Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.....

Anna was a good wife, mostly . . .

Meet Anna Benz, an American in her late 30's and  lives with her husband and three young children in Dietlikon, a picture-perfect suburb of Zurich. Anna is a very complicated character who is depressive and narcissistic and has alot of problems where she attends an therapist but is falling apart inside.  In order to escape this she tries to mask it by engaging in short-lived but intense sexual affairs. She lies to everyone, her husband, therapist, friends and her lovers.

Is her affair about to be exposed??  Unfortunately, Anna crosses a line where she sets off a terrible chain of events that ends in an unspeakable tragedy.  Her life crashes down around her, Anna must then discover where one must go when there is no going back.

Yes, I really enjoyed this book but at times it is an uncomfortable read.  It was gripping, extremely sensual with some steamy scenes added in, raw and incredibly sad in parts.  I found I had a little tear in my eye at the end along with shedding a few along the way, so grab this book, curl up on the couch and prepare to have a few lump in your throat moments too.  It definitely didn't disappoint.  I would even go as far to say that Haudfrau IS definitely a must read for book clubs because there is no way a person can read this one without having a strong opinion.

Hausfrau is been compared to being the new Fifty Shades of Grey but I have to disagree, having read all 3 books in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, I thought that Hausfrau was SO much better, it was well written with strong characters and it had a really good, believable story.

This is Jill Alexander Essbaum's debut novel and I look forward to reading her next book (no pressure) but I will definitely read more of her work.

Hausfrau is available on Kindle and from all good bookstores.

The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney

Thanks to Same Eades and PanMacmillan I received this in exchange for an honest review.......

Rachel Teller is married to David, they appear to be very happy.  They have everything, the big house and a very successful business where they're partners.

However, David is a very controlling person in the marraige, not an ounce of love is shown by David towards Rachel which fuels their relationship but David has no idea his wife indulges in drunken indiscretions. When Rachel kills a man in a hit and run, the meticulously maintained veneer over their life begins to crack.
When Rachel comes clean and tells David what really happened, he destroys all evidence of the accident and he even insists they continue as normal. Rachel is completely racked with guilt and as her behaviour becomes increasingly self-destructive she not only inflames David's darker side, but also uncovers her own long-suppressed childhood memories of shame.  Can Rachel confront her past and atone for her terrible crime? Not if her husband has anything to do with it......

The Liar's chair is a very clever, yet disturbing, debut novel by Rebecca Whitney, which looks at the psychological turbulence of being trapped in a venomous and toxic marriage.  I didn't like it, I absolutely LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  I was completely gripped from the first few pages up until I turned the last page and I admit I hated David from the start.  I really can't wait until Rebecca's next book (no pressure) but I will definitely read more of her work.

The Liar's Chair is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

Disclaimer by Reneé Knight

Thanks to NetGalley & Transworld Publishers, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review....

Meet Catherine Ravenscroft, a woman who seems to have an almost perfect and happy life when we first meet her in this novel.  She is married to husband Robert and they both have a successful and high status career – Robert is in law and Catherine in television. They have one grown son, Nicholas, who but he has since moved out.

Not long after moving into their new home, one day Catherine discovers a novel sitting on her beside locker, The Perfect Stranger by EJ Preston, she picks it up to start reading it and to her horror realises that it's about her own life and something that has happened more than 20 years ago, a secret that she has kept.  Who has written it though?  Is someone trying to expose her secret that she's been keeping buried for so long or is it a case of revenge?  Is the secret that Catherine's been keeping the real truth or is there something more sinister to this the secret?  Are secrets best kept buried or should the truth always be told?

This is Reneé Knight's debut novel and what a debut it was, it was like a rollercoaster ride, gripping and it certainly made my pulse race with so many twists and turns which kept me hooked.  I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  I can't wait until Reneé's next book (no pressure) and I will definitely read more of her work.  I would even go as far to say that this is one the best books I've read so far this year and would HIGHLY recommend it.

This is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores and is published on 9th April.

Bryant & May and The Burning Man by Christopher Fowler

Thanks to Sophie Christopher, Press Officer from Transworld Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.....

It is October and London is under siege, banks are been targeted with violent protests due to a banking scandal thanks to insider dealings.   A mob descends on the financial square mile a petrol bomb is thrown into a doorway where a homeless man is sleeping. Sadly, he does not survive.  What looks like a horrific accident soon proves to be the start of something more sinister as further fire related deaths occur in subsequent days.  Here we meet Arthur Bryant and his partner John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit as they are drawn in to investigate.  As the body count rises, it's a race against time to catch the killer and a game of cat and mouse ensues. There are twists and turns aplenty as suspects are investigated and links between characters are uncovered.

This is the latest novel in the Bryant and May series but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone without having read any previous installments.  I was unfamiliar with this duo but I'm glad to have discovered them through this book. This is the twelfth novel by Christopher Fowler and I will definitely read more of his work.   I really liked and enjoyed this book, however I felt that it dipped slightly in the middle but gathered pace again as I raced towards the end of it.  I really liked the characters of Bryant and May.  As I was reading it, they reminded me and I could picture in my head, Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) and Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman) from the tv series The Sweeney or D.C.I. Frank Burnside (Christopher Ellison) and DC Alfred "Tosh" Lines (Kevin Lloyd) from The Bill.  If you're a fan of Whitechapel, Sherlock Holmes, The Bill or The Sweeney then this book is for you.

This is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent

Thanks to LoveReading.co.uk and Penguin I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review......

Meet Oliver Ryan, a very successful children’s book writer who is married to an equally successful woman, Alice who also happens to be the illustrator for his books.  From the outside they are the vision of a happy couple but reality is far from it.  One day, Oliver hits Alice so badly that she ends up in coma and nobody can understand that why would he do that so Oliver tells his story.  As the story moves on we're introduced to many characters along the way who have all either had dealings with Oliver or those paths he has crossed over five decades. What unfolds is a story of shame, envy, breath-taking deception and masterful manipulation.

I didn't like this book, I LOVED it.  The first chapter was challenging but compelling. Once I started reading I could not put this book down.  I really disliked Oliver from the first page throughout the book but I could feel my feelings getting softer towards the end for him but you'll have to read it to find out why.   This story demonstrates the extent to which childhood experiences and relationships with our parents impact upon the adult that we become.  Beneath the handsome charming, successful exterior is a toxic manipulative man, who destroys and damages the lives of those who are close to him.  It is so true what they say none of us knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Liz Nugent has worked in Irish film, theatre and television for most of her adult life. She is an award-winning writer of radio and television drama and has written short stories for children and adults. Unravelling Oliver is her first novel and I look forward to reading her next novel.

This is available on Kindle and from all good bookstores.

The Life I Left Behind by Colette McBeth

Thanks to Bookbridgr and Headline Review I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review............

I'm the only one who knows the secrets her friends have hidden, the mistakes the police have made.
I'm the only one who can warn her she's still in danger.
I know exactly who attacked her.
He's the same man who killed me.

A man walking his dog in Ham Common Woods Richmond Park discovers the body of 30 year-old Eve Elliot who has been strangled to death. Her body had bee there for up to a week before being discovered. Eve worked as Senior Producer for a TV programme Appeal that investigated miscarriages of justice. The question is who killed Eve Elliot and why? 

Six years previous to this Melody Pieterson was attacked and left for dead. Only a chance encounter with a dog walker saved her life. Melody's neighbor and close friend David Alden was found guilty of the crime and imprisoned, and the attack and David's betrayal of her friendship left Melody a different person, she no longer trusts anyone or her own judgement.

Soon after David is released from prison, Eve Elliot is murdered in an attack almost identical to Melody's. With the start of a new police investigation, Melody is suddenly pulled from her secluded life and back into the messy world around her. But as she learns more about Eve's murder, Melody starts to wonder if perhaps David hadn't betrayed her after all...if perhaps the killer is someone else entirely, preparing to strike again.

The story is narrated from 3 different people, Eve whom is dead, Melody who was attacked and survived the vicious attack six years ago and DI Rutter the investigating police officer on the case.

This is the second novel by Colette Mc Beth and I will definitely read more of her work. I really liked and enjoyed this book, it dipped slightly in the middle but gathered pace again as I raced towards the end of it.  It was full of twists and turns and I had in my mind 2 suspects but I was completely wrong by the end of the book.  A very clever psychological thriller which makes you ask the question, do you really know anyone at all!??

This is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

The Torn Up Marraige by Caroline Roberts

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Impulse I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review...........

Meet Michael & Kate who have been married for many years and have 2 young daughters, Charlotte and Emily.  They thought they had a stable and happy marraige until Kate accidentally hears a phone call that will change things forever, Michael has been having an affair.  When Kate confronts him about this, he doesn't deny it but in fact admits that he's fallen in love with this other woman and has decided that he wants to have a life with her, so he moves out of the family home.  This book deals with the aftermath of Michael leaving his wife and children and how their lives all change to adapt to this, amongst a few other things thrown into the mix.

I really liked and enjoyed this book, it is tragic and upsetting for all involved as it follows all their lives, from Kate, to the children, to Michael  and their respective families. This story had it all a little bit of humor, love, family, protectiveness to more sensitive and hard-hitting issues - I found I had shed a few tears along the way so grab this book, curl up on the couch and prepare to have a few lump in your throat moments too.

This is Caroline Roberts debut novel and I look forward to reading more work from her.  This is available on Kindle.