This book flits from the past to the present, which can sometimes be confusing but in this instance it works. It was a compelling read with several twists in the tale. It had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next. When you stop to think about the story though, I think it would be impossible for someone to get away with such deceit, hence only giving 3 stars.

My Lovely Daughter is a well written, well paced, well plotted domestic thriller with enough suspense to keep turning between the "Now' and 'Then' chapters all through the night and into early morning.

The characters are fully fleshed out, particularly Annie, who I fell in love with. The emotion and tension is palpable through to the last page. And its a great ending.

Without spoiling anything, there is a fair amount of drug/alcohol abuse, domestic violence, an attempted rape scene (not graphic) and gang related youth exploitation but all of it is within plot parameters and makes sense as part of a whole.

There are a few subplots that work well framed in character histories, and it really is a very satisfying read. The main plot is also very believable, and it's a very emotive story, with an extremely satisfying conclusion.

On the whole I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys domestic/family type thriller and suspense novels.

My Lovely Daughter publishes on 7th October 2022



Star Rating: 4

CAWPILE Rating: 9/10

Characters: 9/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Intrigue: 9/10
Logic: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10

Many thanks to the author, HQ publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Annie and her teenage daughter Izzy are living a perfect life since the divorce and settlement. You get the impression it was to do with domestic violence why the marriage broke down, but is that really the case? Annie's idyllic life is threatened to be turned upside down when she receives a text saying "happy mothers day?" . She knows her life and that of Izzy will never be the same again if she learns the truth! How far will Annie go to protect her daughter and who is sending the messages to Annie threatening to tell the truth to Izzy? Can Annie protect them both or will Izzy learn the truth about who they both are?

Many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book. Really enjoyed getting to the bottom of who Annie and Izzy are and who was threatening them.

I found My Lovely Daughter to be an ok read. Initially I was hooked and was eager to see how this domestic thriller played out. However I quickly sussed out how the plot was going to unfold and felt the pace completely slowed leading me to a conclusion that was disappointing. I’m sure others will love this book but for me it was a three star read (rounded up). Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Annie was leading a blissfully happy life that was until she received a text and then she knew nothing would ever be the same again. Someone knew her secret. Her lovely daughter, Isabel, must never know the truth. An exciting suspenseful story.

A good read. Element of threat throughout, The backstory of Lauren is tragic and well captured. It did feel a little unresolved still at the end. I didn't relate to the characters much and it felt like things moved quite fast, but if you want a quick easy read with some twists, then this works

Annie, or should I say Annabel is a successful veterinarian who loves her daughter Izzy tremendously. She will do anything to protect her and keep her out of harms way. After a divorce and re settlement with her daughter she believes the the best is yet to come, however she is taken aback when her past comes back in the picture full force.

This is a perfect book of staying strong, pushing through and protecting those you love. How far will Annie go to make sure her life doesn’t get turned upside down.

If you like psychological thrillers this soon to be published book is one you won’t want to miss.

Interesting story that goes back and forth from present day to the past to help understand what is happening to Annie. What secrets is she hiding and what will she do to protect her family?

This was a book that had me interested from the beginning. The story covered lies, drugs, changed identify and much more. The main focus though was how far a mother would go for her daughter, the answer a long way.
The author took you on a varied journey and led me down some dead ends but I really enjoyed this novel

This book while the plot seemed amazing I was a little uninvested at the writing style at least in the beginning. The different points of view as well as the different time changes made it hard for me to really get into the plot so it took me a long longer to become interested in the story. I did really like the characters right off the bat so that was the saving grace that kept me invested in the novel, and pushed me over the hill in the first half. There was a lot about this book that had me interested in the beginning however I found that it was very slow and drawn out and because of this I found it very difficult to hold my attention. Mixed feelings on this one overall while there were parts that I really enjoyed there were others that i found hard to read. So good read just not my favourite i did like the plot of this one though it was very creative. What i did like was the intense feeling that the mother gave off in her obsession in protecting her daughter, it made for a very compelling read because it wasn't about a stalker boyfriend or anything but a mother who was on the verge of crossing the line. The book is all about our main characters Annie and Izzy. Things are going great for the two women when out of the blue annie gets a letter from someone threatening to tell Izzy about a very personal secret unless they are delivered a large amount of cash. That is where the back and forth starts and considering how great that sounds the build up to it was very slow, however once it takes off it gets a lot better.

