This book twisted my insides in the most delicious of ways. I was honestly blown away by the story arc and the style of writing. The author Ruby Speechley has chosen the most gray areas of medicine and law, blended them smoothly, added bucketful of suspense and trepidation to give me a story which hooked me from beginning to end. SURROGACY!!

Charlotte wanted to do a good deed and help a couple have a child of their own by optioning to be a surrogate mother. She chose a couple in their 40s unable to have one after multiple miscarriages as the intended parents. She bonded with her twins in utero and didn't want to give them UP. Something kept twining in her as the days went by. After a lot of life threatening medical events, she did hand the children over to the couple, and THEY DISAPPEARED. Then began the most exciting of stories with some scary revelations.

Ruby Speechley in her debut has knocked this one out of the part. I couldn't remember ever being so excited by a book. Short, snappy chapters made the book read faster. The rising panic in each made my heart thud faster. I literally became one with the book, glued to my kindle. Nothing could break my bond with this book.

And the emotions... Oh the emotions... Each chapter showed me what Charlotte felt. She was such an easy character to love. No good deed goes unpunished, so it is said. And Charlotte experienced the full brunt of it. There were times I had to move away from the book, which in this case meant close my eyes, as I couldn't move away from the story. Why, what, how kept me in a constant spate of turmoil.

The delicious roiling in my innards and the painful thudding of my heart made this the most awesome of my reads. And kudos to the author for finding the most thrilling of subjects - SURROGACY

24 year old Charlotte has long dreamt of helping a family achieve their goal of becoming parents. Having seen her mother's troubles conceiving again, she is convinced she wants to help another woman avoid that pain. She meets Brenda and Malcolm, a seemingly lovely couple in their 40's who claim to have suffered 11 miscarriages and are desperate to try surrogacy. Charlotte agrees to carry Brenda's child for her. On the first try Charlotte suffers a miscarriage herself. She is devastated and almost decides not to pursue another try until Malcolm offers a substantial sum of money to help cover her expenses and the time she would spend off of work. She agrees and becomes pregnant with twins.
Soon after Charlotte notices a strange woman is seemingly always present. At first she thinks it may be the hormones playing with her head but then other oddities start to occur. Brenda makes a comment about how Malcom will be upset if both babies are girls. Malcolm snaps at Steve, Charlotte's husband when he takes a photo from their ultrasound... Then there are the constant travels which have Brenda and Malclom both often unavailable by phone. When the last payment check bounces, Charlotte starts to become extremely worried. After the babies are born, Brenda and Malcolm all but disappear. Frantic, Charlotte takes to the message boards and group where she initially found the couple to begin with. One by one messages start pouring in that other women have had children with Malcolm as the biological father but under different names. Suspecting the worst, Charlotte takes to the local police department for investigation. Soon thereafter, Brenda, aka. Paula is found dead, having fallen (or was she pushed?) over the side of a cliff. It becomes a race against time to save the twins. What she finds however is much worse than she ever could have thought imaginable.
This book is quite intense. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is a pretty quick and easy read however, I read in one sitting and just downloaded it today. Great debut novel!

Most time, surrogacy goes smoothly and everyone is happy. But what if the worst case scenario happened? Well, this book attempts to find out.

I don’y Want to give away too much about the plot, but it is really suspenseful, in that there are plenty of subtle hints that things are going to go very badly. And boy does it. Once the action picks up, it doesn’t stop until the very end, and I was rapidly flipping the pages trying to find out what was going to happen next! There’s murder, mayhem and about everything you can think of in between.

The book also adds in some interesting ethical questions that created an extra layer to the story. (Message me if you want to talk about it further, so I don’t end up giving spoilers).

I also really liked Charlotte. She was a good person, just trying to do something good and spread joy in the world. What she got was much more than she bargained for, to put it lightly.

Ruby Speechley's debut is a fast paced, roller coaster ride through surrogacy and all the right and wrong things about it. It does a good job of presenting the differing reasons and views of others who may choose to judge. The Prologue will grab you and the story intensifies as it goes on. Well done!

Someone Else’s Baby is a thriller that will keep you guessing the entire time! I was attracted to the plot- a woman selflessly wants to be a surrogate for a childless couple and all goes according to plan until it doesn’t anymore. It did not disappoint! Ruby Speechley has a talent for writing and I cannot wait to read more!

Charlotte Morgan has Little Baby daughter called Alice in her life
Now she wants to meet people to be a surrogate mother
When she meets Malcolm and Brenda and they are childless she starts to fall pregnant for them and gets twins for them
But Malcolm And Brenda are not quite as they seem
I had an ARC from Hera

Surrogacy is something that has always fascinated me. Someone carrying a baby for nine months to hand it over to someone else. I enjoyed getting to know Charlotte and the reasons to why she wanted to help someone. I was a bit dubious about her husband though to start with as money seemed to be the major factor, which again I could understand the reasons why they needed it, but to start with he did come across as being more money orientated. As I got to know him better though, I could see how much they both loved each other and he has his wife’s and own daughter’s best interests to heart.

