Tropical Girl Reads

The Woman Outside the Walls – Blog Tour

Title:- The Woman Outside the Walls

Author:- Suzanne Goldring

Date published:- 18th October 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 370

Buy on Amazon

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:-

This book was set in two different timelines–one in 2016 and the other during WWII.

In 1942, Anna was pregnant–she was only seventeen. The father of her unborn child is already dead and Anna decides to give the baby up for adoption, to a well to do family but she didn’t realize how it would affect her once the baby boy was snatched away from her. Heartbroken with grief, Anna starts working at a camp in the east. Present day in London, Anna is a ninety year old woman. Her neighbor, Lauren finds her at the bus stop and brings her back to the house. Lauren’s son is learning German and Laurel believes Anna as a kind loving old woman. But when they find out about Anna’s secret, will it destroy their relationship with this kind elderly woman?

Writing about war, particularly about WWII is very challenging and the author must have done tremendous research on the subject. The story itself was emotional and heartbreaking at times and there were some tear jerking moments in the story. This was also quite an unputdownable book and really touching particularly when reading about Anna and we see her as one courageous and brave woman who had to overcome many obstacles in life. Overall, this was an emotional and heartbreaking story and I highly recommend this book. Worth five stars!

I always knew it would come out one day. They are finding everyone who has stayed hidden. They would have come to me in the end.

Hamburg, 1942 Seventeen-year-old Anna knows she can never tell her proud parents the truth about where she is going. She must hide the fact that she is pregnant, that the father of her unborn child is dead and that she is on her way to a special maternity home, where her baby will be given to a perfect family. She tells herself that this is the best solution. She doesn’t expect to feel the rush of love for her beautiful baby boy in the white blanket, or the devastation when he is snatched from her, never to be seen again.

Desperate to forget her grief, she sees an advert for a secretary in a prison, far away in the east. Days later, she leaves Hamburg, travelling eastwards by train, feeling as if a whole new life is about to begin. It is the biggest mistake she will ever make.

London, 2016 Ninety-year-old Anna sits on the edge of her bed, hands trembling, eyes brimming with tears, as she looks at the picture of the soldier in the newspaper. Her friends and neighbours know her as a kindly old lady who bakes cakes and always has time to listen to their troubles. They don’t know about the hated green uniform she burned, the memories of the prisoners she tried to help and the bombed and blackened city she once called home. But now the time for a reckoning has come, will revealing the truth free Anna or destroy her?

Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.

Spooky Season Reads – Part 1

It’s almost Halloween time!! What are the books that are good enough to read during the spooky season? Here’s my list.

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno Garcia

2. The Sun Down Motel – Simone St. James

3. Home Before Dark – Riley Sager

4, The Broken Girls- Simone St. James

5. The Turn of the Key – Ruth Ware

Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

The Sandcastle Hurricane – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Sandcastle Hurricane

Author:- Carolyn Brown

Date published:- will be published on 18th November 2022

Genre:- Women’s Fiction/Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Family, wounded hearts, and a Texas bed-and-breakfast are in need of repair in New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown’s inviting novel about down-home comfort and second chances.

Cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae are due for a change. Running their aunt’s beachfront bed-and-breakfast in Sandcastle, Texas, is just the thing to shake things up…though their lives spin out of control in more ways than one when a hurricane barrels into the coastline. It’s a miracle it didn’t carry them off to Kansas. Not so lucky are the assisted-living center and a small eclectic group of local folks who take shelter with the cousins.

Two estranged sisters, rowdy as a circus, need a referee for a battle that goes back decades. And a pair of veterans, best friends for years, hash out bittersweet old times. There’s also handyman Alex LaSalle and his business partner, Ricky, experts at repairing the hurricane’s damage—and at making Tabby’s and Ellie Mae’s hearts beat a little faster.

As unpredictable, crowded, and stormy as it gets, the Sandcastle B and B is still the perfect harbor for healing past wounds, finding romance, and making up for lost time. Add in Tabby’s homemade pecan pie, and the Texas shore feels like a little slice of paradise

Tabby and Ellie Mae are set to inherit the B & B Sandcastle in Sandcastle, Texas. So when the hurricane hits the small town, their B&B becomes a haven for people–for Cleo and Maude. Most of the town was destroyed, the businesses as well due to hurricane and this story talks about how the folks in the small town get together to bring the town back to its feet.

Though I have read Carolyn Brown’s books before, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did with her previous ones. Nevertheless, I do like the Thanksgiving scene, the southern accent and I learned a lot about the south while reading the book. I do like the romance blossoming between Tabby and Alex and Ricky and Ellie Mae. Some of the descriptions of the places will make the reader feel like they are also in the small town with the characters as well. I also like the relationship between the two cousins, Tabby and Ellie Mae.

If you like women’s fiction with a bit of family drama and a bit of romance, then you would love this book. Worth four stars.

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

Then She Was Gone – Book Review

Title:- Then She Was Gone

Author:- Lisa Jewell

Date published:- April 17th 2018

No. of pages:- 359 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

This was the fourth book I have read written by Lisa Jewell. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her books and so I was excited to read her almost debut book, Then She Was Gone.

Fifteen years ago, Ellie, Laurel’s adoring daughter mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. Ellie’s disappearing put a restrain on Laurel’s family life even when Ellie’s remains were found in a wooded area.

Now, Laurel is dating a guy named Flynn and when Flynn introduces his young daughter…Laurel was shocked. Because Poppy, Floyd’s daughter look like a mirror image of Ellie.

This was good but I have to say, this wasn’t as good as her other books she later wrote. There were twists and turns but it was a bit unrealistic as well, which actually didnt help me to enjoy the novel. The ending was OK in my opinion but overall this was an OK book–worth three stars.

The Daughter-In-Law – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Daughter-In-Law

Author:- Shalini Boland

Date published:- will be published on 4th November 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 313 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?

From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her.

Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Lilian’s steely blue gaze follows me everywhere. Then the accidents start to happen, and I know she is behind them. It starts with small things, like a dropped birthday cake, a spilt glass of wine. But then my mother-in-law accuses me of something terrible. This woman is determined to get me out of her son’s life.

Now I wish I’d never met my handsome, clever husband. Or come to this luxurious house that feels more like a prison.

But I have secrets too. And no-one knows who I really am…

Wow…this was such a gripping psychological thriller I have read! Shalini Boland has done it again!

Caroline moves to a small town in England from Australia and is married to Sebastian. Sebastian brings his new wife to his family-owned pub and the news of his marriage actually shocked many, including his mother Lillian. Lillan starts cold feet with Caroline, believing that Caroline may have some sort of secret and was surprised at how Sebastian could marry Caroline all of a sudden. And Caroline believes that her husband’s family are holding a secret–a secret that may ruin her marriage with Sebastian.

From start to finish, this book was engaging and unputdownable. The story is mainly told from Caroline’s and Lillian’s POV with a background story with two women Amy and Michelle going on in the story. It’s typical that usually, mother-in-laws and daughter-in-law do not really get along but as you reach to the middle of the story, you will wonder what type of secret Sebastian was holding. You will also know that Caroline too is holding a secret.

By the middle of the book, and towards the end is where things started going…interesting. Secrets started revealing which becomes a completely surprising, twisted, and unexpected secret. And totally shocking too. The end literally blew my mind away and I felt like I was holding my breath as I was reading the end. Overall, I actually enjoyed this page-turning fast-paced thriller–if you like a page-turning fast-paced thriller with a bit of family drama, then I highly recommend you to read Shalini Boland’s new book The Daughter-In-Law–worth five stars!

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

Hello 🙂 I write psychological thrillers and dark adventures, and I live in Dorset, England with my husband, two children and our dog. I only write reviews for books I enjoy!

Notes on an Execution – Book Review

Title:- Notes on an Execution

Author:- Danya Kukafka

Date published:- January 25th 2022

No. of pages:- 309 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

In the tradition of Long Bright River and The Mars Room, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life—from the bestselling author of Girl in Snow.

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him.

Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.

Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men.

This is one of the best books I have read this year.

Just before I begin my review, in this modern world, literally, people are obsessed with serial killers. You have all these famous American serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer (have you watched the Netflix Monster Dahmer yet?), even Jack the Ripper and people really seemed to be obsessed with the culture. Movies are made, seemingly glorifying the killers and forgetting about the victims who died at the hands of the serial killer. This story talks about that in general.

In less than twelve hours, Ansel Packer is scheduled to be executed. The story narrates to the hours leading up to his execution. The story then is told in the views of three women–Lavender, Ansel’s mother, Hazel, who is the twin sister of Jenny, who is married to Ansel and Saffy, who is a detective determined to prove that Ansel was guilty of the crimes he committed.

The plot itself is thought-provoking. Some of the lines and quotes are equally touching and I must say, this author did a really good job of drawing the reader into the story. You also feel connected to the main female characters as well, and in my case, I was particularly connected to Saffy. What I actually enjoyed reading, (just nothing serious) is the scenes of the death row–when Ansel was getting ready for his execution, when he was given his last meal, when he was transferred to another prison, how he was dreaming to be glorified for what he did. The author also beautifully tackles the sensitive subject on how America is glorifying the serial killer. The last scene where when Ansel was executed was chilling. We also learn about Ansel’s life, during his childhood, the hardships he faced while being taken care in foster homes. Each of these women, Lavender, Hazel and Saffy are somehow related to Ansel through their stories and how their lives got affected by Ansel.

I do like the wording used in the book. This book was truly an engaging piece of work, powerful, intriguing, and brilliantly written. This book is very different from the usual ones I read where the story is told from the women’s perspectives. As the author says in the beginning.

“I am tired of seeing Ted Bundy’s face. This is a book for the women who survive.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it and I heard this book will be turned into a TV series soon. Worth a full five stars!

Danya Kukafka is the authors of the novels NOTES ON AN EXECUTION and GIRL IN SNOW. She is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She works as a literary agent

Mad Honey – ARC Book Review

Title:- Mad Honey

Authors:- Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Date published:- will be published in 15th November 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

No. of pages:- 464 pages

Genre:- Thriller/YA/Women’s

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Jodi Piccoult’s books have always interested and fascinated, each of her story is based on a pivotal and controversial topic. Mad Honey is one of her new books, which she co authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan.

The book mainly deals about transgender issues and domestic abuse issues. Olivia McAfee seemingly had a good life in Boston, married to a cardiothoracic surgeon until Braden started abusing her. Olivia returned back to sleepy town in New Hampshire and is running her father’s successful beekeeping business. Lily and her mother moved to this small town and Olivia’s son, Asher and Lily started dating each other. But one day, Lily was found dead and Asher who found the body becomes the main suspect. Olivia then hires her brother, Jordan McAfee to defend Asher and she realizes that Asher had been keeping secrets from her. Can Asher be like his father Braden?

First of all, the writing was engaging and I simply couldn’t put the book down. The story divides between the present day, said in Olivia’s POV and past said by Lily’s POV. I do like the part where Olivia had named all her bees after the singers–Adele, Celine, Whitney etc. and the process of extracting honey from the bees sounds interesting. I have read books previously before featuring Jordan McAfee as the defense attorney (Nineteen minutes and The Pact) so it was interesting to see him back as this was the third book I have read with him as the character. I do like the court scenes and as usual like all her books, made me hate the prosecutor more. I also liked Lily’s relationship with Asher and both their friendship with Maya. There are some senstive topics discussed in this book like domestic and sexual abuse as well as transgender issues. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and this book worth five stars!

The end of the book contains the recipes that can be made with bee honey so I can’t wait to try them out.

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

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.

MAD HONEY, her new novel co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio on October 4, 2022.

The Girlfriend – ARC Book Review

Title;- The Girlfriend

Author:- K.L. Slater

Date published:- will be published on October 27th 2022

No. of pages:- 203 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…

When the doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death, I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with buttery blonde highlights and a diamond bracelet identical to my own.

My world implodes when she tells me that she is my husband’s girlfriend, that the baby in her arms is his son, and that she owns our cherished family home.

But she doesn’t want to throw me and my children out on the street. She says she’s no monster, that she wants her baby to grow up with brothers and sisters. With no family, no money and no home, I have no choice but to accept her offer.

Now her food is in my fridge and her beautiful clothes are in the wardrobe in our master bedroom, yet as she helps me with chores and plays games with my little daughter, there’s a part of me that’s glad I’m not on my own. And as we sip wine at the kitchen table, I wonder if we could even become friends…

But when I find a phone hidden in her underwear drawer, I discover her terrible secret. Could she have had a hand in my husband’s death? And what exactly does she want from me?

This is such a gripping, unputdownable thriller that will put you on the edge from start to finish!

