Martha and her mum Fran appear to be very close. Martha had a happy childhood with a loving father who suddenly walked out on them on Martha’s ninth birthday. After the collapse of the marriage Martha and Fran move to a remote village in Cornwall. Fran turns to alcohol and being a diabetic as well Martha becomes more of a career to her mum and starts to resent this. Martha thinks everything is going wrong when she loses her job at a local vets but then her world is rocked again when she reads a text on her mum’s phone from her estranged father who her mum has always insisted that she has never had any contact with. Fran collapses and ends up in hospital so Martha decides it would be a good time to try and renew contact with her father and try to discover why he had abandoned them. Martha has a friend Izzy, who lives up north, and when Martha tells her that she is going to look for her father, Izzy insists that she will come and take her in her car. That’s when Martha’s nightmare begins as she discovers her mother has being lying to her all these years. The story is told by Martha and Fran, in the past and the present and had me hooked from the first page. The book is full of secrets and lies and lots of twists and turns. A definite recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last.
I really enjoyed the story, it gripped me from the start and kept me guessing throughout.
Recommended to any psychological thriller fans

This was a well written and gripping story, and whilst I had an idea of the ending, I couldn’t stop reading to make sure I was right! Martha and her Mum have lived in Cornwall for some time, Martha doesn’t really like it there and is desperate to fine her Dad who walked out on them 15 years ago.
She finally tracks him down, but the meeting ends in disaster. She then learns that her boss and mentor had died suddenly, leaving her without an income or a job.
Things escalate, but Martha is grateful to be able to count on her friend Izzy, who drops everything to come and help.
Once Martha’s Mum is taking into hospital and the future looks bleak, she’s even more thankful of Izzy’s support.
Is Izzy as she seems? Martha becomes suspicious, and then Izzy drops her bombshell.
The ending of the book is fast paced and exciting, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This story contained all the ingredients of a first class read, heartstopping suspense, a guilty secret, tragedy and even a little romance. All of these combined resulted in a book that is as perfect for a sunny day in the garden as it is for a long winter night by the fire. Either way just make sure you won't be disturbed because this is one book you will not want to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

A well written and gripping story. The characters were believable but I must admit that Martha annoyed me at times e.g. she goes on a trip to North Wales when her mother is lying ill in hospital with no visitors !! I found it a little slow at the beginning but the ending was unexpected and that is why I am giving this book 4 stars.
Thank you Rona Halsall, Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. I was a bit frustrated with Martha at some stage, because I would have send my mother packing, believe you me, but I am glad I stuck with the book, the ending was well done and thrilling beyond belief! Highly recommended!

This book was full of suspense and was a fast paced roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns and damaged characters. This is a book you wont be able to put down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.
Absolutely brilliant book. So many twists and turns. It took a few pages to really get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down! I would highly recommend it.

Her Mother Lies is a fantastic thriller that has some great twists and turns. It is well written and has well developed characters.

There were many twists and turns in the latter half of this book, I thought I knew what was happen wing hut turns out I was completely wrong. None of the characters in the book were particularly likeable and it felt like Neil had just been thrown in at the end of the book rather than having him as an actual developed character. Having said that, I did really enjoy reading the book and liked the rollercoaster ride of the last part of the book. I would read Rona Halsall’s next books.

This was a really good book, which was well written and characters developed really great, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the end, so I had to go to the 4 stars instead of 5, but should probably give 4.5 stars! The ending was not bad, but did feel it could’ve been a little better and possibly was done more as getting the story done than choosing it. Overall; this book really provides thrills, chills, and shocks! I recommend to my fellow thriller lovers, especially those who love Bookouture authors, as it’s a good one of theirs!
Will make sure I buzz it up!

A good book which I almost gave 5 stars to but ended up opting for 4 purely because I found Martha (the daughter) and Fran (the mother) just a little bit irritating.
It is a fantastic plot with some fairly good twists. Some of the story's development I could predict but other parts did genuinely catch me by surprise.
Martha and Fran live in a very rural community in Cornwall. Martha doesn't really understand why they had to move there when her father walked out on them when she was 9 years old. Fran likes alcohol a little too much and is a diabetic, with tons of money worries she is hiding from Martha. However that is not all she is hiding from her daughter! There are lots of very uncomfortable truths that have been distorted over such a long time that are slowly revealed when Izzy comes to stay. Izzy is slightly older than Martha (by 14 years) and befriended Martha at a Crufts competition. Izzy comes along to help Martha when she is at an extremely low ebb and reeling from the shock that just hours after she visited Greg (her father) the man was found dead (murdered).
The reader is left wondering just who is telling the truth and if anyone is who they really say they are.
Do friends do altruistic things out of love or do they have ulterior motives?
One single past event has wrecked the lives of many but who will go on to survive and have a future?
Read and discover just why things happened the way they did.

Martha’s father walks out when she was 9. Martha’s mother has brought her up but she is an alcoholic and diabetic and she’s not good with their finances.
When Martha’s boss dies she is left without a job. Her mum also falls ill and is taken to hospital . While all this is going on she decides to find her father.Is she going to like what she finds out. Her friend Anna is there for her when she needs someone with all that’s going on.
This book had me hooked from the start with plenty of twists.
Thanks NetGalley

A great psychological thriller full of twists you wont see coming.

I was hooked from the start and I didn't want to put it down.

I really felt for Martha as she was lied to her whole life.

A great ending that took me completely by surprise.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was the first time reading a book by Rona and I was so not disappointed. I was gripped from the beginning and the plenty of twists and turns kept me guessing throughout. I look forward to reading more from Rona.

I was quite impressed with this book and happy shocked by the ending.
Fran has not been taking care of herself and has let a lot of things slip. When she ends up in the hospital due to her diabetes being out of control, her daughter Martha has her phone and sees a txt from her dad who left when she was nine years old and she hadn’t heard from since. When Martha finds out that her mom has been in contact with him over the years and even has his address, she decides to track him down and find out why he left. When she goes to his home, he tells her that she cannot be there and he is not her father. Martha is shocked by this revelation and leans on her best friend Izzy who leaves immediately to help her friend out.
Due to Fran’s condition, a home visit is required as she will have difficulty walking and a wheelchair may be required. Fran is quite a hoarder and has stuff everywhere and has always told Martha not to touch her things. Martha, with the help of Izzy start to clear out the home of clutter and Martha starts going through her things and finds that they are deeply in debt and about to lose everything.
Now Martha is determined to find out what else
Fran is hiding because things just aren’t adding up.
I found myself shocked at the secrets revealed as I went through the book and quite happy with the way it ended!

Her Mother’s Lies is the first book I have read by Rona Halsall. When reading the synopsis I saw it was touted as a “ gripping psychological thriller.” That seems to be a term that is loosely thrown around in the literary world these days. I kept an open mind when I started this book because I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

Her Mother’s Lies is the story of Martha, a single, vet technician that lives and takes care of her ill mum. Fran is an on again off again illustrator, that doesn’t take care of her health or the family finances. When the story opens Martha has finally decided she wanted to meet her long lost father. The father Fran kept her from when he walked out on them. After coming face to face with him, an altercation ensues and he tells her: “There’s nothing for you here. I’m nothing to you, Martha. Not who you think I am.” as she stares in disbelief he utters “Ask your mother who your real father is.” Martha is dumbstruck and wants answers from her mum. Of course, she doesn’t get them and must solve the mystery herself.

Her Mother’s Lies tells the story of how deception, manipulation, and secrets can destroy a family. Fran has kept a hold on Martha by moving into an isolated town, drinking herself into oblivion, not taking care of her health and playing constant mind games. After Martha’s boss dies, she turns to her only friend Izzy who agrees to help her track down the truth of her past.

That agreement sets a mired of events in motion and the story takes a turn for the good. I don’t want to divulge too much and give spoilers, but I will admit Her Mother’s Lies is exactly as it’s described. Just when you think you know the truth Rona throws in a twist. The ending was NOT what I expected and tied up the loose ends tightly. The book flowed nicely from beginning to end, the sceneries were plausible and believable. A Mother’s Lies was a breath of fresh air from this sometimes oversaturated genre.

Thank you to Netgalley, Rona Halsall, and Bookouture for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another great Rona Halsall book. Full of twists, keept me hooked all the way through.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review

This book told a good story of lies and deception with horrific consequences. Always best to tell the truth. This was a bit drawn out and I did guess what was going on early on. So many books seem to spend their time going backwards and forwards in time and it does get a bit tiresome. 3 stars for me.

Suspend all expectations and dive head first into this book! There is nothing, I repeat nothing, in this book that plays out the way you think it, and it's absolutely fantastic! Rona Halsall has given us a small cast of characters and set them inside a huge, unravelling story. Martha finds her life is built on lies her mother told her years ago. As she discovers the truth, the lengths her mother has gone to hide will surprise you. This is a great book. I'm telling everyone I know to read this one now!