The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty

There review for The Husbands Secret is by guest reviewer, Katrina

Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.

Curious, she opens it - and time stops.

John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of  others.

Cecilia wants to do the right thing, but right for who? If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most...

I stumbled across 'The Husband's Secret' amongst a pile of books that had been donated to the charity shop where I work. I don't normally go for this type of book but the blurb intrigued me, however it has been sat in my TBR pile for a few months now.

Then last week I read Laura's review of 'Big Little Lies' also by Liane Moriarty, which prompted me to download the ebook immediately. I was so impressed by the suspense created and how fantastically written it was, that I made 'The Husband's Secret' my next read.

Unfortunately, I was left quite disappointed by this book. The book opens with Cecilia and her family. Whilst looking for a bit of the Berlin Wall for her daughter Esther, she discovers an envelope addressed to her, only to be opened in the event of her husband John-Paul's death. Cecilia's head explodes with all possibilities of what the letter could contain.

The next two chapters introduce us to two other families - firstly Tess, her husband Will and cousin Felicity who have "fallen in love" with each other, and secondly Rachel, her son Rob and his wife and child Lauren and Jacob. I found the sheer number of characters very overwhelming, especially as they were all introduced immediately. A little while later in the book, we discover that they are all connected but at first I found it very confusing to keep up with who was who, especially as the chapters jumped from family to family.

I won't spoil the 'husband's secret', however as more of the character background stories are told, it is very easy to guess what John-Paul's secret is a long time before it's actually revealed. I found the book to be very predictable but that didn't stop me from carrying on reading, in the hope that something unexpected would happen.

The main twist for me came in the epilogue, where I genuinely gasped at some of the conclusions drawn. However it also left me wanting to know more, as not all of the aspects were realistic. It did emphasise how the course of life can veer yet we will not always be aware of the path we should/could have taken.

This wasn't a bad book by all means - I think I had such high expectations after reading Big Little Lies, that this book just didn't cut it for me (however Big Little Lies is Liane's most recent book, so it goes to show how much her writing has improved since this novel in my opinion!).

Nonetheless, I was eager to see what would happen next throughout and I will most definitely try another of Liane's books in the future!

The Tea Planters Wife by Dinah Jefferies

Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper is newly married to a rich and charming widower, eager to join him on his tea plantation, determined to be the perfect wife and mother. 

But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. 

The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbours treacherous. 

And there are clues to the past - a dusty trunk of dresses, an overgrown gravestone in the grounds - that her husband refuses to discuss. 

Just as Gwen finds her feet, disaster strikes. She faces a terrible choice, hiding the truth from almost everyone, but a secret this big can't stay buried forever . . .

I have literally just finished The Tea Planters Wife, and normally when I come to the end of a book I have words hurling around my head, sentences already strung together and a rough idea of what I want to say within my review.

Yet I'm sat here, trying to battle with my emotions after what has been one of the most powerful reads of the year!

The Tea Planters Wife wouldn't generally be the type of book I would go for but when the opportunity came for me to obtain a copy I didn't resist, and boy I was not disappointed - plus who passes up a free book anyway?!! 

Set in the 1920s/1930s, the book is based in Ceylon and tells the tale of Gwen, a young English girl on her way to a new life with her new husband. Right from the start not all is as it seems when she feels her husband, Laurence, is distant from her. After she discovers things she shouldn't have (I won't say and spoil it!) she can't help but feel he's keeping something from her.

Roles are quickly reversed when Gwen has to make a rash decision and then live with her choice, until it comes back to face her. Can the secrets of the tea plantation ruin their marriage? Or will they over come these to have the happy life Gwen has dreamt about?

This book had everything from secrets and lies, to dealing with the fall in economy and risk of business.

There was also the issue of relationships, not only between husband and wife but between other family members and work forces who were of other ethnics.

The deep dark secrets were powerful and moving making me question what I would do in that situations. It gave insight to a whole new world and industry and you could tell the author had worked incredibly hard on the details, describing Ceylon, Gwen's home and the tea making process in great depth.

After I'd finished the book I did some searching on the author and book, I try to avoid this whilst reading so that my thoughts aren't influenced, however if you would like an insight to Ceylon and the area described in the book then the link below is to Dinah's research page on Pinterest and gives some amazing visuals.

https://www.pinterest.com/dinahjefferies/the-tea-planters-wife-penguin-2015/

I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I would like to thank Dinah and the teams at Penguin for approving my NetGalley request to read The Tea Planters Wife.

