Escape to a beautiful Italian island with this wonderfully romantic story, threaded with secrets and intrigue.
It’s time to return to Ischia…
Alessia knows her grandmother grew up on the beautiful Italian island off the coast from Naples. But Ornella seldom talks about her life there – or why she never went back.
So Alessia is amazed when Ornella reveals that, in the months before she left Ischia, she had worked on the set of a famous 1950s movie filmed on the island. Is there a link between the film set and the tragic death of Ornella’s teenage sister? Ornella has kept her past – and the heart-wrenching promise she made – a secret for over sixty years. She has tried not to think about the love she gave up. But now, perhaps the truth should finally be revealed…
Travelling to Ischia together, Alessia falls in love with the utterly captivating island. Meeting handsome journalist Roberto helps her dig deeper into her family’s past, too. Just what happened to Ornella’s sister? What heart-wrenching secret is her grandmother hiding?
This summer, can Alessia and Ornella put the past to rest and find the happy ending they both deserve?
A wonderfully escapist, romantic and compelling story of secrets and sacrifice, love and loyalty, that is perfect for fans of Karen Swan, Louise Douglas and Rosanna Ley.
Victoria Springfield writes contemporary ‘wish you were here’ evocative women’s fiction set in Italy. Her feel-good books follow unforgettable characters of all ages as they deal with love, loss, friendship and family secrets. Readers can feel the sunshine!
Facebook: VictoriaSpringfieldAuthor
Twitter: @VictoriaSwrites
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My thoughts: This was a lovely, sun drenched read, perfect for chilly January, although it would work pretty much any time!
Ornella never talks about her past, or why she and her husband left Ischia to move to the UK when they did, so her apparently sudden decision to open up and then to return takes granddaughter Alessia by surprise. Triggered by the death of an Italian film star, Ornella’s story takes us back to the 1950s full of glamour and tragedy.
In the present day Alessia and journalist Roberto delve into the events of that past, searching for answers, the stories don’t add up and there has to be more to it. A tragic event throws their investigation into relief as history seems to be repeating itself, but can something good come from so much sadness?
Romantic and sweeping, with the Mediterranean glistening in the background, this little island has a story to tell. Inspired by the truly glamorous film stars who once graced Italy’s southern coast and its unique history, this transported me to the warm glow of an Italian summer. Marvellous.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
It is 1597 and Kit Skevy and Mariner Elgin have just robbed the wrong grave.
They are young criminals in the pocket of a gang Lord named Will Twentyman, the Grave Eorl of Southwark. Mariner is the best cutpurse around, a strange Calvinist girl who dresses like a boy and is partner in crime to Kit Skevy, Southwark’s best brawler who carries a secret: he cannot feel pain.
When caught out in their unfortunate larceny, Kit is kidnapped by the menacing alchemist Lord Isherwood (a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his hopes for the Red Lion elixir) and his studious son, Lazarus Isherwood, with whom Kit develops a complicated intrigue. When Mariner enlists the help of a competing French alchemist, Lady Elody Blackwater, Mariner and Kit are thrust into the shadowed, political world of Tudor alchemy, testing both their friendship and their lives.
It matters not who you are born to… but where you are made!
Emma Hinds has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews and has settled in Manchester, where she is a Queer playwright and Novelist. Her work focuses on telling untold feminist narratives. Her latest play, PURE, was featured in Turn On festival at Hope Mill Theatre Manchester in 2021 and she was the recipient of the Artist Development grant 2021 at Hope Mill Theatre. Emma’s debut novel, The Knowing (Bedford Square) was published January 2024 and is an exploration of female trauma in the vivid and cruel world of the Victorian freak show. This thrilling historical fiction title swiftly became a Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of The Month. She has written a few previous non-fiction books in her capacity as an academic (in another life she was a theologian) with an essay published, Tarantino and Theology; with Gray Matter Books and her book, Ineffable Love: Christian Themes in Good Omens; published by Darton Longman Todd.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed this historical fiction adventure set in Elizabethan England (the first Queen Lizzy, not the more recent one!), mostly in the wild and infamous Liberty of Southwark, where theatres, inns, bear pits and brothels flourished away from the rules and influence of the City and the court.
