Strangers by C L Taylor @callytaylor @AvonBooksUK *Audobookreview*

Hello book friends, I hope you are well?

I have been away for a while with the dreaded lurgy, but I am better now and ready to catch up with my reviews, and everything else I have missed out on Lol.

I’m super happy to be on the audiobook blog tour for this fantastic book by C L Taylor.

My Review

This book was so much fun to read, it has so many red herrings in there, that you think that you know exactly where it is going, and then it switches you in a completely different direction.

The story begins at the end of the book, where we are introduced to our 3 main protagonists, Ursula, Gareth and Alice. They are all standing over a dead body.

The book then flips you back to a week before the incident, and to 3 complete strangers,all experiencing a bit of a crappy hand at life, they are all 3 dealing with some sort of loss, whether that be life, marriage etc.

Mixed in between all of this, we also have the perspective, of other strangers on Twitter trying to solve other *suspected* murders, it was really interesting to see this mingled in with the book, it reminded me a little of the Don’t F* With Cats documentary.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book, it is the 2nd book I have read by this author, and it will not be my last.

🎧🎧

Narration was by the awesome Clare Corbett, who did an amazing job, her accents were fab, I have listened to quite a few books narrated by her, and she always gives a stellar performance, her voices are great, and I was never confused about a character at any time.

Synopsis

Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.

None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker **Book Review** @stmartinspress @macmillanaudio

Happy Tuesday bookworms!

And happiest of publication days to this exciting new thriller from Wendy walker!🧡

My Thoughts

Twisted and tense. Creepy and claustrophobic. Dark and disturbing. Wendy Walker has written another can’t miss thriller! Molly is alone on a dark road in the middle of a storm when she runs out of gas. Molly has been a shell of her former self ever since the death of her youngest daughter Annie, who died in a car accident. An accident Molly blames herself for. Molly is at wits end so running out of gas in the middle of the storm is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. She gets out of the car starts walking and the next day no one knows where she is. What follows is an addictive, multi layered, complicated story.

The story bounces between the perspectives of Molly and her older daughter Nicole who is looking for her. Both Molly and Nicole are well-developed, sympathetic, and flawed characters. There was a wealth of suspects in the story all of which I was suspicious of at some time or another. The tension in this story was ramped way up, I had that claustrophobic feeling throughout the book. I seriously gasped out loud a couple times while reading this book when the story took a turn I was not anticipating. Therese Plummer expertly narrates the audiobook. She gave each character the perfect voice, I was never confused as to who was narrating the story. Another excellent thriller from Miss Walker.

This book in emojis 🛣 📹 🏈 😷 ✏️ 🍎

*** Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

In Wendy Walker’s thrilling novel Don’t Look for Me, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time.

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life.

She doesn’t want to be found.

Or at least, that’s the story.

The car abandoned miles from home.

The note found at a nearby hotel.

The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together.

They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? 

The Wife by Shalini Boland **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy Sunday all!

Excited to share with you today my review for this crazy thriller!

My Thoughts Compulsive and fast-paced. Addictive and twisted. This is one of Shalini Bolan’s best! The book starts off with Zoe fainting before her wedding ceremony. The story then jumps forward 10 years Zoe and Toby are happily married with two children planning their 10 year anniversary party. Zoe appears to have a perfect life, but there is still something that nags her about what happened all those years ago. The book bounces between past and present. as the story progresses and the layers are peeled away you learn that Zoe’s life is not as perfect as it seems. Her sister-in-law Madeline is giving her the cold shoulder, her husband Toby is not being completely truthful with her, she keeps thinking she’s glimpsing her long lost sister, and things start to spiral out of control.

This book was packed with secrets, lies, and misdirection. Zoe was a likable character although a bit naïve. There were multiple times in the story I was frustrated with her, I just wanted her to ask the damn questions that needed to be asked! This was a definite addictive page turner. I was completely invested in the story and needing Zoe to find out the truth. The ending was twisted, surprising, and plausible. Another well done thriller from this stellar author.

This book in emojis 👰🏼 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 💇🏻‍♀️ ⛵️ 🏨

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Zoe fainted on her wedding day, and she never knew why. She’s always felt sure something bad happened. Ten years later, she’s going to find out what…

It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband.

Then, there was a blank.

They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterwards. Did something happen in that missing time?

Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married.

But as the anniversary gets closer, it becomes clear not everyone is looking forward to celebrating. Zoe catches Toby lying about where he’s been. One of her best friends seems to be ignoring her. And someone is spreading stories that might stop the party from happening at all.

Zoe is increasingly sure that she doesn’t have the full story. But does she want to know the truth, if it will destroy everything?

From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally gripping psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the last jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.  

About the Author

Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and sorting endless baskets of laundry).

http://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
https://twitter.com/ShaliniBoland  

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2QOWjOB

Apple: https://apple.co/336FRR1

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2X3KbfW

Google: https://bit.ly/310OERO

Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins **Book Review** @atriabooks

Happy Friday book people!

Do you like disturbing characters in your stories? Then do I have a book for you, some of the most deranged people I’ve read about in quite some time.🩸

My Thoughts

Dark and disturbing. Tents and atmospheric. I have not read a book that has made me cringe quite as much as this one in quite some time. There were SO many seriously disturbed characters it’s a wonder that Fern wasn’t more screwed up. Fern is summoned home by her less than stellar father to help him pack because he is moving to Florida. At the same time a woman goes missing. The missing woman Astrid went missing previously 20 years ago and Fern is convinced there is a connection, not only between these incidences, but between herself and Astrid. As fern reads Astrid’s memoir and is prodded by her father the pieces of the past start to come together. Can Fern help find Astrid and will this unlock secrets of her past?

OK… Fern had the most messed up parents ever. Her father was a psychologist who studied fear and used his daughter as a research subject, running experiments on her. I legit cannot understand why she was even there helping him move he was such an awful person. And her mom was just as bad she let all of this happen? Ugh 😫 This was a book bursting with unreliable narrator‘s, I don’t think anyone was honest about what was going on. The mystery of the missing woman Astrid was interesting, but I wish there was a little more tension. It also could’ve been a little more fast-paced, I like my thrillers to be a little more frantic. A well told thriller with some well developed deranged characters.

This book in emojis 🚪 🖼 📕 🐝 🩸 📱

*** Big thank you to Atria for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

The author of the “suspenseful, atmospheric, and completely riveting” (Megan Miranda, New York Timesbest-selling author) debut The Winter Sister returns with a darkly thrilling novel about a woman who comes to believe that she has a connection to a decades-old kidnapping and, now that the victim has gone missing again, begins a frantic search to learn what happened in the past.

When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a 34-year-old missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping – and equally famous return – 20 years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. And when Astrid appears in Fern’s recurring nightmare, one in which a girl reaches out to her, pleading, Fern fears that it’s not a dream at all, but a memory.

Back home in New Hampshire, Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir – which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again – and as she reads through its chapters and visits the people and places within it, she discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. As Fern’s search becomes increasingly desperate, she hopes to remember her past so she can save Astrid in the present…before it’s too late.

Featuring Megan Collins’ signature “dark, tense, and completely absorbing” (Booklist) prose and plenty of shocking twists and turns, Behind the Red Door is an arresting thriller that will haunt you long after you hear the last word.

Have a fabulous day! XOXO Berit🦋

The House Party by Mary Grand **Book Review** @rararesources

Happy Saturday all!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with reading and relaxation!

The House Party

Someone is about to die… Someone is about to lie…

At the intimate house-warming party for her glorious ‘grand design’, Kathleen confides in her best friend Beth that she is terrified of one of their close friends, but daren’t reveal which one. The guests are a tight-knit group, but Kathleen is convinced one of them is dangerous.

The next day Kathleen’s body is found at the foot of a cliff and Beth must face the sickening truth that she may have been killed by one of their trusted friends. With little help from the police, Beth’s decides to seek answers.

All the friends have secrets they are desperate to hide, but only one of them is ready to kill to keep theirs safe…

The House Party is set on the Isle of Wight – insular,claustrophobic, and with nowhere to run. Mary Grand has written a heart-stopping novel of secrets, betrayal and desire, perfect for fans of Louise Candlish and Lucy Foley.

My Thoughts

A tense who done it. Kathleen hosts a housewarming party and while at the party she confides in her friend Beth that someone there is out to kill her. BUT she does not tell Beth who it is. So when Kathleen’s body is found the next day, Beth is shook. Which one of their friends killed Kathleen and why? A house full of suspects and very few clues. Love the premise of the story, knowing your friend has been killed by another one of your friends? I also loved trying to figure out The Who, what, and why right alongside Beth. Unfortunately the pacing was a little slow for my liking and I would’ve liked a little more tension running throughout the story. The ending however was perfection. I love when an ending takes me by surprise, but you can go back and puzzle all the clues logically together.

*** Big thank you to Boldwood Books for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/35kKciQ

Author Bio – Mary Grand is the author of five novels and writes gripping, page-turning suspense, with a dark and often murderous underside. She grew up in Wales, was for many years a teacher of deaf children and now lives on the Isle of Wight where her new novel,

The House Party, which will be published by Boldwood in July 2020, is set.

Social Media Links –

Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/authormaryg

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/authormarygrand/

Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/maryandpepper/?hl=en

Bookbub Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mary-grand?list=about

Blog / website URL: https://marygrand.net/

Dear Daughter by K L Slater **Cover Reveal** @bookouture

Happy Friday all!

That’s a lava cover reveal! Especially when it’s for a book from a fabulous author like K L Slater!

About the Book

Your sister lives in your home. You trust her with your baby.
But what if you’ve got it wrong?

Alexa has always adored her big sister Carrie. So when Carrie is suspended from her job as a senior nurse, accused of the most terrible crime, Alexa refuses to believe she is guilty. She won’t desert her sister in her hour of need, and offers her somewhere to stay. And when Alexa sees her one-year-old daughter Florence gurgling and cooing whenever Carrie is around, she knows she’s made the right decision.

Alexa’s husband Perry doesn’t trust Carrie. He wants her out of the house, unable to ignore what people are saying about her. But when he suggests that Carrie could be a danger to their daughter, Alexa shuts him out. Nobody will ever come between her and her sister.

But while Alexa trusts her sister completely, she can’t stop thinking about the awful thing that happened in the past. She tries to suppress her worries, but when Florence goes missing, she realises that the secret that has kept the sisters together might just destroy her little girl…

A completely gripping rollercoaster of a read about the darkness families hide behind closed doors. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on Dear Daughter.

About the Author

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents and collected an impressive stack of rejection slips. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating in 2012, she gained literary agent representation and a book deal. As Kim says, ‘it was a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer. She has one daughter, two stepsons and lives with her husband in Nottingham.

Author website: www.KLSlaterAuthor.com
Twitter: @KimLSlater
Facebook: KL Slater Author
Instagram: KLSlaterAuthor  

Pre-order links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2E0xdJg

Apple: https://apple.co/2WH5m7l

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3fRWByS

Google: https://bit.ly/2WH5kML

Have a lovely weekend! XO Berit🦋

What I Know by Miranda Smith **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy weekend all!

Wow! What a crazy thriller! So deliciously dark!

My Thoughts

Two psychopaths for the price of one! Miranda Smith has written a deliciously dark thriller like no other you’ve read before. Della is a happily married teacher trying to put the past behind her. That is until the day Zoe shows up in her classroom. There is something in the girl’s eyes that reminds Della of her brother Brian, the brother who tried to kill her when she was only 13. When something happens at the school and Della finds out more details about the event, she is more convinced than ever that Zoe is evil. The story bounces back-and-forth between past and present, Della dealing with her brother Brian and then Zoe. All the characters in the story were so well developed. Della was great, I was frightened and frustrated right alongside her. Brian and Zoe were so manipulative, charming, and calculating. Most of the secondary characters were so maddening, they just did not want to believe Della. And if I’m being honest there were times in the book I started to doubt her myself. A very compelling tale of evil.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me.

