Wow! A intoxicating read that you can't put down until you have finished and even then it will still play on your mind.

Well, this was interesting!

I went into The Engagement with no idea what to expect but once I began I was intrigued. The writing is very compelling and the story feels gritty and well researched. Its easy to get into the protagonist - Hannah's - mind and understand what drives her. I docked one star because the book does start slow and takes a while to really pick up pace. But once it gets going, it is GRIPPING. Throughout the book, I felt that the storyline was fairly predictable but the ending blew my mind!

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Engagement by Samantha Hayes from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This book had lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the very end. I truly thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong. Do yourself a big favor and read this one as soon as you can - you won't be disappointed.

I could NOT put this one down! Such an intense read, and I enjoyed all of the twists thrown in. I had guessed a couple of twists, but I really enjoyed how everything came together in the end.

I didn’t realized this is a snippet of book but based on way it started it did not hold my interest. Not sure I will bother finding a copy of this to read.

This is the story of Hannah and her daughter, Belle, and the events surrounding Belle’s 18th birthday. Belle is a newly rebellious girl who has spent the summer in France and who wants a career as a translator. She returns home with a surprise - a fiancé. Her mother Hannah recognizes him as a man from her own past and is terrified for herself and for her daughter. The twists ensue from there. I found this story interesting and suspenseful, though I did figure out most of the plot twists in advance. The author tried to humanize the girls from Hannah’s past by talking about their coping methods and how trapped they feel by their circumstances. The book honestly could probably use a trigger warning as human trafficking, sexual abuse, and prostitution can be very disconcerting to many readers and traumatized to some.

Thank you to Bookouture and Net Galley for the arc!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I've read several other books by Samantha Hayes and this one did not disappoint. It kept my attention throughout and I know I'll read more by this author in the future.

I have read some of Samantha's previous books and loved them. This is no different. Full of twists to keep you on your toes. Samantha is one of my autobuy authors. I can never stop recommending her books.

This book is fantastic. It's full of excitement, danger, secrets, lies deceit and sorrow. The characters are realistic. I thought the plot was shocking but so very interesting. I couldn't put it down. Hannah thought she got away only to have her daughter Bella come home with that exact same horror of a man. This is a must read.

First of all thank you @Netgalley and @bookatour for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
I must admit that I struggled a bit to get through this book.
My expectations going into the story were quite different from what it turned out to be.
The premises was great, a mother who's being introduced to her daughter's fiance only to find out that the man who put his arm on her daughter is the monster she has escaped many years ago....
I was instantly intriguid! It sounded like a great start of a psychological thriller.

The thing is that it turned out to be a pretty grim and dark story about prostitution and sexual abuse. It made me feel quite sad. I didn't particularly connect to any of the characters either.
Main character Belle was so gullible and naive something I found hard to believe.
The twist in the end was not something I saw coming but again it felt quite farfetched.

What did i just read? Why was I getting ready to give up after I was about a hundred pages in? This book is a total mind blowing read. I was not expecting the very twisty winding road that led to its conclusion. A solid 4 stars!!!

Hard hitting, chilling and past secrets kept come home to roost.

I was literally glued to this book. The past of the Mother in this book through no fault of her own has a past that she doesn’t want or need revealed. It would change everything she’s built since.

She’s now a family of her own. A husband.

A saw the twist coming but it still made no difference as the book is written with such jest, with such reveals you just don’t know for sure just how it’s going to play out.

The amount of research gone into this was clear. The sex trade the way the girls are groomed and how one thing leads to another with more fear and control just beggars belief. I was totally blown away with Samantha Hayes writing. Of course over the years she’s written plenty of books I’ve read way before I started reviewing books. I loved her writing then and this book amazes me with how much talent and craft this author has.

Can’t wait for the next.