Jennifer and Cole seemed to be married happily until Jennifer receives the news that her husband Cole had died in a car accident. After his death, a woman named Sara enters into her life, claiming that she had an affair with Cole and her son Rory is Cole’s son. Not only that, she also tells Jennifer that the house now belonged to her and that Jennifer and her two children Miller and Sylvie might have to leave…but as soon as Sara settles down in the house, Jennifer soon starts suspecting Sara and Miller too starts behaving strange after Sara and Rory moves into the house. Meanwhile, the police discover that Cole was murdered by the blunt trauma on the head and not from the accident.

This was about the fifth book I have read from this author and I have too say, I wasn’t disappointed! The story is told mainly from Jennifer’s POV as well as Sara’s POV and from start to finish, it was gripping with twists and turns along the way. The ending was completely unexpected ending. Jennifer and Sara relationship seemed to derail as Sara moves into the house as Sara accuses Miller of hurting Rory. Overall, I was literally hooked into the story and this book has all the traits of a good psychological thriller–gripping, unputdownable, fast-paced with twists and turns. Overall, this book worth five stars!

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

Kim is the number one bestselling author of sixteen psychological crime thrillers. She has sold over two million copies of her books worldwide. She has also written four Carnegie-nominated Young Adult novels as Kim Slater for Macmillan Children’s Books. Kim has an MA in Creative Writing and lives with her husband in a small Nottinghamshire village.

Black Cake – Book Review

Title:- Black Cake

Author:- Charmaine Wilkerson

Date published:- February 1st 2022

No. of pages:- 385 pages

Genre:- Literary/Family Saga

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.

This is one of the most hyped books and since this book is soon going to be turned into TV series, I have always wanted to read the book. And when finally I got my hands on the book, I was super duper excited to read this one.

I have to say, this was one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read.

The story starts with two siblings, Byron and Benny who are estranged. They are in California and when they realize their mother had left a will–audio and a black cake, a traditional Caribbean dessert, made with traditional ingredients. As the siblings listened to Eleanor Bennet’s audio, they realize that both their parents have been hiding a very deep secret…with Eleanor starting with the fact that they both have a sister.

The story divides between the present and past set in various different countries and continents–the past starting with the Caribbean and England and the present set in California, England, and Italy. The story mainly talks about loyalty between friends, racism, domestic abuse, sexuality, rape, cultural difference, and above all the complicated relationships between family members. I do like how the book is set in different topics–surfing, oceanography, swimming, cooking, arts…all blended in together. The chapters were short and sweet and so it was quick read as well in my opinion. I do like all the characters, despite the fact that all the characters, particularly, Benny and Byron are very much complicated struggling with their own struggles.

Oh, the way the black cake was made, I really wish I could have a slice of that black cake 🙂

So if you like books about

*Oceanograph, swimming and surfing

*About cooking with different ingreadients around the world and descriptions and details about them

*About realistic racism and sexual abuse

Then this book is one for you. Highly recommend this book for anyone who hasnt read this yet. Worth five stars.

Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in the Caribbean and is based in Italy. She is a former journalist and recovered marathon runner whose award-winning short stories can be found in various UK and US anthologies and magazines. Black Cake (2022) will be her first novel.

The Wrong Bones – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Wrong Bones

Author:- Melinda Leigh

Date published:- will be published on 25th October 2022

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A frantic chase to catch a grave robber reveals a startling discovery in this tenth installment of the Widow’s Island novella series by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

Deputy Tessa Black spots a man disturbing a grave in the local cemetery and gives chase. But when Tessa catches him, she learns that the ghoulish trespasser wasn’t robbing graves; he was burying a box of bones.

With the help of her fiancé, park ranger Logan Wilde, Tessa discovers that the remains belong to a missing teenager from a nearby island. After the girl disappeared nine months ago, police labeled her a runaway. Now, though, it’s clear the teenager was murdered.

When the only witness is an uncooperative teenager, Tessa and Logan must find the killer before the boy becomes the next target.

This was a gripping, twisty thriller and is the tenth book of the Widow Island series. Although I have not read any of the series, this actually hooked me into the story from the beginning till the end. Since this is a novella, this was a quick read as well. Overall a gripping thriller worth four stars.

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

#1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker who learned that writing books is way more fun than analyzing financial statements. Melinda’s debut novel, SHE CAN RUN, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. Since then, she has garnered numerous writing accolades, including two RITA® Award nominations and an induction into the NJ Romance Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have sold more than 10 million copies across the world. Melinda loves martial arts, rescue dogs, and sea turtles.