I have enjoyed two books this week and have started two more. What, two at the same time? I will get to that later in the post 😀.

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

The first book was Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan. Here is the blurb:

Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart.

Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes.

Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy.

Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?

I gave the book three stars (more of a 3 1/2 really) and wrote the following review on Goodreads:

I am not sure how to review this book. It was a good read about a very difficult subject and I think that it was handled pretty well. The courtroom scenes were good and the whole thing was intriguing. The main characters were mostly pretty unlikeable and I found echoes of my own University days, even though I didn’t go to Oxbridge. I have certainly met people with the same kind of polished, wealthy arrogance. I didn’t give the book four stars because there were sections which dragged and the structure was confusing at times. Well worth reading, though.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

My second read of the week, Baby Doll by Hollie Overton, was marketed as being for fans of Gone Girl and Girl on a Train! To be honest, I really dislike this lazy way of advertising a book, especially when it is nothing at all like either of these! This is the blurb:

Held captive for eight years, Lily has grown from a teenager to an adult in a small basement prison. Her daughter Sky has been a captive her whole life. But one day their captor leaves the deadbolt unlocked.

This is what happens next…

…to her twin sister, to her mother, to her daughter…and to her captor.

So, in fact, this book is more like Room than either Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, although Room is miles better! Here is my review of Baby Doll, which I gave three stars (although it was closer to two stars really):

The first half of this book was pretty good. The idea of writing the aftermath of someone escaping from kidnapping was interesting. The impact on the escapee and her family, on her captor and his family, and on the wider community was well done. Then the plot began to go in wilder and wilder directions and the writing became poor. The whole thing descended into the implausible. Such a shame.

Macbeth by Jo Nesbo

King of Ashes by Raymond Feist

After reading these two books, I was excited to begin Macbeth by Jo Nesbo as I have really loved his previous books. At the moment, however, I have got very bogged down with it and I cannot decide whether this is due to my lack of concentration and health issues, or the book itself. To test that, I have just started King of Ashes by Raymond Feist, which dropped into my ebook account this morning, and I am already gripped. When I have finished this, I will return to the Nesbo book and see if I feel the same way.

I will let you all know the outcome in my next Reading Roundup post.

Until then, Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes,

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