Review: Our Little Lies by Sue Watson

How far would you go to protect your perfect life?

Marianne has a life others dream of. A beautiful townhouse on the best street in the neighbourhood. Three bright children who are her pride and joy.

Sometimes her past still hurts: losing her mother early, growing up in foster care. But her husband, Simon, is always there. A successful surgeon, he’s the envy of every woman they’ve ever met. Flowers, gifts, trips to France: nothing is too good for his family.

Then Simon says another woman’s name. The way he lingers on it, Caroline , gives Marianne a shudder of suspicion, but she knows it’s nothing – she can’t entertain this flash of paranoia.

In the old days, she’d have distracted herself by excelling at work, but Marianne left her glamorous career when she married. She’d speak to a friend, but she’s too busy with her children and besides, Simon doesn’t approve of the few she has left.

It’s almost by accident that Marianne starts to learn more about Caroline. But once started, she can’t stop, because what she finds makes her wonder: is the question she should be asking not ‘should she be jealous’, but… ‘should she be scared?’

Review

What a twisty, addictive psychological thriller! The story introduces readers to Marianne and Simon, a seemingly happily married couple, living the perfect life. Of course, being a thriller, nothing is what it seems. The cracks in this perfect marriage soon start showing, immediately Simon mentions his colleague, Caroline.  It is in the way that he says her name and talks about her that alerts Marianne that something is amiss.

The story is narrated through Marianne’s POV. At first, I found her narrations quite frustrating. She was lost in her head and simply refused to see Simon for who he was. Chapter after chapter, I kept waiting for her to wake up and smell the coffee. I mean, come on, woman! I do understand why she was so committed to holding onto the fallacy about her marriage and Simon but I still couldn’t help but get frustrated. Finally, about 40% in, the story started moving like I wanted it and I found myself completely immersed in Marianne’s life.

This ended up being quite a twisty ride. There were surprises sprinkled throughout the narrative. Each time I thought that I had everything figured out, something new came up. There are uncomfortable moments in the book. I remember one particular incident that had my stomach in knots. An event happened and just as I was basking in the high of all the drama, things took a different turn that made me want to look away but I still, couldn’t.

Our Little Lies is an absorbing, suspenseful psychological read. It is my first book by Sue Watson and definitely won’t be the last one.

Review: The Secret by K. L. Slater @bookouture @KimLSlater #BlogTour

You turn your back for a minute. And now your son is in terrible danger …

Louise is struggling to cope.  As a busy working mum, she often has to leave her eight-year-old son Archie at her sister Alice’s flat.

Alice and Louise used to be close.  But there’s a lot they don’t know about each other now – like the bottle of vodka Louise hides in her handbag, Alice’s handsome new friend and the odd behaviour of her next-door neighbour.

Archie is a curious little boy. He likes to play on his own at his auntie’s flat until one day when he sees something he shouldn’t. Now he has a secret of his own.  One he can’t tell his mum. One that could put him and his family in terrible danger.

Review

There is a Swahili phrase used by women when sharing secrets, ‘Vuta Stool Nikupe Udaku’.  This translates to, ‘pull your seat closer so that I can tell you a secret’.

This book reminded me of this phrase. It had so many juicy secrets that I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was right there with the author, keenly listening as she revealed one jaw dropping secret after another.

This is a story about two sisters, Alice and Louise, who have a strained relationship. However, present circumstances require them to try and get along. Through the chapters, we get to know more about the two and their past. Layer by layer, more secrets are masterfully revealed. The author dropped hints that had me curious to unravel the mysteries. I had so many questions and equally a number of OMG moments.

Each of the characters had a secret and just when I thought that all was finally out in the open, the final chapter still managed to make my jaw drop. I just love the crazy ride that this story turned out to be.

The Secret by K. L Slater is a gripping, addictive, twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller. Like the Swahili women, I was completely immersed in the story that everything else ceased to exist. The milk might have spilled, the food could have burned and I’d still have kept reading. Lucky for me, I was able to read into late into the night without any distractions.  This is yet another excellent thriller by K. L Slater which I can’t recommend enough to all fans of this genre.

