The marriage betrayal

The Marriage Betrayal: Another totally gripping and heart-stopping psychological thriller 

Shalini Boland 

Faye Townsend has planned the perfect summer trip for her family. But returning to the small seaside town her husband grew up in does not go to plan, the rain pours and the long days become stifling. And then the unthinkable happens… 

Her husband Jake and her six-year-old son Dylan go for an early morning walk along the beautiful, windswept clifftops. They don’t come back. 

As the hours tick by, Dylan’s red baseball cap is found on the beach and Faye finds herself being questioned by the police. They want to know everything about the man she married - is Faye ready to face her husband’s dark past? Or will she have to confront her own secrets first? 

And just how far will a mother go to save her only child? 

From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will make you gasp out loud as you race towards the unforgettable twist. If you loved The Girl on the Train and The Wife Before You this book is for you. 

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About the author

Shalini Boland is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of psychological thrillers 'THE GIRL

 FROM THE SEA', 'THE BEST FRIEND', 'THE MILLIONAIRE'S WIFE' (optioned for TV by 

Legendary Studios), 'THE SECRET MOTHER', 'THE CHILD NEXT DOOR', 'THE SILENT SISTER' 

and 'THE PERFECT FAMILY'

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before 

kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her 

days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of 

laundry).

Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45

She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as an atmospheric WWII novel with 

a time-travel twist.

http://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
https://twitter.com/ShaliniBoland

My Review

This has characters so believable that it feels like you are reading someone's life story - a colleague or friend who entrusts you with the worst thing that could possibly happen to a mother. Imagine planning the perfect holiday - you've been looking forward to spending some much-needed family time together and then one day, totally out of the blue, your husband and son disappear. The tension is insurmountable as we question Faye's husband's motives. It's one of those books that you race through and then just don't want to end. Brilliant exploration of how childhood secrets can forge our adult character with a clever ending.

A very French affair

From Southport to the South of France – this is going to be a summer to remember! 

Life just got a whole lot more complicated for thirty-eight-year-old single mum Liv. Her son Jake is practically perfect in every way, but he’s started asking some difficult questions, and the answers lie in a holiday romance twenty years ago. Back when Liv was staying with her aunt on the French Riviera… 

Returning to the Cote d’Azur, with its white sandy beaches, her supportive aunt, and exquisite wine and cheese is harder than it sounds though. Because – if she’s going to give Jake the answers he needs – Liv knows she has to hunt down her first love Andre. And since she’s a professional baker rather than a professional investigator, she doesn’t even have a clue where to start. 

At first, finding the one that got away proves even trickier than she thought. And if she succeeds, how will he take the bombshell secret Liv has been keeping? Liv has to do the best thing for her family, but does that mean closing the door on this very French affair? 

A joyful, laugh-out-loud story about second chances, secrets and sunshine! The perfect summer read for fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan and Sophie Kinsella. 

A VERY FRENCH AFFAIR by Sue Roberts

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About the author: 

Sue was born in Liverpool and moved to Lancashire as a teenager where she has lived 

ever since. She has written three books, the third 'My Summer of love and limoncello.' 

will be published on March 6th and she is busy working on a fourth book. When not busy writing, 

Sue spends her time with her ever growing family. She enjoys walking, cinema and travelling. 

Her first book 'My Big Greek Summer.' was inspired by frequent visits to the Island of Rhodes 

in Greece. All Sue's books are available from Amazon in kindle and paperback format.

https://twitter.com/SueRobertsautho

My Review

This is such a lovely story of a long-lost love, family secrets and second chances. The setting is superb as who doesn't want to read about France's Cote d'Azur?  When you add a bakery and a handsome Frenchman then it's pretty much perfect. I loved Liv's aunt and her wacky friend who add a touch of colour to the book but it is the relationships that develop in the search for Liv's first love and how this will affect her son, Jake. Lovely book to curl up with in the garden or on the beach but make sure you have plenty of time as this is a book you'll want to read in one go.

How not to write female characters

                                                                                               

Female characters. When fifty per cent of your potential target audience is female, if you’re not writing them in your screenplay or novel? You’re making a BIG mistake!

But how should you approach your female characters? That’s the million-dollar question … After all, women in real life are complex, varied and flawed. Knowing where to start in creating three dimensional female characters for your story is extremely difficult. How Not To Write Female Characters

So … perhaps it’s easier to figure out how NOT to write female characters?

Script editor, novelist and owner of the UK’s top screenwriting blog www.bang2write.com, Lucy V Hay has spent the last fifteen years reading the slush pile. She has learned to spot the patterns, pitfalls and general mistakes writers make when writing female characters – and why.

In How Not To Write Female Characters, Lucy outlines: 

•WHO your character is & how to avoid “classic” traps and pitfalls
•WHAT mistakes writers typically make with female characters
•WHERE you can find great female characters in produced and published content
•WHEN to let go of gender politics and agendas
•WHY female characters are more important than ever

Lucy is on a mission to improve your writing, as well as enable diverse voices and characters to rise to the top of the spec pile. 

REVIEWS FOR LUCY V’S WRITING ADVICE: 

'A timely guide to creating original characters and reinvigorating tired storylines. '
- Debbie Moon, creator and showrunner, Wolfblood (BBC)  

'Lucy V. Hay nails it'
- Stephen Volk, BAFTA-winning screenwriter: Ghostwatch, Afterlife, The Awakening 

'Packed with practical and inspirational insights'
- Karol Griffiths, development consultant and script editor, clients include ITV, BBC, Warner Brothers 

'A top-notch, cutting-edge guide to writing and selling, not just practical but inspirational. Lucy's distinctive voice infuses the entire journey. Quite brilliant. Here's the woman who'll help you make things happen.'
- Barbara Machin, award-winning writer & creator of Waking the Dead 

'Delivers the stirring call to arms that writers must not only write, but take their work to the next level themselves, making sacrifices and taking risks if they want to see their stories on screen.'
- Chris Jones, Filmmaker, Screenwriter & Creative Director at the London Screenwriters Festival 

‘Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays is a must-read for any writer, producer or director looking to create (or in the process of creating) a thriller production. It could also be immensely useful for those generally curious about the genre or looking to learn more.’ - Film Doctor

‘Lucy V Hay explains what a script reader and editor's role in filmmaking, tells you to work on your concepts and that dialogue is the last thing to work on in her new book.’ - Brit Flicks

Author Bio – 

Lucy V. Hay is an author, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her Bang2write consultancy. Lucy is the producer of two Brit Thrillers, DEVIATION (2012) and ASSASSIN (2015), as well as the script editor and advisor on numerous other features and shorts.  Lucy's also the author of  WRITING AND SELLING THRILLER SCREENPLAYS for Kamera Books' "Creative Essentials" range, as well as its follow ups on DRAMA SCREENPLAYS and DIVERSE CHARACTERS.

Social Media Links – 

• www.instagram.com/Bang2write
• www.twitter.com/Bang2write

www.facebook.com/groups/Bang2writers

My Review

From the title, it isn't immediately evident that this book is primarily about writing characters for screen. As a novelist, there is some useful information that can equally apply to fiction writing but for the most part, the references to many of the films given as examples were ones with which I am not familiar.
I found the tone a little evangelical at times - it is clear that the author is on a mission - and whilst I am in total agreement with the cause, I found the constant references to her own website annoying after a while. That said, there are some really eye-opening ideas which really make you think about the way that women are portrayed on screen and in books and if that goes some way towards the creation of more realistic female roles in the future then she will have done her job. There is a particularly useful checklist at the end which I would encourage every writer, male or female to keep by their writing space as a reminder.

Summer at the little French cafe

In the beautiful village of Chamillon lies the Café Belle Vie, where you’ll always find croissants and friends when you need them the most – and where Elle is hoping to uncover the truth about her past…

Thirty-year-old Elle Matheson has decided it’s finally time to find the mother who gave her up as a baby. With a faded postcard from the Café Belle Vie in hand – one of the very few things she has from her mother – she heads straight to the Île de Ré to begin her search.

With only the postcard and the ivory shawl she was wrapped in as clues, finding her mum is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, even with the help of friendly – and gorgeous – café-owner Charlie. And since Elle hasn’t exactly told her younger sister what she’s up to, the little white lies about where she is are starting to add up…

But Elle is really starting to feel at home on the beautiful island. The locals are welcoming, the café is homely, and Charlie is always there with a helping hand, a listening ear, and a pain au chocolat.

Is Elle about to discover not just where she came from – but where she belongs?

A hilarious rom com perfect for reading in the sunshine! Fans of Debbie Johnson, Zara Stoneley and Debbie Macomber will love Karen Clarke!

My Review

As Elle arrives in the French village of Chamillon in search of the birth mother she has never known, the reader is taken on a wonderfully poignant and sometimes funny journey of discovery along with her. She immediately finds herself a job in the local cafe, ideal for people-watching as any one of the customers might hold the key to the mystery woman who is her mother. Of course, cake, pain au chocolat and croissants feature heavily making this a yummy book in more ways than one. Beautifully written, this book will transport you to the Ile de Re - another place that is now on my wish-list.

The Tuscan Secret

THE TUSCAN SECRET by Angela Petch

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Il Mulino. An old crumbling mill, by a winding river, nestled in the Tuscan mountains.
 An empty home that holds memories of homemade pasta and Nonna’s stories by the fire, 
and later: the Nazi invasion, and a family torn apart by a heartbreaking betrayal.

Anna is distraught when her beloved mother, Ines, passes away. She inherits a box of papers,
 handwritten in Italian and yellowed with age, and a tantalising promise that the truth about what 
happened during the war lies within.

The diaries lead Anna to the small village of Rofelle, where she slowly starts to heal as she 
explores sun-kissed olive groves, and pieces together her mother’s past: happy days spent 
herding sheep across Tuscan meadows cruelly interrupted when World War Two erupted and
 the Nazis arrived; fleeing her home to join the Resistenza; and risking everything to protect an 
injured British soldier who captured her heart. But Anna is no closer to learning the truth: what 
sent Ines running from her adored homeland?

When she meets an elderly Italian gentleman living in a deserted hamlet, who flinches at her 
mother’s name and refuses to speak English, Anna is sure he knows more about the devastating
 secret that tore apart her mother’s family. 
But in this small Tuscan community, some wartime secrets were never meant to be 
uncovered…

A stunning tale, inspired by true events, about how the tragic consequences of war can 
echo throughgenerations, and how love can guide us through the darkest times. 
Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes will be 
captivated.

This book was previously published as Tuscan Roots.

About me by Angela Petch

I’m an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem
Every summer I move to Tuscany for six months where my husband and I own a renovated
watermill which we let out. When not exploring our unspoilt corner of the Apennines, I
disappear to my writing desk at the top of our converted stable.
In my Italian handbag or hiking rucksack I always make sure to store notebook and pen
to jot down ideas.
The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of our family live. When I’m not helping
out with grandchildren, I catch up with writer friends.

www.angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch

https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

My Review

There are a lot of books around at the moment detailing this period of Anglo-Italian history. This book stands out though, not only for the beautiful way in which the story is told but also because it's a wonderful story with an ending that is unpredictable. It started in a familiar way with Anne being left a box of letters from her Italian mother Ines. From then on, when Anna goes to Italy to find out more, I was completely captivated. As you might expect, dealing with this historical period, the book is quite heartbreaking in parts. Nonetheless, it is sensitively told and a great read.

One summer in Santorini

Sarah has had enough of men. It’s time to rekindle her first true love – travel – so she books a sailing trip around the Greek islands with a group of strangers.

