Suspicion by Brenda Guiton #BookReview for #RBRT @BGuiton Contemporary Fiction/Mystery #TuesdayBookBlog

Author: Brenda Guiton

Kindle Edition 

Category: Romance, Psychological, Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Book Review

A lightning romance and hastily arranged marriage takes Holly up north to live at the heart of Nathan’s family business – a luxurious log-cabin park on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. She has everything to look forward to, but within days of her arrival she falls prey to a series of unsettling events. It is obvious that someone doesn’t want her there.

Wanting to escape the miserable British weather, Holly, a self employed web designer, decides to accept her mother’s invitation to stay at her villa on the Costa de la Cruz.

Seated next to her on the plane is Nathan, an extreme sports enthusiast, embarking on a paragliding trip. Holly was intrigued by Nathan’s adventures and by the time they landed numbers had been exchanged and plans made to meet up. 

When Nathan proposed, the decision to marry after knowing someone for such an incredibly short time was a gamble Holly was prepared to take, regardless of the fact she thought it odd Nathan didn’t want to tell his family beforehand. Moving to the family’s luxury log cabin holiday park in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales seemed perfect to Holly. The only drawback is Kyle, Nathan’s adoptive brother. They have a tight bond and Kyle makes Holly feel unwelcome. When nasty incidents occur that seem to compromise her, Holly has no doubt who is behind them.

It struck me as strange that he didn’t even want to tell Kyle, given that they had such a close relationship. When I questioned this, he seemed somewhat vague and a little irritated, which I must admit rather puzzled me. In the back of my mind was a nagging suspicion it wouldn’t go down too well. After all, the dynamics were about to change. I would be a distraction and maybe Kyle would resent that, afraid that I might interfere with their sporting lifestyle.

Straightaway there’s the inference that all isn’t as it seems, there’s a sense of unease which gets more obvious as the story progresses. Holly has no intention of coming between Kyle and Nathan so is at a loss to understand his antagonism. Kyle does seem to have some sort of hold over Nathan and Nathan tends to dismiss Holly’s concerns about Kyle’s attitude towards her. She’s not comfortable in Kyle’s company most of the time and can’t understand why Nathan doesn’t take her seriously. An overheard snippet of gossip causes Holly’s burgeoning suspicions to deepen and prompted her to delve into the past, unprepared for what she finds.

Holly, as the main character, is a well developed, intelligent (although perhaps such a quick marriage wasn’t the best choice) protagonist and sees through Kyle almost immediately. The author builds tension and suspense in a well written and perfectly paced character driven narrative with a psychological edge and always with a sense of impending disruption. It’s an intriguing premise, a possible recipe for disaster and we’re kept in the dark about the mystery aspect until a series of flashbacks begin to connect the present with the past. An enjoyable, easy to read story in a beautiful setting. Knowing the places mentioned is always a bonus, adding to the imagery.

I chose to read and review Suspicion for Rosie Amber’s book review team based on a digital copy kindly supplied by the author.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US 

About the Author

Brenda Guiton lives with her husband, Derek, in South Yorkshire. Since retiring, she has had three short plays performed at The New Bradford Playhouse (formerly The Priestley Theatre). One of the plays, “Out of the Confusion” was also broadcast on BCB (Bradford Community Broadcasting) and adapted as an Internet audio book.
Following an interesting and diverse career, Brenda devotes her leisure time to writing (painting and jewellery making when time permits). “Taking Chances” (a romantic thriller) was her debut novel, followed by “At the end of the sentence” (suspense) and the latest “Suspicion” a mystery/suspense in paperback and e-book.

Author links ~ Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads