Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

This didn’t really do it for me.

I think the real culprit was obvious pretty much from the get go. A wee bit of a psycho vibe going on there. A tiny niggle here and there was later confirmed.

Jack makes it hard for for Sarah to trust him. She has no idea about his past, the murder in his family or his past liaison with his brother’s wife.

Sarah feels boxed into a tiny corner by the events in her husband’s home-town. Who can be trusted? Is there anyone on her side? Is Jack just playing some kind of sick game with her life and that of her children.

Suddenly the man she has loved for many years is not only a stranger, but also a potential multiple killer. On top of that Jack seems to be really cosy with his ex. Talk about making someone look like a complete fool. I think I would be slightly angry and overly cautious too under those circumstances.

From the very beginning Jack and Sarah appear to be complete strangers, despite the fact they have been married for a few decades and have two children. Perhaps that is what makes everything seem so disconnected. Baring that the characters might just have lacked depth.

Overall it felt a bit messy, but it was an ok read.

Buy Missing Pieces at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf.

Kathleen McGurl

Kathleen McGurl is a writer of short stories, novels and how-to-write books. She lives by the sea in Bournemouth with her husband and teen son 2. Teen son 1 is away at university. When not writing she is either working at the day-job (IT for a large retail organisation) or running along the Bournemouth prom, slowly.

She has sold dozens of stories to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Her how-to-write books and a romantic novella are available as ebooks from Amazon. Her first full-length novel, The Emerald Comb, was published by Carina UK on 22nd September 2014, and her second, The Pearl Locket, is available for pre-order, to be released on 27th February 2015.

(bio provided by the author)

To connect with Kathleen on Twitter: @KathMcGurl

Or to find out more about Kathleen McGurl and her books, go visit kathleenmcgurl.com

Read more about The Emerald Comb, The Pearl Locket and The Daughters of Red Hill Hall:

The Emerald Comb is a story of betrayal, murder and the hidden mysteries of genealogy. Katie finds out more than she wants to know, but once opened the content of Pandora’s box can never be unseen. Read more here

 

 

 

 

 

Ali inherits both a house and the family secrets. The type of secrets that destroy families, and in this case even threaten to break up her own. Read more here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daughters of Red Hill Hall is about history repeating itself. The echoes of betrayal, jealousy and envy are transported through time. Imprinted on two duelling pistols. Will they cause another tragedy in the present? Read more here.

Power Games by Victoria Fox

Victoria Fox has most certainly got a Jackie Collins vibe. Her characters are large, loud, vivacious and unforgettable. You will either love them or hate them.

The reader follows the lives of the glitzy, the bold and the beautiful, the famous and the infamous.  They are all busy hiding themselves and their secrets behind their celebrity personas.

I found it quite interesting that some of the characters are similar to real life public figures. I will leave other readers to draw their own conclusions about who they sound like. Needless to say some of the comparisons shed an uncomfortable light on the real identity behind the well-staged media images.

The lives of seven people are about to change forever on the whim of a twisted bitter old man, who is set on revenge no matter the cost or fallout. This very meticulously planned revenge is based on minor slights, embarrassments and rejections. Not really any reason to kill a person, let alone try to ruin their lives.

In a scenario reminiscent of Lost the victims are supposed to vanish without a trace, instead they end up depending on each other in an extreme situation. Fake smiles wither, good manners disappear and the real personalities can no longer be hidden from view.

Ever so slowly the strengths of some become apparent and the weaknesses of others could be the downfall of their fellow survivors.

If you’re looking for the kind of read similar to Jackie Collins or Danielle Steel then this should be right up your street.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Harlequin UK and MIRA UK.

The Accident by C.L. Taylor

It might just be me, but I thought the husband Brian was a complete tosser. He wasn’t supportive,  he was condescending and in his own way abusive. When you make someone feel small, insignificant or make them feel as if they are losing their mind then that counts as emotional abuse in my book.

Brian is fully aware of her past, and instead of understanding her fears, flashbacks and insecurities he treats her as if she belongs in the loony bin. Her daughter is in a coma does he expect her to dance an Irish jig and throw a party? It is only natural for Sue to be emotionally distraught.

Sue knows deep down inside that something just isn’t right and she is determined to follow the niggling feeling of doubt all the way to the truth, whether the truth is good or bad. Everyone is so busy dismissing her gut instincts that no person is actually looking for the reason Charlotte chose to do what she did.

At the same time Sue experiences something nearly all parents of teenagers go through, realizing that their child has secrets from them and is in the process of building a path of independence, which ultimately usually leads to them leaving the nest. Finding out that your child not only has secrets is one thing; however finding out that those secrets might be endangering their life is another matter entirely.

I don’t think Sue understands how her past relationships have influenced her behaviour towards life and the people she loves. Her anxiety, fears and paranoia have been projected on to her daughter, ergo resulting in the daughter hiding things from her parents.

The Accident is actually a very realistic account of the repercussions of abuse even years after the abuse  has taken place. It is often always an underlying issue for those that have experienced it and can affect all future relationships and dynamics.

The story also sheds light on the fact that some abusers, especially in domestic abuse cases, never give up. Some of them perceive the abused to be their possession and will persevere in their destructive tactics till the bitter end. Often that end means death to the abused.

Society still doesn’t take that threat seriously enough, which statistics clearly show. If anything this story is a great way to enhance the fact that society, government, law enforcement and we the people should be doing more to help stop the abusers.

Far too often someone out there says ‘I think he (or she) is going to kill me one day’ and far too often that person is or was right. We need to listen to them before and not after the fact, when it is too late to save them.

Buy The Accident at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read The Fear by C.L. Taylor

Read The Lie by C.L. Taylor