About the author: 

Kim is the bestselling author of psychological crime thrillers ‘Safe With Me,’ ‘Blink,’ ‘Liar,’ ‘The Mistake’ and ‘The Visitor.’ Her latest thriller, ‘The Secret’ will be published by Bookouture on 27th July 2018 and is now available for pre-order.

Kim’s titles are soon to be published in paperback by Sphere in the UK and Grand Central in the USA.

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 received five offers of representation from London literary agents and a book deal which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer, has one grown-up daughter, Francesca, and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.  She also writes award-winning YA fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books, writing as Kim Slater.

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

 

Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the blog tour.

Follow these links to buy a copy of  The Secret by KL Slater, Amazon, iBookstore:  Kobo:

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Review: The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland @bookouture @ShaliniBoland

Hello Anna. Your turn next…

When Anna Blackwell opens an email from an unknown sender, the shocking image attached shatters her perfect world. A woman has been killed. And Anna knows who did it. The past is catching up with her.

Is it her turn next?

To protect herself and her husband Will, she must tell him the terrible truth about her first love. But as the secrets of her life unravel, Anna begins to realise that she is not the only one who has been living a lie.

Anna doesn’t know who to turn to: her best friend, her parents, her husband. But she knows that she must stop her ex-lover, before it’s too late…

Report

I fell in love with Shalini’s writing when I read The Girl from the Sea in 2016. My experience with her books has since been the same. I have enjoyed each one of them and this one was no different.

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland begins with a chilling prologue. A woman is killed while on holiday with her husband. Murder or accident, it was hard to immediately guess. I was curious about the incident and its connection to Anna who was miles away.

Anna is the main narrator of this story. Her present narrations detail strange events happening around her. There were so many tense moments especially when it became clear that something bad was about to happen to her. The narration set in the past was just as compelling. What I loved most about these two narrations is the fact that it took time for me to guess the connection between the past and present. I was eagerly turning pages with all kinds of ideas running through my mind. However, the connection turned out to be quite a surprise.

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland is a fast-paced, captivating, suspenseful psychological thriller. I couldn’t predict most of the twists. There was a lot of action especially towards the final chapters. However, everything was very well executed. Secrets, lies and some really good twists made this quite a page-turner. Shalini’s writing as usual is amazing. Her endings remain unrivaled. Definitely recommended to all fans of this genre.

About the author:

Shalini Boland is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers ‘THE GIRL FROM THE SEA’ (No 1, US Audible charts), ‘THE BEST FRIEND’ (No 2, US Audible charts), ‘THE MILLIONAIRE’S WIFE’ (No 9, UK Kindle charts), ‘THE SECRET MOTHER’ (No 2, US Kindle charts), THE CHILD NEXT DOOR (No 11, UK Kindle charts).

THE SILENT SISTER is now available to preorder!

Shalini lives 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 hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

Be the first to hear about her new releases here.

She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as an atmospheric WWII novel with a time-travel twist.

 You can purchase a copy of Millionaire’s Wife here.

Review: Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter

Emotionally guarded Daphne Amos always believed she’d found a kindred spirit in her fiancé, Heath. Both very private people, they’ve kept their pasts hidden from the world, and each other, until Heath’s escalating nightmares begin to put an undeniable strain on their relationship. Determined to give their impending marriage the best chance of succeeding, Heath insists that Daphne join him on a seven-day retreat with Dr. Matthew Cerny, a psychologist celebrated for getting to the root of repressed memories. Daphne reluctantly agrees—even though the past is the last place she wants to go.

The retreat’s isolated and forbidding location increases her unease, as do the doctor’s rules: they must relinquish their keys and phones, they’ll be monitored at all hours by hidden cameras, and they’re never to socialize with the other guests.

One sleepless night, Daphne decides to leave her room…and only then does she realize that the institute is not at all what it seems—and that whatever’s crying out from Heath’s past isn’t meant to be heard. It’s meant to be silenced.

