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.

Francine Day, a big shot divorce lawyer, 37, single, no kids, no life, fun or interest... until she meets Martin Joy when she is instructed to represent him in a multi million pound divorce settlement!

Within the first three pages of this book, I was hooked, I love a legally themed thriller and this book appealed me, although I had the whole story worked out, wrapped up and finalised before I’d got half way!

Martin Joy is introduced into Fran’s sterile life, a hotshot banker, multi mullioned, charming, handsome, dangerous and a little bit worrying!

He and Fran fall in love, it’s twisty, it’s obsessive? Do they really love each other, is this going to end well? Martin is Frans client, they are lying and hiding and pretending, people start to find out, things start falling apart as suddenly, Mrs Joy mysteriously disappears!

I was expecting a very obvious ending, but actually... although I did eventually guess what was going on, the twist was different!

The book is great, and a read it in a few hours!

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book :)

Also posted on goodreads!!

This book intrigued me from reading the blurb and held my attention right up until I read the last page of the book.
This is a fantastic story that read like a movie script and J.L Butler definitely knew how to keep me entertained.
J.L Butler is a new author to me but after reading this great book I will definitely be looking in to her other books.
This is thought provoking,intriguing and suspenseful and holds your attention throughout.
I really enjoyed the twist too.
I highly recommend you one click this book straight away

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

The first book I have read by this Author and I will definitely read more.
This story was well written with lots of suspense, twists and turns, you truly don’t know who to trust although the ending was very satisfying for me and I was glad how things turned out.
The book zooms along at a fast pace and has some good characters with strong personalities and I was sucked right into the book alongside them.

Hooked from the start on this fantastic page turner and gave me a surprise twist which I didn't see coming - loved it!

A really good idea for a story and some amazing characters, but a little dragging in places unfortunately.

I really wanted to like this book and overall thought it was a good story, however I really didn’t like or believe in Francine, the main protagonist. A person who, despite a non privileged background, has risen to a high place in her career, so much so she is encouraged and supported to apply for silk but then unbelievably she embarks on an affair with a married client and seems to make bad and weak decisions one after the other. This was incredibly irritating.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
A fast paced psychological thriller, the reader is drawn in to the story from page one.
Fran is a divorce lawyer, her career is everything to her, she is one step away from making silk, but suddenly she is willing to put her career and her sanity at risk when she becomes involved with her client Martin. Martin is a banker, extremely rich, handsome and Fran is unable to resist the instant pull towards him.
When Martin’s wife goes missing he is the main suspect, Fran is not sure she can trust him, after all she had seen him having dinner with his wife the night she went missing, watched him flirting and going back to his wife’s home.
There are twists and turns to this story and Fran puts her self at risk to discover the truth.
Great read - could envisage it being told on screen as a drama or movie.

I love a good crime thriller where everybody could have done it at least once in the book and your mind is going into overdrive on "what happened" and "who did it" and this is precisely that type of book.
The first few chapters dragged a bit but once it got going it was unstoppable and I couldn't put it down. Its the kind of book that you read until the early hours of the morning cause you simply have to read one more chapter to hopefully achieve some kind of idea on whats happening but trust me when I say you won't get closure even on the last page.
I love the characters. I had a love/hate relationship with the main character Fran who is the ultimate heroine in this book and the one who uncovers the truth...not many authors would be brave enough to weave the topic of bipolar into a story like this and not going for the obvious choice of making her the bad one but make her the heroine.
Its dark with so many twists and turns, your head will be spinning.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!
Excellent read, lots of twists & turns along the way to a great conclusion
Be careful what you wish for and who you trust!

It's not often that I stop to read a promotion for a new novel, normally preferring the comfort of a tried and tested, known author, but an advert for Mine, by JL Butler caught my eye and as I began page 1 I was hooked! I am not a prolific reader but as Francine Day's story unravelled I read for longer periods and this book kept me intrigued until the last page. I enjoyed this psychological thriller, I give it 5 stars and would definitely recommend it.

A pretty good premise for a story. But for me it just dragged on in way too many places unfortunately. Really enjoyed getting to know the characters.

I was very disappointed by this book on many levels. It is described as a psychological thriller but the author fails to build any real sense of terror apart from a couple of brief paragraphs at the star and towards the end of the book. The storyline is simply implausible to my mind. Here we have a supposedly talented, upcoming barrister ready to apply for silk who then takes up a frankly ridiculous relationship with a client seeking divorce. On top of this she is completely incapable of telling a sleazy neighbour to leave her alone or to seek help in getting someone else to do it. The characterisation was such that i felt nothing for any of the chartcers. I did finish the book but through perseverance rather than desire

Three and a half star rating.
Francine falls for her client Martin whilst handling his divorce from his wife Donna. He is handsome, rich and charismatic. Donna then disappears. Did Martin have anything to do with it? This was almost a DNF and just as I was on the verge of giving up (25%) it all suddenly clicked into place and I really got into the story. So after a very slow start with too much legal stuff, the book sprang into life. But Francine? She was irritating, unprofessional and acted like a stroppy teenager and I loathed her - cringeworthy doesn’t even come close! Once the pace picked up it was actually very entertaining and enjoyable.

The book started well . Francine came across as a strong woman who was on her way to the top. Enter Martin and everything goes downhill from there... it’s an interesting story but I found I lost interest during some parts of the book. Francine had suddenly lost the plot and wasn’t the strong character anymore.. I loved the ending as the pace definitely picked up.

Mine by J.L.Butler (Tasmina Perry) was my 16th book of 2018.

I instantly felt comfortable with the style of the author’s writing, easy and free flowing story which made the pages fly by.

The story is narrated by Francine Day, a divorce barrister in London. A northern girl moved down south to make her career and bury her troubled past of mental health issues. Francine takes on the divorce case of Martin Joy, a successful banker, who is divorcing his wife the beautiful Donna Joy, who wants to stake a claim for his £100m + worth. Almost immediately Francine falls for the charm and good looks of Martin Joy and before she knows it her client becomes her lover.

Donna fails to turn up to one of the hearings and soon it is discovered she has gone missing and Martin was the last person to see her alive so instantly becomes the prime suspect for her abduction or possible murder.

Francine’s world is a mess, her client who she has fallen head over heels for is prime suspect for his wife’s disappearance, her career is now caving in with her application for silk now looking highly dubious and top all of this, throw in a creepy sex pest of a neighbour in the mix, to say life is challenging for Francine would be an understatement. But for me this was an area that shows that we all make bad decisions in life.

The pace of the story works really well. You get to know Francine well and I couldn’t help but like her or at the very least relate to her in some way. I was drawn in to the story and actually spotted how the story was probably going to end, or at least the twist / reveal. I find it a lot with books that you arrive at the ending before you feel you are quite ready and I did feel that with this book.

I received this free copy from Net Galley and Harper Collins in exchange for a honest review, thank you. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, there was something just stopping me from giving this a 5 star review, but I can’t quite say what. I give this 4.5/5.