Kit and Mariner work for the rather nasty Twentyman, a crime lord of sorts, and have been sent to dig up a corpse for a mysterious alchemist, then all Hell breaks loose in the graveyard and Kit is kidnapped.
Both young and more or less alone in the world, Kit and Mariner are not as they first appear, beneath their clothes are secrets, Mariner may look like a boy, dress like one too, but is in fact female, although she was raised as a boy by her uncle aboard ship. Kit is slightly more complicated and that’s the reason he’s been taken. Mariner determines to rescue him and the two are drawn into dark plots and schemes by a pair of dangerous nobles.
I loved Mariner, her boldness, her courage, her fierce love of Kit, even in the face of being forced to work in the brothel, although the woman who runs it for Twentyman doesn’t want her as one of her girls – too boyish.
Kit was fascinating as well, and somewhat more fantastical, as the story unfolds. Rescued from a past he can’t remember, raised by the gentle Griffin, who produces special effects for the theatres, and his sister Squire Kay, he might not be able to grow a beard yet, but he is impulsive, bold, clever and extraordinary.
Their adventures lead them close to death at times and into the finest houses and palaces in the land, not bad for two scruffy thieves from Southwark. They both get their hearts broken and fall apart, but finding their way back to each other, to the bond they share, offers hope of a better life, a life they dreamt of. Marvellous stuff.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s been feeling the pressure. So – when she and her best friends win a trip to a new luxury castle retreat on a remote island – she hopes it will be a chance to relax in style.
The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Valerie la Fontaine’s tasting menu. But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that weekend: revenge. And when Valerie is found dead inside a locked room in a tower, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…
Hilarious and gripping mystery – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Traitors, and How to Kill Men and Get Away With It.
Katie Marsh wrote five bestselling, uplifting women’s fiction novels before turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. Previously published by Hodder, the first in her new crime series How Not To Murder Your Ex, following the fortunes of the Bad Girls Detective Agency, will be published in December 2023.
My thoughts: I am constantly surprised at how many people willingly go to remote, easily cut off islands in crime novels, Amber is a former cop turned PI and even she doesn’t think it could end badly, but it does.
Having won a supposedly glamorous weekend at a luxury hotel run by a famous chef, with food so good they’re salivating on the boat across to the island, Amber’s hoping for some time to relax, to stop worrying about running out of money and not being able to pay her team/friends. However life has other plans.
Someone really doesn’t want Valerie La Fontaine to continue, they know her biggest secret and they want revenge for something she did years before. And they’ve chosen this weekend, as she launches her new hotel, as the perfect time for her to get her comeuppance.
Of course they didn’t know that Amber and co would be there, how could they? Trapped in a storm, phone line cut, no mobile signal, no WiFi, guess it’s up to them to work out who among their fellow guests and the skeleton staff is the killer, preferably before anyone else dies.
There’s lots of secrets and hidden agendas at play as they try to stay together and investigate in a house full of secret passageways and locked doors. Is there someone else on the island? Supposedly, some protesters are hiding somewhere, but Amber’s not so sure. Something isn’t quite right.
Funny, a bit silly at times (in the best way), clever and highly entertaining.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Follow the stories of incredible women in modern history, including Greta Thunberg, Emma ‘X’ Gonzalez and Malala Yousafzai among others.
Beautifully illustrated by a diverse, international creative team, fans of extraordinary real-life stories will love this!
“From what age are we allowed to change the world?”
Six girls, five empowering adventures. From climate activism to fighting for education and gun control, each story delves deep into the personal struggles and triumphs of remarkable individuals.
The Girl Rebels graphic novel shares the extraordinary journeys of six young women who refused to be silenced in the face of adversity and have since become symbols of change. Through rich storytelling and stunning visuals, readers will be inspired by the unwavering spirit of Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Yusra Mardini, Emma ‘X’ Gonzalez and the Parkway Kids, and Melati and Isabel Wijsen.
Each turn of the page will draw readers into the lives of these young girls, who never intended to become spokespeople or flag-bearers, but have now become inspiring icons and role models for thousands of young people all over the world.
Carefully crafted by a talented team of international authors, the anthology presents a compelling exploration of youth activism and social change. The noblest battles of the modern world are brought to life by diverse and renowned illustrators, such as Bret Parson and Gijé.
Girl Rebels is for fans of thrilling real-life stories and youth activism around the globe. Join these brave young women on their journey to change the world and discover the power of resilience, determination, and solidarity.
Girl Rebels is on sale January 21, 2025 at bookstores, comic shops and digital.
My thoughts: This was really good, bringing these incredible stories to life with fabulous art work. Six young women, each determined to make change and survive the odds, from Malala Yousafzai demanding education for girls in Pakistan and surviving being shot in the head, to the brave American teens, encapsulated by Emma X Gonzalez, demanding an end to the horrors of school shootings in America.
What unites each of these brilliant girls is their courage and determination, their desire to stand up and be counted.
This is a gorgeous book, perfect for inspiring young women everywhere, and older ones too!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
French Huguenot Anastasia believes working in one of Sinai’s mirror factories will allow her to trap the imaginary Arctic fox which lives in her womb.
Whilst Jack escapes from London to Sinai to avoid being conscripted to fight in the trenches with strange imaginings that do little to alleviate his feelings of cowardice. Jack is captivated by Anastasia, seized with a fierce desire to possess her from the first second, and nothing can diminish his obsessive urge to be noticed by her, not even her obvious disgust in the face of his crude advances.
Their journeys twist together like a fugue, filled with phantasmagorical delays, as they both fail to accomplish what they set out to do. Unable to escape the consequences of their false beliefs, relentlessly they approach the brink, and eventual schizophrenia, on a quest for moral truths.
This book is a revelatory, hallucinatory account of the growing insanity of two young people who happen to be in the same place at the same time.
M Laszlo lives as a recluse in Bath, Ohio. Rumour holds that he derived his pseudonym from the Victor Laszlo character in the classic film Casablanca. M Laszlo’s works are written in strict form but contain a great deal of symbolism and/or objective correlative. This is because each work is intended to illustrate the eternal or Socratic truths that make up the human experience.
My thoughts: There is a trippy, dream-like quality to this book, which reflects the way Jack and Anastasia’s minds weave their reality around their imaginings. Anastasia is mourning her mother, her loneliness and grief bringing a childhood phantom – the Arctic fox spirit she believes lives inside her – back. Jack has been sent away by his father to escape conscription. It is 1917, and the First World War rages across Europe.
In Sinai, Egypt, both troubled young people meet amidst a clash of cultures and religions, reeling from the strangeness of the time and place. Jack composes music in his head, strange discordant pieces that reflect his loose grip on reality. Anastasia seeks relief from the cruel fox within her, desperate to force it out and away from her.
As they travel and attempt to work out their troubling mental health crises, they cross paths with others and each other but can not help one another as they can not truly help themselves. A strange journey into the desert and to England, seeking always answers to soothe their troubled minds.
Not always the easiest book to read and hard to place yourself in the shoes of the protagonists in a time before mental illness and grief were better understood (though it’s still not perfect), this odyssey that Jack and Anastasia undertake is moving and tragic, the help they both seek is not within reach.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Wanton Troopers is a historical romance set in the tumultuous aftermath of the English Civil War. The action unfolds in the cloud-wracked autumn of 1645 as the defeated Royalist Hugh Malahide returns to his Uncle’s impoverished estate in need of sanctuary; “He had half expected warmth at last and blessings, had them stored up as miser’s gain. But he had already been upstaged. The tableau that greeted him was not of upflung arms and welcome, but of a medical emergency in front of him, centred on a writhing, groaning heap of bloodied old clothes there on the floor of his uncle’s hallway.”
The ‘groaning heap’ is Tom Fentiman, a figure who will drag the hero, Hugh, into a whirlwind adventure of danger and betrayal, and into the path of the beautiful Isabella, daughter of his Parliamentarian rival, with whom romance and a happy life seems an impossibility, but one he does not resist.
Can this defeated Royalist reject the siren song of King Charles’s lost cause, and survive? Only armed by force of character and a charm-the-birds smile, Hugh sets about seduction, burglary and defying Fate.
