BLOG TOUR: Got What Was Coming - Hilly Barmby

 

Got What Was Coming alternates between past and present.

Three young women, Mali, Star and Abeba, receive an email from the school they’d attended as kids. It is an invitation to the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of ‘The Second Chance Cafe’, which they’d set up to help disenfranchised kids.

It is an exciting but ultimately tragic story that covers the complex lives and inter-relationships of four teenage girls and their mothers. The book reaches its climax with the death of another girl and the realisation of the role the others all played in her death and the impact on their lives through to adulthood.

What did I think?

Since I first discovered Hilly Barmby's book, I just can't get enough of them so I was delighted to received an early copy of her new self-published novel, Got What Was Coming and it's no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's a very intriguing story with three main characters who are are all very different.  Mali, Star and Abeba may not have started off as friends at school but they are linked by a tragic event.  Via a dual timeline we find out exactly what happened in the past to make them into the women they are today.

With bullying at the heart of the story, it's often difficult to read as events play out and the tragedy is fully revealed.  It's very thought-provoking to see that although a particular person may not have been an active bully they are most definitely complicit by either standing by and doing nothing or pushing another person into the bully's sights to draw attention away from themselves.  

Incredibly poignant and compelling, Got What Was Coming is an eye-opening and thought-provoking story about human nature and the regrets that shape who we are today.  Never has that well-known phrase 'survival of the fittest' held so much meaning and chilled me to the core.  A highly recommended read and one that will stay with me for a long time.

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

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BLOG TOUR: What You See - Hilly Barmby

Harriet (Haitch) Boswell’s career as an artist could be about to go stratospheric. She’s been nominated for a prestigious bursary that would change everything. To secure it, she needs to see off five other hopefuls and charm the man who holds the purse strings during a weekend at a stunning location in Spain.

But just before she’s due to leave, she falls ill. There’s no way she can attend the event. Perhaps there’s a solution… her twin sister, Tilda.

But Tilda’s life is in turmoil. Her husband Sam has left her, declaring his love for a mystery woman. Spending a weekend schmoozing with the cream of the creative world while pretending to be her sister, is the very last thing she wants to do. But the bonds of sisterhood are strong. Haitch begs her, and Tilda agrees.

What if she’s discovered as an imposter? There’s Haitch’s egotistical agent Damian to get past first. Then there’s the small matter of surviving the selection process – all five nominees are pitted against each other in an intellectual beauty contest.

And then when someone discovers a body the next day, no one is prepared for what comes next...

 

What did I think?

Oh this book was so good and I simply couldn't put it down.  There are so many layers of intrigue to hold the reader's interest and I was well and truly hooked.

Haitch and Tilda are identical twins but although they may look alike they are very different in nature.  Haitch is the outgoing one who says what she thinks and Tilda is the quiet nerdy one who thought she had found the perfect man with whom to spend the rest of her life...until he left her.  

Tilda is reeling from Sam's bombshell so a change of scenery could be just what she needs so she doesn't take much convincing to impersonate Haitch when Haitch falls ill and can't attend a prestigeous event in Spain.  It looks like the twins have got away with their ruse but complications arise when a dead body is discovered after the event.

Oh this is very intricately plotted and I loved every minute of it.  Hilly Barmby's vivid and captivating writing cleverly drew me in to an amazing web of deceit before going in for the kill with a superb twist.  What an absolute cracker!

Intriguing, gripping and twisty, What You See is an outstanding psychological thriller that hooked me from the start and didn't let go.  A very highly recommended read.

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

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Never Forgive You - Hilly Barmby

A glamorous French wedding 

Arriving at the station with her boyfriend Davey MacGregor and his twin sisters, Ailsa and Juliette, Hetty, a thriller book addict, picks up on family tension. But that’s natural before a big wedding, isn’t it? Hetty feels out of her depth. The family are wealthy and well- educated, whereas she is a council house girl. Davey’s cousin Isabelle is to marry Jean- Jacques, a French right-wing politician, in the family chateau. 

A fairy-tale event 

Ailsa is hesitant about coming back to France. Eight years ago, something happened that nearly destroyed the family. But that was dealt with, wasn’t it? Hetty has secrets of her own that she doesn’t want known. Ailsa is drawn back into the past. What, exactly, did happen? The expensive wedding is everything it should be, except when the groom is taken ill. The revellers carry on, but something is seriously wrong. 

Then things start to unravel 

The relationships between the family members fracture and secrets from the past start coming to the surface, with murderous results… Who is telling the truth? Who is out for revenge?

 

What did I think?

As you can tell from the fabulous cover, Never Forgive You is a dark and disturbing novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I loved the setting of a French wedding in a village where the MacGregors are clearly not welcome.  Something clearly happened in the past and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what it was.

It's evident from the start that this is one heck of a dysfunctional family but the true extent is not revealed until near the end.  I had my virtual running shoes on when I was reading and I read the book in two sittings as I couldn't put it down until I had discovered all of the secrets.

The family aren't terribly welcoming to Davey MacGregor's girlfriend Hetty and my blood was boiling as I read chapters from their point of view and found out what they really thought about Hetty.  Just who do they think they are?  With skeletons in their closet tapping on the door to get out, they really shouldn't be acting so aloof.

Compelling, dark and disturbing, Never Forgive You is a page-turning thriller that incensed and entertained me.  Revenge is indeed a dish that is best served cold.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: Best Served Cold - Hilly Barmby

A mystery woman enters Lily's life

At the launch for her latest children's book, a member of the audience asks Lily for an strange inscription in her copy of the book. Why does this unnerve her?

Is Jack the answer to Lily's prayers?

Later, while celebrating in a local bar, Lily, and best friend Alice, spot the same woman. Her name is Rose. Putting aside earlier unease, a new friendship between the three is formed. Rose offers to help Lily re-enter the dating scene after a bad breakup and they come across Jack, Mr Perfect on Paper. Lily quickly falls for handsome Jack. Is he too good to be true?

The past is the past, or is it?

Soon after the pair start dating, bizarre things start to occur to Lily, things are moved or they go missing, and, what’s worse, her precious artwork is damaged. Who did this to her? Surely it can’t have been her new boyfriend, her new friend Rose, or even oldest friend Alice? They all have a motive. Perhaps Lily did this all herself. Who can she trust, in fact, can she trust herself? Or has a ghost from Lily's past come back to haunt her?

 

What did I think?

Oooooh this book gave me the chills and I absolutely loved it!  Hilly Barmby is a new author to me and I'll definitely be checking out her back catalogue (and future books) based on this fantastic read.

I loved Lily and Alice's friendship and it is a very strong friendship to have survived Lily's breakup with Alice's cousin, Harry.  Whether it will survive the addition of a suspicious new member to their group is the big question when Rose Briar (see what Hilly Barmby did there, fairy tale fans?) inveigles her way into their lives.  As soon as Rose said that line from Misery, Lily should have run for the hills! 

Lily's duo becomes a trio and Rose convinces Lily to try online dating.  Before Lily knows it, Jack Kelly enters her life and he really is too good to be true.  As the reader being treated to flashbacks to Lily's past, I could see what was happening to her I wanted to reach into the book to keep her safe.  It's like watching a car crash in slow motion as events unfold and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page.

Incredibly gripping, addictive and chilling, Best Served Cold is a fantastic revenge thriller that had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read it fast enough.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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Hobeck Books

Amazon

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