One tragic accident changes the face tire for Cleo and Harris. Their lives are no longer set on a track together. But after 15 years apart, they find each other again. Cleo becomes a crazy stalker, that typical “if I can’t have him nobody else can” crazy girl. She does everything she can to keep others away from Harris while trying to get back together with him. Harris wants Cleo, but he knows they aren’t good for each other, and she would be bad for his political career. One twist and turn after another, the story unfolds as you see the lengths people will go through for love. The ending brought some great closure to this story, but also opened up for a sequel for the craziness to follow. Cleo is one that will stop at nothing to get what she wants!

Related by Blood by Holly Sheidenberger revolves around Cleo and Harris. As the story foreshadows, can one mistake destroy your life? It did for Cleo. Cleo hopes that her undefined relationship with Harris, the son of a U.S. Senator, will finally become official. But their plans are interrupted by a shocking accident.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. There was no real reason for them to leave the scene of the accident, other than to preserve Harris's supposed future political career. But I guess that is the crux of the storyline. The characters were good, some you rooted for, others you despised. There were good twists and the story shows how power and greed can corrupt and how people treat each other.

Overall, it is a good read and one I would recommend.

#RelatedByBlood #NetGalley @XPressoTours

Thank you to NetGalley and Mahonia Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Related By Blood was an unexpected and excellent thriller that really took advantage of the concept of dysfunctional families.

Cleo grew up taking care of her sister, Thalia, and from the wrong side of the tracks but falls in love (and deep obsession) with Harris, a senator’s son who grew up in every way the opposite of Cleo. Despite this he is as in love (and obsessed) with her as she is him. Fifteen years before he was willing to ignore his instincts of the type of wife he’d need to follow on his father’s footsteps and propose to her, but before it could come to pass something tragic happened. Now in the windup to his own election Harris and Cleo are reunited - but with age comes complications and so it follows for them, bringing in Thalia and Harris’s Senator father, William, into the mix.

There is no carrier to root for here as being ‘right’ but that makes this one so much fun. Everyone is flawed and a bit disgusting but as they lash out at each other or believe they’re acting to do the right thing for themselves, only to cause hurt and pain, this thriller unfolds into a bit of a rollercoaster ride that is wholly engrossing.

I’d recommend this for lovers of dark thrillers who like a lot of intrigue and suspense, it didn’t let up!

Thank you NetGalley, Mahonia Publishing and Holly Scheidenberger for allowing me to read the ARC of "Related by Blood" in exchange for an honest review.

"Related by Blood" is one hell of an intense psychological thriller. I read this book in one sitting. It follows Cleo and Harris and their love story, that abruptly comes to an end when they find themselves involved into a crime. Fifteen years later, they both seem to still not have let go of each other, Cleo certainly did, monotoring and following Harris every move with a plan to get him back.

And this is basically the core of the book, their relationship and Cleo's obsession to get Harris back into her life and become his wife.

Overall, I really enjoyed to see a female lead being the morally grey (borderline villain actually, especially at the end once her sister was involved). I cannot say I liked any of the characters playing in this book, but I get the impression no one was meant to be likeable, they all had their flaws, they all have their problems, some more than others (Harris and Cleo, as well as Harris' father).

But this is what made the book such a refreshment for me, the fact there was no "good" or "bad" per se, only an affair of many intervowen stories that lead into one gigantic explosion. I enjoyed leaning back while reading and just ... watch everyone go nuts. Even if it did really play with my sanity once in a while.

The most interesting character to me was clearly Cleo, showing me just how FAR love (obsession) can make us go.

I would love to read more about Cleo, personally.

A young couple’s lives each take a different direction than either of them planned after a tragic accident. A psychological thriller that is engaging from the start.

Yikes! Cleo is intense. She truly believes one “mistake” shouldn’t wreck her plans and she’s waited 15 long years to be with Harris. To be fair, Harris is a sociopathic manipulator himself. I like fictional stories where I can just sit back and enjoy reading about the awful things people do to one another and be grateful that it’s not a true story!

There are lots of twists and turns throughout the story with fun, unlikeable characters. You need to suspend your disbelief, but I’m fine with that when it’s an entertaining read. If you enjoy this one, there is a prequel coming out soon! The author also has an excellent novella available called The Kinsman.

I was delighted to find out there was another book by this brilliant author. I really enjoyed the plot line of this story and thought the multiple points of view gave it extra depth. I liked Cleo (despite the fact she came across as mentally unhinged at times!) but found some of the other characters a bit annoying at times! I would recommend this to all thriller lovers.

Wowsers, this was a proper psychological thriller that kept me engaged from the beginning. So much so that I read it in one sitting.

Cleo = bunny boiler, haha. I'm not kidding she is one intense character. Her and Harris are meant to be together, and she stops at nothing to ensure they will be. Delusional came to mind a few times, lol! What makes it worse is Harris is still in love with her 15 years later.. as crazy as each other if you ask me. Despite their flaws, the characters are mostly likeable, maybe not so much with Harris' father mind who won't stop at nothing to protect his son and career.

The story has many twists and turns throughout, so it definitely keeps you intrigued. Told in multiple POV'S we get a better insight into the characters and their viewpoints.

Overall, it's a pretty good thriller. It's steady in pace and a decent plotline. Well written and engaging. I'd recommend this book to others for sure.

Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC via Netgalley.

A book of deception and lies .. and Cleo certainly knows what she wants, and she will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means hurting those that she loves the most!
A page turner of a book, really enjoyed this ..