This is my honest review.

My Sisters Secret by Tracy Buchanan

Everything you’ve built your life on is a lie.

Willow’s memories of her parents are sun-drenched and full of smiles, love and laughter. But a mysterious invitation to a photographic exhibition exposes a secret that’s been buried since a tragic accident years ago.

Willow is forced to question everything she knew about Charity, her late mother, and Hope, the aunt she’s lived with since she was a child.

How was the enigmatic photographer connected to Willow’s parents? Why will Hope not break her silence?

Willow cannot move forward in her life without answers. But who can she really trust? Because no one has been telling the truth for a very long time.

My Sisters Secret was no doubt an absolute joy of a read! 

Right from the prologue I was gripped and fascinated with the story, and although the book only took my two days of reading it felt much longer due to finding myself googling images of Submerged Forests every time a new one was referred to within the story.... 

Just look at this one of Green Lake in Austria, captivating right?

                                                                         Photograph curtesy of Google Images.

Submerged Forests play a huge part in the storyline of My Sister Secret and I adored the amount of detail Tracy Buchanan went in to to describe each of the ones mentioned on Faith's Map, it made me feel as though I was there, putting on my own wetsuit, snorkel and flippers and diving right between the trees. That in its own right is the sign of a great author.

So the book then. 

Well, I can't say a great deal, not because I don't want to - trust me I could go on for a while about the different elements, but because I want to "Keep The Secret" and I think if I give too much away then the secret will slip out. 

That said, it's obvious we know there is a secret from the clear title, but there were lots of twists and turns within the book that kept my mind guessing, and I'm pleased to say I didn't think *THAT* would be revealed!!

The story is based around three sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity, and Charity's daughter Willow and is told from the view of both Charity and Willow.

The chapters told from Willow are in the present day, we know her mother passed away in a cruise ship accident and she was brought up by her aunt, but when clearing out her parents' old house, Willow discovers an invite from Niall Lane, a well known photographer specialising in submerged forests. Willows Aunt gives her a frosty reception about this, forcing Willow to ask more and more questions adding doubt to the life she thought she knew.

Whilst the chapters told from Charity's POV are from the past giving us insight to what happened and when, who Niall Lane is and of course revealing the a secret or two!

My Sisters Secret was a very well plotted story, it allowed us to follow Willow's journey on finding out about her mothers past life, throwing questions and giving answers along the way.

I particularly liked how the past and present was linked by the common submerged forest interest and how it tied most of the characters together. 

Without question I would recomend this book to anyone that enjoys women's fiction that has an element of mystery to it.

I would like to thank Tracy and the teams at HarperCollins / Avon for the copy of My Sister Secret via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion. 

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

It was always going to end in tears, but how did it end in murder?

Single mum Jane has just moved to town. She's got her little boy in tow - plus the secret she's been carrying for five years.

On the first day of the school run she meets Madeline - a force to be reckoned with, who remembers everything and forgives no one - and Celeste, the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but is inexplicably I'll at ease. They both take Jane under their wing - while careful to keep their own secrets under wraps.

But a minor incident involving the children of all three women rapidly escalates; playground whispers become spiteful rumours until no one can tell the truth from the lies.

Which is when the secrets come out - and now someone is going to pay with their life...

"A brilliantly plotted story with characters to care for who kept me reading, utterly gripped" ~ Women & Home.

"Brilliant, stand - out, superbly clever" ~ Sunday Express.

I'm not really sure what drew me to purchasing this book as it's not from my usual genre... That said I don't think I would categorise this into crime and thriller either as its in no way bloody or had me hiding behind a pillow!

Ultimately for me, Big Little Lies is a story of secrets and friendships which focuses on three main characters, Madeline, Jane and Celeste.

Each of the three ladies become friends yet each is hiding a secret and the story starts with the schools trivia night. The details for this are quite vague but from the outset of the book we know there is a murder. We don't know who, why or how exactly.

Once this has been outlined, the books takes us back to 5 months before trivia night and we get to see how the characters met and what the initial incident was, which has caused nothing but grief between the 3 girls, their children and their friends In the playground!

As the book takes us closer to trivia night we can see friendships blooming and others falling out, there are playground arguments between parents and at the end of each chapter there are short bullet point statements from other Parents and teachers which leads us to believe they are statements given to the police after the murder.

