She married my ex. She needs my help. But can I trust her?

I came to live in my run-down little cottage in this peaceful village ten years ago. I don’t let anyone into my home, I don’t tell anyone about the man I ran away from, and so far, I’ve kept myself safe. But then Jade and her baby girl appear at my garden gate.

Jade married Ryan when I left. Now her hands tremble like mine did, and her face is tired and worn like mine was. I look at the sweet little child cradled in her arms, realising she must be his daughter. In a quiet voice, Jade asks to stay, and I find myself letting her in.

Jade is the one person I can finally confide in, and as time passes, I expect us to grow close. But instead she sits in silence rocking her daughter, and sneaks around my house as if she’s looking for something…

I start to wonder if I’ve trusted the one woman I shouldn’t have. But, then again, perhaps she has come looking for safety in the place where she is most in danger. Because as I look at her sweet baby girl, I know, I can never let them leave…

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Review

Thank you.

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About the author

https://bookouture.com/authors/sam-vickery-205/

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Book Link

https://geni.us/B0FZBTWVBQsocial

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Watching my beautiful rosy-cheeked baby Ava play in the sand, I can’t believe how much joy she’s brought me. I look at the gentle waves of the ocean sparkling in the sun. But when I turn back, Ava is gone…

Everyone rushes to the beach to help search for Ava, but there’s no trace of her anywhere nearby. My ex-husband Jimmy is just as terrified as I am. But I get an odd feeling from his new girlfriend, Leah. As she cradles my other two children, she doesn’t seem as panicked as Jimmy and me. How can she be so calm?

Then they show me footage of Ava on a bus, held tightly by an elderly woman who looks just like Leah’s mother. Leah couldn’t have anything to do with Ava’s disappearance, could she?

I’ve seen the way Leah clings tightly to Jimmy, how she has moulded herself into the perfect housewife, never letting him lift a finger and cooking my children’s favourite meals every day.

Then the police officer in charge fixes me with a cold stare as he asks me why I wasn’t paying attention to my daughter. Suggesting it’s my fault she’s gone… That my older two would be safer in Leah’s care.

Should I share my suspicions? What if the police are looking in the wrong place? Time is running out to find Ava, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back, but are my accusations about to tear my whole family apart?

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Review

When you go somewhere with young children, you should have eyes in the back of your head. A moment of distraction can have serious consequences. Something bad might happen to them, or someone could snatch them from right under your nose.

In either case, you’ll end up blaming yourself and beating yourself up over that one moment of inattentiveness. But parents are only human and make mistakes, and it doesn’t help if your ex-partner rubs your nose in it as if you don’t already feel guilty enough!

I can’t imagine what I would do in such a situation, and luckily, like so many others, I’ve never had to go through it—but unfortunately, it does happen. What I can imagine is how desperate and helpless I would feel, just like Carrie.

The author created very interesting characters, all of whom have something to hide, making it impossible as a reader to know who to trust. It’s like they’re in a competition to see who can throw whom under the bus the fastest, which makes it a very fun and thrilling book.

“The lie may be fast, but the truth will catch up with it” is a saying that fits this story perfectly, in my opinion. You might be able to hide the truth for a while, but eventually, everything comes to the surface.

Sometimes people try to discredit others by highlighting their negative sides, making themselves look better and pulling the spotlight toward themselves. This might work up to a certain point, but eventually, everything will come crashing down like a house of cards…

I really enjoyed searching for clues, but I could never have predicted this ending. I thought it was a fantastic book. 5 stars.

Thank you.

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About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

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Book Link

https://geni.us/B0F1RF39L4social

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I brought her home from the hospital. But she wasn’t mine to take…

All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. And as I look into the beautiful, bright blue eyes of this baby tucked up in her blanket, I can’t wait to bring her home with me. Everyone doubted me, but I know I’m ready now. I’m going to give this sweet child the perfect life.

Stepping into the cold air outside of the hospital doors, a shiver runs through me. I know my life will never be the same again. I slip off her little white medical bracelet and put it in the pocket of my jeans. She’s mine now, I smile, picking up the pace.

I know this little baby is safe in my arms. That I deserve her. That I should do everything in my power to keep her. Even if she wasn’t mine to take…

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Review

Often when I watch a movie, I am sitting screaming at the main character not to go in there or not to believe that person or not to open the door, … but when I read a book I am doing the exact same thing I warn those characters for. I follow the author’s lead and walk in the trap with my eyes wide open. 🙂

I believe what they want me to believe and then afterwards they can shout out loud ‘gotcha’ 🙂 🙂

Being able to pull this off shows the author’s craftmanship and I am happy to have had the priviledge to read the book.

So yes, I fell for it and I loved how everything came together perfectly.

If you want to find out what disasters can do to a person, you just have to read this book. 5 stars

Thank you

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About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

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Book Link

https://geni.us/B0D9GZB765social

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There’s a child at my door. I’ve never seen him before. He says he’s my grandson, but that’s impossible… how much of my life is a lie? What else don’t I know?

I’ve lived on this quiet street for years, in the same house I once shared with my husband and our beloved daughter, Chloe. Now they’re both gone and my home, that used to be filled with laughter, is too quiet, too still.

When a little boy I don’t recognise knocks at my door, without a parent in sight, I’m shocked. He trembles with nerves, and I tell him I can help find his mother. But I’m not prepared for what he says next. I’m left frozen, heart pounding in my chest.

‘My mummy’s called Chloe. You’re my grandma.’

My blood runs cold. It can’t be true. The curly-haired boy looking up at me is no older than five and my daughter died fifteen years ago. Didn’t she?

If she’s alive, then what really happened on the day I lost my daughter? And where is she now?

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Review

This book took me on a rollercoaster ride. I smiled, I was shocked and disgusted, I was endeared, I felt tears filling my eyes and this are only a few of the emotions I felt whilst reading.

I don’t know what my first reaction would be if it happened to me, but I am sure I would do what I had to do and care for this gorgeous little man. How could someone not?

Once again I realise how little you know the people you have known for several years, but you should never forget that you are neither invisible nor invincible…

I admired Chloe for the decisions she has made even if the way she achieved some of her goals where not the best, but they certainly worked. 🙂

Where there any twists? Oh yes and I can assure you they were shocking, but really really juicy. 🙂

A great story I devoured, because I wanted to know it all. 5 stars

Thank you

***

About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

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Book Link

https://geni.us/B0CP66TJWFsocial

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I know something is wrong the moment the doorbell rings. The smile on my daughter’s face disappears as a police officer places handcuffs around my wrists, and my husband watches in horror as they march me out the door. I’m being arrested for murder… our neighbour is dead and I know why.

Lisa and Mike Grey have the perfect family. They live on a beautiful tree-lined street, behind an impeccably-cut lawn, raising two wonderful children. They never imagined being able to afford such a picturesque house, and as soon as they moved to Dragonfly Close, they felt totally at home.

But when their next-door neighbour Russell is killed, and Lisa is arrested for his murder, chaos takes over the once peaceful street.

How could a doting mother, and a dedicated housewife, do something so terrible?

She says she didn’t do it. But if Lisa didn’t kill Russell, why is she refusing to give her alibi to the police? Who is she trying to protect?

There are lies hidden behind each closed door. And more than one person knows what happened the night Russell died, but everyone watches from the safety of their homes as the police take Lisa away.

Someone on Dragonfly Close is getting away with murder… the question is who? And how far are they willing to go to keep their terrible secret safe?

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Review

When can you really say that you know someone? Or when someone knows you? I would say never, because people change constantly. Of course some things stay the same, but can you say you are still the same person you were 20 years ago or before you got married or had kids? I most certainly am not that same person anymore and that only natural. When you grow up, you have more responsibilities and you have to adept. 

Can you say you are friends with someone when you only have met up a couple of times a year during the almost two decades you have been neighbours? Some would say yes, others would see it more as being neighbourly. Even simple words can have two different meanings for two different people.

Some people are forced to play a part due to the influence from a parent, a spouse and when that influence disappears you see a person you have never met before. It’s understandable that this person wants to achieve some goals they were never allowed before, but at what price…?

This is the story of two families living in the same street, meeting up form time to time becoming entangled in devastating events, one leading to another…

Sometimes when you read a story, you wonder why people make certain decisions. In your eyes it was the most stupid thing to do, but on the other hand I really don’t know how I would react if I was in their shoes. It’s always easy to judge, but sometimes you feel like this is the only way out. 

A heart breaking story, for sure. 4 stars

Thank you

***

About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

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Book Link

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BVC25DFGsocial

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I walk slowly to the kitchen counter, staring out the window as Ceci rocks back and forth on the swing. My beautiful darling girl has been through so much already. How can I tell her that her life is about to change forever?

When the woman from the hospital tells me that my husband Drew is in a coma my world comes crashing down.

In an instant, I see our whole married life flashing before my eyes: the way our children ran into his arms when he came home from work, the way his face lit up when he read to them. So how can what they are saying be true? That he might have done this to himself?

As my family rallies around to help, it becomes clear that Drew’s sister Gemma knows a shocking secret that my devoted husband has been keeping from me. If he wakes up, can he still be the man I love? Or will his secret tear our family apart?

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Review

This story really touched me deeply.

You are living the life of your dreams. You have great kids, a wonderful husband, a lovely house, enough money. Everything is picture perfect, right?

Well, you might be so lost in your busy life and being sure you do the best you can for everyone, but is that really the case?

It must be, because nobody complains.

Did you ever take the time to ask questions? Why should you because nobody speaks up.

Did you ever take the time to listen? Why should you because nobody speaks up.

Sometimes though silence says more than words.

Suddenly everything changes. You are angry, furious and you don’t know if you hate them or still love them.

Time to make some big decisions: should you stay or should you go, but how will you cope?

It’s always very hard when one person keeps his feelings hidden and keeps on playing the knight in shining armour. Letting someone in is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it often takes a lot of courage to bare your soul.

A beautiful book where taking a step back means taking a step forward to happiness, where ‘friendships’ are often built on the amount of money you have and not on who you are and you mean nothing to them when push comes to shove. 5 stars

Thank you, Sam Vickery and Bookouture

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About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

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Book Link

Amazon: https://bit.ly/301fmgq

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As soon as we sat on the ride I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t hear the theme park music, the giggles of my two other children. I’d left my baby in someone else’s care. And I knew I’d made a mistake…

With her two beautiful children and newborn baby Ella, Lily’s life is full of love and laughter. She gave up her job to be a stay-at-home mother, and though she sometimes envies the freedom of best friend Hannah, Lily wouldn’t trade it for anything.

But Lily’s world implodes when Hannah disappears with Ella one day, and Lily fears from the text message she receives that Hannah doesn’t intend to come back:

You don’t deserve her.

It’s true that Lily has been keeping secrets about her marriage from Hannah, ones she thought only she and her husband knew. Suddenly Lily realises that there are things she doesn’t know about Hannah too – and that by keeping her husband’s secrets, she might pay the ultimate sacrifice.

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Review

Isn’t it wonderful to have someone you are so close to that it feels like they are family? You can share everything with them: the good things and the bad ones, the happy and the sad ones. They will always be there for you, like you will be for them. No matter what…

This sounds so good you would like it to happen in real life too, but unfortunately it’s not always like that. You keep in touch, you see each other often, but there is not only just school to worry about anymore. What you call venting might be seen as complaining by the other party. You drift apart a little because you made a promise. They start putting two and two together and come up with five, the already rather fragile relationship might be on the verge to breaking beyond repair on the worst possible moment …

When you are struggling to keep all the balls in the air, you might be envious of someone with a less hectic life. You might long for some peace and quiet, but honestly would you ever really want to trade places? Of course not, but some might see it as being ungrateful for everything you have got. They feel you don’t deserve it and take the matter in their own hands…

A lot of heartbreak in this very emotional story but also a lot of very beautiful moments that kept the tears flowing. The book kept me up till 2.30 because I wanted to finish it. I could not put it away and leave the rest for the next day. Once you are in the flow, you just have to go with it. 5 stars

Thank you, Sam Vickery and Bookouture

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About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

Website: http://samvickery.com/

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Book Links

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There he is, my baby boy. His eyes are closed, his tiny rosebud mouth is pursed in sleep. My eyes well up as I catch a whiff of his newborn skin and I swallow back a wave of emotion. I should feel happy, I should feel grateful, but all I can think about is everything I just lost…

It’s a miracle when Katherine’s baby boy is born healthy. But his twin sister doesn’t survive, and when Katherine is told she can’t have any more children the loss is almost too much for her to bear.

Katherine always saw herself having a big family: she remembers how the loneliness of being an only child used to overwhelm her, and she is desperate to adopt a sibling for her son.

But her husband Davis won’t agree. He worries that Katherine will struggle when the new baby arrives. What if growing their family only adds to the grief she feels over losing her little girl? What if this breaks their marriage apart?

And Katherine is forced to make a choice. Give up the second child she has always dreamed of or risk losing the family she already has?

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Review

OH MY GOD! It’s not the first time I start a review with this exclamation and it won’t certainly be the last time either. I had to write it in capital letters and in full because the small abbreviation would not cut it. It would not express my feelings about this book.

I opened it and my heart already started breaking. It broke more and more until I found myself with one million pieces of it. But I was lucky. The author added a very good glue to the story so that finally I could put it together again.

The book made my heart bleed, my eyes well up and my bin fill up with wet tissues, but I ended with my heart full of warmth, my eyes crying happy tears and a big smile on my face.

An amazingly beautiful story that I could not put down. 5 stars

Thank you, Sam Vickery and Bookouture

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About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

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Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

Website: http://samvickery.com/

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Book Links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2TkXfLS

Apple: https://apple.co/3j6QKrN

Kobo: https://bit.ly/38XTS4i

Google: https://bit.ly/38XVfjv

I never expected to be doubted, but if I can’t make them believe me, what then? I sit here beside her stroking her tiny hands as she sleeps and she looks so perfect. It never crossed my mind that something would be wrong with my sweet girl and I’d be powerless to do anything to help her.

When Madeline’s six-year-old daughter Tilly collapses one Sunday night, Madeline’s world is turned upside down. Racing to the hospital, she imagines the worst scenarios in her mind, but when they arrive the doctors say that Tilly is fine.

Madeline’s ex-husband Adam and her best friend Laura think Madeline is being overprotective, that Tilly fainted because of her fussy eating. But Madeline is sure something is seriously wrong with Tilly. She can feel it. And she believes that a mother’s instinct is never wrong.

As Madeline embarks on a desperate journey to have Tilly re-diagnosed, taking her in and out of hospital, Adam and Laura begin to wonder if Tilly would be safer in Adam’s care. Madeline just wants to keep her daughter safe, but the harder she pushes the closer she comes to losing her…

Review

It’s very hard and frustrating when someone does not believe you. It’s even harder and more frustrating when your loved ones don’t believe you and the worst case scenario is when your child is concerned and you are up against solid walls you try to climb over and over again to slide down from and end up being left in the cold.

Some people have to see and experience something first before they can admit that they were wrong but at whose expense?

They often say that a mother knows best and even though it’s not foolproof it sure is true in a lot of cases.

This is a story where I felt the pain and the joy, where I wanted to slap a few people and hug others, where heartbreak can affect your future and letting go is the first step towards the rest of your life.

While I was reading, the world around me stopped existing. 5 stars

Thank you, Sam Vickery and Bookouture

About the author

Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.

Author Link

https://www.facebook.com/SamVickeryWrites/

Website: http://samvickery.com/

Book Links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2CiMa8B

Apple: https://apple.co/3beu9oN

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2RIWhsh

Google: https://bit.ly/2RN9mB3