The story is about a couple going to a remote part and spending some time alone before they welcome their baby, essentially “baby moon”. However when they get there it looks a little shady, the owners Barry and Fiona seem welcoming and nice so to me as a reader Jamie and Victoria (the couple welcoming baby) change their mind. When they wake up they notice doors shut, windows shut, belongings gone and no sight of the owners and the worst happens! Victoria is in labor!! Do they make it to hospital in time? Fast forward to the future and it looks like the couples marriage is in shambles. My overall review of the book is 4/5. It’s really good. The story line and plot is great. I just couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what was going on! I finished this book in about a day and a half. Highly recommend it, if you like suspense/thrillers/mystery or if you are a newbie and trying to get into this genre. It’s a light read.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the Guest House.
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first child. They have struggled with infertility and decide to stay at a guest house for a weekend away before the baby comes. However, on the first night of their trip Victoria goes into labor. They then discover that their keys and phone are missing and they are locked into the house. The story alternates between the past (that weekend) and present day and is told from the perspectives of Jamie and Victoria. The chapters are short and the story moves along nicely, making for a quick read.
As a parent, the first 2/3 of this book was very difficult to read because it made me extremely anxious. So much so that I almost stopped reading altogether, but I guess that is part of what the author was intending. I kept reading because I needed to see how everything was resolved, and I am not disappointed that I finished but this book fell flat for me.
The first part of the story was definitely riveting. The author did a great job of creating tension and dread. There was a twist that I did not see coming right before the ending, but then the ending seemed ridiculous and completely unrealistic. I am sure stranger things have happened in real life but it just seemed like the characters were in these completely bizarre situations, and then making even more bizarre decisions to try and find their way out. I really despised most of the characters, even Jamie, and was disappointed that they seemed to get off easily at the end.
Overall I think this book had an interesting premise and the author did a great job of creating a true nightmare for parents, I just couldn't get past some of the more unrealistic plot points.

| About |

How far would you go to protect the ones you love?
Jamie and Victoria are off for a last quick vacation before the arrival of their first baby. The remote country guesthouse Victoria chose seems like the perfect retreat―miles away from the distractions of work and their regular life. And the older couple that run the establishment, Barry and Fiona, are more than accommodating.
But when Jamie and Victoria awake on their first morning, they find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. And their cell phones and car keys have disappeared.
They have no way out and no way to call for help and the contractions are getting stronger.


| My thoughts |

I don’t always love dual timelines nor switching narrators, this story handled it well. It allowed the overall deeper connection of both characters with the reader. I found Jaimie rather whiny. Victoria seemed disconnected, but when you finish it you’ll understand; so forgiven. I found the overall story one that I couldn’t put down and wanted to finish. The topic was frightening, tense and plausible. The twists I’ll admit I didn’t see coming that’s what made me give this book a four star rating normally you can guess at the outcome. You can try but I doubt you’ll be right. I wasn’t.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robin Morgan-Bentley and poisoned pen press for the gifted e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley is a solid addition to the overcrowded psychological suspense/thriller genre.

The book opens with Jamie and Victoria staying at a secluded guest house miles away from the nearest hospital, which is a questionable decision when your baby is due in three weeks, but is necessary for the plot. Victoria is going into labor and the doors are locked - from the inside - and their phones are keys are missing. And where have their hosts gone? This premise hooked me, since I love thrillers and I'm fascinated by birth stories. As the plot picked up speed I felt that it was going off the rails, but some twists that came along pulled it all together in the end.

Jamie was a likable character, though not always wise, which is common in thrillers. His character has cerebral palsy, and I found it interesting to learn how that can impact parenting. I haven't seen many main characters in thrillers with disabilities, so this was a welcome addition. Victoria was less likable, but I appreciated how her character developed by the end of the book.

The pacing was quick but even and clever. Many of the short chapters ended in cliffhangers or bombshells, which made the story compelling.

I will recommend this to readers who enjoy domestic thrillers/psychological suspense.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liked the book. Was hooked from the very first line. Highly recommended.

A seriously chilling read! You are thrown straight into a strange and unsettling atmosphere and it keeps you there all the way through the story!
There was fabulous tension, I loved the twists and turns and the ending really suprised me!
I loved how the little details created vulnerability in the characters, making this a twisted and interesting read.
Right up until the last page the perspectives are changing and throwing you from one direction to another.
A harrowing and tragic, unputdownable thriller!

Victoria & Jamies are taking one last vacation before their baby arrives. They are graciously greeted by B&B hosts Fiona & Barry who are eager to have visitors at their guest house. Jamie & Victoria wake up in the night to find Victoria is in labour! Their car keys are gone, their phones are gone and they are locked in.

This book had my anxiously biting my nails screaming "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I loved the description of the eerie guest house, and the sinister calmness of Fiona. It felt like I was in the house with them. Remind me to never go to a bed & breakfast in the middle of no where! This book is a quick, binge-able thriller.

This book is the reason the 🤯 emoji was invented. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tense while reading a book! Expertly crafted with a slowly unraveling mystery, this one is absolutely unputdownable. I loved the way the flashbacks and present day chapters were weaved together with the suspense just building and building. I am not a parent and have no desire to be a parent, yet my heart was absolutely aching for Victoria and Jamie for most of the book. The writing was excellent, with the perfect amount of detail to set the scene while not giving too much away. The author also did a wonderful job with cerebral palsy representation by incorporating his own experiences living with physical limitations. This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year, and definitely deserves a spot on the top of your TBR!

Thrilling, emotional and fast paced. The story starts with a pregnant Victoria and her partner staying at a guest house. Things take a turn for the worst as they find nobody else in the house and their belongings gone. What happens next is a punch after punch sequence of events that leave you turning page after page.

This story kept me guessing all the way through. The pace was great, even with the constant thrill of what is happening, it never felt exhausting. The characters were well written to a point where I disliked some then liked them, back and forth several times.

Overall this was a twist and turning, non stop, emotional ride that you don’t want to stop. 4/5 stars. You can chat books with me on Twitter @readsgavin

Ohh the title in itself is amazing! It’s so good and when you start reading It you will have ur mind racing to figure out who is who and who could of done things. It’s so good!

Wow! This book. OMG!! I don’t know if I could love something anymore than this. It has knocked out everything else I’ve read this year out of the park. I loved the alternating chapters of the past and the present. I was dying to figure out what had happened in that guest house and with their baby. Fiona and Barry were so vile and I loved to hate them but I also really hated them. I wanted to throw my book against the wall because I was so furious with them. But then the twist was a real doozy. I did not see that coming at all!

Thank you to Netgalley, Robin Morgan-Bentley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me this e-reader arc version in exchange for my honest review.
I thought this was a very well written thriller, mystery. I loved the way it was presented, and the way the story flowed. Great writing, and I'll be going back for more by this author.

A page turner of a psychological thriller. Good cast of characters and well designed twists and turns. First book I’ve read by this author, now I need to look into reading her other titles.

Personally wasn't a fan of the flash forward chapters I wish they had waited until we were done with the events at the guesthouse to talk about the aftermath, I feel like it took away some of the suspense. Also the plot twist at the end felt forced and rushed, I didn't hate it but felt like it had no build up at all.

* I've got this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*

In this book we have a couple, who struggles to have a baby, but after some time the luck is on their side and they fall pregnant. Some time forward we find out, that there's something happened. There's no baby, no family left only mystery of what happened.
Sound interesting is it not? I thought so too, when I read the description for the first time. And it actually was captivating for the first 20% of the book, then the story just started to repeat it self and it dragged and dragged for so long that I finally lost all the interest in it and skipped the last few pages.
All the characters in this book were suspitious and unlikable, so it was even harder to read a book like this. For me, I have to at least feel something for the character to like the book, but I couldn't care less what will happen to them.
And the plot had so much plot holes, that it reminden me of a swiss cheese.
I gave one star for the ending though, because I didn't expect for it to finish that way.
All in all, this book had a potential, but it just didn't deliver.

THE GUEST HOUSE by Robin Morgan-Bentley is straight up and without a doubt true Psychological Thriller/Horror as it ought to be written! The author knocks this one out of the metaphorical ball park. I consider it one of 2022's perfect books. No loose ends; a twisty, twisty, plot that spun my head numerous times, a knockout ending; and Mr. Morgan-Bentley is definitely unafraid to upend cultural tropes, such as the father's role in parenting, and a mother's storied attachment to her baby. These are but two of the tropes and Cultural Ideations that he turns inside out and upside down and every which way but loose.
This was a one-session read for me because under no circumstances could I stop reading!

This was a decent read. I liked the premise of it. The characters felt a little flat at times and there were parts, especially the ending that felt just way too unbelievable. But overall I enjoyed the tension and suspense, especially in the first half.

Jamie and Victoria decide to take a vacation to a beautiful guest house before their son is born. They wake up to find all the windows and doors locked. The owners Fiona and Barry are nowhere to be found. While Victoria isn't due for a few weeks, contractions start and there's no way out.

This story pulled me in right away. It's told in dual perspectives and timelines and it kept me on the edge of my seat. There's lots of twists and it's a quick read. The story is tense, enthralling, and hard to put down. None of the characters were particularly likable but sometimes that's needed for a story. Parts of the story weren't super believable but I could look past that because overall I really liked the story.

This book revolves around a far-fetched story… or is it? Be sure to read the epilogue. Great ending!!!

WOW! I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and I devoured this book in one afternoon. This is a wonderful book. I highly recommend this one.