Madison and her fiance Cooper Douglas return to his home town to have their wedding and start their married life together. But Madison is shocked to discover the town’s negative attitude towards Cooper due to the death of his high school sweetheart Celia. It was ruled an accident but could his family have used their wealth and influence to cover up a murder?
Madison is a tenacious journalist but has now turned her attentions to organising her wedding and solving the mystery about her fiance’s dead girlfriend. She is loyal to Cooper and determined to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile we also see Helena’s perspective. She is convinced that Cooper killed her daughter and will stop at nothing to get justice. Some chapters are delivered as flashbacks to Celia’s final hours before her death in 2006 and it becomes clear that there have been secrets hidden by the influential Douglas family.
I enjoyed Madison’s journey of discovery as she tries to reconcile her kind hearted fiance with the cold blooded killer image he has in town. She is also trying to negotiate new relationships with her in laws, a stressful experience that most people will be able to identify with!
The style of writing is easy to read and the plot is fast paced. There is great misdirection and some fantastic twists that I had not expected at all. Overall, The One Before is an intriguing thriller.
Book Description:
I love him. I trust him… But what if I’m wrong?
Whisper Falls is a fresh start for Madison and her fiancé Cooper. The safe, quiet town on the shores of a beautiful lake is the perfect place to spend the rest of their lives.
But then Madison learns that Cooper’s high-school girlfriend Celia disappeared after a party. Three days later, her body was found in the lake.
And the town thinks it wasn’t an accident.
Madison loves Cooper, but she can’t help wondering. She has to know the truth.
But if she starts asking questions, what other secrets will be revealed? Will she meet the same fate as the woman who came before her?
A dark, gripping psychological thriller with a brilliant twist, The One Before is perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn and Rachel Caine.
Author Bio:
Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.
Buy Links:
Hazel eagerly awaits the birth of her first grandchild as her daughter Katherine goes into labour. The family are plunged into sadness and grief despite the safe delivery of a goregous baby boy. His twin sister died during the birth and an emergency hysterectomy destroyed any chance of future children. Katherine is desperate for more children after growing up as an only child. Adoption is their only option but her husband and mother are set against it…
I’d only just recovered from the emotional depths of Sam Vickery’s last book (One Last Second) when I signed up for this book. I knew I was in for something that would break my heart but that I would also love. The writing is so authentic that we almost become the characters because we can feel their emotions so vivdly.
Katherine’s devastation at the death of both her baby girl and the potential for more natural children is very realistic and absolutely hearbreaking to read.
Meanwhile we see chapters from Hazel’s unhappy marriage which explain how she became the overbearing mother she is today. As both a mother and a daughter, I can see both sides of the story. It is a difficult balance!
Family relationships are delicately negotiated and emotional issues are handled sensitively over the course of the book. The flashback chapters offer us a greater understanding of how the past is impacting on decisions in the present. The use of the first person narrative for Katherine and Hazel allows us to explore their emotions in depth.
My Only Child is an emotional and enjoyable book but have the tissues ready!
Book Description:
There he is, my baby boy. His eyes are closed, his tiny rosebud mouth is pursed in sleep. My eyes well up as I catch a whiff of his newborn skin and I swallow back a wave of emotion. I should feel happy, I should feel grateful, but all I can think about is everything I just lost…
It’s a miracle when Katherine’s baby boy is born healthy. But his twin sister doesn’t survive, and when Katherine is told she can’t have any more children the loss is almost too much for her to bear.
Katherine always saw herself having a big family: she remembers how the loneliness of being an only child used to overwhelm her, and she is desperate to adopt a sibling for her son.
But her husband Davis won’t agree. He worries that Katherine will struggle when the new baby arrives. What if growing their family only adds to the grief she feels over losing her little girl? What if this breaks their marriage apart?
And Katherine is forced to make a choice. Give up the second child she has always dreamed of or risk losing the family she already has?
An unforgettable and heart-wrenching page-turner about fighting for those we love. Readers of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Kate Hewitt will remember this story forever.
Author Bio:
Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.
Buy Links:
TRIGGER WARNING: this book deals with domestic and sexual violence
After a whirlwind romance, Tess and Daniel Myers marry and relocate to Bath. But Tess is beginning to have doubts and Daniel’s behaviour concerns her. Meanwhile, elderly Martha is haunted by the past and convinced that Daniel hides a dark secret…
The prologue of The Next Wife instantly draws the reader in as we see a man attacking a woman and child. Next we see Martha, confused but determined to expose the truth although it is not clear what that is. Then we see the deterioration of the relationship between Tess and Daniel as the facade of perfection disintegrates.
Tess is a very likeable yet vulnerable character as is Martha. Tess begins the book excited for her future but is soon regretting her marriage. There is a huge sadness attached to the older character as we see Martha’s mental deterioration in tandem with her determination to reveal Daniel’s identity to the world.
The Next Wife is an intense psychological thriller. Daniel systematically and insidiously takes over all aspects of Tess’ life and removes her freedoms, from her choice of clothes to her career. I wanted to shout at her to run away from him!
As a fan of medical thrillers, I enjoyed the added dynamic of the doctor and nurse couple and the effect this has on the plot development. The power play occurs in their personal and professional lives with devastating consequences.
I really enjoyed The Next Wife and look forward to reading more from author Liz Lawler in the future.
Book Description:
I should never have married him. I ignored the warnings. It’s what you do when you’re in love. Ignore what you don’t want to see.
My husband is everything I ever dreamed of. A handsome, successful doctor who swept me off my feet.
Our new life together is perfect.
He’s perfect.
But am I good enough for him? I never seem to get anything right. And I’m starting to feel a little afraid of the man I married.
He’s taken away my bank card and my phone. I don’t know what to think or what to do. I gave up everything for him and now I’m trapped.
Then a stranger comes to our door. She tells me that I can’t trust my husband.
That I should ask him what happened to his first wife.
Totally gripping, chilling and with a twist you won’t see coming, The Next Wife is a dark, heart-stopping story of what really goes on behind closed doors. Fans of My Lovely Wife, B A Paris and JP Delaney will be completely enthralled by this addictive read.
Author Bio:
Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7.
Buy Links:
Mara inherits a dilapidated beach house from her late mother. The timing is fantastic as her husband has been having an affair and kicked her out of their home. But a box of her mother’s secrets leads to shocking discoveries, and the local handyman provides both a business and a romantic opportunity. Can she repair the house and her broken heart?
The House at Magpie Cove is a book that really tugs at the heartstrings. Mara has been unhappy in her marriage and now cast aside for a younger model. The unfairness made me sooooo angry with her husband espciecally as he continues to try to exert his authority over her.
Meanwhile Mara discovers hints to the cause of her mother’s sadness and feels griefstricken at her mother’s death but also what haunted her.
There is light relief in the form of a gentle friendship that turns into romance with Brian. Mara is fiercely trying to protect her heart but for her own happiness she needs to open it up despite the danger of further heartbreak.
The style of writing is easy to read and engaging. Mara’s character and the people she meets at Magpie Cove are very likeable which enriches the story even during the saddest parts of the plot.
The House at Magpie Cove is an enjoyable and uplifting book. I can easily imagine it as a beach read or something to snuggle up with on a winter night.
Media Pack
Author: Kennedy Kerr
Book: The House at Magpie Cove
Publication Day: 03/11/20
Buy LINK
Description:
The Cornish beach house creaked in the salty sea wind and, from the weathered wooden porch, Mara watched a lone magpie circle above. It was silly to think that her mother’s spirit was still with her, but Mara felt as if there was something keeping her here. A secret that needed to be told…
When Mara Hughes inherits her late mother’s tumbledown beach house overlooking the bright, sandy sweep of Magpie Cove, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. With her marriage on the rocks and her husband threatening to take the family home, the beach house – with all the bittersweet memories it holds – might be the thing that finally sends Mara’s world crashing down around her. She tells herself she’ll only spend a few days there: sell it and move on to rebuilding her life.
When Mara arrives, the house is in a worse state than she feared – holes in the bedroom ceiling, birds’ nests in the attic and the beautiful, wrap-around porch on the brink of collapse… but she loves it anyway. With all its history it feels like the last link to her late mother and, determined to do whatever it takes to keep it in the family, Mara strikes a deal with local handyman – and town heartthrob – Brian Oakley to save the crumbling cottage from ruin.
But when a box of unopened old letters arrives on her new doorstep – a bequest from her mother’s will – Mara’s resolve to save the beach house will be tested to the limit. Because Mara’s mother’s perfect childhood in Magpie Cove was forever spoiled by one haunting day in July, and the letters contain a secret about her family that Mara can scarcely believe to be true…
A story of secrets, family and forgiveness, this heartfelt read set in beautiful Cornwall is perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Fern Britton and Rosanna Ley.
Author Bio:
Kennedy Kerr is the author of A Spell of Murder, a witch themed cozy mystery, and The House at Magpie Cove (November 2020) and The Café at Magpie Cove (coming in 2021). She adores beaches, lochs and magical places, and loves writing about small communities, mysteries and family secrets.
Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it.
Author Social Media Links
Amber is finding motherhood tricky. Her sister offers to babysit so that Amber and her husband George can have a night away. They have a wonderful time and the followign weekend they go away again leaving Ruby in charge once more. But when Ruby wakes, baby Mabel has vanished…
The Night Away was an excellent psychological thriller. I found myself completely immersed in the plot and loved the twists and turns. The style of writing is engaging and fast paced, and had me devouring this book in just a few hours.
Amber is a likeable character but she has been keeping secrets from her family including her husband. She has been finding it tough to cope with the way her life has changed since becoming a mum and I think that most parents will identify with her emotions.
Her sister Ruby has always felt second best and is desperate for approval. The two sisters have not been close but they have had a warmer relationship since Mabel’s birth. Now the trust has been shattered as Ruby is blamed for the kidnapping.
I liked the way author Jess Ryder lets us see the first person perspective of the abductor. It reassures the reader that Mabel is safe yet raises questions about the links with the family. I’m not sure that I found the conclusion totally convincing but it was a brilliant psychological thriller.
The Night Away book description:
It was just one night away. I had no idea how devastating it would be…
My sister said I deserved a break. She offered to babysit so that my husband and I could have one night away, remember who we used to be before the sleepless nights.
But the next morning my phone rings. My sister is hysterical. Mabel’s cot is empty. My little girl is gone.
I race home with a horrible sick feeling flooding my stomach. The little sleepsuits still hang on the radiator but there is no gurgling or cooing on the baby monitor – just silence.
Now the police are questioning everyone. My sister, my husband, the girls from my baby group.
I want my little girl back more than anything and I will do whatever it takes. But I have a secret… Could the darkness in my past have put my baby at risk?
A truly gripping psychological thriller of manipulation and betrayal from bestselling author Jess Ryder. The Night Away will have you hooked until the final devastating revelation. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train or The Woman in the Window.
Author Bio:
Jess Ryder is the author of five psychological thrillers – ‘The Ex Wife’, ‘Lie to Me’, ‘The Good Sister’, ‘The Dream House’, The Girl You Gave Away’ and her latest, published November 2 2020 – ‘The Night Away’. All titles are published by Bookouture. She also writes as Jan Page. With many years’ experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers.
Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.
Buy Links:
