Review - Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
Publisher: HQ
Release date: 8 March 2018

Back cover blurb: A young British couple are driving through France on holiday when they stop for gas. He runs in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns her car door has been left open, but she's not inside. No one ever sees her again. Ten years later he's engaged to be married; he's happy, and his past is only a tiny part his life now. Until he comes home from work and finds his new wife-to-be is sitting on their sofa. She's turning something over in her fingers, holding it up to the light. Something that would have no worth to anyone else, something only he and she would know about because his wife is the sister of his missing first love. As more and more questions are raised, their marriage becomes strained. Has his first love somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?

This is the third B.A. Paris novel that I’ve read, and I’m mightily impressed as they have all been completely different, which sadly you don’t always get with writers in this genre.

Finn is devastated when his girlfriend Layla disappears from a service station in France that they’d stopped to refuel at. 

Ellen is Layla’s elder sister, the more sensible, more caring of the two and Finn just couldn’t help but fall for her. Even though still deep down his loyalty and love still resides with Layla.

Ellen is horrified when she finds something that would have no meaning to anyone but her, Layla and Finn. Then she spots Layla in a nearby town and Finn must question everything her knows about the past ten years.

He’d always assumed that something bad had happened to Layla due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. He didn’t quite tell the Police the whole truth about that night and now he must decide if he needs to involve the police or not to help find Layla, if it really is her trying to contact Ellen and Finn.

The possibility that Layla could be alive and nearby puts a huge strain on Ellen and Finns relationship. Ellen has been convinced for years that her sister must be dead, and Finn knows that she could be right, but not for the reasons Ellen thinks.

Both Finn and Ellen have their secrets, which neither of them are prepared to reveal to the other, or the reader until the very last pages of the novel. It’s conclusion is both shocking and brilliant in equal measure.

Bring Me Back is a twisty rollercoaster of a novel that will definitely make you lose sleep until you’ve finished it!

Bring Me Back is available from 8 March 2018.
You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to lovereading.co.uk and the publishers who sent me an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Guilty Wife by Elle Croft

The Guilty Wife by Elle Croft
Publisher: Orion
Release date: 25 January 2018

Back cover blurb: I'm guilty of many things. Bethany Reston is happily married. But she's also having an affair with a famous client. And no one can ever know. But I'm innocent of murder. When Bethany's lover is brutally murdered, she has to hide her grief from everyone. But someone knows her secret. And then one day the threats begin. With an ever-growing pile of evidence pointing to her as the murderer, the only way she can protect her secrets is to prove her innocence. And that means tracking down a killer.

Bethany Reston is happily married to Jason, but she’s having an affair with one of her most high profile clients.

No one can ever find out.

Not only would it compromise both of their marriages, but it could destroy both of their careers.

Bethany is a successful photographer with her own studio. Calum Bradley is a billionaire, who’s commissioned Bethany to photograph him for his latest coffee table book, which his publicist has assured him will be a hit.

Bethany is distraught when Calum is found brutally murdered just yards from where she saw him last, but she darent show too much emotion as now more than ever it’s imperative that no one finds out about the pairs betrayal.

Bethany knows that she was the last person to see Callum alive. His murder took place just moments after she left him. She knows that she didn’t kill him. But she also knows that she cannot come forward to the Police who are appealing for witnesses because her reputation needs to stay intact.

Bethany at times may seem to be self obsessed and foolish, but who knows what any one of us would do if we found ourselves in the same situation.

The Guilty Wife is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who sent me an advanced proof copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Review - Little Liar by Clare Boyd

Little Liar by Clare Boyd
Publisher: Bookouture
Release date: 1 February 2018

Back cover blurb: The perfect family... or the perfect lie? To the outside world, Gemma Bradley has it all – a doting husband, high-flying career and two delightful kids – but inside the four walls of her tastefully renovated home, she is a mother at her wits end who has given too many last warnings and counted to ten too many times. When a child’s scream pierces the night, Gemma’s neighbour does what anyone would do: she calls the police. She wants to make sure that Rosie, the little girl next door, is safe. Gemma knows she hasn’t done anything wrong, but the more she fights to defend the family she loves, the more her flawless life begins to crumble around her. Is the carefully guarded secret she’s been keeping suddenly in danger of breaking free? When Rosie disappears, Gemma thinks she only has herself to blame. That is, until she discovers that Rosie has been keeping dark secrets of her own in a pink plastic diary. Distraught and terrified, Gemma doesn’t know where to turn. The only thing she knows is that her daughter’s life is in danger…

Gemma Bradley appears to have it all. A successful career, a loving husband, two wonderful children and another on the way. But she is a mother at her wits end, with her daughter Rosie who is more than a little bit of a handful.

