What a journey this book turned out to be!
Although I hadn’t read the first in the series, this installment works perfectly well as a standalone.

Our protagonist, journalist Isla, receives a call from a nun that sets her on a tense and unpredictable path—gripping at times, yet occasionally frustrating. The author crafts an atmosphere that steadily builds throughout the story, with layers that add both richness and intensity.

That said, some of Isla’s choices left me exasperated, and the dynamic between her and Declan felt a little uneven compared to the otherwise strong and polished writing.

Still, Isla’s determination, resilience, and grit carry the story through to a satisfying conclusion where all loose ends are neatly resolved.

Overall, this was a compelling and engaging read. I’d confidently recommend it and give it a solid 4 ⭐.

Many thanks to BookSirens, the author and publishers for providing the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

What's not to love about a suspected murder in a convent, a body found in the Thames, and women hustled out of the convent into a van.in the dark of night. This was a quick easy read but very engaging from the start. Enter the Count who is quite hot but seemingly hiding some secrets. Thanks for this one Netgalley.

Martyr’s Convent is a fast-paced, atmospheric thriller perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. Isla Joyson is a determined journalist whose investigation into a drowned nun quickly spirals into a high-stakes game involving dark secrets and powerful players in British society. The blend of suspense, conspiracy, and complex characters kept me hooked throughout.

The story moves briskly, with plenty of twists and a strong sense of place—from shadowy convent halls to the opulence of aristocratic London. Isla’s personal stakes add emotional depth, making the danger feel immediate and real. While some plot elements felt familiar, the execution was sharp and the tension well maintained.

If you enjoy mysteries that combine social intrigue with a touch of danger and romance, Martyr’s Convent is a solid, entertaining read that I’d happily recommend.

Something is Very Wrong at the Convent

Journalist Isla receives a mysterious call alerting her to an impending drug operation. After investigating, she figures out who had made the call and too her shock discovers she is a nun—or was. Isla realizes she was on the phone with the nun just before she was drowned and she now feels it is her responsibility to discover what happened to the Sister, and confirm the information she died to provide.

In the meantime, Isla’s boyfriend is less than enthused about the dangers of Isla’s job and she increasingly tries to hide her sleuthing activities from him. The growing tension in her relationship occurs just as a handsome Duke enters her life. But is he connected somehow to the nun, her murder, and the drug deal she reported?

While the pace moved somewhat slowly for much of the book, I felt rewarded for my patience by the exciting and satisfying final third of the book. This is the second book in the series about Isla. I had not read the first book and it did not affect my enjoyment of this one.

Martyrs Convent proved to be an immersive, enjoyable and nail biting thriller that had me hooked from beginning to end. The story was so intriguing and easy to read having a well crafted plot, an unsettling yet atmospheric setting and characters that were varied yet unique in different ways throughout the story.
The addition of the main protagonist being a lord also added to the suspense and tension in the story and made for a clever dynamic between hi and the FMC throughout the book. The FMC was at times a bit annoying with her neurotic and immature mindset (especially by getting 5 pregnancy tests to determine if she was actually pregnant or if it was a false alarm); that was the only downside to this book.
I did enjoy the budding romance between the FMC and MC as well as Isla's growing relationship with Declan's daughter Seraphina.
A huge thankyou to Net galley and Jody Brett Kelly for an early arc of this fantastic and compulsively readable story.

