Tag: thrillers

A new home. A loving wife. A secret that could kill…

With its peeling wallpaper and overgrown garden I know our new home isn’t perfect. But my husband Ben promises it’s the fresh start we need. I remind myself that he’s an amazing father to our two children, and that we have years of happy marriage behind us. He’s been distant for months but I’m desperate to believe the move will bring us back together.

When I meet our next-door neighbour Sara, I’m immediately relieved. She’s so welcoming and full of local gossip. But the moment she meets Ben I’m sure an angry frown flickers across her smiling face. Later he says I’m imagining things…

Why is my husband lying?

Then one night as I tuck our children into bed, the silence is broken by a knock on the front door. A stranger is standing on our doorstep. I turn to look at Ben’s face as he stares at her with unconcealed fury. Has he met this woman before? Nothing could prepare me for what she says:I know who you are. Get out of my house.

How well do I know the man I married? And by moving to this house, did I put my children’s lives in danger?

If you enjoyed reading The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Wife, you will love My Husband’s House. Gripping and totally addictive, you’ll be hooked from the first page.

Amazon

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller HER HUSBAND’S HOUSE comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.
To find out more about Sheryl go to her website
If you would like to join her Bookouture Mailing List you can grab her short story 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗬 #FREE!

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sheryl Browne  

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love

My thoughts: there’s something not quite right about the house the family has just moved into. What happened to the previous residents? Are they connected to a little girl who disappeared years ago? Ben is acting very strangely, and Sara’s boyfriend is too.

As Naomi attempts to find out what is going on in her new home with her children and husband, while heavily pregnant. She doesn’t know who to lean on, having moved away from all their old friends. She wants to trust Sara next door, but can she?

It all gets a bit unhinged at times, with a series of awful events that threaten Naomi’s life and then Sara’s. Who is behind all of this? And why? Dark and twisted, this isn’t a family getting their happily ever after any time soon.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

They climbed up from the mean streets of Glasgow to the top of the world. Now these Hollywood icons are heading for a fall.
Twenty-five years ago, three friends from Glasgow shocked the world when they became Oscar-winning legends.
But now, they are all fighting for survival.
A-list actor Zander Leith has finally found happiness with his adored wife, Hollie. But a stalker with a familiar face is determined to take away the only peace he’s ever known.
Mirren McLean is one of the most powerful women in the industry. Successful. Respected.
Untouchable. Until one mistake threatens to destroy her marriage and her career.
And Davie Johnston was once the king of late-night television. Now, his only chance to reclaim his crown is to gamble everything on himself.
Three stars, three tales of struggle and success. Now they’re discovering that in Hollywood, happy endings don’t last for ever.
Sometimes they’re just the calm before the storm…
Purchase

Shari Low and Ross King MBE is a writing partnership forged in a friendship of over 30 years. Scottish author Shari is the bestselling writer of over thirty novels including bestsellers My One Month
Marriage, One Summer Sunrise and The Story of our Secrets. Los-Angeles-based Ross King is a four times news Emmy award-winning TV and radio host, actor, producer, writer and performer, and is
currently the Los Angeles correspondent for ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain. They are publishing their Hollywood thriller trilogy with Boldwood, the first of which is called The Rise and is
due for release in September 2022.

Shari Low: Facebook Twitter Instagram Newsletter Bookbub
Ross King: Facebook Twitter Instagram

My thoughts: another trip to Hollywood to check in on Glaswegians done good Mirren, Davie and Zander. They’re all finally in a good place, but that doesn’t last.

As everything starts to fall apart, and in pretty spectacular fashion too, it seems like there might be something more behind it, does Sarah’s investigation into producer and powerhouse Wes Lomax have something to do with it?

This book digs into the dark side of the glitz and glam, the #MeToo scandals, the way powerful men manipulated the industry and abused vulnerable women when it suited them. While our three Scots came from a place of darkness, and have had to fight their demons, they did what they did not for power but to survive.

Can they survive these new challenges and tragedies? And will Davie’s mum, Ena, be there to keep watch over them as she has done all their lives? (I love her and she can make me a bacon butty anytime)

Another brilliant thrill ride of a book from the fabulous team of Shari Low and Ross King.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

…remember, not all girls are made of sugar and spice. Welcome to the tour for House of Sticks, the sequel to House of Straw by Marc Scott. Read on for more details!

House of SticksPublication Date: February 2022Genre: Psychological ThrillerThey are united now, two sisters who were kept apart by the cruel twists in their lives. And, despite the fact these siblings grew up at the opposite end of the social ladder, they have discovered that they share an unbreakable bond. It is like a modern-day fairy tale coming to life.However, the pathway to their shared happiness is littered with misgivings and depraved memories from which they can never escape. Brianna is still haunted by the tragic death of her twin brother while Poppy finds it hard to let go of the ghosts of her abusive childhood.It seems that the forces around them will never leave them alone. Neddy, a ruthless drug dealer is hell-bent on revenge. A worried mother who is desperate to unlock the darkest of secrets. A stranger with tattooed fingers who must face retribution for his evil sins. These women must be strong to survive.But remember, not all girls are made of sugar and spice. Be prepared! This is not a fairy tale…

Excerpt

Liver and Lights never did visit Lucy on that bitter cold and frosty night, but the myth was enough to buy the silence of at least a dozen of the victims of the sadistic caretaker. A lifelong warning that would forever disturb the minds and souls of even the strongest of them.

