The Perfect Lie - A. Barker

For years, Anna chased hope, desperate to outrun the lies she'd told herself.

Convinced her future can only be found in the past, she returns back to Brighton, where it all began.

She's older. Wiser. More determined.

Then she meets Patrick.

The man she should never have met.

The son of the only man she ever loved.

The son of the man she murdered over twenty years ago.

This fast-paced, twisted psychological novel will keep you hooked until the final, jaw-dropping twist.

Be prepared for a thrilling descent into the dark side of love with a story so unbelievable you will think it's actually true.

Perfect for fans of books by Freida McFadden, Claire Douglas and Lisa Jewell.

 

What did I think?

Well this book certainly kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat!  The Perfect Lie is filled with so many lies and twists that I really didn't know what was going to happen next.

Anna is a character I loved to hate; she is completely deluded and she literally got away with murder.  When Anna returns to the scene of the crime many years later, she meets Patrick, the son of the man she killed, and it's not long before he is drawn into her dangerous web.  Is history about to repeat itself?

Eeeeeek!  I couldn't read this book fast enough to discover all of the secrets and lies buried within.  I'm keeping my review brief as I don't want to inadvertently release any spoilers but I will say that the plot is super-sharp and the pacing is blisteringly fast.

Impossible to put down and even more difficult to predict, The Perfect Lie is perhaps one of the most twisty books I have read for quite some time.  A very highly recommended and completely thrilling read. 

I received a digital ARC from the author and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

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

Amazon

BLOGATHON: Night By Night - Jack Jordan

I'm taking part in the Compulsive Readers Jack Jordan Blogathon and I'm resharing my review of Night by Night from 2019. 

If you're reading this, I'm dead . . . A heart-stopping thriller from the master of the moral dilemma and Sunday Times bestselling author.

Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is unravelling day by day.

Her life is a blur of exhaustion, until one evening a man running through the streets collides with her before quickly vanishing, dropping a journal at her feet.

Inside are Finn Matthews' frantic, desperate words. He was convinced he was being hunted. Now he's missing, and nobody is looking for him.

Rose decides to dedicate her sleepless nights to obsessively search for answers about what happened to Finn. Why did he think someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won't the police investigate his disappearance?

The deeper Rose digs, the more determined she becomes to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what it will cost her…

What did I think (in 2019)?

I've read every book that Jack Jordan has published and the talent of this outstanding young author continues to amaze me.  You know you're guaranteed a good read when you pick up a Jack Jordan novel and wow does he pull out all of the stops in Night by Night, his fifth book.  I was almost hyperventilating in shock after a huge gasp out loud moment in the opening chapters, in a part named 'Before'; so be prepared and buckle up for this thrilling literary rollercoaster ride! 

You would have to be completely heartless not to feel for Rose Shaw; she has such an emotional and heartbreaking back story with so much tragedy in her life and the punches just keep on coming.  When Rose finds a journal in the street one night, she is determined to find out what happened to its owner, but someone is equally determined to stop her.  As she continues to dig into the disappearance of Finn Matthews, it feels like Rose is very much alone, losing friends and family at every turn and even the police don't believe her.

I loved Rose's dogged determination to get to the bottom of the disappearances of young men in her area over several years.  When Rose puts an advert in the newspaper, a string of families come forward who have lost loved ones; vulnerable young men who are just trying to live the life they have chosen.  Someone is preying on these men and the local police force, filled with bigots and homophobes, won't take their disappearances seriously.

It's scary to see how people's prejudices affect their work ethic; I know this is fiction but I bet it does happen in real life.  It shouldn't matter what age, sex or sexual preference a person has but oftentimes it's the only thing that some narrow minded people see.  It's very brave of Jack Jordan to put this subject out there and it pains me to think of the suffering that many people will have encountered over the years.  I was particularly moved by Jay's story and how he was crying for help inside but couldn't voice it to those who cared most about him.

Jack Jordan remains firmly one of my favourite authors and I'm always on tenterhooks when he releases a new book.  Night by Night is an outstanding psychological thriller that succeeded in shocking and gripping me but it was also very thought-provoking as it highlighted the emotional torture that people hide so very well.  Although it's a thriller not a self-help book, if it makes just one tortured soul ask for help as a result of reading it, then it's a job well done.

