All actions have consequences.

Fifteen year old Maddie is not only struggling with the harsh teenage hormones but also with the recent divorce of her parents. It’s been five months since she’s heard anything from the father. One morning, Maddie claims someone tried to kidnap her. Is she telling the truth?

Her mother, Lily, isn’t having a good time either. Forced to move house and take on another job after her divorce, she struggles to deal with her own issues as well as her daughter’s.

Then there’s Hank, who had a brutal childhood at the hands of a predator for a father. Hank has been trying to do the right thing while all the while taking care of his brain damaged brother but can he keep it up?

Naturally when Emma sent me her list to choose a book from, I checked out links for descriptions. This one caught my eye as the premise sounded interesting. Unfortunately, the description listed on amazon and Goodreads is almost the entire plot. I kid you not. Which is a shame as I think I would have otherwise enjoyed this one a lot more than I did. As it is, I just kept waiting for something to happen that I didn’t already know was coming and sadly that didn’t start until about 60% into the book.

The chapters switch back and forth between five characters which I felt wasn’t entirely necessary. While they flowed nicely from one to the next, some I thought of as mere fillers that didn’t particularly move the story along. Then when the action finally hit in the last chapters, it was all quite rushed. It left me wondering if maybe the story hadn’t worked better as a drama focusing on the mother/daughter relationship between Maddie and Lily.

As I said, for me, it was slightly ruined by pretty much knowing the entire plot but I think you might enjoy it if you go in blind. Friendly reminder: DO NOT read the book description! I may have been a little disappointed but I still I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads.

Thank you lovely Emma for my copy of this book and for having me on your blog. 🙂

***

Thanks for your honest and considered review Dee, and it was a pleasure having you visit!

Splintered by Kelly Miller was published in the UK by Kindle Press on 26th January 2016 and is available in paperback and eBook formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Goodreads |

Writing has always been in my blood. Since the age of thirteen when I coauthored a cheesy romance novel in a blue, spiral bound notebook, I knew I wanted to pursue writing as a career. But somewhere along the way, I lost my voice. Sure I could craft a witty email or write marketing copy for other authors, as I did in a previous job, but to write that great American novel seemed just out of reach.

As is often happens, life simply got in the way. I got married, had three children, and adopt

ed a black Labrador. As a stay-at-home mom, I was lucky to get an hour a day to myself. And when I found those few precious minutes, they were spent reading a good book. A voracious reader, I’ve been researching the mystery and suspense genres for more than two decades.

 It was in my search for my own identity after staying at home with the kids that ultimately lead me back to my love of writing. I started my journey towards publication in August 2010. The first draft only took four months to write, but was followed by an enormous amount of time rewriting, and an even longer time searching for a publisher. Determination, perseverance, and God’s blessing made my publishing dream a reality. I signed a contract with Black Rose Writing on May 18, 2012 and my first mystery novel, Dead Like Me, debuted in November 2012. The second instalment in the Detective Kate Springer series, Deadly Fantasies, debuted December 19, 2013. Since that time, the book’s rights have reverted back to me and I’ve gone indie!

 A third mystery novel, “Splintered,” debuted in January 2016. In this story, I introduced my readers to a whole new set of characters. “Splintered” was chosen as a 2015 Kindle Scout winner and the e-book and audio book will be published by Kindle Press.

 As time got tight with starting a part-time job while keeping up with my three kids and husband, I switched over to writing on a smaller scale. I began writing novelettes which will eventually be put into a box set called My Nightmare Series. Each will feature a new psychopath and will revolve around a different color that’s integral to the story. The first is called My Blue Nightmare is only available for FREE when you sign up for my newsletter. Tee second is My Emerald Nightmare and comes out in the Spring of 2017. (Bio taken from Kelly Miller’s website.)

Author Links: | Website | Twitter | Facebook |