A Secret In The Family by Nancy Revell

A Secret in the Family by Nancy Revell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 440

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

1945, Sunderland. Ida Boulter makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave her five children behind as she escapes her husband and moves to London to start afresh with the love of her life.
1953, County Durham. Ida’s children have since built a new life in the beautiful home of Cuthford Manor – looked after by their eldest sibling Angie and her husband.
But their world is about to be rocked once again when their mother turns up out of the blue for the first time in eight years.
She has come back bearing a secret she can no longer keep from her family.
Will telling the truth cause more harm than good?
Only their love for one another will carry them through the turbulent times ahead.
Readers love Nancy


My Review

Oooft 1945 Ida is running off with her lover and leaving behind her five kids, she knows her eldest will look after them, she always has. A woman leaving her husband and her kids, back in the 40s was almost unheard of, doing it the day before your eldest daughters wedding is pretty brutal. Now eight years later Ida is back and about to shatter her kids lives all over again.

I LOVE when authors create a world and characters you can envelope yourself in and this is exactly what we get here. I mean what a pull, a time when women stayed in marriages regardless of how bad things where and rarely did they leave let alone leave their kids behind. So you have the pull and intrigue right from the off and now eight years have passed and she is back WE NEED TO KNOW!

The kids are at different ages, the younger two are quite delighted and intrigued, the next two are loathe to acknowledge her let alone listen to anything she has to say and the eldest, Angie, she has always been a good and fair person so she gives Ida a chance to talk. I mean the decision kinda is forced on her but regardless some folk would have told her to sling her hook!

Very much actions, consequences, secrets, lies and some pearl clutching, gasp/shock moments, there are some scenes that hint to or actually have threat of violence/SA so prepare yourself. Even the 1940s had some bad folk around and there are always people looking to take advantage. I really liked how many themes ran in the book and at the heart of it all, family and love. There is some classism and snobbery, manipulation/expectation - again the time period it is absolutely expected, 4.5/5 from us this time.

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Deception by Lesley Pearse

Deception by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages -

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

What happens when the person closest to you has led a life of deception?

After the funeral of her mother, Sally, Alice Kent is approached by a man named Angus Tweedy. He claims to be her father and tells her that he served time in prison for marrying Sally bigamously.

What does he hope to gain by telling her this now, thirty years on?
How can her adored dad Ralph not be her true father?
And why did her mother betray her so badly?

She had accepted Sally's many faults, and her reluctance to ever speak of the past. But faced with this staggering deception, Alice knows she must uncover the whole truth about her mother.

Whatever the cost.

As Alice journeys into the past she discovers her mother may never have been the woman she claimed to be . . .



My Review

When Sallys mum died getting to the funeral is the priority, being a little bit late she clocks a car tailing her and thinks nothing of it. Once the funeral is passed she meets a man who tells her something that will turn her whole world upside down. Did Sally ever really know her mother? Now she is determined to do some digging and get answers about her mother, who she really was and her past.

The book flips between present day and back to Sally's mums youth and the years leading up to meeting Sally's dad. Back and forth we learn the impact of secrets of Sally's mum, what made her the way she was and of course the ripple effects it has on Sally.

As we delve into the past we deal with some pretty horrific encounters, abuse, manipulation, pregnancy (and things surrounding it of that time period), adoption, death/loss. You know what Pearse's books bring especially those set in the time period, women being abused, unwanted pregnancy etc. Emotive at times as is the author's signature, 4/5 from us.

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The Seven Ages of Death by Richard Shepherd

The Seven Ages of Death by Richard Shepherd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Pages - 408

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Through 24 intriguing, never-before-told cases, Britain's top forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd takes us on a journey through life in death.

From old to young, murder to misadventure, and from illness to accidental death, each body can reveal something: about human development, about mortality, about its owner's life story, and even about Shepherd himself.

From the author of comes a powerful, moving and above all reassuring book uncovering the secrets of death - how to understand it, postpone it, and, when our time comes (as it must), how to embrace it as the last great adventure.


My Review

I have read his first book and seen the tv programmes where he discusses famous autopsies so I knew I was buying this when I seen it. I just want to warn/heads up that the start of this book discusses a baby death and in the mortuary and details, the book is about death/autopsies etc and I know some people find children hard to read.

