The Stepsister by Jenny O’Brien #BlogTour #Giveaway @rararesources @ScribblerJB

Today I’m sharing my review of the first psychological thriller from Guernsey author Jenny O’Brien. I’m a big fan of Jenny’s romance books so I’ve really been looking forward to reading The Stepsister!

About this book…

When a stranger leaves step-sisters, Victoria and Ness, a half-share in a house in Holland, they think it must be a mistake.

But there’s no mistake when Ness goes missing.

Desperate for the truth, Victoria heads to Holland to find out what happened to her. Has she, as her texts show, embarked on a whirlwind romance? Has someone abducted her or even worse?

But there’s someone watching, and that person wants her dead.

Can Victoria find out the truth before it’s too late?

My review…

Jenny O’Brien has surprised me by turning her hand to psychological thrillers and as I adore her romances I just had to explore this new direction. And what a brilliant decision it was as I absolutely LOVED The Stepsister! It grabbed me from the first shocking few pages and didn’t let me go until that wonderfully emotional final denouement.

When stepsisters Victoria and Ness are left a house in Holland they are rather puzzled as they have never heard of their mystery benefactor! The girls have very different personalities therefore they also have differing views about what they should do with their inheritance. When Ness goes off to The Netherlands to find out more, she goes off grid after announcing she has had a whirlwind romance with a Dutchman she met there. So Victoria chases after her with dangerous consequences for them all.

What a fabulously twisty read this was! And all brought to life in two gloriously described settings so that the reader really developed a great sense of place throughout. The scenes in the canal side house in Delft brought back so many memories of time spent there and having also spent that time in Dutch houses, especially those of the older generations, i know that they can be decidedly dark and foreboding due to the traditional furnishings. So the inherited house where lots of the action took place was a creepy, realistic portrayal of the Dutch architecture and lifestyle.

One character who stood out for me was, unusually, not a human one! Nigel the poodle was a brilliant addition to the cast and one that needs to make an appearance again as I loved him so much! Ness and her mother weren’t as likeable but as with all good psychological thrillers, the reasons for this are slowly unraveled with a variety of plot devices.

Once again Jenny O’Brien has opened up my emotional floodgates and I did have a bit of a weepy session towards the end. She writes so beautifully that I am always completely caught up in the actions of her characters and their lives. This change of genre worked well as I could still get an essence of who Jenny is as an author which showed throughout with her delicately handled twists and turns.

Absolutely loved this and can’t wait for more of the same (and a guest appearance from Nigel perhaps?!)

Meet the author…

Jenny O’Brien was born in Ireland and, after a brief sojourn in Wales, now resides in Guernsey.

She’s an avid reader and book reviewer for NetGalley in addition to being a RoNA judge.

She writes for both children and adults with a new book coming out every six months or so. She’s also an avid collector of cats, broken laptops, dust and happy endings – two of which you’ll always find in her books.

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You’ll be pleased to note she won’t be entering Bake-Off.

Readers can find out more about Jenny from her blog: https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennyOBrienWriter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScribblerJB

Giveaway…

Giveaway  – 1st Prize Win an e copy of The Stepsister and crystal, tulip slider necklace , 2 x 2nd Prize – an e-copy of The Stepsister (Open Internationally)

Make sure you enter this fabulous giveaway by clicking on the rafflecopter link HERE

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.