Review

 Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter is a creepy, eerily atmospheric read. The story is mainly set at a mountain location where Heath and Daphne are attending a couple’s retreat. The retreat is hosted by Dr. Cerny, a very creepy character. Right from the start, it is evident that something is wrong. Everyone seems to be hiding something! Daphne has a secret past. Heath is having nightmares that also hint at buried secrets and Dr. Cerny, is just shady. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to unravel all the mysteries.

The story has a bit of a complex narrative style. There are three main timelines. One is set a few days after the retreat started. There is another set during the retreat and the third details Daphne’s past. I really liked the one on Daphne’s past. There was something extra creepy about it and it did have some interesting revelations. The present narration moved a bit slow for me. I felt like a lot of time was spent with Daphne just walking and looking around. I was curious to know what she would discover but I wasn’t as invested in her narration as I should have been. I don’t think the third narration added much to the story.

In the end, I was left with mixed feelings about this book. I loved a number of things in the story and especially enjoyed the final chapters. They were fast-paced and thrilling. However, there are other aspects of the books that I struggled with. I am in the minority though because most readers seemed to have enjoyed the entire story way more than I did. If the premise appeals to you, then definitely read the book.  One thing though, the writing was brilliant and I liked the seamless shift between narrations. I look forward to reading more from this author.

 

Review: Don’t You Dare by A.J. Waines

What if your daughter becomes your enemy?

When barmaid, Rachel, discovers her soon-to-be-married daughter, Beth,​ pinned down by a stranger in the pub cellar, Rachel lashes out in panic and the intruder ends up dead. In desperation, Rachel convinces Beth they should cover up the crime and go ahead with the planned wedding in one month’s time.

Rachel, however, has her own reasons for not involving the police.

Hiding their dreadful secret is harder than they both imagined and as the big day approaches and the lies multiply, Beth becomes a liability. Rachel looks on in dismay at the hen party​ ​when, after too many drinks, Beth declares she’s about to make a special announcement. But before Beth can say a word, she disappears…

When two people share a chilling secret, can both hold their nerve?

Review

Okay, I wasn’t thinking about committing any murders but this book still convinced me that it would be a terrible idea. I would die of nerves or just turn myself in for even entertaining the thought.

The book begins with the murder of a man at the pub where Rachel works. Rachel and her daughter, Beth, decide to hide the body and conceal their involvement in the murder. The two try to carry on as before and immerse themselves in planning Beth’s wedding. However, they soon discover that getting away with murder is not so easy.

This was a suspenseful read. I was tense with every turn of the story. My heart raced with each reveal and I dreaded the moment the police would discover everything. Seriously, trying to get away with murder is nerve wrecking! The author portrays this vividly through alternating narrations by Beth and Rachel. I was tense just like the characters waiting to see how events would unfold. Will they get away with it? Will the police unravel the mystery and send the two to jail? These questions were running through my mind all the way to the last page.

This was a captivating story about secrets, lies and murder. It is also a story about a mother- daughter relationship which I thought was very realistically portrayed. I loved how the tension developed through the chapters making it hard to put down the book. There were sections around the middle of the story that slowed down a bit but this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. The ending and especially the final chapter were befitting of this suspenseful read although I was left with some questions that made me wonder if there is a second book coming. I definitely recommend Don’t You Dare to fans of psychological thrillers.

Review: White Lies by Lucy Dawson

When you have everything, you have everything to lose…

Alexandra Inglis is a respected family doctor, trusted by her patients to keep their most intimate secrets. And if sometimes the boundaries between duty and desire blur… well, she’s only human.

But when Alex oversteps a line with Jonathan, one of her patients, she knows she’s gone too far. Jonathan is obsessive, and to get what he wants he will tear Alex’s world apart – threatening not only her career but her marriage and family too.

Soon Alex finds she’s capable of doing almost anything to keep hold of her perfect life, as it begins to spin dangerously out of her control…

Review

Wow! I was impressed by Dawson’s previous title, The Daughter. Once again, I am completely in awe of her writing and storytelling. In White Lies, Alex goes to Ibiza and ends up having one night stand. If you read the book, you will understand the reasons why she decided to do this. Alex doesn’t usually take such risks; she is a mother, a doctor and … a wife. With lot remorse, she hopes to put the incident behind her. Needless to say, things don’t quite work out that way especially when the past refuses to remain hidden.

