Book Review: The Wedding Party by Lorna Dounaeva  @lorna_dounaeva  @bookouture  

The Wedding Party
by Lorna Dounaeva

 

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The groom’s grip is icy cold as he shakes my hand. “I have so wanted to meet you.” I look up into his steely eyes, and a chill runs down my spine. I know this man, but no one can ever know why…

THE Toasting the newlyweds on a remote Scottish island, Sarah watches her friends anxiously. As the groom affectionately touches his new wife’s stomach, she shudders to think what will happen if the secret comes out…

THE With her marriage over, the last place Diane wants to be is at a wedding. But she’s sure her so-called ‘friends’ are the reason her husband wanted to leave in the first place. It’s time for the truth to come out. Whatever the cost.

THE I’d do anything for the bride, even if it means agreeing to be a groomsman before I’ve even met her soon-to-be husband. But when we finally meet, my heart starts pounding – we know each other, and I will do absolutely anything to keep where we met a secret…

But before the honeymoon begins, one of the newlyweds is found dead.

One of us is guilty.

One of us is a killer.

But who is it?

An absolutely gripping thriller about how well you really know the people you love, and how secrets can destroy even the strongest relationships. Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell, and Emily Shiner.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He was thin back at uni, but now his eyes have sunk into their sockets, making them look like the marbles in a pinball machine.

I know the people they used to be. But they’ve all changed. It’s like someone took a magnifying glass and ramped up all their worst qualities, making them clearer, brighter, louder.

All at once, she can’t bear the thought that she has touched a dead body. She imagines all the germs, all the flies and maggots, and feels desperate to scrub it off her skin. She fears all that death is catching.

The sympathy she once had for him is wearing thinner by the day, like a big ball of string that is being stretched and stretched until it’s just the thinnest fibres left.

…she sees the shadow of death hovering over her like a grey cloud. It’s an icy, unnerving presence that seeps into her bones. At times, the pain is so relentless, she hears their voices– the dead ones– all shouting at once, making it impossible to pick out what any of them are saying. It’s as if they’re trapped in a never-ending loop, their voices echoing and overlapping. She tries to block them out, but their presence is impossible to ignore. Their spirits refuse to rest in peace.

My Review:

 

These were horrible people thinking horrible thoughts about and doing horrible things to each other, over many years, until it ended, horribly.  I did not like them at all.  They were immature, selfish, warped, and just toxic creatures.  Yet this devious scribbler planted a worm in my gray matter, and I was hooked.  The little pea in my brain needed to know what was going to happen to them and who was killing them off one by one, and who would be the last one standing, as there always has to be at one left to tell the tale.  I would never have guessed this outcome, my hypothesis went in a different direction.  I love it when that happens.

 

Lorna Dounaeva is a politics graduate who worked for the British Home Office before turning to crime fiction. She writes dark domestic thrillers and is especially fond of female villains. She lives in the Orkney Islands with her Ukrainian husband and his parents, three children, a crafty cat, and a happy dog.

Book Review: A Family Surprise for the Village Nurse by Tilly Tennant  @tillytennant6000  @bookouture

A Family Surprise for the Village Nurse
by Tilly Tennant

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Run away to the gold-tipped peaks and sparkling waters of the Lake District and the charming village of Thimblebury. Here, newly engaged village nurse Ottilie Oakcroft is about to discover a family secret that will turn the life she loves upside down…

As village nurse Ottilie Oakcroft and her fiancé Heath plan their engagement party, she can’t hide her feelings of pure happiness. She’s so settled in cosy Wordsworth Cottage and can’t wait to celebrate her exciting news with the villagers she’s come to know and love.

But, on the day of the party, as she strings up bunting and fairy lights, there’s a surprise in store. A young woman appears on Ottilie’s doorstep – claiming she’s Ottilie’s half-sister Fion and she wants to be part of Ottilie’s life.

Soon Fion’s feet are firmly under the table in Ottilie’s cluttered kitchen and Ottillie and Heath are spending less and less time alone. Ottilie loves having her sister living in the spare room, but she can’t help but notice that with no space to talk privately, she and Heath can’t see eye-to-eye.

Then a shocking secret about Fion comes to light, one that casts a long shadow over Ottilie’s own happiness and her future with Heath. Ottilie knows that family should come first, but what if it’s at the cost of her exciting new beginning?

A beautiful and heartwarming read that will sweep you away and make you feel at home! Perfect for fans of Jo Bartlett, Jessica Redland and Sarah Morgan.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

…we all know Flo isn’t backwards at coming forwards. I’m sure she’ll have thoughts, and she’ll go out of her way to make sure I hear about them.

Today she seemed out for an argument, though she also seemed as if she didn’t know who she wanted to have it with. It looked as if anyone who put a foot wrong and happened to be in her path would do.

My Review:

 

This installment was busy with several story threads and a bit of family drama. The storylines were leisurely paced and easy to follow. I enjoyed the continuation and ongoing relationships of my favorite quirky village characters, even when I wanted to give some of them a pinch or five.

 

About the Author

From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage.  Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, like The Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.

 

 

Book Review:  Did You See Evie? by Miranda Smith   @mirandasmithwriter @bookouture 

Did You See Evie?
by Miranda Smith

Amazon 

I blink awake to the sound of whispering, and look around. Automatically, I do a count. And then I am upright, my heart racing. I count again. “Girls,” I say, trying to sound calm. “Did you see Evie?”


It was meant to be a celebration. A team sleepover in the school movies, pizza, hot chocolate. I walk among the girls, checking they’re ok. They collect in groups and giggle, play truth or dare.
Then there’s Evie. Always the outsider, just like I was. She sits apart, fiddling with her long blond hair. It seems like she wants to speak to me, but there’s a never a good time.

And when we wake up the next day, stiff and groggy, Evie is gone.

I know the girls are lying about something. I see it in their averted eyes, their sullen silences. But how can I challenge them, when I’m the worst liar of all?

Because the truth is, I’m desperate to find her. I’d do anything to protect these girls. But it’s also true that the longer she’s missing, the more risk I’m running.

You see, the night she vanished, I did something no one can ever know…

A stunning, gripping psychological thriller about the secrets of the past and the lies we tell ourselves. Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn and Lucy Foley.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

When tragedy strikes, there’s only before and after.

It’s almost as though I can feel the oxygen being vacuumed from the room, the air replaced with a suffocating silence.

My Review:

 

This one kept me guessing and threw several red herrings in my path. The main character frustrated me as she was rather mono-focused and clueless and needed a few good kicks to the keister to dislodge her noggin, but she finally came around and opened her eyes. Several smacks and alarming shocks will do that to a person, both of which this wily scribbler provided in spades.

 

About the Author

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

https://mirandasmithwriter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/

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Book Review: Find My Daughter (Detective Katie Scott #13) by Jennifer Chase  @jenchaseauthor @bookouture

Find My Daughter
(Detective Katie Scott #13)
by Jennifer Chase

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She hears footsteps approaching, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb in the cold but she stands, determined to fight. A blinding light overpowers her, and the world goes black…

When Detective Katie Scott finds a woman dying in the carpark, blood pooling around her, she reaches her just in time to hear her utter the words: find my daughter.

Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the case file for the missing child, Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue eyes and an even brighter future. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfills Anna’s mother’s dying wish.

Searching the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets. Buried among the pages, she thinks she finds a lead—a strange man reached out to Anna, just days before she went missing…

But the case takes a terrifying turn when Anna’s best friend also vanishes. Hours later, a girl’s body is found in the embers of a housefire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl?

One thing is certain: a monster has the close-knit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead of the killer before any more precious young lives are taken. But at what cost?

A jaw-dropping and gripping thriller for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine, and Melinda Leigh that will have you racing through pages all night long. Prepare to start sleeping with the lights on after tearing through this gripping thriller from USA Today and Amazon bestseller, Jennifer Chase!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

McGaven would never forget her pale face and blue eyes staring back at him, as if he was giving her to the devil.

Anger didn’t fill her soul, it was rage.

His eyes said everything she needed to know, in that it was clear the man was desperately searching for something that was never going to happen— to right whatever went so wrong in his life.

Katie’s life was always a flux of bittersweet reality when it came to her work.

My Review:

 

This one was rather creepy. It featured a brutal and volatile psychopathic serial killer who was skilled and clever despite his insanity. Narrated from a third-person omniscient point of view, the storylines were active yet easy to follow, with realistically challenged and flawed characters all doing their best.  However, my favorite part didn’t have anything to do with the characters but was the irrefutable power of the jelly bean.

 

Jennifer Chase is a multi-award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored eight crime fiction novels, including the multiple award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a screenwriting workbook.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s degree in police forensics and a Master’s degree in criminology. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with a deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

 

Book Review: Murder on the Menu (The Bad Girls Detective Agency #3) by Katie Marsh @katiemarshauthor @boldwoodbooks

Murder on the Menu
(The Bad Girls Detective Agency #3)
by Katie Marsh

 

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.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

She had babysat Jeanie’s two-year-old twins a couple of months before, and had aged a decade in four hours.

I think this is officially the worst meet up we have ever had, including that time we went to the park in the rain and a tramp peed in my bag.

The more Jeanie looked at the castle, the more crumbling it appeared to be. It was like her body since having kids– neglected, sagging, mouldering quietly away unnoticed, the bottom of the priority list.

‘Back off!’ Jeanie could feel blood in her mouth. ‘Whoever the hell you are, you have two pissed-off and starving midlife women in here with you, so just give up now, okay?’

My Review:

 

This was a well-plotted mystery that seemed unsolvable, even for the ever-intrepid trio of the Bad Girls Detective Agency. The little pea in my brain certainly was not getting anywhere from spinning in place with the odd events occurring and the dearth of clues collected, and the general tone felt more tense than cozy. However, Ms. Marsh’s signature wit and lashings of amusing humor kept it from being too angsty. It was a long, cold, and tiresome night on empty stomachs for the group as they navigated irksome people and kept stumbling upon bodies.

 

Katie wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages.  She lives in the English countryside and loves strong coffee and pretending to be in charge of her children.

 

Book Review: Wife, Mother, Liar by Sue Watson   @suewatsonbooks  @bookouture  @theboldbookclub 

Wife, Mother, Liar
by Sue Watson

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Someone is lying. Someone knows the truth. Someone is going to pay…

Wife: I couldn’t be prouder of my charming husband and quiet and kind son. I’ve poured everything into my little family, so I choose to ignore my husband’s late-night phone calls and wandering eye. I won’t let anything ruin my perfect life…

Mother: I tried so hard to have a baby, so when my precious little boy was born, I vowed to do anything to protect him. Now a teenager, he’s making his own decisions, like getting close to my best friend Jill’s daughter. Looking smart in a brand-new navy suit, I watch as he leaves for prom with her. I may be smiling, but inside my head I’m screaming at him to stay away from her…

Liar: Hours later, as flashing police lights slice the darkness around my house, my worst nightmare becomes a reality, and my perfect world comes crashing down. Can I trust anyone at all? My husband hasn’t been truthful, my best friend has been hiding something from me, and my son isn’t as innocent as I thought. But none of their secrets compares to the one I’ve been keeping…

It started with a lie. It will end in murder…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I never analyzed our friendship that much; it just happened, in the way a tree grows, or a sponge cake rises. We just happened.

The house hits me with the pungent aroma of porridge and urine. I feel like some aging Goldilocks in a horror version of the fairy tale as I make my way through the dark kitchen.

There were other girls like me at school, ghosts in the classroom, invisible at playtime, our voices never heard, stories never shared.

 

My Review:

 

I despised the characters in this book, they were all selfish, petty, and horrid people, everyone had their own agenda and no one was trustworthy or at all admirable in any way. I grew impatient with them and wondered why they bothered with each other as I would have surely made tracks quickly and left either one of them eating my dust. Yet this crafty author tugged and poked at my curiosity and I found I needed to know what happened that fateful night, as they were all obviously lying like dirty rugs. Multiple twists and unpalatable turns later, I was glad I had hung in there. I had an inkling of some of their many evildoings but certainly didn’t foresee the totality.

 

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.
Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists.
Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programs from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

Book Review: Kill, Sleep, Repeat (Volume II) by Britney King  @britneyking_

Kill, Sleep, Repeat
(Volume II) 
by Britney King

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She’s trained to kill. But will she risk everything to escape?

