Eleanor Moran

This was a brilliant read - I whipped through it at a lightning pace and was reading long after I should have been tucked up sound asleep in bed. The two main characters were well written and instantly likeable - Mia with her naturally caring demeanour and Gemma with her hard outer shell giving the illusion that she's more grown up than she really feels.

Both Mia's and Gemma's stories, despite their similarities, were interesting in their own right, so I was doubly hooked. Both had an odd relationship with their father - Mia never called hers Dad, but called him by his forename, Lorcan, and Gemma's Dad treats her like a confidante rather than a daughter, putting huge responsibility on her young shoulders.

I loved the flashbacks to Mia's past - showing that she was and still is a little bit broken. The therapy sessions with Gemma made her think of the relationship she had with her own father. It was really fascinating to learn of Mia's past and unearth the secrets that she had buried for such a long time.

Gemma is a survivor and so cunning that you never quite know what she's thinking. One minute she's warming to Mia and the next she is playing with Mia's mind by digging into Mia's past. Obviously her loyalty is to her father and she will do anything to keep him safe, but at what cost?

The underlying story is the one of the criminal investigation but this plays a bit of a back seat as the father/daughter relationships unfold. It was absolutely compulsive reading, and I really enjoyed the emphasis being more psychological than thriller. I look forward to reading more from Eleanor Moran.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I enjoyed A Daughter's Secret so much that I checked another of Eleanor Moran’s books out of the library and it did not disappoint. I love Eleanor’s style of writing; it almost reaches out like a piece of string and wraps itself around you so you just have to keep reading in order to unravel the secrets buried within the book.

The analysis of Olivia and Sally’s friendship over the years was great to read. They had more ups and downs than lovers and we later realise that there is a genuine reason for this. Sally seemed very frustrating as a friend, she was either all or nothing and I’m sure many people will recognise their own Sally, the girl who can only be friends with one person at a time.

Sally’s husband, William, seemed like an odd choice for Sally to make. She was clearly the life and soul of any party whereas William was more suited to life at home with pipe and slippers. It was no surprise that Sally, being so intense, looked for thrills elsewhere.

As Livvy helps William through his grief, they inevitably grow closer and I couldn't help but feel that fate had conspired to bring them both into each other’s lives. When two people are meant to be together, the timing can never be wrong (although it might raise a few eyebrows) and it’s clear that, despite their estrangement, Livvy has no intention of letting Sally be forgotten.

A lovely read of friendships, marriage, secrets and new beginnings.… (meer)