Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (7th March 2019)

 

ISBN: 978-1503905023

 

Source: Netgalley 

 

Rating: 5*

 

Synopsis: 

 

Four-year-old Ellen is snatched by a stranger in the dead of night. Her devastated mother, Nicole, receives four identical phials and a threatening note in a familiar scrawl that chills her to the bone. But she always knew this would happen. She’s been expecting it for years.

 

According to the note, one of the phials is poisoned. Nicole is given a deadly challenge: if she drinks one, the sadistic kidnapper will notify the police of Ellen’s location. The sender claims to be Luka Volkov but Luka is supposed to be dead, killed long ago in a fire that haunts all those involved.

 

DI Amy Winter is still reeling from the discovery that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and her childhood trauma only makes her more determined to bring Ellen home. When another child is taken, Amy finds herself in a race against time. To rescue the children, must she seek help from the one person she wants to forget?

 

Review:

In the first novel in the D.I. Amy Winter series, Amy learns that she has a notorious serial killer for a mother. If you've not yet read Truth and Lies I urge you to pick up a copy. Although The Secret Child reads well as a stand alone, there are references to events that happened in first book, (though they are well explained) plus it's the perfect introduction to the character! 

 

In this second outing for Amy, we are plunged into tension immediately as the kidnapper strikes, spiriting little Ellen away. I was on the edge of my seat straight away, not knowing what was about to happen. Caroline Mitchell is fantastic at conjuring up an air of menace and keeping it palpable throughout, whilst simultaneously juggling several other interwoven storylines.  Her finger never wavering off the pulse for a second as she seamlessly ties all the invisible ends together in one fell swoop that just made me gasp and shout 'Nooooo!' very loudly at my kindle! I will never tire of reading Caroline's books because they are simply unputdownable and I can never forsee what is going to happen. 

 

Special thanks to Caroline Mitchell, Thomas & Mercer for providing a review copy via Netgalley. This is my unbiased review. 

 

The Secret Child: A gripping novel of fa...

One of the best books I have read this year. Kerry Fisher has a great style of writing and makes the characters very 3 dimensional and believable. The subject matter is a sensitive one and in previous generations very taboo. I felt the book did it justice. The story flowed nicely and wasn't hard going at all, although very emotional in places, I found myself rooting for the characters and hoping that it worked out for the best in the end. Books are always good when you find yourself thinking about it after reading. I have a feeling this book will stay with me for a long time!

His Secret Child - Leslie North

Slade was the owner and ran Slade Securities. Brock was his employee but really more of a brother to Slade. Bethany had called Slade Securities as it was the only number she had to contact Brock. But Brock was on his honeymoon so Slade came to in his place. Bethany was Tayra sister. Tayra was Brock's ex wife. By the time Slade arrived Bethany had passed away from breast cancer. Slade met Bethany and saw a child at her side-Jason- who had something wrong with his legs. Bethany wanted to adopt Jason , she was not going to let him go. But Bethany did need help with Jason’s health problems and felt he should get what he had coming to him. Bethany thought Jason was Brock’s and Tayra’s son but in reality he was Slade’s from a one night stand with Tayra after she was divorced from Brock.

This story was okay but I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked. First off I hate cliff hangers and this ended in one. There wasn’t much romance as the relationship was too fast paced but this was a short story but still I think it could have been handled differently. There was no resolution for Jason or his health problems. There was also too many questions in the end like: how did Brock feel about Slade sleeping with his ex after all Brock had went through. I also feel like the story ended abruptly. I think with some work this could have been a better read.

I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

I'm estimating on the date I read this. Sometime in early June. It took me this long to get around to writing my review. This was well-written, I just wasn't that fond of Alessandro. He's a bit of the poor little rich boy type. Raised by uncaring parents, his mother left him when he was young and so he thinks every woman is a good digger. A lack of trust between Alessandro and Carys lead to the downfall of their relationship, that and his growing emotional remoteness from her. Carys is somewhat insecure, due to her learning disability and not fitting in with her overachieving parents and siblings. She was almost too easy for a man like Alessandro to seduce to fall into a relationship with him because she craved being loved by someone. That's part of why I didn't care for the way Alessandro treated her. The amnesia aspect was a bit of a twist, but it didn't really make me more sympathetic to him. I wish that he had to work harder to gain Carys' love than he did. Ultimately, he does show how much she means to him, but I would have liked more demonstrativeness from him. I did see a lot of sexual chemistry between them, but the emotional connection is more important I think. I did love how he supported Carys in what she does, in light of her dyslexia. The baby was cute as well.

Not a favorite of mine by the author, but pretty good.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

Secret Child, Royal Scandal - Cat Schiel... I have had the pleasure of reading all three of Cat Schield's Sherdana Royals books. Have enjoyed every single one but Secret Child, Royal Scandal is my absolute favorite of the lot. Christian is the perfect guy. He loves his family, is wealthy and looks out for the best interest of the people he cares about. Noelle has always held a special place in his heart but misunderstandings and tough choices ruptured the bond they shared. I received a copy Secret Child, Royal Scandal in exchange for an honest review. The way that Christian looked after Noelle and sacrificed his own happiness is sweet and a fantasy come true for any romantic. Love is looking out for someone else despite the risk. That is what makes this story.

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