REVIEW - The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read Lucy Foley's second 'whodunnit' prior to publication. A fun, compulsive read that's all about the tantalisingly slow build-up and unexpected reveal.

Expected: 20 February 2020

The Blurb

On an island off the windswept Irish coast, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater. Old friends. All have a secret. All have a motive. One guest won’t leave this wedding alive . . .

The Review
This was not quite what I was expecting, falling somewhere between a classic who-dunnit and a contemporary psychological thriller. My feelings towards it are also somewhat mixed but let's start with the good...

This was cleverly written with brilliant contrasts and parallels. For example, you have the drink and drug fuelled debauchery of a celebrity wedding against the stark setting of an isolated, unforgiving, treacherous island with its deadly cliffs, extreme weather and peat bogs. Similarly, the characters outwardly all appear fun-loving, carefree and beautiful with their designer outfits, wealth and flawless make-up but underneath are actually anxious, angry and unhappy individuals hiding a multitude of guilty secrets and regrets. Likewise the dark, unpredictable, stormy island perfectly mirrors the dark, unpredictable, stormy atmosphere brewing amongst the wedding guests.

The story grips you from the start when a body is found without revealing anything to us at that point as to who it is. Then, flipping between the perspectives of five different characters and two different timelines, the author spends the rest of the time working through the past 48 hours to reveal more about these characters- their lies, secrets, grief, guilt, resentments and jealousies - to establish five possible suspects and motives before the big reveal at the end. Not only could I not work out who'd dunnit, I was also left guessing who'd even been murdered right until the end. 

But, both of these things were also what I disliked about this book. The jumping back and forth of narrative left my head spinning and struggling to keep up at times, especially in the beginning. Many people read this genre of book in one sitting and I imagine that would've actually helped in this case. Likewise the complexly flawed characters were actually spoiled the book for me in that I simply didn't like, relate to or care about any of them.

Similarly, whilst I loved that there were five intertwined motives and suspects to keep you guessing, the coincidences that connected them pushed the boundaries of believability and acceptability just a bit too far.

So, all-in-all a fun, compulsive read that's all about the tantalisingly slow build-up and unexpected reveal.

The author
Follow @lucyfoleytweets

REVIEW - She by HC Warner

I'm delighted to share my review of SHE by HC Warner - an incredibly well-written and captivating thriller with great characters. I totally recommend this.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Harlequin UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: 23 January 2020

The blurb 
She’s everything he dreamed of. Isn’t she? Ben can’t believe his luck when Bella walks into his life, just when he needs her most. Sexy, impulsive and intelligent, Bella is everything he ever wanted. And Bella wants him. All to herself.

In fact, Bella decides that everything is better when it is just the two of them, making it harder for Ben’s friends and family to stay in touch. And then a sudden tragedy triggers a chain of events which throws Ben headlong into a nightmare.

Secrets, lies, vengeance and betrayal are at the heart of this utterly twisted story about a family that is destroyed when SHE becomes part of it…

In my opinion
Ben can’t believe his luck when Bella walks into his life. Sexy, impulsive and intelligent SHE is everything he ever wanted – isn’t SHE? This is the story of Ben and Bella’s relationship and the secrets, lies, vengeance and betrayal that lie at the heart of it.

The book was written in four parts; the build-up written from Ben’s (and his family and friends) point of view, then the build-up again but from Bella’s perspective, and finally the climax and aftermath which were both written from multiple view points. There’s been some criticism of this format, with some feeling that parts one and two are very repetitive, but personally I couldn’t disagree more. Yes the events and dialogue were duplication but with such a different perspective on the same thing it felt completely new and totally fascinating how (as in real life) two people can interpret the same thing in such different ways.

Bella is a dark, manipulative and evil character but seeing events through her (albeit twisted) view I could totally understand the reasoning behind some of her hurtful actions. She really is one of those characters that you love to hate. But, then again, I loved all the characters. They are all totally relatable, likeable and described so well that they are easy to picture. And, the dynamics and relations between them all cleverly constructed from childhood friends Matt and Ben, to Ben’s idolism of his father and the tense mother/daughter-in-law relationship.

In fact, this was brilliantly written throughout. The writing is really emotive, particularly the funeral scenes which really resonated with me, generating strong emotions thinking about my own loved ones and the impact of each of them in my life. The slow spiral of abuse was also carefully crafted, with the author describing everyday mundane activities such as dinner with friends or plans for Christmas over the course of a year to highlight the gradual submission and dominance of the main characters in a non-sensationalist way. That said, and without sensationalism, the author still manages to keep the pace fast and the story moving on towards its explosive ending.

Tension is built right from the start with a letter from an unidentified man to his child and we are left guessing right until the very end as to whether this was written by Ben, his dad or Bella’s dad. However, whilst it’s clear that events and family relations between Bella and her father have had a very big and disturbing impact on her character and actions, disappointingly her back story is something that was only ever mentioned in passing and never really explored. What did Bella’s dad actually do – we’ll never know....


All the way through I was convinced that I’d be giving this 5 stars but unfortunately this was like many of the thrillers I’ve read recently whereby I am completely captivated throughout, enjoying every page but upon conclusion and reflection the expectation was better than the actuality. What let this down for me was the clichéd and predictable motive behind it all – the big mystery of who SHE is was unfortunately all too obvious and slightly unrealistic. I also disliked the fact that by the end everyone knew who SHE was yet they all continued to pretend otherwise to spare each other’s feelings, so in a sense it was a bit anti-climatic as whilst there was an explosive ending there was no big reveal as such. All-in-all though I really enjoyed this and would totally recommend it.

The author
Follow @HCWarnerauthor on Twitter.

REVIEW: Unexpected Lessons in Love by Lucy Dillon

I'm delighted to share my review of the latest novel by Lucy Dillon. A nice easy read with lots of cute dogs, glam wedding dresses, heart-warming friendships and lessons in love.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: January 2020

The blurb 
Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, and now she’s finally got the whirlwind romance she dreamed of. Dan’s gorgeous, he’s a successful young vet, and he flew her to New York and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge. Jeannie has to remind herself this is actually her life. It seems too perfect, too magical, to be real. Yet it is.

But now she’s on her way to the wedding she can’t shake off the tight sensation crushing her chest. Is it just nerves . . . or is this all happening a bit too fast? Jeannie has one last chance to shout, ‘Stop!’ But just as she grabs it, a twist of fate throws everything she knows into the air like confetti. What Jeannie learns about Dan, about her own heart, and about the power of love itself, will change her world for ever....

In my opinion
I like the theme of this book - unexpected lessons in love - and totally agree with the learnings which were:

1. Don't mistake falling in love, for love.
2. Love is not how it seems on Instagram - it's unfiltered, unnerving and unedited. 
3. Love has to start with a click.
4. Timing and pure coincidence play a big part in love. 
5. There's many types of love including the love and companionship provided by pets. 

And, being an animal lover, I really enjoyed the dog and animal sanctuary parts of this story. Main character, Jeannie's, landlady and soon-to-be best friend runs an animal sanctuary which is stretched to its limits when it takes in three dog families from a puppy farm. Cue plenty of cute animal antics and heart-seeking bonds, but also lots of entrepreneurial spirit as the friends seek ingenious ways to raise money for their rehabilitation including a wedding dress sale and fashion show. 

However, that was also part of the problem for me in that there was a lot going on. The main story is obviously the love story - that of Jeannie getting cold feet on the day of her wedding, right before a twist of fate intervenes. But, there's also the animal sanctuary and the fund-raising as mentioned, as well as Jeannie's struggle as a singer-songwriter, her falling out with her ex best friend and band mate, family relationships and the secret life of Jeannie's fiance. 

All in all there's a lot going on but weirdly at the same time nothing going on at times. There's a lot of revisiting to the point where it felt like you were just reading the same thing again and the pace is pretty slow with the story(ies) limping sedately along towards a fairly predictable ending. 

That said overall it's enjoyable and definitely a nice easy read. I've never read the author before but have no doubts that fans of Lucy Dillon will love it. For anyone else, in my opinion it's worth a read but just not a must-read. 

The author
Follow @lucy_dillon or find out more at lucydillon.co.uk

REVIEW - A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde

Having wanted to read this author for ages I'm delighted to share my review of the latest novel by Katie Fforde. There's nothing not to like about this book - it's the sort of book that you can just relax into and enjoy. However, that said it definitely falls into the good read rather than must-read category. 

Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: 20 February 2020

The blurb 
It’s the season of new beginnings for Helena and Gilly. Gilly runs her own B&B business from her much-loved family home, which she doesn’t want to part with – at any price. But that's before she meets handsome estate agent Leo, and soon she begins to wonder whether selling up might not be such a bad idea after all.

