Betrayal

Product Information

The main character, Eve was a mother, trying to protect herself and two children and how she was pushed to the limit by her husband, Don. Eve is to be admired for having the strength to do the right thing and soon herself and the children are placed in a women's refuge run by Marianne. Linda’s Book Bag readers should note that they may unsubscribe at any point from following the blog.

The beatings that Eve took are not the only shocking thing to happen and I didn't see the other thing coming so that was a complete surprise. I loved the big epic reads of Never Look Back and Trust Me and would love to read something like that again in the future from Lesley. This is not a light hearted read it is a storyline that tackles a number of disturbing situations, one in particular made for difficult reading but each situation was weaved into the storyline perfectly creating more depth and drama to the storyline. Her fiction includes 2018’s The Woman in the Wood, Dead to Me, Without a Trace, Survivor, Forgive Me and The Promise.

A bestselling British novelist, Lesley Pearse’s novels have sold more than ten million copies worldwide.

After a particularly vicious beating, Eve finds the courage to report him to police and is offered sanctuary at a women’s refuge in far-off Sidmouth in Devon. Story line was sound and I enjoyed watching Eve and her children develop once they were safe again and had control of their lives. But peace eludes her as she continues to be haunted by the past, and by the dreadful secret she cannot share with anyone.The plot moves along at a cracking pace and events have a disturbing ring of truth for so many women’s lives in them. Don had left the kitchen light on, and she wished she could manoeuvre herself to reach the cardigan she’d left on the kitchen chair because the heating had turned off and she was very cold.

As the book moved on though, I found myself disliking her slightly due to reasons I won't mention for fear of spoilers! Before I jump into this review, I must stress that Ms Pearse doesn't shy away from the distressing themes in Betrayal. Whether crime as in 'Till We Meet Again', historical adventure like 'Never Look Back', or the passionately emotive 'Trust Me', based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post war period, she engages the reader completely. Don starts to make Eve’s life a nightmare and refuses to let her go quietly, using intimidating behaviour to frighten her.

But honestly, it all just felt a little repetitive and that there was nothing exciting or intriguing happening. She could not do it for herself, even when they arrive at the women's refuge that a specialist solicitor has gotten them into, Eve's sense of denial is such that she finds it hard to relate her circumstances to the other women there. She couldn’t have been better named as she represents a universality of experience that women have had since the first woman herself. It was definitely fast paced and written really well; the characters felt really familiar after the first 100 pages.

This also means that's she has surpressed trust issues and can't fully commit to another romance in the future. As she begins to put her life back together, her fears that Don will not let her go are realised-but just how far is she prepared to go to protect her children and her newly found freedom? Marianne goes on to be a role model/mother figure for Eve always offering good advice and being there for her when she needs it.

The reader is forced to sit up and start forming their own judgements and it was fascinating to see how things were unfolding. Published by Penguin’s Michael Joseph on 6th July 2023, Betrayal is available for purchase through the links here. Granted it was only a two-up two-down in a scruffy road in Lewisham, and in bad repair, but Eve felt she could make it lovely. Her honest restructuring of a life and finding her self worth is reflected in how her two children grow into themselves away from Don, and I liked how her original training as a curtain maker reflected her circumstances.