bytheletterbookreviews

Book Description:

A loving mother. A perfect family. A shock wave that could shatter everything.

Freya Braithwaite knows she is lucky. Nineteen years of marriage to a man who still warms her soul and two beautiful teenage daughters to show for it: confident Charlotte and thoughtful Lexi. Her home is filled with love and laughter.

But when Lexi’s struggles with weight take control of her life, everything Freya once took for granted falls apart, leaving the whole family with a sense of helplessness that can only be confronted with understanding, unity and, above all, love.

In this compelling and heart-wrenching new work by bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one ordinary family tackles unexpected difficulties and discovers that love can find its way through life’s darkest moments.

My Thoughts:

I have been having a bit of a binge read of this authors books recently. Every one of them has touched me in some way but more so this one.

This certainly wasn’t an easy read by any means. I’m sure we are all aware of eating disorders, through Freya and her family, we get to see first hand what it is like to live with anorexia.

I found this to be an extremely emotional read. My heart literally broke in so many pieces, not just for Lexi or Freya, but for the whole family. It was awful seeing Lexi on a road to self destruction and taking her family with her.

Having never witnessed this disorder first hand, it was such an eye opener seeing how much it affects the people closest to it. I wanted to reach out to Lexi and get through to her. The authors skill of getting across the characters emotions is just exceptional. I felt every bit of their pain as if it was my own. Absolutely heart breaking.

The Food Of Love is just a superb novel that fully gets across life with an eating disorder. The story line hit me hard, at times leaving me breathless. I cried so many tears over the families ups and downs. Such an emotional and heart breaking read and bravo to the author for such an exceptional read.

The Food Of Love is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

When David Child, a major client of a corrupt New York law firm, is arrested for murder, the FBI ask con artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn to persuade him to testify against the firm.

Eddie is not someone who is easily coerced, but when the FBI reveal that they have incriminating files on his wife, he knows he has no choice.

But Eddie is convinced the man is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. With the FBI putting pressure on him to secure the deal, Eddie must find a way to prove his client’s innocence.

But the stakes are high – his wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI . . .

My Thoughts:

I have to say that I never thought legal thrillers were actually that thrilling until I came across this authors books. The Plea is yet another action packed read that guarantees plenty of thrills for it’s readers and if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Eddie Flynn yet, well hold on tight!

Eddie is usually in the dog house when it comes to his wife but for once he is given the opportunity to redeem himself when it’s his wife that is in hot water. Well both of them are for that matter as Eddie is forced into taking on a client in the hope of getting his wife off.

Well this story pretty much has it all. Violence, murder, corruption, car chases, I could go on but I think you get the picture. I was holding on for dear life while I was sent hurdling through the pages to see how things were going to turn out for Eddie. As with other books by the author, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

The Plea has to be one of the most thrilling books in the Eddie Flynn series that I have read so far. Lots of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. An adrenaline fuelled read that will send your pulse soaring.

The Plea is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

When Lewis Harley has a health scare in his early forties, he takes it as a wake-up call. So he and his  wife Charlotte leave behind life in the fast lane and Lewis opens the antique shop he has dreamed of. Bonnie Brookland was brought up in the antiques trade and now works for the man who bought out her father’s business, but she isn’t happy there. So when she walks into Lew’s shop, she knows this is the place for her.

As Bonnie and Lew start to work together, they soon realise that there is more to their relationship than either thought. But Bonnie is trapped in an unhappy marriage, and Lew and Charlotte have more problems than they care to admit. Each has secrets in their past which are about to be uncovered. Can they find the happiness they both deserve?

The Queen of Wishful Thinking is the brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Teashop on the Corner – a gorgeous read full of love, life and laughter.

My Thoughts:

I loved this story being set around an antique shop. Not something I have come across before and loved the hustle and bustle of customers and traders as there were so many different characters.

Bonnie and Lewis are both married, of which it soon becomes quite apparent that things are not all rosy on the home front with their other halves. Luckily for Lewis, with his new assistant Bonnie, business is looking on the up.

This story has all the trade marks of the authors other books. A novel that as soon as you pick up, you are instantly drawn into the characters worlds, of which holds some unexpected surprises for the reader. Lewis and Bonnie are lovely characters and you are really routing that everything turns out good for them by the end.

The Queen of Wishful Thinking is a wonderfully heart warming and endearing read that I literally devoured. The author has a wonderful skill of drawing the reader straight in and never wanting to leave. Another fabulous read.

The Queen of Wishful Thinking is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie?

Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.

Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.

But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.

Bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this stirring and empowering tale of one woman’s loss and love.

My Thoughts:

Nina is a character I hit it off with straight away. Yes she has had an easy life up until her husband dying but all that changes in an instant. Not only does she lose her husband but everything they owned with it. I couldn’t imagine anything worse. To lose a loved one and everything you have ever known all at the same time.

My heart broke for Nina and her two boys. Having to start a fresh and having a total change of life style to what they are used to. I really felt for the boys especially having to change schools. What I loved most though is how all of them, especially Nina, adapts to their new life. It isn’t an easy ride by any means with plenty of bumps along the way but what a journey!

