Talk about a loaded story full of twists and turns. It had the lot, secrets, lies, murder, and it certainly kept you guessing all the way through. A very dark thriller, but very enjoyable.

It took me a while to get into the story, but once I got into the flow, I sped along.

This is the first time I have read Diane Jeffrey but I will be looking out for her next book.

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Oh my word what a page turner! I was hooked from page one and couldn't stop flipping through the pages. The story development was both in depth and fast paced which made for a quick, engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Really great suspense novel! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Very dark suspense novel.
My first time reading something by this author but I will definitely check out more of her books.

What a wonderful book. It was so interesting from the start and I just couldn’t stop reading it until I finished it. A twisty read, making you guess what was going to happen next. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Married couple Mark & Kate move to Causeway Cottage, a remote island off the coast of Northern Ireland, to make a fresh start and be close to Mark’s ill mother. Kat is feeling insecure since Mark slept with his ex-wife Fiona, specially when she finds out that he is still maintaining contact with her.

Kat then makes friends with an islander, Darragh, and realises he is someone she knows from her troubled past – but does he recognise her from all those years ago?

The book has a big twist along the way and keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing what the conclusion will be. Characters are well written and are realistic, and the storyline is fast paced.

An enjoyable read which I highly recommend.

This is my first book by Diane Jeffrey and after this i know that it will be my last. The book introduced the mystery in wonderful slow pace that gave me as the reader to keep making false assumptions. This was an intense read that I really fell in love with Kat but from the start did not like Mark, he was much too self centred.
Highly recommend this to others but be warned for those that like to go to the end to see the end do not do it as it will really soil the whole story. Build up the suspense and enjoy the finale..

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

The Couple at Causeway Cottage is a dark psychological thriller by Diane Jeffery. I’ve read and enjoyed all her books, but I think her latest is one of her best. Diane Jeffrey creates a real sense of mystery and intrigue as we meet Kat and Mark, who have recently bought a cottage on an island off the coast of Northern Ireland.

From the moment we meet Kat and Mark, I didn’t get a very good vibe from Mark, and it appears that Kat is hiding something in her past, making me already suspicious about her. When they first arrive on the island, Kat feels as though she already knows one of the residents and she is spooked by this. This made me wanted to know what had happened, and what potential connection this man had to her. It also gave the novel a very claustrophobic feeling, as it felt as though the walls were closing in on Kat. The island setting adds to the claustrophobic feeling as well as it made me feel as though Kat was trapped.

At the start of the novel it seems as though the move to the island is the best thing for Kat and Mark. The island seems idyllic and I loved the name Causeway Cottage that Diane Jeffrey gave their new home. I could picture it well, as well as the local residents. Kat is keen to start a family and you can feel her yearning for this as they settle into their new home.

Diane Jeffrey gradually builds on the tension, especially with Kat’s husband, Mark, still texting his ex-wife. I really didn’t like him as I was reading the book and I found the scene when Kat is speaking to Mark’s mother, who is living in a care home on the mainland, very chilling. It made me think that Kat was far better off without Mark. It also made me wonder if he was dangerous and if he was a threat to Kat, and this was where the darkness begins to creep into the novel. As the novel progressed Diane Jeffrey began to make me wonder just what Mark was capable of. Who was this person who Kat had married? What secrets was Kat keeping onto from her past? These were the questions that I wanted to know the answers to.

I really enjoyed reading this book, Diane Jeffrey knows how to grab the attention of her readers and I always look forward to seeing what she writes next. The ending of this book has left me still thinking about the characters, and what is happening to them now, particularly after that chilling final note. The Couple at Causeway Cottage is another excellent read by Diane Jeffrey. I highly recommend it.

The Northern Irish coast is the place where Kat and Mark Fisher decide to settle, moving from London. They hope to start a family at Causeway cottage on Rathlin Island. It's also where Mark's ailing mum lives - the nursing home nearby in Ballycastle. Kat is a professional photographer working on her own website whilst Mark, head researcher for a pharmaceutical company based in London and Belfast is often away. Why is Mark still in touch with his first wife, Fiona and what about Darragh Moore who Kat runs into whilst taking photographs?

I delighted in the slow build-up of tension, and my resulting apprehension as well as the descriptions of the island, which was an ideal backdrop to the story. Brooding and utterly addictive.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a great book! This was thrilling and kept my attention. I loved how the author wrote about the characters.

My Review:
Loved!!!!! Hooked from the very first word!!!!! What didn’t I like is the real question. The characters were just the right amount of wicked. The blurb gave just enough away to pique my curiosity. Then you had that wow of an ending that wrapped up this book perfectly. This author is no stranger to me. I have read several books by her so far and have loved them all. What I love most about this author is the way she describes the characters surroundings. For example, it is like I’m actually there with them witnessing the sunrise or the gorgeous views that they were looking at. Now let’s talk about the book for a minute. Just when you thought your past wouldn’t catch up with you, it’s is now staring you directly in your face. How do you handle a situation like that. You thought it was all behind you and then the guilt comes rushing back. You could’ve done more to prevent what happened but really it wasn’t your fault as you were too young and naive. Who wouldn’t love a book with all of this going on. Oh and let’s talk about that shocking ending that made the book. I couldn’t believe it. The ending was cold, calculating and left you wondering. That ending was fantastic.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

NEW START. OLD SECRETS.
Kat and Mark move to an island off the Northern Irish coast for a new beginning. Far away from their frantic life in London, it’s the perfect place to bring up the family they’re longing to start.
But as soon as they arrive, cracks begin to appear in their marriage. Mark is still texting his ex-wife. Kat is lying about a new friendship. And one of them is keeping an explosive secret about the past.
The couple in Causeway Cottage are hiding something – and the truth can be deadly…

This is a twisted and gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this story and did not put it down over the two days that I had time to read it. Good story with a tense atmosphere that didn’t let up. Really worth the read.