Nineteen-year-old Sophie Jones has been molded under her mother Charlotte’s lethal guidance, mastering killer skills to inherit the family’s assassin business. Bound by blood and blades, their mother-daughter bond is as unbreakable as it is volatile. But when a mission goes sideways and Sophie spares an innocent life, her unwavering loyalty begins to fracture. 

Back home, Charlotte’s latest target ignites a desire she can’t ignore, blurring the line between duty and something far more dangerous.

As buried secrets resurface and relentless enemies close in, Sophie and Charlotte must confront the deepest betrayal of all—the one that comes from within.

Kill, Sleep, Repeat Volume II is a high-stakes, addictive thriller, pulling readers deeper with every page, unraveling shocking secrets up to the final explosive twist. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and Gillian Flynn, this is a story of deadly devotion, twisted bonds, and the haunting cost of family secrets.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Really, I’d prefer dinner over murder, but what can you do?

My throat tightens. It feels like I’m choking on all the lies I haven’t told yet.

My Review:

 

It’s another taut, terse, and heavily barbed thriller from the dynamic Britney King. I so enjoy her snarky wit and dark sense of humor. The characters found between the covers of this book were of the most annoying variety, I despaired of them, but I didn’t mind at all that they were disposing of even worse examples of humanity. The plot was fast-paced, highly active, and thrummed with tension.

I must admit to probable cognitive decline in my advancing years as I struggled more than a bit with this one as I felt at sea in trying to remember even fragments of the first installment from 5 years ago… I’ve slept since then. The little pea in my brain just shrugged at my probes for recollection. A self-frustrated and huffed surrender mid-way through for a quick retread of volume one helped immensely. I would highly recommend reading volume one before plunging into volume two.

 

About the Author

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here:

Book Review: She’s Got the Time (The Suite #45 Series Book 3) by M.O. Mack

She’s Got the Time
(The Suite #45 Series Book 3)
by M.O. Mack 

 From author M.O. Mack comes the third heart-stopping thriller in the Suite #45 series, SHE’S GOT THE TIME.

SENTENCED FOR A CRIME SHE ONLY WISHED SHE’D COMMITTED…

 

Emily has made some pretty tough choices in order to survive. Some she regrets. Others, well, not so much.

Running from her corrupt FBI husband, for example? No regrets. Ending up working for a group of hit men? Big regrets.

On the bright side, the group only kills bad guys. On the not-so-bright side, the biggest cartel south of the border wants the group dead, and she’s number two on their list.

Emily’s biggest regret, however? Growing feelings for Charge, her hit man boss.

Because when the feds arrest her for the murder of her ex, Emily knows she’s been set up, and all signs point to Charge.

Why would he do this to her? The prison is filled with vicious criminals, and there’s a price on her head. Ten million dollars.

Can she find a way out before her time is up? Because she’d really love some sweet revenge.

The clock is ticking…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Funny how people always said that men were the most cutthroat of genders. In Emily’s experience, women could definitely hold their own. And then go the extra mile. Especially when it came to revenge.

“Prison was the only vacation I could afford,” she said dryly. “And who doesn’t like orange?”

…behind the handsome face and beautiful eyes was a very vicious man, the kind they made miniseries about.

 

My Review:

 

While laced together with sarcastic humor – my favorite kind – this was an action-packed, complicated, gritty, and violent tale with kingpins, drug and sex traffickers, killers, murders, prison beatings, bloodletting, and corruption on various levels. I adore the biting snark and clever wit of MO Mack, but I wanted to give her Justine/Emily a few adjustments to her colon with my trusty crocs for her wishy-washy indecision. She seems to attract trouble and violent men like a compass finding north.

About the Author

Obviously, M.O. Mack is a cover. Don’t bother looking for the author’s true identity. He/she must remain secret due to the sensitive information written in his/her stories…

Okay, most of all that is total rubbish! M.O. is a full-time author from the great state of Arizona, who loves making stuff up and hates a slow story. The faster the better! Most days, M.O. tries to avoid the news (too violent) so it doesn’t interfere with writing funny, but quasi-violent stories.

