Laura ElliotRezensionen

His first wife drowned in a seemingly freak accident and now he has a new wife!

Told in two parts, past and present, past - Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and what someone people are really capable of.

What starts as two people coming together in shared grief, Nick who seems like a loving and caring man recovering from the tragic loss of his first wife Amelia, and Elena who is grieving for her mother, fall in love and live is now more bearable now they have each other. And then things start to change!

This is a brilliant twisty suspenseful thriller full of some truly surprising twists and turns. I was hooked from the start and literally kept reading ..... all day! Unable to stop reading it until the very end.

This genuinely is a "keep you on the edge of your seat" read! I loved it and I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to anyone!

A good idea for a story. But it also seemed drawn out to me, unnecessarily so. It wasn't boring but it didn't keep me up all night either, and didn't capture my attention enough that it didn't go unread for long stretches before I finally finished it. Overall somewhat anticlimactic in many ways, with the twists in the plot falling flat after so much build-up. The pacing of the whole novel was just off to me and it didn't deliver the gut punches I was expecting.

Having Amelia fake her death was a twist I did not expect. The story itself is really drawn out and could do without a lot of the fluff. The book was interesting but nothing great, did not have on the "edge of my seat" or anything like that. Decent read at best.

I'm halfway through this story and enjoying it. As much as you can enjoy a story about verbal and physical abuse. Elena meets Nicholas at her mother's funeral. Nicholas has also lost his wife recently in a tragic drowning accident. Did his first wife, Amelia commit suicide because of Nicholas' actions?
Elena falls for the charming Nicholas and they move into the home where he lived with Amelia. Although Elena is not happy about this she agrees to it until Nicholas' work slows down and they have time to find another place to live. Her dislike of the house is exacerbated by her mother-in-law, Yvonne, coming over unannounced.
She manages to hide Nicholas' abuse and he apologies for his actions often. He tells Elena its post-traumatic stress but refuses to seek help. Elena thinks about leaving him but with two young children and no money she finds this difficult.
The Wife Before Me is worth your time even if the theme is dark. Unfortunately, it is a story that happens all too often.
I have now finished this thrilling story. The twists and turns in the final chapters are numerous and the ending is unexpected. Having said that, I’m not entirely happy with the ending. For me it’s a little unbelievable.

This is a well done exploration of abuse. The ending is messy.

The Tinderbox by Laura Elliot is a recommended psychological thriller.

Sophy and Luke's marriage is over due to his gambling problem. The two have separated and Luke has went to a treatment center. Sophie has sold her business and is selling their house in order to pay off his debts. In order to provide a home for her two daughters, 14 year-old Isobel and younger daughter Julie, Sophie has accepted the position as a live-in nurse for Jack Hyland. Jack was horrible burned and disfigured in a fire and will need help and assistance in his recovery. Sophie and her daughters will be living on the main floor of his home, Hyland Hall. When they arrive, the three are shocked to see the home is is such disrepair, but Isobel is the only one openly complaining. When Jack's nephew, Victor, who lives next door shows up, it becomes clear that he wasn't told about Sophy's job and that Jack and Victor are not as close as Victor claims. Victor, however, sets out to charm Sophy and the girls.

The narrative unfolds in alternating chapters through the point of view of Sophie or Isobel. We become well acquainted with these two characters and their thoughts. Sophy feels that this position is a life saver as it provides a home for her and the girls. Isobel calls the upstairs the Fear Zone and finds the whole house creepy. She really starts out as a rather immature, bratty character, but you know from the opening of the novel that a teenage girl will be calling the Garda (police in Ireland) to say her life is in danger, so you know something is going to go terribly wrong. The pace starts out slow after this opening hook but eventually picks up later in the novel.

