Behind Her Smile - Caroline England

 

Buried secrets are dangerous.

Unearthing them might be deadly ...

Laurie Dunn has returned to her childhood attic bedroom and her old nightmares have come rushing back. Terrorised by a client-related mugging, her job as a criminal solicitor causes more problems than solutions.

Finn Ballentine yearns for a fresh start, but even the glossy façade of his new law firm can't protect him from the past he's running from.

After a disturbing remark by her confused father, Laurie joins forces with Finn to uncover dark truths. But the long-buried secrets they unearth are laced with danger for them both.

What did I think?

I love Caroline England books as you never know what to expect but you're definitely guaranteed a good read.  The creepy doll on the cover gives you some idea of how dark Behind Her Smile is and I absolutely loved it.

Laurie has been brought up by her father and sister after her mother died in childbirth.  The subject of memories is explored as Laurie thinks about her childhood and whether what she can remember is real or false.  You also wonder whether her family are protecting her or hiding something from her.  Needless to say, every guess I had was wrong!

I really liked Laurie and it was lovely to see her reviving her relationship with Finn but there are so many obstacles in their way.  Caroline England just kept reeling me in with the ups and downs of Laurie's life until hitting me with the big reveal.  Absolutely brilliant!

Dark, disturbing and completely addictive, Behind Her Smile is an unpredictable and unsettling read that gripped me from start to finish.  A highly recommended read.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

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BLOG TOUR: The Return of Frankie Whittle - Caroline England

Once you enter, will they ever let you leave?

Frankie Whittle has it all: a career in the City, a gorgeous husband and a baby on the way. It's the perfect life, but it's built on sand. In one terrifying night, everything she has worked so hard for unravels.

She needs a fresh start. When she discovers the very place she was born has been converted into a beautiful gated community, it feels like serendipity. After all she's been through, has she found her dream home?

They say you should never go back, that the past is a foreign country, filled with devastating secrets. How far will those around her go to keep their secrets safe? 

What did I think?

The Return of Frankie Whittle is a dark, disturbing and creepy novel that kept me riveted to the page from start to finish.  I do love Caroline England books; if you expect the unexpected you will not be disappointed.

I wasn't that keen on Frankie Whittle at the very start of the book but I was really worried for her as the story progresses.  She returns to her northern home town in a vulnerable state and it puts a strain on her marriage with her husband remaining in London.  Frankie wants to put what happened behind her and put down roots in Manchester and the security of a gated community is just too difficult to resist.

The whole idea of a gated community gives me the creeps as it seems very cult-like and that's before I was introduced to the suspiciously perfect characters that Caroline England has created.  Everyone is just too happy and friendly as they draw Frankie into the fold and I couldn't help but wonder what their motives were and what they were inevitably hiding.  

I have never guessed the twists in a Caroline England book and I'm not about to start now as her imagination knows no bounds.  There are moments where I couldn't understand why Frankie did one thing or another but a lot of that is down to her own state of mind.  The tension is palpable and I could almost hear a soundtrack of ominous music in my head whilst I was reading.

Dark, tense and gripping, The Return of Frankie Whittle is another fabulous page turner from Caroline England.  With so many shocks and surprises in store for the reader, it's difficult to put down and impossible to predict.  A highly recommended read for thriller fans.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Love Books Tours Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Stranger Beside Me - Caroline England

When no one is what they seem, who can you trust?

Katy Henry is lost and lonely. A single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, she rarely has time for friends. But when she encounters Sibeal Matthews, all this changes. Sibeal is everything that Katy is not: assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy soon finds herself pulled out of her isolation into a fierce friendship. But Sibeal is not all that she seems. Tragedy haunts her, and for all her feistiness, she is startlingly dependent on her brother, Gabriel. And when her life begins to spectacularly unravel, Katy is swept up in the storm.

As Katy fights to protect herself and her son, it's not just Sibeal who threatens to endanger them - Katy's own past starts to rupture. Who can Katy trust? Can she even trust herself?

 

What did I think?

I have been a fan of Caroline England's books for a while now but she has totally knocked it out of the park with her new novel, The Stranger Beside Me - it is FANTASTIC!!  I was completely drawn into the web that Caroline's sublime writing created and I was totally blindsided by the stunning plot.

The characters are beautifully drawn and I loved Katy and her inquisitive son Milo.  There is a vulnerability about Katy and I was worried that she was heading into dangerous waters when she befriends Sibeal Matthews at her father's funeral.  Sibeal has an air of danger about her and it just feels like something is off with Sibeal and her brother Gabriel.

Caroline England has plotted this novel to perfection and it's a bit like a boxing match with punches and feints coming at you from all directions, until you're on the ropes and your opponent moves in for the killer blow.  BAM!  It's most definitely a knockout novel and I didn't see any of it coming.

The Stranger Beside Me is dark, tense, a little creepy and completely awesome; it's one of the easiest five star ratings I have ever given.  Very highly recommended and completely unmissable.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Sinner - Caroline England

 

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST

To the unsuspecting eye Dee Stephens has a perfect life as the vicar's wife: a devoted marriage to her charismatic husband Reverend Vincent, an adoring congregation and a beautiful daughter.

EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE

But beneath the surface, Dee is suffocating. Vincent is in control, and he knows her every sin. Desperate, Dee escapes into a heady affair with Cal, an old schoolmate.

EVERY CONFESSION HAS A PRICE

But is Cal the saviour she thinks he is? What dark secrets does he harbour? And to what lengths will Vincent go to when he uncovers the truth?

What did I think?

The Sinner is absolutely riveting.  It is filled with secrets, lies and deception so it is just the kind of book I love: a book that's difficult to put down and impossible to predict.

Dee is a very interesting main character; she really dislikes her role as vicar's wife, almost as much as she dislikes her mother-in-law.  The fractious relationship between the two women was beautifully described by Caroline England and I could totally see why Dee felt the need to escape into Cal's arms.  It's really difficult to talk about the plot without releasing any spoilers, so that's all I'm saying about it.

From the front cover design to the writing inside, The Sinner is completely flawless.  I was captivated from start to finish by both the intriguing characters and the compelling plot.  I absolutely raced through it as I just had to wring out every last secret hidden within the pages.

I've read a few Caroline England books over the years and The Sinner is definitely one of her best, although the others are all brilliant too.  I really wasn't expecting some of the twists and turns, and there are a lot of them, which will surprise and delight thriller fans.  The Sinner is a hugely enjoyable novel and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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COVER REVEAL: The Sinner - Caroline England

I'm thrilled to be be helping with the cover reveal for Caroline England’s new novel, The Sinner.  I love Caroline’s books so I’m very excited for this one!  Publishing on 16th June 2022 by Little, Brown Book Group, let's have a look at the cover... 

Wow!  What a striking cover, I absolutely love it and it definitely makes me want to pick up the book.  

Here's a little bit about the book:

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST 

To the unsuspecting eye Dee Stephens has a perfect life as the vicar’s wife: a devoted marriage to her charismatic husband Reverend Vincent, an adoring congregation and a beautiful daughter.

EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE

But beneath the surface, Dee is suffocating. Vincent is in control, and he knows her every sin. Desperate, Dee escapes into a heady affair with Cal, an old schoolmate. 

EVERY CONFESSION HAS A PRICE 

But is Cal the saviour she thinks he is? What dark secrets does he harbour? And to what lengths will Vincent go to when he uncovers the truth? 

Praise for Caroline England

'The duchess of dark domestic noir strikes again' HELEN FIELDS

'A twist that I didn't see coming!' T. M. LOGAN

'Kept me gripped' B. A. PARIS

Preorder from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Amazon UK

About the author:

Born in Sheffield, Caroline studied Law at the University of Manchester and stayed over the border. Caroline was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer. She turned to writing when she deserted the law to bring up her three lovely daughters. Caroline has had short stories and poems published in a variety of literary publications and anthologies. 

Caroline writes domestic psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, BENEATH THE SKIN, known also as THE WIFE’S SECRET in eBook, was published by Avon HarperCollins in October 2017. Her second novel, MY HUSBAND’S LIES, followed in May 2018 and became a Kindle top ten bestseller. BETRAY HER, was published by Piatkus of Little, Brown Book Group, in July 2020. TRUTH GAMES followed in June 2021.

Caroline has two pen names. As Caro Land she has written a legal suspense series, CONVICTIONS, published by Bloodhound Books in January 2020. The follow up, CONFESSIONS, published in June 2020.

As CE Rose she has written a gothic-tinged psychological thriller THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN SECRETS. It was published by Hera Books in April 2021 in ebook and audiobook. The paperback will follow in August 2021. THE HOUSE ON THE WATER’S EDGE will be published in ebook and audiobook in August 2021.

Caroline has two dark, twisty short story collections available on Amazon, both in eBook and paperback, WATCHING HORSEPATS FEED THE ROSES and HANGED BY THE NECK.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @CazEngland

InstaGram: @cazengland1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CazEngland1/