Liane Moriarty has written Big Little Lies simply brilliantly. I don't want to give too much away as they book is written with a mystery of element due to us not knowing anything about the murder right up until the end, and I think that is partly what makes the book.

With storylines of bullying and abuse, ex husbands walking out, teenage daughters auctioning their virginity and parents thinking their children are better than the next, the murder suspect and victim could be literally any one of the characters the book mentions.... Who they were though, even caught be my surprise!

This book was such a gripping read, it covered sensitive subjects with care and consideration yet at times had elements of humour, and the descriptions were spot on... I felt like I was part of the book and the journey Jane, Celeste and Madeline shared.

If you've not read Big Little Lies I suggest you go grab a copy now! 

Pieces Of You by Ella Harper

Lucy I don't even know how to start this letter.

Something happened.

Something terrible....

Lucy was always sure of one thing - her cuter with husband and soul mate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years of trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes.

When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted.

Then a stranger arrives, with a shocking secret that will force Lucy to make the hardest decision of her life

*Contains Spoilers*

I purchased Pieces Of You recently and will confess that the front cover intrigued me. I didn't read the blurb at the time of purchase, and truthfully, if I had I probably wouldn't have brought it... I'll explain as my review goes on.

The book is fundamentally about one main character, Lucy, and a fair chunk of the chapters are written as her in the first person.

Lucy is married to Luke, the love of her life. They are completely compatible and completely besotted with each other.

Only one thing is missing. A baby to complete their family. The chapters that Lucy tells are primarily in the present and titled with her name, whilst one or two refers back to how her and Luke met, the first time they discovered she was expecting, their wedding day etc. and are titles Lucy and Luke.

I instantly took a liking to Lucy's character and I have to hand it to Ella Harper as she wrote about a sensitive subject with care and thought yet keeping it real. Having suffered miscarriages and yearning that feeling of having a baby myself, I could totally relate to Lucy and her emotions - that didn't mean that this book, for me, was an easy read and I did have to put it down and take a breather occasional.

Lucy's world is suddenly turned upside down when Luke has an accident at work which leaves him fighting for life and in a coma. With her emotions all over the place the last thing she needed was a stranger dropping a bombshell - your have to read it to discover what as I'd like to leave some element of surprise, however Lucy starts to question everything she thought she had with Luke.

Along with the Lucy & Lucy and Luke chapters, there are two other characters that tell this story. Patricia, Luke's mother, and Nell, his sister, both of who depended largely on Luke during the last few years. I particularly liked the way the chapters focussing on these two characters are in the third person, it kept you on your toes whilst reading yet flowed really well.

One thing that is clear from the start of the book is that other than Lucy and Luke, there are a lot of broken relationships between the four main characters, and as the story unfolds we get to know each of the characters well and how they deal with problems as they arise - real family issues that are relatable and believable and what's lovely about Pieces Of You is that over the course of the book we get to see this broken family build their bridges.

I'm glad I didn't read the blurb for this book as it was, despite being hard going for me personally, a truely compelling, heart warming, and heart breaking, novel that had everything from laughs to tears.... If your a fan of JoJo Moyes' Me Before You or Giovanna Fletcher Billy & Me then this is a must for you!

Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley

Growing up in the beautiful village of Neatslake, Joise Gray and her childhood sweetheart, Ben Richards, always dreamt of a life of rural bliss. And when Josie inherits her beloved grandmothers cottage, it seems like all their dreams are coming true.

The tranquil village turns into a hive of activity with the return of Josies childhood friend, Libby Martin, now a wealthy widow. Soon, Libby and Josie are hard at work at their fledging wedding business, with Josie dreaming up all manner of wonderful creations; from a fashionista cake - complete with icing Manolos - to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

But amidst all this romance, Josie's fairytale relationship with Ben turns into a nightmare, and she quickly becomes loves number one cynic. Until charming wedding photographer Noah Sephton arrives in Neatslake...

Can this hopeless romantic persuade pessimistic Josie to give romance one more try?

Or will be be a case of always the cake maker, never the bride...?

*Contains Spoilers*

I've had Wedding Tiers stuck on my bookshelf for what feels like months and with the wedding season upon us I decided now was as good a time as any to get stuck in to it.

Although for me the book was a little slow to get into, Trisha Ashley set the story up really well with a prologue titles 'Ends and Beginnings, 1983'.

