This was a psychological thriller and a half. With mysterious characters and plenty of twists, albeit some were guessable but no less enjoyable, it had me turning page after page until I had devoured every last word. It left me reeling and wondering just how well we really know the ones we love.

For Shona it is love at first sight when she first sees Mikey but unfortunately he’s not single, although his relationship is apparently on rocky ground. When his relationship does break up, Shona agrees to go out with him and the rest, as they say, is history. Only this story doesn’t have a happy ending.

When Mikey gets a job offshore, Shona and their daughter, Isla, move to Aberdeen. Mikey has chosen a little cottage in the middle of nowhere which at first seems idyllic until Shona realises how vulnerable she is in this remote area. Shona wants to make friends so she enrols Isla in a trial at a nursery; it is there that she meets the vivacious enigma, Valentina, who is also trialling the nursery for her son, Zac. With babies the same age in common, they immediately hit it off and Shona invites Valentina to the cottage. Although they appear to be friends, it isn’t long before Valentina seems to be taking advantage of Shona, leaving the baby for Shona to look after and always finding an excuse as to why Shona can’t meet her husband, the mysterious ‘Red’.

There were lots of questions floating around my head when I was reading this book. Why does Shona call Mikey her husband when they aren’t married? Why aren’t they married? Where is Valentina’s husband? Does he even exist? Just who is Valentina? With so many questions, it was no wonder I kept wanting to read one more chapter. I just had to find the answers and I couldn’t contemplate thinking of anything else until I found out how this story would end.

As debuts go, this is one of the best. It really crept under my skin and made me question everything I had read. I was fascinated by the change in Shona – she went from being a tough cookie standing up to people in the street to being scared to be on her own in the cottage. She almost lost her identity by trusting and believing in the man she knew as her husband. As her rose coloured glasses are ripped from her eyes, all the pieces of the puzzle slot into place and she finally sees Mikey for who he really is. Who will be left standing at the end?

An absolutely gripping story – Valentina is completely enthralling from start to finish. This is a debut of such exceptional quality and I am eager to see what S.E. Lynes has in store for us next.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Blackbird, in exchange for an honest review. ( )

An easy read that keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen next ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

Shona and Mikey have moved to an idyllic but very isolated cottage in rural Scotland. Shona's isolation is made far worse due to Mikey's new job on an oil rig where he is away from home two weeks out of each month. Shona is a new mother and is starving for adult contact. When she meets Valentina, she finds the perfect best friend. Or so she thinks...

Valentina is quite effervescent and rather enigmatic and she pushes boundaries with Shona right from the very beginning. Shona accepts this dynamic because her fears and loneliness are now at bay. Unfortunately, and rather desperately for Shona, her life begins to fall apart, and those scary woods surrounding her isolated cottage are not the most nerve-wracking thing in her life.

This hair-raising story is told in first person, in three captivating parts, and gave me the chills right from the very beginning. It is told after the events occurred, which lent itself to an even more terrifying story. The book is utterly captivating and I literally read it from cover-to-cover in two sittings. At this point all I can say is Wow! Just Wow! There are secrets, lies, breakneck twists and turns driven fast to a shocking conclusion.

What breaks up the terror in this stunning story is the style of writing, as there is sharp humor in this retelling. I was quite pleased that Bookouture decided to reissue this book, as I was presented the opportunity to read it. To discover that this was a debut novel was quite the shock. It was written exceptionally well. S.E. Lynes has a book due out next month, The Proposal, which I am now extremely eager to read.

I received this ARC from Bookouture, and this is my honest opinion. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. The lead female character annoyed me somewhat and I kept wanting to shake her as there were many hints that not all was as it should be. Later Valentina upset me as she seemed to make strange choices for an intelligent woman. Gruesome ending. ( )