This Love by Dani Atkins #bookreview

About This Love

'Dani Atkins is the undisputed queen of fiction that packs a huge emotional punch, and this captivating story is another outstanding example' - heat

This Love is an emotional family drama for fans of Jojo Moyes and Dorothy Koomson, from the bestselling author of Fractured.

Sophie stopped believing in happy endings a long time ago, but could this love change all of that?

Sophie Winter lives in a self-imposed cocoon - she's a single, 31-year-old translator who works from home in her one-bedroom flat. This isn’t really the life she dreamed of, but then Sophie stopped believing in dreams when she was a teenager and tragedy struck her family.

So, to be safe, she keeps everyone at arm’s length. Sophie understands she has a problem, but recognising it and knowing how to fix it are two entirely different things.

One night a serious fire breaks out in the flat below hers. Sophie is trapped in the burning building until a passer-by, Ben, sees her and rescues her.

Suddenly her cocoon is shattered - what will be the consequences of this second life-changing event?

‘A beautiful romance with a twist’ – Woman

‘A brilliant story about loss and grief, but also love and friendship… Heartbreaking and thought-provoking, this is one of those novels you are still thinking about days later, wishing it hadn’t ended’ – Chicklit Club

My review of This Love

I loved this book! I love all of Dani Atkin's books, and I was excited to read this book. The very first book that I read by this author was The Story of Us a few years back, and I instantly fell in love with Jack, and then with Dani's writing. This author writes so effortlessly, that from the very first page I found myself immersed in the make-believe world, and I never wanted to leave. I really didn't want to stop reading this beautiful book, but at the same time I desperately needed to know what would happen to Sophie and Ben, it was a magical, emotional and heartbreaking read.

So, at the beginning of the book we are introduced to Sophie who is buying black dresses for a funeral. We have no idea why, as this is obviously in the future, but as in true Dani Atkin's style, all is revealed as the story progresses. I liked Sophie from the moment I met her. She is a woman in her early thirties, a loner, a woman who has narrowed her world to such an extent that only her best friend, who is married with two children, knows and understands her. Something terrible happened in Sophie's past that has a direct impact on who she is today, and it is this unfurling of the past that we are privileged to learn about.

This is a slow and enjoyable read, that really begins when Sophie finds herself trapped in her flat at night, as a fire envelops the floor below. It is Ben, a passer by, who saves her, and who ultimately changes her life. This is such a fabulous opening scene for any book. I read with baited breath as to how Ben would help her escape, and I knew from that moment on that something special had happened between them. A bond was formed.  I just loved the chemistry between them, and the way in which their relationship slowly grew. It was so incredibly natural.

All of Dani Atkins' books are about real women and real life situations, but she somehow manages to transform them into a magical and all consuming read. Sophie is the narrator of the story, it is her tale to tell, and I found myself living and breathing as her, understanding why she did what she did. This book is about her relationships, her relationship with her parents, her best friend and her blossoming relationship with Ben. This book is about trust and how we all have to take risks in life, to fully find out who we are and what we are capable of. 

This is a love story with deep roots. It is not a superficial read but one that is packed full of emotion. I loved these two characters with all my heart and I was so sorry when I read the final word. This is such a beautiful book.

This Love is published by Simon & Schuster UK on 23 March and is available to buy from Amazon.

About the author

Dani Atkins was born in London in 1958, and grew up in the suburb of Cockfosters. She moved to rural Hertfordshire in 1985, where she has lived in a small village ever since with her husband, two (now grown-up) children, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Dani has been writing for fun all her life, but following the publication of her novels FRACTURED (published as THEN AND ALWAYS in the US) and THE STORY OF US in 2014, now writes for work. Her third novel, OUR SONG, was published in January 2016. PERFECT STRANGERS, a standalone eBook novella is available from December 2016.

Connect with Dani on Facebook at www.facebook.com/daniatkinsauthor or on twitter @AtkinsDani

The Escape by C L Taylor

About The Escape

When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn't.
The stranger knows Jo's name, she knows her husband Max and she's got a glove belonging to Jo's two year old daughter Elise.

What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo's own husband turn against her.

No one believes that Elise is in danger. But Jo knows there's only one way to keep her child safe – RUN.

My review of The Escape

 

I have read several of C L Taylor's books, and so, was very excited when I got the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, The Escape. This is a thoroughly gripping, psychological thriller that deals with trust, deception and lies within a family. At the heart of this book is the question, who can you really trust?

 

The novel begins when Jo is approaching her car, on route to pick up her little girl from nursery. She is in the University car park when a stranger approaches her and asks for a lift. As soon as I read the dialogise between the two women, I knew that something was not right, and that this stranger, Paula, was not all that she seemed. Once in the car, she gives Jo a glove that belongs to her daughter, telling her that she knows Jo's husband, Max, and she makes a subtle threat, in telling Jo that he has something that she wants back. Jo is visibly shaken and the seed of doubt is planted.

 

We learn that Jo has suffered from depression and mental health issues following the loss of their baby son.  She is acrophobic and suffers from anxiety. It is these factors that go against Jo in the book, and have a devastating effect upon what happens to her and her daughter Izzy.

 

We read as Jo's normal family life begins to crumble around her. She is not sure if she can trust her husband, nor indeed if he is telling her the truth about Paula. Plunged into self doubt, Jo realises that the only person she can trust is her best friend and herself. The book is about being a mother, and the fact that you would do everything in your power to protect your child. The bond between Jo and her daughter is so clearly evident, and I never doubted her capacity to love and care for her child.

 

This book is a psychological thriller, as we question the characters we meet along the way, wondering who on earth we can trust. Who is telling the truth, and who wants secrets to be buried? As with all C L Taylor's books, we are kept in the dark until the very end when all of the loose ends are toed up.

 

I read this book very quickly, in a few short sittings, which is very unusual for me. I simply could not put it down, willing myself, to read 'just one more chapter'. I think that this was to do with the fact that Jo was all consuming. I wanted her to survive, to be believed, to live a happy life. By the end of the book I was firmly on her side and rooting for her to have the life that she truly deserved.

 

The Escape is about the need to escape from lies and deceit, and to find a life that is truly your own. Ultimately, it is about self discovery and believing in yourself.

 

The Escape is published by Avon on March 23 and can be found on Amazon here.

 

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley who provided an Advanced Raeder Copy.

About the author

CL Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and young son. She studied for a degree in Psychology at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle and has worked as a sales administrator, web developer, instructional designer and as the manager of a distance learning team at a London university. She now writes full time.

CL Taylor's first psychological thriller THE ACCIDENT was one of the top ten bestselling debut novels of 2014 according to The Bookseller. Her second and third novels, THE LIE and THE MISSING, were Sunday Times Bestsellers and #1 Amazon Kindle chart bestsellers. Her fourth pysychological thriller, THE ESCAPE, will be published on 23 March 2017. She is currently writing her first young adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, which will be published in September 2017.

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