Thursday, September 15, 2022

A SECRET IN THE FAMILY by Leah Mercer

 

MY THOUGHTS

This is the story of Rachel, Victoria, Sam and Janet. Also a man, Sean, who is at the bottom of it all. It's a very complex story in many ways but also easy to follow. It's told in two time frames, switching back and forth ever so many chapters. 

How these women's lives intersect will keep you turning the pages. What Sean does will keep you wanting to smack him. He's a first rate jerk and there's no excusing what he did. I wanted to scream at Sam several times to listen to Jean. It sure might have saved her some heartache. Maybe. Victoria and Rachel are sisters. This story is told mainly from Rachel's point. Her story is one that will leave you in tears. Parts were hard to believe but not improbable. I use to know someone who was very much like Sean. 

Sam is a young woman who works as a manager of a pub. Her boss Jean gave her the job and they become the best of friends. Jean is older and treats Sam like a daughter. The people who frequent the pub think the world of Sam. She meets Sean and is completely swept off her feet. There were times I felt like Sam was just a bit too naive. But she was young so it was believable that she would fall for anything that Sean told her. 

This book is well written and does not leave anything to guess. You find out everything. Even who the murder is. I personally was not in the least surprised. It didn't take away from the story though. How could a person be so cruel though. How could a person raise a child and not have any feelings for that child. Maybe a bit or resentment but that is all. I think you would have to feel some kindness to any child. But that is not always the case. The young lady in this story lived blaming herself for things that were not her fault by any means. But she still had to learn that she was not to blame. I can't tell you what happens because that would ruin this book for you. 

This book certainly had me turning the pages. I wanted to know how Sam and Sean ended and how the other characters figured into the story of them. It's well written and easy to follow. One that you should enjoy a lot. It's a tearjerker in parts no doubt but also one that keeps you wondering about. I really like Rachel. I didn't like Sean or Janet at all. I liked Sam and really loved Jean. As with any good story there are people to like and ones to hate. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LeahMercer, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and a high recommendation.

SYNOPSIS

Rachel sat at the kitchen table, trying to take everything in. She still couldn’t believe what her father had done. Clutching a faded photograph and a necklace in her hands, all she knew was that in her mother’s final days, she would do anything to protect her.

The call came on a seemingly ordinary day. But as soon as 
Rachel heard the pain in her sister’s voice, she had to face the fact that life as she knew it was about to be shattered: “It’s mum. She’s not well. She doesn’t have much time.”

Though her heart breaks to leave her husband and children behind, Rachel knows the right thing is to return home to care for her mother 
Janet. Their relationship has been strained for years. This may be the last chance for them both to heal.

Walking up to the front gate of her childhood home, Rachel is overwhelmed with memories: of hazy summers playing with her sister, of laughter ringing through the house, of the accident which cost their father his life. After that day, Rachel’s relationship with her mother changed forever.

Rachel has never forgiven herself for what happened and it is clear Janet hasn’t either. Determined to make amends, Rachel begins to get her mother’s house in order. But hidden in the cellar, Rachel unearths a devastating secret. A faded photograph and a tarnished necklace are the only clues to unravelling a secret that should have remained hidden.

Can Rachel unravel the mystery when it has the power to destroy her family? And when she finally discovers the truth, will it destroy everything she has ever known?

Author Bio:
Leah Mercer was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Her first ambition was to be a journalist, but after completing a master’s in journalism, she soon realised she preferred anything other than reporting the news. After trying her hand at public relations, teaching and recruitment in various countries around the world, she finally settled in London and returned to writing… fiction, this time. Her first two novels, Who We Were Before and The Man I Thought You Were, were shortlisted at the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. Leah loves books, running and visiting historic houses with her husband and their son.

Author Social Media Links

Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/leah-mercer





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