When next door neighbour Mira hears screaming from the Bradley household she assumes the worst and calls the Police. She doesn’t trust Gemma Bradley and sees no reason why she should keep her nose out of her neighbours business.

Gemma hasn’t done anything wrong, Rosie can throw a tantrum that any self respecting two year old would be mightily proud of.

The problem is that Rosie is Ten and should know better.

Gemma struggles to control her daughter, afraid that every time Rosie pushes her to her limits she is going to reveal the secret she has been fighting so hard to keep for the sake of her family.

Mira’s interference threatens to tear the Bradley family apart and expose Gemma’s secret, but Mira has her own secrets that she has kept from her husband for the best part of twenty five years. 

And the more she meddles in the Bradley’s lives, the more she runs the risk of destroying her own.

Little Liar is available from 1 February 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shop.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: 6 June 2017

Back cover blurb: 1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister. 1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose. Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

During WW1 the Alice Network was a network of highly intelligent, skilled and very brave female spies, risking their lives for the war effort. 

The role of the female code breakers at Bletchley Park during WW2 has been well celebrated and documented, but the work of the Alice Network seems scandalously unknown. 

Eve Gardiner is just Nineteen when she is plucked from her job as a file assistant and thrust into the world of espionage. Posted to German occupied France to filter information back to Blighty, Eve is nervous but excited to be doing something useful to help the war effort. 

Decades later in the aftermath of WW2, Charlotte (Charlie) St. Clair is being sent to Switzerland after finding herself in an unfortunate situation-pregnant and unmarried. 

She doesn’t care about that as much as her family seem to, and is only going to please them. 

Charlie would much rather be in France looking for her cousin Rose, lost after 1944 but Charlie is certain she is still alive. After arriving at Southampton with her Mother, Charlie gives her the slip and arrives at an address in London determined to find out all she can about Rose’s movement post 1944 and if she is still alive. 

The two women could not be more different, but as Charlie arrives on Eve Gardiners doorstep, Eve is propelled back into the past and discovers thoughts, feelings and memories that she has and drunk to forget. 

As they discover more about each other they realise they have a common link and both must visit some personal dark places to uncover the truth. 

Told in alternating time spans, the Alice Network is a marvel of a novel. Educational, funny and poignant.

The Alice Network is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Liars by Frances Vick

Liars by Frances Vick
Publisher: Bookouture
Release date: 26 January 2018

Back cover blurb: He loves you. He’d do anything for you. But you don’t even know him. Jenny hasn’t had an easy life – no job and no money, with a sick mother and an abusive ex-stepfather. Not that anybody cares, she’s from the wrong side of town. David has taken care of Jenny ever since they were at school together. He knows how special she is, how much she needs his support. David has a lot of love to give. Jenny and David aren’t in a relationship. They aren’t even friends. Jenny thinks she’s free to do what she wants, see who she likes. What does David think? Well, you’ll have to find out.

Jenny Holloway has had a troubled life.

Her Mother is a heavy drinker, who manages to escape a violent partner but not before he had abused her daughter. Jenny is now seeing a therapist but her life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

Away from home for one night staying at her best friend Freddie’s house, Jenny is shocked to learn about the death of her Mother who has taken a fall in the snow and become fatally wounded.

Jenny is frightened when questioned by the Police. Why is she a suspect?

Freddie assures her it is normal procedure and Jenny relaxes.

When an old school friend appears looking for love, Freddie is jealous of the bond between him and Jenny and suspicious of David and his behaviour. 

Freddie’s jealousy makes Jenny want to have nothing more to do with Freddie. But he is one of her oldest and truest male friends. Is there anything in the accusations he is making?

Or should Jenny just ignore him and give David the true relationship he’s always wanted from her?

