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Book Review - "The Stolen Child" by Carmel Harrington

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Blurb: On board a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, Kimberly wakes to discover that her two-year-old son Robert has vanished from the cabin overnight. She and her husband, Jason, vow to do whatever it takes to bring Robert home. But he is never found. Forty years later, their therapist daughter Lily welcomes a new client into her home. Zach has a shocking theory about what happened to her brother Robert years before. If Zach is to be believed, someone out there knows what happened on that ship. And they would do anything to stop the truth getting out. But secrets always find a way to reveal themselves. My review:  🤯 Wow. Just wow. 🤯 This is hands down the best book I’ve read in a long time. It had me in tears multiple times, and I still don’t know how to move on from it. The characters felt so real, their pain so raw, and the story? Absolutely heartbreaking. That plot twist? I never saw it coming. This book isn’t just a 5-star read; it deserves all the stars and a spr...

Word Play Stories - A Fun New Idea

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  Hello, you lovely person! I just came up with a creative and challenging idea for my blog to get me writing, and I have to share it already with you, even though I haven't written down one single word....besides all of the words I'm writing down right now.  I will ask each of my family members to give me ONE word, and I'll turn all of them into a short story. There are five people, meaning I will have five words to get my creative brain cells working overtime, making up anything.  That way, I won't feel under pressure, which naturally saves me from the darkness of procrastination city. IYKYK I might turn it into a regular series on my blog.  Maybe I could even inspire you to turn it into a drinking game....if there isn't already one like that, but I wouldn't know, would I? 😁 Of course, I've already pitched my idea to my best supporters here, and the words are fixed. You might wanna know those now and judge my writing later....so here they are:...

Book Review - "Dead In The Water" by John Marrs

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Blurb : When Damon survives a near-drowning, his life flashes before his eyes. Every memory is crystal clear—except one. A dead boy. A face he can’t place. A moment he doesn’t remember living. At first, he tells himself it’s a trick of the mind. But everything else he saw was real. So why not this? With his waking life stalked by the disturbing scene, confusion quickly turns to obsession. Desperate for answers, Damon digs into his fractured past and becomes convinced that the only way to remember…is to die again. And again. And again. When he meets a perfect stranger who’s all too willing to help, the stage is set for his dice with death. But if this is what it takes to uncover the truth, maybe some memories are better left buried… My Review : I was over the moon when I got my hands on an ARC of Dead In The Water — huge thanks to NetGalley and John Marrs! This book was brilliant. The short chapters kept me turning the pages with the classic “just one more chapter” mindset… ...

Book Review - "You Killed Me First" by John Marrs

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Blurb: Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive? It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this? Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors. As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching, and someone is set to burn…But who will it be? My review: This was my second John Marrs book and definitely confirmed him as one of my new favourite authors. "You Killed Me First" kept me glued ...

Book Review - "Keep It In The Family" by John Marrs

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Blurb: Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a shocking message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple makes a gruesome discovery: their home was once a real-life murder house, with the evidence still concealed within the four walls. In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives, and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Tormented by the terrible things she saw, she is desperate to dig into the past to find answers. Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but will the previous tenants stop her from discovering their secret? My review: My first book by John Marrs, bu...

Book Review - "My Name Is Emily Ray" by Michele Dominguez Greene

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Blurb: Emily Ray. Josie Vance. Danica Hansen. Three girls with one thing in common: they were all seven years old when they were abducted. When young Josie Vance vanishes from Cove Park, California, leaving behind her light-up sneakers, Special Agent Emily Ray leads the investigation to find her. She is the very best at finding abducted children. Twenty-eight years ago, she was one of them. As she leads the hunt, the kidnapper sends a drawing. It depicts a little girl in pink leggings, standing before a brick house, clutching silver balloons. The address scrawled in the background is identical to where Emily was held captive. Along with a hair clip and a faded children's book, the clues spark a chilling realization: Her abductor may still be alive. To find the missing girl, Emily must unearth the past she buried. But with every step, she fears the case is not just about saving one child, but confronting the man who's returned to destroy the life she's painstakin...

Book Review "Famous Last Words" by Gillian McAllister

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Blurb: It’s Camilla’s first day back at work. And her daughter’s first day at nursery. But where is her husband, Luke? The only trace of him is an unfinished note. Then she sees the breaking news: a hostage situation just streets away. Next, the police arrive: Luke is caught up in it. But he isn't a hostage. Luke – doting father, successful writer, eternal optimist – is the gunman. What Camilla does next will be crucial. Because only she can figure out what clue lies in the note he left behind . . . My Review: After following Gillian McAllister on Instagram for quite some time, I had the shocking realisation that… as much as I enjoyed her online presence, I’d never actually read any of her books! Naturally, I had to change that, and I’m so glad I did. She didn’t disappoint! Without spoiling anything, let’s just say I had a hunch about something (proud reader moment here!), but the book itself wasn’t predictable at all. The final twist, the why behind everything, genuine...