Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else. 


Not really my cup of tea, a very well written piece but not sufficiently intriguing or interesting enough to keep me entertained. Would probably come across better as a tv drama where the tension could be ramped up but reading it didn’t do that.

It was promising at the start when a neighbour and her twin children go missing but it focuses on the neighbours and husband with such intensity that they are all but forgotten until the end. It only really got interesting again for me when we were about to uncover what happened that night of the drinks party when they disappeared.

I felt it was overly long and lacked pace however it was well written and I’m sure others would find it enjoyable. This one gets 3 stars from me but only because it wasn’t really my kind of read.

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime -- alone.

Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.

Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.

Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.

Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.

Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.


Three ex college friends meet up at an exclusive luxury hotel for the wedding of a mutual friend Kate, Ginger and Emily are friends of the bride, Lulu who becomes friends to the other three is related to the groom through marriage to Pierce her husband. Lulu is much older than the others and on her forth marriage.

All the friends have secrets and (Lulu apart) having had no contact with each other for five years, they have no idea what each of them has gone through.

We open with a murder and each of the friends confess to the killing. While the confused and exasperated detective tries to unpick the mystery we learn the stories of these friends and what leads each to confess to the murder.

Despite its hefty 319 pages it is a surprisingly quick read, nicely written with interesting flawed characters. There was a little twist at the end, not completely surprising but it rounds things off. Nothing too heavy with his novel, recommended read - four stars.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

The Lie Of You by Jane Lythell

The Lie Of You by Jane Lythell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can you hide your deepest fear?

To the outside world, Kathy is the very picture of a happy and fulfilled modern woman. She has a beautiful baby boy, a clever, handsome husband and a glamorous, high-powered job.

But not everybody is fooled. Her employee, Heja, knows the truth: the cracks in Kathy's marriage, her self-doubt, her fear of failure at work. Heja is perfectly placed to destroy Kathy's life. And if she succeeds, she can claim the one thing she wants most...

As psychological thrillers go this wasn’t the best I’ve read not the worse. Centred around three main characters this is a somewhat tragic tale about love, loss, obsession and jealousy.

Told through two viewpoints, Kathy married to Marcus is a first time new mum juggling a pressurised job at a magazine and new baby who doesn’t really know her husband of two years either. Insecurities at the start mean the foundation of her marriage are not secure and knowing nothing about Marcus and his refusal to talk about his past means that she becomes paranoid at times.

Marcus is a cold fish, he appears to be very closed, even his speech appears to be guarded and stilted. Perhaps this was intentional by the writer to highlight he is Finnish but it was irritating. Similarly the character of Heja was treated to the same traits and both these characters suffered because of it being unlikeable and one dimensional.

The idea was good but I just didn’t feel we ever really got to know the characters which made it a bit hollow for me. I didn’t connect with any of them and although the reasons behind behaviour of characters came from deeper traumas as a reader I didn’t get that emotional pull.

Not a bad read but not a great read, would give this one a three star rating as missed opportunities and lack of depth in characterisation let this down.

A Year in Nature - A carousel book of the seasons laurencekingpub .

A Year in Nature - A carousel book of the seasons @laurencekingpub ..

This book is simply stunning. I had no idea what to expect and when I opened it I was surprised and amazed.

This book is beautiful, being 3D it allows you to see everything at once through the different seasons.

There is so much to see on each page, facts about the seasons but also hidden gems for you to spot. I love the fact we go on a journey with the foxes through the year to see what happens to them. I also love the fact we learn about evergreen trees and trees in general through the carousel.

This is a perfect book for little ones to learn about the season, brilliant for school aged children 5 and 6 who learn about the seasons in Science but it’s a stunning book to share at any age.

I would like to thank @laurencekingpub for sending this in exchange for an honest review, this is a book we will be keeping and treasuring as its so stunning.

No One Cancels Christmas by Zara Stoneley

No One Cancels Christmas by Zara Stoneley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Typical rom com, schmaltzy with a warm fuzzy feel good factor read. Lots of dilemmas and misinterpreted situations have this moving along nicely in the typical to com manner. Predictable but not boring and a lovely atmospheric Christmas read with all the snow, hot chocolate, baubles and good looking men fans of this genre love.

Lovely Christmas read - five stars as it has everything it needs to make it complete

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cleverly written psychological/sci-fi/thriller that brings these genres together in an absorbingly frightening tale.

Set in the summer of 1969 in Indiana, 4 college students enrol on an experimental project primarily because they are short of money and they get paid to do it.

It’s not long before Terry (one of girls) realises there’s something more sinister about the project. Discovering a child is being kept at the lab, Terry sets about finding out the truth with dire consequences.

My first novel in the Stranger Things series which I thoroughly enjoyed. Believable characters and storyline, it’s pacy narrative has the reader speeding along to it’s rather unfinished ending. ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ I believe is the sequel which I fully intend to read to clear up the unfinished business of ‘Suspicious Minds’. 5 stars for this one

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

A Stolen Summer by Allegra Huston

A Stolen Summer by Allegra Huston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Essentially about a woman, who after several years of marriage and one child, finds herself again, with the help of Micajah Burnett the son of an old school friend.

Micajah is 4 years older than Eves own son Allan but he awakes lost passion for life and gives Eve the confidence to break out of her loveless marriage.

Sensitively written, beautiful in parts, we see her blossom when she is with Micajah rediscovering her youthful aspirations when she finally sets herself free. He makes her feel beautiful again and although she does love him she realises that she doesn’t need him or anyone to make her feel complete. Not my usual genre but pleasantly and surprisingly a good holiday read - 4 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.