It’s now time for blog tour/blitz number five of the day! I have the pleasure of hosting Kerena Swan’s debut novel, ‘Dying To See You’ on TWG today. Thank you to BloodHoundBooks for the blitz invite and the ARC. Here is my review:
He’s Watching, He’s Waiting, She’s next.
When Sophie is told to organize care for elderly Ivy, she is unaware that by meeting Max, Ivy’s grandson, her life will be turned upside down.
As Sophie’s involvement with Max and Ivy increases she becomes more distracted by her own problems.
Because Sophie is certain she is being watched.
For a while Ivy relishes Sophie’s attention, but soon grows concerned of the budding relationship between Sophie and Max.
Torn between Sophie and his grandmother, Max cuts ties with the care agency, leaving Sophie hurt and confused.
Meanwhile there is a murderer killing women in the area.
Is there a link between Sophie’s stalker and the killings?
Soon Sophie will learn that appearances can be deceiving.
What does TWG think?
Let me just get this bit out of the way first – I couldn’t get on with the first couple of chapters of this book at all as I felt that there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, with not many hints of the all important ‘oomph’. However, it did contain a lot of promise and that is what made me continue with the book.
Sophie is a single mu, trying to make ends meet and keep her little family safe. Until one day, she feels the hair on the back of neck stand to attention as though someone is watching her. Why would they watch her from afar? Are her or her children in danger?
As time went on, ‘Dying To See You’ became very fast paced and the level of intensity went through the roof. Seeing as readers of this book get to see different sides to the story unlike the actual characters involved in it, I was aware of things before Sophie was and I had to stop myself from shouting out ‘use your noggin woman!!!’. The fact that Sophie had been hurt in her past allowed her to lower her defences . I mean, who wouldn’t feel happy getting attention from a stranger? Well…after being freaked out at first that is!
Personally, I thought that the single mother element stole the show in the storyline, highlighting the fact that shock horror, single mums’ don’t just sit on their backsides all day and expect all and sundry to look after their children. Sophie has such a strong personality yet her naivety let her down in my eyes.
As for the crime element to ‘Dying To See You’, even though it took a while to get going, holy schmolly it was worth it! I was blindsided by several characters myself, so me becoming shocked whilst reading this book became second nature. I just couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping, even if I wanted to.
I loved the second half of the novel as it showcased Kerena Swan’s clever writing skills, and her talent of bringing an addictive storyline to life using themes others may find simple.
‘Dying To See You’ really did surprise me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it once it got going. A brilliant, rollercoaster ride of a novel which proves that appearances can be deceiving, and instincts are there to be trusted. I’m so looking forward to reading the authors next book!
About the author.
Kerena lives on the Bedfordshire/Buckingham border with her husband, son and two cats. She also has two daughters and two granddaughters.
12 years ago, following a life-time career in social work and management, Kerena set up a company providing support for children with disabilities. Highly successful, the company is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, which Kerenaconsiders her greatest achievement thus far. However, following serious illnesses last year she decided to attempt to fulfil her long-held ambition of writing a novel and getting it published. She has yet to tick off other achievements from her bucket list such as playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano all the way through and being stopped for speeding in a red Ferrari at the age of 80 but can tick off building a brick wall.
After many years of writing professionally in the course of her work, Kerena has discovered the exhilaration of writing fiction and can be found at all hours in front of her computer. Her husband (worried about his dinners being cooked) has threatened divorce if she writes another book so she’s told him she will write a trilogy.
‘Dying to See You’ is Kerena’s first novel and she has already started work on her second book ‘I Let You In’. Drawing on her extensive knowledge and experience in the problematic world of social work, Kerena adds a unique angle to the domestic noir genre.
The Writing Garnet 