The Secret Mother

I won this book on Goodreads and I wish to thank them as well as the publisher.

I fell for this book on the first page it would seem as I was about halfway through before I put it down for the first time. The writing is so good that it's super easy to get lost in. The characters are so relatable and the smallest touches make them all the more human. As a result, the reading is easy, and I mean that in the best of ways.

I knew something was off as I read it, and I can't give you more than that because I will not spoil it for anyone, but there was one part that kept me doubting and attempting to fit the puzzle together in another way. It was great fun. This book hits all the buttons, love, loss, deception, secrets, but does it in a way show more that flows.

I will put this author on my go to list as the writing is crisp and smooth, story line was great, characters are real and the ending was a surprise. show less

The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland is a 2017 Bookouture publication.

Tessa returned home to find a child in her house- a child that is not hers. Sadly, Tessa lives all alone after she lost her own two children and her marriage dissolved. Because of her history, she endures a great deal of scrutiny from the cops and the press. How did the boy get into the house and who does he belong to?

The only way Tessa can put this behind her is to confront her past- and discover why this happened and why. Her mission will be fraught with pain and danger as she peels back the layers of long held secrets and deception…

When this book was published, back in 2017, I suppose it would have been more lucrative to categorize it as a psychological show more thriller, but in my humble opinion, this book is truly a mystery with a heavy dose of drama. Yes, there’s a crime, and some suspense builds in a race against time scenario- but it’s not the nail-biting, edge of your seat, white knuckle stuff that makes you jump at the slightest little noise.

There’s a great deal of marital strife, and a menacing media presence, that takes up a great deal of real estate, as well as a budding romance that comes with the requisite sex scene that must accompany it.

But truth be told, at the end of the day, this is a tragic drama more than anything else. Once the big twist is revealed- one I did guess at- the story concludes with a bittersweet, but hopeful outcome- which is not the way the usual psychological thriller concludes, in most cases.

That said, despite the suspension of belief required in some spots, and what I feel was a misplaced genre label, the story, overall, is good. I picked this book out from the Kindle Unlimited library at random, and I liked it well enough to consider reading more of Shalini Boland’s work.

3 stars show less

When Tessa returns home, she finds a little boy in her kitchen. She has no idea who he is or where he came from. He tells her that the angel left him there for him to be his new mommy. It turns out that he has a dad and he is returned to his father as Tessa is accused of kidnapping. At one time she lost a child so people believe she was trying to replace that child. Tessa is baffled and begins to wonder about her sanity.
This book takes you on a real ride, wondering what happened. The reader doesn't find out the truth until the end, along with Tessa. People are so quick to jump to conclusions. The press can be terrible, and people tend to believe the obvious, never considering a different possibility. This is a real psychological mystery show more that I could see actually happening. show less

I have just finished "The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland . This book was a very fast read for me. I enjoyed the plot and I liked the way everything kept coming together in the end with a unique ending. I thought the writing had a lot of repetition going over the same points again and again. Even though the book was interesting and intriguing, I had the end figured out by the half way through. I would like to thank Net Galley for the advanced copy.

4 and a half stars!!!??

Nowadays with so many physiological books, it is difficult to find a book you can’t stop reading until the end. This is one of those!!!.

I really recommend it.

This was a good book - It is my first book I have read by Shalini Boland - I like her writing style. This particular book reminded me of something I would see on a soap opera. Overall I liked the book a lot.