anyone would believe her a second time...which is why they hired her, counting on her keeping schtum. 

A slow burn to start, THE SECRET WITHIN does pick up the pace around 30% and then goes into full pelt mode just beyond the halfway mark. You both love and hate the story that unfolds but you can't look away either. It becomes addictive reading as you keep turning the pages in your quest to discover how it all pans out. Will Nathan be held accountable for his lurid practices and recording of patients without their consent? Or will he charm his way out of it and live to see another day?

Honestly, I thought Nathan was completely deluded. I don't know how he thought every twisted idea he came up with would make Julia love him. He was seriously so unstable it made him dangerous, which became even clearer when he started playing out scenes with Julia in his mind whilst in surgery. To the point he had completely forgotten the surgical plan for the patient he was currently working on! Too scary, I'm sure. But at the same time, his delusions and his childlike way he became excited about them made me chuckle as often as I was shaking my head. He was a 51 surgeon and here he was behaving like a lovestuck teenager. The entire debacle was hilarious it was that ludicrous. But it was Hamish I really didn't like. He was truly dangerous and vindictive...probably moreso than the dastardly Nathan.

I did feel the book to be a little long in parts but the story was so addictive and mesmerising I was never actually bored. It's a creepy thought to think that a person with such power as a surgeon could cross such boundaries completely without your knowledge. It reminds us just how much we really put our trust in doctors and surgeons. The very act of being anaesthetised for surgery is a complete measure of trust on our part. And that is what makes this whole tale creepy.

Told primarily through the alternating narratives of Julia and Nathan, with the odd chapter through Hamish's eyes, the plot is slowly revealed as we are drip-fed snippets to keep us engaged throughout. As much as I disliked him, I especially enjoyed reading Nathan's twisted delusional narrative. It was like having a window into a completely warped mind. I couldn't figure out if he was a pure psychopath or just plain mental.

A long, crazy ride that is so completely mind-boggling my head was spinning, THE SECRET WITHIN is not so much a mystery as it is a suspenseful thriller. You know what is happening as it plays out so nothing remains a mystery...except for how it will end. And I was a little surprised by the ending. Still not sure I liked it but my lips are sealed as to say anymore would be a spoiler.

A tense read, THE SECRET WITHIN is definitely a different tale of twisted obsession that will appeal to fans who like their psychological/domestic thrillers a little dark and twisted.

I would like to thank #LucyDawson, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretWithin in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lucy has been writing psychological suspense novels since 2008, when her first bestseller - His Other Lover - was published. Since then her work has been translated into numerous languages.

Her gripping books jump in at the deep end... the extraordinary things that can happen to ordinary couples, families and friends with devastating conclusions.

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Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

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