Friday 24 February 2017

Dead Hope by Nicky Wells

Published on February 23, 2017


I have enjoyed reading several books written by Nicky Wells but all of them have been sweet romance novels, with an irresistible blend of romance and comedy and a hero to swoon over. Dead Hope brought something different to the table with a story that was more romantic suspense than anything else. It’s a difficult novel to categorise, with some romantic elements, some crime and mystery, some thrilling elements particularly in the build up to the finale… Personally I would call it romantic suspense with a mystery at its heart, but there is truly something for everyone to enjoy in Dead Hope.

I’ve always found Nicky has a recognisable tone to her writing. Most of the books that I have read from Nicky involve a quirky sense of humour, a rock-and-roll tinge to the story and really memorable characters. Despite the change in genre, Dead Hope is absolutely no different. The story had me gripped from the first chapter. I did find it was a bit of a slow-burner in progressing to the tense, edge-of-seat read I had been expecting but I was still hooked even before then in anticipation of what was to come.

At the beginning of the book we meet Cat, who has been caught with cocaine in her possession. She’s not sure what happened, but she’s even more confused by her ‘sentence’, which instead of the typical punishment sees her having to hold down a normal job and completing a long amount of community service, under a new identity. Holding down a job is enough of a challenge for Cat who has never worked before, instead living off the brand and funds of her rockstar parents. At the office she’s now working in, she meets Kay, office-worker by day and hacker by night. When they discover they might have something in common – something related to the death of Cat’s parents – things begin to heat up and the suspense is raised.

The beginning of the book goes along nicely as we see a connection form between Cat and Kay. I was drawn to Kay instantly and really enjoyed the way both his and Cat’s characters develop throughout the book. There was much more that what meets the eye with both Cat and Kay and as we learn about certain events that happened when they were younger, I grew to like and connect with them both a lot more. Early on, Cat is quite spoilt and Kay is pretty standoffish and I was interested to see what kind of impact the events later on in the book would have on them both.

It is the second part of the book where Nicky really had her hold of me and I was engrossed in what was a compelling and pacy mystery that was suspenseful despite the strong hints we have towards the answers throughout. There were a couple of reveals in Dead Hope which were a little difficult to believe but for pure entertainment value I quickly saw past them. The story became more gripping with every page and by the end I wasn’t sure I was ready to let Kay and Cat go. With Cat’s storied past and antics and Kay’s extreme hacking ability, I was convinced they were characters who had several more books left in them, but as the danger levels increase towards the end, there’s a real possibility that one or more of the characters won’t be coming out alive…

1 comment:

  1. Hi Sophie, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today with a lovely review of Dead Hope! I'm absolutely thrilled that it kept you engaged and that you enjoyed it despite the change in genre(s), and I'm really pleased that Cat and Kay captured your imagination. Thanks also for all your support, it really means the world.
    :-D
    ~Nicky

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