Review: Like a Mother - Mina Hardy

Review: Like a Mother - Mina Hardy - February 2024

After being made redundant, I found myself reaching for thrillers instead of my usual romance novels—somehow happy endings felt too distant during this uncertain chapter of my life. That's when I discovered Like a Mother by Mina Hardy (a pen name for Megan Hart), and it became exactly the kind of gripping distraction I needed.

The story follows Sarah, who thought she knew her husband Adam completely until his sudden death shattered not just her heart, but her entire understanding of their life together. As a newly widowed single mother expecting their second child, Sarah faces an immediate crisis when Adam's business partners reveal he changed his will, leaving her financially strapped. Even worse, they're questioning her guardianship of daughter Ellie and want to adopt her unborn baby, claiming it was Adam's dying wish.

Enter Adam's previously unknown mother, offering Sarah what seems like salvation—a fresh start in the small town of Shelter Bay. But Hardy masterfully transforms this apparent rescue into something far more sinister. The vandalized house, the burned church, and the gradual revelation that Adam had been married before create an atmosphere of mounting dread that kept me reading late into the night.

The psychological horror intensifies when Sarah discovers her mother-in-law's true intentions for her unborn son—to raise him as the next prophet of their religious community. Hardy's exploration of how well we truly know the people closest to us resonated deeply, especially during a time when I'm questioning so many assumptions about my own life and future.

What struck me most was Sarah's isolation—trapped in a remote town where her mother-in-law wields disturbing influence over everyone around her. As someone currently navigating my own feelings of being adrift and uncertain about who to trust, Sarah's desperate attempts to protect her children while surrounded by manipulation felt viscerally real.

Like a Mother proved to be the perfect thriller for someone seeking both escapism and emotional catharsis. It reminded me that sometimes we discover our own strength only when everything familiar is stripped away—a lesson I'm learning firsthand during this transitional period of my own life.

For readers craving psychological suspense with genuine heart, this gripping tale delivers both thrills and uncomfortable truths about trust, family, and survival.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/45AfR0A