I cannot believe that this is the author's debut, it is written so beautifully. Harper discovers a little girl, May, outside of a store and contacts the authorities thinking that she is a lost child with parents looking for her. The thing is, no one is looking for May. Why? The author wrote a wonderful story and Harper's struggles with finding May were realistic.

An abandoned child. A woman who vows that the child will not end up in the system. A support system of ex-boyfriend cop and retired cop. Attempting to find the child's family takes Take Me Home's heroine and her cohorts on quite an adventure! I especially appreciated the depth of the character profiles and the believability of their motives and actions. The story itself moves quickly and I found Take Me Home to be hard to set aside. I would definitely pick up more novels from the talented Alex Hart.
4.0
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I enjoyed this quick read. It was twisty and had suspense, but I also liked the heart warming element, of Harper's relationship with May and how it developed.
The stage in the middle where they had found new leads about May's identity lost me a little but it was tied up satisfactorily.

I read this book in a couple of days. It was fast paced and I couldn’t wait to read more.
I will certainly look out for more books by this author. I was hooked from the start.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for letting me read this book

Photojournalist Harper Stwin goes into a store to buy a dress. She notices a little girl in the changing rooms. Thinking no more of 5h3 little girl, she pays for the dress and heads home. But she receives a message telling her the job she had been getting has been given to someone else. Now, not being able to afford the dress,she rushes back to the store t return it. Hirst at the store, sje notices the little girl is still in the changing room and there's no one with her. Harper has to find the girl's (May) mum as she does not want her ending up in the system


What a fast paces and thrilling read this is. It will keep you turning the pages. I only meant to 43ad the first couple of chapters but I ended up reading the whole book. There isna lot of characters to try and remember. Harpermis a flawed character with a heart of gold. May is adorable. The story is descriptively written with a few twists and a fast pace. The ending leaves way for a follow up,story. This is a great read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #AlexHart for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling and ultimately heart-warming read.
When photo-journalist Harper finds four-year-old May lost in a department store, she does the right thing and takes her to the police station. But when she learns that May will be taken into the care of Child and Family Services, she makes a sharpt exit. A product of the care system herself, Harper would never abandon a child to its vagaries. Instead, with the help of retired cop TJ, the mentor who helped her get back on the straight and narrow, and her ex-partner Reggie, she embarks on a quest to find May's parents that takes her from Brooklyn to Florida and into the heart of a multi-million dollar fraud and extortion scandal which is already under investigation by the FBI. In this dangerous world, Harper must keep not only May, but herself safe in her determined mission to reunite the little girl with her Mom.
I really enjoyed the primary plot of this story - the mystery of May's parents whererabouts and Harper's quest for clues is enough to keep anyone reading. I found the subplot of the fraud scandal a little hard-going at times, possibly because it took the reader away from the main characters who are really the heart and soul of this book.
But the writing is faultless- the author captures the sounds, smells and sights of New York and Florida, the plot is well-structured and suspense oozes from every page. A snappy narrative and dialogue moves the story on. But it's the human relationships that make this so very readable. Harper and TJ's relationship should be cliched, but their affection for each other shines out from the page. He's the only man she can turn to - though it seems Reggie might be a good 'un, too, if only Harper could resolve her trust issues. Will May help her see that a little girl does not have to be lost and alone forever? A thrilling and ultimately heart-warming read.

Are you in the mood to be swept up in the mystery and drama of a great crime thriller? Then Alex Hart’s debut novel is one you need to add to your TBR.

If you’re a parent then the theme of this book is definitely going to resonate with you and possibly give you heart palpitations. 4-year-old May is left in a New York department store. On her own – just left there!

The shop assistants don’t notice her but photojournalist Harper Stein does and when she steps in to help, she ends up taking on far more than she bargained for. What starts out as her doing her good citizen duty, results in her not wanting May to be taken into the Family Services department of the police.

As someone with a chequered history as a child in care, Harper wants to do everything she can to find May’s parents herself before subjecting sweet, innocent May to the horrors of the system.