The loud commotion at the back gate that night was that of Lucy’s father, who, following his release from prison, had driven south from Cumbria for eight hours in heavy snowstorms to be re-united with his daughter. The pair enjoyed a hearty breakfast the following morning before driving up to Kendal in the north of England. Life returned to normal, or at least as normal as it would ever be for young Lucy.

She never did tell her rescuer about the atrocities that went on behind closed doors in that Childrens Home. She feared that if she did, her father would over-react, as he had done with the ‘touchy-feely’ teacher at her school and beat the living daylights out of Sean Donovan. She did not relish the idea of her father going back to prison. But neither Lucy nor her father were surprised when they discovered that the Bluebridge Childrens Home was closed some years later, following several abuse allegations against members of its staff. Justice final caught up with the wicked caretaker more recently when a Paedophile Hunting Group caught him red-handed grooming two thirteen-year-old girls. He has served almost two years of the seven-year sentence he received for his crimes and had recently been placed in the isolation unit of the prison for his own safety.

Lucy Jones had carried the unwelcome burden of being an exceptionally pretty child. Her shiny blonde hair, silky soft skin and piercing blue eyes made her stand out in a crowd. It also made her a target for every sick pervert that crossed her path when she was placed into the care system. However, the girl had coped better than most did and is now a strong-minded survivor of the torturous nightmares she endured during those eighteen months.

She is twenty-seven years old now and is married to the manager of a clothing store. She lives two streets away from her doting father who visits her at least three times each week. She is a mother herself, twice over, two daughters, one of which she named Poppy, in memory of a brave young girl who had once put her own safety at risk to protect her.

She never fails to read her daughters bedtime stories, telling them tales of handsome princes and fairy queens who live idyllic lives in beautiful surroundings. But sometimes, just sometimes, when she slips those magical books back into the drawer, it all comes back to her. She remembers Donovan’s frightening tale of his phantom accomplice Liver and Lights. And on those nights, she will always watch over her children until they are soundly asleep. Occasionally, she finds herself caught up in the moment. And on those nights, she can be seen staring out of her children’s bedroom window, up at the surrounding darkness, shouting a few words she keeps locked away inside her head.

Available on Amazon

House of StrawPublication Date: November 2018Genre: Psychological ThrillerTraumatised by the tragic death of her twin brother, Brianna falls into a state of deep depression, isolating herself from the world and all those that care about her. When a twist of fate reveals that she has a half-sister she finds a new purpose in her life and sets out to find her sibling, desperately hoping she can fill the void left in her world.Poppy has not enjoyed the same privileged lifestyle as her sister while growing up. Abandoned into the care system at the age of eight, she has encountered both physical and sexual abuse for most of her life. Passing through the hands of more care homes and foster families than she can remember, the damaged product of a broken upbringing, Poppy has never found a place to feel truly safe. Kicking back at society, she turns to drug abuse and acts of extreme violence to escape from reality.When the two siblings are finally united, they discover that they have much more in common than their DNA. Their paths are shrouded with sinister secrets of betrayal and regret and both girls share a deep-rooted hatred for one of their parents. As the dark truths of their lives are unveiled they realise that nothing can ever be the same again…CW: Dark chapters involving child abuse and brutality, adult themesAmazon

About the Author

Marc Scott was born and raised in the heart of the East End of London. He spent more than 25 years working in the video and film industry, including a 12-month spell on a project in Los Angeles. More recently he has been involved with assisting at the rehabilitation section of the UK court service, working predominantly with young offenders. It was here where he met the people that would inspire him to write his first novel House of Straw.He is unapologetic for the dark backdrop and raw brutality in his books. ‘You can’t sugar-coat some of these damaged individuals that live in a broken society and make excuses for them.’ he says. ‘Not everyone wants the chance to redeem themselves.’His gritty writing style has earned him much praise from reviewers and bloggers. The second book in his trilogy, House of Sticks, will be available later this year. A story that Marc describes as, ‘An even darker and more twisted journey into the depths of depravity.’Marc lives in Halstead in England. He has a son and two daughters, who, he says, have given him the proudest moments in his life. He lists his favourite author as Kazuo Ishiguro, and his favourite book as ‘Birdy’ by William Wharton. He sums up his reading choices with a method which he applies to his own works. ‘When I read a book, I want to feel like a bystander, watching on, as an ‘extra’ as everything unfolds. If any of the characters in the book are bland and don’t affect you in some way, the author has wasted an opportunity.’Marc Scott

My thoughts: this is a very dark read, Poppy, has suffered and it’s left her damaged beyond belief. Her childhood is the stuff of nightmares, neglect, abuse, addiction. She’s being released from prison for assault and murder, into to care of her half sister Bree, herself a strange woman.

They’re a toxic combination, and Poppy’s desire for revenge and destruction threatens to overwhelm them both. Bree has a lot of her own issues, grieving her twin brother’s death, she’s vile to her mother and manipulative and cruel to her friends.

As events spiral out of control, there seems little opportunity for redemption or hope till the very end. Can they change their ways and become decent people?

Book Tour Organized ByR&R Book Tours

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.