Meanwhile Gilly's daughter Helena has a budding romance of her own. A talented weaver, she's becoming very close to her new landlord, Jago, who's offered to help her at an upcoming craft fair. It’s what friends do, and they are just friends. Aren’t they?

With spring in full bloom, Helena and Gilly begin to ask themselves the same question: Might their new loves lead to happily ever after?

The Review
I've wanted to read author Katie Fforde for ages and this was pretty much exactly what I was expecting - a warm, cosy read focused on romance, family and friendships. This provided two romances for the price of one, but it was actually the family element as opposed to the romance that I really enjoyed.

This was a story of new beginnings for the two main characters, mother and daughter, Gilly and Helena. Gilly is a fifty- something woman running a B&B business after a difficult (marriage and) divorce have left her fighting to keep hold of her much- loved family home, much to the disappointment of her son who introduces her to estate agent Leo in a bid to get her to sell up. At the same time, talented weaver Helena, also running her own small business, is embarking on a budding relationship with her new landlord. But, will either of them get their happily ever after?

For me the heroine of the story was Gilly and the romantic perspective of a mature, self-deprecating female as opposed to an optimistic, love-struck twenty-something was really refreshing for me. The author perfectly and sympathetically captured the conflicting emotions and reactions, of both Gilly and her two adult children, to Gilly's first romantic encounter as a mature and single lady. I was also fascinated by her son's selfishness in believing his mother no longer had dreams and a life of her own to live, instead wanting her to devote herself (and her finances) to looking after his own family. As such it was great to see Gilly embracing a new life, post-divorce and children, running a business, dating not one but two handsome gentlemen and taking up new hobbies such as gliding.

In fact, I always love an entrepreneurial subtext to any story, one of strong, independent women doing it for themselves and running their own successful small businesses. And, this didn't disappoint on that front as I particularly enjoyed reading about the day-to-day running of Gilly's B&B and Helena travelling around the country to sell her woven crafts at various fairs.

All-in-all there's nothing not to like about this book - it's the sort of book that you can just relax into and enjoy. However, that said it definitely falls into the good read rather than must-read category. There's enough going on and enough intrigue from a cast of likeable characters to maintain interest and enjoyment throughout but it lacks a little of the extra spark needed for a full five-stars.

The author
Follow @KatieFforde or find out more at www.katiefforde.com

REVIEW - The Dilemma by B A Paris

I'm delighted to share my review of the latest thriller by author AB Paris. This was different to my usual reads – more of a ‘thrilling’ drama than a ‘thriller’ per se but I really liked it. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher @HQStories for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: 9 January 2020

The blurb 
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive.

The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?

In my opinion
This was different to my usual reads – more of a ‘thrilling’ drama than a ‘thriller’ per se but I really liked it. But, then that should probably not come as any surprise as, whilst new to me, B A Paris is a million-copy bestselling author.

Anyway it’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having a much-wanted party to make up for her shot-gun wedding. During the day, her husband Adam hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia but she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive. The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness? In Adam’s case probably too far but that’s what made this totally compelling, from beginning to end.

Whilst this focuses on a 24hr period, with each chapter moving forward hour by hour, the author beautifully weaves in the back stories of all the characters; the foundations of Adam and Livia’s marriage, Adam’s strained relationship with his son, Livia’s estranged parents and the dynamics of childhood friendships as those friends marry and have children of their own. And, in doing so, some really difficult and thought-provoking subjects are tackled including teenage/unplanned pregnancies, illness, death, betrayal and realising your children are not necessarily the angelic innocents you’d hoped. 

Most of all, however, it’s a heart-breaking and powerful story of love (both family and romantic) which shows that together you can overcome most things. It’s emotionally captivating, tapping into your worst fears, and cleverly exploring how different people handle grief and tension in such different and sometimes unfathomable ways. It’s about good intentions, behaving in a shocking way but with the best of intentions.

I liked that the story was told from the two alternating perspectives of Adam and Livia - it’s one of my favourite styles of writing. It means that both characters become equally familiar and understood as the story develops. As well as the main characters, I also found the secondary characters just as likeable, relatable and integral to the story. The chapters were also nice and short which made for an easy, un-put-down-able read.

