The Fake Date by Lynda Stacey
Published by Ruby Fiction on September 18th, 2018
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 314
Format: ARC
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A psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat 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 Ella has to do first is survive …
I won’t lie – the title of this book had me – I mean a single shoe, a spilled drink – the small print – “That left her fighting for her life….” – it’s got you going, doesn’t it? This book was available to read and review on NetGalley. I requested it and was denied. I emailed, set forth a plea for my desire to read the book, and was finally approved through the Choc Lit Team and Ruby Fiction. Now that I’ve read The Fake Date by Lynda Stacey, I’m so glad I did send that follow up request because the book was worth the effort.
Ella Hope is a 28-year old journalist who has been attacked and left for dead. She’s has realized she might not survive as she lays in a cold and muddy field for hours praying that someone would find her. Finally a man walking his dog comes across the barely alive Ella. After weeks in the hospital and then a long stay at her parents’ house, some seven or eight months later Ella is ready to work toward getting her life back together.
When she gets back home, Ella appears to have a new neighbor, Will Taylor, who works for a rival newspaper and is a journalist as well. Ella likes Will well enough and they seem to hit it off, but not surprisingly, she is struggling with trust issues thanks to her attack. A man has been charged with the attack, but Ella just doesn’t believe he did it and wants to find out who really tried to kill her. An added snag to Ella’s plan to find the killer is the fact that the killer knows Ella survived the attack and isn’t pleased so there’s a race against time to get to the bottom of the attacker.
The author did a terrific job of planting seeds of doubt throughout the story, which made it hard for me to completely trust anyone. I really can’t say anymore for risk of spoiling the story for anyone, but I will say thanks to the author for forcing me to look hard and pay attention as I tried to discover the killer! The characters in this story are well-written with depth and detail allowing readers to get inside and see how they tick. I really enjoyed the great flowing plot of this story, and I really loved the little extracts of the attacker’s point of view giving me chills at some points. The book captivated me as a thriller, and I also enjoyed the romantic aspect as well. Grab a copy – you won’t be disappointed!
Purchase online from:
Amazon.co.uk – Amazon.com – iTunes
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 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 Secrets won the Choc Lit & Whole Story Audiobooks Search for a Star competition.
She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her husband, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.
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I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy as a member of the Star Blogging Team from Chic Lit Team through Ruby Fiction in exchange for my post. I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so! Thank you!
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