The Lie – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Lie

Author:- Kathryn Croft

Date published:- will be published on 20th April 2023

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 358 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

My son said he walked his girlfriend home. But now she is missing…

Our new home was meant to be a chance for us to start again, to make new friends and forget the past. And as I look around the barbeque we’ve thrown for our neighbours, I dare to dream that things will be all right. I watch my husband joking as he flips burgers and my daughter turning cartwheels on our sun-bleached lawn. And then my gaze falls on my son Jacob, and his new girlfriend Rose, in her light blue jeans and her green crop top. There is a worried expression clouding her beautiful eyes…

The next day I get a call from Rose’s mother that chills me to the bone. Rose never returned after our party.

I wake my still-sleeping son, who walked Rose home the night before, and beg him for answers. Jacob promises he saw Rose to her front door, and I know he would never lie.

But when the police find Rose’s house keys hidden in our garden and a witness claims to have seen them arguing in the street, everyone insists I can’t believe what Jacob is telling me.

I will do anything to protect my boy. But I need to find a way to make the questions stop. Because there’s something about our family that nobody can ever know. And as the search for Rose closes in, how can I keep him safe and keep our secrets hidden?

I actually enjoy reading Kathryn Croft’s books and this book is also an unputdownable thriller that will nearly give you chills.

The story begins with a barbecue party with Lucy inviting her friends in the new town they had moved in. But the next day, Rose, who is Lucy’s son’s girlfriend had gone missing and Jacob is the main suspect as there are witnesses claiming to see them arguing hours before Rose disappeared. But within a few days Rose’s body was found which implied that she was murdered. Did Jacob really kill Rose or is he really innocent as he claims? Meanwhile Rose’s mother Carrie is determined to prove that Jacob killed her daughter. The story is fast paced and told in three POVs–Lucy, Carrie and Rose. The story is fast paced and page turner and there were some twists and turns–all characters in the story are unreliable and all are lying to each other so who is actually telling the truth? The ending was a surprising twist.Overall if you are looking for a page turning unputdownable thriller, I recommend this book–worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Last Word – ARC Book

Title:- The Last Word

Author:- Taylor Adams

No. of pages:- 313 pages

Expected Publication:- 25th April 2023 US/ 18th May 2023 in UK

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

If you give this book a one-star review, you might end up dead.

Emma is house-sitting on the rainy Washington coast with only her golden retriever for company. She likes the isolation, the peace and quiet, and the opportunity to read.

But her latest pick, a poorly written and gruesome horror novel, is disappointing and Emma leaves a one-star review. A message dings back – the author, H.G. Kane, has replied and he’s furious. Emma brushes it off, until disturbing incidents start to occur. Scratches in the night. A figure crawling around in the shadows.

Kane has written sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. He knows he’s a brilliant writer – he just needs to make Emma understand…

Expect the unexpected in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of the TikTok sensation No Exit.

This book was really good that I was hooked from the beginning to the end!

This book relates to us all book reviewers. So you read a book that you feel do not deserve a five star. You try to be nice about it but then you are bluntly honest about the book you just read. That was the most horrible book you have ever read and then you give a one star review on Amazon. I am sure many of us reviewers would have given a one star reading or DNF at some point.
But the twist in the story is when the author of that book contacts you and demanding you to give a five star rating and changing the review on Amazon–that’s where the story starts getting tricky and that’s what happened to Emma Carpenter, the protagonist of the story.

Emma Carpenter lives alone with her dog Laika in a secluded house. She plays hangman with her neighbor. So after giving a negative review to a book, Emma comes face to face with the author, who is determined to get rid of Emma.

I enjoyed reading the author’s debut book No Exit which was really good, this book was equally thrilling as well. I feel like I was watching a horror movie scene while reading this book. I do like how there were excerpts from that book and how those excerpts were reacted in the overall story as well. It was slightly disturbing but abovel all, throughout the time I was reading the book, I was kept on the edge of the seat, waiting to see what the ending was going to be like. Wasn’t disappointed with the ending but overall, this was a unputdownable, fast paced thriller that will keep you up all night–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Taylor Adams is the author of several acclaimed thrillers including No Exit and Hairpin Bridge. No Exit has been published in 32 languages and was recently released by 20th Century Studios as a Hulu Original Film. Adams lives in Washington State.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Stable Boy of Auschwitz

Author:- Henry Oster and Dexter Ford

Date published:- 4th April 2023

No. of pages:- 272 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

This heart-wrenching memoir from a Holocaust survivor reveals the terrible realities of life in Auschwitz—and how a courageous young stable boy survived against all odds to tell his story.​ “ I couldn ’ t last much longer. But just as I was beginning to give up, I found myself in the Auschwitz stables, with rows of stalls filled with horses.” Henry Oster was just five years old when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. He was the last survivor of the 2,011 Jews who were rounded up by the Gestapo and deported from Cologne. Assigned to back-breaking labor in the Auschwitz horse-breeding stables, Henry clung to the belief that if he made himself hard to replace, he might stay alive. Henry was one of the 2,011 Jews who were deported from Cologne, through it all, he found the strength to survive and was one of only 23 to emerge alive from the concentration camps after the war. How did one starving boy, alone and forgotten, survive this ultimate hell on earth? The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is the heart-breaking, mesmerizing, and unforgettable true story that will destroy your faith in humanity . . . and then build it back up again.

This is a beautiful historical fiction, based on the true story of Henry Oster, a German Jew who witnessed horrors of Holocaust and how he survived Holocaust and his life after the Holocaust.

The story starts with Henry Oster a young boy living in Cologne, Germany–the time when Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933. From that point onwards, we learn about the life of Jewish people living in Germany, during the Hitler’s rule in Germany, the horrors many of them experienced, the way they were eventually thrown out of their own houses and forced to live in ghettos. This was a sensitive read as it describes the loss of parents. It also tells about how when Henry reached to Auschwitz, he worked in the stables before being transported to Buchenwald concentration camp, just before the war ended. He also befriended another fellow Jewish boy. What makes this story more unique is that it also describes the life of Henry Oster after the war–after the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration camp. As Henry was an orphan, he and the other Jewish orphans were sent to France, where they did go to school, and soon enough, Henry had relatives in California where he was reunited with them. The story briefly outlines the struggles Henry faced after the war as well.

This book was emotional to read and the fact that it was based on the true story makes it more compelling to read. Holocaust stories are full of emotions and sadness and Henry Oster’s life was no exception during the Holocaust. The author wrote this memoir in a beautiful and compelling way, drawing the reader into the story with pictures to depict the life during Holocaust, Henry Oster’s childhood photos, before and after the war. Overall, this was a heartbreaking and emotional read which is worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Guilty Mother – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Guilty Mother

Author:- Sam Vickery

Date published:- will be published on April 28th 2023

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

No. of pages:- 337 pages

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3/5

Taking off my favourite striped apron to sit down for our family meal, I know something is wrong the moment the doorbell rings. A chill runs through me as the police officer places handcuffs around my wrists and I see my husband’s shocked face. They’re arresting me for murder…

We’ve been best friends with Victoria and Russell since they first moved to Dragonfly Close. My children love Auntie Vic. We spend long summer evenings together sipping my homemade lemonade in the garden, laughing and chatting and sharing everything. But now I’m accused of murdering Russell.

Sitting in the back of the police car, I can’t stop thinking about my kids. Who will take them to school in the morning? Who will make sure Holly eats more than a bite of dinner? She needs me more than ever.

Then my mind races back to the last time Russell and I met up in secret. Surely the police won’t know about the argument we had last week, and the terrible things we said.

I tell myself they don’t know about my past.

That they haven’t been listening to the conversations I’ve been having in my house.

I didn’t kill Russell. I’m a devoted mother, a loyal wife and a good friend to Victoria. But I know the police won’t believe me. The question is, will you?

The story starts with Lisa Grey who while having family dinner was arrested by the police for the car accident that killed a man named Russel. Russell is their next door neighbor Vic husband. Did Lisa really kill Russell accidentally or with a motive to murder?

The story in my opinion started out great but this wasn’t a type of thriller that would put the reader on edge. There is some pace in the book but I feel like it wasn’t much of twists and turns that would grapple the reader in a way. The story itself became a bit predictable particularly the end. However the suspense was still there, writing was great and though I didn’t find this book enjoyable, I would like to read more books by this author. Worth three stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for ARC. Review is based on my honest opinion only.

Twisted Love – Twisted series Book 1- Book Review of Most Hyped Books

Title:- Twisted Love

Author:- Ana Huang

Date published:- April 29th 2021

Genre:- Romance

No. of pages:- 360 pages

Rating;-

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3/5

He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world.Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:A crack.A melt.A fire that could end his world as he knew it.***Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.Her brother’s best friend.Her neighbor.Her savior and her downfall.Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It’s book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

This book really reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey. So much of steamy scenes and explicit scenes and a bit of a story background.

