Author: Mandy Magro
ISBN: 9781489241177
RRP: $29.99
Publisher: Harlequin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher/NetGalley
Mandy Magro is becoming quite a prolific Australian author and I have read quite a few of her books now, I think over half but there are still gaps in my reading.
Moment of Truth is set in North Queensland with much of the action taking place on Diamond Acres Horse Sanctuary, the place Alexis Brown and her sister Katie grew up. Mr Brown worked at Diamond Acres and the family lived in a cottage on the property until the night Mr and Mrs Brown died in a shooting that was ruled a murder-suicide. Alexis and Katie moved to Townsville with their grandparents and never went back, but that didn’t mean they stopped looking back. Years of therapy and Alexis still hasn’t managed to move on, she still hasn’t faltered in her belief that it was not her father who pulled the trigger and she has still lost all memory of the events of that night.
An anonymous note arrives out of the blue confirming the long held belief that there was someone else there that night and Alexis is determined to track down the sender of the note and find out what they know. But after all these years is she actually ready to return to Blue Ridge?
There is a lot to love about Moment of Truth, the suspense side of the story is well drawn out and there are some pretty interesting twists that I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoyed the suspense side of the story and I was hooked, always with the one more chapter to try and find out what was going on; trying to discover if Alexis ever recovered her memory.
I am struggling to find the right words because the romance was sweet, if a little predictable, but it was also very repetitive. I think I heard how they felt and the reactions to each other more than I was made to see and feel their reactions and it seemed a little repetitive to me. I am sure there will be plenty of readers who swoon all over it but it got a little over the top for me. I found myself skimming some scenes with a ‘yeah, we get it, you’re connected and the crush never went away and the chemistry between you is electric, I’ve heard it all already just get to the action’. The romance was predictable but I thought it was realistic and I thought it played out in a way that I found completely conceivable.
There are hurdles, as there are with any romance, and there are secrets but some secrets are deal-breakers, and that too was written believably. I think my big issue with the romance was the repetition in the lead up and the predictability but having said that it was still quite a sweet romance and it was one that I couldn’t help but cross my fingers for them. Alexis and Ethan have both done it pretty tough in their lives and they deserve their happy ever after, and it’s quite clear that now they’ve found one another again no-one else will ever be enough.
Diamond Acres is a horse sanctuary and this is what really showed the depth of Ethan, early on he rescues a group of brumbies from an abbattoir and the way he treats them, the care he shows, is amazing. Brumbies are a majestic animal and they are one that certainly evokes very varied reactions in people. Ethan is one of their champions and he treats them well, the respect he has for them is palpable. I love the idea of brumbies but have never been close to one so reading their stories is always interesting. I love to read of the connection people have with horses, and horses with people too.
Mandy Magro is a prolific Australian author whose work I have read more than 50% of and have enjoyed all of them. The story has definite promise and played out well, the suspense was intriguing and unfolded at a good pace with some great twists but the romance was a little predictable and repetitive. Definitely a book I would recommend and I think fans will be thrilled.
Moment of Truth is published by Harlequin Mira and available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Mandy Magro can be followed on Facebook and her Website.
Moment of Truth is book #50 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2017.
Thanks to Harlequin 20 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading Moment of Truth so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Once again a call out of thanks to the publisher Harlequin and Beauty and Lace for offering the book ‘Moment of Truth’ by Mandy Magro for review.
A super duper story of love, loss and triumph mixed into one. The story revolves around the life of the main character Alexis Brown at the age of 13 and also jumps to modern day at her age of 30.
The story begins with a very disturbing scene, the suspected murder/suicide of Alexis’ parents on an outback property in Northern Queensland. We are introduced to Alexis waking late one night to overhear her parents fighting and then her fleeing to safety with her much younger sister Katie, amid gun fire.
Another crucial character in the book is that of Ethan Brown, step grandson of the property owner and close pal of Alexis. He’s taken over running the family property, left to him by his aging, dementia addled grandfather. We learn of life on the land, his own experience of loss and his battle to accept the imminent loss of his mother to cancer.
Within the chapters we learn that Ethan’s stepfather Peter has had past affairs. Early in the book we learn also that Alexis’ mother has had an affair and I quickly put two and two together. I guessed from that point on in the story that Peter was responsible for the murders. Having this information did spoil it for me a bit but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the journey of understanding the relationship of the books characters, particularly that of Ethan and Alexis.
The author presents a very relatable book, showing life is never just stars and sunshine but can be full of hardships, sadness, physical and emotional turmoil. I didn’t always agree with how the author presented the characters reactions however. I can’t believe that Alexis, after 17 years separated from Ethan wouldn’t have instantly hugged and acknowledged him. I also found Alexis reaction to Ethan arriving at her doorstep at the end of the book, too perfect, her total acceptance even after such emotional turmoils had occurred. Having said that I still very much enjoyed this great story.
Mandy Magro is brilliant in her skills, describing in such detail the environment and character’s emotions. It is a book you will find very satisfying. A great read.
Moment of Truth is a story about two innocent young girls, growing up with loving parents in a remote area of North Queensland. Their idyllic world is suddenly shattered with the apparent murder/suicide of their parents, an event which will scar the girls for life.
Alexis and Katie were taken to Townsville to live with their grandparents and it is here they have rebuilt their lives. Now in their late 20s, their world is turned upside down again with the arrival of a mysterious letter, someone who admits to knowing what really happened to their parents; someone claiming their parents were murdered.
Alexis chooses to investigate this further and heads back to her childhood home, revisiting all of the painful memories, asking the many questions that remain unanswered and at the same time, rekindling old feelings with her childhood friend, Ethan.
This was a very easy and enjoyable read, a definite page turner for me. A good dose of drama, suspense and romance against a beautiful rural Australian backdrop; a perfect blend for this lovely story.
Thank you very much to Beauty & Lace Bookclub and Harlequin Mira for the opportunity to read Moment of Truth.
I quite enjoyed the storyline but the romance was repetitive & i got a bit bored with it. It seemed like just a page filler. I guessed in the beginning who the culprit was so a bit predictable. Other than the negative comments the storyline was good & like i said i enjoyed the book.
I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down and just had to keep reading until the end. I have read a few of Mandy’s books and really enjoyed them.
I totally agree with Michelle’s comments about the romance in this story being very repetitive. I’m a person who will usually read every word in a book, but I found myself skipping parts thinking, ‘I get it, I’ve heard it all before’. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the story. Lexi’s memory loss kept me going wondering when and if she would recover more of her memory and I must say I was led down the wrong track completely with regards to ‘who done it!’ That was a nice surprise for me to not have guessed correctly and meant that that part of the story wasn’t predictable. I was disappointed to find some spelling errors as I think that published novels shouldn’t have any excuse to have any errors in them.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for another great book to review. It’s one that I highly recommend as a great book to read over the upcoming summer holidays. >:o)
OH MY GOD!!!
Want a fantastic novel… once I started I couldn’t put it down.
From the very first chapter I was hook line and sinker.
I shed so many tears in this novel, from the first novel to the end.
It was written perfectly… well done Mandy Magro.
This was a great book to come home from holidays to – I loved it. I “discovered” Mandy Magro via “Walking the Line,” also courtesy of Beauty and Lace so “Moment of Truth” was my first choice selection for November books and I wasn’t disappointed.
I agree completely that the story line was repetitive and somewhat predictable because I’d worked out who the murderer was way before it was apparent but this didn’t spoil the book for me in any way. The characters were lovely for the most part, the story well written and very easy to read. I was very interested in the element of brumby horses too, something I knew little about.
This is definitely a book for when you want/need something light, interesting and enjoyable but not necessarily heavy going or indepth. It was the perfect book for the right time for me and one I will happily share with favourite people. It is always satisfying to find a lovely Australian author who I am perfectly happy recommending to book lovers. Mandy Magro is one of those people.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Mira. I loved “Moment of Truth.”
Loved this book!
From start to end, I just wanted to keep reading!
As an avid reader of rural fiction, I knew I would most likely enjoy this book. I have read lots of Mandy Magro, and enjoyed them all.
What I liked most about this book was that it was different to most other rural fiction that I have read as it had a big suspense/ mystery element added to it.
It had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, especially when Alexis starts visiting Ethan’s grandfather in the nursing home!
Yes, sometimes the Romance was a bit over the top and really driven home that their feelings had never changed, but I didn’t find this a big deal.
I found from the chapter of Alexis going back to the nursing home I could not put this book down! In fact I stayed up wayyy past my bedtime to finish this book!
I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of rural fiction.
Thankyou as always to Beauty and Lace, Mandy Magro and Harlequin for the chance to read this book.
An absolutely wonderful novel.
Moment Of Truth by Mandy Magro is an engrossing novel, so much so that I read this book in its entirety in one day.
Already a fan of Mandy Magro’s books I was hoping for another enjoyable read and Moment Of Truth certainly delivers.
A great rural fiction novel that is also filled with some great mystery/suspense aspects.
This is a story of two young girls growing up with loving parents in remote Nothern Queensland. Their lives are shattered when their parents are murdered in an apparent murder suicide .
Alexis and Katie are taken to live with their grandparents and we pick up in their 20’s when a mysterious letter arrives claiming to know who murdered their parents.
A great read. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Mira for the opportunity to read and review another great Mandy Magro novel.
3 stars Mystery, with heart. I really enjoyed the way this quiet, engaging, mystery unravelled, each layer peeling away as the characters got to remember past life. Each girl has dealt with the ordeal in different ways, and thus all gets reawakened as does relationships. The country backgrounds and horsemanship are beautifully crafted, lovely read, based here in the North.