Posts

Review: Photograph - Brian Freeman

-
Image
Review: Photograph - Brian Freeman - October 2025 There’s something quietly haunting about Photograph, the kind of story that settles into your bones and lingers long after you’ve turned the final page. As I curled up with this one, I felt like I was stepping into a storm - one that begins softly but builds into something deeply emotional and utterly consuming. At the heart of the novel is Shannon Wells, a private investigator with a compassionate streak for helping women who feel like they’ve run out of options. I instantly warmed to Shannon. She’s not just solving cases ,she’s carrying people’s burdens, and that gives her character a grounded, human quality that makes you root for her from the very beginning. The mystery surrounding Faith Selby pulled me in straight away. A woman asking, “Find out who I really am” is such a simple yet loaded request, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. When Faith turns up dead, leaving behind nothing but a photograph of a little girl s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review : Abby's Journey - Steena Holmes

-
Image
Review: Abby's Journey - Book #2 Forever Abby - Steena Holmes - February 2017  There’s something incredibly special about returning to a story years later and finding that it still holds your heart just as gently as before. That’s exactly how I felt picking up Abby's Journey by Steena Holmes , almost a decade after I first read Saving Abby back in 2018. From the moment I began, it felt like coming home. This time, we follow Abby once the fragile baby about to be born in the first book now twenty years old and finally stepping into life with a clean bill of health after years of illness. Knowing her history made her journey all the more emotional. There’s a quiet triumph in watching her embrace a future that once felt so uncertain. What truly warmed my heart was the trip she takes with her grandmother, Millie. Originally planned for Millie and Abby’s mother, Claire, this journey becomes something deeper ,a bridge between past and present. Through shared memories and long-held se...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Next Wife - Liz Lawler

-
Image
Review: The Next Wife - Liz Lawler - November 2020 There’s something quietly unsettling about a love story that begins in warmth and slowly turns cold, and The Next Wife by Liz Lawler captures that shift with a haunting, slow-burn intensity. At the start, I found myself drawn into Tess’s world - the kind of life that feels small but safe, filled with love, routine, and comfort. Her relationship with Daniel in their London apartment had that cosy, almost cocoon-like quality, and I could understand why Tess believed marriage would simply be an extension of that happiness. But as we all know, sometimes change doesn’t arrive loudly ,it seeps in quietly, almost unnoticed, until it’s everywhere. When Tess and Daniel move into the grand mansion, the atmosphere subtly shifts. What should have been a dream upgrade instead becomes isolating, and Lawler does an excellent job of showing how control can creep into a relationship under the guise of care. Daniel’s transformation is chilling not becau...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: All the Dark Places - Terri Parlato

-
Image
Review: All the Dark Places - Terri Parlato - December 2022 There’s something about settling in with a good psychological thriller on the Libby that just feels like the ultimate cosy escape and All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato absolutely delivered that for me. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The story opens with Molly planning a beautifully thoughtful 40th birthday surprise for her husband, Jay. You can feel the warmth of the celebration, the comfort of friendships, and the ease of a life well-built together. It’s the kind of opening that lulls you into a false sense of security and then everything shatters. Molly wakes to find Jay missing from their bed, only to discover him in his office, murdered in the most brutal way. That moment gave me chills. What follows is a tangled, slow-burn unraveling of secrets within their close-knit friendship group. I loved how the story peeled back layer after layer, revealing hidden affairs, long-buried resentments, and the unset...
Post a Comment
Read more

VBT# The Tradwife's Secret - Bella Ellwood-Clayton

-
Image
VBT# Review: The Tradwife's Secret - Bella Ellwood-Clayton - March 2026 There’s something both fascinating and quietly unsettling about the idea of “having it all” especially when that “all” is carefully curated for an audience. In The Tradwife's Secret by Bella Ellwood-Clayton, we are invited into a world where perfection isn’t just expected ,it’s scheduled, filtered, and posted for the world to admire. Set in the idyllic and slightly eerie town of Westbrook - this made me think of the TV show " American Housewife " , this novel explores the concept of the “tradwife” lifestyle where women embrace traditional domestic roles, from baking sourdough to sewing and tending the land. But this isn’t just a quaint throwback to simpler times. Oh no, this is tradition reimagined for the age of Instagram, hashtags, and influencer culture . Every woman in Westbrook has her niche, her brand, and her place in a carefully constructed social hierarchy that runs from “Cherries” to ...
1 comment
Read more

VBT# Don't Look Back - J.J Burgess

-
Image
VBT# Don't Look Back - J.J Burgess - March 2026 There’s something about a psychological thriller that creeps under your skin and lingers long after you’ve turned the final page and Don’t Look Back by J.J. Burgess does exactly that. From the very first chapter, I felt my heart racing alongside Lucy. As a new mother, already running on empty and pure instinct, her panic is palpable. When she accidentally hits her elderly neighbour while rushing her sick baby to hospital, that split-second decision to flee feels terrifyingly real. It’s one of those moments where you think, what would I do? And that’s what makes this story so gripping is that it feels so achingly possible. Lucy’s situation quickly spirals, and what begins as a desperate attempt to protect her child turns into something far darker. Her boyfriend Ian initially steps in as her saviour, helping her cover up the accident. But oh, how quickly that dynamic shifts. JJ Burgess does an incredible job of showing how control can c...
1 comment
Read more

VBT# Review: Nine Missing Girls - Steena Holmes

-
Image
Review: Nine Missing Girls - Steena Holmes - March 2026 As a long-time fan of Steena Holmes, I was absolutely thrilled to dive into Nine Missing Girls. Holmes has a wonderful way of blending emotional depth with gripping suspense, and this book delivered exactly what I was hoping for. It’s the kind of thriller that keeps you turning the pages late into the night ,definitely one of those “just one more chapter” reads. At the heart of the novel is Detective Meri Amber, the FBI’s leading child abduction specialist. Meri has dedicated her entire career to finding missing girls, but her mission is deeply personal. Twenty years ago, her own sister vanished, and that loss fuels every case she takes on. For Meri, each missing girl is a reminder of the sister she never stopped searching for. It adds a powerful emotional layer to the story, making every investigation feel incredibly real and urgent. What makes Nine Missing Girls stand out is its structure. The book follows nine separate cases , ...
1 comment
Read more