Book After Book

Publication: 11th July 2020 – Orion

“You have one hour to live.”

Those are the only words on the phone call. Then they hang up. Surely, a prank? A mistake? A wrong number? Anything but the chilling truth… That someone is watching, waiting, working to take your life in one hour.

But why?

The job of finding out falls to DI Helen Grace: a woman with a track record in hunting killers. However, this is A case where the killer seems to always be one step ahead of the police and the victims.

With no motive, no leads, no clues – nothing but pure fear – an hour can last a lifetime…

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2Yy5Cpq

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Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for All Fall Down, the new novel by M. J. Arlidge and the ninth novel featuring DI Helen Grace.

Imagine you are about to leave the office and head for home, imagine you receive an anonymous call from someone saying “You have one hour to live”. Would you take it seriously or would you freak out? With the movie The Ring in mind, I would freak out and hide very far away, but when successful entrepreneur Justin Lanning receives the call, he gets into a car and goes home thinking that he will be safe there. Obviously that’s not the case and when other people start getting the same call, DI Helen Grace and her team know they have to find the killer before more people are murdered.

All Fall Down is a twisty, dark, and unpredictable novel. You think you have figure out the truth just to find out that, actually, you have not. The short chapters and the fast pace of the story make you turn page after page unable to put it down. I loved the “book within the book” structure as the author inserts extracts from a book that it’s central to the story. The tension is always high and the claustrophobic and chilling atmosphere gave me goose-bumps.

DI Helen Grace is a fantastic and complex character. She has never a moment of calm both in her personal and professional life, luckily she is surrounded by a fantastic team who support her, especially Charlie, who is struggling juggling motherhood and her job. I am not really fond of the new member of the team, DS Joseph Hudson, (I am not elaborating further about it to not spoil it) but I am looking forward to see how his story develops.

All Fall Down is an exciting and thrilling read that will make you hold your breath and it will keep you hooked from the first to the last page… a read not to miss!

A huge thank you to Tracy and Orion for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of the novel.

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https://amzn.to/2XTrAnI

https://amzn.to/2XTrAnI

Publication: 18th June 2020 – HarperVoyager

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris’s criminal underground in the wake of a failed French Revolution.

Liberty

1828 and the citizens of Paris still mourn in the wake of their failed revolution. Among them, in the dark alleys and crumbling cathedrals of the city, the most wretched have gathered into guilds of thieves, assassins – and worse. Together they are known as The Court of Miracles.

Family

Eponine has lost more than most. When her father, Thénardier, sells her sister to the Guild of Flesh she makes a promise to do anything she can to get her sister back, even if that means joining the Court of Miracles, the very people keeping her sister a slave.

Treachery

Eponine becomes perhaps the greatest thief the Court has ever known, finding a place among them and gaining another sister, Cosette. But she has never forgotten the promise she made, and if she’s to have any hope of saving one sister, she will have to betray the other.

This beautiful reimagining of Les Misérables tells the stories of your favourite characters and what might have happened if the French Revolution had not come to pass.

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2WdbEw0

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WELCOME TO THE COURT OF MIRACLES, where criminals are divided into guilds and there are rules to follow and loyalties to observe.

“Wretched is the name given to all children of the Miracle Court. What binds us is our guild. It is a bond stronger than family, thicker than blood.”

I was first drawn to this book by the blurb: “Les Misérables meets Six of Crows“. I instantly knew that I had to read it because Six of Crows is one of my favourite books. And then I saw the cover. Have you seen it? So beautiful, shiny, and sparkly… I could stare at it for hours. Finally, I was lucky and my Netgalley request was approved. I got the chance to read it earlier and I was hooked right away. I was catapulted in 1820s Paris, a Paris divided in half following the failure of the French Revolution, a Paris half belonging to aristocrats and half belonging to criminals.

“There are no family names in the Miracle Court, no race or religion.”

Thieves, assassins, crooks, and beggars are all reunited in the Court of Miracles and among them is the Black Cat. Nina would do anything to protect the people she loves, even join the Court of Miracles and becoming a thief, a favourite of the Court, the Black Cat of the Thieves Guild. She breaks into houses, she steals, she forms alliances with other criminals and princes to get what she wants… and she does.

I loved the characters in the story. They are strong, engaging, and very well-crafted and I am already looking forward to see what happens next to them. The story reminded me of Six of Crows, but it is still unique, completely captivating, and with a fantastic world-building. I loved how the Court of Miracles is structured, with its various guilds, its rules, and its alliances. Thanks to the beautiful descriptions and the author’s exceptional writing style I could imagine each scene in my head and it was really really hard to put the book down. The Court of Miracles is the first terrific novel in a fantastic new series and I can’t wait to read more. And you, are you ready to join the court?

A huge thank you to HarperVoyager and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

Publication: 9th July 2020 – Simon and Schuster UK

Faced with losing everything, all that matters is Here and Now . . .

Marigold has spent her life taking care of those around her, juggling family life with the running of the local shop, and being an all-round leader in her quiet yet welcoming community. When she finds herself forgetting things, everyone quickly puts it down to her age. But something about Marigold isn’t quite right, and it’s becoming harder for people to ignore.

As Marigold’s condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn’t matter, when there are people who will remember them for you . . .

Evocative, emotional and full of life, Here and Now is the most moving book you’ll read this year – from Sunday Times bestselling author Santa Montefiore.

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/3hlsz83

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The new novel by Santa Montefiore is so beautiful and heart-breaking. It had me in tears quite a few times while I was reading and it captured my heart so that I am still thinking about it days later.

Everyone relies on Marigold. Her husband, her daughters, her elderly mother, the entire village. When she starts forgetting things everyone attributes it to her age and her busy life managing the local post office and grocery store and her mother and her elder daughter moving in to live with her. However, the more times passes, the more things Marigold forgets and not even writing down things in her little notebook helps her. When she starts forgetting the names of people she has known entire life, her family and friends realizes how serious the situation is and they come together to help Marigold to face this difficult time.

What I loved most about this story is the characters. They are all likable, relatable, strong, and independent. I loved Eileen with her endless gossip about everyone in the village, Nan with her own old-fashioned opinions about everything, and Daisy with her complicated love life. Santa Montefiore created a cast of incredible characters.

The story is engaging and difficult to put down. It is told from different points of views. Through Marigold’s perspective we see her fear as she becomes aware of the disease that it’s slowly consuming her and her struggle to try and keep it a secret from her family.

“Nothing came. Nothing. A cold fear edged over her skin. She couldn’t recall the car park. She couldn’t even picture it. It was as if it had vanished – or as if it had never been there.”

Reading Marigold’s perspective was the most emotional part of the story and I had to take a break a few times and take a breath. The story is told also from her family and friends’ perspective as they watch helplessly as Marigold keeps forgetting things and that part wasn’t easy to read either.

Marigold’s father used to say “What’s wrong with now?“, so, as Marigold’s disease progresses, all the characters decide that it’s time to live in the moment, follow their dreams and their hearts leading to a fantastic and moving ending.

Here And Now is an engaging, inspiring, and memorable story about illness, family, friendship (I adored the sense of close community that the author evokes), and there is also love and I found myself completely engrossed in the love story of a young couple (I am not going to spoil it!). Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to SJ, Books And The City, and Simon and Schuster UK for sending me an early copy of this immersive novel.

 

 

Publication: 11th June 2020 – HQ

It was meant to be the party of the summer…

In Cedar Road, everyone is preparing for Lexi’s ‘White Hot’ summer party. For one night, parking squabbles and petitions are put aside as neighbours sip Prosecco under the fairy lights and gather by the hot tub to marvel at Lexi’s effortlessly glamorous life with Hot Hamish.

For Julia, it’s a chance to coax husband Charlie out of his potting shed and into a shirt so they can have a welcome break from the hellish house renovation they’ve been wrestling with. And it’s a chance for Julia to pretend – just for a night – that her life is as perfect as Lexi’s.

But when, during the party, one of Julia’s WhatsApp messages falls into the wrong hands and reveals her most intimate thoughts, things reach boiling point…
    
And when all the neighbours know exactly what you’re thinking, there’s only one thing to do.

Run away.

It’s going to be a summer Julia will never forget…

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The new novel by Jenny Oliver is the perfect escapism to enjoy this summer and I loved it from the first to the last page.

The neighbourhood of Cedar Road is like high school. There is the popular girl with the perfect house, the perfect husband, and the perfect Instagram page, who, together with her friends, rules on the road. There is the new girl, Julia, who wants to fit in and would do anything to be part of the group of popular girls. There is the party of the year which (almost) everyone is excited about and which becomes the scene of Julia’s humiliation when her Whatsapp messages and her secret are leaked to the entire neighbourhood. Ashamed and hurt, Julia runs away and finds herself on a fantastic and full of twists adventure in France with her neighbour Amber.

