#BlogTour One Step Behind by Lauren North

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour One Step Behind by Lauren North.

About the Author
Lauren North writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and from her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation. Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside.

Follow @Lauren_C _North @TransworldBooks on Twitter, or Lauren on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads,Visit Lauren-North.com, Buy One Step Behind

About the book
Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker. Every time she leaves her house, she sees him. Disturbing gifts are left at her door. Cruel emails are sent to her colleagues. She  has no idea who this man is but she feels powerless against him.

Until the day he is brought into her hospital after a serious accident, and Jenna is given the chance to find out once and for all why this man is tormenting her. Now, the power is all hers. But how many lines is she willing to cross to take back control of her life?

Review
It's not paranoia when there really is someone out to get you, right? The whole core of this story revolves around the way the main character is perceived. It's easy to call someone crazy when you're not on the receiving end of a stalker. It's easy to brush off the worries of someone else when you're not the one being threatened on a daily basis.

Jenna feels as if her stalker has invaded every part of her life, even the house and her privacy. He is there when she opens her door, takes her kids to school and when she goes home from work. He is everywhere all the time. Then one day he ends up in a situation where his life and death is in her hands.

North builds her story around a very important scenario, which was not acknowledged as a crime for many years. Only in recent years certain countries have started to address the fact that stalking is a crime, a crime that usually escalates into something more dangerous for the victim.

For too long victims have been told they had to wait until an actual crime had been committed until the police could intervene - many of those victims are dead thanks to an outdated criminal justice system.

North delivers a read that throws up some interesting dilemmas at times. Would you have made the same choice in the A&E for instance? Just throwing that out there. It's a fast-paced read full of creepiness, betrayal and secrets.

Buy One Step Behind at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher:Transworld; Paperback | pub date 3rd September 2020 | £7.99 | Corgi Ebook available from 16th July 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North.

#BlogTour The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North

Happy Publication Day to The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North, and it's also my turn on the BlogTour today! It's a psychological thriller, and in equal measures a story about grief and mental health.

Copyright Lindsay Wakelin Photography

About the Author
Lauren North writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside.

Follow @Lauren_C _North @TransworldBooks on Twitter, or Lauren on Facebook, on Goodreads,
Buy The Perfect Betrayal

About the book
After the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief. All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to protect him – but she’s struggling to cope.

When grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything changes. Shelley is understanding and kind, and promises she can help Tess through the hardest time of her life.

But when a string of unsettling events happens and questions arise over her husband’s death, Tess starts to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe – but she’s at her most vulnerable, and that’s a dangerous place to be.

Review
I'm going to try and be careful not to give away anything that might reveal the plot in its entirety, because the emotional crescendo at the end and psychological aspect of the story is what makes it such a captivating read.

When Tess loses her husband unexpectedly her grief envelopes her whole world. She becomes fiercely protective of her young son Jamie, almost to the point of being paranoid and self-destructive. A grief counsellor called Shelley tries to help Tess deal with her loss, but ends up making her doubt herself and her surroundings even more.

The paranoia Tess experiences is magnified tenfold by her brother-in-law Ian. He is pushing Tess to deal with the financial aftermath of the death, pushing entirely in his favour of course. His greed and the fact there seem to be discrepancies and unanswered questions about the death of her spouse make Tess even more sensitive to the odd things that start happening around her.

The author captures the intensity of the grief process and how it manifests differently in each of us. In some people it manifests in feelings of anger, guilt, fear, perhaps even relief depending on the circumstances of the loss. Grief isn't necessarily rational and can cause an altered state of mind.

I think the most difficult thing is that the people outside of that intense inner ring of grief often lack compassion, empathy and understanding about the way a grieving person may react. They expect the grieving person to deal with it, get over it and just move on to the next chapter of their lives. It isn't that simple. Grief is a pit of embers that alights when triggered. Those embers may be less likely to precede a fire with time, but make no mistake they are always hidden somewhere deep inside.

It's a psychological thriller, and in equal measures a story about grief and mental health. How the emotional turmoil caused by despair, death and losing the people you love the most can drive a person to the brink.

North brings the story full circle at the end, and in a way brings the most realistic element of this tale into the last few pages. Tess makes a decision for her own well-being, perhaps not what everyone thinks is best, but in that moment in time it's the right thing for her or is it?

Buy The Perfect Betrayal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback format by Corgi Books on 27th June 2019. (also available in ebook and audio formats). Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Kobo. Buy at Waterstones. Buy at Book Depository. Buy at Hive.

#BlogTour The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North

Today it's an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North. It's a psychological thriller, and in equal measures a story about grief and mental health.

About the Author
Lauren North writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering
what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside.

Follow @Lauren_C _North @TransworldBooks on Twitter, or Lauren on Facebook,
Buy The Perfect Betrayal

About the book
‘I thought she was our friend. I thought she was trying to help us.’
After the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief. All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to protect him - but she’s struggling to cope. When grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything changes. Shelley is beautiful, confident and takes control when Tess can’t bear to face the outside world. She is the perfect friend to Tess and Jamie, but when Jamie’s behaviour starts to change, and Tess starts to forget things, she begins to suspect that Shelley might not be the answer to their problems after all.

When questions arise over her husband’s death and strange things start to happen, Tess begins to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe - but who can she trust?

Review
I'm going to try and be careful not to give away anything that might reveal the plot in its entirety, because the emotional crescendo at the end and psychological aspect of the story is what makes it such a captivating read.

When Tess loses her husband unexpectedly her grief envelopes her whole world. She becomes fiercely protective of her young son Jamie, almost to the point of being paranoid and self-destructive. A grief counsellor called Shelley tries to help Tess deal with her loss, but ends up making her doubt herself and her surroundings even more.

The paranoia Tess experiences is magnified tenfold by her brother-in-law Ian. He is pushing Tess to deal with the financial aftermath of the death, pushing entirely in his favour of course. His greed and the fact there seem to be discrepancies and unanswered questions about the death of her spouse make Tess even more sensitive to the odd things that start happening around her.

The author captures the intensity of the grief process and how it manifests differently in each of us. In some people it manifests in feelings of anger, guilt, fear, perhaps even relief depending on the circumstances of the loss. Grief isn't necessarily rational and can cause an altered state of mind.

I think the most difficult thing is that the people outside of that intense inner ring of grief often lack compassion, empathy and understanding about the way a grieving person may react. They expect the grieving person to deal with it, get over it and just move on to the next chapter of their lives. It isn't that simple. Grief is a pit of embers that alights when triggered. Those embers may be less likely to precede a fire with time, but make no mistake they are always hidden somewhere deep inside.

It's a psychological thriller, and in equal measures a story about grief and mental health. How the emotional turmoil caused by despair, death and losing the people you love the most can drive a person to the brink.

North brings the story full circle at the end, and in a way brings the most realistic element of this tale into the last few pages. Tess makes a decision for her own well-being, perhaps not what everyone thinks is best, but in that moment in time it's the right thing for her or is it?

Buy The Perfect Betrayal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital (14 Mar. 2019). Ebook pub date 14 March 2019, Paperback pub date 27 June 2019