BLOG TOUR: The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague - M K Hill

There's something wrong with Haddon Hall...

In 1876, Eleanor Teague lives in a lonely house far from the glamorous London Society she once knew. Confined to Haddon Hall by agoraphobia, bedevilled by nightmares of the death of her daughter, and haunted by the guilt of a terrible crime she committed, Eleanor depends on the household servants and on her husband Ezra, who is kind, patient… and controlling.

But when an apparition appears at her bedside, and mysterious voices urge her to find the 'Shadow House', she’s convinced an uncanny presence dwells within the walls of Haddon Hall, and that the staff are lying to her – they, in turn, fear she’s descending into madness.

As Eleanor’s world starts to fracture, the very foundations of Haddon Hall seem to shake. Why is the attic room locked? What is the Shadow House? Who is the strange woman in the woods?

The shocking truth will shatter everything Eleanor thought she knew about her life.

A haunting, high-concept thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague will enthral readers of John Marrs, Gillian McAllister and Stuart Turton. 

What did I think?

Wow!  What an absolute corker of a book!  It's not a spoiler to mention the jaw-dropping twist as it's stated in the blurb but it is MINDBLOWING!  

The main character of Eleanor Teague is complex and I really felt for her.  Not only is she grieving for her young daughter but she is filled with guilt over her death.  It's no wonder that she's frightened to leave the house.  Luckily for Eleanor, she lives in a large house with servants and her doting husband Ezra so she is well looked after...or so it would appear.

Mental health wasn't even considered in Victorian times so Eleanor is just seen as a weak and hysterical woman.  Haddon Hall is both her sanctuary and her prison and now it looks like it's haunted too.  Eleanor doesn't know what to believe or who to trust and the suspense and tension ramps up with every turn of the page.

Mind-bending, addictive and highly original, The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague is completely unpredictable and incredibly suspenseful.  I was already hooked on the book when M K Hill delivered an ingenious twist that really pulled the rug out from beneath me and I take my hat off to you, sir!  The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague is unmissable and highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

M.K. Hill was a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. He's written the Sasha Dawson series - The Bad Place, The Woman In The Wood - and the Ray Drake series - The Two O'Clock Boy and It Was Her - as well as acclaimed psychological thriller One Bad Thing, and the espionage thriller Zero Kill. He lives in London.

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What Lies Between Us - John Marrs

Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

 

What did I think?

My name's Michelle and I'm a John Marrs addict.  WOW!  What Lies Between Us is another absolute belter from the dark and twisted mind of John Marrs.  I'm gradually making my way through all of John Marrs' novels and What Lies Between Us is classic Marrs with a tense, addictive storyline that blows the reader's mind.

Maggie and Nina have a very unconventional mother/daughter relationship and I didn't know whose side to be on: the one who has been lied to and irrevocably damaged or the one who was incarcerated in the attic.  With two incredibly unreliable narrators the reader is in for a real treat in this impossible to predict, unputdownable novel.

I simply couldn't read it fast enough and it's not only a fantastic fast-paced rollercoaster ride, it's like visiting a whole fairground with a perplexing house of mirrors, a chilling ghost train and a twisty helter skelter.  As fast as I was reading it, What Lies Between Us is also a ride I didn't want to get off.  I absolutely LOVED IT!

Shocking, twisty and deliciously dark, What Lies Between Us is an unmissable book for fans of dark, domestic noir.  An easy five stars - I really can't recommend it highly enough.

I received a paperback for the Tandem Collective Readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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The Temp - Kelly Florentia

 

What if your dream job became your worst nightmare?

Bella seems to have it all – a beautiful home, a brilliant career, a loving husband and teenage daughter, and supportive family and friends. The only thing missing is her body confidence.

So, when her PA goes on maternity leave, she decides against hiring a temporary assistant and employs a personal trainer instead. Why squander hard-earned cash on a temp when she could put the money to better use? Surely, she deserved some happiness after years of being a mum, wife, and housekeeper.

But little did she know Frank would want more than tightening her glutes and toning her biceps. Angry and frustrated for making the wrong choice, Bella sacks Frank and hires a temp, Daisy.

Daisy has settled in nicely. She thinks she’s landed a great job. But if Bella thinks she can happily move on, as if Frank never existed, she may have to think again…

What did I think?

Oh what a tangled web you weave, Ms Florentia!  The Temp had my brain twisting and turning so much it's a wonder I wasn't dizzy!

Bella appears to have the perfect marriage but it's a slippery slope when you start hiding things from your other half.  Tom is a bit of a scrooge when it comes to the family finances so Bella has to hide the fact that she has hired a personal trainer at the gym.  Bella wishes she hadn't hired Frank when he won't take no for an answer and she can't get rid of him.

As if Frank appearing everywhere Bella turns isn't enough to drive her mad, she now has to hire a temp to cover her assistant's maternity leave.  It just so happens that the perfect candidate turns up without Bella having to advertise the position.  Uh-oh the alarm bells were positively deafening in my head when Daisy turns up out of the blue.

The plot twists and turns as the reader tries to work out what's going on with both Frank and Daisy but I would have never worked it out in a million years.  Reading books such as this is the one occasion when I'm more than happy to be wrong!

Compulsive, twisty and incredibly gripping, The Temp is a fantastic thriller that entertained, shocked and surprised me.  I absolutely loved it and would definitely recommend giving it a read.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Perfect Neighborhood - Liz Alterman

 

Think you know your neighbors? Think again.

When actress Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband in the middle of the night, her sudden departure becomes the talk of upmarket Oak Hill. But the relentless gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes disappears on his walk home from kindergarten. Is there a predator lurking in the leafy suburb? Weeks later, three-year-old Amy-Pat Davies vanishes from her backyard. In addition to sharing a zip code, the missing children have another thing in common – their babysitter, Cassidy McLean, who has a secret of her own.

What did I think?

I really enjoyed my visit to the fictional town of Oak Hill in The Perfect Neighborhood.  I love books filled with secrets and I couldn't read it fast enough to discover what the residents of Oak Hill are hiding.

There is a lot of speculation about actress Allison Langley as she is very private so none of her neighbours know her that well.  When she disappears from her perfect marriage in the perfect neighbourhood, the question on everyone's lips is 'where has she gone and why did she leave?'  Then a small child disappears...

The disappearance of five year old Billy is completely heartbreaking to read, especially seeing the devastating effect on his incredibly dysfunctional family.  Billy's mother is inconsolable but there's clearly something amiss in her marriage as her husband and stepson react completely differently.  I think I had pretty much everyone marked down as a suspect in Billy's disappearance over the course of the book.

When another child vanishes, the spotlight is turned on to the babysitter.  Cassidy was looking after both children when they disappeared and she's hiding something too.  I felt really sorry for Cassidy as she becomes an easy target for bullies at school and she wasn't completely to blame for the circumstances of each child's disappearance.  Yes, she did things wrong otherwise the children wouldn't have vanished, but other factors and people were to blame too.

This isn't just a peep through the curtains of your neighbours, it's a full on nose pressed against the glass glance into their lives.  All their thoughts and feelings are laid bare and my feelings towards certain characters changed as more of their story was uncovered.  It's very well written and I could totally imagine watching it on TV as either a mini-series or film.

Incredibly intriguing and completely compelling, The Perfect Neighborhood is filled with so many secrets that I couldn't put it down until every single one had been revealed.  A recommended read.

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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