Jo has never really fitted in with husband Oliver’s rich group of friends. But, after his death, she finds herself invited along to stay at Arlo and Cressida’s holiday home in France to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

What no one expects – is Storm.

The young, beautiful, university student turns up at the chateau without their friend Max, and soon ruffles the feathers of the wives, whilst endearing herself to Arlo and Cressida’s teenage son and buddying up with Jo.

Jo finds herself warming to Storm – whilst also being very intrigued by her and unable to ignore her feeling that something is going on that they don’t know about.

As secrets and insecurities begin to unfold, Jo learns more about Oliver’s past and what bound him and his friends together so fiercely.

This was a gripping read from start to finish – the tension and mood built slowly, the twists were wonderful and the writing excellent.

STEPHANIE MERRITT – STORM ***

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Because of her background as a million-selling author I had high hopes for Storm, which turns out to have nothing to do with thunder and lightning, except in the eponymous character’s nature. I am also a sucker for novels set in France.

Storm is a girl with a mission, to avenge the past by taking down the present. But, after the tense prologue, the story opens with Jo, now a widow, visiting her group of wealthy friends and their children at their chateau. Friendships go back to university days. And, of course, there are lots of secrets and accusations and cover-ups.

Unfortunately, it all seems very familiar territory; a novel recently serialised on TV, another appearing on Netflix. There’s nothing wrong with the story, nor with the writing, just that for me it was unremarkable, like treading water. I had to will myself to read rather than be excited enough to grab my Kindle. And the epilogue, rather than neatly summing up the main characters’ futures, dragged on and on, throwing in stuff which I didn’t want to know.

A tense and twisting thriller, centred around the enigmatic woman, Storm.

Part One was the most exciting with teases of secrets and past wrongdoings.

It was hard to find anything redeeming about any of the characters. That isn't a criticism. It's often fascinating.

I feel more could've been explored of Jo and Oliver's marriage. I questioned why she flitted between feeling negative and positive about his behaviour, particularly after certain revelations came to light.

The major question is, why is Storm there with a bunch of strangers? As the question was beginning to be answered the pace stilted somewhat and the ending felt a little convoluted.

Some readers may not be satisfied with the ending. No spoilers!

Part 1 of this book is absolutely brilliant. Jo has been invited to her friends' chateau in the south of France. They are obscenely rich and frankly not very nice. Indeed they were Jo's husband's friends originally but Oliver is now dead, killed in an unexplained car crash. Jo is feeling very much out of it. There are subtle microagressions to deal with, her hostess Cressida needling her about her weight for example and she is relieved when a young woman Storm arrives to take some of the pressure off her. Storm is not welcome having arrived without her boyfriend and being so much younger and beautiful than the women already there. The tension rises and although I knew what was coming it was so enjoyable.

I wasn't so enthusiastic about Parts 2 and 3 however. There has been a plethora of books recently about the behaviour of rich, entitled people and how they take what they want without regard for the feelings of others. In these books someone usually brings them to book and it's all very satisfying to see them get their comeuppance. So, (SPOILER ALERT) when not everyone gets what they deserve, it's a bit disappointing. My other quibble was about the relationship Jo had with her dead husband. I wasn't completely convinced by this. But this apart, this is a very readable book and overall I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The story follows Jo as she visits a group of her husband's friends for the first time since his death. The arrival of Storm changes the dynamic and starts the story in a new direction. We slowly find out more about this group and have to decide what we think about Storm and why she has come. The book builds to a very tense final story and the twist for me was unexpected. The final scenes moves the action up a notch and is very gripping.

A beautiful French chateau
Jo Lawless is still grieving her husband when his oldest friends invite her to a weekend houseparty in France. She’s always felt like an outsider in the group but she decides to go, hoping their shared loss will bring them closer together.
An unexpected guest
But the weekend is disrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, whose presence brings old tensions to the surface. Long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and it’s clear that at least one person is bent on revenge…
A night that will end in murder
The cold light of morning reveals a horrifying discovery. And the killer isn’t finished. A storm is coming, and no one at this party is safe…
Good book !! This book was definitely a mind game thriller! It had suspense, intrigue, and a good mix of who done it!

