Loved this book! Wow what a ride from the start, literally couldn’t put it down! Lots of twist and turns. Have never read any of this author before , won’t be the last!

Cole Baxter is such a hidden gem and current get the recognition they deserve. This book has everything you want in thriller - twists, turns, dislikable characters, and ultimately the character you want to root for. I couldn’t put this book down.

Absolutely brilliant book. Ava is an extremely well written character, I absolutely hated her from the start. Rose has a battle on her hands to keep her family from her clutches.

This was a good book but I wasn’t as impressed with this one as I have been with his other work. I had most of the story already figured out and I hate when that happens. There was not any big reveals in this book, to me anyway. But overall still a good read.

His Secret Child by new to me author C. Baxter is a thriller of its finest. Complex, complicated, twisty and utterly evilish.
I fell hook line and sinker for storyline writing and characters. I enjoyed every chapter, every sentence, a literally unputdownable book.
Blurb: I stand at my father’s funeral, tears rolling down my cheeks. Someone puts a hand on my shoulder, pulling me into a hug. As I look into the face of a woman I’ve never seen before, she whispers something that shatters my world. “He was my father too.”
Staring into the woman’s eyes, I can’t believe that my steady, dependable father could do this to me. But a hush falls over my family as my ‘new sister’ Ava spills secrets about his hidden affairs and how he bought her silence. Now she’s finally free, she wants to be a part of the family.
But as my relatives welcome her with open arms, I’m certain something isn’t right. Details of her childhood keep changing. And I catch the way she looks at my fiancé, batting her long lashes and touching his well-toned arm. Can this woman be trusted? Does anyone else share my fears? Then, with a snide smile, away from the eyes of my family, she tells me that she knows my own dark secret.
I need to stay silent to keep myself safe. Until I find a crumpled white envelope in my father’s office that makes my blood run cold.

His Secret Child is a fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the very beginning. This book kept me guessing the entire time with all of the twists and turns with a shocking ending. This was an easy read that I couldn't put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of His Secret Child by Cole Baxter due to be published August 20, 2024.
I had previously read four other books by Cole Baxter so I was excited to get this book!
As Rose and her fiancé, Adrian, stand at the grave at her father’s funeral, a person Rose has never seen before utters the words, “He was my father, too.” And so it starts – Can Rose trust Ava, her new sister? Or any of her other family members? Are they all out to get their hands on her father’s money?
This was an easy read – one day – but a good one. There was a lot to be discovered in Rose’s family with her mother, aunt, cousin, brother, and even her new “sister” and her fiancé. This one will keep you guessing until the end!
Another good one by Cole Baxter!
#NetGalley #ColeBaxter #Bookouture #HisSecretChild

⭐⭐⭐⭐
His Secret Child by Cole Baxter is a twisted and heart-racing psychological thriller about wealth and greed and all the crazy things people will do for money!

I loved it, like absolutely loved but the end was a bit too far stretched so I lost a bit of reality, but, if I ignore that, this is an absolutely excellent read!

Rose, oh my how much I loved this character! From the wealthy grey mouse, she turned into the shining and brave swan! It was a pleasure to watch how that character grew in front of our eyes!

Charles Blaisdell, a crazy wealthy man dies from a heart attack and before his body can cool down, relatives like hungry birds of prey are there to pull everything in pieces and grab as much as they can!

A surprise arrives at the funeral - Ava, the secret daughter of Charles... at least this is what she is saying. Ava is confident and clearly knows what she wants and she will make sure everyone knows that she will not stop until 7 billion will land in her bank account!

Rose's mother Thelma will not confirm or deny so Rose has no choice but to take the matter into her own hands.

Things are crazy and intense and everyone is ready to destroy each other throats! What a family!

As I said the ending was a bit too much, things just didn't make sense but I still loved how things ended.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for this copy :)

I enjoy both Baxters’ works. As always, his books are easy to read and a nice reprieve from heavier stuff! I was happy about the plot as I was afraid it was another book about a child. There were definitely some vicious characters in this one. I did feel like it had too much duplication at times although I wasn’t sure how I would change it. Not thrilling, but interesting!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel – a fascinating plot written in a fluid style of writing that keeps you focused throughout. I particularly liked how the author smartly changes the dynamics smoothly to keep the reader invested in the plot.

Rose Blaisdale has made it. She has her own place, a good job, and a handsome fiancé. Her wealthy, overbearing family is the only blot on her landscape with their endless, showy family get-togethers, which she dreads as she’s never felt she fits in or accepted.

When her father dies, jaw-dropping secrets about the family come to light. Who is the stranger at the funeral? It changes Rose’s life and unsettles her fragile equilibrium. Beneath the family’s charm and wealth, she senses they are shallow and disingenuous. How will she cope with these raw, unforeseen circumstances? Her security falters and hits a dangerously low level. Fight or flight?

