Cover Image: Last Witness

Last Witness

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Last witness by Cary's Jones.
Wrong number #2.
Amanda Thorne is on a mission to avenge those who took her husband away from her. Restoring his honour and protecting his legacy will be dangerous, but she will not rest until all those who have hurt her loved ones have been dealt with.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Amanda and Shane. I hope there is more to come. 4*.

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A great read which kept my interest the whole way through the story. This is the second book of the series and I recommend to read book one first which is called wrong number.

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Amanda Thorne is determined to wreak vengeance for her husband but she puts herself at great risk,. Does she care? it's a fast paced read.

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RATING: 2 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

Please note you must read book one (Wrong Number) for this book to make sense.

Amanda Thorne is living a great life until she receives a wrong number. After that phone call her husband disappears, but no one really believes he has been taken. Amanda must find her husband on her own. In this book we continue with the mystery of Amanda's husband. I won't say the plot as it is a spoiler for book 1.

I liked the premise of the first book, but what this novel turns out to be is not my cup of tea. The characters and chemistry between them all did not really work. The plot wasn't suspenseful so it was hard to keep reading. I read this one only because I had to see where it would go next and if it can get reined back.

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Only a 2* for this book by Carys Jones, that i received a download copy of via Netgalley. This is the first of hers i have read so did not know what to expect., but maybe it would have helped if i had read the first one first. "With her husband gone, and his legacy in her hands, Amanda Thorne is hell-bent on revenge." The book was fast paced but i found it very confusing and hard to get into., and it did seem to drag on a bit. However, the final quarter of the book made up for it.

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I didn't realise this was the 2nd one in a series and found it hard to follow to begin with. didn't really pick up at any point in the book felt a bit bland and boring.

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Thank you for allowing me to read this early release so I can review. This book was worth the time just needed a bit more "something" to make it stand out

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Amanda Thorn is on a mission. Her husband Will – who wasn’t really Will - see later - has been killed by the dark underworld laird Gregg McAllister and she knows that it is only a matter of time before he comes gunning for her and Will’s son by his first marriage, Ewan.

What else can she do but go after McAllister in order to protect Ewan?

This is the premise of the story, but for me, it didn’t quite sit right. The plot was set out well and moved apace, but the character of Amanda did not seem to be that of someone who would be able to carry out the task in hand – even if it were vengeance she was after.

Also, her friend Shane – boyfriend historically and now carrying a candle for her – is supposed to be a serving policeman. How he manages to go along with Amanda’s, at times, a hair-brained scheme is not really credible.

However, the story is well-written and was a pleasant read.

Sméagol

Breakaway reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

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Fantastic! Fast-paced, gripping - a real page-turner and I couldn't put it down.

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I loved this book, it grabbed your interest from the beginning and you didn't want to put the book down. The characters were well described and had you feeling like u knew them .

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Fasten your seatbelts, Carys Jones is going to take you on a white knuckle ride guaranteed to leave you breathless with Last Witness, the addictive sequel to her best-selling psychological crime thriller, Wrong Number.

Having been to hell and back after a mysterious phone call had set in motion a chain of events that had changed her life forever, Amanda Thorne is now on a mission to avenge her husband, restore his good name and protect his legacy. In order to achieve these goals, Amanda must go to some pretty dark places where her resolve and mettle will be severely tested. But Amanda will not rest until she is sure that all those people who have hurt her loved ones are punished. But as she journeys to Scotland with her companion, Shane, Amanda cannot help but wonder whether this time she might have bitten off more than she can chew…

Avenging her husband is not an easy feat as Amanda soon discovers when she goes undercover in the dark, seedy and dangerous world of gang kingpin McAllister. Plunged into an environment of loose women, dodgy nightclubs and explosive drug deals, Amanda soon finds herself embroiled in a lethal and tangled web of deception, dishonesty and death. As secrets from the past come to the forefront with a malicious vengeance, Amanda wonders whether she will be able to protect the last witness from the truth…or whether she will end up paying the ultimate price…

Will evil continue to triumph over adversity? Or will Amanda manage to defeat the enemy that had nearly destroyed her once and for all?

Carys Jones’ books should come with a warning – if you start reading one of her books at night, you’ll still be glued to it when the sun rises. Written with her trademark page-turning style that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, Last Witness is a pacy and heart-stopping read full of jaw-dropping twists and turns guaranteed to hold you in thrall from start to finish.

