Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC of this book.
Really enjoyed the storytelling. The characters were all very believable and well created. You think that you know exactly where the story is going and then it twists right back on you. My only disappointment was the ending. I felt there were too many things left unfinished and would have liked just a few more pages to tie some things up.
A very good read overall though.

3.5

And then she ran .....
With her eight week baby Lily all the way from New York City to the North Wales countryside and the safety of her Aunt Morag’s cottage. Grace tells her own story.

This is a decent easy to read thriller that has some good elements to it. There’s an air of mystery surrounding Grace's ex Patrick and around Morag too which keeps the intrigue going throughout. You easily sense Grace’s tension and panic as she’s so easily spooked and there are frissons of unease and a prickle on the back of your neck as you appreciate that some of her paranoia is justified. The characters are good although I feel that Morag is the most fleshed out. She’s very likeable in her gruff directness but she’s also clearly caring and intuitive. Baby Lily is very cute too!! There are some good descriptions of Wales and the local community along with the characters in it which makes for an atmospheric setting. There are some unexpected and surprising twists especially at the end.

However, although it is realistic and true to life as Grace’s thoughts go round and round but unfortunately that doesn’t always make for riveting reading. I would have liked a greater feeling or sensation of threat and menace as it doesn’t always come across as strongly as it could which is a shame as the premise is a good one.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read and I’d definitely like to read more by the author.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ, HQ Digital for the arc in return for an honest review.

And Then She Ran by Karen Clarke gripped me quickly. The characters quickly came to life and the plot line developed well with tension building and a good few red herrings to keep us guessing. Karen describes the Welsh countryside very well and the isolation around Morag’s cottage, which contributes to the building tension. The friendliness of the village comes across and envelops Grace and Lily into the family. I very much enjoyed the book and appreciate that the loose ends tied up in a realistic and satisfactory way. A good four star read

The first half was slower than I’d have liked but picked up after. There were red herrings-a-plenty and some beautifully vivid descriptions of Snowdonia, in Wales.

The characters were very likeable and as a reader you’re rooting for Grace (and later, Morag)

However, due to how long it took for the story to build up, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and sudden so it’s:

4/5 - recommend and I’ll look for more books by Karen Clarke in the future.

Grace is running from a toxic relationship with Patrick, the married father of her 8 week old daughter, Lily. She is frightened of what may happen if she stays. The only place she can think to go where he won’t be able to find her is to her aunts isolated property in Wales. Although she’s never been there, and hasn’t had contact with her aunt for some time, she feels this is the only place she can hide. But it soon becomes clear that she isn’t as safe as she hoped.

The tension in this book builds beautifully, leaving you on the edge of your seat barely daring to breath at times. Although Grace had never wanted children, she will do whatever she needs to protect her child. She finds a person she can trust in Morag, even if her aunt seems to have secrets of her own. So well written, a real page turner. Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story follows Grace who flees from Manhattan to the Uk with her young baby. She arrives with hardly anything and takes refuge with her aunt who lives in a remote part of Wales. Grace feels she is being followed by the baby’s father or someone he he is paying to track her down.

What follows is a series of incidents to strengthen that belief and the story also sees the relationship between her aunt, her estranged mother and Grace develop.

The suspense is built up well and leads to a surprise and a couple of twists. A well written novel and I would recommend to lovers of this genre

I absolutely loved this book. It grabbed me from the beginning. Grace is fleeing America with her baby daughter Grace. She seeks refuge with her aunt in her reclusive cottage in Wales. Grace is running from her baby’s father Patrick. When she arrives at the cottage she feels like she is being watched and is worried that particularly has come after her. This book is so cleverly written you are reading the story thinking it links to one character when in fact it’s about another. Both of their histories very similar. The ending was a huge surprise to me i definitely didn’t see it coming. I would highly recommend this book.

The story starts by the building tension of Grace on the run with her baby, fearing the father and trying to get away somewhere to be as unfindable and anonymous as possible. She flees, from New York, to her aunt’s house in deepest Wales with stunning scenery and very few people. Her Aunt also seems very solitary and perhaps with secrets in he past which also make her fearful and unwilling to reveal too much.
Strange things start to happen and Grace starts to panic that she’s being followed and someone has been entering the house. The terror and tension of this part the book builds brilliantly and there are definitely some heart stopping moments and the natural instinct of a mum desperate to protect her child are expertly portrayed. The parallels of family events from the past are ingenious and it’s definitely a book where you start to question who you trust. Overall a good edgy tale and one I had to finish in one go!

