Tag Archives: Betrayal

Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier

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Book summary below provided by the publisher:

I went into this knowing little about it, which I think is the best way to go into most thrillers. There are twists along the way, and many of the characters are unlikable. The beginning, when Marin’s son goes missing, was very climactic. But shortly after the abduction scene, the remainder of the story mostly focuses on love affairs rather than the kidnapping and it lost much of its suspense for me at that point.

All that to say, go into this knowing the foundation is laid for a child abduction mystery…but then quickly detours and centers around adult love affairs. Though it heavily focuses on Marin’s marriage, it is still a thriller because of the plot twists, tension between characters, and the anticipation that leads up to the ending.

It is definitely a quick and easy read. It didn’t take me long to finish, and I liked it. But it isn’t at the top of my list and is not one that I had to think hard about, nothing mind-blowing, or something I thought long about after. I can’t say that I was completely shocked by the big twist at the end of the story. It was a good book, but not the whole package. I found her other novels more enjoyable, but think readers will still find this one exciting.

Jennifer Hillier is a best selling author and is widely known for writing psychological thrillers. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for Little Secrets.

Follow Jennifer Hillier on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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Truths I Never Told You, by Kelly Rimmer

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“What do you do if you find yourself as a new mom and you realize you’re just not capable?”

Told in two timelines, Grace struggles with postpartum depression in 1957 while Beth, in 1996, reluctantly helps her father move into a nursing home since he is suffering from dementia. Beth then helps her siblings clean out her fathers house where she finds letters from her mother, Grace, revealing untold family truths.

Synopsis below provided by the publisher.

“I want a career and I want to see other women have the option to make choices, too, instead of operating as a breeding machines for entitled men.”

The plot was very slow to build. The first half felt repetitive and the characters were hard to connect with. It was surprising to feel such a disconnect from the characters since the subjects at hand were so solemn and emotional. The second half presented some unexpected twists after a different narrator surprisingly enters… which helped move the plot along. The ending was okay.

Gender roles and the feminist movement in the 1950’s is explored and sufficiently represented. The issues brought up in the book regarding this are engaging topics.
Overall, the topics presented were interesting but the characters were flat and the plot was tedious.

Kelly Rimmer is a best selling author. Visit her website.

Read Publishers Weekly review for Truths I Never Told You.

The Things We Cannot Say was a New York Times best seller. Watch K. Rimmer discuss The Things We Cannot Say below in a Q&A.

Follow Kelly Rimmer on Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you to NeGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The German Heiress, by Anika Scott

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“She would have to be careful. But surely no one would recognize her now?”

Clara hides in post-WWII Germany under a different name until someone recognizes her and unveils her true identity. Is that all she is? Her whole life comes down to the years during the war when she made poor choices. The focus of this novel illuminates morality through the eyes of a female war criminal.

Clara’s circumstances put the reader in tight spot, and it is hard to trust her sometimes. As soon as I leaned one way, the next chapter would sway my feelings towards the opposite direction. I wanted hope, but I wanted justice.

Other characters thrown into the mix went well with the progress and principles of the story. One character particularly, who I don’t want to say because it would spoil it, had a really sad story regarding the influence that the war had on him even after it is over. Secrets, betrayal, and deception are buried deep within Clara’s family. Expect a twist or two!

Chapters are told in third person. While there are small flashbacks here and there, the bulk of the novel takes place after the war in 1946. There is one brief animal abuse scene near the beginning of the story.

The German Heiress is Anika Scott’s debut novel. Visit her website to learn more.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for The German Heiress.

The German Heiress is also titled Finding Clara in the UK. Click here to learn more about the two titles.

Library Love Fest welcomes Anika Scott.

Seven things author Anika Scott wants her readers to know about her.

Follow Anika Scott on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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In an Instant, by Suzanne Redfearn

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A tight-nit family along with a few friends go on their annual trip to a secluded cabin that has been passed down for generations. Along the way, they swerve to miss hitting a deer. This instant changes their lives forever and their camper falls below the guardrails on the side of a mountain into the snow. Finn, a sixteen year old, is immediately dead, but does not pass through to her next world. She continues to watch her family through survival, rescue, guilt, and grief.

The chapters are short and there are a total of 94 chapters. The first 14% (ch.1-5) of the story were the days leading up to their trip before the accident occurs. When the accident hit, it really picked up. I couldn’t read fast enough. There is a huge “omg” moment that happens while they are fighting for survival. I was astounded, angry, and my jaw dropped when this happened.

At 38 % the rescue takes place but not all survive. (Meaning only 14-38% or ch. 6-35 of the novel was their survival story, the rest is what happens after they get back home.) From this point on the family is drowning in blame, grief, and hate. Guilt radiates the life and relationships of those who survived and a secret is kept about that fateful night. This is the bulk and focus of the story; so for most of the story it is not very happy.

