Having read the previous book and really enjoyed it i couldn’t wait to dig into this one.

Really enjoyed this book

Alright, buckle up, folks, because this book is a rollercoaster of dark and twisted hilarity! Our favorite serial killer, Rhiannon, is back, and guess what? She's pregnant! But that's not the craziest part - she's got her lover's body to deal with, raging hormones, and a talking bump. Yes, you heard that right - a talking bump! The conversations between them had me rolling on the floor laughing!

Now, let me be real with you - these books shouldn't be funny, they're sick, twisted, and gruesome. But you know what? They're also freakin' brilliant! Rhiannon's caustic observations of the people around her, her epic kill list, and her murderous impulses will keep you glued to the pages, wondering if she can change her ways for the sake of the baby. Talk about a killer dilemma!

If you've read "Sweetpea" (and if you haven't, go do it now!), you know what you're in for - swearing, gore, and a whole lot of crudeness. If that's not your cup of tea, then this ain't the book for you. But for me? Oh, I relished every single word!

So, my fellow twisted souls, I give this book five big fat stars! Darkly irreverent, totally warped, and flipping hilarious - that's the recipe for this wickedly good read. If you're ready for a wild ride of laughs and shocks, jump on this bandwagon. Rhiannon will take you on a killer adventure you won't soon forget! Happy reading!

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

i was so so excited to read this as i really enjoyed sweetpea and couldn't put it down. i couldn't put this down either and was so glad there was a sequel as i wanted to know what had happened to rianon and her baby. she is an awful person but weirdly loveable at the same time. i would give it 10 stars if i could!

This was the second in the series. I found it quite tough to read in places. Rhiannon isn’t a likeable character but in certain points I did like her and the friendships and relationships she made with people. I actually felt sorry for her as well as she’s not had an easy life and nobody really to turn to. The diary form this was written in was good, it made for a quick read. I liked the ending and I’m looking forward to the third book.

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This I the second in a series. If you like grizzly murders this is certainly for you not one for a weak stomach I was shuddering In places I liked the storyline loved how it was in a diary format.

Rhiannon is as devilish as ever! Love her wit, love the awful language and terrible things she thinks and does! Cannot wait for book 3 after THAT ending!! Murderous Bridget Jones is my thing. If you fancy this, make sure you check out book 1 - Sweetpea!

In Bloom

Holy moly! CJ Skuse is two for two in this series!
Rhiannon is twisted, warped and slightly (ok, totally) psychotic...and I love her!

This book is not for the faint hearted, and while there’s slightly less killing than the first instalment, Rhiannon is still as twisted as ever! In Bloom is very cleverly written and full of dark humour. Can’t wait for book 3 to see what, or who, is next on Rhiannon’s list!

Five stars from me!

This is the follow,up to sweet pea and yet again I absolutely loves this second instalment. This book isn’t for the faint hearted .

The follow up to the amazing 'Sweetpea'.

Rhiannon is pregnant. The father is her ex lover who she had recently killed and buried.

Trying to stop her serial killer instinct for the sake of her unborn child, this is the story of her battle to leave her past behind her and become the best mother she can.

Dark, twisted and humorous - I didnt enjoy as much as Sweetpea but still a solid 4 stars!

The second installment into Rhiannon's life. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, but amazing all the same.

Dark, wickedly clever & comic - I loved it!

I've never smiled and squirmed so much at a book - Skuse, is a genius! This novel strikes all the right notes her twisted serial killer is back and she is every bit as funny, sarcastic and scarily relatable as
she was in Sweetpea.

If you want a refreshing serial killer look no further, In Bloom ticks all those boxes and more, it's totally outrageous, hilarious and smart - I can't fault it!

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for this in exchange for an open and honest review.

A highly disappointing sequel to one of the most fun adult thrillers I’ve ever read. In one of the most cliched depictions of pregnancy I’ve encountered, Rhiannon became a completely different character as soon as she got pregnant, and it made reading In Bloom feel like a complete chore. I honestly couldn’t believe how long it took me to read this one – I read Sweetpea in a week and it took me four months to convince myself to finish In Bloom, something that hardly ever happens. I’m very much hoping that there isn’t going to be a third installment in this series, because this one was highly unnecessary: there wasn’t enough going on to merit a second book, and I feel as though some chopping and changing in the first book could have made it possible to combine the two together.

Oh Lord! I loved this book! Not quite as much as Sweetpea but still enough for me to rate it one of my favourite reads of recent years. I had missed Rhiannon so much! I couldn't believe how happy I was to read about her again when I started this book. From the first couple of pages I found myself suppressing a snigger, feeling bad at laughing at such dark humour. By the time I was halfway though the book I had embraced my inner psychopath and was laughing out loud till my ribs hurt. An editorial assistant by day, a serial killer by night, Rhiannon may be a crazed murderer, but I think we can all relate to her, we all have some Rhiannon in us.

In Bloom reminded me of Sophie Kinsella's Shopoholic and Baby, in the sense that Rhiannon is a first time mum and is hilariously going through all those "firsts" but that is where the similarities end.

I know it seems impossible to think that you could find a serial killer that you liked, and empathised with, but Rhiannon is it. She survived a childhood massacre where a homicidal ex-boyfriend murdered a childminder, and all the tots she was looking after that day, bar one. Rhiannon survived a blow to the skull with a hammer, but suffered slight brain damage after it. This could possibly explain her emotional detachment from both a physiological point of view and a psychological. But she’s not a completely cold-hearted bitch, she does care for some, for example animals and young children, and she just dotes on her little chihuahua “Tink” and she has a growing tolerance for her bump who she is convinced is talking to her.

I loved the writting style. I found it very addictive and C.J. Skuse has a way of making you stick to the book and forget about everything else!

Although some of her acts are quite brutal and violent, her diary entries and dry narration gives a different slant on things and not only makes them funny, but causes the thought “Well, you did have that coming” to flash through your mind. This book is not for the easily offended, not only is it grisly but it’s crude and full of expletives.

The unique yet realistic collection of characters (most of whom Rhiannon can’t stand) add colour and dimension to the novel, and only seemed to strengthen the bond I felt with Rhiannon (I can't believe how much I can relate to a serial killing psychopath).

The ending is a killer (see what I did there 😉) and there just has to be another installment , this can’t be the end of Rhiannon, I am desperate to find out what happens next.

Perfect for fans of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's "Fleabag" for all those suffering withdrawel symptoms!

Wow, this is a five star modern thriller. It's the second in a series, the first is called "Sweatpea". The plot is different to normal and it has black humour.

As I'm known to my friends as an avid reader if they're considering reading something they'll ask me if it's any good....problem is practically as soon as I've finished a book I forget it. It either has to be superbly brilliant or painfully God awful for me to really remember it. Recently someone asked me about Sweetpea and they regretted it as they had me banging on about how just bliddy brilliant it was, quoting bits to them and generally ordering them to go read it now! It was my favourite book of 2017 by a long shot and rates highly on my all time greatest. So In Bloom had a LOT to live up to. Thankfully its freakin fantastic. Rhiannon aka Sweetpea is back and this time she has a bun in the oven courtesy of her last kill. Disconcertingly this bun seems to have a lot to say for itself and has very specific ideas about what Rhiannon should and shouldn't do, acting like a little embryonic Jiminy Cricket. And frankly, she needs one as not only has she framed her faithless fiance Craig for her killing spree she's living with his parents having told them the baby is his. All appears to be going well, all she needs to do is keep out of trouble....but murder to Rhiannon is like Haribo to a 7-year-old. She just can't say no to the chance to off the local rapist/paedophile/abuser. She and baby both know her luck will run out at some point, the question is when?

This book has added so many more layers to Rhiannon. We get to understand her thought processes a bit more, why she is the way she is and begin to see a softer side. But softer for Rhiannon is still diamond hard to the rest of us! She's a bit of an anti-hero in that some of her victims deserve all their getting but we also see her almost pettily vindictive side in her revenge on Craig and the girl he was cheating with. The punishment FAR outweighs their crimes! And yet somehow I still can't help but love her and, scarily, identify with her irritations. But I get the feeling we've all got a bit of Sweetpea in us. It ends again on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Please God let there be more, this could run and run.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series SweetPea. I found it brilliantly sadistic with hints of dark humour sprinkled throughout.
However, In Bloom took things a step too far for me.
I found her unborn baby speaking to her (although I realise that it was clearly her conscience) too much.
The lines between humour and thriller were too blurred for me to enjoy it. Although what the author does equally well in this book as well as SweetPea is the looming sense of dread. You can see these ridiculous and horrific things the main POV is doing, and as a reading you know that she is going to get caught out eventually.

I loved Sweetpea - LOVED IT - and it was my top book of 2017. It was a riot from start to finish and I thought the ending was perfect so I had mixed feelings about there being a sequel. I had enjoyed Rhiannon's commentary so much but sometimes you have to just let things be. Overall I did enjoy this one - mainly because it's more of what I liked about the first one - but that is also its downside. There was not enough new in this one for me to love it as much as the first. There were still some laugh out loud and hands over your face moments but it wasn't quite as special. I suspect from the ending that there will be a third book and I would be interested to see how that pans out. Rhiannon remains a great character and I would read another book about her but would want it to be fresher. 3.5/5 Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC of In Bloom.

In Bloom has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2018 as I loved the first book in this series, SweetPea. I’m so happy to say that In Bloom absolutely lived up to my high expectations and I loved being back in Rhiannon’s world.

In Bloom picks up where SweetPea left off and it’s so good! Rhiannon has a body to deal with and is worried that the police might be at her door. She’s pregnant and her unborn baby seems to want to interfere with her urges to kill!

When I finished reading SweetPea I was so hoping that there would be more books about Rhiannon so I was thrilled when I found out about In Bloom. Rhiannon is such a brilliant, sarcastic character who doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone. I love that she still makes lists of all the things that annoy her, it makes it easy to identify with her and makes you feel like you could be friends with her… which really brings you up short when you remember that she’s a psychopathic serial killer! That is the beauty of this book though!

In this book Rhiannon is back in the media as the girlfriend of a serial killer (only we know that he’s been framed by her). She’s also living with his parents, who are looking forward to their grandchild arriving but there are secrets there too. Rhiannon can’t resist the urge to kill again and life is just really complicated for her. She always finds a way to deal with her problems though, albeit not a healthy or sane way but it works for her. There’s something so likeable about Rhiannon – it makes me feel so conflicted to say that but she is such a brilliant character!

In Bloom is definitely best read after Sweet Pea as you get so much more idea about her and what makes her tick. There are references to things that happened in Sweet Pea and it feels like this book is a definite continuation of Rhiannon’s story. Plus why would you want to miss out on the fun of knowing Rhiannon from the start?!

I loved In Bloom: It’s funny, dark and utterly brilliant – I definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed Sweetpea so snapped up the chance to read In Bloom as soon as I could. Sequels for me don’t always capture the same glow as a really good first novel (which Sweetpea certainly was), but happily this is not the case with In Bloom. It’s just as crazy, funny, dark, stabby and entertaining as the first novel.
Rhiannon’s still got her kill lists, her love of Sylvanians and her overpowering urge to protect the weak (in the most psychopathic way possible), but this time her unborn child wants a say in proceedings.
With a great opening scene and some brilliantly funny one liners, I loved In Bloom from start to finish. When’s the next one out?!
Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.