I’m still struggling to decide whether to this should be 4 or 5 stars. However, I’ve gone with a 4 purely based on the fact that the genre is more drama than thriller - which whilst a pleasant surprise was not what I’d originally anticipated. A superb read though nonetheless and definitely recommended.

The author
Follow @BAParisAuthor on Twitter.

REVIEW: Mr Nobody by Catherine Steadman

I'm delighted to share my review of the latest novel by actress and best-selling author Catherine Steadman. An incredibly creative, original and captivating story of a man found on a Norfolk beach, with no identification and unable to speak, and the medical team and press who are all trying to find out what happened to him.

Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: January 2020

The blurb 
When a man is found on a British beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him, to international medical experts who are baffled by him, to the national press who call him Mr Nobody, everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him?

Some memories are best forgotten. Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient in a small town deep in the English countryside. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for, and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same town fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then.

Places aren't haunted...people are. But now something - or someone - is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes that he knows the one thing about her that nobody is supposed to know.

In my opinion
Don’t you just hate it when people are multi-talented? Author Catherine Steadman is both a successful actress and writer, with this her second novel. I think in a way her acting background shows in her writing as to my mind the ‘fight scene’ at the end was somewhat unrealistic – you know the kind where the hero has been hurt so many times that it’s virtually impossible they’d still be alive let alone able to fight off an attacker. The story also unfolded at a steady pace throughout until the ending which felt overstuffed in a frenetic bid to wrap everything up in the last few chapters. It was almost as if the author wanted to keep the suspense until the last possible moment (which I liked) but then was somewhat left with too much to do in the closing stages.

That said I liked this. The cover blurb hooked me before I even started reading - a man found on a Norfolk beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak. And, I remained gripped right through to the (frenetic) ending trying to uncover who this man is and what happened to him? It was a truly creative, original and fascinating plot that really captured my curiosity despite (or perhaps because of) there only being two characters. Although both Mr Nobody and his doctor, neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis, are enigmatic, interesting, complicated and multi-layered, providing enough character on their own.

Through these two there were essentially two strands to the story, that of Mr Nobody and that of Emma both of whom have secret pasts – not that Mr Nobody can remember his. Disappointingly though it was Emma’s past that dominated and was revisited again and again. For me though the headliner should’ve been Mr Nobody – after all wanting find out who he was, was what drew me to the book in the first place. Unusually for me I also really wanted a different ending, I wanted Mr Nobody to be somebody different to who he eventually turned out to be.

Obviously psychological thrillers are all about the twists and turns, and this had many all of which kept me totally gripped throughout. However, annoyingly many of these, including Emma’s mysterious past, petered out to nothing, being quickly dropped or explained away in the final stages. So, in hindsight it seems they were only ever included as tension-builders.

What I loved about this though was the fascinating scientific and psychological insight into our minds. Through Emma I learnt (in layman’s terms) how our brains work and the way illness or trauma can affect our behaviours and personality – not to mention our memories.  It also provided a poignant reminder of the difficulties the medical profession face, particularly when managing rare cases, and how sometimes despite their expertise and best efforts people can unfortunately remain un- or misdiagnosed with devastating consequences.

It might seem like I’m being quite negative about a book I like and have given four stars but that’s simply because this could’ve been amazing. Like I said it was an incredibly original and easy read, which gripped me from start to finish due to the fascinating characters and many twists, which meant that I really really enjoyed it during the reading. But, afterwards because many of the gripping strands ultimately proved to be irrelevant and Mr Nobody was someone I didn’t want him to be, it was a bit like Christmas as in the reality of the day can’t quite match the excitement of the build-up.

The author
Follow @CatSteadman on Twitter.

Preview - The House on the Lake by Nuala Ellwood

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books for giving me the opportunity to read the latest thriller by Nuala Ellwood prior to publication. Despite having wanted to read this author for ages, I found this a difficult read as it was altogether darker, rawer and more melancholy than I was expecting.

Expected: 24 January 2020 (ebook) and 20 February 2020 (paperback)

The blurb 
Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend's rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It's miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe.

But what secret has Rowan Isle House - and her friend - kept hidden all these years? And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her past finally catches up with her? 

In my opinion
Author Nuala Ellwood is one of those authors who regularly appears on those lists of other authors that I may like, so I was really excited to have this opportunity to read her latest book prior to publication. Unfortunately, however, this one just wasn’t for me.

