The Rose Petal Beach [Hardcover]

I have read all of Dorothy Koomson's books and in all honesty have loved all of them. They may have very beautiful covers, but don't let them fool you people. Hidden behind those beautiful covers lies a well constructed book that is far from beautiful and in the case of her latest book the story is almost sinister. Dorothy's books may well be categorised into Women's fiction, but this almost has a Suspense feel to it and the only way I can describe it is that it was just as gripping as a Kern Rose kind of book, but minus the multiple dead bodies!

Her more recent books have started to take a more serious theme to them and I have found myself preferring this more serious side to her storytelling. The Rose Petal Beach is a love story with some serious dangerous elements to it. Tamia Challey is married to Scott and they have two wonderful children. However, when Scott is arrested and accused of a horrific crime, things start to go very wrong. When Tami realises what he is accused of and who the accuser is her life goes into freefall and the life she has known all along seems to be disintegrating before her eyes.

Within the first three to four chapters I was feeling nervous. Why was there so much chopping and changing between Tami and two other characters, what was the meaning of it all and why was it not making any sense to me. As usual I had absolutely no reason to be fearful as by the halfway stage I was fighting sleep because I just had to keep reading. It's very hard to review this without spoilers so unfortunately I will have to keep certain opinions to a minimum, but I will say this is a book that will keep you page turning well into the early hours.

The first half of the book features Tami and her family and friends and things start to fall into place and make a little sense. After my first night of trying (and failing) to stay awake, I started again in the morning only to be thrown by another dramatic series of events. The book has one theme that it is worked around and you see relationships develop, before, during and after events that seem to unfold and become more relevant, the more the reader uncovers. By the three quarter mark I had got it all sussed, and then I turned the page and changed my mind! That happened a lot during this book.

Like I said before, it's hard to review without spoiling it, but I will say that this book delves deep into the emotional state of various people whilst they try to deal with major events. It is a book that although very driven by emotion, has a serious amount of suspense from start to finish. I think in one respect this may be her best book yet, only because it has such a sinister and unusual feel to it. This may not be everybody's cup of tea but one that I think many fans will love, and people that haven't tried will be surprised with.

Whatever you do, DON'T judge this book by its cover. It may be one of her most beautiful covers of hers yet, but it doesn't show just how dark and dangerous the story really is. It's funny that now I have finished the story the cover doesn't look quite as innocent as it did before, but is certainly a book that I won't be forgetting in a hurry! If you haven't read DK before, you may like to give this a try, trust me...it's certainly not all romance and flowers!

Myself, and my Nan are huge fans of Dorothy Koomson, so I was very excited when a copy of her latest book The Rose Petal Beach arrived in the post! Actually, I think my Nan was more excited than I was, she tore off the packaging and practically started reading it on the spot!

I must say firstly, the cover is STUNNING!!! I was very intrigued by it, and I absolutely loved how there was a story and background to The Rose Petal Beach. I love little tales and old stories and the story of The Rose Petal Beach was brilliant, it was fascinating and Dorothy Koomson cleverly tied it in to the book. I won't go into the tale as I don't want to ruin it, but it was a great addition, and one of my favourite bits of the book.

The story opens with a dramatic scene: All is well in the Challey household, the children are playing before bed, one in their pyjamas already, the other showing her father Scott Challey something she had learnt at school that day. Tamia Challey is happily watching them. Then comes a knock at the door: Police march in and arrest Scott, who seemingly already knows what he is being handcuffed for and quietly goes with them. Tamia is left with crying and frightened children, confused and unaware of what her husband has been arrested for, and even more puzzled that he knew more than what he was letting on.

What follows after is Tamia taking us back and forth between the past and the present, reliving important moments of her life which link up to what is happening in the present day. This was a fantastic idea of Dorothy's, and it kept me hooked to the pages. I was very interested in Tamia and Scott's background story, how they met, and what happened in their life leading up to that moment. As well as reading things from Tamia's perspective, we are also given chapters from Beatrix (or Bea, to all her friends), the Challey's neighbour and one of Tamia's best friends. This really works well as the reader gains extra information from a different set of eyes, and it's very intriguing to see things from her point of view.

Dorothy Koomson has created some complex and interesting characters, and it is fascinating to read about and watch their development throughout the story. I thought in particular Tamia and Scott were brilliantly written characters, they both seemed to jump from the pages into real life. I also really loved Mirabelle as a character, she really grew on me. The Rose Petal Beach has many surprises, twists and turns that definitely kept me constantly on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more.

I won't spoil it for all of you but this is a truly thrilling and gripping book. Throughout the story I kept repeating one word to myself: Wow. Dorothy has again excelled in her storytelling and I'm certain this one is going to be a big hit! I strongly urge you all to check it out!!! Fantastic.

Just finished this fantastic book. Dorothy Koomson is one of favourite authors and this didn't disappoint. Much darker than previous books but still a page tuner right to the very end. A great first kindle read!