The Spinster Wife by Christina McKenna is a suspense thriller, which unfortunately failed to impress me – the book was really long and the “twist in the end” fell flat!
Upon waking up in a seaside village, Dorinda Walsh has no memory of how she got there, and she sets out to trace her way back to figure out her past.
In Larne, Rita-Mae Ruttle discovers a note that her abusive husband is away to work on construction sites in London and won't be back for a while. She sees this as her chance to escape and decides to move out to live on her own. She quickly even finds an ad for a little house in the village of Killoran.
The landlord, Abraham Hilditch learns that Rita is a spinster and starts to get a bit obsessed.
Throughout the book, some of the characters were not needed and really have short appearances as well adding little or less value.
Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Christina for approving the ARC in exchange for honest review

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I finally picked up this book again to give it another go. I need to say I don’t give up easily because sometimes I might not be in the right frame of mind it might be a case of “ it’s not you it’s me” kind of thing.

Well, still I plodded through it was so very slow. It fine that the ending made it worth it however, my take on this is…..was it worth the anxiety and frustration it was giving me in the meantime?

My reflections are definitely negative.

If you want to plough through it’s well worth it but it’s very time consuming and frustrating getting there!

I have read other books by her and I was ok with them. Not this one I’m afraid.

Fabulous read! Thoroughly recommend! Gripping plot that kept me turning the pages and kept me guessing. Will look for more from this author. 5 stars!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. I really struggled to get into it and struggled with the format.

Unexpected twist of events follow a woman who is fearful of trusting, following a dark past, yet trying to make a new start. A little slow, yet interesting. Thank you NetGalley for the e-copy, all opinions are my own.

Great story by Christina McKenna. Really fabulous story, that kept me turning the pages!! A thrilling plot, and characters.

I thought this book was well-written, and I wanted to love it, but it fell a little flat for me. The pace was SO hard to get through at the beginning, and even though it did pick up, I almost gave up on it at first. Overall, it was an interesting read, though!

This is a book that you need to stick with! It will all make sense in the end I promise!
I was a bit unsure of this story to begin with but the second half of the book is seriously great.
If you like twisty suspenses and stories that have the power to surprise you then this is a must read for you!

My second book by this author. I have to admit I struggled with this one and almost gave up on it. I enjoy this author’s style of writing, but found the story really slow. I do love the setting of Ireland, and it’s interesting reading what life was like in Ireland around that time for women in particular. It does broach the subjects of domestic violence and religion, so these topics might not be for everyone.

The story does twist at the end and I was glad I stuck at it to get there. It was an okay read, but this wouldn’t stop me reading another book by this author. This one just wasn’t for me.

I did not like this book. Nothing particular drew me in or kept me reading. It was one of a very few that I did not finish. Maybe I can try it later and see if it gets better. I don’t think so. But it might if I decide to pick it up again.

Rita Mae is frightened of her own shadow. Having lived with an extremely abusive husband and with great courage sought some kind of freedom she lives in constant fear of being found out. Her character is one which today most of us would have trouble dealing with. Why couldn't she break away earlier when she had the chance, why wait so long, why be so frightened when opportunity was there to break free.



No one can understand the psyche of someone else and that becomes the bottom line even in this novel.



In another small town Dorrie tries to escape from her own history. She gets up one morning in a small hotel not knowing how or why she is there. Why is there a bloodstain on her coat, why has she drunk so much whiskey. Many questions for which there seems to be no answers.



Both women are terribly insecure, they do not know whom to trust and how to unravel their past and face the future.



Though as one reviewer said the story is said to be set in the 1980s, it was very old fashioned. Maybe the two main characters were styled on women in the early 1920s and so it seemed very conventional.



The story did not hold my interest at all until almost at the end. I do not like DNF stories and have very seldom kept a book aside so I did continue. The good part was in the ending.

Goodreads and Amazon reviews were posted on 23/1/2018. Review on my blog on 25/1/2018

This is a wonderful psychological tale told from the point of view of two women. Each in a small town, each with a different tragic story. It builds to suspense and the ending was a surprise to me. i enjoyed the wonderful characters and the moody, atmospheric location ... Its a perfect tale to sweep you away for an afternoon .

I couldn't get through this book I tried really hard but it just wasnt possible. It was scattered and didnt flow well I gave up about half way through.

Having read all of the previous books in this series I was thrilled to receive this ARC from the publisher. Sadly I was somewhat disappointed with this new offering and really struggled to finish it. The plot is a good one but it failed to hold my interest and lacked the sparkle of the previous books.

I would like to thank Netgalley for giving me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to say for about half the book I was wondering what was going on. Nothing seemed to fit together and the stories didn't seem like they'd ever gel. WELL, gel it did!! I couldn't believe the second half of this book and the ending! It's very hard to say much without giving anything away, but if you like to be surprised and kept guessing, this is the book for you!!

DNF at 69%, I'm surprised I made it that far. I was bored.

A story that starts with a sense of hope and joy but there's just something at the edge of your mind that doesn't seem to fit the picture and you don't know what it is. As the story unfolds you follow the tales of two people, both lost and just looking for themselves. Beautifully told with a bitter twist at the end.

This book was difficult to get into. I got about an hour in and felt myself making excuses not to read it. After forcing myself to get about half way through I had to abandon it. Don't usually abandon books. Hoping others found it a more enjoyable read.

I struggled with this book. I have restarted it so many times and every time I would get distracted and switch over to another book. I spent half my November doing that. Till I finally decided to sit with it and finish it somehow. Even if I have to skip over some parts.
Since I have read this books in bits and pieces, over 15 days, it is obvious it didn't hold my interest. 2 ladies in 2 different towns each having their own story of hurt and abuse and the story connects them in the end.
The whole plot is good but it doesn't deliver. It doesnt maintain the same level of suspense at all times. I don't mind reading abuse, but nowadays most books seem to use this as a common theme. This gets boring unless the writing is exceptional which can uplift a tried and tested method.
Alas and sadly, for me, I was let down by the writing too...
For me it was mediocre treatment of a story which could have been explosive.