Jody Brettkelly’s second book, Martyr’s Convent, is just as suspenseful and thrilling as her first, Bay of Plenty. This novel follows main character Isla Joyson, a journalist with a knack for landing cryptic and perplexing stories—that often land her in danger. This time, Isla receives a desperate call from a nun who claims to have intel about an impending drug shipment. Without giving Isla any details and begging her not to contact the police, the nun sets the story in motion. Believing it could be the scoop of the year, Isla decides to pursue it.
Things take a distressing turn when the nun’s body is pulled from the Thames River the next day. Seeing this both as an opportunity to advance her journalistic career and to seek justice, Isla throws herself into what may be her most dangerous investigation yet.
I really enjoyed picking up Jody Brettkelly’s second book, Martyr’s Convent, and immersing myself in her thrilling writing. Just like her first novel, Bay of Plenty, Martyr’s Convent offers everything a reader could be looking for and wanting in a mystery. The plot moves at a swift pace, with twists and turns introduced at unexpected moments that kept me guessing and unable to predict what would happen next.
Jody’s writing is consistently engaging, and her storytelling is both creative and enjoyable to read. I love trying to stay one step ahead of the plot, constantly guessing what might come next—but her writing is so brilliant and clever that I’m never able to predict the outcome. There isn’t a single unnecessary moment in this novel, and I was hooked from the very first page.

I was overjoyed to discover that Jody’s beloved characters, Isla and Declan, are not only back in this novel but take center stage as the main characters. In this book, the characters—speciffically Isla—go through a meaningful period of self-development, during which Isla is forced to reevaluate what is truly important to her and what she wants her future to look like.
I think many readers will relate to the challenges Isla faces, which may prompt them to reflect on instances in their own lives when they’ve had to make difficult choices between personal life and career.
Not only do we get to reconnect with our favorite characters, but we’re also introduced to several awesome new ones. One standout is Declan’s daughter, Sephy—a teenage girl who adds a whole new layer of drama to the plot.
Not only does the plot revolve around a nun’s confession about an impending drug shipment, but it also features a character who is a Duke—a powerful British aristocrat. One thing I’ve consistently noticed while reading and reviewing Jody’s books is her commitment to including a diverse range of characters.
As a reader, I really enjoy getting to know characters who hail from a variety of different backgrounds. And as a reviewer, I want to acknowledge how important it is that characters reflect the real world in an honest and authentic way.
To conclude, I’d like to emphasize just how much I enjoyed reading Martyr’s Convent. Jody crafts enthralling mysteries with enjoyable, relatable characters that truly capture your heart. Her plots are always suspenseful and engaging, filled with enough twists and turns to keep you up all night, reading on the edge of your seat.
I want to say a huge thank you to Jody Brettkelly for providing me with a copy of her book, Martyr’s Convent, and for giving me the opportunity to read it and share my honest review. Please check out @brydzandherbooks on Instagram and Tiktok for more bookish content and reviews. Please feel free to contact hbrydee@gmail.com if you are an author and are interested in having your book reviewed.

Martyrs’ Convent by Jody Brettkelly is book two in the Isla Joyson series. If you like books with a crimes, secrets, thrillers, and is a psychological read then you will love this book!!

Jody did such a great job with the story line, plot. The characters were so well written that I felt connected to them, that doesn’t happen to often. There were so many twists and turns, and you never knew what was coming or what to expect. I like that we got to learn class and titles. This was my first book by Jody and I can’t wait to read more!! Thank you to Jody Brettkelly and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my late honest thoughts and opinions.

This book is set in England. Isla was a journalist and her boyfriend, Declan, was a police officer who worked with Parliament. Isla did stories that sometimes risked her life. One day, Isla got a got a lead through a phone call that she later learned came from a nun, Sister Modestia. The tip was about the fact that a ship was coming in bearing drugs. The day she got the lead she learned that the nun had died. Through investigating, she realized that the sister had been murdered. She wanted to know more about the nun so she called the convent and scheduled to spend the night there. The morning after she spent the night in the convent, she met a man named Cassius who was a count. It turns out that he was Sister Modestia's brother. She also met another nun, Sister Innocenta, who was a good friend of Sister Modestia. Isla wanted to talk to her but could never get her alone because the Mother Superior was always in the way.

Cassius had taken a fancy to Isla. When she was telling Declan about him, Declan became unhinged. He knew Cassius well and knew that he was a crook. He also knew he was a ladies man and he assumed he was after Isla, which he was. Cassius phoned Isla and told her that he had a lead for her. The lead was about the fact that the gentlemen's club that he belonged to forbade women and there was upheaval about the fact that some of the members wanted to include women. He had invited her to dinner at the club and Declan was angry about that.

