Lynda Stacey has made a name for herself as a rising star of romantic suspense and she adds another feather to her cap with The Fake Date, a gripping, tense and well-plotted psychological thriller guaranteed to keep readers glued to its pages. Wonderfully plotted, brilliantly told and dark and twisted, The Fake Date is a book that is hard to put down and impossible to forget.

Reporter Ella Hope is determined to find out the truth about Rick Greaves. A man who is good-looking, rich and successful, Rick has already buried two wives before he’s reached his thirty-fifth birthday and while everybody else thinks that it’s rotten luck, Ella simply is not convinced. She is sure that there is more to Rick than meets the eye – and she is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and uncover the shocking truth. She begins to get close to him by catching his eye at the gym he owns and flirting with him. Although Ella knows deep down that Rick is a dangerous man, she soon has her head turned by him, however, when she agrees to go out on a date with him, she never imagined that she would find herself abandoned in the middle of dinner and then be beaten, bruised and left for dead on the moors. Did Rick do this to her? Is he involved in her attempted murder? And if not, who wants to silence Ella for good?

After seven months spent resting and recuperating at her parents’ house, Ella is ready to pick up the pieces of her broken life and start afresh. She will not allow this horrific ordeal to ruin her life any more, so she moves out of her parents’ front room and goes back to her cottage. Only putting the past behind her is easier said than done. The memories of that horrific night continue to haunt and trouble her, and as she begins to piece together what happened seven months ago, she finds herself befriending her new next door neighbour, Will, a man with secrets of his own and darkness in his heart.

Will had been bowled over by Ella from the very first moment he saw her. A fellow reporter who has had a rough couple of years, he had moved to Yorkshire for a fresh start and a new beginning. He is immediately drawn to Ella, but having grown so used to keeping his cards so close to his chest, he finds himself reluctant to tell his neighbour the truth about himself – even though the more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself drawn to her.

With Ella’s attacker determined to finish off what had been started seven months ago, will she manage to unmask the identity of her dangerous enemy in time? Or will she be too late and end up paying the ultimate price with her life?

Lynda Stacey has done it again and penned a phenomenal thriller that kept me reading till the early hours of the morning. A talented storyteller who pens unputdownable stories that never fail to shock and enthrall, The Fake Date is a beguiling tale that will satisfy fans of psychological crime thrillers and romantic suspense alike with its blend of charismatic characters, nail-biting tension, searing emotional intensity, jaw-dropping twists and turns and powerful romance. The action never flags, the shocks keep on coming and the pages will just keep on turning as readers find themselves gripped by this fantastic novel.

Lynda Stacey continues to get better with every book she writes and The Fake Date is another unmissable thriller from her gifted pen which is simply irresistible!

The story opens with journalist Ella Hope, beaten, clinging on to life after a brutal attack. She can’t remember how she got there or why but is convinced it’s Rick Greaves who attacked her. She been investigating him after the supposed accidental deaths of his two wives. She’s so convinced he’s guilty but when it comes to trial everything falls apart, it forces her further into her shell.

Another ‘accident’ befalls a romantic conquest of Rick’s but it brings up a lot of questions for Ella. If Rick isn’t guilty of attacking her or the other women, then who is?

So on the cover of this book it says it’s a psychological thriller but, this is a pet peeve of mine lately, I feel it has been mislabelled. I personally think it’s romance with a side of murder mystery but don’t get that little bit of negativity wrong I still really enjoyed The Fake Date.

I really felt for Ella, the formerly fierce journalist who seemed to go the extra mile for her stories but after the attack. She’s a shell of her former self, jumping at the slightest thing especially when it comes to men. Being the other side of story has also opened her eyes to her fellow reporters and just what they will do to get a story which makes her hate them.

Then in walks Will Taylor, a journalist with a heart of gold and a tragic past (who also happens to be Ella’s neighbour) who tries to convince her that not all reporters are bad by digging into her case and putting himself in danger.

It’s told mostly from Ella and Will’s perspective but there’s also some bits where we get an insight into the killers mind too which I loved. These were sort of tacked onto the end of some of the chapters but I think they may have been better as their own chapters but I don’t know whether this has been changed in the final published novel.

I did manage to guess who did it but I do enjoy following the clues and being right, (that sounded a little more big headed than I intended!). I also liked the fact the romance aspect of the story wasn’t too cheesy, which can be a danger with this type of novel.

The Fake Date mixes the brutal with the sweetness of romance to create an emotional and captivating story.

I have given The Fake Date 5 stars.

Fake Date has an incredibly eye catching cover, simple but very, very effective. However, it's the opening chapter that pulls you in and grips you. I was hooked and read this story in one sitting!

Lynda Stacey takes the reader on a journey of suspense with lots of twists and turns, most of which you won't see coming. It was an incredibly great read from start to finish giving me goosebumps along the way.

I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Ella is a journalist and whilst following her instincts about a story with the potential to be huge, she accepts a date with the prime suspect. The problem is later that evening she finds herself critically injured in a ditch after a brutal attack, left for dead with only snippets of memory from her evening with gym owner Rick Greaves. With both his wives found dead in suspicious circumstances and evidence linking him to the attack Rick is remanded in custody for Ella’s attack. Broken and battered Ella has months of healing and recovery to battle her way through all the while trying to remember anything from that fated evening.

After spending months living with her Parents during her recovery Ella decides its time to return home only to find she has a new next-door neighbour, Will. A newspaper editor for a rival paper Will is dealing with his own demons and a past that is all still very raw. The pair soon become friends and Will is determined to discover the details of what happened on the night of the attack and get justice for Ella. But what will he discover and why does everyone who gets close to Rick end up dead or injured? Will won’t stop until he finds out and uses every journalistic skill he possesses to piece the jigsaw together.

When I read the blurb of this book I was expecting a hard-hitting Thriller, however for me this is more of a romantic, crime, suspense novel. Despite not being exactly what I was expecting I was gripped from the first page as it jumped straight into the aftermath of Ella’s attack. The characters in this story are exceptionally well-written with depth and detail which really allows readers to get inside their minds.

As a massive romance fan the developing relationship between Will and Ella was a complete, but very welcome surprise. Both characters are broken and damaged as a result of their experiences and the way they in which they help each other come to terms with these issues is beautiful - I was rooting for them to get together from their very first meeting.

Peppered throughout we are given snippets from inside the mind of the killer which offer clues about their identity. I’m terrible for trying to work out who ‘dunnit’ when reading this style of book and I managed to fairly quickly. However, my theory was continually tested as I continued to read with several possible suspects entering the frame. I couldn’t have predicted how the dramatic finale played out though and I really loved that it ended with a bang.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the style of writing easy to read with a fantastic flow which drew me into the story. This is the first book I have read from Lynda Stacey and it won’t be my last – As a massive Christmas fan I have just added House Of Christmas Secrets to my TBR list!

Wow, this book grabbed me from the beginning and did not stop until the end. Well written, tense, taughting, and shocking and brutal, all the things I love in my disturbing thrillers. I was very shocked at how well it pulled me in from page one.
Will be recommending, using in a daily challenge, and reviewing for the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

Ella Hope, a journalist, is brutally attacked after a date but she can’t remember anything about it. She is left for dead in a ditch but by some miracle she survives. After a long recovery she finally gets to move home but can she put the past behind her ?

After her ordeal Ella can’t face returning to her job, due to the hounding she received by journalists, as a result of her ordeal. She has a new neighbour, Will, he is also struggling to deal with events in his past but they start to become friends. Can Ella really trust anyone after what she has been through ? And will she ever find out what happened to her ?

This is a great romantic suspense with some twists and turns to keep you hooked. The characters are really believable and you will find yourself willing them on to get to the truth. A well paced plot that keeps you interested right to the very end.

