Author: Emma Rous
Genre: Suspense
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 358
Publisher: Berkley
First Published: January 8, 2019
Opening Lines: "We have no photographs of our early days, Danny and I. A six-month gap yawns in the Mayes family album after we were born."
Book Description from GoodReads: Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.
Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.
Who is the child and what really happened that day?
One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.
Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.
Who is the child and what really happened that day?
One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.
My Rating: 2 stars
My Review: When I read that this book is touted as "V.C Andrews meets Kate Morton", my interest was officially piqued. I expected a story about mysterious, dark family secrets in a beautiful English setting. Sounds intriguing, right?
Sadly, it wasn't.
While this book has good bones, it suffers from poor execution. There were too many coincidences, unexplained connections (insta-love - argh!) and it all stems from Seraphine looking at one old family picture which catapults her into this mad, obsessive hunt for more information on her birth and childhood. Her journey to the past, told via alternating POVs with the au pair, became convoluted and I struggled to stay interested.
There cast of characters were a decidedly lackluster bunch whom are kept at an arm's length from the reader and desperately needed an injection of personality. When the big twist finally happens, it felt forced and was ridiculous to the point of being implausible.
While this book had an interesting premise, I found this to be an overly melodramatic story that required the reader to get on board with its odd plot choices without providing the necessary character or plot development to back it up.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Sadly, it wasn't.
While this book has good bones, it suffers from poor execution. There were too many coincidences, unexplained connections (insta-love - argh!) and it all stems from Seraphine looking at one old family picture which catapults her into this mad, obsessive hunt for more information on her birth and childhood. Her journey to the past, told via alternating POVs with the au pair, became convoluted and I struggled to stay interested.
There cast of characters were a decidedly lackluster bunch whom are kept at an arm's length from the reader and desperately needed an injection of personality. When the big twist finally happens, it felt forced and was ridiculous to the point of being implausible.
While this book had an interesting premise, I found this to be an overly melodramatic story that required the reader to get on board with its odd plot choices without providing the necessary character or plot development to back it up.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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