Author Lindsey Erith’s background as a portrait artist provides the canvas on which her characters are displayed. Her keen interest in human nature creates protagonists and antagonists who live with her readers. The puritanical Fentiman comes to life on the page; “His nose was high, his visage hewn from good quality rock. A swag of jowls had started to sag off the square jaw onto blindingly white neck linen.”
Action and suspense whip the story along at a galloping pace. There is shocking betrayal, theft, kidnapping and rebellion; “Isabella saw human gargoyles up on the tower: mutineers with matchlocks, pointing long barrels. Their intentions were not innocent. Below in the square a prone figure lay in a spreading pool of blood.”
The romance is equally exhilarating as Hugh and Isabella attempt to resist their forbidden attraction; “Every hair on the back of Isabella’s neck curled, she held his hand against her face. The barrier was gone, he breathed and gathered her against him, she sighed and raised her mouth, giving, so the little room they were in hummed about him…”
A happy vein of humour also runs through the pages. The angry Fentiman’s whisper gains, “a head of steam like a kettle and rising in pitch.” And the disappointed Hugh, “felt like a tomcat whose fur has been rubbed the wrong way…”
Wanton Troopers takes us to a bygone era full of daring, greed, ambition and danger. Her characters aren’t cardboard cutouts. Each personality and their inner motives are delivered with the care and enjoyment of a masterful portrait. These heroes aren’t perfect, they are all too human, which makes them irresistible. The central character exudes determination, honour and fairness. Readers will cheer for him and fear for him until the very end.
Lindsey Erith was born in Reigate, the daughter of the photographer John Erith. She survived a girls’ public school and coming to terms with severe health problems before achieving a graphics Diploma. This gave her an entry to portraiture and strengthened her keen interest in character and likeness. Woven throughout her life has been an abiding passion for music, reflected in the poetic rhythm of her original writing style.
Her love of music led to the love of her life and a Valentine’s Day happy marriage to the distinguished classical music producer John Boyden, whose unwavering belief in her encouraged her to submit her first book for publication. Wanton Troopers, her new book, is written in the same style and period as Mary Florida. Each ‘Royalist Romance’ explores the heights of love and longing in the tumultuous aftermath of the English Civil War.
My thoughts: Hugh Malahide returns to his uncle’s house after the crushing defeat of the Royalists at Naseby, during the English Civil War, when it becomes clear that Scottish reinforcements are not coming. He’s lucky to get away, luckier than Tom Fentiman, son of his uncle’s neighbour, who has been shot.
Riding to his father’s house to warn them that Tom might die, he meets Isabella, Tom’s sister, who hurries to her brother, and their ghastly, greedy father, who has told people that Tom was dead. He’s a real charmer, intent on selling Isabella into marriage in exchange for land and money. With Hugh and Tom’s help she escapes one such entanglement and she and Hugh fall for one another – unfortunately he’s already married, although estranged from his wife, and so must fight the attraction.
He also needs to help his beloved uncle who is about to lose everything as a poor harvest and heavy taxes (to pay for the war) have left his tenants unable to pay their rents. But Hugh is clever and capable, getting into all sorts of scrapes and adventures as he waits to see whether the tide will turn for Charles I and restore the throne or not.
There’s lots of clever little historical references which set the time and place perfectly, like the many nicknames Royalists had for Oliver Cromwell, the burning of Basing House, the last Royalist stronghold, and the way that Parliamentarians and Royalists viewed each other, easy to identify from their very different clothing.
This was a really enjoyable book, if I’m honest I don’t read many books set during the Civil War (although Children of the New Forest was a favourite growing up) and usually prefer non-fiction (The Siege of Loyalty House about Basing House was very good) but I really liked this, I thought Hugh and Isabella were great characters and Hugh’s various adventures in pursuit of saving his uncle’s home and protecting Isabella, were really interesting and entertaining. Uncle Josiah and the housekeeper Luisa were very sweet together and the ending was bittersweet, coming as it did with two deaths, one that set Hugh free, and one that broke his heart.
