Blog Tour: The Fake Date By Lynda Stacey

I’m so excited to share my thoughts on The Fake Date with you as part of this wonderful Blog Tour. Many thanks to Rachel and Lynda Stacey for allowing me to participate and I hope you all enjoy reading my review!

Synopsis

Nine hours and eleven minutes…

That’s how long it’s been since Ella Hope was beaten to within an inch of life and left for dead.

She lies, unable to move and praying for somebody to find her, as she counts down the minutes and wonders who could have hated her so much to have hurt her so badly.

Was it the man she went on a date with the previous evening, the man linked to the deaths of two other women? Or somebody else, somebody who wants her out of the picture so much they’re willing to kill?

Whoever it is, they will pay … all she has to do first is survive..!

Review

Ella is a journalist and whilst following her instincts about a story with the potential to be huge, she accepts a date with the prime suspect. The problem is later that evening she finds herself critically injured in a ditch after a brutal attack, left for dead with only snippets of memory from her evening with gym owner Rick Greaves. With both his wives found dead in suspicious circumstances and evidence linking him to the attack Rick is remanded in custody for Ella’s attack. Broken and battered Ella has months of healing and recovery to battle her way through all the while trying to remember anything from that fated evening.

After spending months living with her Parents during her recovery Ella decides its time to return home only to find she has a new next-door neighbour, Will. A newspaper editor for a rival paper Will is dealing with his own demons and a past that is all still very raw. The pair soon become friends and Will is determined to discover the details of what happened on the night of the attack and get justice for Ella. But what will he discover and why does everyone who gets close to Rick end up dead or injured? Will won’t stop until he finds out and uses every journalistic skill he possesses to piece the jigsaw together.

When I read the blurb of this book I was expecting a hard-hitting Thriller, however for me this is more of a romantic, crime, suspense novel. Despite not being exactly what I was expecting I was gripped from the first page as it jumped straight into the aftermath of Ella’s attack. The characters in this story are exceptionally well-written with depth and detail which really allows readers to get inside their minds.

As a massive romance fan the developing relationship between Will and Ella was a complete, but very welcome surprise. Both characters are broken and damaged as a result of their experiences and the way they in which they help each other come to terms with these issues is beautiful – I was rooting for them to get together from their very first meeting.

Peppered throughout we are given snippets from inside the mind of the killer which offer clues about their identity. I’m terrible for trying to work out who ‘dunnit’ when reading this style of book and I managed to fairly quickly. However, my theory was continually tested as I continued to read with several possible suspects entering the frame. I couldn’t have predicted how the dramatic finale played out though and I really loved that it ended with a bang.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the style of writing easy to read with a fantastic flow which drew me into the story. This is the first book I have read from Lynda Stacey and it won’t be my last – As a massive Christmas fan I have just added House of Christmas Secrets to my TBR list!

About The Author

Lynda grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire,

Her own chaotic life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of psychological / romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.

Lynda joined the Romantic Novelist Association in 2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme and in 2015, her debut novel House of Secretswon the Choc Lit Search for a Starcompetition.

She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her husband, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.

You can find out more about Lynda and keep up to date with news by visiting her website or over on her social media; Twitter and Facebook.

The Fake Date is available to purchase now from Amazon

* I was gifted a copy of his book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own