Tag Archive | HQ

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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The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick

May11

Coming Home

The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick is an absolutely marvellous historical tale. It will educate you as you read as the novel is grounded in fact.

Liz Fenwick has woven an epic tale with true life figures from World War II. Readers will instantly recognize the name Ian Flemming but many other characters were real too.

The tale is spun around Merry, a skilled cartographer who is remarkable at her craft. Special operatives relied on her eye for detail to make sorties into occupied France.

We see how difficult life was for women, having to choose between love or career. Women had opportunities in war to excel but were returned to the lesser positions in peacetime.

Life was difficult for homosexuals. We follow a couple of ladies who have to behave very differently outside their home. They have to deny who they really are.

The women in the novel are incredibly brave and very clever. They have huge hearts that help others in need.

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The Fall by Louise Jensen

Apr27

Dominoes

The Fall by Louise Jensen is an absolutely cracking contemporary psychological thriller that seriously messed with my sleep as I just did not want to put it down!

We see the action from various points of view in the third person and in different time periods. The voice of the guilty party can be heard but try as I might, I could not work out who it was. I put two and two together and came up with five!

A terrible tragedy is splitting a family apart as we know there is nothing that a parent won’t do for their child. Once united, a chasm is beginning to appear – but just how wide is it?

When tragedy strikes, it seems only natural to want to believe in something outside of one’s self. “She wished she had faith in something… longed for the utmost certainty that her prayers would be if not answered then at least listened to.” We need to know that we are not alone.

Peer pressure is awful. With social media, it is impossible to escape the bullies. We witness a character’s self-esteem eroding and crumbling.

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