Book Review: Timber Ridge (Port Promise #1) by Kelly Collins  @kcollinsauthor

Timber Ridge
(Port Promise #1)
by Kelly Collins

 

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From award winning author Kelly Collins comes a small town, single dad, neighbors-to-lovers romance…

When teacher Timber Moore applies for a job in tiny Port Promise, Alaska, her quest is to educate the youth and uncover the identity of the father she’s never known. Port Promise, with its whispering woods and close-knit community, holds the key to her past. But her arrival stirs up more than just a summer breeze.

Kane Hollister, a single father and seasoned fisherman, has learned the hard way that outsiders bring storms. He’s still mending nets from when a charismatic do-gooder sailed in and out of his life, leaving him with a child to raise alone. His walls are up, but Timber has a knack for finding the cracks in his defenses.

She’s a woman with a lesson plan but no map for her heart’s journey. He’s a man whose trust is as scarce as daylight in winter. Can they move beyond their pasts to chart a future together, or will history’s echoes dictate their fate?

Set against the rugged backdrop of a small Alaskan island, Timber Ridge weaves together the warmth of community, the pain of the past, and the soft whisper of love that says, “home isn’t just a place.”

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I need love like a case of the pox— itchy, irritating, and leaves you scarred for life.

My teacher never looked like that. Mrs. Miller had less hair than Dad and she was missing her front two teeth. She used to spit when she talked.

Generosity is a muscle you have to flex.

Timber, I promise to share my toys, to help you bake cookies, and to always give you lots of hugs. And Daddy, I will be good and not kiss anyone until I’m thirty- five.

 

My Review:

 

This was a relaxing, enjoyable, easy-to-follow, well-paced, and rather sweet tale and the perfect introduction to kick off a new series. The storylines were realistic yet entertaining with amusing hits of humor while populated with admirable characters who were instantly likable, endearing, and the salt of the earth types whom I would benefit from knowing and having in my own life. I look forward to many more future trips to the wilds of Point Promise.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

 

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International bestselling author of over 30 novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.

 

Book Review: Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove (An Eve Mallow Mystery Book 12) by Clare Chase @clarechaseauthor @bookouture

Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove
(An Eve Mallow Mystery Book 12)
by Clare Chase

Saxford St Peter is having an open gardens day! But one of the villagers has murder, not marigolds, in mind… And now Eve Mallow needs to unearth a killer.

Everyone in Saxford is delighted when jeweller Cleo Marbeck suggests a prize for the village’s best garden. Flowers are planted, grass is cut, and the competition is on. But the event only digs up dirt… Twenty-five years ago, a young woman fell to her death in Cleo’s house, and rumours soon resurface about Cleo’s part in the tragedy.

Eve’s best friend Viv is hosting Stevie, her son’s fiancée, ahead of the wedding. On the open garden day, Stevie has a horrible flashback: the memory of a woman lying at the bottom of a staircase. But she sees it in a totally different house from the one where Honor died…

Hours later Cleo’s body is found, drowned in her own pond. Almost everyone in Saxford has been in and out of her garden, sowing suspicion everywhere. But Eve is convinced the flashback has triggered the crime… and when the police turn their sights on Stevie, she’ll have to work fast to solve the case and save the wedding.

So who wanted Cleo in the ground? The son of the woman who died, out for revenge? The employee passed over for promotion? Her long-term lover, who she refused to marry? And why do so many suspects live on Meadowsweet Grove?

When someone else takes a tumble downstairs, Eve knows she’s close to grubbing up the truth. But can she catch the killer or is she heading for a fatal fall?

A page-turning and completely charming English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

Perspective was everything. One person’s idol was another’s villain.

My Review:

 

This was a busy and cleverly contrived story with a plethora of story threads and a confounding mystery that the little pea in my brain was hard-pressed to solve on its own. I always enjoy Ms. Chase’s writing style and original characters, the story was easy to follow and held my attention while prickling my curiosity.

The murder victim was not well liked, by anyone anywhere. She was guilty of shady practices and many villagers had good reason for doing her in. I wondered if it would lead to a similar situation as Murder on the Orient Express, but alas, Ms. Chase has bested me yet again.

 

 

About the Author

Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.

You can find Clare’s website and blog at www.clarechase.com

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