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The Secrets Between Us

The Secrets Between Us

  • Downloads：3892
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-16 03:14:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Louise Douglas
  • ISBN：B0057WTF1G
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Summary

A Richard and Judy recommendation for the 2012 Summer Book Club， this is a brilliant Gothic novel in the vein of Daphne du Maurier。

A chance encounter: When Sarah meets dark， brooding Alex， she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own。 They've both recently escaped broken relationships， and need to start again。 Why not do it together？

A perfect life: But when Sarah gets to the tiny village of Burrington Stoke， something doesn't add up。 Alex's beautiful wife Genevieve was charming， talented， and adored by all who knew her。 And apparently， she and Alex had a successful marriage complete with a gorgeous son， Jamie。 Why would Genevieve walk out on her perfect life？ And why has no one heard from her since she did so？

A web of lies: Genevieve's family and all her friends think that Alex knows more about her disappearance than he's letting on。 But Sarah's fallen in love with him and just knows he couldn't have anything to hide。 Or could he？

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Reviews

joan caryl jewitt ，

It seems everyone has secrets！ I have just finished reading this book and have enjoyed it。Thank goodness it had a happy ending， I would have been so disappointed if it hadn't！ It seems everyone has secrets！ I have just finished reading this book and have enjoyed it。Thank goodness it had a happy ending， I would have been so disappointed if it hadn't！ 。。。more

Kelly Kay Erwin ，

I was completely mesmerized by this book。 It was a lengthy read but so worth it。 Was a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time。 Wasn’t expecting it to be a mysterious and dark thriller。

Judy ，

Woman meets man when in Italy after having stillborn。 He asks her to go back to rural England with him as Nanny， and eventually lover。 His wife， very beloved， famous horse woman， and wealthy， has disappeared。 Lots of conflict and mystery to unravel。

Mrs J。 A。 McCormack ，

Satisfying readreally enjoyed this book; well written and interesting characters。 It keeps you guessing and finally the twist at the end！

Brenda Shelbourne ，

GrippingAmazing story that gripped me from the start。A must read for all，you won't be disappointed！A real page Turner and one you won't be able to put down！ GrippingAmazing story that gripped me from the start。A must read for all，you won't be disappointed！A real page Turner and one you won't be able to put down！ 。。。more

Karen Trosterud ，

This was my first read by this author and I will differently read more！ Enjoyed the story line and the characters

Rebecca Holliman ，

A suspenseful story that is hard to put down， this novel also has multilayered characters and a believably flawed protagonist。 The deft writing accelerates the action all the way to the explosive ending chapters。Sarah travels to Sicily with her sister and brother-in-law in an attempt to recover from the recent twin shocks in her life: the stillbirth of her son and the infidelity of her long-term lover。 At their hotel， she meets single father Alexander and his young son Jamie， both lonely and ber A suspenseful story that is hard to put down， this novel also has multilayered characters and a believably flawed protagonist。 The deft writing accelerates the action all the way to the explosive ending chapters。Sarah travels to Sicily with her sister and brother-in-law in an attempt to recover from the recent twin shocks in her life: the stillbirth of her son and the infidelity of her long-term lover。 At their hotel， she meets single father Alexander and his young son Jamie， both lonely and bereft after the loss of Jamie's mother， Genevieve。 Sarah is strongly drawn to both father and son and ends up agreeing to move into their home in Somerset as Jamie's caregiver and Alexander's housekeeper。 She and Alex embark on a relationship but Sarah soon finds that the situation is more complicated than she had realized。 Did Genevieve run off with her lover as Alexander maintains？ Or do Sarah's mounting suspicions and uneasy dreams indicate a more sinister reason for her predecessor's disappearance， as Genevieve's mother believes？Psychological suspense， romance， and complex family relationships make this story an exciting and absorbing read。 。。。more

ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook ，

3。5 starsWith vibes of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Secrets Between Us is a Gothic mystery filled with atmospheric doom and a romance for the ages。 The author brilliantly disguises the characters' motivations， so that the true causes of things remain a mystery until about two-thirds into the novel when the main crisis unfolds。 We then realize that the heroine， who sees things through the lens of her own feelings of inferiority completely misses the truth， which is to her a shoc 3。5 starsWith vibes of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Secrets Between Us is a Gothic mystery filled with atmospheric doom and a romance for the ages。 The author brilliantly disguises the characters' motivations， so that the true causes of things remain a mystery until about two-thirds into the novel when the main crisis unfolds。 We then realize that the heroine， who sees things through the lens of her own feelings of inferiority completely misses the truth， which is to her a shock and relief at the same time。I loved the descriptions of the various settings and the character development。。。and in this book the estate Avalon is both。 Descriptions of the plants and the grounds and the woods and the animals were so detailed and beautifully done yet they weren't distracting from the story。 I had lovely images of the Somerset dancing in my head。 Disclosure:Thank you NetGalley， Louise Douglas and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#TheSecretsBetweenUs #NetGalley 。。。more

Vicky ，

This storyline started off slow for me and never quite picked up， however please do not discount it because it has some very valid points within the plot。 Sarah lost her child and her partner turned to another woman blaming Sarah。 Everyone wanted Sarah to take counseling and be on a higher dose of antidepressants when she decided to leave him for his one to many times of indiscretions。 Sarah met Alexander and his little boy on holiday and there is a mystery surrounding the disappearance of his w This storyline started off slow for me and never quite picked up， however please do not discount it because it has some very valid points within the plot。 Sarah lost her child and her partner turned to another woman blaming Sarah。 Everyone wanted Sarah to take counseling and be on a higher dose of antidepressants when she decided to leave him for his one to many times of indiscretions。 Sarah met Alexander and his little boy on holiday and there is a mystery surrounding the disappearance of his wife。The mysterious intrigue only heats up and Sarah finds herself in the middle and her own personal psyche is being called into question。 The author does a good job with a multitude of characters， but it seems disassociated at times and not cohesive that it takes giant strides to get a point ，but you have it already figured it out way back and it just seems like wasted dialogue，but then there are areas that could be added to because they need some more clarification。 I do definitely think others will like this type of book。 Even though it should be edited a little bit better it doesn’t take that much from the overall jest of the storyline。I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions。 。。。more

Lucy McLaurin ，

I really enjoyed this （despite feeling really quite ill）。 I wanted to find out what happened。 Would love to read more of hers。

Clarabella ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Firstly， I found the plot preposterous- woman meets a man， they have literally two short conversations and a quick sexual encounter， then she agrees to move in with him - hundreds of miles from her home - and look after his child！！ Who would do that？！ Especially when the guy isn’t particularly nice to her or forthcoming with conversation。 At no point does he seem romantically interested in her at all （only in the bedroom） and the child is horrible to her， yet she becomes besotted with them both！ Firstly， I found the plot preposterous- woman meets a man， they have literally two short conversations and a quick sexual encounter， then she agrees to move in with him - hundreds of miles from her home - and look after his child！！ Who would do that？！ Especially when the guy isn’t particularly nice to her or forthcoming with conversation。 At no point does he seem romantically interested in her at all （only in the bedroom） and the child is horrible to her， yet she becomes besotted with them both！ It also annoyed me that neither Sarah nor Alex really had a proper conversation。 Even by the end of the book， she still doesn’t tell him about her stillbirth。 The way the author adds hints of paranormal activity is terrible - ‘。。。I looked up and saw the dead woman staring at me！ Oh， no ， actually it was my reflection’。 Ridiculous。 I was intrigued enough to keep reading as I wanted to find out what happened， but it wasn’t until 3/4 of the way through that I started to enjoy it more。 I didn’t figure out the ending。 I also found it extremely implausible that after she returns to Manchester after her breakdown， her sister， who has up until this point been 100% against Alex， and Sarah’s choices to be with him， suddenly gets excited about Sarah’s sleuthing and encourages her to prove his innocence！ I started this review giving the book 3 stars because I enjoyed the last quarter， but in writing this review I have reminded myself of the myriad of things wrong with the book。 Back down to 2。 。。。more

Maureen Mayer ，

4。5 starsThis story was a page turner for sure， and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end。Needing a break from her failing relationship， Sarah joins her sister and brother-in-law on holiday in Sicily。 While spending the day at the hotel pool， she stumbles upon Alexander and his son and quickly becomes enamored with the two。 She knows next to nothing about this handsome stranger， yet when he asks her to come to his home and be a housekeeper and nanny for Jamie， she is quick to acce 4。5 starsThis story was a page turner for sure， and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end。Needing a break from her failing relationship， Sarah joins her sister and brother-in-law on holiday in Sicily。 While spending the day at the hotel pool， she stumbles upon Alexander and his son and quickly becomes enamored with the two。 She knows next to nothing about this handsome stranger， yet when he asks her to come to his home and be a housekeeper and nanny for Jamie， she is quick to accept the opportunity for a new life。But with Alexander’s wife， Genevieve， only recently out of the picture， her memory is still fresh within the home。 No one knows where she is， but soon Sarah feels as if there is a presence among the estate and her concern over Genevieve’s whereabouts and what made her leave her perfect life becomes a borderline obsession。 To say I was caught off guard by the ending is an understatement， and I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it coming。 There were minor clues throughout the story that I didn’t pick up on and I wouldn’t be surprised if other readers don’t catch them either。 All I have to say is well done， Louise Douglas！ Highly recommend this book， and I look forward to reading more from this author！*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more

Cindy Kasper ，

First off， before I start my review， I want to say that I really did enjoy this book。 It had the five basic but important elements。 The characters， the setting， the plot， the problem， and the solution。 It was definitely a page turner。 But turn pages I did。 The story ended up being so drug out that I literally skipped over paragraphs， sometimes just skimming over whole pages because of redundancy。 I love a good mystery， and this definitely was one， but please stop dragging out topics and constant First off， before I start my review， I want to say that I really did enjoy this book。 It had the five basic but important elements。 The characters， the setting， the plot， the problem， and the solution。 It was definitely a page turner。 But turn pages I did。 The story ended up being so drug out that I literally skipped over paragraphs， sometimes just skimming over whole pages because of redundancy。 I love a good mystery， and this definitely was one， but please stop dragging out topics and constantly repeating yourself。 。。。more

Beth Costello ，

I nearly gave up close to the start but didn’t。。。I never really formed a relationship with any of the characters or got to know them。 The plot developed and I stayed with it。 Guessed “who did it” before Sarah did。。。

Donna Evans ，

Excellent readExcellent story line， didn’t want to put it down。 Throughly enjoyed this book。 This book definitely had everything， romance， suspense and murder。

Elizabeth ，

It was a good story。 I would have given it 5 stars except it was too long getting to the finale。

Kerie Mooney ，

Literally hooked from the start ！ Could not read it quick enough ！ An unexpected storyline which had me gripped the whole way through- I could feel my heart beating faster as the book went on ！Brilliant ！！！！！

Linda ，

This is a dark， twenty first century， romantic mystery。 There is a lot of history in this mix of Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier 。 The author's writing mechanics were good， except for the many， many throw away passages。 The throw always bothered me at first， but they had a use。The main character， Sarah， falls in love with a man whose wife has gone missing。 Where is this wife named Genevieve？ Everything points to Alex， her husband， as being complicit in her disappearance。 Sarah follows the This is a dark， twenty first century， romantic mystery。 There is a lot of history in this mix of Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier 。 The author's writing mechanics were good， except for the many， many throw away passages。 The throw always bothered me at first， but they had a use。The main character， Sarah， falls in love with a man whose wife has gone missing。 Where is this wife named Genevieve？ Everything points to Alex， her husband， as being complicit in her disappearance。 Sarah follows the voices from the dead to solve the mystery and gain a ready made family。 The plot is a bit too melodramatic， but sometimes melodrama is so much better than reality。Thank you， Ms。 Douglas， for a good read。 。。。more

Cynthia Rodrigues ，

Devastated by the loss of her child due to stillbirth and the subsequent and the subsequent unfaithfulness of her partner， Laurie， Sarah is an emotional wreck。 On a trip to Sicily with her sister May and brother-in-law Neil， Sarah meets Alexander in the hotel in which they are staying。 She is drawn to Alex and his nearly-seven-year-old son Jamie， whose mother Genevieve has left their home。After an impulsive act of sex， Alex invites Sarah to come and stay with him in his home in Burrington Stoke， Devastated by the loss of her child due to stillbirth and the subsequent and the subsequent unfaithfulness of her partner， Laurie， Sarah is an emotional wreck。 On a trip to Sicily with her sister May and brother-in-law Neil， Sarah meets Alexander in the hotel in which they are staying。 She is drawn to Alex and his nearly-seven-year-old son Jamie， whose mother Genevieve has left their home。After an impulsive act of sex， Alex invites Sarah to come and stay with him in his home in Burrington Stoke， look after his son as a “paid nanny and housekeeper” and explore their relationship。 Sarah agrees， even though her family warns her not to go。 She feels that both she and Alex have experienced heartbreak and that they might be good for each other。 Also， having lost her child， her mothering instinct is aroused at the sight of Jamie， and she insists on going。But Sarah’s dream of setting up home with Alex and his son seems doomed。 Jamie is deeply suspicious of Sarah。 Genevieve’s wealthy family， especially her mother Virginia Churchill， is standoffish， while her step sister， Claudia， is friendly towards her。 But Sarah knows that the animosities persist。 The villagers are resentful of Sarah， seeing her presence as evidence of Alex’s crime， and of his shamelessness in bringing home his mistress。Sarah is torn between the suspicion that Alex may be responsible for Genevieve’s disappearance and her love for him。 Could he really have done away with her？ Could a man like him， so charming and loving and kind， be capable of killing to get his way？ Could he kill again？The book is a re-telling of Daphne du Maurier’s classic， Rebecca。 Genevieve is perfect， like Rebecca。 Everyone in the village liked her and everyone， especially her own rich family， the Churchills who own the quarry and a great deal of property in nearly half the village， is suspicious of Alex， believing that he has something to do with Genevieve’s disappearance。 That he is hiding something。 Alex himself thinks that she has gone away to be with some lover that he doesn’t know of。Like Manderley， the village of Burrington Stoke is picturesque， despite the quarry in the neighbourhood。 There is also the hint of a ghost that plagues Sarah。 The descriptions of the ghost are good， scaring Sarah and us， while we are at it。 Sarah believes that the ghost she is seeing is that of Genevieve。I feel conflicted about Sarah。 Like her family， I disagreed with her decision and thought Alex to be too good to be true。 Another thing that seemed odd was how she was so fond of Jamie， particularly when the kid didn’t bond with her at all。Of the minor characters， I loved both May and Neil。 Neil， in particular， was totally supportive of Sarah。 Both of them were willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe。Even Claudia， Genevieve’s half-sister， and Betsy， the woman from the village who is the only one who holds a completely unselfish friendship with Sarah， stand out of the crowd。 They were very real。Another thing I enjoyed were the detailed descriptions， with just enough detail to paint a word picture。 The house， Avalon， was big and rambling and creaky， adding to the atmosphere。I lost interest in the book for a brief while。 I only plodded on because I have a thing about not giving up on books。 At 544 pages， this one was way too long。 A good 200 pages could have been cut down， if Alex had quit brooding and come clean with Sarah。 。。。more

Herrade ，

Great easy read with a good rise of tension throughout the book。 Hard to put down once you start reading and you easily get attached to the characters。

Linda Gudgeon ，

A slow burnerI felt a lot of it was filled in with descriptions of the countryside。 It seemed unbelievable towards the end。 With their daughter dead you would think the grandparents would have taken their grandson as the Dad wasn’t his real Dad。 There could have been more messages from the ghost of the woman to liven it up。 I was beginning to think it was Sarah that was the murderer to have the husband and son for herself！

Ms Nadia Latif ，

The secrets between usI thoroughly enjoyed reading this book。 The ending was just perfect。 This book was fascinating to the end。 The twists in the tale were brilliant。

