I go through phases of bookworming but with autumn nights on their way, one of my favourite things to do is cosy up under a blanket with a hot chocolate and a great book. I’m loving reading book recommendation posts at the minute so I thought I would share some of my recently finished books with you.
First off, I want to give a shout out to Goodreads (#notspon). My memory is completely crap so when I see a book I want to check out, I’ll add it to my Want To Read shelf on Goodreads, then when I’m browsing for my next book I can consult my list and pick one. Think of it as the IMDb of the book world. You can also set yourself reading challenges, so I set one at the start of the year to read 10 books in 2017. I know by most peoples’ standards that isn’t much but as I started off by saying, I go through phases where I won’t read a thing for months and then read 3 books in a week. So far I’m half way through, and on my 6th.
I’ll also preface this by saying that I’ve never reviewed a book before and I’m very conscious of not posting any spoilers. I hate when people say things like “you won’t believe the massive twist at the end” so you spend the entire book knowing a twist is on its way and trying to guess what it might be. So I’ll try to give you as much info as possible without giving anything away!
The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne
“A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity—that she, in fact, is Lydia—their world comes crashing down once again. As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, Sarah finds herself tortured by the past—what really happened on that fateful day one of her daughters died?”
I’m starting off with my favourite of the bunch. I read this whilst on holiday at Easter and I was hooked within the first couple of pages. It really made me think about how parents really do know which identical twin is which from the beginning. It also kept me guessing right until the end. I just couldn’t put this one down.
Stars: *****
The House On Cold Hill by Peter James
“Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House – a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion – Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House, with its acres of land, as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends.Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren’t the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade’s is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House’s dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them . . .”
This is essentially a haunted house ghost story. It’s very well written and made it easy for me to visualise what was happening. I don’t have the best imagination, so whenever I can truly imagine what’s going on you know it’s good!
Stars: ****
The Escape by C.L. Taylor
“The new psychological thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Accident, The Lie and The Missing.”Look after your daughter’s things. And your daughter…”When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn’t. The stranger knows Jo’s name, she knows her husband Max and she’s got a glove belonging to Jo’s two year old daughter Elise.What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo’s own husband turn against her.No one believes that Elise is in danger. But Jo knows there’s only one way to keep her child safe – RUN.”
This book is listed as a psychological thriller, but I wouldn’t say it’s very psychological – as in it didn’t worm its way into my brain! I enjoyed this book enough to finish it, but parts of it were a bit far fetched for me.
Stars: ***
Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
“When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can’t believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.
But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee’s dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she’s stunned to find they don’t believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.
Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.
But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee’s dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she’s stunned to find they don’t believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.
Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.
Until the day the phone rings…”
This is the book which I finished most recently. Similarly to The Escape, there were parts of this book which really annoyed me i.e. the ‘checking’ bits early on in the book – if you read it / have read it, you’ll understand. But once all that was out of the way, I found myself desperate to keep reading it to find out how it all ends. I enjoyed the way it was structured, with the main character’s past storyline and her present storyline running in alternate chapters.
Stars: ***
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
“Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She’s undeniably attractive. She drives a red Corvette with tinted windows. Her husband, Ford, is rich, square-jawed, and devoted to her.But Celeste’s devotion lies elsewhere. She has a singular sexual obsession—fourteen-year-old boys. Celeste pursues her craving with sociopathic meticulousness and forethought; her sole purpose in becoming a teacher is to fulfil her passion and provide her access to her compulsion. As the novel opens, fall semester at Jefferson Jr. High is beginning.In mere weeks, Celeste has chosen and lured the lusciously naive Jack Patrick into her web. Jack is enthralled and in awe of his teacher, and, most important, willing to accept Celeste’s terms for a secret relationship—car rides after school; rendezvous at Jack’s house while his single father works late; body-slamming encounters in Celeste’s empty classroom between periods.Ever mindful of the danger—the perpetual risk of exposure, Jack’s father’s own attraction to her, and the ticking clock as Jack leaves innocent boyhood behind—the hyperbolically insatiable Celeste bypasses each hurdle with swift thinking and shameless determination, even when the solutions involve greater misdeeds than the affair itself. In slaking her sexual thirst, Celeste Price is remorseless and deviously free of hesitation, a monstress driven by pure motivation. She deceives everyone, and cares nothing for anyone or anything but her own pleasure.”
And finally, my least favourite of the bunch. This is a book isn’t the usual genre I’d go for and I can’t for the life of me remember who recommended it to me. I actually gave up on this book a while ago but decided to go back and finish it as I was quite near the end. The subject matter is very controversial so I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but parts of it were relatively interesting – I am someone who is fascinated by true crime as I enjoy trying to understand how anyone could commit crimes.
Stars: **
I know they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but here they are…
I’ve recently started Blood Sisters by Jane Corry but I’m only a couple of chapters in so I haven’t got much to say just yet. But please do leave me some suggestions of what I need to add to my reading list.
Thank you so much for reading
Rhi xx