It made me consider that she might walk away from the poisonous rabble after the way they’ve treated her, with or without their tainted money. Nobody needs people like them in their lives. A cold-hearted mother, Thelma, a drunk, lazy brother, Devon, a vindictive Aunt Melinda and her violent son, Joey. In particular, I found Thelma’s reactions unnatural at every level – as a wife, mother, sister and widow.

OUCH!!! Quote - “I don’t know, maybe they’ll find someone hot to attract the female viewers,” she teased. Unquote. What an accidentally implied insult to poor Gregory. It wouldn’t have done his male ego much good despite it being a teasing remark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture

I love Cole Baxter. His books never disappoint and leave me waiting for the next one. This will keep you entertained for the next several hours. A killer ending as well.

Whilst this is a good solid novel and well written, it wasn't the most exciting. It was also somewhat predictable and felt a bit flat. I wasn't sure what to make of Rose, and although I did finish it, I did skip a few pages at times. Cole is still a great author and I will read more of their work.

DNF the premise itself was lacking but the book failed to grab me in the first chapter and after that we all know it’s an uphill battle.

I felt this was predictable and and an overdone plot. I basically read the beginning and turned to the back to see the end. It just didn't have anything new that grabbed my attention.

A family secret revealed upon a death opens a “can of worms” as many more secrets come to light. With twists and turns added as the tale progresses the reader is kept guessing and gets surprised along the way.

Another fab read from this author.

A thriller/domestic drama. A wealthy family full of rotten relatives.
I wanted to shout at Rose several times.
Lots of twists and turns until we finally get to the bottom of things.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I was hooked from the beginning and the questions kept coming. Was Ava really Rose’s father’s secret daughter? Did her father die or was he murdered? The mystery deepens when Rose’s brother also ends up in hospital. Rose is sure Ava isn’t to be trusted but the rest of the family, including her fiancé Adrian, seen to adore her - preferring her to Rose who has never really felt like she belonged. Is Rose paranoid as they all think? A twisty thriller that makes you ask just what will people do for money.

Wow what a read. This is a really twisted novel about a young woman called Rose who is treated badly by all of her family and on the day of her fathers funeral a woman called Ava turns up claiming she’s his daughter and that Rose is in fact the bastard child. As she threatens to go to tell the world the truth unless she gets her cut of the inheritance it looks like something darker is going on as her Brother ends up in hospital with the same thing that killed her Dad. As Rose becomes more ostracised from her family it’s up to her alone to find out the truth but with her family all falling for Avas charms it seems only she can see the real danger they are in and will she get to the truth before something worse happens. I won’t spoil this but it’s a great read. Although the abuse she suffers from her family may be slightly triggering.

Is she his daughter?

That’s the biggest question in this book, which begins with a party, after which Charles Blaisdell, Jr., dies in his sleep. Thelma, his wife, and his children, Devon and Rose, are obviously devastated. The last thing on their mind was the inheritance, but soon Charles’s sister Melinda and her jailbird son Joey show up, wanting their piece of the pie. Charles was worth $12 billion, and while Rose has never cared about the family money, everyone else seems very concerned about the will.

Before the will is read, we have the funeral. Thelma is in hysterics, Devon is wasted and can barely stand, and Rose was just glad that her fiancé Adrian was there with her for a calming presence around her crazy family. As they’re leaving to go back to the house, Rose spots a vaguely familiar woman watching from a distance, but she brushes it off - until the woman shows up at the Blaisdell house after the funeral, where she immediately drops a bomb: her mother had a one-night-stand with Charles, and she is his daughter.

Ava’s mother recently died, and she didn’t get a chance to know Charles, so she’s there for her part of the inheritance that she feels she deserves after living a life away from her family. Needless to say, when the will is read, Ava is not listed as a beneficiary. She’s simmering - this rich man got her mom pregnant then made them struggle, by leaving them with nothing. She has DNA testing proving her relationship, and oh yeah, one more thing! She also has DNA evidence showing that Rose isn’t a Blaisdell after all, and says she will sue to get Rose’s cut of the fortune.

You can only imagine how crazy things get from this point on! Threats are made, lawyers are hired, fights are started, people get arrested - the drama in this book is highly entertaining (if not slightly unrealistic). Are Rose and Ava half-sisters? Are they related at all, if Ava’s claims of Rose having a different biological father are true? And even if they are, is Ava really deserving of a payout? You’ll find out with a fast-paced story that has an action-packed ending, and it’s good. Most mystery/thriller lovers should enjoy this one! Four stars.

(Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me onto this book’s tour. “His Secret Child” is slated to be released on August 20, 2024.)

Book releases on August 20 so add this book to your “To Be Read” now or just do yourself a favor and preorder the book on @Amazon!

A book you won’t want to put down, you think you know the truth and yet a twist turns here and there!

Thank you @Netgalley and @bookouture for this opportunity to read and give a review on this book!