A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia

                                                  

Ebook:  253 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Religious, Church History, Romantic Fiction,

Publisher:  Picador Jan 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: They put the neat box into a crisp hole in the ground.

Review Quote: 'I couldn't put it down' - The Independent

My Opinion:

I had never heard of this author before being given the opportunity to read 'A Private Man'. In the authors notes to the novel she explains that her inspiration was drawn from her own grandparents experiences.

A forbidden love story between David a Roman Catholic priest in the 60's and Margaret a progressively minded theology teacher. Two young people that despite their religious faith were unable to envisage a life without each other.

One to read if you are looking for something a little different. Be warned though the love story element is a very slow reveal. Part One concentrates on introducing the reader to the protagonists and it is not until Part Two that the forbidden love story really begins.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and author for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Amazon: 

Rome, 1953. David is young, handsome, charismatic and sworn to celibacy. He is freshly ordained, and about to return to England to begin life as a priest. Devotion to God is all he’s ever known.

In London, Margaret is entangled in an impossible love affair. Committed to living on her own terms without sacrificing her faith, she becomes drawn to a women’s movement challenging the archaic rules of the Church.

When their lives are thrown together at a Catholic college in a quiet village, an undeniable connection forms between them. And so begins a story of forbidden love, sacrifice and secrets, with consequences that will reverberate across the generations.

Author Profile:                                                                                       

                                                           

                                                      Courtsey of RCW Literary Agency

Stephanie Sy-Quia was born in 1995 and is a British–American writer. Born in California and now living in London, Sy-Quia attended the King's School, Canterbury then went on to study English at Oxford.

Biographical Information and Photo courtesy of the following sites:

Wikipedia Profile.      Instagram Profile.   RCW Literary Agency Profile

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

                                                 

Hardback:  307 pages 

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction,Romance, Mystery, Thriller,

Publisher:  John Murray 2025

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Setting: England

Review Quote: 'Excellent . . . a vivid, forceful love story which plays out at the pace of a thriller' Irish Times

Favourite Quote: “It’s strange, the patchwork stories we tell someone when we want them to catch up, a shortcut to knowing us, as if such a thing were possible.”

Goodreads Choice Award

Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2025), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2025)

My Opinion:

Having heard nothing but praise for 'Broken Country' I was delighted when my library reservation was ready to collect. From the first page I felt this was going to be a read to get fully immersed in.

A dual timeline story that follows the lives of the three protagonists Beth, Frank and Gabriel. We first meet them as youngsters in 1955 when their lives first become entangled. By 1968 when they catch up with each other again, after many years, the dynamics have changed somewhat and a murder is committed.

An emotional read, but beware it deals with the grief of losing a child. Although it is also a romantic story which will tug at your heart strings as passion is intertwined with grief. Highly recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Author Profile:       

                                                                                                                                    Courtesy of  Goodreads

Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. Under the name Clare Empson, she published two domestic noir thrillers, Him and Mine, that were published in the UK and Germany. She has always loved The Go Between by LP Hartley and Broken Country is a nod to it, featuring a forbidden love affair with catastrophic repercussions. Broken Country is her US debut.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.   Amazon Author Profile

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

  

Hardback:  456 pages  

Genre: Mystery,Thriller, Contemporary Psychological Thriller,                                              

Publisher: Penguin Random House 2025

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The house is spectacular. A huge white stucco villa on three floors plus attic rooms, a direct view of the sea visible through tall windows that frame the vista at the back and the front.

Review Quote: 'Lisa Jewell is a STONE COLD GENIUS! Don't Let Him In is a PHENOMENAL achievement' MARIAN KEYES

My Opinion:

Over the years that I have been reading this genre Lisa Jewell has become one of my go to favourites. In my opinion she is the queen of the contemporary psychological thriller.

In ‘Don’t Let Him In’ we meet a man of many names, Nick Radcliffe being one of his many pseudonyms and it this persona that finally brings him down. The man is a chilling and frighteningly plausible character, whose behaviour will shock you. To quote, ’He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.’ The women he has tormented over the years always fall for his charms and welcome him with open arms. Until one day someone starts to question his motives and his creepy world starts to fall apart.

If you have experience of the (author’s words) 'terrible men in this world' of which sadly there are some, you might find this rather a raw read. Worth doing so as the author successfully explores the psychology of such men. Highly recommend this novel to fans of the genre.

Links to Previous Reviews:  Then She Was Gone,  Watching You, The House We Grew Up In, The Family Upstairs,  The Night She Disappeared,  The Family Remains,  None of This is True

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.

Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…

Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right.

Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.

Author Profile:

Lisa Jewell is an internationally bestselling author of successful  novels, including, Then She Was Gone, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel in 1998 Ralph’s Party, was an instant bestseller. In total, her novels have sold over 2 million copies across the English speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

For more biographical information check out her Goodreads Profile


Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Amazon Author Page    Lisa Jewell - Official Facebook Page     Wikipedia - Lisa Jewell

Twitter Profile    Goodreads Author Profile

The Perfect Catch by Samantha Vérant

                                 

Ebook: 308 pages Kindle Edition

Genre: Contemporary Psychological Thriller, Romantic Thriller

Publisher:  January 27th 2026 by Storm Publishing

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: I'm kicking through the junk he's left behind.

Review Quote: ‘This one pulls you in fast and keeps tightening the screws… Tense and addictive.’ Reader Review, 

My Opinion:

The author states in the notes at the end of the book that her inspiration for this novel comes from real life events. Firstly when she was conned out of money, which fortunately she got back and secondly when she learnt about the world of fashion whilst launching her own handbag line. Events that certainly gave her a brilliant framework for this mind-blowing story.

In 'The Perfect Catch' we have the two main characters, Lexi Marlowe and Christophe Montclair. The reader is taken on a fast paced suspenseful journey' We soon learn that Christophe is a con-man who manipulates rich women, he just may have picked the wrong one this time though.

A quick read full of twists and turns, recommended for thriller readers.

With thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Lexi Marlowe has spent years building her fashion brand from nothing, while carefully guarding the secrets of her past.

Then she meets Christophe Montclair – charming, sophisticated and heir to a fortune, he sweeps her off her feet with glamorous parties and his endless high-society connections.

When he gets down on one knee, Lexi barely hears the alarm bells ringing in the back of her mind. Is he too good to be true, or is she simply in love?

Their honeymoon period is soon littered with red flags. Christophe won’t talk about his past, claiming he values his privacy. Tense phone calls leave him looking over his shoulder. Then the police turn up with questions about a murder…

Lexi’s new husband is hiding something big. But he isn’t the only one who married a stranger…

Author Profile:         

                                                          

                                                            Courtesy of  Goodreads

Samantha Vérant was born in the USA, she is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, at-home French chef. Over the years, she’s visited many different countries, lived in many places, and worked many jobs— always on the search for the one thing that truly excited her. Then, one day, she found everything she’s been looking for: a passion for the written word and true love. Writing not only enabled her to open her heart, it led her to southwestern France, where she’s now married to a sexy French rocket scientist she met over twenty years ago, a stepmom to two incredible kids, and the adoptive mother to one ridiculously adorable Charteux cat. When she’s not trekking from Provence to the Pyrénées, tasting wine in American-sized glasses, or embracing her inner Julia Child while deliberating what constitutes the perfect boeuf bourguignon, Samantha is making her best effort to relearn those dreaded conjugations.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads-Author Profile  Amazon-Author Profile  Samantha Vérant Official Website