I read and loved C. E. Rose’s previous book called ‘The House Of Hidden Secrets’, which was released in April 2021. So when I heard that the author was due to release another book called ‘The House On The Water’s Edge’, I just knew that I had to grab a copy and read is as soon as I was able to. Well I managed to grab a copy and oh boy, ‘The House On The Water’s Edge’ is one hell of a read, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading but more about that in a bit.
I was drawn into this story from the very first word on the very first page. It was as if the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn’t willing to break. This hold lasted until the moment I read the very last word on the very last page. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I had an inkling of what I thought was going to happen in the story and so I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down the wrong path entirely. It was easy to become so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of the story. I found ‘The House On The Water’s Edge’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The House On The Water’s Edge’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from C. E. Rose. She certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story. For me the story hits the ground running and maintains a fairly fast pace throughout. The tension levels certainly increase throughout the story and there is a dramatic conclusion. Reading ‘The House On The Water’s Edge’ felt like being on a scary and at times unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and at the heart of the action, which is thanks to C. E. Rose’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The House On The Water’s Edge’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I look forward to reading much more from this author in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The House on the Water's Edge oozes with emotional complications which have no easy answers.

Gripping, emotional and heartwarming with excellent writitng that delves into the intricate melding of character because there's something inherently dramatic in the story of an individual discovering that everything she thought she knew about her life was wrong, causing her to question her own memories and question her sense of self.

An often intense book with an ultimately positive take on ripping open old wounds so they can heal. A brilliant read!

This was a slow burning twisty mystery which had me hooked from the very first page and was soon drawn into wanting to know what secrets were hidden in the past and how they unfold when Alison is faced with the sudden death of her mum in a car crash whilst coming to terms with being a new mum and having a relationship that is teetering on the brink

Will the key to unlocking the past shape Alison’s future happiness? This was an edge of the seat read which I couldn’t put down and read in practically one sitting. Absolutely love this authors books and highly recommend.

Ali Baker is having a hard time. She has a husband who is a bit distant these days, a new baby that she loves, but she's just so tired all the time, she had a difficult delivery, and her mother died a very short time ago. Where is the successful barrister she worked so hard to become?

Ali's mom had called her shortly before her death in a car accident. She's riddled with guilt because she let the call go unanswered.

Needing some time and space, she decides to go back to her hometown, to settle her mother's estate and personal belongings. Long gone memories now rise to the surface and she discovers there were family secrets she was unaware of.

Ali may finally discover her mother's secrets... but at what cost?

This is well-written with an intriguing plot and a story line filled with twists and turns that just don't quit. The characters are solidly drawn ... some more likable than others. The conclusion is totally unexpected and surprising.

Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Ali is married, a lawyer and a new mum. As if that isn't enough to cope with, her mum is killed in a tragic accident, leaving her with many unanswered questions. Worried about her own ability to mother properly and not feeling much love for her husband, Ali goes to her mother's house to sort through her things. With her sister Laura overseas, Ali is left to pack up the house and unpack a whole raft of family secrets including the real identity of her mother's gardener. But why is Ali seeing things that are putting her on edge and could finding out the truth put her own life at risk? A gripping read with plenty and twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist comes at you. A great story.

When Ali gets a call from her sister Laura telling her their Mother is dead, she suddenly remembers there was something important her mother wanted to tell her.

But with her newborn baby and trying to get her life back in order, she wasn't listening; she had rushed her mother off the phone. But now Ali can't turn back time, she can't just call her mum to pick up where they left off.

So now, with a newborn, her sister in Canada she must sort out her mother's home; as well as uncover the secrets that have been kept.

I actually couldn't put this novel down. This novel has suspense and twists. Rose also misleads you with some characters, which only adds to the atmosphere of the novel.

I thought I had guessed the main plotline (I enjoy guessing these) only to have Rose completely prove me wrong with two more twists I hadn't expected!!

A book I would recommend!

Ali (Alison) is such a fascinating and well written character. A former high-flying barrister, the reader first meets her as a new mum and all is not well. Alison is struggling being a first-time mum but it seems so much more than that. She is having vivid dreams based around a lifelong fear she has held, she seems to be detached from life and her husband Miles is pretty useless. A strained phone call from her mother (Eve) who mentions that she has something Ali needs to know. Unfortunately, Eve dies in a terrible accident before Alison sees her again. This is also fuelled by an overheard conversation between her aunts at Eve’s funeral. This turns poor Ali’s world upside down. C E Rose creates a lot of atmosphere through the character of Ali and how turbulent her mind is. As a reader I was never sure if she was reliable or not which I love as a character trait. It always makes me feel as though I’m not quite seeing things as they really are and gives me a sense of paranoia and inability to trust anyone.
I loved Ali’s relationship with her sister Laura too. At first it seemed fractured and there is definitely some unsaid business between them however when they come together at the funeral and throughout, it becomes clear how much they do think of each other.
The plot is a slow burner but builds nicely to develop the characters and setting. It never feels particularly slow. When Ali goes to Norfolk to sort her mother’s things, she begins to uncover forgotten memories and meets with some friends of her mother. There are several surprises and some tension in the mix too.
A slow but well-paced mild thriller with well written characters.

This was a completely new author to me and I know I seem to be writing that a lot recently. I was immediately drawn to this book as its set near to where I live in Norfolk. The cover perfectly depicts the moody skies of this county.

I really felt for the main character Ali who is dealing with a newborn and a husband who seems to be little more than a needy child himself. Then Ali's mother calls and says she has something important to tell her but Ali is too preoccupied. Little does she know that would be the last time she spoke to her Mother and what she had to say would become a mystery to try and uncover.

The story is a slow burn and the tension builds up when Ali is staying at her Mother's house tying up her affairs. I thought the author wrote the location really well which was a blend of quaint and rural village life with something sinister bubbling beneath.

There were plenty of twists and secrets to be revealed. Some I had guessed but others I was surprised by. The final reveal wrapped the story up neatly and felt complete. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something full of suspense and intrigue.

I am afraid I found this book to be much too slow. Also I didn't connect with the characters, and just did not enjoy reading this book. Sorry ,but not a good read for me.

This is my first novel by this author, CE Rose, and I did enjoy the mysterious tale of it.

We meet Ali who has recently given birth to her son and like most new mothers is struggling with the hectic life with a new-born. Unfortunately to top of Ali's new hard lifestyle her mother tragically dies leaving behind there mystery of her last words to Ali, which were "I need to tell you....".

Ali returns home to sort out her deceased mothers home and uncovers lots of past secrets, hidden mysteries and the like. I did enjoy the characters within this novel and I could understand completely Ali's feeling of the new motherhood land that us mums are swept into when having that first new baby.

I enjoyed CE Rose's writing style and enjoyed the fast, pace of this novel. If you enjoy a good overall mystery novel that has a somewhat taste of domestic noir then this is a good novel to pick up and read.

Thanks to NetGalley, CE Rose and the publishers for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed CE Rose previous book, The House of Hidden Secrets, and I liked this one as well, but (there's a but of course) I have to admit it is a very, very slow burn.
So expect to get irritated by Ali and by all the other characters (but Ali especially) until well into half the book, because you'll have the sensation that nothing is really happening until then and, if you're like me, you'll get really frustrated by Ali's erratic behaviour.
But after that you will start reading a complete whole new book, with twists and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat right until the end. And the wait will be definitely worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, I think I mist be in the minority with this book because it didn't resonate with me as it did others. Although I enjoyed it to be begin with, that soon changed when really...nothing changed in the story. Every character got on my nerves and I wanted to bash every single one of their heads together and shout "what the hell is wrong with you?" And as a result, I didn't much care what happened to them. I made it halfway through the book when I thought "you know what? I don't give a toss what secrets are buried anymore because it's taking too damn long to get there!"

