Bunny's Reviews: Behind Closed Doors Review

Welcome to the release of the North American edition of Behind Closed Doors by bestselling author, Catherine Alliott! Read on for my thoughts on this engaging novel!

Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott is a beautifully written novel about a woman by the name of Lucy Palmer. Lucy seems to have a good life, but what goes on behind closed doors tells a different tale. Her husband is a philanderer and he is less than kind to her, but he never makes the mistake of physically lashing out at her. Instead, he keeps his cruelty toward her in the form of vicious words and attempts to shame her with his unfaithfulness. One night, after another nasty "fight" everything changes for Lucy and she's granted her freedom from the man that once she thought that she truly loved. Now, she's free to make her own path and be unafraid in doing so. But the big question becomes -- can she let love back into her life? Or will she allow what she went through to shut that door and lock it away?

Behind Closed Doors is the first book that I have read by Catherine Alliott and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The author sweeps me away into Lucy's life from the beginning with a bit of a wild encounter with her parents. I love how the author makes the parents still viable and active. They create some chaos here and there, but I love that they aren't infirmed and locked away in a residence for the elderly somewhere. There does come off the vibe that there might be some tension between Lucy and her sister, Helena, but it doesn't rise to the surface in a nasty way.

This book is like a carefully recreated painting. You see a beautiful scene and you work to recreate it perfectly. Piece by piece this book comes together to create a beautiful image with the author's acute attention to detail and giving readers Lucy's story as to how exactly she came to be with Michale, her husband. I must say that the author does an amazing job invoking my emotions in this book as well. As the beginning chapters are laid out I can't help but want to empathize with Lucy. I continuously wanted to just go up to her, if she was a real person, and hug her. Tell her that it's going to be okay, and just be there for her.

Granted! There are moments in this book where I honestly wanted to shake Lucy. Especially in her younger years when Michael is a literal walking red flag. I'd know, I've lived some of this, too. But I applaud her for the way that she protects and takes care of her children. I also appreciate that I get a better understanding of the relationship with her sister, and where some of the animosity comes from. It's disappointing but not that surprising, to be honest.

This story moves at a good pace. I love the humor that is sprinkled throughout and how true to life these characters are. I almost believe that I could "hop across the pond" and meet them in their towns/cities. I appreciate that the author has Lucy taking her time to really move forward. Her relationship with her parents is well done and I like how things really come together and Lucy opens up.

I practically devoured this book, and I must say that I'd love to read more by this author in the future. I'll definitely be checking out her previous works. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, but when I find a good author, I grab hold and dig deeper. LOL! If you are a fan of this author's work I encourage you to pick this book up. If you just love contemporary fiction/women's fiction then I encourage you to pick this book up. This book is so enjoyable and you're not going to want to miss out. I'm happy to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Well-deserved.

Thank you to the author, Catherine Alliott and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide and is translated into eighteen languages.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book – but after three – stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in notebooks, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America.

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