Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver

 

                                           

Ebook:  394 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama,                                            

Publisher:   September 27th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentences: Anna watched the other women step out of their high-end SUV's, all smiles and carefree greetings, and tried to decide who she'd want to trade lives with. Any of them would do.

Review Quote: Wow, this was an emotional rollercoaster of a read!’ Reader Review, 

My Opinion: 

A new to me author Caitlin Weaver has written a powerful novel of domestic suspense. This seems to be popular genre recently or maybe it is a coincidence that I have read a few books along similar lines recently.

Anna, Maggie and Rhea are all on the fund raising committee of Civitas, a top ranking private school. It seems at first that apart from as committee members that these women have nothing in common. Actually it turns out they do, as they are all hiding secrets within their marriages. As they get to know each other their friendship grows as shared vulnerabilities emerge.

An engaging story about marriage, relationships and how we never really know what goes on behind closed doors. Recommend to fans of the genre.

With thanks to Storm Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review ‘Things We Never Say’

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Three mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.

Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives.

As a relationship therapist, Maggie is struggling with the painful, embarrassing reality of her floundering marriage. Rhea, despite her wealthy appearance, admits her troubled past could resurface and shatter her perfect world. But it's Anna who harbors the darkest secret, hiding the reality of her home life to protect the reputation of her husband – the school headmaster.

When the three women stumble upon a scandal the school has gone to great lengths to bury, Anna is caught in an impossible dilemma. With the centennial gala approaching, she must decide how far she's willing to go to expose the truth. Because doing so could wreck all of their perfect lives in one instant…

In this gripping tale of scandal, deception, and female solidarity, three women discover the steep price of perfection and the unshakable strength of friendship. A riveting, emotional story that will captivate fans of Big Little Lies, Lucinda Berry and Jodi Picoult.

Author Profile:                       

                                              

Caitlin Weaver's novels are about family secrets, the trial of modern motherhood, and the things that happen behind closed doors. She is also an essayist and editor covering topics including health, style, parenting, and business for outlets like Well+Good, Business Insider, Huff Post, Scary Mommy, and more.

Caitlin lives between Atlanta and Toronto with her husband and two young children. When she’s not writing you can find her on the tennis court, struggling with the NYT crossword puzzle, or reading “just one more” story to her kids.

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the following links.

Amazon Profile.   Goodreads Profile  Facebook Profile.   Twitter Profile.   Instagram Profile

Storm Publishing Profile.  Official Author Website.

The Second Marriage by Rebecca de Winter

                                                        

Ebook:  310 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama,                                            

Publisher:   September 26th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: It wasn't like I didn't know who Emily Brigham was.

Review Quote: “An emotional rollercoaster… the tension ratchets and twists come thick and fast.” Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

Rebecca de Winter has written a contemporary novel about how women, even in this modern age are often judged on their looks, before their abilities as a person.  

Young women can it seems be so easily be lured into a false sense of security in relationships. This is exactly what happened with the protagonist Emily in this story. As a young woman she had an unhealthy obsessive and abusive relationship with a married man, Liam, whom she was very much in love with. In due course she is abandoned by him and ends up marrying and having a child with another man, Pete. She appears to be happy until Liam suddenly reappears in her life and everything starts to unravel.

It is suggested that this is a thriller, but I feel it fits better into the domestic drama genre. I neither loved or hated it and therefore can only suggest that it is an ok read if this sort of storyline appeals to you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm publishing for the opportunity to read and review 'The Second Marriage'

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

New husband. Old secrets.

I know it’s a cliche, but your wedding day really does go past in a blur, even if you’ve done it before. When I look back, I only remember snippets: walking down the aisle of the ballroom, my silk skirts blowing in the sea breeze… 

I thought my second marriage would be different. He was everything my first husband wasn't – magnetic, successful… But I started noticing things. Small things at first, then bigger ones.

Why was there an old phone hidden in his desk? And those torn-up letters he tried to hide? At first, I thought he must be cheating, but it wasn’t that. It was a hundred times worse. 

They say there's nothing like becoming someone's wife. But guess what's even more unforgettable? Becoming his widow on the same day. Did he think he was the only one with skeletons in his closet? It turns out, some secrets aren’t meant to be told...

Author Profile:                       

                                              

Rebecca de Winter has two kids, works in corporate, and lives in suburbia. Her favourite movie is Thelma & Louise. She has ADHD, is deaf, synaesthetic and left-handed. She sometimes rock climbs. She loves weights and hates running. Her first word was book and as a child she wanted to be both an author and Madonna's back-up dancer. Her short stories and flash fiction have been published online. She's also been a finalist in several national novel writing competitions. She's obsessed with dark, messy, complex, female protagonists - real women. They could be your colleague, your BFF, your wife, or mother, or girlfriend. They can be anything except cookie cutter... unless they are also a serial killer. She loves to write stories about the secrets people keep, the masks they wear - and what happens when their true selves are revealed. She also loves to show you why people do the terrible things they do. Or sometimes, leave you guessing. Books she's loved are Girl A, Notes on an Execution, The Marsh King's Daughter, Strange Sally Diamond, The Push, The Family Upstairs, The It Girl and of course, Gone Girl.

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the following links.

Amazon Profile  Facebook - Rebecca de Winter - Writer.  Instagram Profile

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young

                                           

Ebook:  312 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction                                           

Publisher:   September 25th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: Beth and Megan sat on the headland above Aberffraw, on the island of Anglesey, in North Wales, where they always watched the sun go down in the summer.

Review Quote: ‘A captivating read… beautifully written… you could imagine being there… a real lesson on the ability to forgive.’ Reader review,

My Opinion: 

This title is the third in a trilogy, which I was drawn to read because of the Anglesey setting. Having not read the previous two first I was concerned it might not stand alone. However I need not have worried as it did and is a delightful read hinging around the importance of friendship and family in our lives.

Beth and Megan were best friends back in 1999 and living on Anglesey but around this time their lives took very different directions when Beth left the island. Thanks to the breakdown of their friendship it was to be over twenty years before they were to meet again. Can the mistakes of the past be forgiven and will they be able to rekindle their friendship?

With well written realistic characters and wonderful descriptions of Anglesey this heart warming story is one I recommend.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review 'Coming Home to the Windmill' 

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

From the windswept beaches of Anglesey, an unforgettable story of love, forgiveness and the rediscovery of hope.

When her father dies unexpectedly, Beth Macintosh leaves her high-powered career in London and rushes home to the island of Anglesey to be by her mother’s side. Stepping into the converted windmill she once called home, Beth is flooded with memories of her childhood spent on the island, before she left at eighteen to pursue her big-city dreams.

Crossing paths with Megan Williams is inevitable. Beth hasn’t spoken to her former best friend for fifteen years, not since the betrayal that shattered their friendship and set the women on different paths. While Beth spread her wings, painful secrets kept Megan tethered to the island and a life of isolation, supported only by her brother Ioan, who yearns for the love he once felt for Beth.

Confused about the feelings her memories of the island stir, Beth searches for solace on the beaches she and Megan loved as girls. But when the two friends meet again, and Megan confesses the truth about what drove them apart all those years ago, a fragile new bond begins to grow between the women. As Beth rediscovers the stark beauty of her childhood home, Megan opens her heart to the possibility of a renewed friendship, and hope of a brighter future. Can the two former friends overcome the pain of the past and come together to find the happiness they both deserve?

An uplifting and emotional novel about second chances and the healing power of love and friendship, set on the island of Anglesey. Perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Amanda Prowse, Liz Eeles and Sheila O’Flanagan.

Author Profile:                    

Caroline Young has always written stories and found inspiration in the world around her, be it a bustling city or a windswept beach. She has worked for many years as a writer of non-fiction books for children, which allows for few adjectives or creative expression, so she keeps these things for her fiction. As the mother of three grown-up daughters, she now has the time to focus on her own writing, and tell the stories she wants to tell. Caroline has a degree in English from Cambridge University where she was exposed to wonderful writers from every age, and she aims to relate just some of their ideas and language to her life and writing. Caroline's idea of paradise is a bright day with a bracing wind and the sea, waiting for her to dive into it (even in January!). She hopes to write stories that the reader can lose themselves in, which take them somewhere different and fill them with joy in the beauty of the natural world, and all the amazing people in it.

            

Amazon Author Page.     Goodreads Profile.   Caroline Young - Storm Publishing

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the above links.

The Other Mrs Eden by Becky Alexander

 

                                           

 Ebook:    282 pages      

Genre: Domestic Drama, Contemporary Thriller, Fiction                                           

Publisher:   September 11th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: 'She's a total bitch. Good luck.' I watched the woman march down the path towards the road, banging the gate behind her.

Review Quote: ‘Fascinating… a gripping story.’ Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange

My Opinion: 

Not the thriller I was expecting, but more of a domestic drama and the title disappointed me. It just does not make a good fit. The characters are not particularly likeable either but I am sure this was the authors intention. I kept reading though despite these minor irritations and am glad I did so.

The female protagonists are Kim, the would be actress who gets a job as PA to Jemima Eden a famous actress. Life is not as it seems on the surface for Jemima and her husband George as Kim discovers as she becomes more and more entrenched in the couples life.

The suspense kept me interested and the ending is a good and for me unexpected twist. Fans of domestic drama will enjoy this quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

I never imagined I'd be living in Jemima Eden's world. As her new assistant I'm suddenly part of a life I've only ever dreamed of. After years of barely scraping by, juggling temp jobs and failed auditions, it feels like my chance to finally be someone.

Author Profile:

 Photo Courtesy of Goodreads              

Becky Alexander is a non-fiction book editor by day and writes dark, twisty thrillers by night. Being more inclined to hiding behind a screen, Becky has always been fascinated by the psychology of actors - just why do they put themselves in the spotlight and face all that competition and rejection? To find out, Becky started acting classes and has recently taken part in her first play - which was as terrifying as expected. 

Becky is a Curtis Brown novel writing course alumni (course led by Charlotte Mendelson). Her first novel, Someone Like You, is about ambitious, driven women and what they will do to get success. Any resemblance to living people is purely intentional...                                               

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.    Goodreads Author Profile