Paranormal aspect- The narrator is dead and narrates all of the story for the family/characters. She watches them while lingering in limbo. (They cannot see her, but she talks to them in their dreams.) Towards the end this narration style got repetitive.

There is some minor mundane stuff that happens like watching baseball games, rescuing kittens…to help them with their grief. There is cussing and sex, but not the sexy details. Overall, I enjoyed it though I would definitely classify this as a young adult novel.

The ending Author’s Note is a must read which explains the real story that inspired this fictional novel.

Author Suzanne RedFearn’s has written two other novels called Hush Little Baby and No Ordinary Life.

Visit Suzanne RedFearn’s website or follow her on Twitter.

Suzanne Redfearn, author of In An Instant.

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Dreamland, by Nancy Bilyeau

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“Everything is real on Coney Island – and nothing is real.”

Peggy Battenberg is requested to stay with her family on Coney Island. She reluctantly accepts. Peggy feels trapped within her family, their name, their riches, and she wants to shape her own identity. Shortly after arriving to the Oriental Hotel on Coney Island, prejudices are unearthed and a prevalent divide of social classes greet her while making her way to Dreamland. But, women begin to show up dead. Who can she trust and why is she being followed?

“On Coney Island, you can always find someone to do anything.”

Restrictions on women and the treatment of foreigners are spotlighted throughout the story. It focuses on the social structure and the formation of society on Coney Island during 1911 more so than the police procedural. The lush atmosphere was a character in itself and played a dominant role in the movement of the story.

Technical Stuff:
It starts with a woman being murdered in the Epilogue, but the murder is not revisited until the main character, Peggy, begins her extended stay at Coney Island which is sometime during chapter 5. (There are a total of 37 chapters.) However, the story deviates from the murder mystery for quite sometime after this chapter and instead focuses on the main character’s struggle for independence within her rich family, and her new found romantic interest. Because of this, the murder mystery fell to a quiet whisper until chapter 28 (or 78% into the story on a Kindle) when Peggy decides to look for the killer who has been murdering women on the island. That only leaves an eventful 22% left for the reader. I was wanting more suspense throughout the entirety.

The novel was very well researched. Click around below to learn more about Dreamland.

The Oriental Hotel, a Coney Island luxury hotel in the 1890’s. Peggy’s family stays at the Oriental Hotel in the novel.
Hellgate, a boat ride at Dreamland before it burned down. The are several scenes that include Hellgate in the novel.

Visit Nancy Bilyeau’s website to get more information about her books.

Thank you to Hannah Groves from Endeavor Media for providing me with an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

When I Was You, by Minka Kent

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Synopsis provided by the publisher:

This is a light thriller divided into 3 parts. The first part, which is Part 1 for Brienne, moved slower than the rest of the novel. This first part last from 1%-41% (on a Kindle) and caused the beginning to drag. It’s her repeating constantly how she is scared and how she wants to confront the person who took her identity but never really acts upon it…..other than that she only talks about how she thinks her roommate is cute. So, that made it repetitive and uneventful. Also, there were several obvious clues dropped during that time that gave away the twist.

I liked the story okay, but I really had to suspend belief for the majority of it. There was quite a lot that was hard to believe. It is an easy read and okay if you are looking for something lighter and don’t mind suspending belief.

There is no sex, but there is some cursing. 

Minka Kent is a best selling author for psychological thrillers. Visit author Minka Kent’s website to learn more about her books.

Her book, The Thinnest Air, made the best thriller book list for the year 2018. Read more here.

Follow Minka Kent on Facebook.

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Marley, by Jon Clinch

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As a huge fan of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, I was very excited to read this and learn more about Jacob Marley. A Christmas Carol left me with many questions about Jacob Marley; and, while this story does answer most of these questions, they aren’t answered until the end of this novel.

The book spans from 1787, during Marley and Scrooge’s time as teens at a boarding school, through 1836, until Marley’s death. For the better part of the first half, the reader gets to know more about Ebenezer Scrooge, Mother Scrooge, Fan, and Belle. I marked on my Kindle that it primarily centered around Scrooge’s family and their relationships until 40%. After that point, the reader does hear more from Marley but it’s more about Marley’s relationship with Scrooge’s family and his illicit business affairs. I wanted more from Marley and his personal internal depths. Perhaps even his childhood? We know nothing of Marley’s family even after reading this novel about Marley.

Most of my questions concerning Marley were not answered until 80% or after. The plot up until that point moved slowly regarding Marley. Some characters from A Christmas Carol do make an entrance in this tale. For example, we see Bob Cratchit make an appearance after halfway through. 

The setting was spot on, and I really liked the ending. I also enjoyed the language use that the author chose to follow. Although it did contain some, I was hoping for more idioms and neologisms that Dickens was so fond of in his literary accounts. Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

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