Cassius had told Isla about a hidden room in the castle that he and his sister used to hide in when their father got drunk. Later, Sister Innocenta phoned Isla and told her about the hidden room in the castle and explained to her how to access it. After the phone call the sister ended up dead. Not more than a day later, Cassius phoned Isla and told her that he had another tip for her. He invited her to dinner but she declined, opting for lunch instead. She decided that when she went there she wanted to explore. She had been to the castle before. He had invited her and a guest to a masked ball and of course she took Declan.. At the ball, she went exploring and found the nursery where the hidden room was supposed to be. But she couldn't find a way to get in because she hadn't yet been told. So on this lunch date, a contractor had burst into the room where they were having lunch and was accusing Cassius of not paying him. The contractor told him that he knew that he had paid. Tim, another contractor, whom Isla knew. Cassius excused himself to go and take care of the situation. That was isla's cue to go to the nursery. She had been told that there was a lever below the angel's feet that would open the wall. When she got it open, she went inside and found several women there who were bagging drugs. She left that room and was heading back downstairs to meet up with Cassius when she passed out. One of the maids found her and took her into the kitchen to have a bowl of soup. But she knew she had to get out of there, so she left.

Declan had a daughter, Sephy, who had been at boarding school. But when Declan learned that there had been a drug raid at the school he went and picked her up. Declan's hope was that she and Isla would become friends. One night at Declan's house, he and Isla had a disagreement and his daughter heard them. The disagreement was about the fact that Isla was going to go to the port where the drug ship was going to be unloading. He didn't want her to go but she was bound and determined. So she called an Uber and left. When she got there, she saw two men and a female at the ship. It turns out the female was Sephy. Isla, fearing for Sephy's life, yelled at her and told her to run back to the front of the port. In the same breath she phoned the police and she told Sephy to phone the police when she got to the front. The two men roughed Isla up but before long the police arrived. The two men got away. They were taken to the police station where a call was made to Declan to come and pick them up. He didn't seem to put out with his daughter but he was upset with Isla. His daughter told him that she went to the port because she heard the fight between her dad and Isla and she thought her dad was angry because Isla was going to meet another man. So she wanted to go and see for herself. When they got home, Declan broke up with Isla. But before she left, Declan told her he was going to call his friend Lisa, who was a nurse, to come and check her out. Lisa told her hat she thought she was pregnant. She told Declan, and together they went to the pharmacy to purchase several pregnancy tests. All the tests came up positive. Isla had decided to keep the baby but she was devastated because she and Declan had broken up.

The next day, Isla phoned Declan and told him about the women she found in Cassius 's castle. They decided they were going to get the police involved, so while Declan was arranging that, Isla phoned Tim to include him. The story was going to be that Tim was going to call Cassius and tell him that he found bubbles in the paint upstairs. He would come in and have Declan and Isla dressed as painters. They would go to the nursery, enter the wall and remove the women. They were wearing bulletproof vests and they each had a recording device and a camera attached. Cassius was supposed to be away on a hunting trip. But low and behold, he showed up. He pulled a gun on Isla and Declan and Declan tackled him trying to get the gun away from him, but the gun went off shooting Declan in the side.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I liked the way the author wove the tale and it was really easy to follow. I also thought the author did a very good job developing the characters. I found myself hooked, unable to put it down. I gave it five stars.

Martyrs' Convent is a great read. Excellent characters and twists with a bit of romance thrown in. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.

Isla Johnson is looking for a big story and when she receives a call about an impending drug shipment giving her details of time and place, she knows this is a big one. The informant is strange - a nun. The next day the nuns body is fished from the Thames. The convent is a peculiar one, a closed order and no one is willing to shed any light on the death of a much loved nun.

The involvement of an aristocrat who is the nuns brother adds to a strange mix. He appears to Isla as being supportive and distraught over his sisters death, but he has lied over many things that Isla begins to realise he is manipulating her for his own ends.

The whole story right from the start was tense with many loose ends which did not seem to connect at all. Declan who was Isla’s partner was also at times not supportive torn between his need to protect his daughter and the need for his partner. The widely contrasting characters of nuns, gang members, the aristocrat brother, the police were brought together very skillfully in the final telling of the story. The story is emotional but quite dark with a slight gothic twist.

Book Review: Martyrs Convent
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.0/5.0)

Martyrs Convent surprised me in the best way—at least at first. When I picked it up, I wasn’t expecting much. The premise didn’t immediately grab me, and I was worried it might be hard to follow or overly complex. But from the beginning, I found myself genuinely enjoying it. The mystery the journalist is investigating was compelling enough, and her personal life—particularly the dynamics with her boyfriend and his daughter—added depth and interest.

The pacing deserves credit. The story moves quickly—not in a high-octane thriller way, but in a steady, engaging rhythm. It never lingers too long in one place, and that keeps the pages turning. It’s not flashy or filled with twists, but it’s incredibly readable. I couldn’t put my finger on why I was so drawn in, but I was. The writing is accessible, the characters are likable, and the relationships are interesting enough to hold your attention.

That said, the story begins to fizzle as it nears the end. While I was never particularly invested in the outcome of the mystery itself, I still hoped the resolution would feel satisfying. Unfortunately, it fell into the familiar trap of the “villain exposition”—where the bad guy painstakingly explains everything in long monologues. That kind of ending always feels lazy to me. I prefer to see a story unfold through clever reveals, not info dumps.

There were also missed opportunities for surprises or emotional payoffs. A few plot threads hinted at deeper twists that never came. The boyfriend’s “big reveals” turned out to be underwhelming, and the final chapter took a strange and disappointing turn. The main character gives up her lifelong passion for journalism simply because she’s pregnant, a message that felt outdated and frustrating.

In the end, Martyrs Convent is a solid, easy read with strong momentum and a quiet charm—but it stumbles hard in the final stretch. The beginning and middle are enjoyable and well-paced, but the lack of a satisfying conclusion, combined with an off-putting final message, knocks it down a notch. Still, for a book I expected to put down quickly, it held my interest far longer than anticipated.

How far do you go to tell a story? When a nun is found in the river, the main character decides to investigate where the police do not. What follows is an outrageous and wild adventure that takes the reader on a murderous path through the aristocracy. The story was a little outlandish in parts but makes for a good spy story. Not a bad read overall for what it is.

This was a riveting and suspenseful story that kept me glued until the very end! It was an amazing read with all the twists and turns, incredible characters, and intriguing mystery happening. I couldn't put it down. This story is the definition of a page-turner! I loved it!

Well that was a great surprise. This is book 2 in a romantic suspense series that spans between the UK and New Zealand, which is a novel setting for me. I unfortunately was not able to read book 1 of this series (thanks to Amazon geolocation restrictions) but book 2 easily catches up and the details of book are seamlessly written into the plot.

I like Isla and Declan, their relationship was interesting and featured many “grown up” discussions, especially with his teenage daughter entering the picture

The suspense plot was interesting and paced quite well. I am not the biggest fan of “war of drugs” stories but this was easy to follow.

Thank you Jody Brettkelly and Netgalley for the ARC. I am looking forward to future books in this series.

Martyrs’ Convent is a gem of a book: part thriller, part of on-com, all page-turner. Our heroine, Isla, is an investigative journalist looking for her next big story, and thanks to a phone tip-off, she may just have found it.

Unfortunately her informant is found dead before Isla can come back to her with more questions. Suspicious that this was not an accident, but a murder, Isla starts to look into the nun’s life, along the way encountering her mysterious brother the duke, Cassius.

Isla’s boyfriend, Declan, has his own troubles to deal with while this is all happening, as his teenage daughter, Sephy, has to be withdrawn from her boarding school and come to live with him. But he’s not so distracted as not to notice that Isla’s new acquaintance with Cassius is potentially dangerous. Unsure whether Cassius is really as bad as Declan makes him out to be, or whether a twinge of jealousy is causing him to exaggerate in order to prevent her getting closer, she continues her investigation, almost getting Sephy hurt in the process.

With the backdrops of a swanky family estate in the Cotswolds and chic parts of London, there is plenty of glamour in the book, but it doesn’t truly conceal the seamy unpleasantness Isla uncovers as she moves ever closer to the truth.

Isla is a fun, relatable heroine, while her boyfriend Declan is pleasingly real despite the good looks. Their relationship is one you root for throughout the book, even as the friction between their lifestyles threatens to pull them apart. I don’t know whether there will be a subsequent book featuring Isla and Declan, but I would absolutely read it: there is certainly plenty of scope in his work and hers to provide a juicy plot. For now, though, this is the perfect summer read.

I didn’t realize this was book 2. I don’t think you need to read the first to understand the second. The book describes the characters past so you aren’t lost. Nice quick read. Enjoyed the characters and the storyline.

I read Martyrs’ Convent in one afternoon, gripped by the mystery of how a nun ended up dead in the Thames and journalist Isla Joyson’s blundering attempts to uncover the truth. I was really unsure who Isla should trust and who she should avoid until the end. Though there were some minor plot holes, the writing is engaging and the main characters are relatable, even if the relationship between Isla and her significant other Declan is a little too much at times. Nonetheless, this fast paced read was a good escape on a summer day.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for early access to a digital copy of Martyr’s Convent.

I really enjoyed this book until I got three quarters of the way through where some plot holes became obvious and it tipped into unbelievable territory. Normally when this happens it makes me downgrade my score but as this happened so late in the book combined with how much I was absorbed by most of the story, I have left it at four stars.

I really wanted to like this book, I really really did and to some extent it was ok, hence the 3 stars, but I found the pacing very odd, some story lines way too unbelievable and the stereotypical portral of lying, feeling bad, accidents happens etc... to not be my cup of tea. I like strong female main characters and I felt like our fmc here wasn't that unfortunately. She lied and felt bad and tried t be independant, but came across as just a bit of a airhead to me.

I think this book will sit well with lots of people, but with this being my main genre of choice it makes it incredibly tough to compete with some of the other books I have read which is why it fell abit flat for me I think.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Martyrs’ Convent, by Jody Brettkelly, from Jody Brettkelly/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

I found myself singularly unenthused about this book.

Unbelievable/unlikeable characters, and too many characters in general, come to think of it. Convoluted-y storyline/s. Just, meh.

It should’ve clicked with me that when I realized this was a second in a series and I had absolutely zero desire to read the first that I probably just needed to put the book down and go on about my life. The Good Citizen Award Winner deep within me, however, felt compelled to finish so as to hold up my end of the bargain with NetGalley.

Dear Future Kristi: Maybe it’s not such a good idea to read about journalists when you were once one yourself? Because you almost always seem to roll your eyes at the portrayal of such, especially the female ones. Just sayin’.

DESCRIPTION
In London, journalist Isla Joyson races against time to find a connection between a drowned nun, a sinister convent, and a manipulative aristocrat. A perfect beach read for fans of the movie Saltburn and the novels of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

One call changes everything.

When Isla Joyson receives a desperate call from a nun about an impending drug shipment, she sees a chance to break the story of the year. The Sister insists she can’t go to the police and begs for Isla’s help … Then the line is cut.

The next day, the nun’s body is pulled from the Thames River.

Pursuing both justice and the story, Isla’s investigation leads from the cloistered order harboring dark secrets to the highest echelons of British society. When Isla crosses paths with a powerful duke intent on solving this murder without her, the stakes escalate, threatening to destroy both her career and her relationship with the man she loves.