Guest Book Review: Perfect Strangers by Tasmina Perry

I am very excited to present our first guest book review today from the very lovely Rachel! Rachel was planning to take this book on holiday with her but actually finished it before the packing so that's a good sign, here's what she thought:

Breathlessly exciting, gloriously glamorous, Perfect Strangers is Sunday Times bestseller Tasmina Perry's most thrilling novel to date. Just an innocent invitation... When Sophie Ellis is asked to house-sit at a luxurious Knightsbridge townhouse, it appears to be the offer of a lifetime. Drawn into the glittering circle of the home's owner, she meets wealthy American businessman Nick Cooper and is swept up into a thrilling and passionate affair. But when Nick is found dead in his hotel suite, Sophie is suddenly the prime suspect for his murder, and soon realises Nick was not the man he seemed. Racing to find the truth and clear her name, Sophie must elude not only the authorities but also a group of dangerous players who believe Sophie has something that they want. And who won't stop until she's caught... Escape with Tasmina Perry from London to New York to the exotic Cote D'Azur, and into a world where a simple case of mistaken identity unravels a web of lies and international conspiracy.

This was the first book I have read by Tasmina Perry and as soon as I finished the book I was on her website looking to see what I could read next. I'm excited to say that I have found a new author to devour. I'm off on holiday tomorrow and originally the book was meant to be for my travels. However it arrived, I couldn't resist a peak and now I have a finished book and no packing completed! To say I could not put it down would be an understatement.

The main character Sophie is portrayed as a typical Chelsea girl at the beginning of the book, bought up with lots of money and opportunity which equals the perfect life, or so she thought. As the story begins Sophie's life has changed dramatically from what she has always known. At her lowest she is given a lifeline but one that later transpires to have definitely put her in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are plenty of twists and turns and I'm pleased to say that I was near the end of the book and I was still unsure where it was going to go. Each character is so brilliantly described that you can really picture them clearly, the writer goes into sufficient enough detail with even the smaller characters that she keeps you guessing if they are involved or not. A fast paced book, but not fast enough that you get lost especially with references to foreign places and people. I have found in previous books that having a lot of traveling and new destinations can sometimes confuse and alienate the reader. In this writers case in all of the destinations visited I really felt that I could picture the scene.
The book has the perhaps not so original girl turning into a woman storyline, but what Tasmina has managed to do so well is incorporate it into a fast paced, meaty, fun read. I thoroughly recommend this book and can't wait to read more. 

Rachel's Rating: 5/5

Pages: 417

Publisher: Headline Review

Many thanks to Headline for providing a copy of this book to review, Perfect Strangers is out now. 

Book Review: You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz

Every family has its secrets. His might get them killed.

'I know you don't I?' Five words- that's all it takes to plunge Mike Wingate and his family into mortal danger. Mike doesn't recognise the crippled stranger who approaches him at a party... but the stranger seems to know all about him. 

What has Mike done? Do they have the wrong man? Overnight, the threats become attacks, and Mike, his wife and their young daughter learn they aren't safe anywhere- especially not in their own home. But there's no time for Mike to figure it out, because his enemies have killed before- and he's next.

You're Next is part of Richard and Judy's Book club, it is a fast paced thriller that will have you gripped to the very end.
Mike Wingate was abandoned in a playground by his father when he was just a young boy. He grew up in a foster home, never knowing about his past, he has no idea why he was abandoned and no idea why his father never came back for him.

Mike has turned his life around, he is married to Annabel, the love of his life, they have a beautiful daughter, Kat and he has built up an extremely successful construction company from scratch. He is at a ceremony where he is being given an award by the Governor when the stranger approaches. Mike does not recognise the man, he is not from his past and certainly shouldn't be part of his present. The stranger however knows all about Mike and more alarmingly he knows all about Annabel and Katharine too.
Mike knows that he needs to do everything that he can to protect his family while he figures out who these people are. But there is no where to turn, even the authorities appear to be involved, there is literally no where for him to hide; he is the only one who can protect his wife and daughter.
As the threats escalate, Mike has to revisit some of his past and is shocked to discover that his father abandoning him is so much bigger than he ever thought. His past, which he had tried  so hard to distance himself from may hold the answers to his current situation. Mike comes to the sickening realisation that he may have to do to Kat what his father did to him, is that the only way that his daughter can be safe?
I read You're Next in just one day, every time I got to the end of a chapter I just couldn't stop myself from starting the next one.
Gregg Hurwitz has crafted a brilliant story and I loved how we jumped between the past and the present to tie the events together. As the book goes on, you really feel for Mike Wingate, he is so desperate to protect his family and it feels as though everything and everyone is against him. I liked the fact that Hurwitz didn't try to produce the perfect hero in the character of Mike; he has flaws and aspects of his past to be ashamed of but this just makes him more realistic and more determined to do the right thing by his family.
If you are looking for a clever, fast-paced thriller then look no further than You're Next, you won't be able to put it down.