This book was a bit of a slow read but did have a good, if a little predictable story line. Mark and Kat move to the cottage under the pretext of being close to the nursing home that Mark's ailing mother resides in. From the first night Kat feels things are not quite right and strange things appear to happen. Mark, who comes across as a bit of a rat to me from the beginning, is away a lot. Both he and Kat have their own back stories so I admit to having my suspicions of the link between them which is always a bit disappointing BUT although I was right I was really thrown by the final few chapters that really upped the pace and left me feeling a little more satisfied with the book. Stick with it as it does speed up. All in all a fairly satisfying read.

Kat and Mark have just purchased Causeway Cottage and are moving to Rathlin Island from London. This move is to put them closer to Mark’s mother who is not well. The cottage is close to a church and an old man died in the house which makes Kat feel creepy.

Mark works as head of research for a pharmaceutical company based in London and Belfast. This means he has to be out of town usually several days a week. Kat is a professional photographer and is working to build a website where she can sells her photographs.

Mark is divorced from Fiona but it still makes Kat angry when he gets the occasional text from her. Kat wonders if it’s the relentless rain that makes her edgy. She tries to go for a run every day and take photos along the way.

When they are a local pub, Mark accidentally spills some beer on a man named Darragh which angers him making them feels like he is a threat. But then he invites them to dinner to show no hard feelings.

When Kat meets Darragh and his dog, Dexter, on a run, they occasionally join her. Kat doesn’t want people to think there is something between them. Soon, Kat realizes he may be the brother of Erin, an old friend of hers when she was a teen. She feels guilty for what happened one night when the two of them were out drinking. She wonders if he is out for revenge.

OK. This book gives out teeny tiny hints of things that left me more aggravated than intrigued. I roll my eyes when authors do this. Let’s get the plot laid out and stop with leaving little bread crumbs. Because of this, I got through the book and can say I really didn’t enjoy it. Mark is weird and Darragh is questionable. Kat is a nut case herself with no patience. A bit dark and dreary for me. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5⭐

I was fortunate to be given a space on the blog tour from HQ for this book.

There is an undercurrent of unease throughout this book and I just couldn't figure out what was going to happen!

The setting seemed idyllic and I looked up some images of the island, but I'm not sure I'd want to be on with the residents present!

For me the story really came together in the last few chapters and all of the strands came together.

My favourite quote:
"Like a set of Russian dolls with my most shameful secrets concealed inside the smallest one."

The desire to drastically change your life that ends in tragedy is a literary trope that has been explored many times before, but Jeffrey does a very good job of it. Her characters are Kat and Mark Fisher who leave bustling London for the isolated landscape of the Northern Irish coast. Kat narrates their arrival on Rathlin Island and their plans for raising a family in this remote but beautiful setting. But the idyllic promise soon falters as it becomes clear that Mark is still in touch with this former wife, Fiona, and that Kat is lying to him about aspects of her former life. Both Mark and Kat are unreliable, and fairly unlikeable characters, and to avoid plot spoilers, I will not reveal what direction their lives eventually take …. Only to reveal that the reader is in for an excellent and atmospheric read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC that enabled this unbiased book review.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

Kat and Mark move to an island off the Northern Irish coast for a new beginning. Far away from their frantic life in London, it’s the perfect place to bring up the family they’re longing to start.

But as soon as they arrive, cracks begin to appear in their marriage. Mark is still texting his ex-wife. Kat is lying about a new friendship. And one of them is keeping an explosive secret about the past.

The beginning of this book started out really enticing. It did keep me on the edge of my seat most of the time. I felt that the ending really fell flat from the build-up of the first part of the story.

The past haunts!

A young couple, Kat and Mark, buy a house, ‘Causeway Cottage’ on an island off the coast of Northen Ireland. Their plan, to be close to Mark’s mother who has dementia and is in a care home. And to start a family. Kat was gong to take her photography to the professional level, Mark would catch the ferry across to work in Belfast,
But they both have secrets. Secrets that laboured and destroyed, and in the end, those secrets did me in as well. Kat’s had something to do with her childhood friend and tragedy.
I’m so conflicted about this story. It was a page turner that’s for sure, I couldn’t put it down.
I understand the actions of Kat but the morality gives pause. And the ending! I’d be running! And—is that really the ending?
But all that aside Kat is a conflicted mass of should she, shouldn’t she tell Mark, tell Darragh. Who’s hiding secrets from whom? Too many secrets. And yes, I’d guessed Mark’s big secret, mind you he had two major ones. I didn’t like Mark, I found him untrustworthy. Darragh I was unsure about. Kat I felt sympathy for, but her actions were crazy complicated.
So, all this agonising is to say it’s definitely up there with readability and questions, but in the end I lost all with sympathy for the players.

An HQ ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This book is absolutely all over the place and feels almost casual around rape.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review