The Family Lies by Angela Henry

 

                                             

Ebook:  317 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Psychological Thriller,

Publisher: Storm Publishing 22nd January  2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: The woman ran through the woods, oblivious to the branches that slapped her in the face and the roots she stumbled over.

Review Quote: Angela Henry is a brilliant storyteller. She is a marvel at making the reader feel the unease alongside the characters and with the drama and intrigue, this book is a wonderful way to lose a day reading!' Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

This novel first appealed to me, on discovering that like myself, libraries hold a special place in the author's heart. With the setting partly in a library how could I resist.

Sabrina Adams has just started a new job organising the family library on the private estate of a local businessman. She soon discovers that all is not as it seems on the surface in this house. The tension builds and none of the characters are to be believed, the story twists and turns with so many revelations as the web of lies unfolds.

An unpredictable read filled with secrets and deception. Recommended to fans of psychological thrillers and those that like to try and unravel a mystery. Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Angela Henry for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Every family has secrets. The Dorseys bury theirs.

Sabrina Adams thought her luck had finally turned around when she was hired as a librarian for the wealthy Dorsey family. But as soon as she arrives at their elegant estate, she senses something is off. They have cameras everywhere. She’s banned from the third floor, and she spotted someone watching the house from the nearby woods. And why does the housekeeper, Mrs Manning, insist on so many rules?

Then police officers arrive at the door with questions about the disappearance of a local woman. Sabrina is shocked to learn her charming employer, Theo Dorsey, was the last person to see the missing woman alive. He insists he’s innocent. Despite her growing doubts, Sabrina keeps her head down because she desperately needs this job. But then Theo is linked to another woman’s death several years before. And after finding out no one has seen the Dorsey’s previous librarian in years, she has to ask herself... Who can I trust in this family? And will I be next?

A gripping and utterly compulsive psychological thriller that will delight fans of Verity, The Housemaid and anything by Lisa Jewell.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                              Courtesy of Author Website Profile

Angela Henry is the Amazon charts bestselling, award-winning author of six mysteries featuring nosy amateur sleuth Kendra Clayton, the Xavier Knight urban fantasy detective series, and thrillers The Paris Secret, The Perfect Affair, and Her Pretty Lies. She’s also the author of the middle-grade fantasy novel Labyrinth Societywritten under the pen-name Angie Kelly. 

Angela has been published by BET Books, Harlequin’s Carina Press, Kensington Publishing, and Kindle Press, before starting her own publishing imprint Boulevard West Press LLC. As well as managing her own imprint, she also writes for Storm Publishing.

When she’s not writing she loves to travel, is a connoisseur of B horror movies, and is a functioning anime addict. She lives in Ohio with her husband and their spoiled Chiweenie and is currently procrastinating on her next deadline.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Author Official Website.    Amazon Profile.    Goodreads Profile.   Facebook Profile

Twitter Profile

The Last Letter From Sicily by Lindsay Marie Morris

 

                                               

Ebook:  371 pages Kindle Edition

Genre: Historical Fiction, Italy. 

Publisher: Storm Publishing January 16th 2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: Concetta Balistreri awoke to the crackling sound of the radio down the hall. She stretched her legs and sat up.

Review Quote: 'I adored this book... Historical fiction is one of my favourite. And this adds to why.' Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

Historical fiction and Italy are for me a winning combination. I was therefore delighted to have the opportunity via NetGalley to read 'The Last Letter From Sicily.' The author was inspired to write this story by her Sicilian grandparents whose names and her memories she uses, it is however entirely a work of fiction.

The protagonists Concetta and Gaetano, young lovers in Sicily just before the outbreak of WWII were separated when Concetta and her family moved to the USA. Concetta promises her love, that she will return to him one day. Until the war intervenes and communication becomes impossible the are able to keep in touch via letter. When they are no longer in touch it puts her under even more pressure to accept a way of life she is far from happy with. She does not give up on her dreams but does she overcome everything blocking them?

