My Review of Hard to Forgive A Shade Darker #3 by Georgia Rose #TuesdayBookBlog #domestic thriller #AShadeDarker

 

 I received an ARC of Hard to Forgive from the author in return for an honest review 

I gave the book 5*

Book Description:

Long held secrets… A lifetime of guilt…

A woman abandoned. Her ex now married. How long will she wait to exact her revenge?

Betrayal, birth, and bereavement. Dora Smith had faced it all by the age of twenty. Alone, she tracks down her former lover planning to reveal everything to him, and his new wife. But with their first child on the way she can’t bring herself to rock their relationship.

Instead, she plays the long game, watching, waiting, wanting him to put a foot wrong. Never dreaming it would take a lifetime.

Then, another love is lost. Is this the tipping point that pushes Dora into a spiral of self-destruction. Or, had that been triggered long before?

My Review:

 I have now read all three of this fascinating series by Georgia Rose.  Hard to Forgive is the third story and I am looking forward to find out out more about the characters who live in the village of Melton in the future. 

 My review for the first book,  A Killer Strikes is here; http://tinyurl.com/mr49kyn3.  I reviewed the second book, Shape of Revenge, here: http://tinyurl.com/3htkewsz

And now Hard to Forgive... 

I absolutely loved this story: the build up of tension in the plot flows so steadily I was forced ... yes forced, to sit down and read it in one go.  It's not often that happens for me.

The Prologue is short and stark. And is a complete contrast to the chapter that follows. It's intriguing, to say the least.

Dora Smith, is the well-rounded protagonist. She draws the reader in from the opening of the book: "I usually look forward to a funeral. prefer them to weddings, in fact." This sentence carries within it so much of Dora's life. As the plot unfolds it becomes clear that these words hide so much sadness, so much poignancy. The story ist old in the first person point of view in two timelines: one of her life as an "Ex-school secretary. Pillar of the community. Village treasure.", a "Spinster"(roles that hide so many of her secrets), and the other of her life as a young woman: betrayed, despairing, and bitter.

And in the background, a plethora of minor characters, the other villagers, brought to life through the eyes of Dora; by her opinion of them. Some of whom play a far greater part in the other books in this series by Georgia Rose.  

Dora's dialogue, as the older woman, is at times shown as a monologue, insightful and often hilarious. As a young woman telling her story, she reveals her desperate plight.

And, throughout the narrative, the dialogue defines each and every one of the supporting characters.

 I try not to give spoilers in a review, so perhaps better to leave the other characters living in Melton to be discovered by the readers who, hopefully, are drawn to Hard to Forgive, by this and other reviews.

 The descriptions of the settings, whether it's the home of the protagonist (the "cosy refuge"), hidden behind the net curtain), the village shop, the church, or the village itself, all give a brilliant sense of place and add a great depth to the story.

Hard to Forgive, is a fascinating character led domestic thriller., with themes of lost love, resentment, revenge, and memories threaded throughout. 

There are many twists and turns all through the book, right the way to the unexpected and shocking climax. But it is a twist right at the end that is the most devastatingly heart-rending.

I thoroughly recommend  Hard to Forgive. But I would also suggest reading  A Killer Strikes and Shape of Revenge first.  If only to be like Dora... ever watching the villagers... and uncovering their stories. 

The Author:

Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. A short story, The Joker, based on a favourite character from the series followed and is free to download from Amazon.

Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, a standalone, encompasses crime along with Georgia’s usual blending of genre.

Following a long stint working in the law Georgia set up her own business providing administration services for other companies which she does to this day managing to entwine that work along with her writing.

Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her passion for people watching and her overactive imagination!