• Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

TheBookBellas

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

THE AU PAIR by EMMA ROUS

March 16, 2019

 

Synopsis:

 

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.

Who is the child and what really happened that day?

One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.

 

My Review:

 

What an evocative and tangled story! I absolutely love British thrillers and especially a story set in and around an old house. ‘The Au Pair’ features both Summerbourne, the family’s remote country home, and Winterbourne, the city home. Both houses, but especially Summerbourne, play key roles in this wonderfully atmospheric story.

The story is told in the first person in dual timelines. Seraphine is the twin sister of Danny and younger sister of Edwin. Laura is the nanny who cared for Edwin when he was a young child. Seraphine discovers an old family photo when she is cleaning the house after her father’s sudden death. She finds a photo that was supposedly taken on the day she was born – yet there is only one baby in the photo! Is the baby her, or Danny? And what drove their young mother to kill herself on the day of the twins’ birth?

This is quite a premise and one that is wonderfully unraveled over the course of this intelligent and moody mystery. Seraphine is determined to track down Laura, the nanny, and find out what happened on the day of her birth. She immediately stirs up old emotions and her family begs her to stop digging.

“I stare at him. Is it true? How could I have hurt him and not known about it? The hairs on my arms rise, and the air around me seems to shift and relayer itself, as if Summerbourne itself is sifting through its memories.”

Seraphine begins to question everything and everyone she ever thought she knew and loved. What really happened that day? Each alternating chapter leads the reader closer and closer to the truth. It is hard to tell a great story in the first person but the author does so skillfully and with rising tension. As Seraphine grows closer to discovering the truth about her family, Laura is also telling the story of the young family and the circumstances leading up to the day of the twins’ birth.

I alternated between reading this book and listening to the audio and I adored the dual narration. I love when an entire mystery revolves around one seemingly small inconsistency and that is the heart of this book. Seraphine, who had been taunted as a child for being a ‘Summerbourne Sprite’, becomes increasingly paranoid as she gets closer to the truth about her family. I was completely taken aback but the ending but fell in love with all of the characters and the gorgeous English settings. ‘The Au Pair’ is a creative book, perfectly paced and beautifully narrated. If this is the author’s first novel, I cannot wait for the next. I highly recommend this one!

“The future hovered like a boat about to raise its sail, waiting for my next words, suspended between elements, tugged by guilt and love and desperation.”

About the Author:

Emma Rous is a Cambridge University graduate who spent eighteen years working as a veterinary surgeon. She is now writing full time, and lives in Cambridgeshire with her husband and three school-age sons.

Categories : 4.5 Stars, Audiobook, Mystery, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller, Women's Fiction Tagged : Emma Rous, The Au Pair

« A LESSON IN THORNS by SIERRA SIMONE. . . Cover Reveal
CAVALIERI DELLA MORTE SERIES. . . Cover Reveal »

Categories

  • 2 Stars
  • 2.5 Stars
  • 3 Stars
  • 3.5 Stars
  • 4 Stars
  • 4.5 Stars
  • 5 Stars
  • Action Romance
  • Adult
  • Adult Coloring Book
  • Adult Romance
  • Adult Suspense
  • Adventure
  • African American Literature
  • Alpha male
  • Alpha- hero
  • Angsty
  • Anthology
  • Asian American Literature
  • Audiobook
  • Author Interview
  • Author Signing
  • Autobiography
  • BDSM
  • BDSM – Dark and Angsty
  • Biker
  • Billionaire Romance
  • Biographical Fiction
  • Biography
  • Bisexual Romance
  • Blog Hop
  • Blog Tour
  • Book Blast
  • Book Blitz
  • Book Launch
  • Book Tour
  • British Literature
  • Charity
  • Chick Lit
  • College
  • College Romance
  • Coming of Age
  • Contemporary
  • Contemporary Erotic Romance
  • Contemporary Fiction
  • Contemporary Gay Romance
  • Contemporary Homoerotic Romance
  • Contemporary M/M Romance
  • Contemporary Queer Romance
  • Contemporary Romance
  • Contemporary Western Romance
  • Courtroom Drama
  • Cover Reveal
  • Cowboy Romance
  • Cozy Mystery
  • Crime
  • Crime Romance
  • Dark
  • Dark and Twisty
  • Dark Contemporary Romance
  • Dark Erotic Romance
  • Dark Erotica
  • Dark Humor
  • Dark Romance
  • Diverse
  • Domestic Fiction
  • Domestic Suspense
  • Domestic Thriller
  • Dominant
  • Dystopian
  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Erotic
  • Erotic Humor
  • Erotic Romance
  • Erotic Romantic Comedy
  • Erotic Suspense
  • Erotic Thriller
  • Erotica
  • Erotica/Sci-Fi
  • Events
  • Family
  • Family Drama
  • Family Saga
  • Fantasy
  • Fashion
  • Feminism
  • Fiction
  • Fighter
  • Financial Thriller
  • Forbidden
  • Giveaway
  • Gothic
  • Gothic Romance
  • Guest Post
  • Hispanic American Literature
  • Historical Fiction
  • Historical Romance
  • Holiday Fiction
  • Holiday Romance
  • Horror
  • Horror Romance
  • Human Sexuality
  • Humor
  • Jewish Historical Fiction
  • Legal Thriller
  • Lesbian Romance
  • LGBQT Science Fiction
  • LGBT
  • LGBT Romance
  • LGBTQI
  • Literary Fiction
  • Literary Saga
  • M/m
  • M/M Contemporary Romance
  • Mafia Romance
  • Magical Realism
  • Mature YA/NA
  • MC Romance
  • Memoir
  • Ménage
  • Mental Health
  • Military Romance
  • MM Romance
  • MMA
  • Movie Star Romance
  • Multicultural Romance
  • Mystery
  • Mythology
  • Nature
  • New Adult
  • New Adult Contemporary
  • New Adult Contemporary Romance
  • New Adult Romance
  • New Adult Romantic Comedy
  • New Adult Romantic Suspense
  • New Release
  • Non-con
  • Non-Fiction
  • Novella
  • Office Romance
  • Organized Crime Thrillers
  • Own Voices
  • Paranormal
  • Paranormal Romance
  • Poetry
  • Political Romance
  • Post-Apocalyptic
  • Prequel
  • Psychological
  • Psychological Thriller
  • Release Blitz
  • Reviews
  • Rock Star
  • Rock Star Romance
  • Rocker
  • Romance
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Romantic Erotica
  • Romantic Suspence
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Romantic Thriller
  • Romantic Women's Fiction
  • Satire
  • Sci-Fi Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Second Chance
  • Second Chance Romance
  • Self-Help
  • Serial
  • Series
  • Shifter
  • Short Story
  • Single Dad
  • Slow Burn Romance
  • Small-town Romance
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Sports Romance
  • Sports-Hockey
  • Spotlight
  • Spotlight Tour
  • Standalone
  • Student-Teacher
  • Suspense
  • Taboo
  • Tattooed hero
  • Teaser
  • Teaser Tuesday
  • Thriller
  • Time Slip
  • Time Travel Romance
  • Trailer Reveal
  • True Crime
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban Erotica
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Western Romance
  • Women's Fiction
  • Women's Studies
  • Young Adult
  • Young Adult Contemporary Romance
  • Young Adult Fantasy
  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Young Adult Romance
  • Young Adult Thriller
  • Young Adult Time Travel
  • Young Adult-New Adult

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Favorites:

Search The Book Bellas

New Posts Delivered Straight To Your Inbox

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 37 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • Audiobook Review: Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler
  • Book Review: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
  • Audiobook Review: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
  • Audiobook Review: Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
  • Book Review: Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Archives

Find us on GoodReads

Goodreads: Book reviews, recommendations, and discussion

Grab our Button


Tags

4 stars 4.5 stars 5 stars A.L. Jackson Aleatha Romig Alessandra Torre alpha male BDSM Bella Jewel Blog Tour Book Blitz Book Launch Cat Porter Chelle Bliss contemporary romance Cover Reveal Erotica Erotic romance Excerpt Giveaway Jane Harvey-Berrick K. Bromberg Karina Halle Katy Evans Kristen Ashley Laurelin Paige Mara White Nelle L'Amour New Adult New Releases Pam Godwin Penelope Douglas Penelope Ward Pepper Winters R.S. Grey Release Blitz Review Reviews S.L. Scott Skye Warren Tarryn Fisher Tessa Bailey Tia Louise Vi Keeland Young Adult

Copyright © 2023 · Annabelle Reloaded Theme