What a book ! Loved this ! A gripping drama / thriller with a whole who can you trust twist. Are your friends really your friends, can you trust a stranger who seems to really “get” you? A fab holiday read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a story of entitled, powerful and wealthy people who think that they can get away with anything. And then, some people struggle every single day, hide their true self and their feelings and strive to achieve something more, even if there is a high price for that.

Old friends gather in a charming French chateau when an unexpected guest appears who upsets everyone present. Who is she and what does she want? She says that she is the girlfriend of their friend and that he will soon come too, but until then, she stays alone among them. And how comfortable she seems among strangers. The widow Jo likes her, because she appears to be entirely oblivious to any fear of being judged or found wanting, and equally free from any anxiety about offending. But everybody else suspects Storm of something fraudulent. Until the murder.

The atmosphere of the novel is enchanting, the characters interesting and even annoying, yet the end is a little too predictable for me.

Overall good read.

I wasn't sure if this would be just the same as every other reunion thriller but it really did hold its own amongst the genre. I wasn't a fan of most of the characters but I loved the twists and turns and it kept me hooked from the start. Definitely a really good book to get stuck into and forget the world

Wow, what a book. I loved it, gripping from the start right to the end. First book i have read from this author but won't be the last.

A new author for me, but one I'd read more from. The plot was fast paced and I kept saying, just let me finish this page..... Until I had read the entire book!

I loved this book. A murder mystery, family drama and a cautionary tale rolled in to one. The story illustrates the way access to money and position can 'sort' any awkward situation. But not always. Four friends and their partners have stuck together through thick and thin. But Oliver has died and partner Jo is trying to make sense of what happned and learning how to move forward. The old friends all have something to hide. Newcomer, Storm has her own agenda.
Brilliant read!!

This is a well-paced, enjoyable thriller with some great character portrayals.
There was a certain level of predictability (at the very least it seemed that way to me) but this didn’t take anything away from the entertainment factor and brilliant writing.

The perfect holiday read! Storm certainly kicks one up when she attends the anniversary reunion of her boyfriend’s old university friends at a chateau in France! Jo is there too, recently widowed, her husband Oliver was one of the four friends who all appear in an old Polaroid shot causing discomfort to all four!! Why? Storm has the answer but she needs Jo on her side and Cressida,,, the hostess, is not happy with the situation at all! The story gathers momentum and certainly kept me on my toes! The thrilling climax is unpredictable but clever! My only criticism is the relationship between Jo and husband Oliver! Surely a woman of her quality could not like, let alone love a man such as he! This would make an extremely good TV drama!

I really liked the first part, it was intriguing and I was rooting for Jo. Te second part was more predictable, I guessed the twist and I didn't like that Jo was still thinking of Oliver in a sort of a good light. He was a prick, hell, all of them were, I wanted another kind of ending for all of them.

This enthralling book starts with a weekend gathering of old university friends in a chateau on France. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful clothes, food, wine and surroundings. It soon becomes clear that there are undercurrents running through the friendships, and by the second half of the book things have taken on a dark perspective. The book then becomes a tense thriller, with a few twists at the end that I ipdidnt see coming. This is an excellent book, and I can’t wait for the next one from Stephanie Merritt.

At a luxury chateau in France old friends gather to celebrate the 21st wedding anniversary of Arlo and Cressida.
Jo, recently widowed, is also in attendance despite feeling like she ever fitted in with her late husbands friends. But the arrival of an unexpected guest unravels the group and past secrets threaten to ruin the future for all concerned.
This was a fast paced thriller with lots of red herrings. I was gripped by the storyline and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, I am under no obligation to leave my review

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down (even though I hated the characters). Really, really, good – but then I reached about 80% and thought “Oh no, here we go again …”. Sometimes going over the top and adding extra dimensions and twists and turns to try to make a plot even more complex can spoil things. In my opinion a lot of the last quarter of the story could have been left out and readers would still have had a thrilling and exciting 5* read. The writing was brilliant though, and I’ll be reading more of this author’s books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in return for an honest review.

Ooh this book was just brilliant, loved every bit of it and couldn’t get enough of it, great story and great ending, it did not disappoint at all ..

A well paced mystery that has you hooked from to start to finish. The characters are well written. The plot *chef kiss* it was very easy to give this 5 star rating.