Thank you to Choc Lit & Ruby Fiction and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Fake Date is the story of a date gone wrong and its implications. This is a page turning romantic suspense with characters I was rooting for and a suspect or two that I was not sure about. Well told and a satisfactory reveal or two at the end. Well worth a read.

A good and enjoyable read. I liked the fact that the killer was talking throughout the book. It added to the suspense and kept the story going. The idea of the book was really good and I thought it was written really well. I did think though that it was a bit predictable in places but I enjoyed it overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Ella Hope lies beaten and broken in the mud, counting the seconds and minutes to try to make herself focus and stay awake, desperately trying to figure out who had done this to her and why. Luckily for Ella an early morning dog walker stumbles across her and calls for help. The chapter ends with the thoughts of her attacker, who admits it's not the first time they have left someone for dead.

The remainder of the book deals with how Ella convalesces and the people who support her through the healing process. Best friend and police officer Sarah is on hand with food and the occasional bottle of fizz on their girls nights in; fence-hopping neighbour Will who is determined to help Ella through the horrors she has suffered and who is beginning to hope they could possibly be more than friends if and when Ella is ready. On the flip side are the people who might not have Ella's best interests at heart. Gym owner Rick Greaves, who Ella spent the evening with on a date the night she was attacked, who she is convinced is the guilty man yet fiercely denies any involvement. Rick's devious former brother in law Tim who used to have a financial interest in the gym before he needed bailing out and rescuing from financial ruin by Rick. And the socially inept Bobby, the farmer who works the fields opposite Ella's home who appears to take more than a healthy interest in Ella and spooks her on more than one occasion. With a few other lesser characters drip fed into the mix the cast isn't too big to deal with yet sufficient to give you plenty of options for the perpetrator.

I really enjoyed the writing style in this book and went through the emotions of the healing process with Ella along the way. The clues are there for the reader to pick up on but they are so subtly mentioned they will have you kicking yourself at the end. I had 2 possible suspects in my head as the story ticked along - it seemed too easy to jump to the obvious conclusion as Ella had. There are some great characters in this book, each with their own background story which gives them added depth and personality. I also liked the fact that misunderstandings between certain members of the cast were dealt with but was a little disappointed at one aspect of the climax of the book as I thought the characters could have helped each other deal with their issues later on (I'm finding it difficult not to give too much away here!).

A great read which had me glued to the sofa for a whole afternoon to find out whodunnit and why.


This review will feature as part of the blog tour hosted by Rachel Gilbey at rararesources in September.

A good story with well described characters. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it

I really liked this book! It was full of tense moments and the story seemed to flow very naturally! The characters were believable and I enjoyed reading it a lot.

In a gripping thriller, Ella Hope is left for dead, however, she can't remember who or what put her in that position.

I loved the character development of Ella, she came along way from her trauma. Will Ella find love in her neighbor Will or, should she be on guard as she is with everyone else.

This is the first book I have read by the author, however, I look forward to reading more. This kept me guessing for quite awhile and was unable to put it down.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in this book as soon as I read the summary. Ella Hope was savagely beaten and left for dead. She lies there watching the seconds tick by on her watch knowing it has been nine hours and eleven minutes since she was left for dead. She can’t move and after a while she no longer hurts…she is numb from the cold and rain. Why would someone want to harm her? Did they mean to kill her? She is determined to survive and finally hears a dog barking and the sound of a man’s voice as he calls for the dog. She has been found! I was looking for more story, at this point, of her being found, but it skipped to seven months later after she completes her recovery at her parents’ home. There was some explanation of her injuries, later in the book, but I would have liked more detail when she was first found. Ella is determined to find the person who tried to kill her, so she begins to investigate on her own. There is dialog, during the story, from the person responsible. This was interesting as even though we didn’t know the identity of the killer, we knew their thoughts about what they had done. At the end, we find out who the killer was and it came as a complete surprise. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This is a new author to me but I enjoyed every page, I found it to be gripping, easy reading with a good story.

Can definitely recommend this book and I hope to read more from this author.