BLOG TOUR : Book Review - The Dream House by Jess Ryder

Westhill House was supposed to be their dream home,a sprawling mansion on the top of a hill,the house had a small corner turret perched on top of it and stunning views of the sea.Ok,it needed to be totally refurbished but the agents has told them that it had unlimited potential to be transformed into a stunning family home. Stella loved the house at first sight but her partner Jack wasn't as enthusiastic and once they had moved in,the more time they spent in the house,the more cracks began to appear in their relationship.

The atmosphere is strained,Jack is spending more and more time at work and Stella is beginning to wonder if she made the correct decision when she bought the house. Then one night,Lori arrives on their doorstep,she is battered,bruised and terrified,and insisting that she is on the run from her violent husband.

Disregarding Jack's concerns Stella tells Lori that has can stay with them for the night and the next day they will hopeful find Lori a place in a woman's refuge. Only once Lori is over the threshold,she refuses to leave the house.

Who is Lori? How does she know so much about Westhill House? Are Jack's suspicions correct that by letting Lori into their home,Stella had endangered her own life.

I could fully understand Jack's reaction to Stella allowing a complete stranger into their home,someone they knew absolutely nothing about. That's not saying that his actions later on in the story were excusable but I found it difficult not to feel a little bit of sympathy for the poor bloke. Stella wasn't the most likeable character at times and obviously had a very bad case of saviour complex. Could her behaviour be attributed to her upbringing,guilt because of events in her past or just plain stubbornness. I can't say I liked Lori very much either,she was very secretive and manipulative but was that just the author's clever ploy,making her character appear to be something that she wasn't? Interspersed throughout the story were chapters that introduced us to Kay and her young daughter Abigail. At the beginning of their story,Kay is working in a card shop and she and Abigail are living with Kay's mum and dad. But then Kay meets charming,romantic,attentive Micky Foxton,it's love at first sight and just over a year later they get married. It is only on their wedding day that Kay discovers that she has made a dreadful mistake. Micky is a violent,abusive bully and Kay finds herself torn between her own happiness and keeping Abigail safe from harm.

As the story unfolds,the author has cleverly inserted clues and hints that observant readers will realise are connections between the two timelines. But how are the two stories connected? To find out,you are just going to have to read this clever and intreguing tale for yourself.

I love Jess Ryder's thrillers,they are always incredibly well written,compelling reads and The Dream House is no exception. The character's are well rounded,vivid and realistic. Domestic abuse is a distressing and emotive subject and Jess Ryder has written those parts of the story with understanding and sensitivity. Another amazing book,written by a very talented author.Very,very highly recommended.

                                                          ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Jess Ryder is the author of three psychological thrillers - 'Lie to Me' (April 2017) and 'The Good Sister' (August 2017), and The Ex-Wife (June 2018) -all published by Bookouture. She also writes books for children, teens and young adults as Jan Page, with many titles published including 'Selina Penaluna'. With many years' experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers. She blogs about writing, reviews books and interviews writers at www.jessryder.co.uk and www.janpagewriter.com.

Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.

Author Social Media Links:
Website: http://jessryder.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessRyderAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessryderauthor

PUBLICATION DATE : 21 June 2019
PRINT LENGTH : 349 pages
PUBLISHER : Bookouture
GENRE : Psychological Thriller

PURCHASE LINKS....

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07PY3XWW5Social
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2HU1lWN
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WtdAgZ
Googleplay: http://ow.ly/XpNV30odjF7

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