Heather’s Bookshelf: Circle of Betrayal
Author: Ruth O’Neill
Released: 06/21/21
Genre: Psychological Thriller
“I despise myself after my indiscretions but somehow it invigorates me too. One month to go before our baby is born. I hate myself and I’m ashamed, but still I want it to carry on. I didn’t want to allow it to happen again, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. When it’s finished I’m always so full of guilt.”
“Circle of Betrayal” introduces Lena Farnham, a pregnant wife and school teacher. She’s happily-in-love with her husband Sean and dreaming of their lives together. She doesn’t seem to have a care in the world- until strange and disturbing things start happening.
When acting as a proctor for an exam, one of her students threatens her, resulting in his suspension. Then she feels someone is watching her. Threatening messages disturb her peace and unwelcome gifts enhance the fear. She’s eager to share her unease with her husband, but he is unconvinced anything’s wrong. He also has some secrets of his own.
The story switches points of view from Lena to her husband, Sean. He wants to be a good husband and father, but he’s hiding from his old life and his secrets. He knows if Lena finds out the truth, she won’t be able to forgive him. Soon his secrets take over and lead him down a path of manipulation and horrible actions.
Other points of view are also explored throughout the tale.
Trigger Warning: adult language, stalking, reference to drug use
Overall, I enjoyed this story and the twisted tale that unfolded on the pages. I found all of the main characters to be well-developed, memorable, and absolutely unlikable. Even Lena I found to be needy, oblivious, and demeaning at times to her seemingly doting husband. Don’t get me wrong, Sean is a piece of work. The things he sets into place are appalling! But he’s not the only crazy person in this tale! (no spoilers here). The biggest distractor with this tale were the multiple points of view. I actually really like books with multiple POVs, but this one felt a little excessive. Lena and Sean’s voices helped add to the tale and gave insight into what was really going on. Each added something different and exciting. However, many of the other POVs seemed redundant and often overlapped considerably with already told plot details. I found this dragged on the story instead of pushing it forward like the other two POVs. The ending wrapped everything up and solidified a stand alone story, though I could see a spin off as a possibility.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A twisted tale of love and betrayal with multiple POVs that felt redundant.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Ruth O’Neill
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Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
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