Malcolm and Brenda at first appearances seem to be a loving couple who are desperate for a baby of their own. No wonder Charlotte chose them to be the ones to help. The further into the story we get, as with Charlotte, I had certain niggles as to whether they really can be taken at face value.

The story line addresses the issues that can arise with surrogacy. Legally there isn’t much support for either side and people really are taking a leap of faith. I found it all really interesting as a lot of the laws I had no clue of myself and was interesting to see peoples opinions when it comes to this subject matter.

Someone Else’s Baby is a compulsive read that I couldn’t read quick enough. There was an urgency to know exactly why Malcolm and Brenda had disappeared and I felt at times in as much turmoil as Charlotte in wanting to know the truth and when it comes, well nothing prepared me for it. A tense and gripping read that I was unable to put down.

After Charlotte Morgan's mother suffered through several years of miscarriages, and was unable to have more children, she decides that after having one child of her own she could make another childless couple very happy and be a surrogate mother for them. Malcolm and Brenda seem the perfect couple, but when the last payment bounces and the couple disappear with her two children she had for them, Charlotte starts to worry. Something doesn't add up, and when they search the surrogate site and ask other surrogate mothers if they know Malcolm and Brenda, they are shocked at what they find out.

I do think the logline - 'She gave her away her children. Now she wants them back', kind of lead me to believe this would be a psychological thriller, where the surrogate mother was going to creep back into the house of her children's new parents and steal/harass them. However, that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this different twist. Everyone expects what I did from this book, but in fact it was more true to life than a genuine new family being tormented by the biological mother of the children she wants back. In this story, we see the less explored other side of surrogacy. What if the people who are going to end up with your baby are not who they say they are? Do you realise that when they pay you to take your baby away, the amount you receive might not be anything like the large amount the new 'parents' could get for selling your baby on to someone else. Whoever that may be! Pedophiles? Such a frightening thought!

With this in mind, this story highlights the urgent need for UK surrogacy laws to be updated. I'd certainly recommend this as a book club choice, given the content matter is so controversial.

An exciting, well-rounded debut read, which had me hooked from start to finish. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this opportunity to read the ARC of #SomeoneElsesBaby. This is my honest review.

Review to go on blog during tour. Thank you!

Great domestic thriller.
Charlotte has always wanted to be a mother. She experienced what it was like to lose a child when her mother had a number of miscarriages when Charlotte was growing up. After Charlotte and her husband Steven have their first child they agree to Charlie becoming a surrogate for a childless couple.
The couple the choose, Brenda and Malcolm, seem perfect and are willing to pay a bit more in expenses than ‘the norm’. Will all go well on the road to the delivery of the twins Charlotte is carrying for the couple? Will Charlotte be able to hand the twins over? Will Brenda and Malcom be good enough parents for Charlotte’s precious babies?
Recommend this great read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this enthralling psychological thriller by Ruby Speechley. An unputdownable thriller telling of Charlotte, a mother who acts as a surrogate for a couple who are desperate to have their own baby. But when Charlotte discovers she is having twins she becomes suspicious of the couple especially when the cheques for expenses bounce. After handing the babies over Charlotte has second thoughts.

This is an unusual take on surrogacy and the risks women take by having children for other people. Besides the obvious health issues at stake as well as emotional ones, how well do you know the people you are handing the baby over too?

A great debut read and I look forward to reading more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the opportunity to read and review Someone Else's Baby.

What a fantastic debut thriller, loved every page, very well written and I couldn't put it down. A thought provoking read for anyone interested in surrogacy which I know nothing about.

I can definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author, well done Ruby.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hera Books for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant book.

This is a superb debut psychological thriller by Ruby Speechley. I was gripped from start to finish. The characters were well rounded, the chapters short and snappy. The words just flowed from the pages and I loved it from start to finish. I can’t wait to read more from this great author.

This book was an easy read. Main character was very immature. It didn't quite ring true her experience of surrogacy. I can't believe she had sex with her partner a few days after insemination. She must have realised the twins could be fathered by either. You would not hand the babies over if you weren't sure.

A couple who embark on a surrogacy nightmare ,I was practically screaming in my head ..... don't do it !!!
It grips you from the very beginning and it's so hard to put down
It's heartbreaking but opens your eyes at the flaws in the law of surrogacy
Please please read this debut novel it's amazing , not something I'd generally read but I'm so glad I did
Well done on your debut novel it's fantastic and highly recommended

A tough subject, dealth with well. I enjoyed this read, pacy and twisty whilst also heartbreaking at times. I will defintely read more from this author.

A good heartbreaking and fast paced thriller. A fascinating insight into surrogacy and the woes that come with. A little slow at parts but worth a read x