In her previous life, Ali was a successful barrister facing off against some of the worst criminals first for the defence and now as a prosecutor. But that all changed when she gave birth to little Joe five weeks ago. Now she's a blubbering self conscious mess smelling of baby puke having not showered in how many days. She was looking forward to her mother's visit the following day when she called earlier in the week to say she was travelling up from Norfolk to where Ali lived with hubby Miles in Manchester. In desperation, Ali said to her mum "You're coming as a helper, not a guest?" as she felt she needed all the help she could get. This motherhood thing was nothing like she had imagined.

But that all changed when her sister Laura called from Canada to tell her that their mother was dead. Just like that. "Ali? Mum's dead." Apparently, her mother's friends called Laura to let her know....but why they didn't call Ali (who is actually in the country) was beyond me. Now, after going through the life-changing disruption of motherhood with which she was struggling and now her mother, her best friend, was dead. All the more reason to sit in a daze unshowered and unchanged in a dirty messy house all day, I should think. Of course, hubby Miles didn't agree. In fact, he appeared to be distant and cold to her needs and was blind to her struggling. He knew she was finding things difficult and his answer was to present his interfering mother Madeleine as a solution.

Before her mother's tragic death, she had wanted to tell Ali something but Ali had cut her off and told her to hold it till the weekend when she would be arriving. And in the ensuing days, she called a number of times but Ali rejected each of them. Why I've no idea. If my mother was calling me, I'd answer. Now, she has no idea what it was that her mother wanted so desperately to tell her. But it's when she's at the wake that she overhears her aunts whispering about some secret alluding to her father who died twenty five years ago and her mother's subsequent move from Sheffield to Norfolk.

But it was her mother-in-law Madeleine's interference that lit a fire under Ali to get her moving after overhearing a telephone conversation in which Madeleine alluded to just how badly Ali was coping and hinting at a sanatorium in which to install her while she, Madeleine, whisked Joe away to her Cheshire home to care for him. Ali was livid and could hardly hide her anger as she thanked Madeleine and ushered her out the door. Then as soon as Miles had left for his big trial in London, Ali loaded their bags and Joe into carseat and made the five hour long journey to Norfolk to their old holiday house in which their mother had lived for the past seventeen years.

Finally! Finally I thought it was going to get interesting and finally Ali was going to start uncovering secrets long buried about her family and all that. But no. Upon arrival, Ali continued in her neurotic state seeing shadows and hearing noises. Walks to the shops or the river or where ever else. Nothing was bloody happening!

Talk about slow moving! The whole story was almost stagnant. And Ali annoyed me no end. She kept on about her episiotomy and peeing and all that that I began to wonder at her ability as a successful barrister. Then there was her constant griping about breastfeeding and yet she kept doing it and she kept letting us know she was doing it. She didn't even appear to be all that enamoured with Joe and I'm not overly maternal myself but really, she seemed rather detached from everything. I know she had just had a baby, which is life-changing, and was in the midst of grief over her mum's death...but she barely cried. She barely did anything. I thought once she got to Norfolk, things would start to get interesting as she delved into her mother's things and uncovered the secrets to which the premise has alluded. But no...by the halfway point she still hadn't done any digging or delving. Just more moaning and self deprecation.

By this point I was...I don't care anymore. Ali was annoying. Laura was self-obsessed. Miles was distant and uncaring. Madeleine was an interfering bitch. Tom and Joan weren't in it long enough by the time I tossed it for me to form an opinion. I saw no twists, no suspense but there was plenty of tension...between the characters not the pages. I get Ali was still recovering from the birth and was probably suffering from post natal depression but I just found everyone around her so irritating that it made her character doubly annoying as well. And Laura had the most irritating habit of referring to baby Joe as "Thingy". Who calls a baby Thingy?

I don't know when the pace picked up because I gave it a good go till halfway afterwhich I ditched it. Life is too short and there are too many other books to be reading a book you are not enjoying.

If you want to give it a go and make it past the halfway point and see where it leads you, be my guest. You just might enjoy it. I, however, didn't because I never made it that far.

I would like to thank #CERose, #Netgalley and #HeraBooks for an ARC of #TheHouseOnTheWatersEdge in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this book was on-point: The pacing built suspense, the main character's internal monologue was captivating and interesting, the story unraveled in just the right way, and by the end, I was cheering for the outcome. Some may find the ending shocking, but I found it to be the perfect way to wrap up the plot, which was fairly dark and sinister at times. If you like psychological thrillers like The Silent Patient, you'll love this!

A very enjoyable twisty thriller.

Lots of emotion within these pages, I really liked the contrast with the feeling of dread and anticipation that you can feel coming. Slow moving in places but the pay off is worth it!

I didn’t care for Ali but I still really loved this story! A must read.

4/5

i so enjoyed this story very twisty .Ali gets a phone call from her sister .Laura who lives in Canada that there mum has died in a car crash . Ali cant take it in she has a young baby boy . and her mum was coming to stay to help her .. the last time she spoke to her mum she wanted to tell her something , Ali is married to Miles who is a layer and Ali was before she gave it all up for her baby boy. but Miles is never at home and she does not trust her mother_in_law ,Ali decides to go to her mothers house to sort out things but Miles is as cold as ever with her what is he up to there she meets her mothers gardener , and she figures a lot of secrets out wont say no more but so good

In her last phone call with her mother, Ali was busy and dismissive of her. Her mum’s last words to her were "I have something I need to tell you". Her Mum, Eve, was due to visit Ali at the weekend but that never happened after a tragic accident.
What was her mother wanting to tell her?
Her sister Laura lives in Canada and comes over to attend the funeral. They play on the swings and reminisce about their childhood.
Ali takes baby Joe and goes to her mum’s house in Norfolk to sort things out after her death. Her dad had died a long time ago, and this visit brought back memories from his last summer. Her memories are triggered by old photos and letters, where she finds some things confusing and not as she remembered. Her mum had had some help around the property, looking after cleaning and gardening. And some of her parent’s old friends rally round her.
The setting on the Norfolk Broads was lovely, I’ve been there once, and it was nice to revisit it in this book.
I thought her husband Miles was a dodgy character, he wasn’t supportive in her new parent role. Her mother-in-law Madeleine was an interesting character. It must have been difficult for Ali to pause her career and dealing with the grief along with motherhood added extra hardship.
Perfectly-paced, full of suspense and twists that I wasn’t expecting.
It certainly had me gripped!
The notion of ‘respectable hair’ made me laugh and reminded me of my own mother.
Thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

Even before her mother's unexpected death, Ali isn't coping well. She complains a LOT about the aftereffects of giving birth. I had difficulty judging the passage of time in this book -- it seems like on one page she's complaining about her stitches and half a chapter later, although not a lot has happened in the plot, she's starting him on solids. I love domestic thrillers that involve parenting, but never warmed up to the protagonist of this one. She spends most of the book learning about things that happened in her childhood and the plot takes more than one unlikely twist before coming to an abrupt end.

A slow moving story about a woman trying to cope with a new baby and the sudden death of her mother.
I found this book depressing and I skipped parts trying to find an interesting part of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera books for providing an ARC to read and review. This is a suspenseful novel following Ali Baker who is struggling to cope with a new baby, a disappointing marriage, and the sudden death of her mother. When Ali returns home to get her mother's affairs in order, she starts to stumble down a path of discovering secrets. Overall I felt like the book moved kind of slow until the second half.

The House on the Water's Edge is a really exciting and thrilling read. While Ali recovers from the loss of mother while still coping with the birth of her first child, The House on the Water's Edge follows Ali as she uncovers some family secrets with lots of twists and turns. It's a really detailed thriller that draws you in.