This is my second novel by Jenny Oliver and I really love her writing style and her stories. The Summer We Ran Away is an entertaining novel that kept me completely captivated and it’s so well-written and with such beautiful descriptions that it was like being on the trip with the two protagonists. I liked the characters of the novel (at least the good ones), they are flawed, relatable, and very likable, especially the two protagonists, Julia and Amber, who are quite opposite: the first is anxious and worries about things, while the other is more reckless and carefree, but they form a fantastic duo.

If you are looking for an enjoyable, fun, and compelling read than I suggest you pick up The Summer We Ran Away, which is out today and you won’t be able to put down.

A huge thank you to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

Publication: 9th June 2020 – Inkyard Press

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.

Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/3dfpSCq

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The very first thing I did after finishing reading Rage and Ruin was going on Amazon and see when the third book is coming out (sadly, the date and title are still unknown) because what an ending!!! And what a story!!! It completely captured me for two entire days (plus the day I spent reading the first book) and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Trinity is not a normal eighteen years old girl. She is a Trueborn (half human, half angel). Her father is a powerful angel who rarely makes an appearance in her life. Her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way. She has strong feelings for her Protector, Zayne, but they can’t be together. And she has to find and stop the Harbinger, the dark and dangerous entity who is killing Wardens and demons around Washington DC.

I really like the character of Trinity. She is badass, funny, strong, and smart. Her witty exchanges with Zayne made me laugh out loud and, in this second novel, she really grows up and develops well.

Rage and Ruin and the first book Storm and Fury are my first novels by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I really like her clear and flawless writing style, the witty and engaging characters, and the fun, gripping, and suspenseful plot, so I am definitely going to read her other novels. If you are looking for magical creatures, fantastic characters, forbidden love, and cruel villains then this is the perfect read for you. If you are looking for mystery, romance, and laughter, then this is the perfect read for you.

Rage and Ruin is out today and I’d like to thank the publisher Inkyard Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

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Jennifer L. Armentrout is the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of young adult contemporary and paranormals, YA thrillers, new adult and contemporary romance who has also written as J. Lynn. Jennifer has received numerous awards for her work, including being nominated for Goodreads Best Author. The first book in her bestselling YA paranormal Lux series, Obsidian, has been optioned for film by Sierra Pictures. Television rights to her YA paranormal Covenant series have been optioned to Herrick Entertainment. She currently lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia, with her husband and Jack Russell, Loki.

Publication: 25th May 2020 (ebook); 25th June 2020 (paperback) – Transworld

1957: Iris Bailey is bored to death of working in the typing pool and living with her parents in Hemel Hempstead. A gifted portraitist with a talent for sketching party guests, she dreams of becoming an artist. So she can’t believe her luck when socialite Nell Hardman invites her to Havana to draw at the wedding of her Hollywood director father.

Far from home, she quickly realizes the cocktails, tropical scents and azure skies mask a darker reality. As Cuba teeters on the edge of revolution and Iris’s heart melts for troubled photographer Joe, she discovers someone in the charismatic Hardman family is hiding a terrible secret. Can she uncover the ugly truth behind the glamour and the dazzle before all their lives are torn apart?

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2zMjlkc

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Generally, I am not a huge fan of historical novels, but I can’t never resist Rachel Rhys’s novels (pen-name of suspense author Tammy Cohen) and her new book, Island of Secrets, was the perfect pick for me to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon reading. Thanks to the author beautiful writing, I was instantly drawn to this wonderful and riveting story of glamour and secrets set in late 1950s Havana.

The protagonist of Island of Secrets is Iris Bailey, a young talented artist who looks and wishes for adventure and thrill in her life. Instead, she had to give up on art college classes and find a job as a typist in an office full of men who spend their time grading the women working there. Back at home, her parents want her to find a good man, settle down, and spend the rest of her life being a dutiful wife and a mother while her boyfriend enjoys belittling her and controlling her. So, when the daughter of a Hollywood mogul invites her to Cuba to take portraits of the guests invited to his third wedding, Iris jumps to the chance to change her life. However, when Iris arrives to Havana, the appealing lifestyle of the rich and famous is shadowed by complex family relations, secrets, and the mysterious death of the groom’s previous wife.

I really did enjoy Island of Secrets. The plot is captivating, suspenseful, and engaging, full of intrigue and glitz. Everything takes place in the hot, exotic, and beautiful setting of a Cuba about to change politically. Rachel Rhys wrote a fabulous story of corruption, gangsters, and spies, money, mystery, and romance that makes for a fantastic summer read.

A huge thank you to Transworld and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

 

 

 

Publication: 28th May 2020 – Orion

SHE’S GOT NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE.

A year ago, in desperation, Felicity Lloyd signed up for a lengthy research trip to the remote island of South Georgia.

It was her only way to escape.

AND NOW HE’S COMING FOR HER.

Freddie Lloyd has served time for murder. Out at last, he’s on her trail.

And this time, he won’t stop until he finds her.

BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU RUN, SOME SECRETS WILL ALWAYS CATCH UP WITH YOU…

Tense, gripping and with a twist you won’t see coming, Sharon Bolton is back in an explosive new thriller about a woman on the run…

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2Wbvbwt

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Sharon Bolton is back with a brand new novel and I am so excited to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of The Split.

The dangerous and cold landscape of South Georgia makes a fantastic setting for this suspenseful new novel by Sharon Bolton. Where is South Georgia? Geography is not my strong suit so that’s the first thing I thought when I first read the blurb of the novel. South Georgia is an island in the South Atlantic, between the Antarctic and the Falkland Islands. As one of the characters explains in the story, it is one of the most remote places on Earth so it’s the perfect place for a woman to hide, or at least try to hide. However, what’s more dangerous? The man who is chasing you or the unpredictable island where nature follows its own rules?

The story starts with researcher Felicity Lloyd dreading the arrival of a boat in South Georgia, a boat that may be carrying her ex-husband Freddie while Bamber, a woman carrying a knife, is ready to do anything to protect Felicity. We then go back in time, nine months earlier, when Felicity was still living in Cambridge, but she was getting ready for her brand new job in South Georgia. Felicity is seeing a therapist, Joe, to help cure the episodes of amnesia she is having. While Joe is worried about Felicity and facing his own demons, his mother Delilah, a police detective, is trying to figure out who is killing homeless people on the streets.

I love Sharon Bolton’s novels. Her stories are so twisty and dark and The Split is twistier and darker than ever. There are so many questions I asked myself while I was reading. Why can’t Felicity remember hours of her life? What did Freddie do to her? What happened to her when she was little? What is she hiding? And who is killing the homeless people? And when everything was explained… WOW, I was completely shocked and taken by surprise and I LOVED it. The plot is gripping with some disturbing storylines and with chasings amidst glaciers that gave me the chills and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Split is an addictive and suspenseful story that once you start reading you won’t be able to put down until you get to the end, so go and grab a copy, you won’t regret it.

A huge thank you to Alex and Orion for providing me with a copy of the novel and inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

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\Publication: 28th May 2020 – Orion

Escape to Everdene Sands, where the sun is shining – but is the tide about to turn?

Robyn and Jake are planning their dream wedding at the family beach hut in Devon. A picnic by the turquoise waves, endless sparkling rosé and dancing barefoot on the golden sand . . .

But Robyn is more unsettled than excited. She can’t stop thinking about the box she was given on her eighteenth birthday, and the secrets it contains. Will opening it reveal the truth about her history – and break the hearts of the people she loves most?

As the big day arrives, can everyone let go of the past and step into a bright new future?

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2ywsUmO

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I am happy to welcome you on my stop on the blog tour for the brand new novel by Veronica Henry, A Wedding at the Beach Hut.

Weddings are happy events and everyone is delighted when Robyn and Jake announce their imminent wedding, just one month away. It will be a small ceremony and it will take place in the family beach hut. And while the preparations are going on, everyone has their own secrets to face. Robyn is busy with the wedding, her job, and finishing the works on her and Jake’s new home, but something else is occupying her mind. She knows that opening the box that was given to her when she turned eighteen years old will not only reveal the truth about her past, but also cause a lot of pain to the people she loves. What will she do? In the meantime, her parents, Sheila and Mick, want to protect Robyn, even if that means keeping a secret from her. Jake’s father, Rocky, is entering the dating world after fifteen years of being single. And lovely Gwen is happy to help Robyn organize her dream wedding, but she gets distracted by her handsome new neighbour.

I am ashamed to admit that this my first novel by Veronica Henry and, as soon as I started reading, I saw that I have been missing out a lot. I loved her writing style from the beginning. The different perspectives and the beautiful descriptions kept me completely captivated and she created a cast of fantastic and likable characters that felt authentic and relatable. I loved the story. It is heartwarming and moving (yes, I may have shed a few tears, especially at the ending) and full of unexpected surprises. Robyn’s struggle between discovering the truth about her past and protecting the people she loves was very-well written and, while I didn’t agree with some of her choices, I felt so involved in the story and I was really happy how it ended.