The book covers different cases and at least one high profile (I had to Google as I didn't know of them), you get details about the body, how areas works depending on what he is discussing at the time. This is all known if you are familiar with his works.

What I would say is this one gives you a bit more about the author, he admits to some medical stuff of his own, things happening and going wrong with his own body as he ages. Some people will like this change some won't, I didn't mind but I did find this book had less pathology/cases than the first or maybe just less depth. For me it had a different feel, Still interesting, still would read another book if he puts it out but for me 3/5 this time.

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Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott

Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

From the outside, anyone would think that Lucy Palmer has it all: loving children, a dashing husband and a gorgeous home.

But when her marriage to Michael comes to an abrupt and unexpected end, her life is turned upside down in a flash.

As the truth of her marriage threatens to surface, Lucy seizes the opportunity to swap her house in London - and the stories it hides - for a rural escape to her parents' farmhouse in the Chilterns.

But Lucy gets more than she bargained for when she moves back to her childhood home, especially when it throws her into the path of an old flame.

Coming face-to-face with her mistakes, Lucy is forced to confront the secrets she's been keeping from herself and those she loves.

Is she ready to let someone in? Or will she leave the door to her past firmly closed . . .




My Review

Oooft Lucy has headed home to her parent's after her toxic marriage has ended. Her parent's are knocking about in the big farmhouse and it is clear they are having issues coping, albeit they are in absolute denial. Lucy has some healing to do, some truths to face and helping her very reluctant parents to face their own issues.

I have never read Alliott before, this was my first and it won't be my last that is for sure. The book is laced with some light relief and comedy inbetween some very hard hitting issues. Abuse (gaslighting), martial abuse, infidelity, threats, I found some of the situations Lucy found herself in or rather her response to them very frustrating. I think dependent upon your own life experiences and type of person you are you will have different reactions, empathy with her, angry/frustrated at what she endures and or how she responds.

Her parents are hilarious, very human with their antics and flaws, still enjoying their life whilst causing their daughters grey hair from worry and very blasé attitudes. They also like a drop or ten of booze and party accordingly whilst turning a blind eye to health issues. The book has a good mix of emotive, funny, shocking, horrific shows of human behavior, selfishness, selflessness - it is a very mixed bag. The characters are very different so I think readers will be able to related to some and get highly upset/annoyed at others. 4/5 for me this time, I will be checking out her back catalogue as I know I don't have any others on my tbrm. My thanks to Hanifa for bringing this author and book to my attention and putting another author on my almost collapsing tbrm lol.

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The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 402

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Rose Gold Watts believed she was sick for eighteen years.

Turned out her mother was a really good liar.

After five years in prison, Patty Watts is finally free. All she wants is to put old grievances behind her, reconcile with the daughter who testified against her - and care for her new infant grandson.

When Rose Gold agrees to have Patty move in, it seems their relationship is truly on the mend. And she has waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

But has Patty truly forgotten their past?

And is Rose Gold really able to forgive?

A gripping and electrifying tale that will make you question your allegiances until the very end . . .



My Review

Dear Lord what a twisted and shocking story, unbelievable it is a debut! Told between two POV Patty the mother and Rose Gold the daughter, Patty is in the jail after being found guilty of causing harm to her daughter, Rose Gold, for years. We open on release day, Patty is getting out and surprisingly enough Rose Gold is coming to get her. We flip between past and present, five years prior to Patty being release, Rose Gold is trying to adjust to life, freedom, not being sick. We learn each of their individual perspectives, how things came to a head with Patty being outed and Rose adjusting to life. The case was well publicized and poor Rose Gold has had a lot to overcome, so many years being abused, sick and yet totally doting on and dependent on her mother.

A psychological dark suspense, Munchausen by Proxy, recovery as the abused and the insight into the abuser and their very skewed outlook. The narrators are unreliable, shocking, damaged, unhinged as you would expect with everything that has happened. As you delve deeper you are shocked at the revelations, the actions, the thought process - it is one of those books you just don't know what is coming next. Families can be murder and then you have the Watts, ooft, unique isn't quite the right word but they sure are something else.

Dark, creepy, shocking, questionable and a really interesting insight into Munchausen by Proxy from both sides. I would be interested in knowing what research the author did as the book has an authentic feel throughout, fiction that could easily be fact, it reads so well. 4.5/5 for me this time I very much look forward to seeing what comes next from Wrobel!

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Bitter Herbs by Marga Minco

Bitter Herbs: The vivid memories of a fugitive Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Holland by Marga Minco
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 128

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

The story of a Fugitive Jewish Girl in Nazi Occupied Holland

‘Whether I want to or not, I always return to 1940 – 45. Those were the years that made the most impression on me.’ Marga Minco

Marga Minco was a Jewish schoolgirl in the Holland of 1940 and survived the war in hiding. Her entire family were sent to concentration camps, none survived. Her entire body of work is informed by these facts and this short crisp semi-autobiographical novel was her debut. In it a naïve young Jewish girl escapes through a back door when her family is arrested and discovers that she has lost everyone close to her.

Written in a charmingly naïve, deceptively simple but profoundly moving style, Bitter Herbs, has been compared to Anne Frank's Diary and has become a Dutch classic


My Review

A very simplistic almost diary like account by a little girl living through the Nazi regime during world war two. When the Nazi's invade the Netherlands it isn't exactly covered by the telling of the young narrator. It is snapshots (diary like), no times, just observations as she goes about her day/routine. Whilst she never mentions the war/nazi's outright it is more what she sees, what she and her family are having to do. It is very clear to the reader what is happening and despite it being sedate the reader sees the darker implications than the innocent writing the tales.

An autobiographical that has been dubbed a classic and translated into more that ten languages. An almost sanitized telling of one little girl's survival with her being completely ignorant of what is truly happening and the horror around her. I think the fact it is so innocent actually makes it a bit more horrific, no specifics or graphic accounts are mentioned in detail but there is enough through an innocents eyes you get the pull of emotion, knowing what she is oblivious to.

A very easy to read and different approach to the horror of what people endured during this horrific time in history. For people who want to read about the time of the Nazi reign without graphic content but still captures what this family went through, 3.5/5.

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I Looked Away by Jane Corry Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for "I Looked Away" by Jane Corry, for my stop I have my review, enjoy!


I Looked Away by Jane Corry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 493

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Alternate title "I Looked Away" / "Child of Mine"

THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MY HUSBAND'S WIFE AND THE DEAD EX

Every Monday, 49-year-old Ellie looks after her grandson Josh. She loves him more than anything else in the world. The only thing that can mar her happiness is her husband's affair. But he swore it was over, and Ellie has decided to be thankful for what she's got.

Then one day, while she's looking after Josh, her husband gets a call from that woman. And for just a moment, Ellie takes her eyes off her grandson. The accident that happens will change her life forever.

Because Ellie is hiding something in her past.

And what looks like an accident could start to look like murder...


My Review

Present day, Ellie: an argument with her husband, her eye off the child for a minute will change life as she knows it. We flick to a few months after the accident and then go between characters and timelines. Jo is homeless and so opposite of Ellie and it takes a fair few chapters to get a feel for the characters and where the story may be going. In between Jo and Ellie we get snippets of someones life, written in italics, starting as a child in an abusive situation and other flashes as they grow up. Took a fair bit to make any kind of context for me but I can be a bit slow on the uptake putting pieces together.

I loved in between the chapters we got a flower, it's common name, it's proper name and the story or meaning behind it, I love things like that in books especially when not expecting it. The story lines, because there are really three it did take me a wee bit to settle into. Reading them all, they each grab and engage the reader but keeps you on your toes trying to figure out what the context is, if any, to the other characters.

Certainty draws you in quickly and teases out across the pages the secrets and depths of the characters. Emotions, manipulations, darkness, versatility, family, love, betrayal and more than a few scenes spiked strong reactions. I have read this author before and will be reading her again, 3.5/5 for me this time, engaging, page turning, depth and a lot to spill!

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Dark Lover by J R Ward

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 393

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.



My Review

The Black Dagger Brotherhood are six warriors who defend and protect their species, vampires! They are targeted by slayers, once human and now their sole purpose is to eradicate the vamps. The brotherhood don't think much of humans although each has their own issues, when something happens to one of their brothers their inner circle is shook and infiltrated in a way none of them seen coming and will change everything.

Wrath is their leader, a pure blood, respected and feared in equal measures. He has his own hangups from his past and that affects how he is now as an adult and a leader. When he has to take his friends daughter under his protection he is in for a rollercoaster of a ride. Everything is challenged, danger is at every turn and Wrath finds himself battling his own demons!

So I have read a lot of vampire books and seen tons of movies, this one flings a fresh take on them. Everything we thought we knew about vampires is turned around in this one. What they need to do to survive, how they interact with humans, their immortality, love, sex, food so much of it is different. I think this is a good opening book, I loved the banter between some of the characters, loyalty, bravery and the female characters. One irritated me for a good part of the book with her passiveness and having seemingly no strength of character. As the book progresses almost all of the characters grow and change or we get a bit more depth about who they are. I have almost all of the other books that follow this one. Certainly a foundation builder type of book and I look forward to the others and sure they will have more depth now we have the basics and a bit of character background, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Oh Dear Sylvia by Dawn French

Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 2 days

Publisher - Penguin

Pages - 342

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

Who is in Coma Suite Number 5?

A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife?

All of these. For this is Silvia Shute who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops.

Her past holds a dark and terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. And she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers.

Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again . . .


My Review

Sylvia is in a coma, Sylvia is loathed by members of her family, worshiped by her friend Cat. Shunned by her daughter Cassie and son Jamie, cared for by nurse Winnie, visited by Tia her cleaner, Ed her ex husband and her eccentric sister Jo. Each brings their own issues and slowly reveals Sylvia's past, their issues and relationships with her bringing the reader into the know of just who Sylvia is.

Some of the characters are hilarious, Tia is her cleaning, proud and very funny in some of her chat and outlook on matters. Cat is a complex character who happily would have Sylvia just to herself and not her family. Ed has much mixed feelings for his ex wife, the things she has done and looking back on their relationship before she changed. Cassie struggles to even look at her mother despite the critical condition she is in, Jamie refuses to acknowledge her and Jo, Jo is a wild card, chaos, dramas and very much all about her as she tries some very questionable things to "wake" her sister up.

The book is a mix of humour, sadness, tough issues, abuse, possessiveness, relationships, violence, suicidal intentions. It is also about relationships and family, huge focus on both, with Sylvia being in a coma, all the characters address all their issues with her in a very honest and raw emotive way. This is my first book by French, it won't be my last 3.5/5 for me, a very mixed bag and whilst there are a fair few characters, each chapter is titled with their name so it is very easy to follow.

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Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 448

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Given by a random stranger on holiday

Blurb from Goodreads

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.



My Review

Amy has been working away from home for months on a tv show and heads home early to surprise her fiance Jack. She finds evidence of another woman living there and can't believe her eyes, Amy decides to find out exactly who and why?

Oooh this is my first dance with this author and it won't be my last. Amy thought her relationship with Jack was perfect but to find he is cheating AND putting up a front that all is fine isn't sitting with Amy. Getting help from an old friend she decides to find out who it is and get her own back. Keeping up the pretence all is well whilst conducting her own investigation with a little help from her friends, Amy discovers the true betrayal and won't take it lying down.

I raced through the first 200 pages on the flight home, I loved the whole cat and mouse type situation and Amy extracting her revenge. The latter part of the book changes a bit as we get narration from another main character and the feel of the book changed a bit for me. Still good but the pace and direction changed for me. A page turner, looking at infidelity, friendship, betrayal, love and loyalty. It also has a dual timeline, the present and flipping back to the past with Amy's relationships with others that help show the relationship dynamics she has in present day. Good pace, characters you are drawn right into, both ones to love and hate, revenge, sass, attitude it gives the reader a bit of everything, 4/5 for me this time!

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Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Still Me by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 496

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Borrowed

Blurb from Goodreads

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She is thrown into the world of the superrich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes, and a never-ending array of household staff and hangers-on. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world.

Before she knows what's happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. In Still Me, as Lou tries to keep the two sides of her world together, she finds herself carrying secrets--not all her own--that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?



My Review

Oh how I have missed Lou Clark. Guys if you don’t know, this is the third book in a trilogy, if you haven’t read the previous two please do so before reading this, you need it for the back story. Lou (Louisa) has taken the plunge and heading to a new job for a super rich family in New York, Nathan is there and promises there is no hidden secrets like before.

Oh you have to love Lou, she is so down to earth that pretty much everyone can relate to her. She gets in embarrassing situations, says the wrong things, has the same relationship issues with families, partners and puts her foot in it often. This is what makes her so lovable, she is so very human,you cringe for her, you laugh with her and you feel for her.

The new job sees her basically as a companion, go for, sounding board for her new madam who I had very mixed feelings for. Moyes has the ability to bring characters very much to life with their flaws, rudeness, humility and I bloody love the wee dog character, name and attitude!

As well as adjusting to being away from home, surrounded by ridiculous wealth, Lou is trying to juggle a long distance relationship when she meets someone who flings up many feelings from the past. Questioning her relationship, what she wants, dealing with the family dramas of her own and her new employers it is anything but dull for Lou or the readers. I woud have sank this in one sitting had life allowed for it, as it was I just grabbed it every free minute I could. I love the Clarks, I love Lou and I love that Moyes has managed to stay faithful to the heart of the story and the characters which can’t be easy with the third book. 5/5 for me this time, do I want more of Lou and the Clarks? Absolutely but if there is no more to come I am delighted to go back to the three book, Me Before You is one of my all time favourites but the whole trilogy is something special! You can get your hands on this beauty from tomorrow, 25/1/2018.

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Rosie by Lesley Pearse

Rosie by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - over 4 days

Pages - 628

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought online (I think)

Blurb from Goodreads

Can good come from evil?

Will Rosie ever escape from her brutal brothers?

As a child Rosie Parker spent the war years battling her brutish half-brothers Seth and Norman on the farm under the less-than-watchful eye of her father Cole. But when housekeeper Heather Farley arrives, Rosie finds a mother - and a friend - to look after her.

Several years later, Thomas Farley comes to find his sister. Rosie can only tell him that she disappeared in mysterious circumstances, abandoning her small son Alan. Determined to get young Alan and Rosie out of the clutches of Cole and his sons, Thomas helps unearth a terrible truth about the family. A truth that forces Rosie away from the farm and out into a cruel world where she must somehow come to terms with her shocking past. Is it possible that the man who brought ruin on her family might also bring happiness to Rosie?



My Review

Rosie sets off a chain off events when she intervenes and rescues her little brother, Alan, from her father and brothers. Thomas Farley has come looking for his sister, who mysteriously went missing leaving behind her son Alan, and finds out about his nephew. Rosie has no idea how one action can impact on so many lives, she is about to find out.

Very family centred the story focuses on many aspects of relationships that revolve around the different individuals. Rosie and her brothers and father, Thomas and his sister, the relationships she makes when she leaves her family home and those that follow.

Rosie is focused on helping others and gets experience in a mental health hospital environment where she is met with hostility and many obstacles for one so young. The story has some very dark lines, sexual abuse, physical abuse, murder, sexual deviancy, relationships are a huge focus, friendship and loyalty. It pulls the reader in pretty much from the first chapter and whilst some of the scenes are very disturbing the bonds some of the people make and strength of character shown by some is inspiring.

A very mixed bag, some scenes so realistic it really is hard to get through due to the brutality of it but it is testament to the authors writing skills she can create such realism. I have read this author before and I absolutely will read her again, she is one of those authors you buy up her back catalogue based on the strength of what you have just read, 4/5 for me.

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The Woman in the Wood by Lesley Pearse

The Woman in the Wood by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - under 3 days on and off

Pages - 400

Publisher - Penguin

Blurb from Goodreads

Fifteen-year-old Maisy Mitcham and her twin brother Duncan lose their mother to an asylum one night in 1960.

The twins are sent to their grandmother's country house, Nightingales. Cold and distant, she leaves them to their own devices, to explore and to grow. That is until the day Duncan doesn't come home from the woods.

With their grandmother seeming to have little interest in her grandson's disappearance, and the police soon giving up hope, it is left to Maisy to discover the truth. And she will start with Grace Deville. A woman who lives alone in the wood, about whom rumours abound . . .




My Review

Maisy and Duncan Mitcham, fifteen years and and about to have their world turned upside down. They always knew their mother was unwell but to be removed from their home and both children sent to live with their elderly grand mother? With everything they know removed, a grand mother as cold as their father who just abandoned them, the twins get to know the people around them. They hear of the woman in the woods, Grace, anti social, withdrawn and down right rude the child are drawn to find out more. An unlikely friendship turns to suspicion when Duncan goes missing, no one seems as bothered as Maisy and Maisy will not settle until she finds out what happened to her brother even if it means bringing danger to herself.

Oh guys I do love Pearse, her books are often gentle with hard hitting topics dottered throughout, The Woman in the Wood is no different. We cover a range of life issues, mental health, family, relationships, abuse, disappearance, crime, the darker side of humanity and the old societal prejudices. A bit of a slow burner in the beginning to get to know the characters, the kids are pretty much the main characters and we see them learn to adapt with being abandoned by their father. When he does interact with them there is no affection and when we meet the grand mother we start to see why. A proud woman with no huge value on affection on children, little respect for their mother and rather set in her ways.

The book takes a dark turn when Duncan goes missing, there has been a spate of boy going missing and a killer is on the loose. Whilst Maisy is forced to move on she can never let go and braves approaching Grace, the woman from the woods for help. Grace is a fantastic character, excluded from society and in herself very guarded, through Maisy we start to see another side to this abrupt "weird" woman. Through their quest to find out what happened to Duncan, we see just how strong and loyal Grace is with a fierce streak, these two woman go on a mission that will change everything!

There are so many aspects of this book we could focus on, one thing I loved was just how strong the female characters were. Maisy, even at fifteen has a great sense of right and wrong and challenges things which for that time period (1960s) would raise an eyebrow let alone modern day. Grace is something else, having being hurt, judged and ostracized from her own people she still has righteousness and metal to make a stand when called upon. Whilst many aspects of this book are dark, and heinous there is so much that is beautiful. Strong women, the importance of relationships, the good of people, loyalty, friendship and things that take ordinary people and make them extraordinary. I could have read this in one sitting but work and life got in the way, 4/5 for me this time. I have many of this author still to read, I bought up quite a few after her last book so will certainly be reading her again. Pearse is one of those authors that has yet to disappoint, her writing just envelopes you and snares you into the story practically from the get go. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an arc of this book, The Woman in the Wood is now available to buy, let me know what you thought of it!

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Remember Me by Lesley Pearse

Remember Me by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 543

Publisher - Penguin

Blurb from Goodreads

She made a mistake and now she'll never see home again....

Mary, a Cornish mariner's daughter made the biggest mistake of her short life when she steals a silk hat. Convicted and sentenced to be transported to Australia, she endures horific conditions aboard the ship before landing in a brutal and barbaric country

It will take all her courage just to survive.

But Mary is also determined to make something of herself in this rugged man's world. And she dreams that one day she will find a way of crossing the cruel sea that lie between her and home....

Based on a true story, Remember Me brings Mary Broad vividly to life in this moving story of a women triumphing against overwhelming odds.



My Review

Based on a true story, Mary Broad brings to life the horrors that a somewhat trivial crime could bring about in that period of time. 1786, shy of her twentieth birthday, Mary is sentenced to death by hanging, for the crime of stealing a silk hat. Spared her death sentence, she is sentenced to be shipped to Australia to live out her sentence and be put to work. From sentencing, the journey across the sea and eventually landing on the shore and the colony to work and fight for survival.

I am not a huge fan of historical fiction however Pearse has a way with words and draws the reader in quickly, vested in the character you need to keep reading to see how she fares. The conditions Mary faces is horrendous, mixed with other criminals rape and violence are rife. Struggling to survive, get her share of rations, keep away from the body fluids building up in an enclosed filthy environment, Mary uses her wits and all available resources.

It is hard hitting at times, some of the things Mary either sees or endures makes for uncomfortable reading. We experience relationships, betrayal, love, loss, adult and children dying as well as the casual attitude to death as such a common occurrence. This book packs a punch and will take you on an emotional roller coaster. I have read this author before and I will read her again, 4/5 for me this time.

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