Annie has built a nice life for herself and her 13 year-old daughter Izzie. One day it all threatens to come crashing down when Annie receives a blackmail note threatening to tell Izzie her secret unless she gives the note writer money she doesn't have. How will Annie get out of this situation? What is Annie's secret? This was a suspenseful, gripping, well-written tale.

I DNFd this book. I was not really as interested in it as I thought I would be. I wanted to continue reading, but it did not interest me to continue reading any further

My Lovely Daughter by R.P. Bolton is a highly recommended domestic thriller.

Annie, a single mother and veterinary nurse, loves her thirteen-year-old daughter, Izzy. The two have built a life for themselves after Annie's devastating divorce, but now their safety and happiness has been threatened by an outside force. Some anonymous person is threatening to tell Izzy the truth about the secret that Annie holds, unless Annie gives him a huge amount of money. Annie will do anything to protect Izzy and her secret, but she does not have the cash demanded.

This is a suspenseful domestic thriller. Although Annie's big secret is easy to deduce, readers will know that she loves Izzy and wants to protect her from any nefarious person causing Izzy any harm. She wants to keep the secret from Izzy to protect her and a good mother's love is always looking out for what would be the best for her children. Admittedly, the antagonist is also very easy to guess before it is revealed, but the suspense is created in the chapters going back and forth in time, leading up to the present day dilemma and to the current life of Annie and Izzy.

Annie is a well developed character and portrayed as a realistic person, full of strengths and flaws. Because of the past Then chapters alternating with the Now chapters, readers will really see the good qualities of Annie along with her flaws. The writing is good and the pace moves quickly, which helps keep you focused on Annie's dilemma. 3.5 rounded up.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins via NetGalley.



The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Rich in evocative detail - the complex mystery thriller kept me guessing right up to the last page.I thoroughly enjoyed this immersive story!

This is a super quick page turner of a book. I was gripped from the moment I picked it up to the moment I finished it later the same day! The suspense builds quickly with the timeline alternating between present day and ‘then’ which is a little over ten years ago. The characters are well developed and we feel immediate sympathy for the protagonist, even though she declares herself to be a criminal.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Annabel who is now known as Annie is a single mother and a veterinary nurse. She has a 13-year-old daughter Izzy. But Annie holds a dark secret and when she receives a text message her world starts crashing down. She tries to ignore it, but the text is threatening to tell her daughter Izzy the secret which Annie is trying to hide for several years. If she finds out may lose her daughter forever.
She will do anything to protect her daughter. What is the secret she is hiding?
Thank you, HQ, for a copy of My Lovely daughter by R.P Bolton. Is a good suspenseful thriller from the author, going above and beyond to protect her daughter. I enjoyed this thriller and great page turner. Even though I found the protagonist a bit annoying at times and wondered if she just came clean to Izzy because she the poor girl was suffering from Annie’s over protectiveness. 4 stars from me.

A book about the lengths you will go to to protect your child.

This book was full of predictable tropes which made the novel predictable and it didn’t stand out from other books that are similar.

I would recommend this to anyone who hasn’t been reading thrillers and nothing else for 3 years!

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My Lovely Daughter by R.P. Bolton is a domestic thriller with an intriguing premise. No one else has written a decent summary of this book so far, so I will try my best. The story revolves around Annabel, now known as Annie, a single mother with a secret. Years ago, she arrived with nothing, not even her name, telling her new neighbors that her husband took everything in the divorce. But is that the truth? Now, Annie is living with her thirteen year-old daughter Izzy, and she's started to receive threatening messages. Someone is threatening to tell Izzy everything - including the secret that Annie's desperately hidden for years.

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"What she actually wanted was to rewind to the minute before the message pinged. Or to hurl the mobile into the tangled undergrowth and pretend it didn’t exist. But what she did was jam the phone deep in her jeans pocket and steady her legs enough to walk.
...
Ask anyone and they would say she was Annie Smith. Mother of Isabel. Late forties. Resident of Uppermoss. Veterinary nurse. Excellent mother.
And she was Annie Smith.
She hadn’t been Annabel for years."

Overall, My Lovely Daughter is a domestic thriller that will appeal to fans of Kiersten Modglin and B.A. Paris. One highlight of this book is the interesting premise. I was caught into the plot of this book from the beginning. I wanted to know more about Annie's secret identity and about who is threatening her anonymous through Facebook. I did take off 1 star, because I found the story a bit predictable. I took off another star, because the ending was just unsatisfying. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in October!

A very easy to read thriller that left me wanting to keep turning the pages. Written in the present and past some of the book was predictable but this didn't spoil it and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.