#BookReview #WhatKindofMother #SheilaNorton #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley

 

A year ago, I kissed my three-year-old goodbye before a work trip and promised I’d be home before she knew it.

I wasn’t.

When I went missing, everyone searched for me but eventually they had to admit the worst: that I was dead.

And maybe the woman I was did die.

Because now I’m back, finally home after surviving the unthinkable, and nothing fits anymore. My family looks at me differently. They listen to my story, what I’ve been through – and I can tell they don’t quite believe it.

Because the truth sounds impossible. Even to me.

And then there’s Phoebe. Who looks up at me with those eyes that mean the world, and sees… a stranger.

Will life ever be the same? Can I be the mother my daughter needs after so long away? And after everything I’ve been through, can anyone ever trust me again?

A gripping, emotionally powerful novel about the unbreakable bond between mother and child. Perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult.

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Sheila Norton is the author of contemporary, feel-good fiction set in Devon. In 2022 she won the RNA’s Best Christmas Novel for her twenty-third book Winter at Cliff’s End Cottage. Previously published by Piatkus, her first novel with Boldwood will be released in early 2024.

What Kind of Mother?

Written by Sheila Norton

Review by Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews 

First, I want to thank Sheila Norton, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review! 

Sheila Norton has a way of touching my heart with her books either through her storylines or the characters themselves. In What Kind of Mother she went outside of the box with her storytelling to throw a different twist on a missing person’s case that will pull hard on your heart strings-big time! 

I absolutely loved how she was able to combine my two fave genre’s into one and keep me entertained throughout the whole book! In my eyes it is one of her best! 

Instantly, Sheila engulfed my attention within the first few sentences in her prologue that starts out 13 months earlier to when the story begins. An empathetic person I am, I was instantly worried about what was going on with this person whom I was reading about-not that I knew who she was. She seemed so scared and waves of panic were hitting her and I was scared for her and needed to know why!! Where was she? Why couldn’t she remember where she was? Plus, who was this random strange guy that was there with her?? What really happened to her to make her got into this state of confusion? I just had to keep reading to find out!! WOW what a way to start out a book!!

Sheila jumps from one juicy story to the next one that I found fascinating with a little bit of a twist to it. She brings you a long awaited Mother/ Daughter reunion that has been way over due. For you can just imagine the emotional overload that had to be seeing your four years old. How would you react to the news she was back?? Pick up Sheila Norton’s What Kind of Mother and find out today! 

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#BookReview #TheFreshmanParents #KoPorteous #RachelsRandomResources

 

The Freshman Parents

They're off for the time of their lives. But are you? 

Book #1 in The Empty Nesters Series.

Single parent Heather isn't neurotic (honest!) - she's simply dreading the day her only child leaves for university - so her meticulous checklists grow longer by the hour. When she seeks advice on a parents' forum, she clashes with Scott, a single dad whose "helpful" statistics and assertions about “helicopter parenting” leave her fuming. 

Move-in day delivers the ultimate surprise: their daughters aren’t just roommates – they are self-declared "besties for life". Suddenly, Heather and Scott are thrown into a begrudging alliance. 

As they navigate the new status quo, Heather's instinct to organise meets Scott's philosophy of letting go. Their practical text messages about mattress toppers and emergency supplies evolve into conversations about dream jobs and bucket list aspirations. Despite their intentions to avoid relationships at all costs, unpredictable events keep throwing them together, meaning Heather and Scott find it increasingly difficult to ignore each other... 

Pre-order Link 

https://amzn.eu/d/0dbgIz37

Publication Date – 10th July 2026

Author Bio – 

Ko Porteous lived in a tiny fishing village in the north of Scotland before moving to Edinburgh aged 10.  

Ko loves meeting people with interesting stories to tell and is constantly on the lookout for knotty story themes, particularly involving women navigating the messiness of life. She has worked as a Research Chemist, Assistant Chef, Teacher and School Leader.  

As well as writing, Ko works as a Business Manager and provides listening services for a mental health charity aiming to reduce the number of deaths caused by suicide.  

In her free time Ko loves to run, meditate and travel; preferably all on the same day.   

Ko has been married for 25 years, has 2 children of her own and is now navigating her own empty nest.  

The Freshman Parents is Ko’s debut novel and is the first in ‘The Empty Nesters’ series.  

 

Social Media Links – 

www.koporteous.co.uk

Instagram: Ko Porteous Author

Facebook: Ko Porteous Author

The Freshman Parents 

Written By Ko Porteous 

Review By Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews

First, I want to thank Ko Porteous and Rachel Random Resources for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review. 

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous is a cute, fun and easy read that is part 1 of the Empty Nester Series. This book is most relatable to parents who have kids transitioning from high school living at home to the highs and lows to experiencing college life in the dorms. It is not just about the kids adjusting to the new life, it is also about the parents adjusting to the empty nest syndrome as well. 

One thing I really liked about this book was the Freshman Parents Facebook Group: St. Andrews University chat group sessions where the parents would all get together and totally vent about everything! The fact that Ko started her book off this way was genius because this hooked me right away into the book!! 

There were many storylines in this book that made me crack up laughing. 

#BookReview #LongBuried #ElleryKane #CampNetGalley

 

In 1997, the seniors of Sweetbriar High School buried a time capsule at their graduation ceremony. That same night, one of their own—Homecoming Queen Blair Lennox—disappeared without a trace.

Twenty years later, Juniper Pickett returns to Sweetbriar on a mission, driving all night from San Francisco with a world of trouble in her rearview. There's no going back. Not after what she's done. Tomorrow, they'll exhume the time capsule and expose her darkest secret.

When Juniper accidentally unearths the body of her missing classmate, she finds herself with a target on her back in a race to clear her name. Because it's not true what they say about small towns...

There ARE strangers.

There ARE secrets.

And you CAN go home again. But you may not get out alive.

 
Perfect for readers who love...

⏳ Small-town secrets
⏳ Time capsule mystery with a dash of romance
⏳ Missing homecoming queen
⏳ Everyone knows something
⏳ You can go home again... maybe
 
About the Series...Straight from the mind of a forensic psychologist comes an addictive new series of betrayal, lust, revenge, and murder. These doctors earned their degrees from the dark side. And once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. Other books in the Doctors of Darkness series include Daddy Darkest, The Hanging Tree, The First Cut, Shadows Among Us, and Lucky Girl.

About the author

Forensic psychologist by day, novelist by night, Ellery Kane has been writing--professionally and creatively--for as long as she can remember. Just like many of her main characters, Ellery loves to ask why, which is the reason she became a psychologist in the first place. Real life really is stranger than fiction, and Ellery's writing is often inspired by her day job evaluating violent criminals. If you don't find Ellery interviewing murderers behind prison walls or pecking away at her latest novel, she is probably at the gym landing a solid jab-cross to a punching bag; riding bicycles with her special someone; or enjoying a movie the old-fashioned way--at the theater with popcorn and Milk Duds.

Ellery was previously selected as one of ten semifinalists in the MasterClass James Patterson Co-Author Competition and is the author of the Doctors of Darkness, Rockwell and Decker, and Legacy Series. She has also authored four standalone thrillers with Bookouture: The House Sitter, The Good Wife, The Wrong Family, and My Missing Daughter. Currently, Ellery is working on the sixth book in her Doctors of Darkness series...coming in early 2026!

Long Buried 

Written By Ellery Kane

Review By Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews 

First, I want to thank Ellery Kane and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this book.

Thank you Camp NetGalley for reuniting me with one of my favorite authors Ellery Kane! It has been a while since I have read twisted tales and forgot how much I have missed them. This time around I got to read Long Buried as part of her Doctors of Darkness Series. This book was fast paced, suspenseful, mysterious, had its share of heartbreak and heartfelt moments, as well as deep hidden secrets with exploding endings. It is a book that keeps you on your toes wanting to know the outcome of how the storyline will end. 

I loved how Ellery dedicated this book to her Dad. He taught her to live by the cowboy code. 

The first page of Chapter One caught my eye and had me chuckling right away. They say you can’t go home again. What they mean is you shouldn’t. I shouldn’t. And from there on out Ellery hooked me. I needed to find out why Junipher shouldn’t have gone back home. 

One of the many things I really enjoyed and found relatable was Juniper and I both graduated high school in the 90’s. That being said I loved all the references to the 90’s as to this day I am still a 90’s girl at heart. I smiled as they were about to have their high school reunion and wondered how everyone changed or stayed the same. Oh and my favorite is the time capsule and what Junipher really put in it and what she had to dig up before anyone saw. The secrets she was keeping from everyone that would shock everyone once they were exposed. 

There were so many wicked twists that makes Long Buried a must read.