The story is narrated through multiple POVs. Alex tells her side of the story about her night with Jonathan. We then get to follow her narration on how the night affected her life. Jonathan is also another main narrator. We get his side of events before and after the incident. There are a few chapters narrated by David, Alex’s colleague, Rob, her husband and Cherry, Jonathan’s girlfriend.

This was quite a roller-coaster. I thought the story was going to be pretty straightforward but soon realized that there were way too many versions of the same incident hence making it hard to guess who was telling the truth. I kept shifting between Alex and Jonathan because both were so convincing. I like the character development in the story. The author made it easy to understand each of the personalities. I was especially drawn to Alex whose life was quickly unraveling because of that ‘one’ drunk, mistake.

This book has unpredictable twists. The tension escalated towards the end with a couple of reveals that made my jaw drop. The final chapter left me thinking about the reveals and their implications. You know how you read a book and then  start analyzing events and thinking about how certain things could have happened differently if the characters had made different decisions? I am still thinking about this one and I love the fact that the author decided to end the book that way. No, it wasn’t a cliffhanger but an ending that just makes you analyze everything.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, White Lies by Lucy Dawson is perfect for you. Its fast-past paced, captivating with enough suspense to keep you turning pages until the end.

Review: The Last Thing I Saw by Alex Sinclair

A perfect family. A moment that will change everything.

Emma wakes up in hospital with no memories of the past 24 hours and no idea why she’s there. And her husband and son refuse to visit her.

As she frantically tries to piece together her memories to find out what happened, Emma is desperate to ensure her loved ones are safe. But all she can remember is the last thing she saw before she blacked out: a pair of cold, dark eyes…

Review

This story is told through two main timelines. In the present timeline, Emma is admitted in a mental hospital. She is struggling with her demons and endless nightmares haunt her. However, her mind has absolutely blocked the events that led to her admission. The second timeline is set in the past few weeks leading up to the event. The two timelines run concurrently each adding to the tension and suspense of the story until they later converge towards the end with a twist.

I enjoyed reading this book though there chapters that went a bit slower. However, there were a lot of questions that kept me turning pages in search for answers. I was particularly curious about the event that led to Emma’s admission and amnesia. I kept trying to guess what it could have been. The reveal was something that I wasn’t expecting. The past timeline was also quite suspenseful. I don’t want to reveal much but let me say that the events that were happening around the Turner family were enough to make me jumpy.

The ending was satisfactory although there is one part of the mystery that seems to have been left unanswered.  It is not a major issue though so it didn’t affect my experience reading this book. With the captivating, unpredictable plot, I think fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this book.

Review: Last Night by Kerry Wilkinson @bookouture

It’s the early hours of the morning and Rose Denton wakes up behind the steering wheel of her car. She’s off the road, through a hedge and in a field.

There’s blood on the windscreen and bonnet – but it’s not hers and there’s no sign of anything or anyone she might have hit. The last thing she remembers is being in a hotel on a business trip but now she’s miles away.

Back home and her daughter’s boyfriend is missing. The last thing he did was argue with Rose over money. He left no note, no text, no clue as to his whereabouts.

The police have questions – and so does Rose’s family. But those are little compared to the ones she has for herself.

What happened last night? And, perhaps more importantly, does she really want to know the answer?

Review

I have read a few books by Kerry Wilkinson and I am totally hooked to his writing. This book just made me like his works even more. Honestly, if you are yet to read Kerry’s books then you are definitely missing out.

Last Night begins with a dramatic scene. Rose wakes up in her car. She is in a field with no idea about how she got there. To make matters worse, there is blood on her windscreen which she can’t explain. I immediately wondered what I would have done in the same situation. Would have I gone to the police or driven home hoping to forget the incident. Tough choice! This was exactly Rose’s predicament. She needed answers fast but unfortunately, her mind was blank and someone else was working hard to ensure that it stayed that way.

I enjoyed this suspenseful read with all its twists. There were instances when things happened outside the main storyline and I feared that Kerry was deviating a bit. However, it turns out that everything that happened was meaningful and I loved how the author brilliantly connected it all in the end making this quite a suspenseful, captivating read from start to finish.

