I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Jul17

Gripping – Messes With Your Mind

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is a gripping psychological thriller that will definitely have your heart racing. The whole novel consumed me and messed with my emotions.

I Let You Go was not a nice read. It is not an easy read but it is a powerful read about manipulation, fear and a total annihilation of character until only a puppet remains.

The themes of murder, abuse and control do not make for peasant reading but the reader is gripped to see the outcome.

The novel is told through various voices – some in the first and some in the third. I assumed who the voices were and sometimes was surprised that my assumptions were wrong. All very cleverly done.

Continue reading →

Cottage By The Sea by Debbie Macomber

Jul17

Healing Properties

Cottage By The Sea by Debbie Macomber is the most delightful contemporary romance. I always know that when I pick up a Debbie Macomber novel that my heart will be warmed and I will be left smiling.

The novel is about loss. A loss so great that it consumes and takes over. “The grief and regret weighed her down.” We all feel regret and guilt when someone dies. We need to forgive ourselves for the things we did or didn’t say. We need to live our lives guilt free or the burden will break us.

Recovering from a loss takes time. Life will never be the same again. The novel explores the theme of finding a place that makes us feel happy so we can surround ourselves with happy memories and begin to heal.

Continue reading →

The Party by Lisa Hall

Jul15

Terror In Suburbia

The Party by Lisa Hall is a gripping contemporary psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start.

The action all focuses on the party. The reader hears about the action in conjunction with the party – either so many weeks before or days after. The reader gets completely caught up in events, always questioning, who is the perpetrator? Lisa Hall has set up the storyline excellently, so I suspected just about everyone!

It really is terror in suburbia. An awful crime is committed – and it has to be by someone who knows the victim, making it even more terrifying.

The victim has guts. “I might be scared, but I don’t have to stay scared.” As the police scale down the investigation, the victim is determined to dig deeper. “I can live in fear… or I can properly look into this myself.”

Continue reading →

La Risposta: The Answer by Autumn Macarthur

Jul13

Full Circle

La Risposta: The Answer by Autumn Macarthur is a wonderful contemporary Christian family novel and a perfect ending to A Tuscan Legacy series. This has been a fabulous series. A collaboration of nine books by different authors, giving individual stories of the characters in an extended family. It has been an absolute delight to read.

The book is warm and welcoming. The mystery running throughout the series is solved. Clues have been peppered throughout all the books. As the family comes together for a wedding so the series has come full circle. It had a familiar feel as I caught up with old friends.

There are themes of truth and lies, faith and forgiveness, foundations and identity – and over it all is the love of God. The novel reminds us to tune into God’s voice and to be obedient. “A stirring very like the voice of God, calling him home. An insistent whisper no longer able to be denied.” We must not ignore God when he speaks.

Continue reading →