Tag Archive | Harper Collins

This Child Of Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson

Jul6

A Work Of Great Beauty

This Child Of Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson is a simply beautiful contemporary tale that will tug at your heart. Tissues will be needed.

The story is told in the first person from the point of view of the leading lady. We can ‘feel’ her pain and her fears. We understand her tears.

Receiving the best and the worst of news on the same day, is enough to tear anyone apart. We see a rift appearing as a character decides to take control of the only thing she can – her choices. Life moves from ‘our’ to ‘my’, and as it does, journeys of isolation begin.

On our hardest days, we need not travel alone, as those who love us will journey beside us, if we let them. “Grief is a path best walked in company.” We can never take away the pain but we can hold hands and walk together.

There has been much loss in the lives of both leading characters. “We were falling apart, in separate places.” In our hurt and pain, we sometimes pull away. The hurt and pain that we are pushing down, never goes away, it is just hidden. Those who know us, offer tea, sympathy and “the I get it hugs and the it gets easier smiles” – except it doesn’t get easier, we just learn to cope – or not.

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The Red House by Roz Watkins

Jun22

Wow! Just Wow!

The Red House by Roz Watkins is an absolutely gripping contemporary psychological suspense that I just could not put down. My attention was grabbed from the start.

Roz Watkins has spun a marvellous tale. Her plotline is well thought out and executed. I, wrongly, believed I had worked out the conclusion – nope! How wrong was I? I followed where Roz Watkins pen led, ending up in a dead end as Roz Watkins constructed her fabulous tale.

The conclusion was superb. My heart rate rose and my jaw dropped in an ‘oh wow!’ moment.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic, eliciting a variety of emotional responses from me. I loved the leading lady as she tenaciously searched for the truth from that traumatic night when she was just five years old.

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The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey

Jun22

Entertaining & Gripping

The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey is a simply marvellous contemporary psychological suspense that had me mesmerized from the start.

Diane Jeffrey is masterful at her craft as she draws the reader in, leading us with our emotional responses to her characters. We cling on to the narrative for dear life.

The story is told in the first and third person from two alternating points of view. As such, we become intimately acquainted with the characters.

We witness the total desolation that comes with loss. “I have nothing left to lose. I’ve already lost everything.” Desperation takes over as a character relentlessly searches for answers, employing tactics that she never realized lay within.

The weather mirrors the action as Diane Jeffrey employs the literary device of pathetic fallacy. As the storm clouds gather, they mirror a character’s inner turmoil.

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The Price by Darren O’Sullivan

Jun8

Totally Gripping

The Price by Darren O’Sullivan is a fabulous contemporary crime thriller that I just could not put down. It consumed my every moment.

Darren O’Sullivan has created an exciting, well thought out and executed plotline. As the action heated up, so my pulse rate rose… and just when I thought the action couldn’t get any more tense… it did!

The story is written from alternating points of view and in the first person and as such, we appreciate and experience the action from different viewpoints. I identified with the female lead. I could sense her desperation and desolation at times, as well as the hope she held on to. “Amongst the grief and the worry was hope.” If hope dies, it is an awful wasteland to inhabit.

We follow parents through a terrible diagnosis for their child. The support group sessions are as vital as breathing. “There were no words to help, but having people to listen meant everything.” We all need people to listen when we feel alone. It helps to hear positive words, giving us something to cling to. Conversely if we hear negative situations and words, our hope shrivels.

A mother’s love is fiercely protective. There is nothing a mother will not do in order to help her child – no matter how young or old they are.

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