Follow You Home - Mark Edwards - 5* Review

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It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, a final adventure before settling down.

After a perfect start, Daniel and Laura’s travels end abruptly when they are thrown off a night train in the middle of nowhere. To find their way back to civilisation, they must hike along the tracks through a forest…a haunting journey that ends in unimaginable terror.

Back in London, Daniel and Laura vow never to talk about what they saw that night. But as they try to fit back into their old lives, it becomes clear that their nightmare is just beginning…

I have spent this last week engrossed in Mark Edwards novels. I have read and really enjoyed his past work with Louise Voss and decided to read The Magpies which had remained unread on my Kindle, I just could not move on after this and was jubilant to find I had Because She Loves Me (not a sequel, but good to read after The Magpies) nestled in a to-be-read folder too. I shared my love for these most excellent reads on Twitter and Edwards very kindly offered to send an ARC of his latest work, Follow You Home. Overjoyed to say the least!

I read this one even faster the the previous and was quite gutted when my husband suggested we go out Saturday night (didn't he know that Daniel's fate was in hanging in the balance?). But this has to be my favourite and in my opinion, Edwards' darkest book yet.

It begins with Daniel and Laura halfway through their Grand Tour, an extended holiday before they settle down, marry and have children. Daniel buys the cheapskate tickets to travel through Romania, Laura is bone weary so the friendly couple they meet suggest a quite nap in the empty sleeper carriage. A move they will regret for the rest of their lives.

After being thrown off the train they become lost in a Romanian forest. What they witness will shatter their world and as they return home it is evident things can never return to normal.

Instead of putting the past behind them and moving on, however, it seems that someone is targeting them. They realise they are not safe, and as the death toll mounts around them it would appear that whoever has followed them is intent on not letting them tell their stories...

The Alone Alternative - Linda MacDonald - 5* review

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Former classmates Edward and Marianne, now fifty-five, have experienced a turbulent few years having lost contact with each other and suffered painful disruption to their home lives. Reunited again, this time through Twitter, they set about a search for personal fulfillment, but once again there are obstacles in the way – not least in the form of twice-widowed Jessica, Edward’s neighbour, who threatens to destroy their pursuit of happiness and whose behaviour has alarming consequences. 

The extraordinary weather conditions prompt Edward and a former colleague to resurrect an idea for a documentary series that sets to challenge consumerist lifestyles. The Isles of Scilly become a model for sustainability and a filming trip to the islands provides an idyllic backdrop to the unfolding romantic tensions. 

Set in 2012, the year of the London Olympics, the action alternates between Broadclyst and Beckenham and examines the difficult issues faced in committing to a new relationship in midlife. Could being alone be a preferable alternative? 

Continuing themes of psychology, relationships and environmental sustainability, The Alone Alternative is the sequel to A Meeting of a Different Kind and the third and final part of the 'Lydia' series. Written from both male and female perspectives, it also stands alone as a fascinating read for both men and women who enjoy thought-provoking fiction, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

Having read Meeting Lydia and A Meeting of a Different Kind I was eagerly anticipating The Alone Alternative, desperate to see how Marianne and Edward's story ended. I was thrilled when the author asked me to review it and was not disappointed.

Edward and Marianne have not been in contact for five years after the turn of events in A Meeting of a Different kind, and now are without the partners who kept them apart in the past for different reasons. 

Edward longs to contact Marianne once again but life, fears and insecurities get in the way for both of them with their busy careers, grown up children and for Edward, neighbour and friend of his estranged wife, Felicity, all clamouring for attention. They do however become friends once again, but with so many obstacles in their way will they be able to spend their lives together?

I love this series of books, to me they are 'grown up books', intelligently written with a keen psychological element, about a middle aged couple and the tribulations that that time of life can bring. I love the sub plot about sustainability and the vivid descriptions of the beautiful Isles of Scilly.

I really enjoyed the gentle romance and the way you feel drawn so close to the characters and really care what happens. It ended perfectly for me!

I would definitely recommend these books which can be read together or as stand alone books, it would not take long to catch up with the plot, and for a limited time all Linda's books are on sale for £1.99 (as of 03/05/15)