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Befriended: Be Careful Who You Trust...
by
Some secrets never leave us alone...
Gemma Peacock’s life was perfect – or at least, she thought it was. She had a home she loved, a job she enjoyed, and a husband she adored. The only cloud on the horizon was the continuing tension between Gemma and her mother-in-law, but that’s the same for everyone, right?
After the death of her beloved husband, Ritchie, everything begins ...more
Gemma Peacock’s life was perfect – or at least, she thought it was. She had a home she loved, a job she enjoyed, and a husband she adored. The only cloud on the horizon was the continuing tension between Gemma and her mother-in-law, but that’s the same for everyone, right?
After the death of her beloved husband, Ritchie, everything begins ...more
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Befriended is my first book by Ruth O'Neill and I throughly enjoyed it. There are the right words to describe this book on the front cover. Be careful who you trust. I couldn't agree more. In the blurb on the back of the book. Some secrets never leave us alone. I think there's some more truth about these words in Befriended. I recommend this contemporary thriller.
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Befriended was graciously sent to me for review purposes by the author, Ruth O’Neill. I am so glad that I took on the request, otherwise I would have missed a fantastic book with some fantastic writing skills! Got to give it to the author, a superbly written book!
Yeah, I know you guys are eager as ever to read about whatever the heck I’m rambling about, so let’s just get started!
Summary
Gemma is devastated by her husband’s sudden death. She is still reeling under it when she notices a strange wo ...more
Yeah, I know you guys are eager as ever to read about whatever the heck I’m rambling about, so let’s just get started!
Summary
Gemma is devastated by her husband’s sudden death. She is still reeling under it when she notices a strange wo ...more
Mothers-in-law, eh? They usually get a bad press but in this instance nothing could describe the evilness of Joan Peacock!
Gemma has never been accepted by Ritchie's mother who has done her best to ignore her very existence. After Ritchie dies unexpectedly, nothing changes. We begin to get to know Gemma as she attends her husband's funeral, and it's quite obvious that there is a distinct chill emanating from his mother. Luckily Gemma has her friend Maria to lean on. Then another woman appears on ...more
Gemma has never been accepted by Ritchie's mother who has done her best to ignore her very existence. After Ritchie dies unexpectedly, nothing changes. We begin to get to know Gemma as she attends her husband's funeral, and it's quite obvious that there is a distinct chill emanating from his mother. Luckily Gemma has her friend Maria to lean on. Then another woman appears on ...more
This review first published on Oh Just Books.
This book had a good start and I was eager to read more. I like it when a book manages to draw me in from the outset - it shows potential and a high possibility of a great read.
The character of Indiana was delightfully written, and Gemma was pretty good, if a tad predictable. I don't think that's a bad thing, because in real life, a lot of us are that way too. A slice of life, Gemma is. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop, and I was always curious ...more
This book had a good start and I was eager to read more. I like it when a book manages to draw me in from the outset - it shows potential and a high possibility of a great read.
The character of Indiana was delightfully written, and Gemma was pretty good, if a tad predictable. I don't think that's a bad thing, because in real life, a lot of us are that way too. A slice of life, Gemma is. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop, and I was always curious ...more
Gemma is mourning the painful loss of her husband, Richie, when a few glimpses of a mystery woman at his funeral leads her into a mystery. Indiana is a whirlwind of a person. Gemma's intentions are to find out who this woman is and how she knew her husband. Indiana has a hidden agenda, a plan of her own to her hurt Gemma.
This book was awesome. From page one I was captivated by Gemma's grief and Indiana's mysteriousness. This story was written so well. It has emotion and mystery. It is a hard to ...more
This book was awesome. From page one I was captivated by Gemma's grief and Indiana's mysteriousness. This story was written so well. It has emotion and mystery. It is a hard to ...more
Befriended begins at a Gemma Peacock’s husband, Ritchie's, funeral.
After the funeral, I was surprised how easily Gemma strayed from her friend Maria to spending much of her time with Indiana Manors, whom she knew very little about.
This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the way the plot traveled. We started off in the present tense and then slowly moved back and forth so readers got a good sense of the characters past to combine with the present day.
It was one of those reads where I did no ...more
After the funeral, I was surprised how easily Gemma strayed from her friend Maria to spending much of her time with Indiana Manors, whom she knew very little about.
This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the way the plot traveled. We started off in the present tense and then slowly moved back and forth so readers got a good sense of the characters past to combine with the present day.
It was one of those reads where I did no ...more
The story is full of twists as one of the as bipola disorder is highlighted. Gemma, the main character finds out the woman who has been telling lies about her is ill. Instead of turning away like in all good thrillers, she wants to help. This makes the story even more interesting, as the author then reveals innocent characters mentioned earlier, are much more involved that we first imagined. A quarter way through the book, I was totally hooked.
It's great story telling, its clever story telling, ...more
It's great story telling, its clever story telling, ...more
I wasn’t expecting to like Befriended as much as I did. When I read the blurb, I thought that it was going to be a chick lit novel. There were parts of the book that do have that vibe. But, this book was so much more. It was the so much more that surprised me. The more I read, the more I liked and the more I enjoyed the story.
I did feel bad for Gemma for about 90% of the book. Her husband’s death devastated her. But, it was the secrets that were revealed after his death that rocked her world. Wh ...more
I did feel bad for Gemma for about 90% of the book. Her husband’s death devastated her. But, it was the secrets that were revealed after his death that rocked her world. Wh ...more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have given Befriended: Be Careful Who You Trust... by Ruth O'Neill four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trigger warnings: mental health relations to Bipolar and Hypomania disorders.
This is a book for the ages of 18 and above due to the explicit detailed sex scenes and language used throughout the book.
This. Book. Had. Me. Turning. Pages.
Seriously. I don't even know where to start with this book! It had me hooked from the very first few pages
...more
Recently, I've been reading a lot of thrillers and I was super excited by the idea of this one. It sounded like it had a lot of potential to keep me on my toes and offer surprises around every corner. In some ways, I was right in that suspicion. There were certainly a lot of surprises throughout the book and I wondered about Indiana's motivations through most of the story. While that sounds like a fantastic thing given the nature of the book, it sort of left me feeling like her character wasn't
...more
4.5 stars
This novel starts out with a harrowing description of a woman who lost her husband and must take on the difficult task of facing her wretched mother-in-law. Ruth makes Gemma's character come to life with artfully crafted insights into her pain and suffering from the loss of her husband and the realization that she is now alone. While reading the introduction I could feel the agony as if it were radiating off the page. It is very clear that Ruth has an expert eye for character creation a ...more
This novel starts out with a harrowing description of a woman who lost her husband and must take on the difficult task of facing her wretched mother-in-law. Ruth makes Gemma's character come to life with artfully crafted insights into her pain and suffering from the loss of her husband and the realization that she is now alone. While reading the introduction I could feel the agony as if it were radiating off the page. It is very clear that Ruth has an expert eye for character creation a ...more
Subtitled, ‘Be Careful Who You Trust’, this piece of modern fiction is not the usual material I read. I dislike labels, but I do wonder if this is intended more for the ‘Women’s Fiction’ market.
The story is well presented and the characters particularly well developed. I did have some difficulty with certain passages, where I skipped. And I was not initially convinced Gemma would accept Indiana quite as easily as she did. The introductory chapter struck me as a little too long.
This was a difficu ...more
The story is well presented and the characters particularly well developed. I did have some difficulty with certain passages, where I skipped. And I was not initially convinced Gemma would accept Indiana quite as easily as she did. The introductory chapter struck me as a little too long.
This was a difficu ...more
This novel is about Gemma, a woman who has recently lost her husband. After his funeral, she meets a mysterious woman, who we learn has malicious plans for her. As the story unravels, more and more twists and turns are revealed that keep you guessing. This is a modern mystery that will keep you guessing.
After Gemma and Indiana become friends, we are given the briefest of glimpses into the plans the Indiana has for Gemma. Throughout the book, progressions and flashbacks are both revealed in small ...more
After Gemma and Indiana become friends, we are given the briefest of glimpses into the plans the Indiana has for Gemma. Throughout the book, progressions and flashbacks are both revealed in small ...more
I seriously could not put this book down. I was drawn into Gemma's and Indiana's worlds right away. It's far from a "chic lit" novel and I enjoyed the thriller-esque scenes where you weren't quite sure if Indiana was finally going to pull out a knife or push someone out a window. She is a very complex, dark character, and I loved reading about her. However, I was put off by a couple of things. Indiana's behaviour was very characteristic of antisocial personality disorder which includes exploitin
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Drawing me in from the very beginning, BEFRIENDED by Ruth O'Neill is a dark and disturbing story of lies that will really shock you.
Gemma Peacock has just lost her husband and she is devastated. He was her best friend and lover and they had such a happy life together. She feels alone and lost, with the exception of her friend, as she never got along with her mother-in-law who disliked her from the beginning. But when Gemma comes into contact with a beautiful woman who knew her husband and is off ...more
Gemma Peacock has just lost her husband and she is devastated. He was her best friend and lover and they had such a happy life together. She feels alone and lost, with the exception of her friend, as she never got along with her mother-in-law who disliked her from the beginning. But when Gemma comes into contact with a beautiful woman who knew her husband and is off ...more
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(copy via the author and voluntarily reviewed)
This is my first time reading the author. First off, I really liked the front cover. The characters are well-written. Indiana is an interesting character. I found her amusing. She’s so unpleasant yet chirpy and sweet at the same time, completely unstable. I thought she was a treat. I wasn’t sure what to make of Gemma. She’s predictable at times. I found it strange how easily she abandons her friend Maria and we ...more
(copy via the author and voluntarily reviewed)
This is my first time reading the author. First off, I really liked the front cover. The characters are well-written. Indiana is an interesting character. I found her amusing. She’s so unpleasant yet chirpy and sweet at the same time, completely unstable. I thought she was a treat. I wasn’t sure what to make of Gemma. She’s predictable at times. I found it strange how easily she abandons her friend Maria and we ...more
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. As this book falls under one of my favorite genres, I agreed to review a complimentary copy.
The cover and blurb caught my attention. There were a number of twists and turns along the way, particularly in terms of Indiana’s motivations. However, I didn’t find as much character development as I would have liked. The subject of mental illness is addressed in this story, but things weren’t depicted as accurately as I’ve seen in other books. Gemma is e ...more
The cover and blurb caught my attention. There were a number of twists and turns along the way, particularly in terms of Indiana’s motivations. However, I didn’t find as much character development as I would have liked. The subject of mental illness is addressed in this story, but things weren’t depicted as accurately as I’ve seen in other books. Gemma is e ...more
Ruth O’Neill is a fantastic writer, but in this book she choose to have two characters with mental illnesses and both were portrayed in what I felt were negative ways. I feel that this happened not out of malice but because she choose an issue she had a limited understanding of and this can be damaging to the overall perception of mental illness.
What a roller coaster of a ride this story is! Gemma is devastated when her beloved husband died and isn't looking forward to a future without him. Little does she know what is in store for her when she meets Indiana.
There are many twists and turns in this. It really is edge of the seat stuff.
I absolutely enjoyed it. Hope there is more like this to come from this author. ...more
There are many twists and turns in this. It really is edge of the seat stuff.
I absolutely enjoyed it. Hope there is more like this to come from this author. ...more
A great twist and a book that will keep you entertained right until the end.
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