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

My rating:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon




Follow the tour:

BLOGATHON: Before Her Eyes - Jack Jordan

She can't see the killer. But the killer can see her...

Naomi Hannah has been blind since birth, living her life in darkness. Trapped in her claustrophobic hometown, she’s finally reached her breaking point.

But everything changes when she stumbles across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. Not only that, but Naomi senses she isn’t alone at the scene… Someone is there with her. The killer is watching.

Naomi may not be able to see their face, but she is the only person who can identify them.

As the police begin their hunt and more victims are discovered, Naomi is forced to answer the question on which her fate hangs: why did the killer let her live?

And in a town this small, the murderer may still be close. Perhaps even before her very eyes...

What did I think?

Jack is back in the most eagerly anticipated book of the year!  There's nothing unusual about booklovers getting excited about books, but a new Jack Jordan book seems to whip us up into a frenzy as we all clamour to get our names on this exclusive list of early readers.  I've been a huge fan of Jack Jordan since reading his outstanding debut, Anything for Her, and it's wonderful to follow the journey of this super-talented young author as he heads towards his destiny at the top of the bestseller chart.  

I don't know where Jack Jordan gets his ideas from but they're all such good ones and Before Her Eyes is an absolute cracker!  It sounds simple with a blind woman being pursued by a killer she can't see but the descriptions of smell, sounds and touch were so visual that I felt as if my own senses had been heightened to cope with Naomi's blindness.  Jack Jordan is always so attuned to his characters that he can replicate their thoughts and feelings in the reader, without us even realising it.  Whilst reading Before Her Eyes I found myself noticing smells and sounds more than usual as I tried to empathise with the darkness in which Naomi lived.  

Although Naomi is understandably a very flawed character, she is a lot tougher than she thinks.  Naomi will always have strong feelings towards her ex-husband, Dane, as he saw her at her worst and naturally, Naomi feels safe with him.  As a blind woman, there's one thing that her other senses can't compensate for and that is the looks of admiration that Naomi receives from lovely DS Marcus Campbell.  Now this really is love at first sight but unfortunately Naomi can't see it and my heart broke for Marcus as had to be content with admiring Naomi from afar.

The story of the killer terrorising Naomi's town reminded me of spiderweb cracks on a mirror; as you follow one line of enquiry and end up at a dead end, you have to return to the centre to see where the story leads you.  At the centre of this web is a cold case: that of young Hayley Miller whose body has never been found.  Marcus is convinced that this recent spate of killings is linked to the Hayley Miller case but his boss doesn't share the same thoughts.  Marcus does a bit of digging on his own and finds that the latest victims were investigating the Hayley Miller case so he seems to be on the right track but, with a killer determined to stop the truth getting out about Hayley Miller, nobody in this town is safe.

I can guarantee that you will be glued to every single page of Before Her Eyes.  I read it so fast that I feel like I need to read it again at a much slower pace to fully appreciate the glorious, visual scenes painted by Jack Jordan's powerful words.  An absolutely sublime piece of fiction that entertained, amazed and down-right thrilled every inch of me.  A* - you're top of the class again, Mr Jordan!

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon




Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Tangled Splinters (The Motivated Antics Series Book 1) - T. L. Hill

 

A cryptic killer. A deadly game. A truth buried so deep, it could destroy everything.

For decades, the Wood Riddle Killer has left a trail of bodies—each one a puzzle, each crime scene a taunt. Rosa Ryker, a newly appointed detective, is thrust into the case that has haunted seasoned FBI Special Agent Simon Pikes for years.

Simon is relentless, haunted by his past failures. Rosa is determined to prove herself. But as the riddles grow darker and the body count rises, the investigation turns into a twisted game—one where every misstep has fatal consequences.

With betrayals lurking in the shadows and secrets buried deep, trusting the wrong person could be deadly.

Tangled Splinters—the first book in The Motivated Antics Series—is a gripping psychological crime thriller packed with shocking twists, dark secrets, and an investigation that will push its detectives to the edge.

What did I think?

Tangled Splinters is the first book in The Motivated Antics series and I am on tenterhooks for the next book after that jaw-dropping ending that made me want MORE!  My mind is still whirring, wondering if I have interpreted it right or wrong so the next book can't come quick enough.

