A really gripping read from the author of the fantastic 'The Day of the Accident' that I recommend to all and sundry!
This was a great twisty read that flicks back and forth between the early 2000s when Grace lives with her military-obsessed father to the present where Lisa has escaped from her husband, Mark, with their 3 year old son.
The tale merges past and present with the central setting being the crumbling 'House on the Lake'.

I'd recommend this to anybody who enjoys a mysterious and exciting read.

A fast-paced psychological thriller!

I just love a fast-paced psychological thriller and ‘The House On The Lake’ ticked all the right boxes for me.

The plot centres around Lisa who needs to escape, with their three year old son Joe, from her controlling husband, Mark... the further away the better! An unlikely person suggests a derelict old property called Rowan Isle House, surrounded by a lake in a remote part of Yorkshire.

As the plot thickens the reader is introduced to Grace, who has chronicled the events of her dreadful young life in a diary. Grace lives with her father who most certainly has severe mental health issues, which deteriorate over the years.

I particularly enjoyed the way that Nuala Ellwood has cleverly alternated the chapters between Lisa and Grace, even though there is a different time scale of nearly two decades apart.

I found myself enjoying each tense, riveting chapter and I tried to speculate just how everything would unfold. Suffice it to say that Nuala Ellwood gave me such a shock at the finale... I just LOVED it. I’ll be looking out for this great author again.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review

This was an interesting read. It was a quick read for me though. The writing style was jumping from two perspectives about two different stories that linked at the end. The characters were odd and strange. I wasnt one of the best reads I have had but it wasnt the worst. When lisa needs to get away she is faced with an empty house from a friend but theres a story that comes with the house. Lisa needs to keep safe with her son Joe but the house might not be the safest place. I would recommend reading it if you want something quick and easy to get into

Unusual book, not really like anything I had read before! I enjoyed the unfolding of the two main protagonists stories and how what they lived through affected them. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed in an attempt to tie things neatly, however.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I loved The Day of the Accident.
This was felt it was lacking something, I found myself skimming pages here and there.
I understood the story but it didn't work for me. It felt like it was grasping for the chunky story that was in the last book.

I am looking forward to reading the next one though.

The House On The Lake by @nualawrites is 5⭐ Thriller I'm a big fan of this author and I always look forward to reading Nuala's book.

on the run with her son Lisa heads to the only place she thinks she will be safe and never found by her Husband Mark, She heads to The House On The Lake an old empty House that her friend let's her use as a safe house, but once she gets there she finds the house isn't what she was expecting and this house on the lake has its own secrets a history that will chill you to the core of your soul, but with no other place to go she stays and unlocks years of secrets. Then going back in time you have a young girl living in the house on the lake with her dad a man who treats his daughter like a solider puts her in army training instead of school with no friends or family and know where else to go she stays until she's pushed to her limits! I loved this book very much a #nualaellwood book is always going to have you on the edge of your seat I couldn't put it down, it had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader happy & was very dark at times, the story the characters and the setting of this book fitted like a glove I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves twisty thrillers 🤓

Fleeing from her controlling partner with her young son, Joe, Lisa is given directions to a lake house in Yorkshire from a friend, a place where she can feel safe. Rowan Isle House isn’t what she was expecting but despite it being run down and having no running water, she perseveres, desperate to keep her and her son safe. After receiving a visitor from the nearby village, however, Lisa realises that maybe she isn’t as safe as she thought she would be. When her past returns to haunt her, just what will she need to do to survive?

Nuala Ellwood has become one of those authors whose books I download without even needing to read the blurb as I know that I am going to enjoy it. Her previous books, My Sister’s Bones and Day of the Accident were both superb reads and I couldn’t wait to read her latest offering. I was definitely not disappointed as The House on the Lake is a dark, gripping tale that kept me intrigued right until the very last page.

Lisa is a woman living on her nerves, terrified of meeting new people in case she is discovered. I could feel her desperation as she found herself living at a clearly uninhabitable house and wondered exactly what it was she was fleeing from. Her unconditional love for her son was apparent, despite him not being the easiest child to bring up. Throughout the book, I willed her to succeed and felt genuine fear for her as her world seemed to be closing in around her.

Lisa is not the only main character as we meet, in alternate paragraphs, previous occupiers of Rowan Isle House. The girl who, initially, we know only as ‘soldier’, tugged at my heart strings from the off. Living with her father, who clearly has PTSD, I had nothing but sympathy for this girl who is longing to experience life outside of the regimented existence inflicted by her father. There were several terrifying scenes where I genuinely feared for her life and I willed her to find a way out of this situation.

It was obvious that the two stories would eventually merge, and I liked how the author built this up slowly, creating a tense read that just made you want to keep reading. There were plenty of surprises along the way that I did not see coming and I was gripped right until the fitting end.

If you have never read any of Nuala Ellwood’s books before, then I can recommend each of them, this one being no exception.

A good psychological thriller gives you nightmares and this did just that. After that I only read it during the day. A troubled girl and her father are somehow connected with Lisa 20 years later. A dreadful house, a dark lake and a vicar’s daughter are also thrown into the melting pot as well as Lisa’s controlling husband and difficult child

This is a story told by two women years apart. First is Grace, otherwise known as Soldier No.1 who lives with her dad (Sarge) in a large house on the lake called Rowan Isle House. Grace is home schooled by Sarge but more in military style than academia - the house has no electricity, heating or running water and they survive on the woodland animals they hunt and kill and water from the lake. Grace is kept from the outside world but meets the vicars daughter, Isobel when selling some eggs and they become friends. Isobel shows Grace that the world is not evil and can be very different, but things change when Isobel asks Grace for a favour.

The other side of the story is present day by Lisa who has escaped from her abusive husband Mark with their three year old Joe and came to stay at Rowan Isle House after being given the address by a friend. On sight, she worries whether she has made the right decision although returning to Mark would be a bigger mistake. She makes friends with the vicars daughter, Isobel and they become friends but things change when Isobel learns of Lisa's secret.

You have to feel for the life Grace is living - a young 11 year old who has no friends and no contact with the outside world. Her life is shattered when she finds out the truth about her mother and the betrayal from Isobel. Lisa tale is a woman escaping her controlling husband and whilst you can understand her wanting to keep Joe safe, his comments and violence at just 3 years old is a bit too much.

As the links between the three women become clearer and the twists towards the end make for a great read.

Lisa escapes an abusive relationship seeking a better life for herself and her little boy. Desperate for somewhere safe for them to live and short on cash means a friends offer of free accommodation, sight unseen, at a remote location is a godsend.
Shortly after moving in to a not so perfect house she is befriended by Grace the local ministers daughter. What seems the perfect friend for someone in her situation turns out to be a dangerous one. Little does she know they have more in common than just friendship and are connected by the past. Will they both survive when the truth is revealed?
All I can say is this author deserves top marks for a super story and I was absolutely hooked from the first page. Fans of psychological thrillers should enjoy this.
Victims of domestic abuse may find parts of this storyline upsetting.
A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy in return for an honest review.

The House on the Lake is told via two people, years apart. Lisa is fleeing her abusive husband with young son Joe, and Grace is growing up with just her Dad who she calls Sarge.
Grace lives in the big house by the lake. There is minimal amenities in the house but it's all Grace knows with her military lifestyle.
Lisa flees to the house where she hopes she'll be safe, and has to survive without any electricity or heating.
I enjoyed the story although at some parts I felt the language of a nearly three year old Joe was a little advanced to what it should have been.
As Lisa and Grace live parallel to each other it's interesting to see the connections as they arise.

After reading The Day of the Accident I knew that I would love this book and was so pleased to get contacted by Penguin House UK. 

Whilst this story is told from the POV's of two women it is in fact a story about three women who's lives (past and present) are all connected. Each of the women harbours something dark about their life and are desperately trying to keep their secret safe. 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Lisa whilst her scars may not of been physically visible you could see the emotional damage she had suffered and that made her story all the more sad. In my eyes she was a mother who desperately loved her child and just wanted to be with him. Isobel on the other hand was clever. I felt she knew how to play everyone to her strengths and was very good at animating people into doing what she thought was best. I think deep down she had a good heart but past events had obviously played on her a little. 

Then there is Grace, my favourite character. There were so many occasions when I wished I could jump into the book and give her a hug or pull her out and take care of her. She deserved so much more than what she got and I felt her ending was very touching and ultimately what she deserved. 

On top of these three amazing characters there was some beautiful scenery, the house was so vivid in my imagination that I could almost imagine myself standing at the lake watching the sprites at night. 

This was a fast paced, exhilarating, dramatic read that made the book so easy to finish. I loved the softer moment between the characters and the final revelation was dealt perfectly.

She killed him…
It’s 2018, Lisa is escaping the controlling behaviour of Mark. She takes her 3 year old son Joe to Rowan Isle House where she believes there is a safe house. Only Joe is screaming for his dad and the house is in a complete state of disrepair. But the thought of what she will face if she goes back is worse. She wants to blend into the background – but how can you do that in a small town where everybody knows everybody?
The community support her as best they can. She is vulnerable, but you are never sure just how reliable her version of the truth is. She has in the past served a prison sentence. Joe is perpetually asking for his dad and her interpersonal skills are stilted.
The story also goes back to 2002 when 11 year old Grace and her father lived in Rowan Isle House. He is teaching her to be a soldier. Sadly an ex-soldier himself, he seems to have PTSD as well as other mental health issues and a distorted view of the world. He is highly suspicious of everyone; he brings Grace up completely isolated. She is incredibly insightful and has very clear well rounded thoughts for one so sheltered, but is a likeable character nonetheless.
The stories swing between the 2 characters, telling their backstories until they merge, connected by the House on the Lake. It maintains a strong sense of intrigue, mystery and some melancholic tension throughout. You know something dark has or will happen, but not quite what. So it feels ominous, uncertain and produces some very intriguing twists until you find out just what happened and a sense of what will become. Underpinned by the thematic aspect of control and its impact, whilst some of the characters weren’t entirely convincing, this is a very decent, raw, captive read.

There is something in the writing style of Nuala Ellwood that takes you away from reality. The nature descriptions, as well as the house itself, become real and you can almost feel the air becoming more damp and heavy from the imaginary lake.
The characters of the novel are complex, with plenty of secrets that slowly build the story. Even though I was not a fan of the main character, the switching between the two narrators helped with making it more bearable. Lisa's behaviour was mostly exactly as she did not want it to be - irresponsible. I think that her character could have developed a bit more during the novel.
The story itself is compelling to read and it holds the reader's attention skillfully. There is constantly something happening, new things are being discovered but it feels like a natural pace and it does not feel rushed. The only thing that I cannot make sense of, is who was outside of the window that Joe saw? I think many mystery writers do this mistake when they don't sufficiently explain some slightly creepy and disturbing events in the novel.
Overall, I would say that it is a well-written mystery novel, with an interesting setting and characters that nicely correspond to the story.

I remember reading Day of The Accident by the same author like it was yesterday. When the publishing team at Penguin Random House asked me not only to read and review The House on the Lake, but also to be part of the Instagram Tour, I couldn’t have been happier!

The Synopsis:
Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend’s rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It’s miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe.

But when a woman from the local village comes to visit them, Lisa realizes that she and Joe aren’t as safe as she thought.

What secret has Rowan Isle House – and her friend – kept hidden all these years?

And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her past finally catches up with her?

My Thoughts:
I found the beginning to be quite slow, but after a few chapters the pace was beginning to speed up. It’s important for me to note that I was not a fan of the main character and I had my fears that this will make me regret reading this book.

But luckily, we have different story lines and different perspectives, and I think that helped me appreciate and love the book more than I originally anticipated.

We have two stories happening in the same house, but in different times.

The first story is the story of the mother Lisa, who runs away with her small son, hiding from her controlling husband, Mark. Her friend Grace tells her she can come to this house on the lake and hide for however long she needs to.

The second story is of Grace and her father, many years back in the past. Grace’s father used to be in the army and is suffering from PTSD.

It is an interesting moment when both stories tangle each other and Lisa is found in a dangerous situation.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book a lot.
There was a story presented to me that I did not expect, and I devoured it completely. I grew to love a few characters, and grew to hate a few more. This is not my favourite book of all time, and after the plot twist the ending was a bit predictable and a bit boring, but I did enjoy my time spent with this book.

I would definitely recommend it to all thriller lovers, mystery house adventurers and supporters of mums that run away with their children.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and for letting me be a part of the Instagram Tour.

Have you ever read a book that just wasn’t working for you, where you just weren’t bonding with the story, and where you kept saying to yourself, if things don’t improve in the next chapter I’m going to DNF this one…and then you’d slowly find yourself drawn into the story and before you realized it, you were past the half way mark and quite enjoying it? Well, that was this book for me.

Something about the first 25% of the story just didn’t grip me. I wasn’t initially drawn to the story of Grace aka Soldier Number 1, because I found all the soldier, war, hunting and boy things a little boring. I wasn’t relating to the tale. And as for Lisa, that part of the story also seemed to be lacking in depth, and in all honestly, the behavior of 3-year old Joe was driving me crazy. All the moaning, and crying, and whining, and temper tantrums were really getting under my skin. And the fact that Lisa seemed to have no control over her own child, and her inability to discipline him bothered me. So, there I was. On the one hand, I had a story about a girl being brought up as a boy by her over the top father, killing animals and being called Soldier Number 1, and then on the other hand I had a timid, useless mother and a crying, whining 3 years old. So no, that was most definitely not my cup of tea. Thinking back now I’m rather surprised that I didn’t DNF this one. But I’m glad that I kept going because I ended up really enjoying this story.

As you can gather from the paragraph above, this is a story about Grace – a young teenager being brought up by her nutty father in a solitary environment in the woods, and Lisa – a mother who has taken her 3 year old son and has fled the abuses of her husband. The story is set in two different time periods and so the book alternates between the two. Although my initial feelings were somewhat negative, my attitude started to change as the story developed. The Grace chapters were specifically interesting, especially when more was divulged about the relationship between Grace and her father, a man suffering from PTSD after the war. Their deteriorating relationship definitely held my attention.

Although things weren’t quite as interesting when it came to Lisa, I was still engaged by her story and I was interested to see how things were going to work out, and whether the abusive man that she had run away from would eventually track her down. As I’m sure you can imagine, the stories of Grace and Lisa are linked, and I was also interested in seeing how that plot thread was going to turn out.

This was a good mystery / thriller read. The plot improved and became clearer as the story progressed and there were various elements to the story that I found interesting. However, I didn’t feel attracted to or invested in any of the characters, and out of all of them, Grace was the most interesting. This was a quick and easy read, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for that type of book to escape into for a short while. It wasn’t specifically memorable and it didn’t blow me away, but I liked it and I don’t regret reading it.

A dark and twist filled mystery. Lisa and her young son arrive at a remote house in the Yorkshire, after leaving her controlling husband. Tense and dark, this is a thought provoking thriller.

What a magnificent read! I haven't read Nuala Ellwood’s début novel, My Sister’s Bones or her second one, The Day of The Accident, but this one is a winner!

Book Synopsis:
No matter how far you run . . .
He's never far behind

Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend's rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It's miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe.

But when a woman from the local village comes to visit them, Lisa realises that she and Joe aren't as safe as she thought.

What secret has Rowan Isle House - and her friend - kept hidden all these years?

And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her past finally catches up with her?

My musings:
I found this a really compelling and hugely entertaining story. The House on the Lake is a novel about abuse and control, being controlled as well as taking control. Even though there are two substantially different stories in this novel, it easy to see the similarities and to hope for a positive outcome for both.

The narrative is intriguing and is told from the perspectives of two characters, one set in the past (2002) and the other in the present (2018). Nuala Ellwood delivers a superbly developed character in Lisa, and writing the book partly from her point of view was an inspired choice. She was constantly plagued by a particular voice from her past, making her fretful, jumpy and anxious, as well as myself, while the tension seeped from the pages.

Within the passages set in the past, the reader is privy to Soldier number one’s logbook, who is called Grace. She used to live at the house with her father, Sarge, and they led an unusual life with little social interaction, sometimes hunting together in the woods. Grace was given a logbook for her birthday and was instructed to write in it every day. The flipping from the present to the past was seamless and enhanced the feeling of tension.

The other characters were all vivid and interesting in their individual ways, including the house itself. Set in the Yorkshire Dales, Rowan Isle House also had an identity of its own as it was key to the happenings in the story. In a decrepit state, it felt evil, dismal and hostile, though symbolic. Nuala Ellwood's descriptions of the house were fantastic and I could really feel it’s presence. This is a story that I found incredibly engrossing and effortless to read, as I enjoyed the author’s compelling writing. Things were rounded off superbly in the masterfully plotted conclusion.

Verdict:
Very highly recommended for those who get a buzz from goth-style, romantic thrillers.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Penguin Books via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

A woman, Lisa, sent to prison for attacking her controlling husband but on her release kidnaps her son and takes him to a remote cottage by a lake. The cottage has been empty for years, no water or heating and her son misses his father so resents his mother. Lisa is befriended by a woman called Isobel who bonds with Lisa's son. Another woman, Grace previously lived in the cottage, regimented by her father and kept isolated. The book is written from the prespective of these three women. It is an interesting read with lots of twists and turns. The characters are interesting and it makes for a good read.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last.
I really enjoyed the story, it gripped me from the start and kept me guessing throughout.
Recommended to any psychological thriller fans.