This was an enjoyable read but for me not an edge of your seat thriller, it was a good mystery with some interesting relationships and I did wonder which way it would turn but as I’d thought of many scenarios no shocks. Grace, the main character was clearly hiding her past and scared of her own shadow but her aunt was the more fascinating character for me with her war photography past and self sufficiency yet she has the ability to settle into a tight knit village and fit into the community. The relationship between the two was interesting and added as much to the story as the mystery element. Overall this was a decent read but lacked suspense.

Grace has fled New York with her eight week old baby Lily and gone to her Aunt's in a remote village in Wales.

Trying to start over and make a new life for baby Lily, Grace thinks she is being watched, followed.

This book had me invested into Grace's story thoughout and with several twists this keeps you guessing all the way though.

Such a gripping read that a really enjoyed.

Highly recommended

An enjoyable and satisfying novel, with interesting characters and several plot twists. Set in the Welsh countryside, it captures the beauty and mystery of the Snowdonia region. It is a novel of coming to terms with oneself and accepting compromise, as well as the healing power of forgiveness. A thoughtful and moving story with strong elements of human interest as well as an intriguing mystery.

This book was good paced with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing what would happen next. I couldn’t put it down and read it all in 2 sittings. Grace has fled New York with her baby, but will she be safe? I really do recommend this book!

Wow Wow Wow, I was delighted to receive this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I raced through this book where we find Grace escaping New York with her baby Lily for a small village in North Wales to stay with her Aunt.

We follow the story of why she ran with a few bumps and turns along the way, I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Enjoyable well paced thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Grace has fled from New York with her baby daughter but is she safe now .... and if so how long will it last.

Grace is running from a man, she is not sure of his identity but she picks up clues, and knows he has been round to her aunt Morag's cottage in Wales, where she has run to get away from New York, and an unbearable situation. The question of the man' and his identity keeps the reader guessing until the end. For that reason it is a page turner. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy of this book.

This was a really enjoyable read for me , and it was a little surprising , i thought I knew what was going on but i have to say I was surprised on a couple of occaisions ,
Grace arrives in a remote Welsh village with her young baby to stay with her aunt , running form someone , she can't help feeling that they have found her , she gets the feeling she is being watched , finds things in the bedroom with no explanation . Her relationship with her Aunt flourishes and she starts to believe she could be happy , however she just cannot shake the feeling ., she doesn't know who she can trust and worries that she is putting them all in danger
Very good and quite original for the genre

An excellent fast paced thriller which was well written with good characters and it kept me involved in the storyline from beginning to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for allowing me to read this book.

I very much enjoyed this thrilling novel about a mother on the run and her desperate quest to save herself and her child, no matter the cost.

Yes, And Then She Ran, when it was clear that her baby Lily was unsafe in the home of her father and his alcoholic wife. That meant leaving New York where Grace had been working as a chef and hiding at her aunt’s home in rural Wales. Would the father, Patrick, come after her. She is constantly on the watch for signs that she is being followed and worries that her baby will be snatched. Her aunt, Maggie, has an interesting history too and her retreat to her isolated cottage is a way of seeking refuge too. This book starts on page one and doesn’t let the reader go. It seems to be the story just of Grace’s fears for her and the baby but the plot is much more intricate than that. There are many unexpected twists to the story which keep the reader on edge. It is well written, with credible characters and an absorbing plot. I recommend it.

Grace leaves New York with her small baby Lily to get away from the father Patrick.
She returns to stay in Wales with her Aunt Morag on the outskirts of a small country town.
Something happened in New York but the reader is not sure exactly what until the last part of the book.
Grace is an only child and grew up in an unhappy family with a bullying father who is now dead.
Morag was a war photographer with a difficult past and has escaped from the world she was in.
I enjoyed the book although some of the story was unrealistic in places and a bit confusing. The ending seemed rushed to tie everything up in a nice bow.
More a romance novel than a psychological one.
3 Stars ⭐️.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.