Alex is Ava’s brother’s friend. He is a CEO of a successful company. So Josh goes on a medical tour to South America and asks Alex to look after Ava. Ava initially couldn’t stand Alex but soon, things started to blossom between the two.

Honestly, this book is one of the books where you only read once and then forget about the book, never want to re-read the book again. Only thing I liked about the book was the background story of both Alex and Ava, the trauma they both faced during their childhood. Other than that…well I have nothing to say. This book is the first book of the twisted series and it ends with one of Ava’s best friend Bridget now the Crown Princess of an European country and her relationship with her bodyguard Rhys.

Does it worth the hype? Hmm…I have to read the other twisted series and see. But this book, for certain did not worth the hype. It’s just my honest opinion.

Ana Huang is a USA Today, international, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon sprinkled in.

Her books have been sold to over two dozen foreign publishers for translation and featured in outlets such as NPR, Cosmopolitan, Financial Times, and Glamour UK.

A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte.

When she’s not reading or writing, Ana is busy daydreaming and scouring Yelp for her next favorite restaurant.

Stone Cold Fox – Book Review

Title:- Stone Cold Fo

Author:- Rachel Koller Croft

Date published:- February 14th 2023

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 2/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 2.5/5

A compelling debut novel about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country’s wealthiest families.

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. After a lifetime of forced instruction in the art of swindling men by her mother, Bea wants nothing more than to escape her shadow, close the door on their sordid past, and disappear safely into old-money domesticity.

When Bea finds her final mark in the perfectly dull blue-blooded Collin, she’s ready to deploy all her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend Gale. Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous chase. As the truth of Bea’s past threatens to come roaring out, she finds herself racing against the clock to pass the finish line before everything is exposed.

This is one of those books where you read so many raving reviews and then ended up thinking, whether you should really trust the reviewers or not. So this book happened to be one of them.

Let’s start with the positive side of the review

  1. The setting of the book was unique
  2. I like the shift between the past and the present so we can get a glimpse of Bea’s childhood.
  3. The middle and the ending was OK.
  4. The sister thing (SPOILER ALERT) at the end was an unexpected twist.

And the negative points?

  1. This book is labeled out as a thriller but there’s nothing in the book that should be labeled as thriller genre
  2. The first part was boring.
  3. I felt like I was watching a rerun of Revenge TV series and Gossip Girl mingled together
  4. The characters are all unlikable perhaps except Bea in my opinion.
  5. I am not sure about what the point of having unnecessary characters
  6. Overall, it was a disappointing read in my opinion

For some people, this book maybe worth the hype. But in my opinion, this book wasn’t that great. There are so many book out there that needed and deserve recognition and I feel this was disappointing in my opinion. And last I heard, this book is going to be turned into a movie.

Overall this book worth 2.5 stars.

Rachel Koller Croft is an author and screenwriter in Los Angeles where she has scripted projects for Blumhouse, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Comedy Central, among others. She lives by the beach with her husband, Charles, and their rescue pitbull, Juniper. STONE COLD FOX is her first novel.

The Accidental Inheritance – Blog Tour – Book Review

Title:- The Accidental Inheritance

Author:- Cate Woods

Date published:- 27th March 2023

No. of pages:- 305 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

A surprise inheritance. A hostile lord of the manor. A chance at a new beginning…?

When Cassidy Beeswhistle loses her job and her boyfriend within seconds of each other, it’s time for a change. Discovering her beloved late father’s connection to a tiny English village, it seems like the perfect place to start again. Especially because there’s a secret ‘lost deed’, which – if found – would return the village’s gorgeous manor house to its rightful heir: Cassidy…

On arrival in Dithercott, Cassidy is blown away by the rolling hills and glittering lake, and the local villagers welcome her with open arms – all of them but one, that is… The current lord of the manor, Ned Bamford-Bligh, is tall and fiendishly attractive with his olive skin and jet-black hair, but he is also gruff and standoffish – and he has no interest in entertaining the new girl in the village; especially one who is potentially after his home, with its ivy-covered turrets and sprawling gardens.

Despite Ned’s frosty welcome, Cassidy is drawn to his piercing, hazel-eyed glare and she’s determined she is to uncover the demons that keep him locked away behind the manor’s imposing stonework. Before she knows it, an undeniable spark builds between them…

Just as Cassidy is feeling at home in Dithercott – and in the arms of Ned – he shows up on her doorstep clutching an old roll of parchment. Is this the discovery she’s been waiting for? And if it is, will its contents bring Ned and Cassidy closer together, or push them apart…?

A heart-warming, laugh-out-loud story of home, friendship, family and finding love in the most unlikely of places. The perfect curl-up read for fans of Sarah Morgan, Milly Johnson and Jenny Colgan.

This is such a unique book that I found myself enjoying reading this book.

An ancestor gambled away his house and then fled to America…and then many years later, Cassidy Beewhistle returns to claim this house that once belonged to her ancestor. But when Cassidy and her daughter Nora comes to England, they realized that a lot of work needs to be done not to mention the fact that there are people in that small town, who are not so thrilled that a Beewhistle is back in the scene!

This is the third book I have read from Cate Woods and I have to say, this was entirely a unique setting which I found myself enjoying reading it. I do like how Cassidy is slowly getting used to living in the quiet countryside and the British way of life. I do also like the community and how the community is reaching out to Cassidy helping out each other. I also like how Ned, the lord of the enemy manor initially didn’t get along with Cassidy and soon blossomed into something else…overall, I really loved reading this book! The writing was great, and the reader felt like a part of the story while reading through this book. I like nearly all the characters in the book and the descriptions of the inn, the countryside made me feel like I was in that small town with Cassidy.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Thank you Bookouture for making me a part of this blog tour and inviting me to review the book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Cate Woods made the most of her university degree in Anglo-Saxon Literature by embarking on a career making tea on programmes including The Big Breakfast, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and French & Saunders. After narrowly missing out on the chance to become a Channel 5 weather girl, she moved into the world of magazine journalism, then ghostwriting and now writes novels under her own name. She has written two best-selling romantic comedies – Just Haven’t Met You Yet and More Than a Feeling – and a festive novel, The Christmas Guest, under the name Daisy Bell. Cate lives in London with her husband and two children.

https://www.facebook.com/catewoodswriter

https://www.instagram.com/catewoodswriter/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Cate Woods here: https://www.bookouture.com/cate-woods

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BQJPS7QTsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Five Survive – Book Review

Title:- Five Survive

Author:- Holly Jackson

Date published:- November 29th 2022

No. of pages:- 391 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

The brand new unmissable crime thriller from Holly Jackson, best-selling, award-winning author of the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy.

Eight hours.
Six friends.
One sniper . . .

Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no mobile phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.

A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and to work out which member of the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.

Holly Jackson is…an incredible writer! So I was super excited to get my hands on her latest novel (I am yet to read the third and final book of Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series yet) and I finally did!

But…this wasn’t as great as Good Girl’s Guide to Murder but it was good.

Six friends–Red, Maddy, Simon, Arthur and Maddy’s brother Oliver and his girlfriend Reyna are going ton a road trip, driving all the way from Philadelphia to Gulf shores. The exciting night soon turned to be a nightmare, when they took a detour and ended up on a wrong road…and a sniper waiting to take one of them down–the one with the secret.

The first part of the book was slightly boring but then it started getting its momentum by the middle of the book. I do like that there are twists and turns in the book, makes you wonder, which of these characters do have a secret that the sniper is talking about. Who could be working with the sniper? I felt like I was watching some action thriller on the TV while reading this book–I was literally engrossed into the book. But as I said earlier, despite the fact that I think it was a good thriller, A Good Girl’s Guide to me would be her best.

I like the fact that the story is entirely told from Red who is dealing with her mother’s death POV. I didn’t like Oliver at all in the book–too egoistic and very unlikable character in my opinion. This will keep you on the edge and you feel like you are watching a cat and mouse chase game–worth four stars!

The Corset – Book Review

Title-; The Corset

Author:- Laura Purcell

Date published:- September 20th 2018

No. of pages:- 392 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

The new Victorian chiller from the author of Radio 2 Book Club pick, The Silent Companions.

Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain?

Dorothea and Ruth. Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless. Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea’s charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person’s skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea’s belief in rationality and the power of redemption.

Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?

This is the first book I have read from this author. Recently, I came across this book on Instagram that the plot of the story intrigued me. So I got the book and…I wasn’t disappointed!

The story is set during the Victorian era in the 1800’s England and is based on two women–Dorothea and Ruth. Dorothea, daughter of a wealthy man works with the women who is imprisoned for crimes they have committed. Dorothea meets Ruth, a young girl accused of murder and possibly put to death by hanging if she found guilty. As Dorothea gets to know about Ruth, we get a glimpse of hardships that many people, like Ruth.

This was engaging thriller. You wouldn’t be bored and to me the most interesting reading was when I was reading Ruth’s part. Ruth’s part made me sad–the hardships she faced during her childhood, when she was sent to work at a Mrs. Metyard to pay off her mother’s debts, the brutal treatment that Ruth experienced while working under Mrs. Metyard were at times disturbing to read. The author did a good job of making the book as realistic as possible, taking the reader to the 1800’s England. The ending will make you literally cry. The writing was really engaging and by reading this book, you could see the huge gap between the rich and poor during that time–learned so much about what life was really like back then.

This also had an air of creepiness in it, kind of gothic too, so if you are looking for a thriller with that kind of setting, you should certainly most try out this book. Worth five stars!

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs.

Her first novel for Raven Books THE SILENT COMPANIONS won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award 2018 and featured in both the Zoe Ball and Radio 2 Book Clubs. Other Gothic novels include THE CORSET (THE POISON THREAD in USA), BONE CHINA and THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS (2020)

Laura’s historical fiction about the Hanoverian monarchs, QUEEN OF BEDLAM and MISTRESS OF THE COURT, was published by Myrmidon.

The Cuban Daughter – Blog Tour – ARC book Review

Title:- The Cuban Daughter

Author:- Soraya Lane

Date published:- 24th March 2023

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 290 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

As Esmeralda moved past Christopher, her breath stifled as he caught her finger in his. It was only a split-second, their fingers intertwined in a hold so brief that no one could have possibly noticed, but it told her everything she needed to know. He didn’t just come to see Cuba. He travelled all this way to see me.

Havana, 1950. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Cuba and regarded as the most beautiful girl in Havana, Esmeralda knows the importance of marrying well for her family. But when her father takes her on a business trip to London, she falls in love with a young merchant named Christopher.

When Christopher is invited to visit her father’s sugar farm, Esmeralda knows that they must keep their love affair hidden at all costs. But when the country falls into revolution, Esmeralda is faced with an impossible choice – flee to America with her family or follow her heart and travel to London to be with Christopher. But Esmeralda has been keeping a secret from her family for months, and her decision will have devastating consequences.

London, present day. Claudia is rebuilding her life and following her passion of restoring unloved houses back to their former glory. But when her mother asks for her help in tracking down her grandmother’s history, her curiosity is piqued. Her only clue is a family crest, which she learns is for the Diaz family, once one of the wealthiest dynasties in Cuba. Impulsively Claudia books a ticket to Havana, feeling sure in her heart that she will be able to uncover her family’s true story.

Arriving in the bustling and vibrant city she meets a young man named Mateo, a chef who loves nothing more than to cook his family’s recipes. As they get to know each other over dinner, Mateo says that his grandfather used to work for the Diaz family and he too wants to uncover what happened.

But when they arrive at the Diaz family home, they find it completely abandoned as if preserved in time from the 1950s. It’s not long before they uncover a heartbreaking story about her family, who were forced to leave everything they had ever known. As she becomes closer to Mateo, will her family’s story of sacrifice convince Claudia to leave behind her own home and follow her heart to Cuba?

This is the second book of the Daughter series. Although I haven’t read the first book, the Italian Daughter, this book, the Cuban Daughter, can be read as a standalone.

The story starts with Claudia in UK during the present day when her mother asks her to track down her grandmother’s ancestry. When Claudia finds out a arm of crest, she realizes that it belonged to a wealthy family named Diaz in Cuba who was beyond family in the 1950’s before Castro came to power. To find answers to the questions, Claudia travels to Cuba and meets interesting people including Mateo where she learns about Esmeralda, the beautiful daughter of Diaz.

In 1950, Esmeralda Diaz while on a business trip with her father to London meets Christopher Dutton. The two embarks on a romantic relationship although Esmeralda’s father will never approve of their relationship.

I was truly mesmerized with the whole story that I simply couldn’t put the book down. I felt like I was transported to Cuba, learning about the Cuban culture and cuisine and I do like how the time line shift between Claudia and Esmeralda. I also like blossoming romance between Claudia and Mateo as well and also Esmeralda and Christopher. I do like the ending as well.

So overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking novel that will keep you hooked till the end and strongly recommend to try this novel out! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for making a part of the blog tour and many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0BGQGC7YBsocial

About the author

Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realising that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, including the #1 Kindle bestselling novels The Last Correspondent and The Secrets We Left Behind. 

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

 

Author social media

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor

Twitter:

Instagram @SorayaLaneAuthor

Website: www.sorayalane.com

 

Newsletter sign up:

https://www.bookouture.com/soraya-lane-email-sign-up/