Highly recommend this to both historical fiction and romance fans.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions remain my own.
Teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when a former student shows up at school with a vest packed with explosives, he springs into action. Thanks to his quick thinking, Richard averts a major tragedy but his moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle…
As events rapidly spiral out of control, Richard is drawn into a tangled web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth, Richard discovers that there’s something dangerously wrong in the town. Everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.
My thoughts: As soon as I got this, I dived straight in, I knew it was going to be good and I wasn’t wrong.
Starting with a horrific event that could have been so much worse, putting teacher Richard in the spotlight and a misunderstanding with serious and deadly consequences.
Richard is being threatened by an blackmailer, it’s having a terrible impact on him, he knows he’s innocent of the accusation, but how can he prove it, he can’t pay the blackmailer’s demands and he doesn’t want to tell his wife or boss about it. But when they find out anyway, it doesn’t exactly make things better.
Events get steadily worse, and suddenly Richard’s not just a high school English teacher who saved his students, but entangled with dangerous and to be honest, quite stupid, drug dealers and their associates. His family is at risk and instead of going to the police – or at least his detective sister-in-law, for help, he tries to sort things out himself.
I really enjoyed this book and actually talked about it during a discussion with my friends about morality and guilt (we are so cool) as parts of it (no spoilers) definitely dive into that territory. Linwood Barclay knows how to craft a story that hooks you in and keeps you hooked as events twist and turn, he even throws in a discussion about what books people should be reading, which is interesting as well.
It’s excellent story telling and well worth grabbing a copy as it’s out this week in all the usual places.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book to read and review if I wanted to. Which I did!
There is a killer on the loose. Scotland Yard’s brightest talent is chosen to head up the high-profile taskforce, a DCI who must confront his own past as the body count rises. There are few leads, and Jack Hawksworth can only fall back on instinct and decades-old cold cases for any clue to the killer’s motive and identity.
Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.
My thoughts: This was an excellent slice of crime writing, with a compelling plot and a committed killer, who’s willing to do whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the police and complete their plan.
DCI Jack Hawksworth and his hand picked team of officers must find the murderer before another person is harmed. But what is the connection between the victims and what does the way their bodies have been left mean to their killer?
With twists and turns, a killer as smart as the detectives on their trail and a motive spanning decades, this will keep you hooked till the very last page.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Holmes and Watson face treachery and danger in the latest full-length thriller by Bonnie MacBird, author of the bestselling Sherlock Holmes novel Art in the Blood.
Murder, jealousy, and deceit underscore three interlocking mysteries as Holmes and Watson take on a high profile case at Windsor Castle, a boy drowned in the Serpentine, and a crusading women’s rights activist who suspects a traitor in her organization. The cases send them into danger into locales as varied as the Palace itself, a dockland cannery, an arts and crafts atelier, and a Gypsy encampment. But is there peril underfoot as well – right at 221B Baker Street?
The twisting, breathlessly plotted conjoined mysteries that Bonnie MacBird is known for provide a thrill ride that will delight Sherlockians worldwide.
Born in San Francisco, educated at Stanford, Bonnie MacBird lives in London with her husband, computer scientist Alan Kay. A fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle since age ten, she’s active in the Sherlockian community in both the UK and the US, and lectures regularly on Sherlock Holmes, writing, and creativity. A longtime veteran of Hollywood, MacBird has been a screenwriter (original script for TRON), an Emmy winning producer, a playwright, studio exec (Universal) and actor.
MacBird attributes her enjoyment in capturing “voice” to both her acting and screenwriting experience and her music training as well. She teaches a popular screenwriting class at UCLA Extension, which approaches writing for film using techniques of other art forms.
In her Sherlock Holmes novels, she aims to accurately portray the brilliant detective and his friend as closely as possible to Doyle, yet expanding the original short-form fiction to full-length novels. ART IN THE BLOOD features a child who has disappeared, and a bloody art theft and touches on the theme of the perils and blessings of the artistic temperament. UNQUIET SPIRITS features a murdered girl, a threatened scientist, and a haunted whisky estate while reflecting on the dangers of not dealing with the ghosts of one’s past. THE DEVIL’S DUE brings Holmes to the edge of evil in order to combat a devilish serial killer. And THE THREE LOCKS involves magic, cutting-edge science at the Cavendish Laboratories at Cambridge, and a mysterious box which arrives at 221B and which defies all efforts to open it. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? provides a Christmas conundrum in which danger stalks two boys, both sought by their fathers, and the mysteries surrounding their identities.
