Who will read my words?
Who will know my truth?

When Lyra Thomas finds a bottle on a Galway beach containing a poem from America, she’s elated. As an author living by the sea, she always dreamt of finding a message from a distant prince or a swashbuckling saviour.

But this is NO fairy tale.

#EyesOfGlass @gemmakmetcalfe @theWorldofJoe @SpellBoundBks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour

Lyra learns in a phone call that the sender, Dee Warren, a wife and mother, committed suicide one week after the bottle set sail.

After losing her own mother to suicide, Lyra quickly bonds with Dee’s teenage daughter, Chloe, and is invited to America to meet her.

At the Warren’s beachfront mansion, it soon becomes apparent that beneath the glossy surface of success and local standing, there’s more to this welcoming family than meets the eye…

My Review

Blimey! What the hell did I just read? This was something else!

If I was Lyra (I probably wouldn’t have gone in the first place), but I definitely would have kept my suitcase packed. Two months with the crazies in a country where you know no-one – one night would have been enough for me.

Lyra is an author, who has published one book – Mother – but is struggling to start her second novel. Then she literally finds a message in a bottle and decides to pursue it. She contacts Chloe, the teenage daughter of the sender, and having been invited, travels to Chappaquiddick in Massachusetts to stay for a couple of months, write her elusive novel, and get to the bottom of the poetic message.

Little did she know she was walking onto the set of a Stephen King or a Hitchcock film (metaphorically speaking), though this lot make Norman Bates look normal. Unfortunately for Lyra, she doesn’t know who to trust and who is batshit crazy. And it’s not everyone – but easy to make assumptions at the beginning. You will probably be totally wrong.

I really enjoyed this, though I kept thinking – just get out of there! The characters were really well written – I particularly loved the housekeeper, Maria. Lrya too is likeable, but naive. I’m not sure I would risk my life (sanity) to stay and help total strangers hellbent on destruction.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour 

About the Authors

𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲. 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀, 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀.

𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿, ‘𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿’, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗕 𝗔 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿, ‘𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁’.

𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗛𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁, 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗶 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿.

𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗿𝘀, 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗮, 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 ‘𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲’ 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀.