My Husband’s Wife

by Jane Corry

Penguin

If you’re looking for a book to really sink your teeth into, My Husband’s Wife will keep you engrossed for hours. It’s like two books in one. Once you get to end of part one, you feel you have completed an entire story – but fast forward 15 years and you realise it’s about to get a whole lot juicier.

It centres around the character of Lily, who meets Ed and marries him in a whirlwind relationship, only to realise after saying her vows that she doesn’t really know her husband.

There isn’t too much time to think about it, though, as her work as a lawyer is set to reach the next level: trying to free Joe Thomas, a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend.

However, his odd, uncontrollable behaviour is characteristic of her adopted brother’s personality, who died tragically, something that draws Lily further and further into the case. Meanwhile, Ed seems to be getting too involved with the downstairs neighbours – specifically a little girl called Carla who becomes the artist’s muse. A chain of events unravels which binds them all together. However, the real extent of this doesn’t come to the fore until 15 years later. Carla comes back into Lily and Ed’s life as an adult, determined to be compensated for the inspiration she provided in the early years of his career. However, her re-appearance becomes a lot more sinister as the book progresses.

This really is a dark story with a string of characters who are incessantly flawed. Carla is a narcissistic meddler, who feels that life owes her far more than she has been given, while Ed makes rash decisions, not caring about the consequences for others. Lily herself is more amicable but also makes poor choices – and don’t even start us on Joe Thomas. Combine them all in one novel, though, and it makes for juicy reading with a twist at the end that will leave you satisfied that justice has been done.

The House on Sunset Lake

by Tasmina Perry

Headline

If My Husbands Wife is dark and sinister, then The House on Sunset Lake is warm and inviting – especially as it is set in the beautiful southern surroundings of Savannah, Georgia.

Again, it’s a before-and-after story, as Jennifer Wyatt and Jim Johnson first meet in 1995. Students with their whole lives ahead of them, the American golden girl and quirky British boy enjoy a carefree summer. Set on the shores of the lake of Casa Seta, the plantation house owned by Jennifer’s parents, you want this to be the start of a romantic love story with a happily-ever-after ending.

However, the chapters of the past are interspersed by present times, where it is obvious that something didn’t go right for these lovebirds. Casa Seta now lies abandoned, and Jim returns after 20 years as a hotel developer to bring it back to life again.

Jumping from the past and present day, you realise that events that occurred as the summer of 1995 came to a close changed their lives forever. This novel really got us riled up. The “what-ifs”, “maybes” and “what-could-have-beens” that affect this couple are emotional – and you can’t help but loathe the selfish and destructive acts of others, close to the couple.

Fantastic reading, an excellent balance of romance and suspense. If you’re heading on an end-of-summer break away, pack this one in your bag.

The Reunion

by Roisin Meaney

Hachette Ireland

As this book came to an end, we felt the need to tweet Roisin Meaney, berating her for creating such a page turner. There was a particularly late night of reading as we simply couldn’t put this down.

Now this is purely coincidental, but The Reunion is yet another novel set in the present day with interspersing chapters that bring us back to the events of the past. Rest assured, though, that although all three books reviewed this month are similar in structure, the stories vary massively.

This book, set in Ireland, looks at the lives of the two Plunkett sisters, Caroline and Eleanor. Caroline is the shy, studious sister, the one who never gives trouble to her parents. Eleanor, on the other hand, is bubbly and vivacious, with the handsome boyfriend on her arm – even if her studies suffer as a result. However, in their late teenage and early adult years, the sisters find themselves in traumatic circumstances that will alter their lives forever.

Fast forward to 2015 and both are forced to face up to the ghosts of their paths. What’s really interesting about the book is the life lesson you can take away from it: how two people, both raised in the same house with similar values, react to adversity in their life. The Reunion is an easy read and could be classed as chick lit – but if you look further and take the time to contemplate it, you will take a lot more from the book than you think.