Liars is available from 26 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit

The Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit
Publisher: Orion
Release date: 25 January 2018

Back cover blurb: You'd die for your family. But would you kill for them? Family is everything. So what if yours was being terrorised by a neighbour - a man who doesn't listen to reason, whose actions become more erratic and sinister with each passing day? And those you thought would help - the police, your lawyer - can't help you. You become afraid to leave your family at home alone. But there's nothing more you can do to protect them. Is there?

Imagine having a downstairs neighbour who makes you and your family’s life hell. Not so hard to do. Right?

Now imagine that their actions drive you to commit Murder.

Not so easy. Right?

Most of us would consider ourselves to be moral human beings. To know the difference between right and wrong. To know that Murder is a crime that you absolutely cannot (and should not) get away with.

The Fear is a novel that will make you question your own morality as we meet Dietrich Tiberius via Randolph.

Randolph and his family are pleased when their new neighbour moves in below them. He is friendly at first, eager to meet with them and share stories and baked cookies.

But then he begins to act oddly. At first it seems to be nothing, he just seems to be around more than usual, he surely can’t be stalking them can he?

Then come the vile accusations and threats about Randolph and his wife. Their neighbour accusing them of their two very young children.

He is immediately reported and the take legal advice and threaten to sue for slander. But as they begin their fight against him, they realised that although sympathetic to their plight, the law is not necessarily on their side and they may be forced to take matters into their own hands for the family's safety.

Fear is available from 25 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Confession by Jo Spain

The Confession by Jo Spain

Publisher: Quercus Books

Release date: 25 January 2018

Back cover blurb: Late one night a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie. The man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry as a horror-struck Julie watches, frozen by fear. Just an hour later the attacker, JP Carney, has handed himself in to the police. He confesses to beating Harry to death, but JP claims that the assault was not premeditated and that he didn’t know the identity of his victim. With a man as notorious as Harry McNamara, the detectives cannot help wondering, was this really a random act of violence or is it linked to one of Harry’s many sins: corruption, greed, betrayal? This gripping psychological thriller will have you questioning, who - of Harry, Julie and JP - is really the guilty one? And is Carney’s surrender driven by a guilty conscience or is his confession a calculated move in a deadly game?

The Confession is a very clever novel and is set to be a big hitter in 2018.

JP Carney walks into Harry McNamara's house and brutally attacks him one night. He hands himself in to the Police immediately and swears it was just a random act of violence, that he wasn't attempting murder, and that he has no idea who Harry McNamara is.

The Police find this difficult to believe, Harry McNamara is a disgraced former banker worth millions. 

Famous for being filthy rich at a young age, Harry's fame only increased when his bank was bought into question then investigated as part of a major financial Fraud scandal.

Harry bailed out of the bank leaving others in charge, and has recently been cleared of any wrong doing, but he's spent months in the public eye as the case has been dragged through the the courts, so it seems impossible that JP has no idea who Harry is.

JP himself couldn't be any more different to Harry, and at first the Police believe that Harry's significant wealth is the reason behind the attack. JP knows exactly who Harry is, but his motive isn't monetary.

The Confession is told in alternate chapters from JP, Harry, Julie (Harry's wife) and Alice's (lead Detective) point of view. We learn of past mistakes and Marraige woes and the differences in the life's of the very privileged and the not so...

The Confession is available from 25 January 2018
You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who granted my wish via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Tree House by Glenn Haybittle

The Tree House by Glenn Haybittle

Publisher: Cheyne Walk

Release date: 11 January 2018
Back cover blurb: Max and Ada, ten-year-old neighbours, are engrossed in composing a book of spells in a tree house in Paris when the Nazis arrive to occupy the city. Max, the child of a rape and abandoned by his mother, is in foster care; Ada is Jewish. Almost fifty years later Max, the black sheep of the family, summons his grandson to tell him the story of those years in Paris and reveal a guilty secret that has eaten away at him. His mind is now set on digging up the past and he wants Mark to accompany him across the English Channel. His dying wish is to shed light on the two missing women in his life: Ada and his mother. Mark though is struggling with his own existential crisis. There is a missing woman in his life too. A deftly accomplished tightrope act of pathos and humour, The Tree House is a bewitching novel of loss and restitution, heritage and the hereafter. 

Mark is something of a disaster, his love life is a failure, he lives in a half way house, and has no real job to speak of. He hasn't heard from his Grandfather Max in years, when suddenly he is contacted by him out of the blue.

Curiosity gets the better of Mark and he decides to pay a visit to Max.

And so begins the story of Max's childhood, of the girl next door, the Mother he never really knew, and the horrors of the Nazi party and the second World War.

Ada, Max's next door neighbour was Max's first true love. Together they used to spend hours in their shared tree house concocting their book of spells. But war is beckoning, the Nazi's are getting closer to France and Ada is Jewish.

Max isn't aware of the significance of this at the time, it isn't until the family are forced to leave and the friends are torn apart, that he is made truly aware of the consequences of being a Jew in a Nazi occupied country...

The Tree House is a beautiful tale of childhood friendship set against the backdrop of Nazi occupied France.

The Tree House is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Anatomy of a scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Anatomy of a scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Release date: 11 January 2018
Back cover blurb: You want to believe your husband. She wants to destroy him. Part courtroom thriller; part portrait of a marriage; part exploration of how our memories still haunt us, Anatomy of a Scandal is a disarming and provocative psychological drama. Sophie’s husband, James, is a loving father and a successful public figure. Yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to engulf him. She’s kept his darkest secret ever since they were first lovers, at Oxford. And if she stood by him then, she can do it now. Kate is the barrister prosecuting his case. She’s certain that James is guilty and determined he should pay. No stranger to suffering herself, she doesn’t flinch from posing the questions few want to hear. About what happens between a man a woman when they’re alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in a lift . . . Is James the victim of an unfortunate misunderstanding or the perpetrator of something sinister? Who is right: Sophie or Kate? This scandal – which forces Sophie to appraise her marriage and Kate her demons – will have far-reaching consequences for them all.

Anatomy of a scandal is a particularly topical novel at the time of reading, focusing on a scandal within the government, a close friend of the Prime Minister exposed for an affair with his office researcher.

James Whitehouse is a politician on the rise, a family man with a long-standing connection to the Prime Minister. His wife Sophie has known him since they were both at Oxford and thinks she knows all the skeletons in his closet.

However, when he is accused of a crime that threatens to tear Sophie’s perfect world in two, she must make a difficult decision. Does she stand by him? Or should she walk away now and protect herself.

Sophie is determined to stand by her husband, despite those around her trying to persuade her otherwise. She loves him, has always loved him and simply will not believe that he has done anything wrong. Although she does know deep down that he is capable.

Kate, the prosecuting barrister is certain that James is guilty. She is a successful barrister used to getting her own way, and will not go down without a fight.

With it's focus on political cover ups, university societies and class difference at Oxford, and difficulties of rape accusations and trials, Anatomy of a Scandal is a very different novel to any you will read this year.

Is James Whitehouse guilty? And if so, will he be bought to justice?

You will have to read to find out of course... I do think that Anatomy of a Scandal is a novel that would make a great TV drama, complete with suspense, flashbacks and fraught courtroom scenes. A 2018 must read.

Anatomy of a scandal is available from 11 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Release date: 11 January 2018
Back cover blurb: Best friend, soulmate, confidante . . . backstabber. Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé. Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it's clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat. There's something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa. Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend - but instead of falling apart, she's determined to get her own back. Piecing her life back together won't be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.

Faking Friends is the first Jane Fallon novel I've read, and it certainly won't be the last. The start of the novel is a very real scenario that could happen to any of us. Amy, working away comes home to find that her fiancee is having an affair, with her best friend.

That's where the normality ends. Amy is an actress, a very good actress. Her best friend Melissa has always wanted to be an actress, but never quite made the big time. Is sleeping with Jack her way of getting back at Amy for being more successful than her?

Or is it just Melissa's usual style of wanting what she cannot have?

Amy, shocked to the core at Melissa and Jack's betrayal decides to put her acting skills to use. She doesn't tell anyone that she's back in the country, bar a lovely old Uni friend who dislikes Melissa and wants to support Amy.

And so the revenge begins...

To start off with Amy's revenge is subtle as she tries to find out exactly how long the betrayal has been going on. When she discovers the truth she only becomes more determined to hurt Melissa and Jack in the same way that they have hurt her.

There are some truly cringe worthy moments in this book, where you think would someone really do that? But as we learn more about all involved every single little thing seems truly justified. A brilliant page-turner, Faking Friends is just what we need on a cold January evening!