These days, Della is a loving wife, a dedicated teacher, a woman trying to do her best. She has put her past far behind her. But she hasn’t forgotten the lessons she learned.

It’s just a regular morning when Della welcomes Zoey to her English class. She treats her like any other new student: assigns her a desk, hands out the work. But then she meets Zoey’s cold, calculating eyes and freezes as terrifying memories threaten to overwhelm her.

Della knows what evil looks like when it hides behind a confident smile. Her own brother, the town’s darling, couldn’t keep his true nature hidden for ever. Della has been watching out for people like him ever since, determined to stop them before it’s too late.

When a student is viciously attacked and Della is sent a detailed account of the crime, she’s more convinced than ever that Zoey has darkness inside her.

But to make people believe her, she needs proof. Will she risk everything to get it? And without it, can she be sure she’s right?

Prepare to be hooked by this dark, gripping crime thriller, perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn and Rachel Caine.  

About the Author

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children. 

 https://mirandasmithwriter.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/ 

 https://www.instagram.com/mirandasmithwriter/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2YHk3HT

Apple: https://apple.co/2YJtfeJ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3fANfr1

Google: https://bit.ly/2wSiltn

I Know You Lied by Leslie Sanderson **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy hump day!

How would you feel if you found out your entire life was a lie? This was a compelling story about family secrets and lies.

My Thoughts

Got a secret, can you keep it? Leslie Sanderson has crafted a dark family drama brimming with secrets and lies. Imagine that for 30 years you have thought your mother died in a car accident when you were young. Raised by your grandmother you have lived a pretty darn good life. Then out of the blue you receive a letter from a solicitor informing you that your mother has just recently passed away. What? That is the situation that Nell finds herself in. Hurt and confused Nell is determined to find out the truth. Where has her mother been for the past 30 years and why was she told she was dead?

Told in alternating perspectives the story bounces between Nell and her mother Sarah, the present and the past. This was much more of a family drama than a thriller. A deep dive into this family’s psyche. Nell was a sympathetic character, I really felt for her and could not imagine being in her situation. The story was a bit of a slow burn, but I really did enjoy the journey. Well told, although a little predictable.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.

 

When Nell was just a tiny baby, her parents died in a car crash, leaving her to be raised by her devoted grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s very recent death, it destroys everything Nell thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?

 

Nell knows she can never recapture the years with her mother that were taken from her, and fears this will haunt her forever. Now she won’t rest until she finds out why she was so cruelly deceived. But her family’s past has been kept secret for a reason, and someone is desperate for it to stay that way. How much danger will Nell risk for the truth?

 

If you loved The Silent Patient, The Secret Mother, and The Wife Between Us, then this addictive thriller about dark family secrets and obsession will have you on the edge of your seat.

About the Book

Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley is the author of psychological thrillers and spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.

 

Author Social Media Links

 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lsandersonbooks/

 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LSandersonbooks

 

The Request by David Bell **Book Review** @suzyapbooktours @berkleypub

Hello book friends!

Excited to share with you today my review for this addictive thrilling book!

My Thoughts

Fast paced, tense, and addictive. David Bell writes stories that completely suck me in, have me feeling anxious, and on the edge of my seat. Ryan and Amanda appear to have the perfect life. A Beautiful home, an adorable baby, and a happy marriage. BUT Ryan has a dark secret he’s been hiding for years. AND he is being blackmailed by not only one but two people to keep it. All this subterfuge leads to Ryan Breaking into a woman’s house to retrieve letters instead finding her dead body and then discovering that he knows the murder victim. To make everything even more complicated and chilling as he looks down at the women’s dead body he receives a Facebook friend request from her on his phone. Of course I reach this point of the book just as I think I’m about to go to sleep… didn’t happen. There were so many pulse pounding moments in this book as Ryan gets himself into one sticky situation after another. Ryan is a likable kind family Man who you really do want things to work out for. Ryan however seems to lack any common sense throughout the story. This is a book that will make you look over your shoulder the next time you’re walking down the street and think twice the next time before you post something on Facebook. A compulsive story with a satisfying end.

This book in emojis 📱 ✉️ 👶🏼 👰🏼 💰 💻

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

When a man agrees to do a favor for a friend, he gets more than he bargained for as he becomes embroiled in a woman’s murder in this new thriller from the USA Today best-selling author of Layover.

Ryan Francis has it all – great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child – and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret – which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life – Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.

When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead – and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder. 

Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer – but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

Have a lovely day! XOXO Berit☀️

Someone Else’s Daughter by Jennifer Harvey **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy Sunday all!

This was a well done compelling debut! If you are a thriller lover this is a good one.

My Thoughts

Clever and addictive. Jennifer Harvey’s debut is compelling and compulsive. Isa’s parents are having marital problems so instead of joining her own family on vacation she heads to Montauk with her BFF Katie‘s family. Should be the perfect summer, sunny days on the beach with your best friend. But Isa and Katie’s friendship is far from perfect and the girls have some issues and secrets between them. Louise (Katie‘s mother) can sense somethings not right, but she doesn’t know how to approach the situation. The book starts off with the discovery of Isa’s body, and then pulls back to the events leading up to the tragedy. Told in the alternating perspectives of Katie and her mom Louise you get a interesting glimpse into the events of the summer. Katie is a sweet concerned friend and my heart really went out to her throughout this entire book. Isa was not very likable and definitely was not necessarily always a good friend to Katie. But I did think there was a lot of authenticity to how this teenage friendship was portrayed in the book. Louise was very relatable. Being the parent of teenagers is complicated, you want to give them enough room to make choices and yet you want them to make the right choices. Even though I didn’t always necessarily agree with Louises parenting choices I understood where she was coming from. This book completely sucked me in to the story. I really wanted to know what had happened to Isa. The characters were all so real and that made some of the events in the book even more disturbing. A riveting debut looking forward to what’s next from Miss Harvey.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

They’d left their daughter with us, their only child, and we hadn’t protected her. That was all they would see when they looked at us—that we had failed them.

 

I count down the days until we can leave the city behind and return to the beach house. Where James and Katie can roam free over the dunes, like they did as children, and Peter will swap his 6 a.m.starts for the stacks of fluffy pancakes he lovingly serves up for our family breakfasts. These sun-drenched, golden days, just the four of us, are what I hold on to all year long.

 

But this summer Katie’s best friend will be coming with us. I tell myself the girls will have fun together, pushing aside the doubts I have about this uninvited guest. Isa. With her corn-silk hair and luminous skin, who manages to overshadow my daughter at every turn. Who has been dumped on us by her own parents, too caught up in their petty dramas to see what is right in front of them.

 

Because I can see it. There is something dangerous about Isa. Something more than a carefree girl, testing boundaries as she approaches adulthood. She threatens to cast storm clouds across my beach house days. I feel as powerless to stop her as I would in the face of a hurricane.

 

By the end of the summer, Isa will be dead. And I will have to face her mother. I don’t know if I will be able to find the words. How can I begin to explain that she never really knew her daughter at all?

 

A gripping story of the darkness than lurks beneath the surface of the most picture-perfect lives and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Fans of Big Little Lies, Kerry Fisher and Diane Chamberlain will be held totally in thrall by this emotional, twisty read.

 

About the Author

 Jennifer Harvey is a Scottish writer now living in The Netherlands.

She is the author of three novels.

Someone Else’s Daughter will be published on June 18th 2020 with Bookouture.

Two more titles will follow in October 2020 and May 2021.

Her short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines in the US and the UK, such as Bare Fiction, Litro Online, Carve Magazine, Folio, and The Lonely Crowd.

She has been shortlisted for various short story prizes including the Bristol Prize, the University of Sunderland Short Story Award and the Bridport Prize. Her radio dramas have won prizes and commendations from the BBC World Service. She has been longlisted twice for the Bath Novel Award.

 

Author Social Media Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenAnneHarvey1  (@JenAnneHarvey1) 

Website: http://www.jenharvey.net/