A story of deceit and lies. Jenny, a single mum with 2 daughters brings home her new man, but what is he hiding? Told from several points of view, including Mark’s first wife, Paula. Not sure exactly what genre this belonged to - spooky, tearjerker, romance or maybe feelings of anger towards some of the characters? It started off really well at a future event and then travelled back explaining what led to this particular moment but that wasn’t really as gripping as the beginning. As for the end, it was very disappointing, it felt rushed and unbelievable - totally out of character. What a let down!

This is a story of a man with secrets. There are 4 narrators that fold several storylines together and weave a tale of ignorance and bliss. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. The two wives and 3 daughters all have beefs agains Mark and he's sort of fool. Just not an enjoyable read for me, hopefully you'll find more in the story than I did. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book began so strong, but by the end, it was so overwrought that it felt ridiculous. Great for those that love Lifetime movies, but overall, it didn't feel believable.

I really loved the beginning of this book. It kept me interested and made me want to know what was going to happen. But, the ending fell flat. Mark and Paula resolved things too quickly.

His Secret Family left me a little unsettled and not exactly in a good way. I really wanted to love this story, and at times maybe I did, but overall it just fell a little flat. While there are plenty of moments and specific events that are thrown in for shock factor, it just didn't keep my attention. The writing didn't feel authentic to me and instead left me rolling my eyes and putting the book down.
BUT I will say, this book is a great warning to make sure you really get to know a person and not just what they want you to see. People are very complex and Ali Mercer definitely touches on that

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Jenny and her girls Ava and Ellie are struggling to make ends meet as Jenny a single mom works as a hairdresser. Suddenly Mark shows up with the means to provide luxuries and fun trips. As time passes Mark and Jennie grow closer and decide to marry and create a new
Family. Mark leaves behind a wife and handicapped daughter from his first marriage. As time passes what will happen when their paths cross and their lives meet?

This is a story of family life, broken relationships, secrets and hurt and is told from four different female perspectives which give us different insights intothis family drama. The opening chapter had me hooked straight away when Paula and her daughter Daisy gatecrashed a wedding and on seeing them Mark, her ex husband, collapses. The book then goes back in time to events that lead up to the wedding. Mark walked away from his marriage to Paula as he couldn’t cope with his daughter Daisy’s autism. Whilst married to Paula, Mark had an affair with Jenny and she became pregnant and had a daughter Ava. Mark went back to Paula and Jenny married Sean, who was happy to be a father to Ava and they went on to have a daughter Ellie. After finally leaving Paula and Daisy he went back to Jenny who was separated from Sean, telling her lies about Paula. We learn about the deviousness of Mark and the lengths he goes to to cover up his secrets. At the end of the book the truth is revealed how his behaviour affected everyone. This was an enjoyable read and highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book
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This book revolves around two families: Paula, with her daughter Daisy and Jenny with her daughters, Ava and Ellie.
Jenny is a single mother to her girls, and divorced from her ex-husband, Sean. She has recently reconnected with Mark, who happens to be an old flame.
Mark is divorced from his ex-wife, Paula and has no contact with her or Daisy.

The story starts with the ending of the book: wherein Mark is celebrating Ava’s wedding in the same town as Paula lives; and on impulse Paula, along with Daisy decide to make an appearance. This is followed by the unfolding of events that took place leading up to it.

Told from the point of view of four people: Paula, Jenny, Evie and Ava, we gradually learn what went wrong with Mark’s first marriage, how he initially met Jenny and now that he’s back with Jenny how it could be impacting his new family and the girls.
Will Ava and Ellie accept him and be open to their mother possibly remarrying?

Various aspects of a family life are covered viz. divorce, disability, adultery and secrets. The layers are peeled, the lies are revealed, and the truth is laid bare.
Abandonment, addiction and denial are other aspects that are dealt with. But the story is also about hope and forgiveness.

The book also brings to the forefront attitudes of people to those with autism and mental health issues. There's one character with special abilities to sense things, however it was not well developed, neither was it acknowledged by the family.

A dramatic story of two families intertwined with each other, with complex yet believable characters, each dealing with secrets, grief and facing up to reality.

A family drama told from differing POV. Two wives, one former, one current, raising their daughters the best way they can. Circumstances have lined up so the two are connected through one man but neither ends up with a happily ever after life. Ali Mercer has developed the characters and placed them in a realistic community that could be anywhere USA. How the story unfolds and eventually ends is a unique spin on an old story.

This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

This is a story of family drama with lots of secrets and twists. well worth a read.I enjoyed this book and would recommend

My first time reading Ali Mercer. I really enjoyed this romantic thriller. Very well done and would love to read more from this author.

This was such a good book I throughly enjoyed it all the way through. It held my interest and kept me reading long after I should have put it down and gone to bed, very unusual for me!!!
I wasn’t sure at first as I’m not keen on a narrative in a book, but, I got past that and settled into it.
It had lots of twists and turns and kept you on the edge until the end.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

His Secret Family by Ali Mercer was published by Bookouture on 09/11/19. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Before we get started, trigger warnings. If you are sensitive to how children with autism are treated, this is probably a book you want to avoid. In addition, there is an infant death in the story. Had I known that, I would not have volunteered for this book. As someone who blogs about recommendations for future reads, I feel like it's my duty to bring that up. I would want someone to warn me.

That being said, on to the review.

This story focuses on 2 mothers, 3 daughters, and a man that is somehow connected to them all. Mark and Paula, once "happily married" are now angrily divorced, somehow related to their daughter Daisy. This divorce comes back to haunt him when he marries Jenny and attempts to be a father to her daughters Evie and Ava. All of the dirty laundry and secrets come to life through the viewpoints of Paula, Jenny, Evie, and Ava. This story is one that will haunt you long after you finish it. It's a tale of divorce, revenge, life, death, and everything in between.

This book is described as a family drama, and I think that's completely accurate. The different viewpoints give the reader a very interesting story line. Everything is not what it seems, and the end truly turns the story on it's head.

I understand that Daisy's autism was a major reason the marriage between Paula and Mark didn't work, but it didn't leave me feeling the greatest. In addition, Jenny and Mark eventually get pregnant, have a son, and he dies as an infant. I almost didn't finish the book after that. As someone with an auto-immune disease and fertility issues, that was hard for me to get through. It made me feel so gross. I get it....karma and revenge and all that. To me, the infant death wasn't vital to the story and it seemed like it was just put in there as a shock factor. I immediately thought of all the people I couldn't recommend this book to because of that part of the story. That could have been left out, or replaced with another plot point and it would have been fine.

Overall, the story was good but the ending was kind of spoiled for me.



🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars

This book opens up with 2 daughters and Jenny their mother, we get introduced to Mark, Jenny's former flame and his ex-wife Paula. I liked the chapters best with Ava and Ellie the 2 daughters and their travel with Mark and Jenny but felt bad for Ellie since no one seemed to give her much attention.

We get to learn about Mark's first marriage and I had a hard time liking him but i think the author planned it that way. I don't want to spoil too much of the story but I like how the author lets us know how the girls are in their mid-lives and how their parents are doing.

If you like family drama and twists and turns you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I have never read anything by Ali Mercer before and would definitely would again and highly recommend this book. This was a intriguing read of tangled relationships, secrets and lies. Told from the point of view of four different characters, this book was difficult to put down and I raced through it. It is a compelling book with twists and turns throughout - secrets, lies, families, relationships, grief and betrayal.

A powerful and emotional book which will draw you in from the start. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

His Secret Family is a compelling story about relationships, secrets and dysfunctional families. There is a lot of suspense and drama, but also well-thought out and developed characters with depth to their personalities.
The story is well paced and I raced through the pages, the tension was built up brilliantly..

I have read and enjoyed previous books by this author Alison Mercer - Stop The Clock and After I Left You which were amazing books, so I will definitely look out for more by this talented author.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.
HIS SECRET FAMILY by Ali Mercer. Is an ok read , I did enjoy the various points of view , I just wouldn't exactly consider it a thriller. Over all Ali did an ok job.

His Secret Family is brimming with secrets.

Past secrets seem to always have a way of surfacing and colliding with the present when the truth must be discovered.

The hopes, dreams, heartbreaks, trials, healing, and elusive joys in the lives of Ava, Ellie, Jenny and Paula - seen through their eyes, immediately engage you. Their stories are threaded together by the actions and decisions of one man. A man who has intentions of his own, regardless of the fall-out and has deviously played them all.

Some societal issues; divorce, alcoholism, infidelity, autism, even a touch of the mystic, are dealt with grace and sensitivity in this well-paced and emotion driven book.

Ali Mercer has that on on-target ability to lock in your emotions from her first sentence and her stories stay with you long after the book is finished.

I highly recommend His Secret Family and reading everything Ali writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the read of Ali Mercer’s, His Secret Family.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

It’s a beautiful day for a wedding. White roses scent the air and the summer sunlight streams in. A spoon chimes against a champagne flute and the room falls silent. And there he is – my husband – getting to his feet to propose a toast. He’s still handsome. His new wife is next to him, gazing upwards, oblivious.

I’m not supposed to be here. All these years in the same town and I had no idea until I saw his name on the seating plan. He lived with me, once. Loved me. Small-town memories are long, but the people in this room don’t want to remember.

They say the healing is in letting go, but after what he did, he needs to know we haven’t gone away just because he’s shut his eyes.

So I take Daisy by the hand and step forward from the shadows. He notices us and his eyes widen. The champagne glass falls from his hand and smashes. Then he sags forward, making a terrible sound – a sort of strangled scream…

****

I found it slightly difficult to really follow this book. Not overly sure why. I think because from the 'blurb' I was expecting a different story. But... I kept picking it up, every opportunity I had! So figure that one out!! I would recommend people to read it though.