The suspense is in following the action to reach the point where the phone call is made. The main problem is that the whole plot is so terribly predictable. It partially follows a sort of Gothic plot outline, where there are unknown threatening elements, a crumbling ancestral home, a sequestered disfigured owner, a charming relative, and an ominous sense of foreboding danger. It doesn't help that the younger daughter, Julie, is attached to a child-size mannequin, treats it like a real person, and is trying to practice ventriloquism with her. Victor seems smarmy and untrustworthy from the start, making you doubt Sophie's intelligence when she responds to his advances. Yes, The Tinderbox is worth reading, but I knew where it was going almost right from the start so there wasn't a whole lot of suspense for me.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/11/the-tinderbox.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3658087465

The Wife before Me. Laura Elliot. 2018. The blurb: “A twisty, gripping psychological thriller.” “Twisty” it is, but it is also almost immediately, predictable. And you know that Nicholas Madison is the villain. Elena meets him at her mother’s funeral. Since her mother worked at Nicholas’ financial firm, Elena seems to run into him accidentally as she is settling the estate. The accidental meetings turn into dates and she learn that Nicholas’ first wife died when her car veers off the road, even though her body is never found. Elena marries him and moves into the house he shared with Amelia. He turns into Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, and also becomes mean and brutal. He always blames it on his grief and on the fact that Elena wants him to talk about Amelia. He becomes more and more controlling and violent, and Elena begins to doubt herself and withdraw from her friends. She eventually tries to kill him and is arrested. Then the novel switches to Amelia and find out how her marriage was to him. Nicolas is a classic psychotic abuser and is eventually brought to justice. It is his violence, psychological, physical and sexual is vividly described

This wasn't really very gripping at all

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm.
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/



3.5 Stars
So Guilty was the first book I have read by Laura Elliot, I enjoyed it but found the first half of the book much more compelling than the second.
If I could, I would rate the first fifty percent a solid four and the last half a three as I can't do this and to be fair I have settled on a three and a half rating for the whole experience.
So what is guilty about?
Well when Constance Lawson goes missing, it sends everyone into a tailspin of confusion, hysteria and an almost witch-hunt of epic proportions by the press.
In particular, one journalist makes it her mission to personally persecute Constance's uncle, Karl Lawson.
Amanda Bowe a journalist is mainly motivated by a past grievance and also an arrogance of her own self-importance that she is infallible in her assumptions.
she systematically closes the cage that is growing around Karl, So great is her arrogance in his guilt.
Not caring a tall that Karl could be an innocent man.
Over seven days Karl Lawson's life is destroyed in a campaign of mud slinging and half-truths.
finally resulting in him losing everything important to him, his job, his family nothing is off limits.

Loved this half of the book
Watching a world implode and the sheer helplessness and inability to call a cease-fire was a sort of train-wreck visual.
it was soul destroying, but the visuals it beheld were strangely compelling, as poor Karl is thrown to the wolves and ripped apart, to make it worse he seems such a lovely man.
A great father, dad, husband, brother, uncle.
None of this matters when it comes to the judgements imposed by others.
Amanda at the helm leading the madness, almost a figurehead.

In contrast, Amanda Bowes to me wasn't a very likeable person.
I couldn't take to her at all, so to see her thriving years later, well not exactly fair, is it.
Well, Karmas a bitch and it's coming for you AMANDA!!!



Now as I said, I found some parts of this story more enthralling than others, that is not to say I didn't enjoy Guilty, I just felt more of a connection with certain characters so found it easier to connect to these parts of the story.
Karl was easy, Amanda not so much.
I also couldn't get my head around the plinks I found them pointless and a bit bizarre, but I suppose they did serve their purpose they were just a bit weird, they also made me think a bit of lazy town.
don't ask me why they just did.
Also towards the end, I felt things started to drag a bit so I was definitely ready for that finish line.
The end in sight almost.



So, in conclusion, this was a good solid read that kept my attention mostly.
It did drag slightly for me in places, but other instances more than made up for it, keeping my momentum going.

But I'm Still slightly bemused about those bloody plinks!



sorry just saying.

Anyway shaking head slightly,
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free readers copy of Guilty By Laura Elliot this is my own personal opinion.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm.
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/



3.5 Stars
So Guilty was the first book I have read by Laura Elliot, I enjoyed it but found the first half of the book much more compelling than the second.
If I could, I would rate the first fifty percent a solid four and the last half a three as I can't do this and to be fair I have settled on a three and a half rating for the whole experience.
So what is guilty about?
Well when Constance Lawson goes missing, it sends everyone into a tailspin of confusion, hysteria and an almost witch-hunt of epic proportions by the press.
In particular, one journalist makes it her mission to personally persecute Constance's uncle, Karl Lawson.
Amanda Bowe a journalist is mainly motivated by a past grievance and also an arrogance of her own self-importance that she is infallible in her assumptions.
she systematically closes the cage that is growing around Karl, So great is her arrogance in his guilt.
Not caring a tall that Karl could be an innocent man.
Over seven days Karl Lawson's life is destroyed in a campaign of mud slinging and half-truths.
finally resulting in him losing everything important to him, his job, his family nothing is off limits.

Loved this half of the book
Watching a world implode and the sheer helplessness and inability to call a cease-fire was a sort of train-wreck visual.
it was soul destroying, but the visuals it beheld were strangely compelling, as poor Karl is thrown to the wolves and ripped apart, to make it worse he seems such a lovely man.
A great father, dad, husband, brother, uncle.
None of this matters when it comes to the judgements imposed by others.
Amanda at the helm leading the madness, almost a figurehead.

In contrast, Amanda Bowes to me wasn't a very likeable person.
I couldn't take to her at all, so to see her thriving years later, well not exactly fair, is it.
Well, Karmas a bitch and it's coming for you AMANDA!!!



Now as I said, I found some parts of this story more enthralling than others, that is not to say I didn't enjoy Guilty, I just felt more of a connection with certain characters so found it easier to connect to these parts of the story.
Karl was easy, Amanda not so much.
I also couldn't get my head around the plinks I found them pointless and a bit bizarre, but I suppose they did serve their purpose they were just a bit weird, they also made me think a bit of lazy town.
don't ask me why they just did.
Also towards the end, I felt things started to drag a bit so I was definitely ready for that finish line.
The end in sight almost.



So, in conclusion, this was a good solid read that kept my attention mostly.
It did drag slightly for me in places, but other instances more than made up for it, keeping my momentum going.

But I'm Still slightly bemused about those bloody plinks!



sorry just saying.

Anyway shaking head slightly,
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free readers copy of Guilty By Laura Elliot this is my own personal opinion.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/

Laura Elliot has woven a tightly braided story. The strands of the braid are so tightly woven that it seems as if the truth will never come to light. The unraveling starts with a swallow fluttering its wings in an attic and the constant question remains “How long is a piece of string?” Sound cryptic? The unraveling and question continue throughout the story strand by strand until the braid starts to come undone and then is redone, tightened, only to become tangled and very messy.

The tension never lifts, each section brings another gasp of rage, fear and torment. Powerful, emotional writing with characters perfectly drawn, situations so clearly described that you feel the raw emotion being described. Many important topics are found and explored in this book and the author doesn’t make excuses or shy away from exposing the devastating consequences of bullying, shaming, cultism and those with power who prey on the weak. This is all incorporated smoothly within the storyline allowing the reader to sift through the emotions that are provoked.

This book captured my undivided attention and I finished it in a day. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

Amelia Madison goes on a drive and never returns. On a dangerous incline, her car slips off of a cliff and plunges into the sea. It is now two years later, and Elena Langdon meets Amelia's husband Nicholas. It is Elena's mother's funeral and Nicholas is there as he worked with her mother. They are both grieving and yet they make a connection.

Over time, the two develop a bond, and eventually begin to live together. She is most assuredly in love with him and he claims to love her as well. However, he begins to exhibit increasingly cruel and dangerous sides to his personality, placing her very life in danger more than once. At some point, Elena begins to wonder what really happened to Amelia. Was Nicholas as cruel to Amelia as he is to Elena? Was Amelia's death an accident?

When Elena discovers a torn letter it sends incredible chills through her bones. Everything changes and she begins looking for answers. Even so, it is very difficult for her to prove just how dangerous Nicholas truly is. However, what she discovers is shocking beyond belief, plunging her into even more terror than she could have ever imagined.

I sometimes don't know who experienced more shock, Elena, Amelia or myself, the reader. I then found myself dealing with powerful emotions towards or against certain characters in this book, namely Nicholas, his mother, and even his father. This was a truly emotional read and I give kudos to the author for evoking such powerful responses in me while reading this book.

When I picked The Wife Before Me for review, I know since it was in my genre of choice, that it would most likely be a good read. It was far more than that - it was an utterly exceptional read. For starters, there were twists and turns that had me gasping for air and I just could not turn the page fast enough. I found myself devouring this book in just two sittings, pausing only enough for a scant few hours of sleep before continuing on, yes, in just two brief sittings. From the first page to the very last page, I was completely riveted. This is my first book by Laura Elliot and I know for a solid fact that she will be a definite auto-buy for me. Her writing is concise, her characters memorable and the plot lines believable.

Thank you to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

When Adele Foyle is roving about in her grandmother's attic, she finds a secret diary of her mother - someone she never met. Sadly, her mother died giving birth to her. What she is about to discover will be more than she could ever believe. Almost more than she will be able to handle.

She begins to discover secrets hidden for over twenty-five years. Adele starts looking for answers. In so doing, she goes back to the last place her mother lived, Reedstown. The circumstances of Adele's conception are devastating and she is determined not only to find out more about that, but to bring certain people to justice, even all of these years later.

Adele was born in an unusual environment. It was a home for unwed mothers run but a strange religious group called The Thorns. So that is where Adele begins her search. She soon learns that no one wants questions asked. No one has answers to offer. As a matter of fact, the deeper Adele goes in her search, the worst things get for her.

In My Mother's Name was a disturbing and fast-moving story. Adele is a strong woman, and I so felt for her mother and what she suffered. To imagine Adele's discoveries was very difficult. However, Laura Elliott is a gifted storyteller who managed to craft a sensitive story that held a lot of suspense.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This is a story of one journalist's thirst for a story, how her aggressive and unflagging investigation into an innocent man ruins his life, and how his vengeance ruins hers. Constance, a young girl, goes missing one night. She has a very close relationship with her uncle Karl, but Karl doesn't know what happened. Amanda, a reporter, digs into Constance's relationship with her uncle, and puts a sinister tone to it. Based on her insinuations in her reporting, Amanda turns public opinion against Karl. Amanda is unscrupulous, and stops at nothing to get what she wants. Her reckless behavior causes her to ruin Karl's life. But, later, Karl exacts his revenge.
The story was good, but it went on for too long. I think it could have been better if the story was about 100 pages shorter. It would have heightened the intensity of the novel.
This story certainly did make one thing clear to me - and that is, do not automatically assume something about someone, and check and recheck what you read!
#Guilty #LauraElliot

ARC provided via Netgalley.

Beth and Sara are as different as day and night; one with dark hair and one with blonde, one is loved by her mother while the other is not, but both their childhoods are ruined by the same monster. With years of secrets behind them, Beth and Sara's childhood continues to haunt them, and those around them, for their entire lives. Their spouses, their friends, and their children feel the ripple effects of the past in their daily lives, with words unspoken and harsh secrets leaving a dark shadow over them. As the secrets start to reveal themselves, Beth must learn to cope with the secret she and Beth shared, and the revenge she wants to see through.

I was sucked into the story of unhappy Beth and spoiled Sara right away, desperate to see how two sisters were wound together with one secret when their lives seemed so different. As I continued to read I found myself wrapped in the dark cloak that Beth had wrapped around her, her life taking a different path as she ran from the monster both physically and in her head. I wanted so desperately to see these two sisters lives play out differently, but like the childhood abuse, their adult lives carried that same heavy weight. In Parts 2 through 4 we meet more characters, affected by the tragedy of the sister's youth though they don't know of it. I really like seeing how a moment in two young girl's lives played into the future, I think it takes a lot for an author to really carry such a hard thing, such as childhood abuse, through an entire book and Laura Elliot does so well. There are several layers to the story and it was easy to feel as though I was twisted up in it just as much as the characters were.

Unfortunately, while the words were beautiful and the story line was intriguing, Sleep Sister just felt never ending. With several POV's, flashbacks, and four total parts, I lost track of the characters and my feelings for them as I ultimately ended up reading just to finally get to the end. At one point I lost track of the several open plots that twisted together, realizing as I finished the book that some were left incomplete. While the subject was sad one, my complaint lies more with how the book flowed and worked through the characters emotions than with the heavy subject. I tend to love a good family drama, but this one just wasn't for me.

Sleep Sister is heavy, a realistic look at the drama and angst that can tear a family apart and leave rippling effects for years to come. Everything you could want in a dramatic suspenseful read is in this book and I think it just didn't work on a personal level for me.

It gets better as you read

I was ready to put it down after 5 chapters or so, but then the story got increasingly deeper and kept me wanting to read more. A little odd ending, but I’m ok with it

This starts with a missing girl and follows the aftermath of the media storm and investigation that comes after. If you think this is just a missing person story, think again.

I found this book very entertaining and well written. This is one of those stories where you think it'll be all about one thing and it turns into something completely different. I really enjoyed the way the story flowed throughout the book and I especially liked the characters. The two main characters are Karl Lawson and Amanda Bowe, I liked Karl but I loved to hate Amanda. This was a great book and I highly recommend it..

His first wife drowned in a seemingly freak accident and now he has a new wife!

Told in two parts, past and present, past - Amelia and present Elena, this brilliant psychological thriller is a terrifying story of domestic violence, fear and what someone people are really capable of.

What starts as two people coming together in shared grief, Nick who seems like a loving and caring man recovering from the tragic loss of his first wife Amelia, and Elena who is grieving for her mother, fall in love and live is now more bearable now they have each other. And then things start to change!

This is a brilliant twisty suspenseful thriller full of some truly surprising twists and turns. I was hooked from the start and literally kept reading ..... all day! Unable to stop reading it until the very end.

This genuinely is a "keep you on the edge of your seat" read! I loved it and I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to anyone!

Many thanks to the author Laura Elliot, publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Evie was adopted at birth. As she begins to behave strangely, her mother find a card and gifts from her 'real father'. Things quickly turn into a nightmare.

What a brilliant book. Slightly different and a real page turner. I loved it

Scritto molto bene e coinvolgente, non è precisamente un thriller ma tiene avvinti. La storia è molto gradevole e originale.

I must admit it took me a while to get into this novel. I found it slightly confusing at first with the switching around in place and time. However I’m glad I stuck with it because by the end I couldn’t put my kindle down.
I won’t go into the plot as other reviewers have already done so but Fragile Lies deals with the aftermath of one tragic event, the hit and run of Killian. It’s not really a ‘who dunnit’ as the perpetrators are pretty easy to work out, but it’s a fantastic character study. I loved watching Virginia and Razor turn from punk rock wild childs to responsible business people. Lorraine and Adrian’s intense love affair falls apart but instead Lorraine rediscovers rural Ireland and so does the reader, the description of the countryside and weather etc is amazing.
What really holds the novel together for me however are the scenes at Killian’s bedside. A host of different characters interact with him from his devoted grandma to the hospital tea lady and you can feel him trying to respond, trying to communicate and return to his old life.
It is a bit of a slow burner and there aren’t a huge amount of twists and shocks but as a character driven novel it comes up trumps for me.

Sisters Beth and Sara living in a small Irish village. Not a very nice childhood, especially for Beth, who was constantly chastised and blamed for everything by her "loving" mother. I really liked the start (and the end) of this book, but then it got rather bogged down with just too many characters coming and going. Having enjoyed other books by this author, looked forward to reading this one, but sadly it wasn't quite as good. The cover and description was enticing, but it was more saga than thriller, a bit on the slow side and I found myself skimming sections. It was disturbing at times, with secrets, abuse of power and betrayal. I'm just sorry I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd expected to.

Carla Kelley is a beautiful and famous model, whose career is only heightened by her pregnancy, as she advertises the maternity line, "Anticipation." Susanne Dowling, meanwhile, lives a quiet and sad life, punctuated by several heart-breaking miscarriages. Her last one seems destined to send her over the edge.

Shortly after Carla's baby, Isobel, is born, the baby vanishes from the hospital without a trace. The media descends upon the model and her husband, ruining his undercover detective career and threatening their marriage.

Meanwhile, Susanne and her husband, David, are basking in happiness: their new baby girl, Joy. Susanne finally has the baby she's always wanted. But is she happy?

The book alternates between Carla and Susanne's points of view and eventually, once she's old enough, we hear from Joy as well. While the story is compelling, I had a hard time getting into the novel as neither Carla and Susanne present as very sympathetic characters, despite their losses. The book becomes more interesting as Joy ages and can tell her side of the story. Much of the tale is more a study in personalities and psychology than a page-turning search for a child. The reader is always aware where the "stolen child" is, even if her parents are not.

Overall, it's an intriguing read (and an interesting description of a scenario that terrifies many parents - I know I felt agonized reading the moments where Isobel is stolen), if not a little slow at times, with some characters who, while human and complicated, won't always elicit a lot of sympathy.

(Note: I received a digital copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.)

Carla Kelley is a beautiful and famous model, whose career is only heightened by her pregnancy, as she advertises the maternity line, "Anticipation." Susanne Dowling, meanwhile, lives a quiet and sad life, punctuated by several heart-breaking miscarriages. Her last one seems destined to send her over the edge.

Shortly after Carla's baby, Isobel, is born, the baby vanishes from the hospital without a trace. The media descends upon the model and her husband, ruining his undercover detective career and threatening their marriage.

Meanwhile, Susanne and her husband, David, are basking in happiness: their new baby girl, Joy. Susanne finally has the baby she's always wanted. But is she happy?

The book alternates between Carla and Susanne's points of view and eventually, once she's old enough, we hear from Joy as well. While the story is compelling, I had a hard time getting into the novel as neither Carla and Susanne present as very sympathetic characters, despite their losses. The book becomes more interesting as Joy ages and can tell her side of the story. Much of the tale is more a study in personalities and psychology than a page-turning search for a child. The reader is always aware where the "stolen child" is, even if her parents are not.

Overall, it's an intriguing read (and an interesting description of a scenario that terrifies many parents - I know I felt agonized reading the moments where Isobel is stolen), if not a little slow at times, with some characters who, while human and complicated, won't always elicit a lot of sympathy.

(Note: I received a digital copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.)

This book wasn’t as I expected it to be. Given the title, I expected a detective hunt for a missing child, kidnap and perhaps murder. Instead it is a character study of two women encompassing grief, guilt, blame, anger, loss and redemption. Susanna loses her own baby before term and steals one to replace it. Carla, a model who lives her life on the fashion pages, gives birth but days later her baby disappears from the hospital without trace. This is a page-turner but is so much more than that. It is a character study of two women at the extreme of horror and grief, not just in the immediate aftermath of the theft, but years later. Both experience loss, grief, guilt and dashed hopes.
Susanne steals baby Isobel and calls her Joy. Devastated mum Carla is dealing with an avid media which cannot believe its luck at the juicy headlines. Both women struggle to live day-to-day. Relationships crack, friendships shake. Susanne is over-protective of Joy. Carla refuses to let go, even after her husband leaves the country to ‘move on’. She changes her name, cuts her hair short and dyes it black. The years pass. But rural Ireland is a small place. The network of who-knows-who overlaps the lives of both women, now and in the past. Why did Susanne choose Carla’s baby to steal? Part of my motivation to turn the page was the curiosity about who would spot the strong physical likeness between Joy and Carla. As Joy/Isobel grows, her voice joins the story too: teenage angst, boyfriend trouble, rebellion and confusion.
Susanne and Carla are connected by an umbilical cord. I waited for the moment that the cord would be yanked, and the two pulled together. This book is an examination of what makes a family: blood, proximity, do they have to start with a birth or are they more loosely assembled?
Read more of my book reviews at my blog http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/