The very last thing Sarah wants is to meet someone new… But then a gorgeous American man boards her yacht and she knows she’s in trouble. And when she also encounters a handsome silver fox who promises her the world, she realises that trouble really does come in twos.

Will Sarah dive into a holiday fling, embark on a relationship, or stick to her plan – steer clear of men, continue her love affair with feta, and find her own way after all?

 

I'm a writer and traveller with a lengthy bucket list and cheeky sense of humour. When I travel, I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.

My aim in life is to go, see, taste and do – and then write about it.

As well as blogging, I am a professional content developer and editor, a children’s playwright, and an occasional contributor to online magazines.

I am also an author and I write the heart – what makes it sing, what breaks it, and how it mends – and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels. My first novel, a romantic comedy set in Greece and inspired by my real-life love story, was published in June 2019 by One More Chapter (HarperCollins).

In 2018, my partner and I left Australia for a year’s sabbatical, living and working in Bali, the US, the UK, and Portugal. Inspired by stunning locations, incredible experiences and making new friends across the world, I wrote my second and third novels.

Now having settled back in Melbourne, I have just started writing my fourth.

My Review

This is not really a story about Santorini but a light-hearted story as Sarah, wanting to leave her broken love affair behind, embarks on a sailing trip around the Greek islands. I loved the descriptions of the various places they visit and the different relationships between the travellers. The book did make me think wistfully of my own youth when anything seemed possible but that is also the attraction of Greece. If you long to leave the humdrum daily life behind and can't afford to sail around the Greek islands, then this book is the next best thing.

His guilty secret

Secrets & Lies Are Dangerous.

                                                                                        

When Jacques's body is discovered in a hotel room his wife, Patricia, suspects he has been hiding something from her.

Why was he found naked and who is the woman that visited his grave on the day of the funeral? Significantly, who is the unnamed beneficiary Jacques left a large sum of money to in his will and what is the reason her best friend, also Jacques's sister, Coco, refuses to tell her what he confided to her?

Struggling to find out the truth, Patricia visits Malmö where her twin sister Jasmine lives and is married to her ex boyfriend. But the sisters relationship is toxic and when a family member dies shortly after, an old secret is revealed that shines a light on an event that took place on their tenth birthday.

As one revelation after another is revealed, Patricia is yet to discover her husband's biggest secret and what ultimately cost him his life.

His Guilty Secret is an unafraid examination of the tangled bonds between siblings, the lengths we go to in protecting our wrongdoings, and the enduring psychological effects this has on the innocent...and the not so innocent.

Hélene Fermont is the author of three books. Because of You and We Never Said Goodbye are also available on Kindle and in print from Amazon.

Author Bio:

Hélene Fermont writes character-driven psychological crime fiction with a Scandi Noir flavour. Known for her explosive, pacy narrative and storylines, she has published three novels – Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret – and two short story collections – The Love of Her Life and Who’s Sorry Now? Her fourth novel is due for release in the summer of 2019. 

After 20 years in London, Hélene recently returned to her native Sweden where she finds the unspoiled scenery and tranquillity a therapeutic boost for creativity. Enjoying a successful career as a Psychologist, when she’s not working her ‘day job’, Hélene spends her time writing, with friends and family, or playing with her beloved cat, Teddy. All three novels can be purchased via her website helenefermont.com/books/

Social media links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenefermontauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermont

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/helenefermontwriter

My Review

This is not a typical psychological thriller as you might expect from the title. Instead of waiting until the last page to find out the devastating secret, the book opens with Jacques dying in a hotel room in the arms of his mistress. His wife Patricia suspects at the funeral that something had been going on and in fact, the rest of the book deals with her coming to terms with the realisation that her marriage wasn't what she thought. There are a lot of characters, which to be honest, took me a while to get to grips with and everyone seems to have their own secret or inner demon. this book explores the damage that can be caused when we try to cover our own guilt. The style takes a little getting used to as the prose is tight and crisp - however, it is in keeping with the analytical tone of the book. The exploration of the relationship between the two sisters is especially well done.