This is a story that will really make you think about everything that you take for granted. It will make you also appreciate the little things more. In just a moment, any of our lives could change and I think a lot of people can learn a thing or two from Nina.

The Art Of Hiding is just a wonderful book. I was totally absorbed in Nina and her boys lives that by the end they felt like my own family and one that I was very proud of. In parts it is heart breaking as well as emotional but I loved every bit of it. It shows that even when we hit rock bottom, there is still light at the end of the tunnel. A truly beautiful story.

The Art of Hiding is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son’s red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year – a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from school during a terrible flood, fell into the river, and drowned.

His body was never recovered.

Ten years later, Emma has finally rediscovered the joy in life. She’s married, pregnant, and in control again…

… until Aiden returns.

Too traumatized to speak, he raises endless questions and answers none. Only his body tells the story of his decade-long disappearance. The historic broken bones and injuries cast a mere glimpse into the horrors Aiden has experienced. Aiden never drowned. Aiden was taken.

As Emma attempts to reconnect with her now teenage son, she must unmask the monster who took him away from her. But who, in their tiny village, could be capable of such a crime?

It’s Aiden who has the answers, but he cannot tell the unspeakable.

This dark and disturbing psychological novel is a page-turner you will not be able to put down.

My Thoughts:

Emma has to face one of her worst nightmares, her child disappearing. Years later she has finally got her life together and even though she misses her son desperately, life is as good as it can be for her. That is until her son turns back up again.

Having your child making a reappearance again after all those years, you could feel the mixture of emotions that Emma was experiencing. Whilst she is over joyed to be back, Aiden is far from the child who disappeared all of those years ago and she has to face what has happened to him whilst he was held captive.

My heart literally broke for Aiden. I didn’t even want to try and imagine just what he had been through. Like Emma, I wanted answers and for whoever was behind Aiden’s disappearance to be suitably punished.

The story is set at a steady pace with a dark feel to it and shrouded with mystery. The tension mounts as the police. as well as Emma and her ex, close in on the guilty party. As the police take in different people for questioning, I was really torn to who it could be. Whilst I had my doubts, the author kept throwing little red herrings, keeping me on my toes.

Silent Child is a dark and at times, uncomfortable, yet compelling read. I loved the build up of tension and all the second guessing at who it was. The author managed to keep me totally hood winked and whilst I had guessed some things partly right, I was well off the mark on the rest. A must read for fans of a chilling psychological thriller.

Silent Child is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

As I saw my new-born baby’s face for the first time I tried desperately to capture her face in my mind—to stamp it onto my eyelids. As she was taken from me I knew I might never see my daughter again.

38 years later…

‘You were adopted’. Three short words and Sabina’s life fractures. There would forever be a Beforethose words, and an After. 

Pregnant with her own child, Sabina can’t understand how a mother could abandon her daughter, or why her parents have kept the past a secret.

Determined to find the woman who gave her away, what she discovers will change everything, not just for Sabina, but for the women who have loved her all these years.

From the bestselling author of Me Without You comes another touching, beautifully told story about the pain of separation and the enduring strength of love.

My Thoughts:

The story flicks between past and present. In the past we get to meet Sabina’s real mum in the lead up to giving birth and what life was like in the home that she was sent to. In present day we see first hand what it is like for Sabina coming to terms with finding out she is adopted.

I had so much empathy for Sabina. Usually most people know they were adopted from a young age or usually around the time they get to their eighteenth birthday. Sabina is only a couple of years off her fortieth! Understandably it comes as a big shock.

It usually always fascinates me in why a mother would give up a child. Sabina’s real mum’s story was so heart breaking to read. It was hard to imagine what life must have been like all the years she was apart from her daughter. It really makes for an emotional read.

The Secret Daughter is a heart breaking and emotional story. The author grabbed my attention right from the very first page and I was totally engrossed until the very last. Sabina and her real mother’s story will really move you and the author does it very sympathetically. Such a great read.

The Secret Daughter is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Book Description:

Why would you run scared from a happy home?

You’re waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work. You’re making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day.

That’s the last thing you remember.

You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town.

The police suspect you were up to no good. But your husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend isn’t so sure. And even you don’t know what to believe . . .

My Thoughts:

Tom and Karen are your seemingly perfect couple. Married for a couple of years, nice house, good jobs, they seem to pretty much have it all. Everything swiftly goes downhill though when Karen has a car accident and the police think she is somehow involved with a murder that happened on the same night.

I didn’t quite know what to make of Karen. Having had quite a bad accident she can’t remember events from that evening so we have no idea whether she is guilty or not. Either way, it’s obvious how much Karen and Tom love each other. As much as I liked Tom, he is quite weak with Karen being the stronger of the two emotionally.

Brigid the best friend, I didn’t like right from the start. Anyone that sits at the window all day knitting for me, obviously is either not all there or a very nosy parker indeed. The further into the story we get the more I disliked her.

The story grabs you from the first page. I wouldn’t say it was a fast paced thriller but the author takes you along at a steady pace with little twists thrown in here and there.

A Stranger In The House is a novel full of suspense. It certainly makes for an entertaining and intriguing read that I struggled to put down. You never know which way the story is going to turn of which kept me on my toes right up until the very last page. Another great read from the author.

A Stranger In The House is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).