Book Review: The Ex by Nicola Moriarty

The Ex

by 

Nicola Moriarty

Publisher: Harper Collins 
Publication date: 17th June 2019
Pages: 400
Format read: Paperback
Source: Own purchase

She wants him back. She wants you gone.

Luke is The One. After everything she's been through, Georgia knows she deserves someone like him, to make her feel loved. Safe.
The only problem is his ex-girlfriend. Luke says Cadence is having trouble moving on. She texts Luke all the time and leaves aggressive notes on Georgia's car.
Georgia starts to feel afraid. But she decides to confront Cadence ... and that's when things get interesting.

The Ex is a suspense filled story of love and revenge.

Georgia is finally getting her life back on track. She has a nursing job that she loves and is looking forward to a date she has arranged through a dating app. When her date stands her up she is about to head home when she is harassed by two men that have had a little too much to drink. Luke comes to her aid and moves the men along. Georgia is enchanted. He is not only good looking, he is charming and attentive. They start to date and Luke explains that his ex-girlfriend is in denial, she will not let him go. Georgia starts to get threatening texts and notes left on her car. She feels like she is being followed.

Georgia had finally found the perfect guy and she wasn’t going to let a clingy, psycho ex spoil it for her.

If you like suspense, if you like books about weird-ass stalkers, this book is for you!

I did think I knew where this story was going but I never guessed just how crazy and out of control it would become.

Moriarty includes themes of mental illness, self harm, depression, suicide and vulnerability.

There is also a heart-felt side story of Georgia’s job as a nurse and her attachment to one elderly patient.

Highly recommended for thriller fans!

                             🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating:     5/5

*this review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

and book #24 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

Nicola Moriarty lives in Sydney's north west with her husband and two small daughters. She is the younger sister of bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Jaclyn Moriarty.

In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying teaching at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can't seem to stop.

 

 

Book Bingo - Round 14 #BookBingo

Book Bingo is a reading challenge hosted by Theresa Smith Writes , Mrs B’s Book Reviews and The Book Muse. Every second Saturday, book bingo participants reveal which bingo category they have read and what book they chose. 

This week I have chosen the category 'A book set on the Australian coast'.

Book set on the Australian coast.

For this category I have chosen Sixty Seconds which is set in the town of  Murwillumbah on the NSW Far North Coast.

A family moves to this coastal town to start a new life but it isn't long before their life is changed forever. This is a compelling family drama that came across as very real and also heartbreaking. 

You can read my full review of Sixty Seconds here

#BookBingo2019 

 

Winner of The Monster Catchers eBook announced

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for an ecopy of The Monster Catchers . The giveaway closed on 2nd July and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to..

  Renee Grandinetti

Your eBook will be sent directly to you by Smith Publicity.

Please see my Giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

Book Review: A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

A Nearly Normal Family

by

M. T. Edvardsson

translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Aus
Publication date: 25th June 2019
Pages: 480
RRP: $29.99AUD
Format read: paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

Nineteen-year-old Stella stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

A Nearly Normal Family is a twisty tale of deception and lies. Set in Lund, Sweden it is a gripping legal drama written in the Nordic Noir tradition.

Stella Sandell is accused of murder and as she sits in a cell awaiting trial her parents fumble, lie, take matters into their own hands, quarrel and fall apart. But mostly they question themselves. Did their parenting lead to this day?

The story is told in three parts giving the point of view of the father, a pastor, the mother, a defense attorney and the daughter, Stella.

The father: he will do anything to save his daughter, maybe even lie. Throughout he questions himself. Was he a good father? Did he do enough for Stella? Did he do too much?

I found the father’s narration a bit long and slow. He was so deeply concerned with what people would think and how he’d failed. He was worn down by cares and moral dilemmas.

Stella: Stella’s story is told in alternating present tense, in jail, and past tense, what led up to her arrest. Stella had such a commanding voice in the story and I really became to feel for her and understand her. She had a compulsion for action that she couldn’t control.

The mother: we don’t get much insight into the mother before this and she comes across as bitter and distant. Her part of the story is mainly the court case which is very intense and dramatic.

Edvardsson has used some very clever plotting feeding out small, disjointed pieces of information causing the reader to make their own assumptions by filling in the gaps. This had me changing my opinion again and again. The mystery kept me enthralled and I never guessed the twists upon twists. I was quite shocked by the ending.

Recommended for readers of family dramas and legal dramas.

A special mention to Rachel Willson-Broyles for such a smooth, faultless translation. 

                          🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 My rating    4.5/5

Content: Minimal coarse  language
                 mentions of rape

Photo credit: Goodreads

M. T. Edvardsson is a writer and teacher from Trelleborg, Sweden.

He is the author of three previous novels and two books for young readers. Edvardsson lives with his family in Löddeköpinge, Sweden.  













 

Book Review: The Eyes of Tamburah by Maria V Snyder

The Eyes of Tamburah

by

Maria V Snyder

Publisher: Harper Collins

Imprint: HQ Young Adult

Publication date: 17th June 2019

Series: Archives of the Invisible Sword #1

Pages: 512

RRP: $19.99AUD

Format read: ARC - uncorrected proof

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

'He thinks you are the thief...'

Shyla is a researcher who resides in the underground desert city of Zirdai, which is ruled by the wealthy Water Prince and brutal Heliacal Priestess. Even though Shyla is sun-kissed - an outcast, considered cursed by the Sun Goddess - she is still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artefacts, ancient maps, and obscure historical documents. Her quiet life is about to change when Banqui, an archaeologist, enlists her services to find The Eyes of Tamburah: legendary gemstones that bestows great magic to its wielder. These ancient objects can tip the balance of power and give whoever possesses them complete control of the city.

But chaos erupts when The Eyes are stolen soon after they're found - and Shyla is blamed for the theft. Forced to flee, with the Prince's soldiers and the Priestess' deacons on her trail, Shyla must recover the jewels and clear her name. A quest that will unearth secrets even more valuable than The Eyes of Tamburah themselves..

The Eyes of Tamburah is a fast paced fantasy and the first in a new series by Maria V Snyder.

Shyla is a sun-kissed, the name given to babies born with pale-yellow hair. These babies, believed cursed, are left in the desert to die. Shyla is saved and raised by monks until she turns 18 and chooses to reside in the city. She is shunned by the other citizens of Zirdai and spends most of her time in her room. She manages to find work reading maps and transcribing ancient tablets in order to locate lost artifacts.

Snyder starts with explanations of the world the story is set in. Zirdai is an extensive underground city built on many levels which is necessary to escape the searing heat of the desert.

When the eyes of Tamburah, believed to bestow magic and their owner, are uncovered and subsequently stolen Shyla’s only friend Banqui is imprisoned and unless Shyla finds the eyes he will be put to death.

The story includes plenty of action and danger. Shyla is a strong-willed woman who can hold her own in a confrontation. She soon finds that she can trust no one as she is double crossed many times and her eyes are open to many things happening in the city she was unaware of. With this awareness comes an awakening of a new purpose to her life.

The majority of the story is high on action and very low on fantasy elements which may not appeal to hard core fantasy readers. The story gets a little dark towards the end with talk of torture and sacrifice although there is a small romance introduced and the occasional light-hearted banter keeps the story from becoming too intense. We get a few glimpses of the magic I’m hoping to see more of in the next book.

The Eyes of Tamburah was an easy read and I was totally caught up in the whole world of Zirdai. There are plenty of evil people to despise and Shyla’s character development was well executed.

Recommended for ages 12+ 

Content: mentions of torture

                 mild viloence

                          🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

 

My rating   5/5

Photo credit: Goodreads

Meteorologist turned novelist, Maria's been writing since she was bored at work and needed something creative to do. Over a dozen novels later, Maria's been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a half-dozen awards, and has earned her Master's degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University where she's now a faculty member. As a frequent workshop presenter and speaker for various conferences, Maria enjoys helping other writers. She also has a blast creating new worlds where horses and swords rule, 'cause let's face it, they're cool, although she's been known to trap her poor characters in a giant metal cube and let them figure out how to get out.