I loved Rosa Ryker from the start whose promotion to detective didn't go down too well with her colleagues.  Rosa is an asset to a case the FBI are involved in as she sees connections and interprets clues that others can't see.  Special Agent Simon Pikes is well-named as S.Pikes as he is very spiky and prickly but for good reason; the Wood Riddle Killer case isn't just his job to solve, it's personal.

Both Rosa and Simon both carry a lot of baggage and heartbreaking back stories so it's natural that they would be drawn to each other and their attraction is only a small part of the plot because this case serial killer case is BIG.  As grisly as some of the scenes are, I loved the lighthearted moments mainly due to Rosa being so clumsy and ending up sprawled on the floor.  T. L. Hill has found the perfect balance between light and dark to produce a memorable psychological thriller book.

With a blisteringly fast pace and an incredibly intriguing plot, Tangled Splinters is impossible to put down and even more impossible to predict.  I was hooked from the start and can't wait for more of the series to be published.  It's definitely worth adding this one to your TBR, thriller fans.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Family Traits - Sarah Jones

Two families destroyed by the disappearance of a daughter and the suicide of a son.

Seventeen years ago, the Webster family found themselves in a nightmare when Chris Webster’s protégé, Sam Chappel, disappeared after the school summer ball. Just two weeks later, Chris’s son Jez committed suicide at the family holiday home. 

Now Chris Webster is dead, and vicious rumours are starting to circulate about his involvement in Sam’s disappearance.

Nat Morton, journalist with the local paper, has decided that Sam’s story is just what she needs to revive her ailing career. It just means ignoring any loyalty she may feel towards the Websters, who treated her as part of the family when she was growing up.

After the death of her father, Caro Webster is spending the summer at the ‘Beach Hut’, which has been left empty since the suicide of her brother there. She is distraught at the allegations against her beloved father - but far from laying the past to rest, she is discovering disturbing parts of a puzzle that she doesn’t want to piece together.

When Sam Chappell is finally found, the discovery changes everything they thought they knew. And someone is determined that the secrets of the past should stay buried.

 

What did I think?

WOW!  I could not put this book down.  I usually write notes as I'm reading but my notebook remained resolutely blank as I didn't want to tear my eyes away from the pages of this gripping book for a single second.

It's a lot darker than it looks from the cover and it is filled with secrets (my favourite type of book).  There's the mystery of a missing teenage girl, the suicide of a teenage boy, the parentage of Caro's son and a whole web of secrets and lies to uncover.  I'm going to keep my review brief so as not to inadvertently release any spoilers but suffice to say I was shocked, surprised and horrified.  Bravo, Sarah Jones!

I loved the friendship dynamic between Caro and Nat; Caro is so self-centred and I really didn't like her at all whereas Nat is thoughtful and friendly but she's a journalist so she's always on the lookout for a big scoop.  There's such a lot going on with the various threads of the storyline that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Beautifully written and perfectly plotted, Family Traits is a compelling, intriguing and poignant psychological thriller.  With a book of this calibre, Sarah Jones is an author to watch and I can't wait to see what she writes next.  In the meantime, I'm adding her debut A False Reflection to my TBR.  A very highly recommended read and an easy five stars.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOGATHON: My Girl - Jack Jordan

Paige Dawson: the mother of a murdered child and wife to a dead man.

She has nothing left to live for… until she finds her husband’s handgun hidden in their house.

Why did Ryan need a gun? What did he know about their daughter’s death?

Desperate for the truth, Paige begins to unearth her husband’s secrets.

But she has no idea who she is up against, or that her life isn’t hers to gamble – she belongs to me.

What did I think?

I am reposting my review from 2016 as part of the blogathon for he new cover of the book so please do follow all the stops on the posters at the end of my review.

After naming Anything For Her as one of my top reads of 2015, I could hardly contain my excitement when Jack Jordan asked me if I would like to read his new book.  The answer was of course 'yes please' as I checked my email every hour to see when My Girl would drop through my virtual mailbox.  