A remote lakeside house provides the setting for this story, whose chapters alternate between the present day and fifteen years previously. In the present day, Lisa is hiding out in the house with her young son, Joe, having fled from her controlling husband. Similarly, fifteen years earlier the house was home to a teenage Grace and her controlling father, who lived solitary lives fearful of civilisation and the modern world.

The book’s description promised a nail-biting thriller in which main character Lisa needs to disappear and her friend's rambling old home seems like the perfect place. But, Lisa soon realises that the house - and her friend - have hidden secrets. And, so I wasn’t really expecting the underlying theme which was two women abused and controlled in various different ways by the men in their lives. As such this was darker, rawer and more melancholy than I was expecting. 

The other problem was that there was a very small pool of characters and I just didn’t warm to any of them. Even four-year old Joe was a very mardy child. Through the author’s clever descriptive writing I was able to understand and muster a certain amount of sympathy for the characters but I still found them very difficult to like or agree with their choices. 

On the plus side I had no idea where the two story lines were going to lead. It was very well written, nothing is what it seems with both Lisa and Grace’s stories far from straightforward. Each time I thought I knew what was happening, the story veered off in a different direction. However, whilst I couldn’t predict the ending I also didn’t really like it as it failed to shake of the overwhelming feeling of sadness, offering only a small smidgen of hope for the future of these women.

Nuala Ellwood is a best-selling author and this has received some great comments, but for me it was a difficult read and not really my cup of tea unfortunately.

The author
Follow @NualaWrites on Twitter.

REVIEW - All the Rage by Cara Hunter

Here's my review of the latest book in the DI Fawley series by author Cara Hunter. An exciting crime novel with lots to like but overall not for me as it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: January 2020

The blurb 
A distressed teenage girl is found on the outskirts of Oxford. The story she tells is terrifying: grabbed off the street, a plastic bag forced over her head, then driven somewhere remote and subjected to an assault. DI Adam Fawley is doing the best he can to investigate, but the teenager refuses to press charges. All he can do is try to ignore the sickening feeling he's seen something like this before...

But when another girl goes missing, Fawley knows his time is running out. Because if he ignores the past any longer, this girl may not be coming back.

In my opinion
For me the distinction between a thriller and a crime novel is very ambiguous and perhaps subjective. This was cleverly constructed with lots of twists and turns, mystery and drama meaning it hits the definition of a thriller. So as a fan of thrillers I really enjoyed the complexity of the story and characters, the fast pace from the off, and the totally unexpected ending.

However, I felt it was more of a crime novel, following the police investigation into a potential sexual predator and serial killer abducting young women. That said I loved the detective aspect especially as the author intersperses the narrative with 'evidence' in the form of maps, court extracts, interviews with the suspects, text messages and social media exerts. There were lots of false leads, reluctant witnesses and partial forensics all of which highlighted the difficulties of actual police investigations. All-in-all I felt like a real-life detective myself trying to piece it all together.

What I didn't like - and generally don't like about crime novels - is the factual and procedural style of writing, meaning that whilst I enjoyed being involved as an amateur detective I didn't really emotionally engage with the book or characters. This wasn't helped by the fact that there were so many characters from a large police team plus their families to the victims and their family/friends as well as a wide variety of suspects, witnesses and alibis. There were literally too many people and back stories to connect with any one character to any great extent. It was also quite confusing in the beginning trying to keep track of so many people.

From the cover blurb I also hadn't realised the plot (or crime) involved implied sexual assault. I'm fine with murder, abduction, torture and even tongues being cut off (as in Deborah Masson's 'Hold Your Tongue') but I really don't like reading about crimes of a sexual nature and wouldn't have picked this up had I known.

The author writes in a very contemporary and unique style, sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person. The absence of any chapters is very unusual however. But that said the text is broken up into very short snippets meaning it's still very manageable and easy read - as well as really adding to the punchy fast paced feel throughout.

I enjoyed this book, especially the completely unexpected ending which provided a sad but believable reflection of a certain demographic of society. But, unfortunately for me it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Author Cara Hunter is widely regarded as one of the most exciting crime writers, so if crime's your thing then I have no doubt that you will love this. This is actually the latest in a series all featuring DI Fawley but it really won't matter if you haven't read any of the others.

The author
Follow @CaraHunterBooks on Twitter.