Claire Seeber

This was a cracking read that I think should be renamed (you will read this within) 24 Hours as once you pick it up, you really can't put it down. It zips back and forth between 'then' and 'now' so every time you finish a chapter you have to read the next one and the next one...

Laurie is separated from her husband and while their daughter, Polly, goes on a trip to EuroDisney with Granny, Laurie takes the opportunity to have a spa weekend with her friend Emily. While Laurie is nipping out to the car for Emily's migraine pills, a fire breaks out in the hotel and Laurie can't get the door of their room open to rouse Emily. Emily perishes in the fire but the police believe that it is Laurie who died. Laurie believes that the fire was meant to kill her so she goes on the run to meet Polly off the Eurostar while people think she is dead.

The story is so pacey that I felt I was on the run with Laurie and I was reading as fast as she was travelling. All the time wondering who was trying to kill her and sometimes wondering if it was all in her head. As events unfold from 'then' everybody that Laurie has been in contact with is painted in such a way that any one of them could be the killer. Even when all is revealed there is still a little twist that I didn't see coming at all.

An absolutely thrilling read from Claire Seeber - I shall be seeking out more of her books, although they're definitely not for reading on a work night.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Bookouture, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

I may have mentioned in the past that my favourite fairy tale is Cinderella, but Snow White comes a close second. The Stepmother is something of a modern fairy tale for grown-ups loosely based on Snow White, but with strange ghostly goings-on instead of cute little dwarfs.

Jeanie has had a tough life but she thinks her dreams have come true when she meets and marries Matthew, after a whirlwind romance. Jeanie and her son, Frankie, move into Matthew's home which has an evil Queen style ornate mirror and its very own turret. Matthew has two children from his previous marriage: twins, Luke and Scarlett. Scarlett's moods are as red as her name - she's very angry that her parents have split up and resents Jeanie moving into what was once their home. Luke is more accepting and quiet on the outside, but is he more affected by his parents' split than we realise?

When strange things start to happen, all seemingly directed at Jeanie she feels her marriage crumbling before her eyes. Jeanie has a secret (or two) hidden in her past and like many secrets, nothing ever stays buried for long. As one of Jeanie's secrets is discovered, it is used against her and even Matthew doesn't side with her. As Jeanie is mentally tortured, she starts to think that Matthew also has a few secrets hidden from her as the paranoia in The Stepmother reaches record levels. As Jeanie's mind whirled with questions, I was eager to find out the answers too! What really happened to his previous marriage? What's behind the locked door? Who is the woman whose post gets delivered to the house?

The Stepmother kept me on my toes from start to finish; filled with secrets, lies and paranoia it's such a gripping read that I found difficult to put down. I loved the links to Snow White: 'mirror, mirror on the wall', the good instead of evil step mother and the young beauty of the story being represented by red instead of white. Hugely enjoyable, twisty and gripping: make sure you put The Stepmother on your list to read.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Bookouture, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.… (more)