Last Orders (Last Orders #1)

This was a new author for me and I am so excited to discover a new author that is so good! I was immediately drawn into her story. The book is told from various points of view- mainly Debra the wife and Bryn the husband for most of the book. The story follows a mother who is about to turn 50 who is struggling with her empty nest syndrome as well as her unhappy marriage while running her pub. Debra hires a much younger bar manager who she develops feelings for. The characters were interesting and I found myself wanting to know more about them, especially Debra. The author's writing style is easy going and moves quickly with pages that fly by! I found myself lost in the story so much that by the time I looked up at the clock, my 3 noisy pets had missed their feeding time by 45 minutes and I hadn't even heard them crying! Seriously! That's how immersed I was! And the twists were fantastic. A 5 star read for me. The best part of all... there is a book 2! I just ordered it on Amazon. It's called Last One Standing. I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

I love Maria Frankland's writing and I'm slowly working my way through her many books. If you haven't read any yet, go and grab one! She has a knack of drawing you into her characters' lives from the beginning and keeps you engaged throughout. The story is a slow burn about the characters' relationships, but it all heats up (literally!) towards the end, with some good twists which I especially enjoyed. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job.

“Last Orders” by Maria Frankland is a dark, intense thriller that holds nothing back. Tense, disturbing, and heart-pounding, the story kept me on edge from start to finish. Frankland delivers a chilling examination of cruelty, survival, and the lengths people will go to when pushed to their limits. A fast, brutal read that fans of hard-hitting psychological thrillers won’t forget.