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Happily Ever After by Jane Lovering #Review

  I am delighted to feature Jane Lovering's Happily Ever After  which was published by Boldwood Books on February 17th.   Andi Glover loves nothing more than a good book. Any book in fact because when you’re raised by unconventional parents who think school’s for squares, alongside a deeply conventional sister who escapes home as soon as she can, fiction is eminently preferable to reality. The only problem is that fiction isn’t the best way to learn about the real world. When Andi starts her new live-in job at Templewood Hall for the eccentric Lady Dawe and her enigmatic son Hugo, it’s tempting to think she’s fallen into the pages of one of her favourite gothic novels. But the plot twists at Templewood Hall are stranger than fiction and it’s not long before Andi questions if she’s living in a romance novel or a whodunnit. Bumps in the night, a missing heir, ghostly apparitions and secrets that have been kept for generations - the mysteries mount up. Then there...
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Little Friends by Jane Shemilt #Review

Jane Shemilt's Little Friends was published on February 20th by Penguin and I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for its publication. You can read my review of her novel, How Far We Fall  here.

Their children are friends first. They hit it off immediately, as kids do. 

So the parents are forced to get to know each other. But as they get closer, they start to take their eyes off their children. 

And while they have been looking the other way, evil has crept in.

Every parent's biggest nightmare is about to come true...

My Thoughts

This is one of those immersive novels which draws you in. You are given the story from the perspectives of the three mothers in the group, Eve, Grace and Melissa. They are all such different personalities but have been put together because of their children who are being tutored by Eve. As the three couples meet and socialize, they are so self- obsessed that they do not notice how their children are running wild. You know from the beginning that something terrible has happened and the little insights into the children's lives are unsettling as you realise how unaware the parents are.

    The  horror that is going on within the setting of domesticity seems to add to the tension. You realise early on that there is unhappiness in all the couples' lives and a lot of covering over the cracks going on at all levels. From the beginning you are told to look beneath the surface to the darkness below. Truth is in short measure. This is a great read to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even the title seems to hold a hidden meaning. Glance at it and it can quickly turn to fiends.

In short: Cruelty lies just beneath the surface.
About the Author

 While working as a GP, Jane Shemilt completed a postgraduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol University and went on to study for the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa, gaining both with distinction. Her first novel, Daughter, was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, and went on to become the bestselling debut novel of 2014.

She and her husband, a professor of neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol. 


You can follow Jane here: Twitter   |  Website 

Book links: Amazon UK

Thanks to Jane Shemilt and Sriya Varadharajan from Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.


                                     Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

 
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