A huge thank you to Rebecca and Adrian at Hobeck Books and Stacey Murray for sending me a copy of The Thief of Joy to read and review for the blog tour!
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Blurb:
Single-mum Roz compares herself to everyone else, from her sister to friends to people on social media, and feels she’s missing out. She wants what they’ve got – a husband, a father for her daughter, and respect.
When she meets Daniel, Roz thinks her dreams are possible, until he dies suddenly and tragically. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a relationship with Mark, a widower she meets in an online support group.
Yet as Mark’s behaviour becomes more controlling and manipulative, Roz realises he isn’t the man of her dreams. He is hiding a jaw-dropping secret that spells danger for Roz and her daughter…
My Thoughts:
Roz had arranged for her 10 year old daughter Chloe to stay at her friend Ruby’s for the night, as she had another date with Daniel.
As she’s getting ready, her phone rings, and instead of Daniel, it’s his friend Luke, with some bad news that Daniel has suddenly passed away.
Struggling with losing a potential long-term partner and feeling stupid for grieving over someone she has only been on a few dates with, she feels as if she has no one to speak to about it.
Roz decides to join a grief group online, she befriends the Moderator Mark Glaister, and they agree to meet for lunch.
He’s not her usual type and finds it hard to think of him as other than a friend. She can not stop comparing him to Daniel.
When she decides to take a chance on Mark, things start to go horribly wrong…
This book is a cautionary tale of learning to recognise the red flags and paying attention to your gut. I like how we see the relationship progress from the very beginning, and her relationships with Chloe, and her mother and sister.
It was very well written, and I found myself fully invested in Roz’s life. I liked how we got to see Chloe’s thoughts on things and how Roz dealt with a young daughter heading into her preteens. I did find her to be incredibly gullible, but many people in her position would find it easy to fall for the lies she was being told.
All in all, it is a very captivating read, a lesson to look out for certain signs within a relationship. Full of suspense, and with a main character that many could relate to. It’s a great book, and as always, another hit for Hobeck!
Miranda x
Published by Hobeck Books
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