Blog Tour: Never Ever Tell by Kirsty Ferguson

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Released: June 2020
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Pages: 326
Rating: 3/5

**Trigger Warning: domestic violence, sexual assault, bullying, suicide**

She’d do anything for her boy…

Vanessa Sawyer knows all about pain. She’s felt it every day since marrying the boy who fathered her baby in high school. All he’s meant are broken bones, broken hearts, and broken dreams. But he also brought her the love of her life. When her son Wren was born, her baby boy was her salvation.

Vanessa watches Wren grow and become a young man she can be proud of. Until one night everything changes, including Wren. One night that her son refuses to speak of. Now Vanessa can’t rest, not until she uncovers the secret that her son has been hiding from her.

Will she find the answers she’s searching for or will her quest for the truth take her to a dark place where all hope is lost?

One evil act. One tragedy. Lives destroyed forever.

Page-turning, heart-pounding and unforgettable, Kirsty Ferguson has written the perfect novel for all fans of B. A. Paris and Adele Parks.

If I could describe this book in one word it would be, “extreme.” Before reading it, be aware there are graphic descriptions of domestic abuse and sexual assault as well as some serious gaslighting throughout. It made for tough reading, but I was able to stomach most of it.

Even though this is a relatively short book set in a small sleepy town, there is non-stop intensity right from the get-go. My heart broke for Vanessa as everyone shunned her and turned their backs on her, making her a modern day Hester Prynne. She held her own, though, and refused to let the treatment of her neighbors, friends, and husband let her get her down.

Now, maybe this is because I’ve never lived in a small town, let alone one in Australia which is where I think this takes place, but many of the characters in Never Ever Tell didn’t make much sense to me. Everyone seemed to go from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye, reacting with soap opera level drama to everything. Many of the relationships and interactions between characters reflected that and were sometimes baffling.

Please don’t think that I mean the relationship between an abuser and their victim when I say this. I know how easy it is for people to say, “Why doesn’t she just leave him?” when they’re looking in from the outside. I’m ashamed to admit that until I was in that situation myself I used to think that way, too. So I know firsthand how hard it is to leave despite knowing that your life may depend on it.

In spite of the fact that I had some issues with the character development, my attention was kept from the first page to the last. As long as readers go into this knowing it is essentially an R-rated soap opera, I think they will also find themselves turning the pages late into the night wanting to know what comes next for Vanessa and her children.

In the end this was a story of personal strength and of the fierce love a mother can have for her children. No matter what came Vanessa’s way (and it was a lot), she continued to fight for a better life for herself and her boys. Rather than be bitter toward them due to how they were conceived and how they changed her life, she only saw them as miracles that she had to protect with everything she had.

Because of that I think Never Ever Tell will resonate with the right readers, especially with ones who know what it is to love your children with all your being.

Buy Your Copy Now! https://amzn.to/2XRtohu

Author Bio

Kirsty Ferguson is a born and bred Australian. She writes crimes and mystery novels. Her stories center around strong women and dark themes that are topical and relevant to today. Kirsty chooses to deconstruct and enthrall her readers with the secrets of any everyday person behind closed doors. She has long been a lover or writing and reading, creating stories from a young age

Website: https://www.kirstyferguson.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kfergusonauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstyfergusonauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkirstyferguson

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Thanks to the author and Rachel’s Random Resources for a copy of this book in exchange for my blog tour review. Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour!