Book Review - The Stepmother by Claire Seeber - #HolidayReading Book 5

Book 5 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: The Stepmother

Author: Claire Seeber

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 15th July 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

The perfect wife. A fairytale family. Don’t believe your eyes… 

Jeanie and Matthew are a happily married couple who both have teenage children from previous relationships.

No one said it would be easy to raise a blended family under one roof but Jeanie and Matthew are strong. They will make it work.

And whilst Jeanie’s step-daughter Scarlett rejects her, Jeanie will just have to try harder to win her over.
But Jeanie has a past. A terrible secret she thought she’d buried a long time ago. And now, it’s coming to the surface, threatening to destroy her new marriage. 

Someone is playing a terrifying game on Jeanie and she must put a stop to it once and for all. 

After all, a fairytale needs a happy ending…doesn’t it.

There was loads of twists and turns in this book, it was fabulous for keeping you guessing. I didn't see most of it coming at all. 

Really enjoyed the story at least what I could understand of it, the references periodically to fairy tales didn't really do much for me, but I could sort of understand why they were there. 

If you ever marry a man and become a stepmother - all I can say is don't marry into a family like the one the Jeannie did. Makes life a lot creepier than it needed to be.

Great story including tips on how to be a good step mother, and plenty of surprising turns and information to come out that will keep you reading until the last page. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - 24 Hours by Claire Seeber - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: 24 Hours

Author: Claire Seeber

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 9th October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Here today. Dead tomorrow?

My best friend, Emily, is dead – killed last night in a hotel fire. 
But it was meant to be me. 
Now I have 24 hours to find my daughter. 
Before he finds out I’m still alive. 

24 Hours is a fast-paced, intelligent psychological thriller that will leave you breathless.

Utterly unputdownable, read this brilliant book in 2 sittings, and that's only because I made the error of starting it before I went to bed. Had I not been tired, I would have read it front to back in one go. 

Laurie is fearful for her daughters life, she has no idea if she can get to her in time, but knows she has to try everything in her power to get back to her daughter, before whoever she believes is after her, gets to Polly. You see Laurie was believed to be dead after a fire, but it was really her best friend Emily who died, but Laurie is convinced she was the intended target.

During 24 Hours, the chapters alternate between the present, each chapter being an hour further forward in time, counting the 24 hours out, and the past, which explains a lot of the lead up to this day, including the various people that Laurie believes could be out to get her. 

This is an incredibly fast paced, adrenalin causing, story, as it is a race against time. You spend your time willing Laurie to get where she needs to be, while groaning at any point a new obstacle is put in her way. And during the past scenes, I found I could just about understand some of her decisions, while thinking, "what on earth are you doing?". 

Toward the end I was feeling a bit anti-climatic, as although I hadn't quite put everything together, I think I was expecting a bit more final drama, and then there was one final revelation that I just didn't see coming at all, which took my breath away. 

This was the first book I had read by Claire Seeber, and I can see why she has been snapped up by Bookoutre, clearly a very talented author. I can sometimes be left feeling a bit 'meh' after a psychological thriller, if it doesn't grip fully, but let me assure you, you won't be thinking that after this one. My heart is still pounding as I write this, and I was completely immersed in Laurie's race against time. 

Thanks so much to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

What a fabulous book! Thank you so much to Kim Nash for approaching me to be part of this blog tour.