My thoughts: I do enjoy additions to the Conan Doyle canon, especially when they’re well written and give us a similar voice for Dr Watson, as this does. It feels faithful to the original and to the many, many lives Holmes has lived since.
There’s several interwoven cases in this book, and quite a few snakes, including of the human kind. The title of course references Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and there is betrayal and treachery here too.
The tattoo laid across the face of a beautiful young woman, cruelly murdered, and dumped at Windsor Castle, where she was the companion of a cantankerous old Duchess, sees the crime solving duo invited expressly by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, to investigate, putting the police on the back foot.
Meanwhile an acquaintance of theirs brings them the news of the sorry death of one of the Baker Street Irregulars. He too has been killed. Do these deaths connect to one another?
Holmes picks up straight away on tensions within the young woman’s family, she’s practically estranged from her younger siblings, and their mother’s death twelve years before has a bearing on the cases he believes.
There are other deaths and kidnappings before Holmes holds all the pieces of this fiendish mystery together, with Watson at his side as they encounter Roma (referred to as Gypsies in the book in keeping with the period) who hold answers to several key elements to the sorry tale of death, revenge and greed.
Clever, filled with twists and turns that only Sherlock’s singular mind can unravel, this was an enjoyable and compelling read that Conan Doyle himself might have enjoyed (and yes, I know he hated Holmes).
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
She lives in my old home, she looks like me, she dresses like me… And now she wants my life.
Naomi is devastated when the sale of the apartment falls through, her dreams of moving to an amazing ‘forever home’ nearby with her family are momentarily dashed. But then a sweet-natured single mother named Summer appears, announcing her intention to buy Naomi’s old apartment.
And all of a sudden, it looks like Naomi might get her new house after all. At first, it feels like Summer’s saved her life. But as soon as the sale goes through, Summer starts turning up at Naomi’s new house. She’s enrolled her child in Naomi’s daughter’s class. She’s dressing like Naomi. She’s suddenly best friends with all her friends… And then Naomi discovers she’s got a pretty little doll’s house. One that looks just like Naomi’s new home.
Naomi wants to believe she’s just imagining things. What could Summer possibly want? And how far will she go to take everything that Naomi has?
A totally page-turning psychological thriller, that fans of Lisa Jewell, Sue Watson and Daniel Hurst will be unable to put down.
Natasha is an internationally bestselling author of psychological fiction, including The Missing Husband and The Woman Next Door. She trained and worked as a journalist for many years before moving into communications in the charity and education sectors.
She decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing a novel in 2019, when she was approaching her 40th birthday and realized it was time to stop procrastinating. Her debut, The Missing Husband, was released in May 2021 and she went on to write three more novels, which are published by Bloodhound Books. Her first novel with Boldwood Books is The Fortune Teller.
Natasha lives in North London with her husband, two daughters and two rescue cats.
My thoughts: This was very good, while at first I was on Naomi’s side, some of the things she was worrying about did seem slightly paranoid and maybe an overactive imagination – but then other things happened and once she finally had someone else who saw through Summer as well, then I was back on Team Naomi is Not Crazy!
It didn’t help that some of her concerns were about the friendship group of her seven-year-old daughter, children are fickle and friends change all the time, so it did seem a bit off to be so worried.
But Summer’s strange behaviour and the sullen nature of daughter Luna did ring a few bells. I used to work with kids and still remember all the things we were trained to look out for, there were definitely some concerns there.
The twists started coming thick and fast. Some of Summer’s plays were straight out of the mean girl handbook, but others were a bit scary. She seemed to have multiple sides to her character.
There are some great WTF? moments and the ending was truly troubling. Summer’s mind needs unscrambling and fast! Naomi’s woes may not be over yet. Truly clever crime fiction.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 