Last Night was an entertaining read. I loved how the book tackled different themes such as marriage and family dynamics intertwined with the ongoing mystery surrounding Rose. This was a fast-paced, unpredictable, addictive read which I definitely recommend.

Review: The Innocent Wife by Amy Llyod

Twenty years ago, Dennis Danson was arrested and imprisoned for the brutal murder of a young girl in Florida’s Red River County. Now he’s the subject of a true-crime documentary that’s whipping up a frenzy online to uncover the truth and free a man who has been wrongly convicted.

A thousand miles away in England, Samantha is obsessed with Dennis’s case. She exchanges letters with him, and is quickly won over by his apparent charm and kindness to her. Soon she has left her old life behind to marry him and campaign for his release.

But when the campaign is successful and Dennis is freed, Sam begins to discover new details that suggest he may not be quite so innocent after all …

But how do you confront your husband when you don’t want to know the truth?

Review

I think we have all heard the stories and people corresponding with inmates sort of like pen pals. According to reports, there are hundreds of women who correspond with death row inmates. Some end up establishing a relationship despite the restrictiveness of their engagement/contact. Serial Killers like Ted Bundy reportedly had a lot of fan mail from female groupies. This might sound a bit odd given the fact that he killed many women. However, he even got married while awaiting trial. I have always been curious about these relationships and this is what drew me to this book. I was curious about Sam and Denis.

The story begins with Denis behind bars serving time for murder. He is also suspected to be behind the disappearance of a number of women. Sam is a teacher who gets pulled into Denis’ story and soon starts corresponding with him. Readers get to see the romance blossoming. I liked the fact that the author shared the letters between the two. It sort of let us in to their world and it made their romance feel real and normal despite the circumstances.

The story is mainly narrated through Sam’s POV. We get to learn about her life after meeting Dennis and the way it changed especially once he was freed. I did sympathize with Sam at some point. Her longings, disappointments, happiness all came alive through the pages. However, I can’t say that I supported her decisions. The author did a fantastic job though in developing this character such that I might not have understood why she did most stuff but I did get why that stuff seemed normal to her.  I can’t say the same for Dennis though.

This was an entertaining read. As I have already mentioned, the relationship between the two was interesting to read about especially at the beginning of the story. My only issue with this story was that there were sections that dragged a bit. I found my interesting waning off at some point and then suddenly, there was a lot going on towards the end. However, despite the pacing being a bit up and down, I enjoyed reading this book and certainly liked the premise. I also liked the creepy vibe at the end of the narrative.

Review: The Reunion by Samantha Hayes @bookouture @samhayes

They were all there the day your sister went missing…Who is lying? Who is next?

Then–In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom. Eleanor never came back.

Now–The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.

When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

Review         

I was captivated by this story right from the first chapter. You know that feeling of excitement that comes when you have just started a new book but have no doubt that you will enjoy it? I had that feeling a few pages into this book and I am glad that my initial feelings about the book turned out to be spot on.

The Lucas family is having a reunion. Claire wants to get everyone back at home to help a family member going through a rough patch. The reunion also includes close friends who Claire grew up with.  One of the memories that this group shares is the dark day when Claire’s sister went missing. They were all there and now, they are back to the farm again.

I loved the narrative style that the author used. In narrating the story, there were different perspectives offered by the characters. As a reader, I felt that this heightened my understanding of the characters. It definitely made me more connected to them.

Tension in the story builds up slowly until a point reaches where the reveals start coming in one after another. I remember reading this book knowing that something bad would happen to the characters. However, I had no idea what, when or to whom exactly. And then the darkness descended. There were events that simply didn’t cross my mind before they occurred. I enjoyed how the book delivered one shock after the other. At some point, I became obsessed with the story. I couldn’t put down the book. I needed answers and so I read late into the night and for the first time, I actually found myself up  very early in the morning to finish the book before work. This book was hella captivating!

If you are looking for an immersive, suspenseful read set in picturesque setting with strong, memorable characters then you definitely need to read The Reunion by Samantha Hayes. Fans of this genre will love this one!