#Blogtour Silent Cry by Jenny O'Brien

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Silent Cry by Jenny O'Brien.

About the Author
Born in Dublin, Jenny O'Brien moved to Wales and then Guernsey, where she tries to find time to write in between working as a nurse and ferrying around 3 teenagers.

She's an avid reader and book blogger in addition to being a previous RoNA judge. In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You'll be pleased to note she won't be entering Bake-Off. She's also an all-year-round sea swimmer.

Follow @ScribblerJB on Twitter, On Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on Instagram, Visit jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com, Buy Silent Cry

About the book
Alys is fine. Don’t try to find us.
Five years ago, Izzy Grant’s boyfriend Charlie took their newborn daughter Alys out for a drive.

They never came back.

After years of waiting, Izzy has almost given up hoping that they’re still alive – until a note is pushed through her door telling her they’re fine, not to look for them. Suddenly the case is top priority again, and Izzy is swarmed with faces from the past: the detective who was first on the scene to help; an old friend who vanished not long after Alys and Charlie.

Izzy doesn’t know who she can trust, who is sending her notes, where Charlie and Alys might be. Her only ally is DC Gabriella Darin, recently transferred from Cardiff and fleeing a painful past of her own.

Gaby knows something doesn’t fit with the case, and she knows Izzy won’t rest until she finds out what really happened to her daughter. Could someone she knew and trusted really have taken Alys from her?

Wherever Alys and Charlie are, Gaby is determined to find them, no matter what it takes. Somewhere in Izzy’s past is a clue, if Gaby can only find it…

Review
At the most vulnerable, confusing and happiest time in her life the last thing Izzy expects is the ultimate betrayal. The kind of betrayal that never lets go of your heart, mind or soul. Five years ago, shortly after giving birth to her daughter Alys, Izzy's boyfriend Charlie disappears with the baby. The only thing left in this mysterious wake of destruction is a postcard 'Alys is fine. Don’t try to find us' -that's all.

No words of explanation. No trail left to follow. All there is are the suspicions and conspiracy theories of a distraught mother. DC Gabriella Darin is the only person who seems to be interested in helping Izzy find the truth.

The author gives an accurate and heartbreaking account of what it must be like for victims of missing loved ones. The people who are relegated to cold case file status, because the clues and the trails run cold. None of that changes the way they feel about the missing or their need to find them.

It's a psychological thriller built on constantly rising emotional tension.

O'Brien builds her story on the complacency and assumptions of her readers. We expect, so we assume. Our minds create the rest of the narrative around the few details and minimal information we receive at the beginning. Full steam ahead towards  - and that's when we end up in the ocean waiting for someone to throw us a lifeline, because the plot gets turned upside down.

Buy Silent Cry at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Digital; pub date 17 April 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of The Stepsister by Jenny O'Brien.

#BlogTour The Stepsister by Jenny O'Brien

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Stepsister by Jenny O'Brien. A tense psychological thriller which unfolds between Guernsey and The Netherlands.

Don't forget to enter the fantastic Giveaway at the bottom of the post  - 1st Prize Win an e-copy of The Stepsister and crystal, tulip slider necklace , 2 x 2nd Prize – an e-copy of The Stepsister (Open Internationally)

About the Author
Jenny O'Brien was born in Ireland and, after a brief sojourn in Wales, now resides in Guernsey. She's an avid reader and book reviewer for NetGalley in addition to being a RoNA judge.
She writes for both children and adults with a new book coming out every six months or so. She's also an avid collector of cats, broken laptops, dust and happy endings - two of which you'll always find in her books.

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You'll be pleased to note she won't be entering Bake-Off.

Follow @ScribblerJB on Twitter, On Facebook,Visit jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com, Buy The Stepsister

About the book

When a stranger leaves step-sisters, Victoria and Ness, a half-share in a house in Holland, they think it must be a mistake. But there's no mistake when Ness goes missing.

Desperate for the truth, Victoria heads to Holland to find out what happened to her. Has she, as her texts show, embarked on a whirlwind romance? Has someone abducted her or even worse? But there’s someone watching, and that person wants her dead. Can Victoria find out the truth before it’s too late?

Review
When the stepsisters Ness and Victoria receive notification of an inheritance in Holland they both have very different reactions to the news. Victoria isn't interested and Ness can't wait to find out how much money can be made on the other side of the North Sea. Ness leaves Nigel with her stepsister, boards a plane for the land of the tulips and is never seen again.

Victoria sets out to discover what happened, perhaps more out of annoyance than worry. She has a four-legged mutt to return to his owner. She quickly finds herself embroiled in a mystery and has to fight for her life.

It's almost symbolic how Nigel (the dog) becomes the invisible and tangible link between Vanessa and Victoria. The sisterly relationship they seem unable to build, sustain or even admit to on some level, takes place in the strangest way possible, via the dog. They both care and worry about Nigel, who becomes the accidental hero of the story, making him the furry conduit for their unspoken emotions.

This is all about relationships and bonds, regardless of whether there is a blood connection. The two women lose time and experiences, because they were raised to consider each other as separate entities, as opposed to part of one unit. Their mother made sure both of them took a stance against each other - like strangers in the same family.

The story weaves in and out of both women's stories, which might have been simpler to follow with a name at the start of the chapter or paragraph. Saying that I think that was intentional, due to the nature and development of the plot. Personally I would have liked more clarity and less improbable scenarios.

It's a tense psychological thriller which unfolds between Guernsey and The Netherlands. A tale of loss and gain in equal measures.

Buy The Stepsister at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Enter the fantastic Giveaway below to win:  - 1st Prize Win an e-copy of The Stepsister and crystal, tulip slider necklace , 2 x 2nd Prize – an e-copy of The Stepsister (Open Internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize*