Monday 20 April 2015

Blog Tour: The Liar by Nora Roberts (Thriller, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)


It's an honour to be part of a blog tour of an author who has written over 200 books.

This book is amazing!
23rd April 2015, Piatkus, 502 pages, Hardback, Review copy

Content: occasional swearing, some adult romance (mostly off the page), a bit of violence, murder, tissues needed

Book summary
 When her husband Richard dies in a freak accident, Shelby Pomeroy is devastated. But his death reveals a horrible truth - Richard was a liar and a cheat. Now Shelby is left with the consequences - huge, terrifying debts and mounting proof that her late husband betrayed her in every conceivable way. 

Heart-broken but unbowed, Shelby is determined to fix her problems - if only for the sake of her gorgeous little daughter Callie. Returning home to Tennessee and the family she thought she'd lost for ever, she discovers a new sense of strength and freedom. And hope, too, in the handsome form of carpenter Griffin Lott - a straight-dealing man who couldn't lie to her if he tried.

But not everyone is thrilled to see Shelby Pomeroy back in town. And when a shocking act of violence is traced back to Richard's shady business, it becomes clear that she is not safe from him, even in death. With her life in danger, Shelby must face the lies of the past - or lose everything.

Nayu's thoughts
When I was told about this book, I thought it sounded an exciting read. When it arrived I was a little bit apprehensive because I recognised the author photo, despite it being a different name. Having not being able to fully engage in the still enjoyable Obsession In Death by Nora Robert's under her pen name J D Robb, I did wonder if this too would have a futuristic feel. It didn't! 

Oh boy, this is one of those books that I can rave about forever, that I want you all to read right now! There is a fair amount of creepy moments for Shelby, when the reader knows what the baddies are doing but she doesn't, and certainly enough plot twists to keep my head reeling fairly often, but the overall feel of the book is optimism and hope. 

So often in thrillers I've read there's been no brief respite for the main character, no friendly face to help them (or if there is one something usually happens to them). Not for Shelby. Yes, she made a huge mistake, and it wasn't her fault that her husband had lived a lie (not just one whopping lie, but ever so many whopping ones), nor that she's got a mountain of debt to climb. But she has hope. She keeps getting through each of those early days because of her adorable little girl Callie, who is a cutie pie/charmer, and who lights up the book. 

Shelby has more inner strength than she knows, and as hard as it is for her to depend on others (there's more than one occasion when she gets annoyed for friends & family helping out), she has a huge loving family and circle of friends who eventually forgive her her mistakes and provide much needed support as she struggles through the web of lies and danger woven by her husband. The romance is fairly mild, with only a few steamy scenes which are easy enough to skip past. 

The immensely strong sense of family is half of the appeal for Shelby's story. All of her family are characters who stand out in my head, each is caring with quirks that kept me laughing & sometimes blushing at their forwardness in regards to Shelby's growing relation with Griff. I love the weaving of Shelby's family into the local businesses, and how strong long standing friendships are when unpleasant situations crop up due to certain malicious individuals. I know I'll be reread Shelby's story, and as soon as I get my monthly Audible credits I'm buying the audiobook in 2 days time!!! Not that I'm excited about that or anything. I've already bought a few more of Nora's books (ebook version - there are a fair few bargains), although it will be a bit of time before I read them (review books come first), read them I will ^o^ I'm genuinely over the moon to have fallen in love with this style of Nora's writing, and I hope you do too!

Find out more on Nora's website.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour!

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