To start we are introduced to Josie, the main female character, as a young girl waking up in hospital after a horrific crash which killed her parents. Josie is taken in by her grandmother and starts a new school, where she meets her best friend Libby and long life partner Ben.

As we then go through the book, the story, told from Josie herself, tells you about her life with Ben. Ben splits his time between Neatslake and London as he tries to make his name as an established artist, whilst Josie stays at the cottage looking after their fruit and veg patch, enabling them to live a self sufficient life. 

At times the book was a little predictable too, like I'd worked out a few chapters before, that Ben was having an affair, but there were surprises too... I wasn't expecting Ben's new bit of stuff to fall pregnant, which as you go further through the book is the one thing Josie wants. There's also other little bursts of surprises which keep you reding on.

Josie instantly throws Ben out and after getting completely drunk one night, sleeps with Noah. Noah is the complete opposite to Ben and like most good romantic stories, Josie and Noah have a happy ever after but I won't tell too much of that as it comes after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, plus in the meantime.... Libby gets married and also has a brainwave of opening her barn for other weddings, as her and Josie throw themselves into making this business work alongside Josies own wacky cake making venture, you can see Josie and Noah's relationship bloom. 

There's also Ben trying to win Josie back and then her keeping a secret from her best friend, Uncle debating whether to emigrate or not, and the local TV soap start trying it on...It all happens in Neatslake!! 

What I really liked about this book is at the start of each chapter there is a little extract from 'Cake and Ale' which is Josie's column for a country magazine and tells all about what's she's growing or doing with her veg and fruit at that time, and despite the book being wedding themed and suitable for this time of year as I originally thought, these little extracts move the story forward through Christmas and Easter too so you could easily pick this up and read literally whenever!

There's also a real warm, kind...humbling feel to the book. 

Josie's neighbours don't have much money and so she provides them with imaginary acorns, if they help out in some way they earn these acorns which in turn can be used as bartering tools for cakes, biscuits, jams, pickles or whatever else Josie is making at the time.

There are some really lovely relationships through the story, from love breaking down to love blossoming, friendship and family. The closeness of Josie and Uncle came over really well, and there's also Libby and her daughter who aren't particularly close but with Josies gentle intervening you see Pia warm to her mum.

Although I found this a little slow and predictable at time, it didn't stop me enjoying the story, and personally the way it's left (uncles new life, babies and business for instance), I feel Trisha could easily wrote a follow up novel as I'd be interested to read how the individual lives panned out...

Father Unknown by Lesley Pearse

Losing her adopted mother threatens all she's ever had....

Daisy was adopted, but when her mother dies, she finds her secure existence thrown into turmoil by the discovery of a scrapbook. Inside is information of her real mother.

However, when Daisy drops everything to go in search of her roots, she uncovers a harrowing story of greed, misery and corruption. She also risks hurting her adored Dad, the only tru family she has left.

Can she cope with the truth of her real parents? And more importantly, who is the real Daisy?

"Characters it is impossible not to care about" ~ Daily Mail.

I'd previously discovered Lesley Pearse a few years back when I read her book, Stolen, which was brilliant. I'd always planned to read another of hers but you know what it's like when you get a pile to read, I'd just never gotten round to it.

I discovered Father Unknown in my local shop and the back of the page information had me gripped as did the title. What I expected and what I got from the book, however, were two things entirely different!

I was expecting a novel of a girl trying to find her father, what I got was a novel starting off based in Chiswick, London in 1990, with young girl named Daisy caring for her sick mum, Lorna.

The first couple of chapters of the book are based around Lorna passing, Daisy was there and had wanted to phone her dad and twin siblings, John, Tim and Lucy but her mother declined and instead the book gives you the image of an emotional embrace between mother and daughter on their precious last few moments talking about memories and Lorna's wish for Daisy to find her biological mother. 

When the others arrive home, Lucy in particular isn't impressed Daisy was there without the others and blames her for not calling them. As the next few weeks follow and Lorna's funeral arrives there is much sibling rivalry between the two girls resulting in a massive argument in which Daisy accidentally injures her sister. 

Feeling like an out cast to the family, Daisy fleas to her boyfriend, Joel's house.

When her dad pays her a visit to say how missed she is, they have a deep heart to heart and as a reader we discover a little more about their family background and more of the two girls... Daisy is beautiful, more carefree and jumps in without thinking, where as Lucy is plain, a planner but has the brains. Each envys the other ones traits. 

