I knew almost from the get go how this was going to pan out. Fortunately, the main character only ran aroun

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

The Secret Mother is my second book by Boland, but it won't be my last. She writes good characters and engaging, not too grim mysteries, which I have found engaging from start to finish in both cases. Recommended!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland.

Tessa is a mother who has lost both of her children. So when she comes home one day to a child who is calling her mother, she's more than confused. After the police are called, and the child is retrieved, Tessa finds herself under suspicion of abduction. Did Tessa abduct this child? Grief can make you do crazy things. Or does the rabbit hole go much deeper than that.

Naaaaaaah, not feeling this one. Listen, crazy things happen, there are some wacko stories out there. This ain't it. It was just reaching a bit too far, and besides that,. it just wasn't that good? I really struggled to care, about any of it.

Arriving home from work one evening, Tess Markam hears what she thinks is the sound of a child’s voice in her kitchen. When she opens her kitchen door she finds a young boy standing there and the child tells Tess that she is his mummy. But Tess doesn’t have a child. Who is the child and where did he come from ? Why are the police and others suspiciously Tess and don’t believe her story.

This was a suspense filled psychological thriller that gripped me from the very start. I had my suspicions after a few chapters about what was going on but it certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book. It is a page turner for sure.

This is a well written twisty read that will keep you guessing. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a good one.

Loved it! Really well written and kept me engaged throughout! Can't wait for more from this author.

A gripping read. A fast paced page turner that is full of twists. This is the first of Boland's books that I've read and I certainly look forward to reading others.

An amazing, gripping read with a plot that I didn't predict. Thoroughly enjoyed, have bought for someone else already!

Many thanks for my copy of The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland.
The story starts with Tessa, it's a cold grey Sunday and Tessa has just returned home from a visit to the cemetery. Unfortunately Tessa lost both of her twin children, one at birth and one a few days after the birth. She says that whatever the weather she has never missed a single Sunday where she didn't see them. When you're reading this , bearing in mind you're only a paragraph or two in you can actually feel Tessa' s sadness radiating off her, what a desperately sad situation. She returns home and instantly something feels strange, the lights are already on and for a moment Tessa thinks there is a burglar or intruder in the house until she hears the sound of a child humming. She pushes through the kitchen door and there is a small boy with dark hair colouring at the kitchen table. This is where you feel like your heart is going pop out of your body. You feel the tension and the air being sucked out of Tessa' s lungs. They stare at each other and the boy asks 'Are you my mummy?' Oh my goodness could you imagine a more intriguing opening scene?!? From this money I was hooked. So we don't know who this boy is and we don't know how he got in the house and whilst Tessa is making cool and calm conversation Sith him internally she is freaking out. She has no idea what to do so she rings her ex husband. Their relationship didn't survive the loss of their children and the grief. So she rings Scott, he is so dismissive of her it's quite horrible to see. However he does decide to come and see for himself what's happening at the house. Whilst they wit for Scott, she makes the child a hot chocolate and a feeling catches her that if her children had lived maybe this is what life would have been like. When Scott arrive at the house he believes his ex wife has done something terrible that she is so disturbed and deranged she has stolen someone else child. Scott decides the best course of action is to call the police and so the police arrive and take the child away. Somehow the press a hold of the story and Tessa becomes obsessed with th boy who we find out is called Harry. The press come to the conclusion that Tessa is a child abductor and the writing so good that when Tessa begins to question herself you find yourself questioning everything too. I think even a die hard arm chair detective would find it difficult to work out all the twist and turns in this book. Tessa has an endearing character and as she investigates slowly but surely the pieces start to click together. I found this story to be particularly captivating hence the score of a full five stars.

This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and I couldn’t put it down. The twists kept coming and every time I thought I knew what was coming next, I was wrong. I did figure out part of the twist at the end, but not the whole twist. This was a great read!

When grieving mother, Tessa, returns home after visiting her twins she finds a young boy in her home asking if she is his “mommy”. This throws Tessa into a reality where she is suspected of being a kidnapper suffering from lost and paranoia, but she I not a kidnapper and her visions of a stalker may not be “visions” after all. This story kept me intrigued and offered exciting twists and turns. Has tones of another Bookouture Novel “The Surrogate” by Louise Jensen. Would definitely recommend!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this thrilling book!!!
I'll be honest, since Tessa found the little boy in her kitchen, I thought that she was going cuckoo.... I really did not expect the ending!!! Well written, with an ending that tops all! Recommended.

Tessa Markham comes home to find a little boy in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

Not anymore.

She doesn’t know who the child is or how he got there.

After contacting the police, Tessa comes under suspicion for snatching the boy. She must fight to prove her innocence. But how can she convince everyone she’s not guilty when even those closest to her are questioning the truth? And when Tessa doesn’t even trust herself.

This book was a really great read and I really felt for the main character Tessa, and the lack of support she had from her husband. I will definitely be recommending this book.

When Tessa arrives home after visiting her kids graves she finds a little kid Henry in her kitchen asking her “Are you my mummy ?”. The cops and her ex-husband accuse her of kidnapping the boy and soon the media is camped out her front door making her life impossible. Tessa knows she has to get to the bottom of this mystery to clear her name but that might prove to be too dangerous as somebody is following and watching her.

The Secret Mother is a well written psychological thriller with very well developed characters especially Tessa. Even though I guessed early on where the book was going it was an entertaining fast read.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Love love love this book!!! Shalini Boland does it again! I love her writing style: descriptive, creative, insightful, full of character. She is so easy to read that getting through 300+ pages with her is like a holiday! This book was superb in its description of the characters - she takes the time to connect you to them so you care about what happens to them. THAT is how you keep people interested. She sets her stories in real life scenarios and then shocks you at the end - THAT is how you write bestsellers.

I always wait impatiently for her next book. For me, she can’t write them fast enough.

A clever, fast paced thriller that keeps the reader turning the pages.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC.

Loved this book! Kept me on the edge of my seat and I found that I was holding my breath at times!! Hooked from start to end

A great read with lots of twists and turns. I did guess what was going to happen but it was nice to read and see exactly how it worked out. I recommend this book to lovers of this genre.

Fantastic story with a great twist I wasn't expecting! Highly recommended