August 3, 2023 - fundinmentalfundinmental

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott. This is my first Rachel Abbott book, but I have my eye on her.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Prologue is super creepy and I quickly began ‘flipping pages’. AND, I am going to start off by saying, if you don’t have blinds, curtains, drapes, or some kind of window covering and close them, especially at night, well…..read this. LOL

Nancy Holland had never wanted to come back to Cornwall, but her Aunt Helen had passed away and left the cottage to her. Nancy’s sister, Lola, had disappeared here and she had nothing but bad memories. She was alone. Her mother had passed away and her father had died in a car accident. She carries the guilt of the disappearance and deaths on her shoulders.

I had an instant dislike of her father, Ray. He heaps all the bad onto her, telling her it is her fault. He gives me the creeps and I wonder what the real story is. I think Rachel Abbott did a great job of describing him because I felt he was slimy, a snake, and I never waivered. Am I right? Am I wrong? I have to read on to find out.

She is not in Cornwall long before the search for her sister, Lola, is reopened due to new evidence. There was also a body found in a cave and even more questions arise.

Effie, I think she is a wonderfully developed character. Her personality comes through the pages and I love that she is there for Nancy.

Stephanie and Gus have a crisis and I must say, I would have been furious. I don’t want to say why, BUT, men need to wear a condom! Take some responsibility for your actions. I am not liking Gus very much. I feel he is arrogant, egotistical and patronizing towards her.

Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott started out slow for me. I kept getting the heebie jeebies though. I felt there were a lot of secrets, dangerous secrets buried in the pages. Men sure don’t come across as winners in this book. I felt rage, disgust, empathy, sadness, and hope, among a lot of other things as the story unfolded.

I am trying to describe how dark and disturbing many facets of Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott are, without giving anything away. I had ideas of what was going on, some were right and some were wrong and some I totally missed the mark.

The story is not over, and I saw that coming, sorta….so, I’ll be waiting for the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

She never wanted to come back. Now she’ll never leave.

Nancy Holland’s sister disappeared on a holiday in Cornwall eleven years ago. She hasn’t been seen since, and Nancy never returned. Until now.

Life has pulled her back to the seaside village and cottage where young Lola was last seen.

Back then, Nancy couldn’t see what was right in front of her eyes. Can she now finally uncover what happened to her sister?

But somebody doesn’t want her here, digging into the past. If she discovers the truth at last, they’ll never let her leave again.

Genre: Crime, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 3, 2023Series by Bookouture
Series: Stephanie King #3

ABOUT RACHEL ABBOTT

I was born and brought up in the north of England, and worked for many years as the managing director of an interactive media company. I wrote every day – everything from creative proposals to user manuals – but most exciting of all was writing interactive dramas – including for the Cluedo (Clue in the US) interactive games. I was fortunate enough to sell my company in 2000 and we moved to Italy where we bought and restored an old country house.

I have published six full length novels and one novella, and my seventh Come a Little Closer is due for release in 2018. I now live on the beautiful island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, where I write full time.

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The Widow Queen and her Lover
Alan Gold
Publication date: September 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical

No longer one of the spoils of war, Catherine, Queen of England and France, resolves to fight for her new life – on her own terms

Catherine of Valois, daughter of the defeated king of France, looks down from the battlements as her future rides to greet her.

As one of the spoils of war, she is to be married to her father’s enemy, Henry V of England. She is prepared to do her duty – what could be worse than continuing to live with her ailing father and cold mother – but she wasn’t prepared to fall in love.

Henry is everything that she wanted in a husband, and a king. In him she finds a devoted lover and inspiring ruler. When he dies, shortly after she has delivered his heir, her future and that of her son is in doubt. Not only must she protect her baby, the young Henry VI, she must protect his legacy from the grasping and scheming of his uncle and protector.

When Owen Tudor — Welshman, commoner, troublesomely attractive — stumbles into her lap, she sees her future. A man who will not lead armies, nor rule kingdoms. Instead, one who will devote himself to protecting what is hers. But he must sacrifice everything he has in order to marry her, and even that may not be enough to keep them all safe.

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EXCERPT:

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Gaspar saw movement. It was a woman coming up the steps from the rooms below in the castle. She’d heard the singing and wanted to see who was chanting. Monks? Townsfolk? Jongleurs? She didn’t look scared, and Gaspar recognised her immediately. It was the young and beautiful Catherine of Valois, only eighteen and the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Tall, majestic, regal, yet happy in her life, friendly, open, and warm … the very opposite of the mad father and especially the cold cow of a mother. God knows how she could be so happy and cheerful when she had a mother like that woman down below, that Bavarian bitch and a lunatic for a father.

Author Bio:

Alan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.

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