Val ，

This is the first Louise Douglas book I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last。 Hauntingly thrilling。 Struggled to put it down。 Loved the description of the scenery felt like I was there。 Looking forward to reading more of her books。

christine bruce ，

Best ever read for a long time。Superbly written and a very entertaining story。 It keeps you wanting to turn the pages and definitely reminds me of ‘Rebecca。’I have read this book without even wanting to sleep！

Sara Burgess ，

The first person narrative with a flat， childish， possibly a bit on the unintelligent side protagonist was not the best viewpoint。 Already skewed by her recent experiences， she made a foolish decision and against all the advice from her sensible family followed her heart。 The book is way too long。 The climax when answers are provided about the missing person who totally dominates the book till you are sick of her is one thing but then it turns a corner and an hitherto minor character pops out of The first person narrative with a flat， childish， possibly a bit on the unintelligent side protagonist was not the best viewpoint。 Already skewed by her recent experiences， she made a foolish decision and against all the advice from her sensible family followed her heart。 The book is way too long。 The climax when answers are provided about the missing person who totally dominates the book till you are sick of her is one thing but then it turns a corner and an hitherto minor character pops out of the woodwork and acts as a sleuth to uncover the truth。 It’s just poor plotting。 The main character is clearly reeling from her own recent past and therefore an unreliable narrator， but there were times when it felt like it was being written by a fifteen year old with good stamina for ploughing on regardless。 I finished it because I wanted to know what happened and to see if I was right about whodunnit， but it was completely flat， uninspiring， absolutely tons and tons of telling， not showing， surely the sign of someone who hasn’t really mastered the craft， and littered with cardboard cutouts trying hard to become characters。 It’s a quick read， at least you don’t waste much time with it， but it’s completely unmemorable。 。。。more

Kathy Wivell ，

Could have been betterI enjoyed this book and thought it a clever plot that kept me guessing until the very end。 However， the character portrayals are quite weak， particularly that of Sarah who seems to just drift along。 I also found some of the events a stretch of my imagination and the book was very wordy at times。

Mrs mim Whitfield ，

This is a lovely readIt has a chilling storyline that has you gripped Thouroughly enjoyed this book 👍

pearloglesby ，

Really good storyVery good read which I couldn't wait to get back to each evening。 Am heading for more by Louise Douglas。 Really good storyVery good read which I couldn't wait to get back to each evening。 Am heading for more by Louise Douglas。 。。。more

Jan Ruth ，

Sarah takes a holiday in Sicily in the wake of bereavement and a failed relationship。 She meets troubled， brooding Alex and they immediately form a bond。 When Alex suggests Sarah might like to become his housekeeper-cum-childminder in England， she accepts without hesitation – anything other than return to her previous life， a life destroyed by her partner and her best friend。 On the face of it this sounds like the recipe for an impulsive holiday romance。 However， once installed in the chaotic fa Sarah takes a holiday in Sicily in the wake of bereavement and a failed relationship。 She meets troubled， brooding Alex and they immediately form a bond。 When Alex suggests Sarah might like to become his housekeeper-cum-childminder in England， she accepts without hesitation – anything other than return to her previous life， a life destroyed by her partner and her best friend。 On the face of it this sounds like the recipe for an impulsive holiday romance。 However， once installed in the chaotic farmhouse in rural Somerset where Alex and his son live， Sarah soon becomes drawn in to the mysterious disappearance of his wife， and questions are raised。A beautiful equestrian star， Genevieve has gone missing following the impending break down of her marriage to Alex。 Can Sarah trust Alex’s speculations as to what has happened， or should she believe the more uncomfortable rumours in the village？An unusual mix of genre; an interesting murder-mystery with a hint of paranormal。 I didn’t care much for the ghostly element – it felt displaced somehow in a novel rich in reality but other than that， this was a compelling read especially in the second half when the pace picked-up， and various characters began to show their hand。 There’s also a wonderful sense of place throughout; the author being especially skilled at creating atmosphere and imagery。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Secrets Between Us

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Secrets Between Us&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Secrets Between Us&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0