THE LAST THING TO BURN  by  WILL DEAN

My Rating: ★★★★★

Her husband calls her Jane. But that is not her name and she is his captive.

She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.

Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn't like what he sees, she is punished.

For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting for a chance to escape from him.

Oh my goodness! This book is so amazingly written. I felt like I was right there watching it all happen in front of my eyes.

This is a truly powerful story of a Vietnamese immigrant, Thanh Dao, who along with her sister had illegally entered into the UK with a hope for better future.

But once in UK, she is sold to Lenn who hold her captive. He has taken everything away from her including her name and identity. She has few of her possessions which are her only reminder and connection she has to her family, but Lenn systematically destroys one of them each time she defines any of his rules or orders.

Lenn also keeps on threatening of ensuring her sister being deported but informing the authorities, so as to make sure that she will not try to escape and will always stay, cook for him and never do anything that would upset him.

Reading of the emotional and physical abuse that Jane had to face was really agonizing, but at the same time I was able to appreciate and admire her love towards her sister and the extent she would go endure any torture so as to ensure that her sister is safe and has a better life.

Through Jane’s story, the author has been able to highlight and cover a very delicate but important issue of human trafficking that exists in the society in detailed and empathic manner.

Overall, an excellent book which will be on my mind for a very long time!

Thank You NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC!

YOUR NEIGHBOUR'S WIFE  by  TONY PARSONS

My Rating: ★★★

Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company. But, one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk.

And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won’t leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out. And it involves murder.

It was good read but I am actually confused about how I feel about it as a whole.

Initially I was engrossed in the plot because it was intriguing. Tara is happily married but that doesn’t stop her from having a one-night stand with a complete stranger who then becomes her worst nightmare. James Caine is one of the creepiest stalkers I have read about. He has no problem in wrecking Tara’s life to achieve what he wants, i.e., Tara.

I went on reading because I was eager to find out how Tara would deal with James to protect her family and career and also to what extent James would go to destroy it all. It was definitely tension filled.

But once I finished reading the book, I found myself ending up finding too many loopholes in the plot. I started to question the actions of most of characters especially James’s wife, she was one weird lady. Also, I didn’t quite understand the ending.

So, the plot, in spite of having some good twists it did lack a bit of reality.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC!

THE BETRAYAL  by  TERRY LYNN THOMAS

My Rating: ★★★★

Attorney Olivia Sinclair believes herself to be happily married and is preparing for a relaxed retired life with her husband.

But then she receives an anonymous shocking video, showing her husband Richard sleeping with someone else. After years of handling other people’s divorces, she thought she could recognise a marriage in trouble.

She angrily throws Richard out of the home they share. But days later she’s arrested—for the murder of his mistress, Sandy.

Olivia knows she’s innocent but, with all the evidence pointing at her and an obvious motive, she must find the real killer to clear her name.

She may be used to dealing with messy divorces, but this one will be her most difficult case yet. Olivia’s husband has already betrayed her—but would he set her up for murder?

I actually enjoyed reading this domestic thriller. The narration and pacing of the plot were good. It also included a few twists to hold the interest till the end.

Reading about Olivia, as her discovers Richard’s lies and betrayals throughout their married life, made me feel sympathetic towards her. But the same time it was indeed admirable to see the way she conducted herself while dealing with both Richard and her daughter. It was definitely good to see that she had the support and trust of her lawyer who in turn hired an amazing investigator.

Olivia’s husband, Richard on the other hand, is a complete jerk and pompous whose has no regrets for any of his actions.

The secondary story involving the issues between Olivia’s daughter, Denny and her controlling husband, David was good but it kind of got sorted out too smoothly and quickly.

Overall, a good read especially since it’s just the first book in this series. Definitely looking forward to the next book!

Thank You NetGalley and HQ Digital for this ARC!

#TheBetrayal #NetGalley

THE MISSING WOMAN  by  GEORGINA CROSS

My Rating: ★★★★★

It’s the fourth of July and the whole town is gathered at the local pool. Through the sweltering afternoon, the group of single mothers don’t mix with the other women—the ones with the perfect lives and happy marriages. Women like Sabine Miller.

But then, Sabine shoots Erica a desperate look across the water and suddenly disappears. As Erica reaches to the back gate, all she finds is a silver charm bracelet that Sabine dropped on her way out.

When Sabine’s husband Mark arrives and realizes she’s missing, he phones the cops straight away. “Someone has been threatening Sabine,” he says. “Now they’ve kidnapped her.”

Hours later the whole town is searching the streets, calling Sabine’s name over and over. On the TV, Mark is begging for someone to bring his wife home.

The truth is, Erica was the last person to see Sabine alive—and it’s killing her inside. When the cops arrive at her house asking questions, she’s terrified they’ll find out what happened years ago between her and Sabine. Something which she has never told anyone

I was so eager to read this book especially since I loved Georgina Cross’s debut book. I just couldn’t wait to get started! And I wasn’t disappointed at all. This was such an exciting read that I actually managed to finish it in just a few hours. I didn’t want to stop till I reached the end.

The plot is well written and the pace is maintained throughout the book. Both the main and supporting characters were good and added some element to the plot.

As you begin reading you wonder if Sabine was kidnapped because it’s difficult to find a reason why would she leave on her own and give up her comfortable life. But as the hidden secrets of each of the characters come tumbling out, you realize that this is something more than just a missing persons case.

There were definitely some amazing twists throughout the book but my favorite has to be the ending. It was simply perfect!

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

#TheMissingWoman #NetGalley

ALL THAT GLITTERS  by  DANIELLE STEEL

My Rating: ★★★

Nicole "Coco" Martin is destined to have it all. As the only child of doting and successful parents, she has been given every opportunity in life. Having inherited her mother's stunning beauty and creativity, along with her father's work ethic and diligence, she has the world at her feet.

Her life couldn't be better--until tragedy strikes. Coco's beloved parents are killed in a terrorist attack while on vacation in France.

Now devastated and alone, Coco must find a way to move forward and make her way in the world without the family she loved. Determined to forge her own path and make her parents proud, Coco pursues her dreams, dazzled by exciting opportunities that come her way.

Along her journey, she will face both ups and downs and, in the end, she will discover herself.

Being a huge Danielle Steel fan, I eagerly wait to read her books mainly because of her portrayal of strong female characters whose journey through the plot tend to be inspiring. Unfortunately for me, that was missing in this book.

I could not relate to the main character, Coco. And rather than feel sympathetic I felt annoyed at her actions. Initially, I felt that her immature behavior was due to the sudden tragedy of losing both her parents unexpectedly.

But, as the plot progresses, she repeatedly keeps on making the same mistakes. She goes from one bad relationship to another but not being affected much thanks to her inheritance.

I was more interested in Sam’s struggles and how he faced them. And the bond of friendship between Sam and Coco was something special.

The ending was on predicted lines but it did take several mistakes and lessons to reach there!

THE LITTLE GRAVE  by  CAROLYN ARNOLD

(Detective Amanda Steel #1)

My Rating: ★★★

It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed in the path of an oncoming drunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, but Amanda cannot. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, she can’t keep away from the case.

Fighting her sergeant to be allowed to work an investigation with such a personal connection to her, Amanda is in a race to prove that she can uncover the truth. But the more she digs into the past of the man who destroyed her future, the more shocking discoveries she makes. And when Amanda finds the link between a silver bracelet in his possession and the brutal unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer, she realizes she’s caught up in something darker than she ever imagined and suspects that more girls could be in danger.

This was a really quick read because it was so interesting!

I love a strong female detective character, but initially for me, I found Detective Amanda Steele a little bit annoying because of her attitude at the beginning towards her rookie partner Detective Trent. As much as I understood her need to fly solo and take the lead in this case, I really felt she could have been slightly more accommodating and welcoming.

Apart from that the plot as well as the narration was great. There were some surprising twists and the ending was so unexpected. It just lifted the entire book to another level.. Just wish that there was a slightly more detailed ending to the unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer

Overall, a good start to a new series. Looking forward to more books in this series.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!