Faking Friends is available from 11 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Many thanks to the publishers who invited me to review this title via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Bad Mother by Amanda Brooke

The Bad Mother by Amanda Brooke

Publisher: Harper Collins UK

Release date: 14 December 2017

Back cover blurb: That’s what he wants you to think…  A good mother doesn’t forget things. A good mother isn’t a danger to herself. A good mother isn’t a danger to her baby. You want to be the good mother you dreamed you could be. But you’re not. You’re the bad mother you were destined to become. At least, that what he wants you to believe....

When we first meet Lucy she is clambering over old furniture and debri in her Mothers garage, seeking out her childhood cot. Lucy is keen to use the family heirloom for her unborn child.

Lucy is naturally feeling more than a little bit anxious about the impending new arrival, but her worry runs deeper than first time Mum jitters.

Lucy is forgetting things, things that she and husband Adam have discussed, where she is placing things and she also, more worryingly, leaves the oven on and doors open/ unlocked.

Could it be just a case of her hormones and simply be down to baby-brain, could it be the onset of a more worrying health condition, or could it be... something else more sinister? 

I’ll be brutally honest, I do think I realised what was happening in the relationship fairly early in the novel. However, I do think that this was probably deliberate on behalf of the author, that the reader is able to see what is happening to Lucy before Lucy herself can.

There are occasions in the novel where you will want to take Lucy and gently shake her, but she has just had a baby and there is a chequered family history to consider. Lucy has no reason to doubt anyone is at fault other than herself.

Until Adam's brother appears and turns her world upside down.

The Bad Mother is one of those novels that is practically impossible to review any further without giving anything away, so I will simply say this. You have to read this novel. It is clever, twisty, gripping and manipulative and you won't know who to trust until the very last pages.

The Bad Mother is available to buy now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the Publisher who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - If I die before I wake by Emily Koch

If I die before I wake by Emily Koch
Publisher: Vintage
Release date: 11 January 2018

Back cover blurb: HOW DO YOU SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support, and his friends talk about how his girlfriend Bea needs to move on, he can only listen. But Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger. As he goes over a series of clues from his past, Alex must use his remaining senses to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him, and try to protect those he loves, before they decide to let him go. A stunning edge-of-your-seat debut novel with an unforgettable narrator.








Alex is in a coma after a climbing accident. He can hear all of those around him as they come in and out of his hospital room, though no one believes he can hear, see or feel anything. He is all alone with only his thoughts for company.

Alex's girlfriend Bea and his Father and Sister cling on to the hope that he might wake up one day. But try as he might, Alex cannot get them to notice that he is already awake and listening to everything they say.

Others around Alex seem not as concerned with his current medical state, but more as to how he ended up there.

For it seems that his fall may not have been accidental after all.

As he lies listening to those he loves come and go, Alex tries to piece together the evidence to discover what truly happened that fateful day.

He also must resign himself to the fact that Bea should be starting to move on with her life, away from him.

She can't continue to wait for Alex's recovery when the doctors are so sure that there is very little chance of one.

But Bea is a huge part of Alex's history, and if she gives up on him, will he ever truly discover what happened to him? And when all is said and done, does he really want to know?

If I die before I wake is available from 11 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
Release date: 8 March 2018

Back cover blurb: A pacy, chilling psychological thriller, set to reinvent the genre. It begins, they say, with a woman screaming… On a remote Scottish island, the McBride house stands guard over its secrets. A century ago, a young widow and her son died mysteriously there; just last year a local boy, visiting for a dare, disappeared without a trace. For Zoe Adams, newly arrived from America, the house offers a refuge from her failing marriage. But her peaceful retreat is disrupted by strange and disturbing events: night-time intrusions; unknown voices; a constant sense of being watched. The locals want her to believe that these incidents are echoes of the McBrides' dark past. Zoe is convinced the danger is closer at hand, and all-too-real – but can she uncover the truth before she is silenced?

Zoe Adams is a foreigner to the remote island in Scotland that she chooses to make her temporary home in more ways than one. She is the first newcomer to the island in months. The infamous McBride house is to be her sanctuary after she flees her home in America to escape her marriage issues. But the McBride house has a lot of secrets 

The owners of the house are also the landlords of the local pub, Zoe is taken there on her first night on the Island to meet the islanders acquaintance. Some of them are more welcoming to Zoe (and newcomers in general) than others.

Edward, the local teacher, and Charles the local bookshop owner befriend Zoe almost immediately. Edward is decades younger than Zoe, but there is something undeniably attractive about him which Zoe fights hard to resist. She didn’t come away to find a new partner, and she certainly doesn’t need further complications in her life.

Both are aware of the history of the McBride house where Zoe has chosen to stay, and both are concerned for her wellbeing, whilst telling her not to listen to local folk scaremongering. Zoe as you can imagine, is confused by the mixed messages she’s receiving.

She decides to just ignore the tales of the house’s history and enjoy her time in a house so very different to her own.

While You Sleep opens with two young boys taking part in a dare outside the McBride house, which is supposedly haunted. One of them loses their nerves and makes a run for it, whilst the other stays and is never seen again.

The locals are clearly still in shock, even though more than a year has passed since the boy disappeared and Zoe arrived, the two things shouldn’t be connected, but Zoe is soon to find out that everyone on this remote island is connected somehow, whether they want to be or not.

While You Sleep is a creepy, atmospheric thriller and something very different to my usual read. I loved it!

While You Sleep is available from 8 March 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

 Thank You to the publishers and lovereading.co.uk who sent me an advanced proof copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - the tattooist of auschwitz by Heather Morris

The tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Publisher: Zaffre

Release date: 11 January 2018

Back cover blurb: The incredible story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he loved. Lale Sokolov is well-dressed, a charmer, a ladies’ man. He is also a Jew. On the first transport from Slovakia to Auschwitz in 1942, Lale immediately stands out to his fellow prisoners. In the camp, he is looked up to, looked out for, and put to work in the privileged position of Tätowierer– the tattooist – to mark his fellow prisoners, forever. One of them is a young woman, Gita, who steals his heart at first glance. His life given new purpose, Lale does his best through the struggle and suffering to use his position for good. This story, full of beauty and hope, is based on years of interviews author Heather Morris conducted with real-life Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov. It is heart-wrenching, illuminating, and unforgettable.

When Lale Sokolov arrives at Auschwitz-Birkenau his only goal is to survive each day. He is determined to leave Auschwitz alive after bearing witness to his friends disappearances early on.

Lale finds himself desperately trying to blend into the background, but his kind, caring and courageous nature makes him stand out to his fellow prisoners.

He is quickly put to work as the camp Tätowierer or tattooist, marking each new prisoner with a unique number. It is a horrific but respected job and Lale is soon in a position of privilege. He is moved into a special block, fed good rations and generally looked after by his commanding Nazi senior officer.

Lale learns quickly, and uses his new position to help and befriend where fellow inmates.

One day whilst on duty Lale is entranced by the beauty of the young woman before him. He must continue to tattoo her against his own wishes if he is to not be punished. He later finds out that she is called Gita, but she will not tell Lale her surname.

Gita promises to tell Lale her surname if and when they both leave Auschwitz.

They both know that the odds of them both leaving alive are poor, but belief is what will get them through the most harrowing and desperate of times.

Alongside belief they have each other.

The tattooist of Auschwitz is a story of love against all the odds. It is beautifully written, desperately sad and at the same time triumphant. A must read WW2 novel.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is available from 11 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Woman In the Window by A.J. Finn

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release date: 25 January 2018

Back cover blurb: What did she see? It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside. Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers. But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

Every now and then a book comes along that you just want to read and read, and read again because you are sitting there wondering what on earth just happened. The Woman in the Window is one of those. Tipped to be one of the biggest thrillers of 2018, for that reason alone, you know it's going to be a novel that divides opinion, but I absolutely loved it.

Anna Fox hasn't left her home for ten months. She is suffering from agoraphobia, post traumatic stress and anxiety. Her husband and daughter have gone, she has only her tenant David, her online forums, old movies and the street for company.

Yes, I did say street... 

Anna likes to watch her neighbours through her window. She has a clear vantage point of the whole street, where she can see literally everything. The Russell's across the road, have just moved in and are a welcome distraction for Anna.

The Woman in the Window is a twisty, complex thriller and just as you think you have it sussed, something else is thrown into the mix. I was kept guessing literally the whole way through and couldn't have it enjoyed it any more.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much away, so I'll just say this - I read a lot of this genre and didn't see the ending coming, and if I was still dishing out star ratings, this one would be getting a bit fat five from me. 

The Woman in the Window is available from 25 January 2018.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.