So, Harper enlists the help of her longtime friend and retired cop, TJ who, in turn, enlists the help of current cop and Harper’s ex-boyfriend, Reggie. Between the three of them, they follow the scant clues they initially have which leads to May’s home state of Florida and a mystery involving the Liberty of the Mind Legacy… Just who are May’s parents? And why was she so awfully just abandoned in New York city?

I did feel that Harper might have missed a trick by not trying to pump a little more information out of May – she didn’t ask her that many questions and – being a mother of a 4 year old, I know how much they love questions – asking them, answering them, just generally talking non-stop. Although the story might have been a lot shorter if it had taken this route!

There were lost of moments I felt really nervous about what was going to happen to May. As a plot device this was very well done as I couldn’t not find out what happens to May – ensuring I kept reading until the end of the book. Harper was a great character too, tough but vulnerable you really warm to her there is great sexual tension between Harper and her ex that adds a little sizzle to the read.

I happily whizzed through Take Me Home over a few afternoons in the garden. The pace is fast, the plot developments keep coming and just when you think you’ve sussed out what’s happening, the narrative takes a swerve. What more could you want from a crime thriller?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, just wow. What an intense read!
Alex Hart is an amazing author. The cover is also beautiful.
This book certainly pulled on my heart strings... to say the least.
It really makes you question some people's parenting, or lack there of.
The book was fast-paced and thrilling.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is a debut author.

Fast paced ,exciting and thrilling.

Packed with intrigue and tension this is a fantastic action packed debut.

Desperate to know the truth follow Harper as she races to uncover secrets and get the girl home .

My thanks to Alainna of Orion for the tour invite and for providing a copy of the book via Netgalley.

Living in New York, Harper, a photo journalist is behind on her rent and trying to avoid her landlord. Desperate for some work, she goes to a store to buy a dress she can’t afford for a job as a possible standby for someone later that evening. Whilst trying the dress on, she sees a young girl sitting on her own by the changing rooms. The job doesn’t materialise so several hours later she returns the dress only to find the same girl sitting in the same place – no sign of any parent. With the store about to close, security are not that interested so she takes the 4 year old girl, called May – to the local police station. However when eventually told that May will be placed under the care of family services, she decides to take her home for the night for safety. Harper herself has been under the care of that system and knows how brutal it can be for a child.

However well meaning Harper was, it didn’t seem quite the right thing to do however she calls upon her friends, TJ, a retired ex cop who has become a substitute father figure and reluctantly involves Reggie, an ex boyfriend and NYPD cop to try and find May’s parents. All May can tell them is that she was left there to wait for her mother by ‘Uncle Orange’.

Thus begins a story that begins in New York, ends up in Florida and involves all sorts of dubious characters and deceptions which it seems the FBI are also following. The main part of the story takes place in Florida with Harper, TJ and Reggie on the trail of an elusive cult leader. I have to admit that although this was a pacy and a suspenseful read, some parts did seem a bit convoluted and I kept trying to work out how the strands would connect and what the relevance was. I had different scenarios working out in my head as to what could be happening and why May had been left but the ending, when it came, certainly had me floored. I wasn’t expecting that.

Harper is an impulsive and feisty character, streetwise and smart, she can handle herself in tough situations, however her soft spot is TJ. He has been the main constant in her life and although not a blood relation, is the only person that she will take notice of. Her relationship with Reggie is complicated, and his job is compromised by her actions which causes friction between them.

I did enjoy this, the three main characters were engaging and as frustrating as Harper was at times, especially where Reggie was concerned, I was rooting for her all the way through. The relationship between May and TJ was endearing; despite his reservations about Harper’s actions, he wasn’t going to let them face this alone. May was the one character to tug at my heart, she was such a sweet child, I couldn’t understand how anyone could just leave her.

Although this story was wrapped up following a rather dramatic conclusion, I do wonder whether we will meet these three characters again as some aspects of their own stories seem to have been left open, maybe to allow for a second outing? I do hope so.

Well I decided to suspend my disbelief after the first couple of chapters or I never would have finished the book. So with that in mind I still found it rather hard going. The dialogue is clunky and some of the add on story goes on too long..
I do think lots of people will enjoy it immensely though and I have recommended it to a couple who this specific type of story appeals to.

This is one of those books that needs half stars.
Harper, a struggling photographer, comes across a young girl in a clothing store who appears to be abandoned, and comes to realize that nobody is looking for her. She enlists the help of her retired cop friend and her ex-boyfriend, a current cop, to locate the girl’s parents. But naturally, their search turns out to be far more involved and treacherous than they bargained for.
The things I liked - the story was pretty fast-paced and compelling enough to want to find out how this little girl ended up on her own, over a thousand miles away from her home. Also, the protagonists weren’t always able to outsmart or overpower the “bad guys”, nor solve everything with clues pulled out of thin air. I definitely appreciate realistic characters.
Why I didn’t rate it four stars - there were a couple of storylines that were given way more space than they warranted and made the book seem a little bogged down. Also, there were a handful of grammatical errors that just bugged, like using “I” were it should have been “me”. That’s such a pet peeve. All in all, though, pretty enjoyable.
Thanks to #netgalley and #orionpublishing for this ARC of #takemehome in exchange for an honest opinion.

Harper, a struggling photojournalist gets a potential assignment that would require her to dress up, so she has to go out and buy a dress she can not afford, with the plan to return it the next day. While she is at the store she sees a little girl sitting by herself near the dressing room, and assumes her mom is trying on clothes. As Harper is on her way home, she gets a call saying the assignment went to someone else, so she turns around and heads back to the mall to return the dress before the store closes. She finds the little girl still sitting in the same spot, and no one else in the store except for the store clerk. Harper tries to help May find her mom but discovers no one seems to be missing May. She ends up taking May home and enlisting the help of some friends in law enforcement to try to track down where May came from and why no one is looking for her.
This book has gotten almost entirely excellent reviews, but for some reason I just did not enjoy it. I think it was a combination of the dialogue seemed a little off to me, and a lot of the situations were just too far-fetched. But take that with a grain of salt.....that is just my personal view, and a lot of other people really loved the book. It just wasn't for me.

Let me start by saying this is so much more than I expected. From the blurb I was expecting a mystery thriller, but to get a police procedural with FBI involvement, some strange cult, more than one mystery and awesome characters to boot was more than a pleasant surprise.

Harper is everything I love in a female protagonist, she’s independent, smart, tough, feisty and with a difficult background she’s not afraid to break the rules. Enlisting the help of retired cop TJ and ex (also current cop) Reggie the three embark on solving the mystery behind the little girls abandonment.

What a ragtag motley crew Harper, TJ and Reggie made and I absolutely loved them. So much so I’ve begged the author for more of them as this would make a great start to a series and I was worried it was a standalone. I’m not ready to let go of the characters yet and that to me says it all.

The plot is another great selling point. I really thought I knew where it was going then boom. I had been played by the author all along with red herrings and misdirection. It’s not often a book is plot and character driven, if it is the pace suffers because of it. Not the case here as I needed to know what was going on I sped through it at lightning speed. (Then regretted it as it was finished). So if you fancy trying to work it out for yourself and spending a few hours with some great characters I highly recommend this.

Great premise for a book. What would you do if you found a seemingly abandoned little girl in a store that was closing for the day with a young saleswoman who had no plans to help her find her mother. Harper, a photojournalist, takes it upon herself to help the little girl, May. Given her own background she chooses to keep the little girl with her, much to the dismay of her friend, TJ, a retired police officer. He enlists the aid of her ex, another police officer. A thrill ride from NYC to Florida ensues and the mystery continues. Many twists and turns later, justice prevails and a happy ending for most. So loved the relationship between Harper and TJ. Brought me to tears several times, thankful that each had the other. Many many thanks to Alex Hart, Orion, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this engaging read, published on April 16, 2020.

This was an absolutely wonderful thriller, along the lines of authors like Lisa Jewell, Gillian McAllister, Rea Frey, TM Logan... this book gets you hooked from the start.

Young, free, single and kind of broke, Harper has to find a dress for a job, and quickly. Little does she know that stepping into that dress store is about to change her life...

May has been abandoned, left alone in a big city that she doesn’t belong to, with no trace of any family, and no one reports her missing. Harper finds her, but what does she do? What can she do? Having grown up in care herself, she can’t bear to see this little girl suffer, but surely she has to do the right thing...

Harper has a good friend in TJ, an ex-cop who has been one of the only people she has had around to care about her in her life & act like a father figure. So, she turns to him for help, which in turn brings her ex-boyfriend Reggie back into her life. Together they try to work out what could have happened to May in her short life that led to her being left alone in a city like New York.

There are so many twists and turns in this book, a lot of characters, good and bad. The main focus is on Harper, May, TJ and Reggie. All of which are such likeable and relatable characters who just want to do the right thing. Reggie is clearly still in love with Harper, willing to risk his career to help her, and TJ is unwittingly doing anything he can to keep Harper happy and out of trouble ... which doesn’t exactly happen.

What follows is a story of crime, corruption, heartache - a wild goose chase involving cults, road trips, crazy businessmen and FBI agents. All with (mostly) the same goal, to find May and find her parents.

Harper, along with TJ and Reggie, come across some undesirable people on their journey, which takes them across the country to a place of worship, a place where con men are rife but they know there’s something there that will lead them to Mays family. The quest to get to the truth lands them, and mostly Harper, in some sticky situations.

I didn’t see the ending coming, which to me is always the sign of a good, well written novel, no matter the genre. This book left me feeling like I had just watched an action movie, and I would definitely like to find out more about what happens to these characters after the story ends.

A sequel telling the story next for Harper and Reggie would be great to find out what Harper does next, for herself and her future (don’t want to add too many spoilers) and how (and if) the gang we grew to know in this book stay in touch as May grows.

This book was a genuine joy to review and I look forward to seeing more from this author in future.

I really enjoyed reading this twisty book. I loved the characters, and the pace of the book. The plot was great and kept me guessing. It was full of surprises and I had no idea what was going to happen, and I loved it.Really good book to read and I would recommend it to other readers who like this genre. I want to read more, please.

The description sounded interesting and the story actually was with lots of emotions to go through. How could anyone abandon a child? It all becomes clear with this mystery, adventure and enthralling plot. There's a bit of a road trip and bonding which melts the heart as you know what will happen. A side plot distracts you for a bit following the wrong lead but it's quite exciting and well written to keep you enticed.

A must read!

Take Me Home

Harper, on a shopping trip for herself, sees a little girl in a store. On returning to the store much later to take back a dress, the little girl is still there. Unsure of where her mother is, Harper takes the girl. They go to the nearest precinct yet after an agonising wait gets faced with the words Family Services. She makes a rash decision and takes the girl to TJ’s house, an ex cop. They start their own investigation after finding a note in May’s pocket. Their search leads them to Palm Beach, and a wellness centre. There’s something dodgy going on. They end up in the midst of what seems like a blackmail and extortion ring, whilst trying to find May’s family. Harper is eventually led to the clinic of a renowned plastic surgeon and from then on the story spirals! In a race against time Harper tries to make it back to new York before its too late to find out the truth!

Really enjoyed reading this book. I had no idea what was going to come about in the ending- I can’t really write my theory in case it gives too much away!

All in all a great read, would definitely recommend!

# Take Me Home #
It’s was a quick start for Harper to find May. Although after that parts of the book became unbelievable. As a example security in the shopping complex wasn’t interest when harper approached them. Nor really was the police. She ended up taking May with her and relying on a police friend and ex lover for find Myas parents. The FBI are following a cult that are involved. That leads to May in some
Way. Harper heads to Florida with May soon followed my TJ it’s slow but interesting, I almost gave up on the book a couple of time’s. However I just had to find out if mays mum was ever found. Harper and Mays relationship was touching and heartbreaking in but with some heart melting moments. Had it not been for that relationship and wanting to know how of if May found her mum, or not. I would have given up on the book. Also it’s not really a book suitable for speed reading, the writing is intense plus easy to miss something of importance near finding mays mum and about the cult involved. If you like this dark intense thriller although not particularly a good storyline. With lots of words not necessary. Do I recommend this book personal no. However we all like different books