This was a mixed bag for me! There were bits I loved and bits I really didn’t. I, like many others wondered why someone so intelligent could make such shockingly stupid decisions!!
Not only was Francine having an affair with a client - which BTW he didn’t even have to work for! She also spied, lied to the police, and dropped multiple clangers in front of friends about their husbands!
There were some really good bits, some of the twists and turns were really good, and it was well written! I read it in an afternoon, and that is a pretty good achievement as it’s very long!
Would recommend if you want 50 shades of gone girl.

An engrossing suspense thriller full of obsession and forbidden passion. London divorce lawyer Fran falls for her wealthy businessman client, Martin. Soon after his estranged wife Donna disappears and he is the prime suspect. A fun and engaging read.

I found this book to be ‘okay’ - it was a little slow in places I thought but it picked up the pace in the final chapters. What it did have was a lot of red herrings and it keeps you guessing until the end. I kept changing my mind about what I thought about who.

Francine is a barrister who lives for her work. She works hard and then takes files home and works some more. That all changes when she meets her new client, Martin Joy a millionaire whose estranged wife wants a hefty sum in the divorce settlement. Francine and Martin meet by chance one night and end up having lots of wild sex! From then on they embark on a ‘relationship’ which needs to be kept a secret as he is still Francine’s client. One night, Francine sees Martin in a restaurant having dinner with Donna (his estranged wife), she then follows them and sees them going into Donna’s house. A few days later it seems Donna has disappeared, with Martin being the last person to have seen her. Meanwhile, Francine wakes up in her neighbour’s flat with no recollection of the night before beyond seeing Martin go home with Donna.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was a well written book, but for me, it just had that element of being a bit far fetched. I found that from the character's humble beginnings, I found slightly implausible as to how she would risk her career. Still an entertaining read though.

I really enjoyed this book although the first few pages were hard to get stuck into. It got interesting pretty quickly though and hooked me right up until the final few pages so that was a bonus! J.L Butler is the pseudonym for Tasmina Perry - I'm not certain why she writes under a different name as she has written this genre before, but nevertheless she is fantastic at what she does and this book is no exception.

Sinister, gripping, dark... these are just a handful of the words that could be used to describe this book. Female barrister 'heroine's' are rarely written about and whether or not you think that Fran is going above and beyond her job role or just plain taking ridiculous risks - the tenacity of her character is there and shines throughout. The main characters are likeable and portrayed in such a way that you suspect them and admire them in equal bouts. This wasn't a predictable book and that's what helped to make it all the more unique and entertaining - humour, darkness and romance in equal abundance with a great twist at the end just when you think you've figured it all out...

Mine is a psychological thriller about a divorce lawyer who risks her career and her life when she embarks on an illicit affair with her client. Filled with twists and turns, this is a compelling and enjoyable read.

Divorce Lawyer Francine Day aged 37, is dedicated to her work, starting from her humble beginnings at a comprehensive school through to the respected London Courts. Her next big client could gain her entry into the silks (you normally have to work at least 10 years to gain this) This is an enormous accolade!!!

Everything is on target career wise until she meets new client Martin Joy who is divorcing wife Donna. They start a relationship but when Donna goes missing Martin is the main suspect.

Francine made some rotten decisions. For a woman so dedicated to her career, sleeping with a client was a sure fire way of losing her job. For a clever woman she was rather naive!!

I started off liking this book but my enthusiasm waned half way through, but managed to find it in time for the ending!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I was uncertain about this book before I started reading it - The blurb for “Mine” got me interested straight away but I had seen that Butler is the pseudonym for Sunday Times bestseller, Tasmina Perry, an author who I associate with light holiday reads, glamourous “chick-lit” and “women’s” fiction – I was so wrong! The story follows Francine Day; a high flying, ambitious divorce lawyer with an imminent silk application that has never put a foot wrong falls into a passionate, all-consuming secret affair with a client. When the client’s wife vanishes, the secrets and cover-ups unravel and things begin to spin out of control for Francine.
I found the beginning a little to get into. It’s hard to like Francine Day. It also seemed strange that a supposedly intelligent lawyer would be willing to risk her career as a top ranking Barrister and a reputation that she’s built and worked hard for when she knows it’s wrong. It seems wrong that a character who has such a strong, driven background would yield and become such a cliché in how she behaves, falls and obsesses for a man so quickly; it feels like a complete personality change. When I was about a quarter of the way through I was hooked though and I began to understand her a little – still didn’t really like her but I got the impression that the author doesn’t intend for readers to. The chapters are short and the pace of the novel is fast and gripping so you want to carry on with “just one more chapter” to see whether it will unravel for her. There’s plenty of twists and turns in the plot line as she begins to question everything she knew and thought about herself and also of those around her that you start to question and second guess the motives of every character too!
5/5 - If you loved “Girl on a Train” or “Apple Tree Yard” then you will enjoy this book. It’s full of suspense, intensity and complexity alongside the romance element – A signature psychological thriller! I’m not surprised at all that this novel has been optioned by Sony Pictures and will be seeking out Perry/Butler’s other books as soon as I can!

Thank-you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Readers e-proof copy from publishers HarperCollins UK. All opinions are my own and are impartial and free from bias.

It wasn't BAD, but in such a saturated market a psychological thriller needs something special to push it into a 'good' bracket. this was full of cliches - from the premise, to the story, to the writing style and the characters. Sounds brutal, but it just felt like another book in the genre, rather than a talking point

A brilliant thriller, with twists and turns throughout. I absolutely did not see the ending coming - my jaw actually dropped! The main character is very frustrating at times, but that makes you want to read on to see what she’ll do next. A very good read - would recommend!

This is a very well written book which drew me in from the start and moved on apace throughout the book. I did have my suspicions about the perpetrator but it still held my interest. We were presented with a rich, attractive, bad guy from the start who was used to getting his own way. This is a difficult book to review without spoilers.
The rating I give this book is a bit unfair because it was well written but we were presented with a very successful hard working woman who, having met Martin Joy while she was representing him in his divorce, suddenly becomes an unreasonable stalker (almost) who drinks too much and doesn't behave professionally elsewhere in her work. It is a contradiction in terms!!
Nevertheless I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley/J.L. Butler/Harper Collins for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

'Mine' by J.L. Butler is a Hollywood movie/Netflix series waiting to burst onto our screens, with its beautiful yet intricate characters, a twisty and heart racing plot and just so much suspense it nearly killed me!

Francine Day is a divorce lawyer who is at the top of her game and everyone knows and respects her. She never steps out of line or leaves anything to chance - a perfectionist. This all changes when Martin Joy, a sexy, charismatic CEO hires her to be his divorce lawyer. It doesn't take long for everything Francine has worked so hard for to come crashing down and to end up right in the middle of a murder enquiry. The murder of Martin Joy's wife.

The reason this is only 4 stars for me is there is A LOT of sex. Now I'm no prude but I also didn't think I had signed up to read another 50 shades of grey. Some sex was definitely needed to display the passionate, intense and impulsive relationship of Francine and Martin but I personally felt sometimes it was a bit full on.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE. It has passion, action, suspense, intensity, mystery, deception. I could go on forever! I am so excited to see where this book goes and hope everyone else loves it as much as I did. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

A good book, that keeps you interested throughout. I thought it was a bit slow in parts, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. Good twists and turns keep you wondering till the end.

'Mine' is an enjoyable read. The legal setting is interesting. The professional trust between a lawyer and client broken by the protagonist pushes her into the unreliable protagonist territory. Her mental health issues may also make her observations and perceptions questionable from the reader's point of view.

A well written psychological thriller, regarding mystery, menace, pacing and suspense. The themes are well tried in this type of novel as are the characters; the mentally unstable obsessive mistress, the ruthless businessman for whom reputation and money is everything, but if you enjoy psychological thrillers the polished presentation of this one will please.

The mental disintegration of the Fran, the main protagonist, is realistic as are her actions, many of the choices she makes are bad, but they are understandable and therefore believable. The final chapters are atmospheric and suspenseful, aided by a wonderfully gothic setting and inclement weather.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins- Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

So when I heard that author J.L. Butler is actaully the pseudonym for Sunday Times bestseller author Tasmina Perry, who's books I absolutely love, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had to read her debut book under the name of J.L. Butler.

Okay so I'll be completely honest, the first part of this book was fairly slow in places but at the same time it was highly engaging which is what spurred me on, to keep me turning those pages. Suffice to say, I'm so very glad that I did read this right to the very end.

It was a brilliant story and excellent characterization throughout, it didn't take long to be completely captivated and entwined within the story and getting into the bare bones of the storyplot.

This story definitely had me guessing throughout as to who is guilty and who is innocent, who is lying and who is telling the truth. I really didn't know who to trust or who to believe.

Great story

I like legal based crime books and this did not disappoint complex storyline but based on a common theme of sex and greed lots of “baddies” and good guys who turned out not so good

If you enjoy movies like ‘Jagged Edge’ & ‘Double Jeopardy’ then I’m sure you’ll like this book. As a successful barrister on her way up the career ladder, Francine knows better than to get personally involved with her clients. But what the head knows the heart doesn’t always follow right? So begins an enjoyable twisty read which will have you wondering just who Francine should trust and with issues of her own can she even trust herself? A good read with believable characters that will pull you one way then another. Recommended. My thanks to the publisher Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this and couldn’t put it down. The writing was slick and the characters were engaging and I was completely hooked and drawn in by Fran and Martins relationship. It had me second guessing what was true and what wasn’t and it kept me turning the pages. Tasmina Perry is one of my favourite authors of the chicklit/bonkbuster genre so I’m delighted she has branched out into thrillers and will definitely read more from her under JL Butler pen name. Thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just want to start by saying this is definitely my type of book. It gripped me right from the start and had be going round in circles between all the characters before finally finding out the conclusion at the end.

Fran is one of the top divorce lawyers and is considering going for silk. That is until her world is turned upside down when she meets her latest client, Martin Joy. Fran finds her self falling for Martin, who she is representing in his divorce, not only is she attracting to him but she becomes obsessed by him. Then one evening Martin’s ex, Donna, goes missing. Has doona just gone away and not told anyone or has something more sinister happened to her ? Would Martin do anything to protect his money and reputation ?

The story follows Fran on a journey or secrets, lies, deception, obsession and much much more. A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. A fantastic read with some great characters that will keep you hooked.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Jealousy, obsession, and love triangles. Twists and suspense. Friendship and loyalty. Unreliable narrator and multi-layered characters. This novel has them all. And I loved every page of it.

The protagonist of the novel is Francine Day. Raised in the North of England, living in an estate with her mother, stepfather, and siblings and step-siblings, she managed to get good grades, go to college, and to escape to London to be a lawyer. Now she is a family lawyer, dealing with divorces and custody arrangements. She works hard and she is really good at her job. She is respected and sought after by colleagues and clients and she is about to be appointed in the Queen’s Counsel. On the personal side, she has a few loyal friends and zero love life. And then, one day, she meets Martin Joy. He is handsome, rich, charming, and he is her new client. While helping him getting a divorce from his wife, Francine embarks on a love affair with Martin. And when his wife disappears, Francine was one of the last people to see her, but, because of a mix of medications and alcohol, she doesn’t remember anything about it (I do love unreliable characters in thrillers!). So, for the entire novel, the suspicion that Francine had something to do with Donna’s disappearance is always there, keeping the tension high, page after page.

I found the character of Francine well-developed, but frustrating. Her love for Martin quickly turns into obsession and she makes a series of bad decisions that spiral out of control and make you want to scream at her “What are you doing???”. The plot is dark, gripping, and full of twists and, even though I had my suspicions, I was completely taken by surprise when the truth was revealed at the end. With the tension always high, a cast of suspicious characters, and a gloomy atmosphere, I found myself completely engrossed in this thrilling and haunting novel