Paige feels like her life is falling apart.  Her daughter, Chloe, went missing and Paige never found out what happened to her.  This all became too much for Paige's husband, Ryan, as he chose to end his life leaving Paige struggling to cope without her family.  As Paige feels her life spiralling out of control she turns to drink and drugs to numb the pain, even resorting to desperate measures to obtain them.  She sobers up pretty sharpish when she finds a gun in Ryan's office and strange things start to happen in the house, leaving Paige questioning her sanity and fearing for her own safety.  Luckily she has family she can turn to...

I think one word that a lot of people will use to describe My Girl is 'unputdownable'; I read it in one sitting over a couple of hours and don't think I even stopped for a beer - that's praise indeed coming from me!  As part one drew to a close you could have knocked me down with a feather - I so didn't see that coming!  My jaw hit the floor and my eyebrows shot up to the sky - not a pretty look but one that many thriller readers will recognise and the mark of a very good book!

There will inevitably be parallels drawn between My Girl and a well known book that shall not be named as it will give one of the twists away.  My Girl has the benefit of the element of surprise as up until part two I would never have thought the book was going in that particular direction.  Now you will have to read My Girl to find out what on earth I am talking about.

My Girl is certainly a strong contender for my top reads of 2016, in fact I'd say it is one to beat.  Jack Jordan is really getting a name for himself as a very talented psychological thriller writer.  With twists and shocks galore, My Girl will keep you riveted from start to finish and I urge you to read it for yourself - you won't regret it (although you may have a late night of reading).

I chose to read a digital copy of the book and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOGATHON: Anything For Her - Jack Jordan

For my stop on the Compulsive Readers blog tour, I am reposting my review of Anything For Her from July 2015, updated with the stunning new cover.  

The unputdownable debut from bestselling author Jack Jordan.

Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you.

Louise Leighton's life has fallen apart, all because of one fateful night. Her husband is an adulterer, her sister is his mistress, and soon, Louise will lose everything she owns. But she never imagined she would lose her daughter.

Eighteen-year-old Brooke Leighton is missing. It's up to Louise and the Metropolitan Police to find her. Has Brooke run away? Or has she been taken against her will? And can Louise aid the investigation without mentioning the night where all of her troubles began?

If she mentions that night, she will incriminate her daughter for heinous crimes. But if she doesn't, she may never find Brooke; and if she has been abducted, the person who took her may come for Louise, too.

Sometimes the past comes back to kill you.

What did I think?

Louise Leighton is happily married to Michael with two happy carefree children, Brooke and Dominic, when an unfortunate event shatters her world.

Wow!  This book fell through my letterbox and didn't even hit the bookshelf - once I picked it up, it refused to be put down!  It gripped me from the very first page when Michael revealed that he had been having an affair with his sister-in-law.  He blames his actions on Louise, as she has changed after “that night”.  “That night” is the hook that had me turning page after page, long after I should have been asleep and dreaming of books, beer and cheese.

Jack Jordan has very cleverly chosen a mindless act for “that night” that sets in motion a series of events with cataclysmic consequences, resulting in a shared secret between Louise and her daughter, Brooke.  The tension was palpable as more details of “that night” emerge and the past doesn’t just come back to haunt them, it comes back to get even.

This is an exceptional debut novel; the writing is sublime with an abundance of magnificent metaphors that had me mentally applauding on every page.  This is definitely a contender for my book of the year.

I received a copy of the book from the author; this is my honest and unbiased opinion. 

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Follow the tour:

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.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

Follow the tour:

The Survivors - Caroline Mitchell

A fatal car crash with only one witness—but is she telling the truth?

On a winding cliff edge on the wild Irish coast, two cars collide. In one is Maura Claffey’s niece, Finn, and her baby daughter. In the other, Kathryn with her own newborn—and her own secrets. Both women survive, but one of the girls does not.

In the aftermath, bruised and heavily medicated, both women struggle to come to terms with what happened that day. Recovering at Maura’s home, Finn’s confused thoughts continually return to her recently deceased mother, who left Ireland under mysterious circumstances, but Maura won’t be drawn into revealing anything. Meanwhile Kathryn, certain that she’s being lied to about the crash, goes in dogged pursuit of the truth.

Only Maura has the answer. Only she was watching that day. But she won’t let anyone get in the way of what she wants…

 

What did I think?

Wow Caroline Mitchell has written another absolute corker of a book!  This gripping and twisty book shocked and surprised me from start to finish and just when I thought I knew what was going on, Caroline Mitchell pulled the rug right from underneath me.

The story is told from three different point of views: Maura, Finn and Kathryn.  Finn is on the way to visit her Aunt Maura when she is involved in a road traffic accident with Kathryn.  Both Finn and Kathryn are driving with their baby daughters in the car and there is one devastating fatality.  Finn's Aunt Maura was first on the scene but she is a very unreliable witness as she is completely unhinged...and dangerous.

OMG!  I was on tenterhooks throughout the whole of this book during Finn's recovery and Kathryn's turmoil.  Honestly, Maura Claffey makes Annie Wilkes from Misery look like a sweet and caring aunty.  I just didn't know how many versions of Maura there were or which one was going to make an appearance today.  I did feel sorry for her though as growing up in the shadow of her twin left deep scars that will never heal.

It's the sign of a good psychological thriller when you feel like you have been blindfolded and spun around so you can't tell which way is up never mind what is going to happen next.  I loved that I was completely blindsided by every twist in this gripping tale and I was thrilled by every single reveal.  

Fast-paced, gripping and twisty, The Survivors is unpredictable and unputdownable.  A very highly recommended read and an easy five stars.

I received a gifted copy for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Taken - Danielle Ramsay

I am accused of the worst of crimes – murdering my baby – and I have hours before this passenger ferry docks in Spain to find him, alive.

Someone knows about my difficult past and darkest secrets, and now I think they’ve taken my baby. But who would do this to me and why? I know the answer. Or least I think I do…

The police want to know why I have fled my home and husband. How do I tell them that I had a breakdown after my first baby died? That today is the anniversary of his death? That my husband is planning on having me sectioned?

Despite what my husband says, I’m not ill. Am I? For I have discovered he has an agenda…

So how could I have been so wrong about him?

And how do I convince the police I’m innocent, when everyone believes I’m guilty, and get my baby back before he disappears forever?

 

What did I think?

Make sure you're sitting comfortably when you pick up Danielle Ramsay's new novel, Taken, as you won't be able to put it down.  I absolutely devoured it, reading way past my bedtime until I discovered all of the secrets buried in the book.

Alice is one of the most unreliable narrators I have come across and she is tortured by grief, guilt and what ifs following the cot death of her son.  Alice blames herself and falls into a spiral of depression.  Meanwhile, Alice's husband Tom seems to be getting on with life by planning a move back to America but then Alice falls pregnant again.

Oh Alice!  I really wanted to reach into the book to give her a hug.  She feels like everyone is conspiring against her and it's no wonder she is struggling to cope with the birth of her second son after losing her first baby so tragically.  I wasn't sure whether Tom was just good at hiding his emotions or simply uncaring but it really seemed like Alice was a lone passenger on a rollercoaster of emotions.

With secrets in both Alice's and Tom's pasts, the pacing is blistering as I raced through the pages to uncover everything and I was kept guessing right to the end.  Death of a child is a difficult and disturbing subject but it was handled very sensitively and I could almost feel the torment that Alice was going through.  I really enjoyed Taken and would highly recommend it. 

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

My rating:

Purchase link: https://mybook.to/TakenSocial

About the author:

Danielle Ramsay is the author of the DI Jack Brady crime novels and other dark thrillers. She is a Scot living in the North-East of England and was previously published by Hodder & Stoughton and Avon.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: DanielleRamsayAuthor

Twitter: @DanielleRamsay2

Instagram: @danielle.ramsay.author

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DanielleRamsayNews

Follow the tour:

Here One Moment - Liane Moriarty

We’re all so busy, caught up in life's moments, big and small . . .

The flight attendant working on her birthday.

The mother struggling with two young children.

The newlyweds off to their tropical honeymoon .

The overworked father missing his kid’s big show.

The young man returning from his best friend’s funeral.

The ER nurse wondering what retirement will bring.

All strangers. All unsuspecting. All on their own journey – or so they imagine.

Because they are each about to encounter an elderly woman. In just a few words, she will make a prediction, tying herself to them all. And, in being bound to her, these disparate strangers will be drawn together . . .

Who is this woman? Is she a clairvoyant? A charlatan? The answer to prayers, or a harbinger of nightmares?

They are about to find out – here one moment . . .

 

What did I think?

Do you believe in psychics?  What if a fellow passenger on your plane told you your age of death and cause of death?  Would you take it seriously or just continue living your life?  That's what the passengers on an internal Australian flight must decide when 'The Death Lady' moves from passenger to passenger predicting their deaths.  They might think it's all nonsense until the predictions start coming true...

Eeeeeek Liane Moriarty has written an absolute belter in Here One Moment.  It's a book that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat but also makes you question your own life choices.  Always wanted to swim with dolphins?  Go do it!  Always wanted to travel the world? Pack your bag and get on that plane!  Nobody knows how much time we all have left...although maybe 'The Death Lady' does!

It seems almost trivial to say that a fiction book could change your life, but I really think that this book might just do that.  It's an absolutely cracking story but it is so much more than that as it really makes you think about how fragile life is.  A huge reminder to seize the day!

Incredibly thought-provoking and completely gripping from start to finish, Here One Moment is one of Liane Moriarty's best books yet.  Unmissable and unforgettable.  HIghly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Affair - Claire Allan

Her heart is thumping now, only just distinguishable from the roar of the water and the wind. This is not safe. She is not safe…

She realises then, only one of them is coming back out alive.

She’s the person I want to be. Sorcha Hannon, survivor of a devastating affair. She’s found the healing and hope I desperately need to find for myself.

And now that Sorcha and I are friends, I am no longer alone. Instead of days hiding away from the world, I have someone to talk to. I feel as if I finally belong.

There’s just one small catch. Sorcha Hannon isn’t just a new friend to me, and she certainly isn’t a stranger. In fact, I know the ins and outs of her life, and her marriage, almost as well as she does. But if she finds out who I really am, I’ll lose everything. Then again, as Sorcha says, no one’s life is really as perfect as it seems… and I should have realised, I’m not the only one with secrets.

What did I think?

As soon as I read the prologue of The Affair I knew I was hooked and I couldn't read fast enough to find out how it all got to this heart-pounding point.

Claire Allan really gets under the readers skin and inside their minds with her fabulous psychological thrillers and The Affair is no exception.  I started off with very little sympathy for Tina as she made her bed by sleeping with a married man and now she's trying to befriend his wife.  Sorcha seemed a little too perfect for me and she almost lives and breathes the perceived perfection of Instagram.  Nobody is that perfect!

As time went on, I started to feel sorry for Tina.  I think Ronan Hannon knew exactly what he was doing when he started his affair with co-worker Tina and when he'd had his fun he couldn't drop her fast enough, leaving her not only devastated but in a very difficult position at work.

Tina wasn't Ronan's first affair and Sorcha has had enough but she has her 'Sisterhood' to support her as she goes through her divorce.  My feelings for Sorcha Hannon ebbed and flowed like the tide; I felt sorry for her as the wronged wife but I struggled to see the real Sorcha beneath her perfect persona.  

Filled with suspense and intrigue, The Affair is quite a nail-biter as nobody is showing their true colours.  I really enjoyed it and think it's well worth a read.

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

My rating:

Purchase link: https://mybook.to/theaffairsocial

About the author:

Claire Allan is a bestselling author of psychological thrillers and, in the past, women's fiction.

A former reporter with the Derry Journal, she published eight contemporary women's fiction novels with Poolbeg Press in Ireland before becoming a full time author, and switching genre to 'unleash her darker side'

Her first domestic noir novel, Her Name Was Rose was published by Avon/ HarperCollins in 2018 and was an instant bestseller in several countries. Claire's novels have been translated into multiple languages.

Latterly. Claire worked as a story consultant on series one of the huge successful BBC drama series 'Blue Lights' with Two Cities Productions. She has also written a number of rom-coms under the pen-name Freya Kennedy, and supported Sunday Times Bestseller Serena Terry while she was writing her Mammy Banter titles.

In 2023 Claire signed a multi-book deal with Boldwood Books to write four thrillers as Claire Allan, and three rom-coms as Freya Kennedy, securing her publishing into 2026.

Social Media Links 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaireAllan 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claireallan_author/ 

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/ClaireAllanNews 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/claire-allan 

Follow the tour: