Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE.

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears.

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?


My Review

Ani is living the high life, engaged to a dreamboat who gives her money to cover every wish she could have. Working on a big magazine, she has the status and labels she dreamed of as a kid. Ani has a past though and she cannot quite outrun it. The past always has a way of coming to the present and Ani will need to deal with her past and the consequences it brings.

The book goes back and forth, past and present, to when Ani was TifAni and all she wanted was status and respect in her peer group. A lot happens when Ani was a teenager, horrific things that are hinted at or referred to in passing in the present. We know it was something bad and now they want her side of the story. In actual fact there is quite a few horrific and unsettling things, Ani being in positions that have shocking consequences. Peer pressure, wanting to fit into the "it crowd", vulnerability, abuse, sexual content, manipulation, relationships, friendships are only scratching the surface.

For me Ani was not a likeable character, she is shallow, very focused on materialistic things however once we get into her past you can understand her a bit better. The majority of characters I found very unlikable but sometimes these characters make for absolutely compelling reading, we have all came across some of these horrors.

It is a busy wee book with a lot of heavy, emotive, enraging topics covered and I would have liked to have seen more depth explored for them. As the book jumps past to present to only get small coverage on certain things covered however it kept my attention as I wanted to know how it all played out. The book does well to keep you on your toes and I can honestly say I never seen a lot of what came to pass. This was 3.5/5 for me, I have another by this author on my tbrm and look forward to it. Also, a lot of quotes said this book is like Gone Girl, if you go into this with no comparisons to that I think you will enjoy it much more, they are very different books!

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The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 464

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Blurb from Goodreads

For Stella Fortuna, death has always been a part of life. Stella’s childhood is full of strange, life-threatening incidents—moments where ordinary situations like cooking eggplant or feeding the pigs inexplicably take lethal turns. Even Stella’s own mother is convinced that her daughter is cursed or haunted.
In her rugged Italian village, Stella is considered an oddity—beautiful and smart, insolent and cold. Stella uses her peculiar toughness to protect her slower, plainer baby sister Tina from life’s harshest realities. But she also provokes the ire of her father Antonio: a man who demands subservience from women and whose greatest gift to his family is his absence.
When the Fortunas emigrate to America on the cusp of World War II, Stella and Tina must come of age side-by-side in a hostile new world with strict expectations for each of them. Soon Stella learns that her survival is worthless without the one thing her family will deny her at any cost: her independence.
In present-day Connecticut, one family member tells this heartrending story, determined to understand the persisting rift between the now-elderly Stella and Tina. A richly told debut, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is a tale of family transgressions as ancient and twisted as the olive branch that could heal them.



My Review

This is the story of Stella Fortuna, her brushes with death and her family life. Split into Childhood, Youth, Maturity, Old Age & the epilogue we also travel from Italy to America. We kick off in Ievoli, Stella's beginnings, her family, the strong heritage, expectations and of course her "dances" with the grim reaper.

The book has so many layers, told from Stella's descendant giving the book a believable voice with passion and emotion. The book spans over a lifetime, Stella's and we come through strict Italian values and beliefs, war, sexual abuse, family dynamics, relationships, family values. So many topics and issues are covered and many are difficult to read, Stella is such a fierce character and her mother has some moments raw human emotion. The book packs a powerful punch on so many levels and you are sucked into their world, their constrictions, emotions and frustrations.

The journey to America, settling into the lifestyle, the absent father, the rights a husband has over his family in their marriages, finances and the overall rule the man of the house has. The complex family relationships is huge throughout the book in pretty much all of the chapters, an emotive read for sure, impressive writing and I look forward to seeing what is next from this author, 4/5 for me this time!

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The Promise by Katerina Diamond

The Promise by Katerina Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - less thank one day

Pages - 448

Publisher - Avon

Source - Netgalley (review copy)

Blurb from Goodreads

‘All hail the new Queen of Crime!’ Heat

When troubled teen Connor moves to Exeter from the US to escape his past, he finds himself embroiled in a world of popular kids and easy girls. Everyone wants to be his friend, but they don’t know about what he did…and they don’t know about his father.

As Connor’s life in England begins to unravel, DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey are working up against the clock to catch a serial killer who dates his victims before he kills them. Determined to uncover the truth, Imogen is forced to act as bait – but will she take it too far and risk her own life?

Katerina Diamond is back with a bang in this dark, twisted novel, perfect for fans of M.J. Arlidge and Karin Slaughter.


My Review

This is book four in the series, I say often you can pick up a book and start reading but with this I would advise going back to get the back story of the characters and more understanding of the existing relationships. Connor is 16 and moved with his dad to where his dad grew up, Connor is beautiful, popular and soon pulled into school life but they don't know why Connor had to leave his old school. Nor do they realise what Connor's father is really like and what is the pull to the neighbour next door?

Detective Imogen Grey and Adrian Moles are on the case of a murdered woman, why was she targeted and is this a serial killer? We then split into another narrative, a young trouble woman being abused, targeted and in fear for what is coming next. It took me a wee bit to settle into the three separate stories, Connor - we know something in his past happened but why and what is the deal with his father? The young woman whose story will bring chills to anyone who has dealt with an abusive and or manipulative partner. We get to see a more personal side to the detectives, four books we have been with them, seen them survives challenges, killers, family life, work life engagement. It is a really busy wee book but it works, I think Connor's story was the main focus rather than the killer/detectives or the unidentified woman but I found them all engaging .

I sank into the story quickly, I have read all the books in this series so was eager to see what came next for our officers. It is brutal in parts, riveting, shocking but we also see a gentler side of our detectives from the reverberations of everything that has passed so far. During a few scenes I gasped out loud, one in particular I had to read over again I was so shocked, I LOVE when a book catches you like that! 4/5 for me this time, I cannot wait for the next installment in the series, hurry up writing Diamond.

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The Coven by Graham Masterton

The Coven by Graham Masterton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Head of Zeus

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

They say the girls were witches. But Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, is sure they were innocent victims...

London, 1758:

Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, has found a position at St Mary Magdalene's Refuge for fallen women. She enjoys the work and soon forms a close bond with her charges.

The refuge is supported by a wealthy tobacco merchant, who regularly offers the girls steady work to aid their rehabilitation. But when seven girls sent to his factory disappear, Beatrice is uneasy.

Their would-be benefactor claims they were a coven of witches, beholden only to Satan and his demonic misdeeds. But Beatrice is convinced something much darker than witchcraft is at play...



My Review

This is book two with the character Beatrice Scarlet, I hadn't read book one and don't feel I have missed out on anything by not having read it. Beatrice and her little girl have to move to St Mary Magdalene's Refuge for fallen women where she is promised a job and lodgings. Beatrice is drawn to helping the girls from their previous lives and has faith they can turn it around. A wealthy gentleman who supports the refuge takes the girls to work in his factory. When his latest batch flee after apparently conjuring up Satan and devil worshipping Beatrice feels something is horribly wrong and it isn't the devil!

Ooft this is not a book for the faint hearted, there is murder, sexual deviancy, sexual abuse, prostitution, faith, lies, love, relationships, family and that isn't covering it all! Beatrice is a fantastic character, remember this is set in the 1700s and here we have a very vocal woman, educated, loyal, intelligent and fearless. It is fantastic to have any book with a strong female character, Beatrice has already lost so much and now she is putting her life on the line for these fallen girls.

The healing part is really interesting too , she is an apothecary's daughter and finds more folk coming to her for remedies than the doctors. I loved her knowledge and the alternative healing options, I need to google to see how popular that kind of thing really was back then, I think it is really interesting. Some of the scenes are very graphic, sexual and disturbing so be warned if you are going to pick the book up, there is reference to animal cruelty also. If you can get past this or don't mind some very dark passages I think you will fully engage with this tale. Graphic, stomach turning, fierce, dark and a fantastic female character it has to be 4/5 for me this time. I do have another one or two of Masterton's books on my TBRM I do need to bump them up!

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Secrets by Lesley Pearse

Secrets by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read -

Pages - 548

Publisher - Penguin Books

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

Can truth stay hidden for ever?

Set in the 1930's, the classic novel from bestselling author Lesley Pearse tells the story of one girl's struggle against cruelty and, her quest for love.

Twelve-year-old Adele Talbot's unhappy mother Rose succumbs to madness after a family tragedy and Adele is placed in a bleak children's home. But when her trust is betrayed she runs away - hoping to find her grandmother in Sussex.

By the time she does so, Adele is desperately ill and has to be nursed back to health among the beautiful Rye Marshes. And then she meets the wonderful Michael Bailey.

As friendship blossoms into love and they come of age together - Adele becoming a nurse and Michael joining the RAF - she believes she can put her troubled past behind her. But with the outbreak of war and the sudden appearance of Rose, bearing shocking family secrets, suddenly all of Adele's hopes appear impossibly fragile ...


My Review

Life has never been very kind to Adele, ignored and abused by her parents, when a tragic accident forces Adele to takes off to find her grand mother. Used and abused, Adele finally makes it to a safe haven, finding love and acceptance with her grand mother and meeting Michael. We follow her growing up, getting a career and finally finding her place, despite world war two going on. However as is the way, the past rears its ugly head and Adele finds everything she loves being threatened and the past no longer able to be ignored.

I do love Pearse, she covers some very tough topics and "Secrets" is no exception. Abuse, neglect, briefly paedophilia, relationships, family, secrets, war and friendship to name but a few. Poor Adele is just a child when we meet her and deprived of basic care, love and mistreated by those meant to love and cherish her. We watch her bloom and grow, relationships form and the social issues presented between the classes in the 1930/1940s.

I can't say which story lines I favoured most because there were so many, in fact I don't think I could pick out one I hated. Obviously the paedophilia one made my skin crawl and I hated the perpetrator, in fact both the individuals. Everyone else I think shaped the story perfectly, it was emotive and keeps the reader hooked page after page. 5 stars for me this, I have another few of Pearse on my TBRM and will be buying the others I have still to read.

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