Great new book by Samantha Hayes with a brilliant twist I didn’t see coming.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

Ever since I read the ex-husband, I have been waiting on another book to be equally as mind blowing. I was on edge reading this book. It had romance, intrigue, sorrow, and mystery. I loved the ending. A must read! So original and not just a cut and dry book

Rob and Hannah are planning a surprise 18th birthday party for their daughter Belle who is returning home after spending the last couple of months in France. But when she arrives she is accompanied by Jack, a man who is old enough to be her father, and announces that they are engaged. Hannah is horrified as she recognises Jack from her hidden past and knows that he is not who he says he is. She realises that all the secrets that she has kept hidden from her past may be about to be revealed and she knows that he could even hurt Belle in order to get what he wants. The story is told in two timelines and from multiple viewpoints. The book keeps you in suspense with a wide array of characters, some you will love and some you may loathe, with great twists and turns. Another winning book from Samantha Hayes.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book,

Have always loved Samantha's books and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Twists and turns and an ending I would never have predicted....just brilliant.

Hannah and Rob are planning a surprise 18th birthday party for Belle, currently in France on a school exchange. Due home the day before the party, she acts very out of character not turning up at the airport as expected.

She finally makes it home, meeting her parents at the party.....bringing along Jack....her fiance, a surprise for every one.
Hannah immediately recognises him from her past.....a character she never ever wanted to see again.

Whilst Jack does not expose his true identity to Belle, Jack is out for Hannah and repayment for the past.
Secrets are revealed and Hannah fights to save her daughter from a dangerous future for which Hannah is being made to pay for the past.

Amazing characters and a fab book. Highly recommend.

Imagine your surprise when your young daughter comes back from her travels with a fiance on board , well multiple that surprise when it happens to be someone from your past that you would much rather forget .
This was an enjoyable read and I did feel for Hannah , especially has her backstory unfolded , she is so desperate to get Bella away from her fiance she will do almost anything
A good premise and a real page turner . Very enjoyable

This book had a great storyline and was a good thriller. It was a slow starter but turned into a page turner.
Thank you to Samantha Hayes and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

“The Engagement” is a pretty good thriller. I didn’t find myself very emotionally engaged, but once the story is well under way, the action carries you along and it becomes quite the page turner.

Hannah and her husband Rob are eagerly awaiting the return of their daughter Bella. Bella’s been in France on an extended exchange program, and she’s coming back the day before her 18th birthday. Hannah is longing to see Bella, plus they have a surprise birthday party planned.

But Bella comes back with quite the surprise of her own: a fiancé. A much older fiancé, Jack. As soon as Hannah sees him, she feels a sense of dread. She knows he’s not who he’s told Bella he is, and she knows it’s not Bella he’s after.

I initially found it quite difficult to suspend my disbelief. It’s some time before we find out what Hannah has done in the past, and without that information it’s seriously hard to believe what she lets Jack get away with. In fact, even after we knew, I found it a little hard to swallow. Yes, her guilt is reasonable. And maybe she is morally guilty. But it’s hard to believe she’d be at much legal risk, and although she might not have known it as a scared teen, she should certainly know it twenty years later as an adult.

So, I struggled with the central premise. As a result, I found this workmanlike rather than inspired. Yes, there was a neat twist at the end, and it was a little more credible that the person most affected by that twist would have fears. However, it still stretched my credulity a little more than was quite comfortable.

Nevertheless, two thirds of the novel rattles along at a good pace, and will keep most readers caught up in the action. You know there’s going to be a showdown at some point, but Hayes does an effective job at keeping you guessing about what form it will take, when, and exactly who will be involved.

The story alternates between the present and the past. This is a pretty effective way of with-holding information without being too obvious about manipulating the reader. However, as noted, I did feel that this made Hannah’s actions a little hard to believe. The story is also told by alternating narrators, and the writing style was effective in putting you in each head.

I enjoyed reading this, but it lacks the extra spark to be truly memorable. Many readers will find this a good, solid piece of entertainment, and few will guess the final twist. However, it stretches credibility just a little too much to be truly effective.

This book was difficult to read in many ways and heartbreaking, but incredibly good all at the same time. I had no trouble getting through it and found myself rooting for the main character and empathizing with her situation, while not always agreeing with her choices. Definitely worth a read!