Book Description:
The sunlight dances on the turquoise pool as I wait for our first guests. But my blood turns to ice when I recognise one of them as an old friend and a flood of guilt and fear comes rushing back. Is she here to ruin my life for a second time?
‘It’s been so long’, Saskia says as she hugs me. I plaster the smile back on my face, my hands shaking as I usher our guests into the traditional Spanish farmhouse we’ve spent years renovating to perfection. Saskia and I had been so close, until she betrayed me.
Now I’ve started a new life here in Spain. I met José and fell in love with his deep brown eyes, and together we opened our own retreat nestled high in the mountains. But José has no idea about the real me – I know he wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye if he ever found out that I have blood on my hands.
Then I discover our beautiful water fountain stained a deep red. My heart pounds with fear because it feels like a warning. And all my worst nightmares are confirmed when I find a note in my bedroom, revealing my terrible secret.
I was with Saskia all day, so I know it can’t be her. Which means that someone else at the retreat knows the truth about me – and they’re here for revenge.
But this perfect new life means everything to me. And I’ll do anything to protect it…
A totally unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and K.L. Slater.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Retreat' by Karen King.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Karen King, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date FRIDAY THE 13TH OCTOBER 2023.
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY KAREN!!!!
This is the fourth book I have read by this author. I have previously read Karen's 'The Stranger In My Bed', 'The Mother-In-Law' , 'The Perfect Stepmother' and 'The Family Reunion' and I would highly recommend reading them all!!!
This novel consists of a prologue, 77 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
OMG!!! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! WHAT HAVE I JUST READ!?!?!? Karen King you are a writing legend!!!
Wow!!! Well fair play the first thing I must say is congratulations to Karen King on yet another HUGE success!! Absolutely blooming fantastic!! I never did work out what was happening and that is quite a feat considering it is quite hard to shock me now that I have read so many suspense and thrillers yet I never did see any of those mind blowing twists coming!! Anyway on with my review....
This book is fantastically written with vivid descriptions that absolutely grip the readers attention and puts them right in the middle of it all feeling the hair raise on your arms and feeling the sweat run down your back. The cover is absolutely stunning and if that doesn't make you want to get absorbed into this page turner the synopsis definitely will!!!
Yet ANOTHER huge success by Karen!!! This book has got to be one of the most heart racing books I've read in a long time!!! It had me hook, line and sinker from the first page and I could not put it down!!! Every time I said one more chapter it ended on a cliff-hanger and I just had to know what was going on!!! If you are going to read this then clear your day because it is truly unputdownable. I started this yesterday afternoon and finished it at approx. 2am, I read it in one sitting and although I'm knackered today it was 1000000% worth it!!! It really does make you think how life can change so quickly and how different decisions can change a life. It also makes you think how looks can be deceiving. It is filled with holidays, stunning atmospheres, lies, secrets, twists, turns and everything you could want from a psychological thriller along with some MASSIVE BOMBSHELLS which will leave you absolutely shocked!!! I for one was NOT expecting any of that at all!!! A true page turner, this book is absolutely compelling with an addictive storyline that kept me guessing throughout. I was continuously questioning who was doing what!! I absolutely loved the gorgeous surroundings of Spain and the villa. Karen's evocative writing talents ensures the reader is flown away on holiday where they can taste and smell the Spanish food cooking, feel the sun on their face and is left with their heart pounding! I just could not put my kindle down and I was absolutely gutted when I came to the end of the book! It genuinely felt like I had escaped rainy Wales for a few hours and was soaking up the sun and sea air in the beautiful Spanish villa, even with everything going on it was still a stunning area. The storyline was filled with suspense, drama, secrets, explosive twists and everything you could ask for in a page turner. Filled with suspense, explosive bombshells and tension this book is one must read psychological thriller!!
Clear your schedules and get ready to be whisked off to Spain for an intriguing, addictive and explosive page turning who dunnit by an extremely talented author!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
The characters were very realistic and well rounded and again their personalities reflected the storyline and how they would act, etc perfectly. The descriptions gave a really good in depth view of how José, Eva and the rest of the characters were feeling and what they were thinking. The characters were complex and each seemed to be hiding their own secrets which leaves you questioning who is telling the truth and who can be trusted, if any of them. One moment I was all for one character and the next Karen managed to completely flip things on their head leaving me with no idea of what I was thinking!!! I love the fact that there are some sections of the books that tells us how an anonymous protagonist is feeling and what they are thinking as it gives the reader an insight into the reasons behind events. I really liked Eva and José's characters but whether this changed or not I will leave you to read this amazing book and work it out yourself. I will say that by the end of the book my opinions on certain characters changed from the beginning then the middle and then again at the end!!! Each of the characters were well developed, unique and thanks to Karen's fantastic evocative writing skills they all came to life before my eyes. I was absolutely shocked when the characters true personalities came to light and it took me a while to believe it even though I was "seeing" it happening myself. That is all I will say as I don't want to run the risk of dropping any hints or spoilers. However, whether you love or hate these characters, they all have their own strong unique personalities and they all bring the story to life playing their roles perfectly.
Yet another HUGE SUCCESS by this extremely talented author. This is EXACTLY why you are one of my favourite authors Karen and here is to your next success 🥂!!
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Karen's 'The Mother-In-Law' which I have actually read myself and it is just as addictive as this book and I would highly recommend reading it!!
Overall a page turning addictive psychological thriller that will have your heart racing and will blow your mind with the explosive twists.
296 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. She’s been published for over thirty years, in a variety of genres for both children and adults. She loves writing about the complexities of relationships. Her first three books for Bookouture were romances where relationships came right, she has now turned to the darker side of relationships, writing two psychological thrillers about relationships that go badly wrong. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
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