Beneath the Fear

by Sheila Rawlings

Spoilt and indulged since childhood, Samantha Copeland believes bad things only happen to other people. However, after witnessing her husband’s murder during a bank robbery in Oxford, that illusion is cruelly shattered.

Traumatised by the experience, Sam eventually retreats to the Cornish coast, where she hopes to heal her fragile state of mind. Unfortunately, instead of the peace she so desperately craves, she soon finds her vulnerability tested to breaking point by a series of unnerving and unexplained incidents. However, after meeting her enigmatic neighbour, Tony Walker, and local handyman, Nathan Scott, Sam soon discovers the worst is yet to come.

364 pages, Paperback and Kindle

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

After graduating from Medway College of Art and Design (now the University of Creative Arts), Sheila enjoyed a long career with a magazine publisher, where she was responsible for the production of their weekly issue and various other publications.

An avid reader since childhood, working closely with journalists soon rekindled Sheila’s love of the written word, prompting her to write her debut novel: “Truth & Revenge”.

Sheila lives in South London with her husband.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable book and very well-written. Although I was able to guess the character loyalties really early on in the story, I found their backgrounds surprising and unexpected. A thriller with plenty of secrets that even the protagonist cannot discover easily.

When Sam takes a rental cottage by the sea in Cornwall, it is in an attempt to help her recovery after witnessing her husband’s murder. On paper, it seems like the ideal solution: to get away from the place that haunts her with memories of her husband, top up on some clean, fresh air, and try and cope with the grief that overwhelms her. Quickly, Sam makes friend with her rental neighbour, Toby; the local handyman, Nathan; and also reconnects with her friend, Suzy. However, Sam begins to doubt her mental stability as she becomes convinced she can see her husband and is being stalked by a stranger. Suddenly, her peaceful cottage by the sea has become too remote and isolated for her liking.

As I learned more about Suzy, I increasingly disliked her. I was unhappy with how she treats Sam and could really appreciate Sam’s frustrations for being treated like an invalid – by both Suzy and Tony. Suzy seems incredibly thoughtless and I despised her meddling ways. This was especially where Suzy wants to see Sam matched up with the two men that are in Sam’s life. Why can’t the woman leave Sam alone to get on?! Gradually, I felt the same way about Tony and really did not want to see Sam create any sort of relationship with him, even if it was just an informal friendship. On the other hand, I grew to like Nathan and sympathised when everyone seemed to turn on him.

Rawlings really surprised me during the final revelations. Despite my predictions being correct, I could not have foreseen how characters had come to be involved in the plot. This definitely added to my enjoyment of the novel. I think because it was so clear where character loyalties lay, this was why I could not award the book the full five stars: I wanted some more surprises and cliff-hangers that the closing chapters provided.

I liked the symbolism of the title. As a result of the trauma that Sam has experienced, she has been unable to fully recollect the events that led to her husband’s murder. Although the police have repeatedly questioned her, Sam has been unable to provide the full details; her brain has shut it away and it is blocked by the pain she experiences when remembering her husband. Therefore, the title of the novel acknowledges how Sam has to move beyond her fear of remembrance and grief to establish the truth of what happened that day. Only then will the final perpetrator be charged because, as far as Sam is aware, the criminal is still at large. I enjoy being able to consider layer of meanings, especially with the title, and I think this is definitely apt.

Sadly, however, I do think the cover does not do the book justice. I think there could have been a stronger image to portray the intensity of Sam’s emotions and the thrilling genre of the story. This is definitely an example where you should not judge a book by its cover!

A great, solid read. I was engrossed by the characters and wanted to see how far Tony, Nathan and Suzy would be able to manipulate Sam. Keen to see whether Sam would ever remember enough for the criminals to be charged, I was rooting for the sea air to clear her head and provide her with the closure she definitely needs.

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another new author for me. I was interested to see what I thought of this book. It was good but, (and this is a big but), I found the main character a little weak and really couldn’t see what was happening right in front of her face.!!! This annoyed me a little I realise she’s vulnerable and grieving but, she should be able to see that Tony wasn’t all that she thought he was. A why didn’t she see that her friend Suzy was behaving out of character…I know it’s only a story but that was disappointing. On the whole the book was interesting and I loved the ending. Don’t let me put you off reading this one!

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Sheila Rawlings' gripping thriller BENEATH THE FEAR.

So what initially drew me to this book was its Cornwall setting. I love books set in what must be the most beautiful and rugged county in Britain. It adds to that sense of foreboding in thrillers as its landscape can be largely unforgiving, particularly in the grip of fog and blustery weather. With no guard rails on the picturesque clifftops, at least in these books ('cause let's face it, it detracts from the breathtaking landscape), one wrong move could see you tumble over the cliff edge to the rocks below. Despite not knowing what to expect, having never read this author before, I knew I would be in for a treat simply because it was set in Cornwall.

Opening with a Prologue that promises something sinister is afoot, BENEATH THE FEAR then takes us to Oxford and a date in time that our protagonist, Samantha Copeland, will never forget. It was a chilly November afternoon in 2018 when Sam, used to getting her own way, coerced hubby Stephen into a walk to blow to cobwebs away before he needed to complete a couple of paintings for his exhibition for the coming week. Sam was bored and wanted to get out of the flat so she used all her womanly charms that she knew Stephen was powerless to resist. Naturally he succumbed as she knew he would and after a few minutes of fresh air Stephen admitted to Sam that she was right - the walk was just what he needed.

Neither of them paid too much attention to the van that was parked outside Lloyds Bank as they crossed the street. Neither did they give heed to the car that pulled up across the road. It was only when the masked men began shouting at the security guard of the van, aiming a gun at him, did they notice what was happening. Stephen pulled Sam to the ground as bullets were fired and the rest became a blur.

In that moment, Sam's life changed forever.

Four months later, Sam was still blaming herself for Stephen's tragic death. If she hadn't coerced him, pleaded with him and wanted her own selfish way...then her husband, her soul mate, the love of her life would still be here. Instead, she was alone and despite her parents' best efforts to help her, Sam spiraled into a deep depression. Traumatised by her experience, she made a decision to retreat to a holiday cottage owned by her godmother on the Cornish coast, against her parents' fervent wishes. But Sam felt she needed this time alone to heal and come to terms with her loss.

Upon moving into the cottage, she reconnects with childhood friend Suzy - her godmother's daughter who manages the two holiday cottages - and who lives in nearby St Austell. And Sam discovers it is nice to have a friendly face around so far from home. Before long, Sam settles in to life in her remote cottage, enjoying walks on the beach and on the clifftops, and even a visit to the local village.

But then strange things start to happen, unnerving Sam in her new and relaxed environment. She begins to get the feeling of being watched. She notices a car following her. A figure watches her from a distance that looks startlingly like Stephen. And then there is the rose left on her pillow...just the way Stephen used to. And the smell of his cologne envelops the cottage. Added to that, Sam is plagued by dreams of drowning and her husband reaching out to her. But it's not until the shed door wakes her one night in the fierce winds, banging on its hinges, that she decides to confide in Suzy. But if she had thought her friend would be supportive, she was mistaken. Suzy immediately dismissed her claims as hallucinations although she did promise to get the shed door fixed.

And that is when Sam first meets local handyman Nathan Scott, who is tasked with not only fixing the shed door, but weeding the garden, clearing the yard and painting the cottage. So as Nathan becomes a fixture, Sam soon finds his presence comforting. The two often share a coffee together and Nathan's boyish smile soon relaxes her.

And then Tony Walker moves into the other cottage across the lane. A political journalist, he has escaped to the Cornish climes for peace and inspiration for the book he intends to write. But his attentions soon become more firmly fixed on Sam rather than writing. He soon takes it upon himself to take Sam under his wing and protect her from harm...to the point of controlling. Nathan and Tony hate each other at first sight, although Sam grows used to both men's company...albeit separately. Tony doesn't trust Nathan and Nathan doesn't trust Tony. So what is it each man is hiding?

Sam, on the other hand, just wants peace and quiet to heal her fragile mind and from losing her husband. But when the unnerving incidents continue, Sam is sure something - or someone - sinister is behind them...but no one seems to believe her. Suzy dismisses her thoughts, Tony disregards them and Nathan placates her.

Can Sam trust any of them? Or is she truly losing her mind?

With the appropriate sense of foreboding, BENEATH THE FEAR is an addictive read from start to finish. It is engaging, gripping and thoroughly enjoyable. There are some good twists that make for compelling reading. I did sort of work out what was happening...but not to its full extent. That's what made it even more delicious.

And the Cornish accent!! I love the Cornish accent! It's such a delight! I felt like I was watching Poldark every time Nathan spoke. You could feel the warmth in his words. The characters were well developed and made for interesting reading. And I love the short snappy chapters, which is always a big plus for me!

Overall, BENEATH THE FEAR is a well written addictive read that had me flipping pages into the night. An easy style to read, I look forward to more of Sheila Rawlings in the future.

Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank #SheilaRawlings and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #BeneathTheFear in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there’s one thing that I like doing, it’s discovering new authors. I read the synopsis for ‘Beneath The Fear’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of psychological thriller type of book that I particularly enjoy reading. Oh boy, ‘Beneath The Fear’ was certainly a read and a half and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of the story but more about that in a bit.
I can’t say that I particularly warmed to the main character of Samantha Copeland but saying that I did feel for her. She witnesses a traumatic incident and during this incident, she loses her husband, who is shot dead. I did wonder if she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as she seems to ‘relive’ that moment very frequently and she suffers with a tremendous amount of guilt. Samantha feels that it is her fault that her husband is dead because she nagged him to go shopping with her. She feels that had she not nagged him, he wouldn’t have gone shopping with her and therefore would still be alive. She tortures herself with ‘what ifs’. To a degree I could understand how she must have felt. In an attempt to start living her life again and not have reminders of what she has lost around every corner, she moves away from the area. However Samantha soon finds out that she may have stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
It took me no time at all to get into this book. In fact as soon as I started to read, I knew that I was going to find it almost impossible to put this book down for any length of time. I was intrigued by the characters and I had to keep reading to see how things panned out for them. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and I had to see if I was on the right track or if I had the wrong end of the stick entirely. To say that reading ‘Beneath The Fear’ became addictive, is a huge understatement. I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough as I worked my way to the end of the book and then all too quickly I reached the end of the book.
‘Beneath The Fear’ is well written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into the story by starting the story with a bang. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I became so deeply wrapped up in the story that I began to ‘live’ the story as if I were the main character. I found this to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing, kept me on the edge of my seat and kept my attention throughout.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Beneath The Fear’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Sheila’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author to me and I will definitely be keeping a look out for her future books, I love a good thriller and this one did not disappoint. The characters were likeable and well written and I loved the points of view the chapters were written from. I am usually quite good at guessing twists but I did not guess these and was pleasantly surprised. I liked the pace of this book as there was plenty going on to keep me interested and would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Beneath the Fear
Author: Sheila Rawlings

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 19
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 19 readers:
17 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
19 felt it was easy to follow.
18 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“Although it’s a bit slow off the block, I soon got into this cleverly-crafted story. The author works well with her characters, and there’s plenty of suspense.” Male reader, age 42
“Good pacing, interesting premise, and a strong, simple writing style. Is everybody who they seem to be? I loved the element of mystery to the story; of not knowing who to trust.” Male reader, age 39
“An engaging story with lots of suspense. The author seems to know what mystery readers enjoy. I did feel the ending was a bit predictable but, other than that, very good.” Female reader, age 70
“A solidly written mystery novel written in a simple and effective way for the genre. Slow to start, but 20% of the way in, I was hooked.” Male reader, age 40

To Sum It Up:
‘A cleverly-crafted mystery packed with twists and turns.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Bookshortie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the first page of a book draws you in with an explosive opening you know straight away that you’re in for a good read.

The main character Samantha appears to have the ideal life with her husband Stephen. She admits herself from the beginning that she is spoilt, selfish and always gets her own way. Her perfect life is shattered when Stephen is killed during an armed bank robbery. Samantha sinks into depression, having a breakdown, suffering from PTSD and on top of that the grief of losing the love of her life. She decides to escape to a small cottage in the village of Dynnargh, Cornwall, a childhood holiday home owned by a family member and now managed by Samantha’s childhood friend Suzy. The village is a very small and tight knit community who are suspicious of outsiders. Its’ on arrival that she meets Tony who is staying in the neighbouring cottage and Nathan a handyman employed by the owner to maintain the cottage.

Unfortunately, Samantha’s plan to escape her past doesn’t transpire. She starts having nightmares involving Stephen and then starts receiving unnerving phone calls. If this isn’t creepy enough Samantha has this ominous feeling that she is being followed and watched, at one point the mysterious figure starts to resemble Stephen down to the clothes he was wearing the day he died. Things start to get even more unnerving when details or things that only she and Stephen would know start to happen like a red rose being left on her bed.

Can Samantha really escape her past or will her past haunt her forever?

This was definitely a psychological thriller that kept me guessing from the beginning, where no one appeared to be who they portrayed to be. What made it an intense read was that there was this sense of foreboding the more the story progressed. At times I did question whether these events were really happening to Samantha or if it was all in her head. It was definitely a book that got me thinking with my own theories and messed with my head. I really enjoyed this read and as for that final betrayal that really did catch me off guard and was one theory that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers add this to your list!

I received a gifted copy for an honest review.

[Bookmarkthatuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here: https://bookmarkthat.co.uk/beneath-th... (NO SPOILERS)

There’s lots of conversation, and although there is some repetition on occasions, it’s consistently moving forward to the climatic ending. You’re also given an incredibly intriguing prologue at the beginning of the book, giving you a taste for what’s to come.

Rawlings really knows how to set the scene for a book and introduce you to the world and characters without being drawn-out and wishy-washy, which I hate in thrillers – you immediately get drawn into Beneath the Fear.

I’d recommend to anyone who just needs a good thriller in their life right now, without it being confusing or overwhelmingly violent – the whole scene of Sam’s husband is upsetting to read, but overall, there’s no intense writings to worry about.

Gifted in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beneath the Fear by Sheila Rawlings is a gripping read. I really loved the twists and turns. I thought I knew what was happening, but would fall for the twists every time. I think that is my favorite thing about this book.

Sheila Rawlings is a new to me author, and I really liked her writing style. I was kept on the edge of my seat, and was engaged through the novel.

The characters were interesting. We mostly were with Sam, but a few chapters explored Nathan’s point of view as well.

Overall, I liked Beneath the Fear and would recommend it.

*I received a free copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

[Sian Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't put this book down as you're wondering "who is it?" and what is going to happen all the way through. All the strands are sewn together nicely leaving you guessing who could be the baddie right up to the end. I can normally work it out as I read a lot but didn't have a clue in this book. The author writes really well which is always important to me as a proofreader. I'd highly recommend this book.

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good well written story.
After a traumatic experience and losing her husband Samantha moves away for a fresh start. Unfortunately that’s not what she gets.

This is one of those books that I couldn’t read fast enough as I NEEDED to know what was gonna happen next. If your looking for a gripping read then I highly recommend this story. I’ll certainly be looking to read more from this author in the future.

[Samantha Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was approached to read this, the write up was really intriguing; young woman sees her husband murdered in a bank robbery gone wrong and goes to a holiday home in her families much loved chosen destination (Cornwall) in order to recover after a rocky time of it. Samantha, the leading lady, finds herself under the limelight of her overly eager neighbour, Tony, as well as the new handyman on the block, Nathan. Sam is also pushed in to considering moving on from her late husband by childhood friend Suzy. However, as Sam starts to piece together the missing parts of her trauma, she finds herself in the middle of an awful predicament and is left fighting for her life.

It sounded truly energetic and thrilling, however for me it was 356 pages lacklustre, flat and over-played drama. There was just too much of it sadly, and it just seemed to drag. The boom could easily have been 100 pages less and a lot more fast paced and edge-of-your-seat reading. Also some of the descriptions were just a little too much and there were some annoying inconsistencies that you wouldn’t notice them unless you really knew the scenario, for example, Securicor doing a bank drop would actually have the case chained to one person and many guards actually have bodycams and during the robbery the case is not chained and there are no body cams. A prime example of the descriptions being too much is also during the robbery; Sam notices the get away car is a black Audi A1 Sportback and the robbers were armed with Beretta handguns- please tell me in a moment of crisis how anyone would take note of these things? Another thing that irked me was this; we don’t need to know the characters are wearing Ray-Bans sunglasses and we don’t need to know the exact brand of aftershave a character loved to wear. It deflected a lot of attention from the set up of the atmosphere to these brand names and felt a bit like when you see brand-dropping in TV programmes (to me at least).

I found that when it came to describing the progression of the handyman and neighbour and their stance in Sam’s life, Rawlings began to write a bit like a love struck teenage girl writing her own story about how the two popular boys in school both fancy her. I feel like the set up would have been there still if it were written a lot more subtly.

The plot was good though! I liked the idea! However there was too much of a gap between important events. I feel that the look in to Nathan’s life with the chapter in the pub with Clive (his buddy and co-worker) could have been strategically placed a lot earlier, meaning more of an atmospheric build up. Suzy did not need to be so immaturely pushy when it came to Sam moving on (she was just widowed! Have some humanity!) Despite Suzy’s reasons for backing Tony, which were shown to us at the end, it made me feel very cross for Sam (there are just something’s you don’t push, even with your best mate).

I feel that this would make a good TV adaptation but a lot of it would be left out as it wouldn’t hold an audiences attention if it was unabridged.

I’ve not read Rawlings previous title “Truth & Revenge” and I’m not entirely sure it’ll be in my list anytime soon, but I would be curious to see for myself if her writing style and structure were different.

Sadly I can’t recommend Beneath The Fear. I would be interested in hearing other people’s opinions of this book though.

[Marnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha was yet to experience what most of us have by the time we are a young adult, that is, that life can bring just as much tragedy and pain as it does love and joy. We follow her story as she tries to heal after losing her husband but, she could never imagine the worst may still be to come…

I throughly enjoyed this story and was caught up and hooked right off the bat. Sheila Rawlings did a great job of holding my attention and those pages on my Kindle flicking. The pace was spot on and although the outcome wasn’t a huge surprise, there were some elements that were.

The characters have been well put together and play out their roles well. My heart went out to Sam, who’s grief is so overwhelming, you could just feel the pain radiating from her through the pages.

I enjoyed the ease of Sheila Rawlings writing which is very engaging, as well as the use of the Cornish dialect through Nathan’s character. I do have to admit though, I had to re-read some of his lines at first but, I quickly got used to it and could follow along.

Beneath the Fear is a well written addictive read that had me turning the pages long into the night. A new author to me, Sheila Rawlings is now on my radar and I look forward to seeing what she will come up with for us next. It was a pleasure to read and review Beneath the Fear which I recommend.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Samantha Copeland decides to take some time and go to the Cornish coast to recover from her husbands murder, she's hoping for rest and relaxation. She meets her neighbor, Tony Walker, and handyman Nathan Scott, but are either men truly what they seem to be?

This was a very fast paced mystery/thriller even as we watch Samantha try and both deal with the grief of her husband's death and trying to remember anything that can help catch his killer. Rawlings did a good job both conveying Samantha's grief and keeping the reader engaged with enough action and mystery to make this a quick page turning read. There were enough clues on multiple parties that I wasn't 100% sure who was the actual bad guy until the very end.

I give this 4 of 5 stars and thank Rachel's Random Resources and author Sheila Rawlings for the review copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please see my other reviews at Coffee, Dogs, & Books

[Danielle Amor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gripping read from the start. It is absolutely jam packed with red herrings, I had convinced myself I knew what was going to happen and I could not have been farther from the truth!

The book is predominantly written from Sam’s perspective, but there are a couple of chapters towards the end from Nathan’s (which was a nice surprise.) The way it is written to incorporate the Cornish dialect is brilliant, although I think in my head I sounded too welsh 🙈

I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it. I haven’t read anything by this Author before but will definitely look her out in future!

[Jo - Cup of Toast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beneath The Fear plays on insecurities that we might all harbour, even without the traumatic life event that the lead character, Samantha, went through. Short, punchy chapters deliver pace, and although I personally found the ending fairly predictable (there was an unexpected twist!) Rawlings’ writing style kept me hooked and engaged until the end.

Characters, settings and backgrounds were introduced steadily throughout the book, so that important details giving you clues to the outcome are not overlooked. This also kept the developing story interesting, and I didn’t feel the need to flick back and forth to remind myself which character I was reading about.

I thought that Beneath The Fear was a book of two halves, however. Completely focused on the central character, Sam, until chapter 48, you are drawn in to her story and life and perspective. At that point though, the narrative view changes and at times towards the concluding scenes timeframes shift slightly too. Some of this middle to end section of the book didn’t really add to overall flow of the story, and I wonder if there would have been an alternative way to present this information to the reader from Sam’s point of view.

That said, this doesn’t put me off recommending the book and I would give it a solid thumbs up. If drama with elements of well placed crime are your thing, you should absolutely add Beneath the Fear to your reading list.