Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on November 27, 2018
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
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Twelve years ago, Glory abandoned her two daughters–four-year-old Ruby and baby Aurora–at a fire station, running off to a man who promised love and protection. Though the refuge she hoped for turned out to be a sham, she believes Ruby and Aurora are better off without her. But Glory has since given birth to another daughter, who’s clamoring for a life beyond their close-knit, tightly controlled world.
Sixteen-year-old Ruby loves her adoptive parents, but she hasn’t forgotten Glory. Now that she has her driver’s license, Ruby sets out in search of her birth mother. What she finds is a ramshackle house of castaway women, referred to as “sisters,” ruled over by a charismatic bully who monitors their every move.
Glory would take ten-year-old Luna away in a heartbeat if they had somewhere to go. On good days, the girl is confined to the fenced-in yard; on bad days, she’s sent to the dusty attic as punishment. When Ruby makes contact, Glory seizes on a chance for escape. Ruby is desperate to help, but how much does she owe to family she barely knows–and how can she fix someone else’s life when she has so little power over her own?
Praise for Rosalind Noonan’s Domestic Secrets “This suspenseful read is Noonan at her best. Fans will be eager to get their hands on her latest, and it doesn’t disappoint.” —Booklist “Noonan delivers another page-turning thriller whose deeply flawed characters draw you into a web of family secrets.” —Kirkus Reviews “Recommended for readers wanting stories of dysfunctional families, scandal, and violence that involve entire communities.” —Library Journal
The cover of this book got me, I won’t lie. I thought for sure it was a thriller, but instead it turned out to be a little different than a thriller – I might say it is suspenseful contemporary drama though.
This is the story of a woman and her daughters and the choices she makes and how they will haunt her. Glory Noland is a young mother who is just trying to hold it together while her husband is gone. Glory struggles as a result of being in a biracial relationship, and then struggles even more when she becomes a widow raising two biracial daughters, Ruby and Aurora, on her own with no family willing to help her.
Glory is then forced to make the hardest decisions she’s ever made. Glory just abandons her daughters at a fire station. Ultimately, the girls grow up in foster care, which turns out to be a good thing since Glory is living in a cult and is now the mother of third daughter, Luna.
Ruby is eventually adopted and she loves her adoptive parents, but when Ruby turns 16, she decides to seek out her biological mother. When she finds Glory, she’s living in a cult – a rundown house of women – the “Sisters” – who are ruled by one man who monitors their every move. What happens next is how Ruby connects with Glory and learns about her sister Luna.
This is a very fast-paced novel that will touch your mom genes – it’s definitely emotional. I enjoyed the way the author shared the story through different points of view. The character development in this book was awesome too, as readers watch Glory’s daughters grow up to be beautiful young women. I can’t wait to read what’s next for this author!
Rosalind Noonanis the New York Times bestselling author of highly acclaimed women’s fiction and domestic suspense novels, including And Then She Was Gone, In A Heartbeat and Pretty, Nasty, Lovely. She co-authored the bestselling collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous with Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, and she also writes crime novels under the name R. J. Noonan.
After attending Wagner College in Staten Island, she remained in New York City where she worked as an editor for various book publishers. Noonan currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a retired cop from the NYPD, and two children. Although she sometimes misses the rapid pulse of New York, she enjoys writing in the shade of towering two-hundred year old Douglas fir trees.
I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy through Net Galley in exchange for my post. I was not required to post a positive review. Thank you!
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