A Wedding at the Beach Hut is an enjoyable and refreshing story to enjoy and relax with on these warm and sunny days and I’d like to thank Anne Cater for inviting me to join the blog tour and introducing me to the beautiful world of Veronica Henry. I can’t wait to read more from this author, both old and new stories!

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Veronica Henry is the Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty novels. She was a scriptwriter for some of our best-loved dramas such as The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City before she turned to fiction. She lives in North Devon with three sons who come and go with the tide, and she flips between walking on the beach, swimming in the sea and mixing killer Negronis.

Find out more at www.veronicahenry.co.uk.

 

Publication: 26th May 2020 – Orion

HOW DO YOU FIND A KILLER WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU?

Jack McEvoy is a reporter with a track record in finding killers. But he’s never been accused of being one himself.

Jack went on one date with Tina Portrero. The next thing he knows, the police are at his house telling Jack he’s a suspect in her murder.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Or maybe it’s because the method of her murder is so chilling that he can’t get it out of his head.

But as he uses his journalistic skills to open doors closed to the police, Jack walks a thin line between suspect and detective – between investigation and obsession – on the trail of a killer who knows his victims better than they know themselves…

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/3ccCN7Phttps://amzn.to/3ccCN7P

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The Jack McEvoy novels introduced me to the world of Michael Connelly. A few years ago, I was at a bookstore and I picked up a copy of The Poet, the first novel featuring Jack McEvoy, a reporter investigating the death of his brother. After I finished reading The Poet, I quickly picked up the sequel, The Scarecrow, in which Jack chases a dangerous killer. Then I read a few of Harry Bosch novels, but I always had a soft spot for Jack McEvoy so I got really excited when I heard that a third novel was on the way.

In Fair Warning, Jack is no longer a crime reporter, but he works on consumer protection stories, which is not as much exciting as chasing killers so Michel Connelly brings a murder investigation right at Jack’s door. One evening, Jack arrives home to find two LAPD detectives waiting for him. A woman Jack had met a year earlier has been murdered and his name came up during the investigation. Of course, Jack finds himself deep in the investigation chasing a serial killer that he is more dangerous than he can imagine.

Michael Connelly is one of the best at writing a crime story, with intricate plots and full of twists. In Fair Warning, he addresses themes of DNA testing, genetics, and the lack of government control over them that makes for an interesting, but also scary read. I really like the character of Jack McEvoy (although sometimes I don’t agree with his choices) and I was really happy to see the return of a former character.

Fair Warning is a terrific, suspenseful and unputdownable crime story that can be easily read as a standalone, although I highly recommend reading The Poet and The Scarecrow, not only because they are gripping reads, but to better understand the protagonist of the series. Fair Warning is out today so go and buy a copy. In the meantime, I am hoping for a fourth Jack McEvoy novel in the future…

A huge thank you to Orion and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Publication: 28th May 2020 – HQ

If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…

Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving.
Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/2xIZhOL

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I do LOVE a good suspenseful psychological thriller that captures you from the beginning and makes you wonder and question what you are reading. A story that makes you wish the story never finishes and yet you want to see how it ends. And His & Hers did just that for me. I really enjoyed Alice Feeney’s previous novels, but this new one, so far, is my absolute favourite.

Set in a small town in Surrey with a claustrophobic atmosphere that gave me goosebumps, the story is told from two different points of views: one is Jack, a detective trying to solve the murder of a woman while, at the same time, trying to hide the fact that he had spent the previous evening with the victim and Anna, the journalist determined to prove that she is really good at her job so she conducts her own investigation of the murder, but she has her own secrets to hide. Who can you trust? What are they hiding? And are they involved in the crime?

For one who reads many, way too many, thrillers I am surprised when a story manages to still keep me guessing and surprises me over and over again. This book has everything I love in psychological thrillers:

• unreliable characters full of secrets: ✅
• high tension that keeps me on the edge of my seat: ✅
• twists that I never see coming: ✅
• a surprising and shocking ending that makes me love the story even more: ✅

Would I recommend this novel? Of course, 100%. It is suspenseful, unpredictable and gripping. The only problem that I had with His & Hers is that I was so immersed in the story that I found myself reading through the night which wasn’t a very good idea. This is such a chilling read that every time I heard a noise from outside I would jump out of my skin, but I couldn’t stop reading!

A huge thank you to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.