John leaves with Daisy agreeing to go home after the weekend and to work things out with her sister, he then hands her a box in which Lorna had made for her...photos and memories from childhood.. At the bottomed the box there were two envelopes. 

The first containing adoption papers and Daisy's original birth certificate. The second a heartfelt and emotion letter from Lorna.

Chapter Three of Father Unknown is based in Cornwall and takes you back to 1955. The main bulk of the book from here on in is based on Ellen and Josie Pengelly, two sisters with a mass of curly red hair, daughters to a farmer, Albert and his wife,Violet.

Ellen discovers that Violet is in fact her step mother, Josie therefore being her half sister. Her mother died with a sibling when she jumped to her death long before Ellen could remember.

One of the things I love about Pearse's writing style is her ability to write great details. Through the next several chapters I felt like I was in Cornwall to a time before TVs and social media!! I developed a great sense how difficult times were and not only that, the story of of the Pengelly's was in such detail I could instantly picture the scenes and conversations everytime I picked the book up.

As the novel unfolds, it's very clear that both sisters are unhappy with aspects of their home life. Ellen isn't loved by Violet, is the apple of Alberts eye and loves helping on the farm. Josie is loved by their mother but isn't shown so much effection from Albert. 

The girls however much is thrown in their way, are close and tell each other everything, suddenly they are parted when Violet takes Josie away and Ellen throws herself into her summer job. 

When a circus comes to town, she falls for one of the trapeze artists, Pierre, and ends up offering  him her virginity the night before the circus moves out of town ~  Pierre leaves without a goodbye breaking Ellen's heart.

The only thing that keeps Ellen going when she discovers she's pregnant is that Josie is home again and the one other person she can confide in, an older neighbour, Mrs Peters who helps her see a way out keeping her secret safe from her father.

Eventually Ellen moves to Bristol to become a mothers help until she gives birth, meanwhile Josie runs away from Cornwall back to London where is is dead set on becoming a model. 

The girls keep in touch via letter before the occasional visits however it's is clear they aren't as close as they once were. Ellen is trying to move on from her heartbreak of giving away her daughter Catherine, whilst Josie is heading down a road of no return getting herself caught up in drink and drugs, being exploited and used for sex. 

Every time she gets in trouble she heads to Bristol where Ellen would bail her out and hear promises to change, except whenever the next visit came the trouble was double if not more.

The last third of the book is back with Daisy in 1991. Not really knowing what to do with her life despite  becoming a qualified chef since her mothers death, or knowing if she really belongs with her family or even of that she still loves Joel, she decides to head firstly to Bristol to see where her real, biological mother, Ellen, lived before going to Cornwall to see if she can find out who she really is.

Whilst there she meets Mrs Peters who tells her of a tragic fire at the Pengelly farm a few years back where Albert, Violet and Josie, whom had moved back with her parents, had all lost their lives. Ellen hadn't kept contact with Mrs Peters, presumably through heart break and bad memories, and this sparks off a new search for Daisy.

A search in which leads her back to London, where eventually she finds her birth mother Ellen, although some things don't sit right with Daisy she knows that she has to give things time, and when Ellen still doesn't budge on giving details of her birth, contacting Mrs Peters or meeting her adoptive family, Daisy takes matters into her own hands and arranges a meeting anyway.

The shock comes, and I certainly didn't see this one coming, was the line from Mrs Peters when Daisy took her to Ellen, claiming it wasn't Ellen but in fact Josie!! 

As Daisy listens to the now elderly ladies reasons for her new found mother being her aunt she realises from the stories she'd read and the things she knew there had to be some truth in it and so rather than going home she decides to confront Josie for the truth... Not knowing what the real Josie is actually capable of!

Daisy eventually discovers the reasons on why Josie modelled herself to her sister, the jealously, the drink, the drugs and life she left feeling worthless and in turn realises that even though throughout discovering her biological roots and the history of the Pengelly's she still has no idea of her real dad, she has all the love, support and family she ever needed in John, Tom, Lucy and of course Joel.

Lesley Pearse tackled many issues of love and loss, sex and drugs in the height of the sixties, sibling rivalry and greed in Father Unknown yet managed to keep the readers interest by keeping the themes linked throughout where before I've found that other authors are unable to do so resulting in a boring book. 

This was a truly wonderful read that had me gripped as I'm sure it will others too.