I’d like to thank Aria and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Mark’ by Heather Burnside in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When successful freelance journalist Maddy visits the Rose & Crown to interview the local ‘working girls’ little does she realise that their pimp Gilly will be become so enamoured by her that he’ll follow and watch her every move. Meanwhile, Maddy meets Aaron, a good-looking and charismatic businessman, who dominates her life leaving little time for her to work and care for her daughter Becky. He seems at first sight to be the man of her dreams but Aaron isn’t all that he appears to be and her friend Clare and ex-husband Andy are concerned about her well-being.

If ‘The Mark’ is the first in ‘The Working Girls’ series I’m very much looking forward to the next. I found it exciting with an intriguing and well-executed plot, twists and turns, and a final twist that took me by surprise. It’s gripping with gritty and tough characters and is so easy to read that I finished it in twenty-four hours. This is the first novel I’ve read by Heather Burnside but it won’t be the last.

I enjoyed The Mark for the most part. The main character is a journalist who is interviewing prostitutes for a story. Any female media person who goes into prostitute/pimp territory is asking for trouble. And, she has an eight year old, so why put everything at risk? I think this story feels like an example of what not to do as a solitary woman. She meets this guy, and things go badly for her. Sympathetic but naive. It's a good read overall, and I hope to read more from the author. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of the same series. A strong cast of characters set in a gritty scene gave the story a dark reality.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written reminds me of the earlier Martina Cole books. The storyline is based around Manchester and the hard working girls. I must be honest it was not as good as her previous books but still a worthy 4 stars

3.5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book, and though is was good, it lacked emotion which made it for more of a boring read instead of an edge-of-your-seat, keep-you-guessing kind of book. I’m not saying the whole story was completely boring, it really wasn’t, especially the final 25% when I felt it got better, had a bit of emotion behind the words and it was suspenseful in the end. But it’s a book that you’ll guess ‘it’ right away.

The characters were pretty bad, but I think that’s because of the way they spoke or acted and it wasn’t quite realistic in places. I did like Maddy, a little bit, but found she was quite the loose cannon, easily coerced (especially for a journalist), and extremely naive considering her line of work. The other characters who surrounded her were either lacking in sense, emotion or description. I did find Crystal to be quite the perfect picture for a working girl and I think her character is the one I liked the most, along with Ruby.

The story itself was slow but in places it was rushed and confusing, but otherwise easy to follow. All the juicy drama is in the last quarter of the book and that’s what pushed my star level up. I think this author has taste for drama but not the backstory or the lead up though this book has certainly not put me off reading more. Especially now that I’ve finished this and I’m acquainted with her style of writing.

Maybe in the future, when I read this again, my views will change but for the mean time, I really wished there was more oomph and emotion behind the words on the pages.

Good story, okay characters, a ‘bored’ kinda style of writing at the beginning but gets better and more interesting halfway through.

Maddy who is a reporter and her 8 years old daughter Beccy live in a beautiful detached house in a good part of Manchester.
As part of her work, she goes to the pub the rose & crown to interview prostitutes for a feature she is writing.
Whilst there she encounters crystal and a pimp named Gilly. He spots her and is enamored with her beauty and profession.
Gilly wants Maddy for himself but needs to work out a way of her noticing and fall for him,

Aaron is a successful businessman, who dresses smart, drives an expensive car and is staying in a hotel whilst he opens up a branch of his business in Manchester from his hometown. He showers Maddie with gifts, love, and security. But Aaron has a dark side to him which he shows to Beccy, frightening the child. Maddie only sees what she wants to see and ignores and rebuffs warnings and concerns from her ex-husband and her best friend Claire, who she thinks is jealous. Wanting to spend as much time as she can with Aaron, Maddy starts to miss deadlines on her work, is often late picking up Beccy from school, is sharp with her and starts to neglect her., which is completely out of character. But she is so besotted with Aaron.

I really enjoyed this book and its revelation towards the end made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It takes us into the seedy side of prostitution and hard drugs.
Another good page turner from Heather.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity x

This is the first book in "The Working Girls" series from Heather Burnside.

Maddy, a respected journalist is interviewing prostitutes in a Manchester pub when she first attracts the attention of their pimp, Gilly. Gilly becomes obsessed with Maddy and regularly sits in his car outside of Maddy's house hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Maddy is separated from her husband and lives with her 8 year old daughter in a respectable area. On a night out with her friend Claire she meets Aaron, a successful businessman. They embark on a passionate affair which begins to dominate Maddy's life, causing problems with her job, her daughter and her ex husband.

Maddy's life starts to fall apart as a result of her relationship with Aaron and things are about to take a sinister turn.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it is a brilliant start to the new series of books (I am looking forward to finding out more about the working girls who we are introduced to in this book and think it is a great idea for a series).

Special thanks to Netgalley, the author & Aria Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddy starts to interview the woman who are prostitutes and Drug takers .
But Gill keeps a rod on the girls .
Then a man called Aaron met her when she was out and then started to love her but that what started it all off .
I had an ARC from Aria

Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next!
Was very excited to hear that Heather Burnside had a new trilogy, and it hasn't disappointed me, full of tension and suspense.

Wow! I was blown away with this book! It left me wanting more.
I finished this in one evening it was that good.
Can't wait until the next one
Awesome work 5******* all the way