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.

Best of 3 Christmas Novels

With mistletoe, mine pies, nativities, snow, Christmas fairs and decorations galore - get into the festive spirit with a good Christmas story. Here's the low down on my top picks these season. 

1. Christmas at Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Well worth a read - this one certainly got me in the Christmas spirit. This had all the ingredients for a perfect romcom eligible bachelor, countryside village setting, close-knit family and friends, entrepreneurial spirit and cute animals/children. However, this had more breadth than your typical sugar-coated romance. It was heart-warming but also real, embracing the ups and downs of life including illness, grief, single parenting, British farming and starting up a small business. Essentially this was the story of the Swinton family - four generations of warm, strong women working together to make a success of their new business and keep their beloved farm.

Find out more at carolinerobertswriter.blogspot.com

2. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Karen Clarke

My favourite of the three - a festive feel-good story set in a quaint French village with a strong female entrepreneurial character running her own business whilst trying not to fall in love. What I loved most about this book was it's relatability. Whilst thankfully I've never been caught by a really cute guy doing a koala-dance complete with koala noise whilst dressed in a koala onesie, I can't be the only one who can totally relate to those type of cringenly embarrassing situations. I love Karen Clarke's style of writing - witty and modern but also refreshingly PG, describing connections and spine-tingling kisses rather than x-rated sex scenes. 

Find out more at www.karenclarkewriter.com.

3. A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

A heart-warming romance set at Christmas. I fell in love with the Cornish seaside village of Porthmellow with its cosy cafes, welcoming pub, village traditions and bracing seascape. The sense of community spirit as all the locals got involved in the Solstice celebrations and annual Boxing Day swim was really inspiring and heart-warming. It was a bonus to be treated to not one but two budding romances, with both sisters falling for a hot, single local. The book starts with Scarlett gate-crashing the pub's Christmas Day Lunch for the Lonely after a family history gift revealed her Dad wasn't actually her real Dad. 

Find out more at phillipa-ashley.com

PREVIEW - Hold Your Tongue by Deborah Masson

I'm delighted to share my review of 'Hold Your Tongue' by Deborah Masson. This is not for the squeamish but it's really rather good - a great debut from an exciting new author.

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

Released: 20 November 2019 (ebook) and 26 December 2019 (paperback)

The blurb 
A brutal murder. A young woman’s body is discovered with horrifying injuries, a recent newspaper cutting pinned to her clothing.

A detective with everything to prove. This is her only chance to redeem herself.

A serial killer with nothing to lose. He’s waited years, and his reign of terror has only just begun . . .

In my opinion 
I was intrigued by the title, description and cover of Deborah Masson's debut novel but immediately thought I'd made a big mistake as this is quite violent and unnervingly descriptive from the very first page, making it quite uncomfortable reading in places. I'm not sure why it shocked me as the clue is very much in the title " Hold Your Tongue" referring to the serial killer removing his victims' tongues whilst they were still alive. Anyway I took a deep breath and carried on and am so glad I did as it turned out to be really rather good. 

I really enjoyed the style of writing which is short, snappy and to the point. It's really easy reading with the fairly short chapters continually tempting you to just read one more, particularly as the story starts quickening to its explosive ending. The narrative is principally the voice of the lead investigative detective, DI Eve Hunter, but interspersed with the odd chapter or section by the killer and other members of Eve's team which kept things varied and grabbed attention.

Following the police investigation is definitely my favourite style of crime writing as it provides a fascinating insight into police work. I always feel like I am a member of the team examining the evidence, looking for clues and trying to solve the crime alongside the characters. The best thing by far about this novel, however, was my total inability to guess the identity of the killer, due almost entirely to the author's clever misdirection throughout.

What's more Deborah Masson has a unique gift for characterisation. The four main characters, the police officers, are all flawed but still relatable and on the whole likeable. And, it's these flaws which make for such a captivating dynamic between the characters as they resent, distrust, dislike, compete and grieve with each other whilst trying to work together as a united front. Again it's the author's talent and incredible writing that enables you to put yourself in every character's shoes, understanding why they are and act the way they do - even the mentally disturbed killer.

A nice touch was that the book didn't end with the big reveal, instead it continued briefly exploring the aftermath of the case. We saw how the four main characters were coping and working towards putting their past and strained relationships behind them in order to move on as a supportive close-knit team.

Not for the squeamish but I really recommend this - a great debut from an exciting new author. I would've given it five stars except for the gruesomeness of the tongue scenes.

The author

Follow @deborah_masson on Twitter.

REVIEW - Christmas at Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

I'm delighted to share my review of the new novel in the Pudding Pantry series by Caroline Roberts. Well worth a read with all the ingredients for a perfect festive romcom. This one will certainly get you in the Christmas spirit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Released: 31 October 2019

The blurb
The first snow is falling over Primrose Farm, the mince pies are warming, and Rachel can’t wait to share a kiss under the mistletoe with her gorgeous new flame, Tom. If only it was all comfort and joy.....but the arrival of Tom’s ex brings an unwelcome chill to the farm. And despite Master Baker Mum Jill’s valiant efforts, the new pudding pantry business is feeling the pinch.With a spoonful of festive spirit, a cupful of goodwill with friends, and her messy, wonderful family by her side, can Rachel make this a Christmas to remember?

In my opinion

Well worth a read with the inclusion of festive recipes providing a nice extra touch too. And, for me the book itself had all the ingredients for a perfect romcom:

·         Budding romance

·         Countryside village setting

·         Close-knit family

·         Cosy friendships

·         Entrepreneurial spirit

·         Cute animals and children

·         Christmas cheer

Yes like most chicklit it follows a tried and tested ‘recipe’ but it’s a formula that works and is one I love. However, this had more breadth than your typical sugar-coated romance. It was heart-warming but also real, embracing the ups and downs of life including illness, grief, single parenting, British farming and starting up a small business.

Essentially this was the story of the Swinton family - four generations of warm, strong women working together to make a success of their new business and keep their beloved farm. I loved the lead character, Rachel, a hard-working, driven, independent, kind, family-orientated young woman. Although I did find it hard to believe that Rachel was 24 – I mean being a young single mum is likely to make you grow up quickly but still the most mature, sensible 24 year old I’ve ever come across.

Five-year old Maisy, Rachel’s daughter, was obviously adorable too, providing many of the comedic moments. The best of these was undoubtedly the school nativity play where the farm’s overgrown lamb, Petie, played a supporting role alongside shepherd Maisy. Cue Petie lunging for a mouthful of hay, toppling Baby Jesus out of the crib, before leaping into the audience and galloping up and down only to poo on the floor on his way out.

As Christmas titles go this one was actually very festive, unlike many. It had Christmas puddings, the infamous nativity, snow storms, Christmas fairs and decorations galore. Although to be fair it also had fireworks and bonfires as it covered the run-up to Christmas too - so a real seasonal delight.

Seemingly this is the second novel in the Pudding Pantry series, with hints of a third to come. But, don’t let that put you off as it works perfectly well as a standalone too. All in all a great read which will certainly get you in the festive spirit (and make your mouth water will all the mentions of scrumptious sounding puddings).

The author

Follow @_caroroberts on Twitter or find out more on the author's own website.