Packed with chills and thrills, Last Witness is one addictive read you’d be a fool to miss!

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Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
I didn't read the first book, so I really didn't understand Will and his background.If I had, I might have liked this book better.
Without giving away the ending, I thought it might have been a little rushed. Maybe, there will be a sequel?
There was some suspense and a few surprises, but the book was just o.k. for me.

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This is a good and very suspenseful book. Just know that it takes up directly after the last book leaves off and it does not (absolutely, positively, does NOT) work as a standalone. The author assumes you've read the first book and doesn't offer any way for a new reader to catch up on events.

Now, it had been a little bit since I read the first book, but I did remember our plot and most of our characters. But, I'd forgotten Shane entirely. I never did truly warm up to him in this book.

That being said, the book was definitely a thriller. I found myself anxious to read when I had to stop due to work and I simply had to see how it all ended.

Definitely well worth the read!

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My my my, Mrs Jones ...
What a great sequel to Wrong Number.
Following the death of her husband, Amanda Thorne, a nice, normal IT bod, is out for revenge. She knows who was responsible for her beloved's death and she isn't going to rest until she has avenged his death.
Last Witness is as fast paced and gritty as you would expect following Wrong Number. The storyline is slick and intelligent, if not a little far-fetched in places. This doesn't detract from the story line at all though, which is strange as when I read something that I find implausible, I tend to tune out and give up on the book, for some reason though, I felt compelled to keep reading, and I'm so glad I did!
As Amanda gets closer to the truth behind her husbands death, she is dragged deep into the depths of Scotland's criminal underworld ... She could be about to see her husband a lot sooner than she ever thought she would!
Last Witness is a great read and one I will be recommending!

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Great sequel to Wrong Number which I read first. Full of suspense, I couldn't put it down!

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First things first, I advise you reading the first book before jumping into this one – it’ll make more sense if you do. You can read my review of Wrong Number (the first book), here.

Amanda Thorne returns in this gritty, fast-paced and harrowing installment. I’m going to try my best to not spoil the story for you because it’ll be incredibly easy for me to ruin it if I start typing away. I’ve edited the blurb above, so that won’t spoil it for you either.

It’s no secret that Amanda and her sidekick Shane are trying to cause trouble for badman McCallister because let’s face it, he’s not a nice guy. He’s caused serious heartache for Amanda, which has changed her life forever. She’s had to move out of her home, become a guardian, and also admit to people that she’s struggling. When will the bad energy stop coming?

It’s always hard to relate to a character when you’ve not experienced what they are going through. However, with Amanda and Shane you feel sadness because if it wasn’t for McCallister’s actions they’d be happy and enjoying life. What gives McCallister the right to treat someone so badly? Do people not have a conscience anymore? I know it’s only a work of fiction, but it really gets me angry, people should be nice to one another and not cause them so much heartache.

Aside from the sadistic ways of McCallister and the avenging nature of Amanda and Shane, you learn more about Amanda’s passion for the dark net. The secret side of the Internet helps Amanda to find out information that no normal person would be able to find, plus allowing her to purchase a piece of equipment that could be deadly! I’m a computer geek, so to read about a strong female who loves a computer is refreshing. It shouldn’t be a negative thing that girls like to code, or be interested in computers and their technology, it should be praised! We need more novels like this (unless, I’m deeply unaware, so please let me know in the comments for others like this).

Carys’s writing style is fluid, fresh and enticing, which makes the experience of reading Last Witness incredibly enjoyable. I’d recommend you all giving this epic-thriller a go because, well, why not? I can’t wait for more stories for Carys.

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Last Witness, the second book in the Wrong Number series by Carys Jones, was one of my most anticipated reads this spring. I had read Wrong Number last year and was completely sucked into its fast-paced plot and easily digestible narrative. Carys Jones does not disappoint in her follow up!


The second book opens where the first left off, which makes it a little difficult to pick up if you aren’t familiar with the first book. Amanda is escaping the scene of her husband’s (Will) murder with Shane (her ex-boyfriend turned detective) and Ewan (Will’s son). Amanda, hell-bent on revenge for the life she should have had, becomes obsessed with restoring Will’s honour and protecting his legacy. Going underground into the world of gangs and dealers, Amanda goes deeper and deeper into this dangerous environment and finds herself in danger! With her feelings for Shane resurfacing and the memory of Will haunting her, Amanda must put everything aside to help keep Ewan safe.

Similarly to Wrong Number, I found the pace of this novel to be right on point. There is non-stop action in this one and twists throughout. In fact, some of the plot points surprised me with how fast they were happening in the novel! I kept checking my page count and thinking “WHOA! THIS IS HAPPENING ALREADY??!” Although slightly predictable in its story arcs, I still found myself on edge several times throughout my reading! This novel packs quite the punch in its pages!!

There were a couple of things I found problematic in this text. For one, it was a little predictable. Secondly, Jones uses a flashback/flash forward type of narrative technique to dive into Amanda’s past relationships with both Shane and Will. I found this quite confusing, as they have no real rhyme, reason or notice to when they are happening. In fact, I wasn’t even sure for several chapters if they were flashbacks or if she was hallucinating. I truly do think it could have been a little of both, but I could see how this would an issue for some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed my reading and found it easy to binge. With a romantic subplot and non-stop action, I think this crime thriller would be the perfect to accompany a crime fan to the beach. Nothing like some rest, relaxation and revenge don’t ya think?

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Amanda Thorne is a woman on a mission. After the death of her husband, she is determined to find the man responsible and will not rest until he has been dealt with. Heading back to Scotland, she knows the only way to achieve her aim is to go deep undercover into the world of gang kingpin McAllister. This means immersing herself into the seedy world of drugs, women and nightclubs and exposing herself to extreme danger. Will she be able to protect herself from the secrets of the past and ensure that the last witness to the truth survives?

It was with some trepidation that I started to read this book as it is the continuation of the previous book, Wrong Number – a book I have not read. I was pleased to discover, however, that the author has given enough information to ensure that there is a full understanding of events that have previously occurred without spoiling the opportunity to go back and read the first book.

From the start, I warmed to Amanda, a woman who has taken on the responsibility of bringing up a child that is not hers. Her maternal, protective instinct is clear to see and so it is inevitable that she should want to eliminate the only threat to the child’s future – McAllister. I did question her friend Shane’s involvement in the whole scenario who seemed blinded by love despite his role as a police officer! I did admire his loyalty to Amanda, though, and thought he came across as a thoroughly nice man – exactly the sort of man Amanda needed in her life.

It is essential to suspend reality while reading Last Witness as Amanda pursues McAllister via the darkweb. As this is an area of the internet that, thankfully, very few people have access to, it became quite concerning as to how easy it was for Amanda to access weapons and hack into various databases. There were times when I wanted to scream at Amanda at how stupid she was being for putting her life into danger, especially when there was a child at home waiting for her.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable, fast-paced read and one that makes me regret not reading the first book in the series before this one!

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Published by: Aria (May 1 2017)

ISBN: 9781786612498

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 3*


Synopsis:
Amanda Thorne is on a mission to avenge her husband. Restoring his honour and protecting his legacy will be dangerous, but she will not rest until all those who have hurt her loved-ones have been dealt with.
Her only option is to go undercover in the murky world of the gang kingpin McAllister. So, with her loyal companion Shane by her side, she heads back to Scotland to finish what they started.
McAllister's world is one of seedy nightclubs, drug deals and beautiful women, but he is a hard man to get close to. As Amanda gets deeper and deeper into his dangerous world, what secrets from the past will come back to haunt her, and will she be able to protect the last witness from the truth?

Review:
I feel at a bit of a disadvantage as I didn't get the opportunity to read Wrong Number, the prequel to this book, before I started Last Witness. If I had, I think I'd have got to learn more about Will and understood his and Amanda's relationship better; ditto Shane. I think not only would I have enjoyed Last Witness more, but I'd have potentially awarded it a better star rating!
In terms of characters, I found Amanda likeable, if not always believable. I thought some of her actions were questionable at times. especially given her feelings towards McAllister. I just don't think she would have been able to do some of the things she did, given her hatred of him. Shane seems more believable to me.
The plot is good, and I enjoyed the pace of the story. It's gripping and gritty, with quite a lot of romance running through, which gives some light relief. The whole book does feel a little rushed and is only 320 pages long.
Carys Jones has the potential to be a fantastic writer. Maybe I'll enjoy her other books more. I've added them to my TBR so I guess I'll find out soon enough!
Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

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