Set in Sicily and America during WWII this story provides an interesting insight into the struggles of those living through the experience. The writing style did feel very simplistic though with no depth and I do feel that the story did not reach its full potential. However this is a debut novel and I think the author has a lot more to offer so I will follow her writing development with interest. Thanks go to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review 'The Last Letter From Sicily'.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

‘My dearest Gaetano, if this letter reaches you, know that my heart remains under the Sicilian stars where we made our promise...’

Sicily, 1939. Seventeen-year-old Concetta has just received life-changing her family is leaving their sun-drenched Sicilian village and moving to America. Desperate to stay with her secret love Gaetano—a fisherman’s son her father would never accept—Concetta spends one last night with him beneath a blanket of stars. There, among the citrus-scented air and cricket song, he hands her a leaving a fountain pen, with a promise to keep their love alive through letters – and return to each other one day.

In America, Concetta refuses to let go of her dream of returning to Sicily, even as she struggles to navigate a strange new world of factory work and prejudice. Her letters to Gaetano become her lifeline, each one carrying fragments of her heart across the ocean. But when Italy declares war on the United States, Gaetano’s letters suddenly stop. As Concetta faces pressure to let go of her past and accept her new American life, she yearns to discover Gaetano’s fate—even if it means crossing a war-torn ocean to find him.

From the terraced hills of Sicily to the brewing tensions of wartime America, this richly-woven tale of forbidden love and impossible choices will break your heart and put it back together again. Perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer, Rhys Bowen, and Angela Petch, The Last Letter from Sicily asks just how far you would go to keep a promise made beneath the stars.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                              Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Lindsay Marie Morris is a novelist and journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Marquette University. A former Shape magazine editor with a passion for storytelling, Lindsay continues to write for various publications, including Forks Over Knives, for which she is a frequent contributor. Her work spans multiple topics, with a particular focus on travel, health, wellness, and plant-based lifestyle. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys camping, exploring the great outdoors, cooking, and baking.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile.     Author-Official Website.   Goodreads Author Profile.    Twitter Profile

Instagram Profile

The Innocent Wife by Sally Royer-Derr

                                        

Ebook:  279 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Domestic Thriller,

Publisher: Storm Publishing January 13th 2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: I stand by the curtains in the bedroom watching the light fabric dance in the breeze flowing through the half-open window. The late September air is cool and crisp.

Review Quote: “I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in and didn’t let go till the end. The characters were intriguing and the plot twists were very surprising. Highly recommend this book.” Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

I was attracted to this novel as the cover claims it is a gripping and unputdownable domestic thriller. Sadly it was a disappointment and did not reach my expectations. Maybe it was just a case of picking this up to read at the wrong time as I appear to be in the minority in my opinion.

A multi-layered storyline of which the main protagonists are Natalie, who has just started a new job in a school and a new friend, the wife of a work colleague, Olivia. They have a strange connection as a past trauma of Natalie’s surfaces again after twenty years as she discovers that Olivia is now suffering in the same way!

Lacking in intrigue I was not drawn in by the characters or the sometimes unbelievable events, as there were for me just too many coincidences. With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

In this house, love and betrayal sleep side by side…

Olivia Hanson’s husband, Lucas, is her rock; charming and successful, he offers her safety, security and the life she always dreamed of. In return, Olivia is a picture-perfect housewife, smiling and supportive. Until she meets Lucas’s new colleague, Natalie, and sees the flash of hatred in her eyes.

Olivia only wants to clear up the misunderstanding. But when she befriends Natalie, secrets come tumbling out that expose the ugly side of Olivia’s beautiful marriage and she realizes there is another young woman caught up in Lucas’s lies. Olivia learned long ago that her husband is no saint, but he’s about to discover that neither is she…

A chilling, emotionally charged domestic thriller with a jaw-dropping twist. The Innocent Wife is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                              Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Sally Royer-Derr is an award-winning author of several novels including, High Bluffs Trilogy, The Tracks, and Ohana. She has degrees in psychology and education. Writing has been a passion of Sally’s since childhood. Throughout her life, she has worked in education and banking, but writing has always proved to be her true love. Sally lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile.    Twitter Profile.     Goodreads Profile.    Author - Official Website

The StoryTeller's Daughter by Victoria Scott

                                                      

Ebook:  384 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  HistoricalFiction,  Family Saga, 

Publisher:  Boldwood Books January 15th 2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: 'I knew it was you,' she says, wanting to make it clear, right now, that she knows he's been lying to her about who he is.

Review Quote: Wonderful. My first by this author but not the last. Reader Review.

My Opinion: 

A new to me author I was first attracted to this title as when reading the blurb I discovered it was set in rural Surrey. Imagine how delighted I was then to discover later that not only was it set in the Dorking area, my birthplace, but that the country estate Melham Manor is based on a place I know well!

The protagonist Nita Bineham is based on a real person who is a distant relative to Victoria Scott. She has carefully blended this lady into an entirely fictional but credible account of her WWII secrets that were buried for decades. Until in 2008 her great niece Beth is drawn into a family mystery.

An engaging dual timeline story of secrets and loss which is recommended to fans of historical family drama and intrigue. With thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review 'The StoryTeller's Daughter.'

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A secret buried for decades… A story that will change everything.

1940: When twenty-one-year-old Nita Bineham is offered the chance of independence, away from the high walls of her family’s Surrey estate, she grasps it with both hands. But her new role at a local newspaper coincides with the emergence of a sinister rumour in their quiet village: that there is a traitor in their midst. Nita is determined to prove herself by uncovering the truth, but is she prepared for revelations that could change her life forever?

2008: Following the death of her great aunt, Beth flees London for the privacy of rural Surrey. Within the confines of her family’s dilapidated manor house, she hides from the dual wreckage of her career and her marriage. But when her aunt’s dying words lead her to a stack of old newspaper articles, Beth finds herself drawn into a decades old mystery: about a long-buried secret, and an enemy dangerously close to home.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                 

                                              Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Victoria writes thought-provoking, life-affirming fiction that keeps you turning the pages.

Victoria started her career as a broadcast journalist at the BBC, before moving into the freelance world, working for outlets like the Telegraph and Al Jazeera. When she’s not writing novels, she lectures in Journalism at Kingston University and is an enthusiastic (but amateur) singer and gardener.

Victoria lives on a Thames island with her husband and two children and a cat called Alice.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Victoria Scott - Amazon Profile     Goodreads - Author Profile.     Author's Website

Facebook Profile.   Twitter Profile.   Instagram - Victoria Scott

Someone Else's Shoes by Jo Jo Moyes

                                                                          

                                             

Audiobook:  12 hours listening

Narrated By:  Daisy Ridley

Genre: Audio Book,Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Fiction 

Publisher:  February 2023 - Penguin Audio

Source:  Audible 

First Sentences: Sam stares up at the slowly lightening ceiling and practises her breathing, like the doctor advised her, as she tries to stop her 5.am thoughts congealing into one enormous dark cloud above her head.

Review Quote: 'Hard-hitting and laugh-aloud . . . Two women's lives intertwine and change profoundly in this story full of richly imagined characters' THE TIMES

 My Opinion: 

Jo Jo Moyes is an author whose writing I have been reading since 2002, but this is a first for me as I listened on Audible.

The story of Nisha and Sam and the mess they find themselves in when Nisha's husband starts divorce proceedings against her, plus quite by chance she and Sam get caught up in each others problems thanks to a mix up at the gym, is a warm hearted one. Though sometimes tending on the farcical!

An entertaining listen that I can recommend to anyone looking to be taken away from reality for awhile. either as a listen or of course a read. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from international sensation Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and The Giver of Stars

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else's shoes?

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope—she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp—in the bleakest point of her life—has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag—she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.

Full of Jojo Moyes’ signature humour, brilliant storytelling, and warmth, Someone Else’s Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                  

                                              Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Pauline Sara Jo Moyes (born 4 August 1969), known professionally as Jojo Moyes, is an English journalist and, since 2002, an award-winning romance novelist

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. 

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile    Jo Jo Moyes - Books.   Wikipedia Profile