This book has a great premise
The writing is excellent
The characterisation was not very good
This is more a story of a dysfunctional family than a thriller

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book deals with the relationship between a stepmother and her stepdaughter. She didn't know the daughter before, but no suddenly the girl shares a secrets with her, but she has a secret of her one, which might just destroy her whole life. Wow, what a read!

Dark thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book

I would rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I really struggled with this book - I did not like the main character at all, the story really didn't have any mystery to it, the 'secret' did not effect the story in anyway PLUS there was what really felt like gratuitous animal cruelty... not for me.

This book has a familiar title and is about dysfunctional families. I didnt really connect with any of the characters which was disappointing to me.

Complex dysfunctional relationships were the core of this book when the husband announces the presence and the arrival of his long-lost daughter. The characters were quite unlikeable, but that could be because they were all hiding secrets. Some parts of the prose were exciting, there were many scenes that didn't gel with me. Overall, it read okay for me. Could have been better.

The Stepmother by Ros Carne was a brilliant and easy read I was hooked within the first few pages, it's a completely addictive thriller that will keep you guessing right till the end - like it did me!

"After a series of heartbreaking miscarriages, Kate’s marriage is hanging by a thread. When her husband Michael tells her he has shocking news, at first, she thinks the worst – he’s been having an affair. It would explain why he’s been so distant. Instead, he reveals that the daughter he abandoned twenty years ago is coming to stay."

OMG How would you feel if your Husband dropped this bombshell on you? Scream!

When, Imogen who is Kate's step daughter arrives a few hours later she seems to be troubled and is very wary of her own father. Kate is very happy she is getting to know Imogen and is getting on well with her. Then, all of a sudden Imogen reveals a disturbing secret to Kate that she has been hiding from others and tells Kate Never to tell anyone else!

WoW.........Now what would you do?

Kate has secrets herself and is finding this hard to keep everything around her close.

That's all I am saying but read this book its a brilliant read and you will be hooked like i was

Big Thank you to netgalley the author Ros Cane and publisher for the digital advanced copy of the stepmother in exchange for my fair and honest opinions

An easy, enjoyable read.

Love the twists in the book. The first chapter sees the burying of a body. And then the story begins. With Kate in a marriage, step daughter comes to stay. Her art study sounds amazing. Kate meets Steve and he becomes and has an affair from husband Michael.

But then things change…

A fantastic read by a new author for me. I am converted as a fan and absolutely cannot wait to read more. This is unique and original. I have been pulled in and unable to put this one down.
I cannot say anything negative about this gorgeous book. it has been a fantastic read.

This was such a nail biter of a page turner. A great read. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book. Will definitely recommend this book.

irstly a big thank you to the publishers for having me on the blog tour. I an a massive fan of Caras books. It has been announced that theres going to be tv series and how exciting is this.

This was MY FIRST book of the new year.

Whizzed through and loved it.

Her writing is stilll as exciting and fresh as the first book in the series.

Intriguing ,addictive and compelling.

Once you start you cant stop. Fast paced and thrilling I highly recommend.

Published 29th April and do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.

The stepmother was a brilliant read. We start off 2 months ahead of time and two women are burying a body. The rest of the book is helping us work out who it is and who they are burying.

The protagonist Kate is married to Micheal their relationship looks perfect on the outside they have the big house the dog the cars a second home in Bristol Michael is a barrister Kate is an artist and has an amazing room attached to the house to make her sculptures. But there Kate is unhappy. She can't seem to carry a baby and now is questioning whether or not she wants to. Her husband earns all the money and yet she is lonely in that big house. She truly loves their dog Timba. She seems to be a very submissive wife and yet her personalty is very out going.
When she is told her step daughter Immy Is coming to stay she feels out of her depth. But the relationship between the two of them is just so amazing to read but also slightly strange. However it just fits well with Kates personality and Immy being 22 obviously makes it easier for them to get along.

So I really had no idea where this book was going I was waiting for the burial in the woods. This book honestly went from 0 to 100 in seconds and I loved every part of it. I honestly knew there would be a few cliché elements in this story and true to form there was. But it honestly had some wild moments that I did not see coming. It was like quiet quiet quiet insane, honestly I was hooked.

I think this book although called the step mother is more about appearances things never being quite as they seem. Michael the barrister is a clear example of not portraying all of himself. He isn't a great husband nor father yet I felt a pull towards his character he definately adds to the story.

In summary I have to stop talking about this book otherwise I will reveal all its secrets. But I will say its worth a read. I found myself wanting to rush through it so that I knew what happened and to who. I enjoyed each character and although Kate has a lot to answer for I still really liked her character. Immy as well was fascinating and I would happily read a follow up book. I happily rate 4 stars

Thanks to netgalley the author Ros Cane and publisher for the digital advanced copy of the stepmother in exchange for my fair and honest opinions

Kate has suffered numerous miscarriages and her marriage is not great.
Then her husband drops a bombshell that he has a daughter from twenty plus years ago and is coming to stay with them.
Kate, Micheal and Imogen all have secrets .
But Katie has a big secret and if Micheal was to find out it would definitely end their marriage .
Thanks NetGalley

3 for neutral. Was unable to finish, a bit too slow, but may have been my mood. Will update if able to finish at a later date!

This book was more of a domestic thriller than a psychological thriller. I did enjoy that this book was written in multiple POV's , however I found connecting meaningfully with the characters was a challenge. This book was slow going and I almost DNF multiple times. I did read Ros Carne's other book "The Pupil" and enjoyed that one more. This one fell somewhat flat for me.

A very slow book and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. The description sounded good but sadly the book didnt live up to it for me

This books storyline was really great, however is was slow moving. I had a hard time connection to the characters as well.

This was so good! I love domestic stories like this and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. So exciting, it just sucks you in and won't let go until the last breathless page.