#Audiobook #bookreview – Try not to breathe by Holly Seddon #thriller #suspense

Posted on August 9, 2016 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon

Audio book

Blurb

Alex is sinking. Slowly but surely, she’s cut herself off from everything but her one true love – drink. Until she’s forced to write a piece about a coma ward, where she meets Amy.

Amy is lost. When she was fifteen, she was attacked and left for dead in a park. Her attacker was never found. Since then, she has drifted in a lonely, timeless place. She’s as good as dead, but not even her doctors are sure how much she understands.

Alex and Amy grew up in the same suburbs, played the same music, flirted with the same boys. And as Alex begins to investigate the attack, she opens the door to the same danger that has left Amy in a coma…

My review

I really enjoyed this thriller of a book. The format reminded me very much of Girl on a Train, which I have also recently listened to. Each chapter switches between Alex, Jacob/Jake and Amy’s view-point. There are occasional chapters from other VP’s (Jacob’s mum) but it’s these three that are the main focus.

I quickly became sucked in by the story and found myself snatching every moment I could to listen to another chapter. I found the characters believable and really wanted Alex to get justice for Amy.

The narration was great.

This book lives up to the hype around it and left me guessing (wrongly) at Amy’s attacker most of the way through. I certainly wasn’t expecting the big reveal at the end, and I’m usually good at working out the clues before that point.

I recommend Try not to Breathe to those who enjoy a great thriller / suspense novel. I can’t wait to read more of Holly Seddon’s work.

My rating 4 stars.

#Tuesdaybookblog #Audio #Bookreview The House on Cold Hill – Peter James #Suspense

Posted on June 21, 2016 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

The House on Cold Hill by Peter James

Audiobook Length 9 hours

Genre Suspense

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Blurb

Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House – a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion – Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends.

Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren’t the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade’s is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House’s dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them . . .

My review

I loved Peter James’ suspense thrillers as a teenager and was delighted to see this book featured on a recent blog post by Shani Struthers along with an interview with the great man himself, Peter James. I’d been looking for a book to listen to on audio and thought, why not. My only concern was that I might be more of a wimp now than my teenage self was.

Apart from the rather gruesome start, the book wasn’t too terrifying. It had the right amount of tension and confusion to keep me hooked.

I listened to this book over the course of 2 days. I couldn’t stop myself, and I think I would have been the same if I had been reading the book. The short chapters make for a suspenseful read/listen.

My only faults with the book were that I didn’t feel particularly close to any of the characters and I guessed the end too soon. But that didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

I recommend The House on Cold Hill to any ghost / horror / suspense readers out there, even if you are a bit of a coward like me!

I rate it 4 stars.

#RBRT #BookReview of No Time Like Now by Jennifer Young #romance

Posted on April 14, 2016 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

No Time Like Now – Jennifer Young

Genre: Romantic suspense.

Length: 258 pages

Review copy received from the author (via Rosie Amber’s book review team.)

Blurb:

Hiding away from a disastrous past, Megan McLeod is getting along nicely in her job as a housekeeper at a university field centre in Majorca. But the arrival of geological researcher, Tim Stone, throws everything into disarray – because Tim was the father of the baby she lost some years before and the two of them had parted very messily indeed…

First impressions:

I was drawn to the premise of a geologist and the location Majorca. I enjoyed the book from the start, the gentle introduction into Megan’s world at the field centre and then the impact of Tim’s sudden reappearance in her life. In her bid to escape him, she heads for the beach and stumbles on to something that will eventually put both their lives in danger.

The mysteries of past and present running through the book kept me turning the pages. I had to know what had happened in Megan’s past and how things had gone so badly wrong with her and Tim. There was a touch of menace in this storyline as well, which I hadn’t been expecting. I enjoyed the suspense element to the plot and how at times you weren’t really sure who to trust. I also liked how the author used the location and the elements to increase the tension and the danger.

Characters:

Throughout the book, I didn’t feel completely connected with the characters and at times it was frustrating that they kept refusing to talk to each other. There were also a few places where I felt both Megan and Tim acted out of character, but I can’t explain these points without spoilers.

However, when I reached the end where everything was revealed and the mysteries were resolved, I felt more emotionally connected to Megan. I even shed a tear or two for her and that is why I am happy to round up my star rating to 4.

Style:

I didn’t understand why the author chose to have Megan’s chapters in first person and Tim’s in third person. It didn’t detract from the story at all, but I don’t think it added to it either. I had no problem switching between both viewpoints and it was well written.

Summary:

An enjoyable read for romance readers, especially those who like a bit of added mystery and suspense.

My rating: 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.