Blog Tour: The Winter's Sleep – Monica Cafferky

Steph Warren - Bookshine

Oct 29

*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Blurb: A handsome husband. A beautiful home. A job she loves.
Yet Brigid Raven is drowning in debts and there's only one way out.
Fake her death and walk away from everything she's struggled so hard to build.
Can she pull off her new identity? How will she survive on the run?
But Brigid has another secret. She can see the dead and now they won't leave her alone.

This is quite an unusual book as it crosses genres in some unexpected ways and the tone completely changes from beginning to end. From the beginning and for most of the story, this is a domestic thriller about a couple on the run from their debts and forced to rely on each other in extremely stressful circumstances. Paranormal aspects are woven throughout, as Brigid can see ghosts, but her brush with death has her seeing more sinister apparitions too - things that Josh cannot see and doesn't believe in.

Towards the end of the book, however, we see a shift in both tone and content. The focus of the story becomes Brigid - her health and wellbeing; her happiness; her future plans - and Josh slips more into the background as the story becomes a journey to self-knowledge and trauma recovery. Similarly, the dark, oppressive, claustrophobic tone of the writing slowly shifts into a lighter and more hopeful air, as Brigid breathes in the sea salt and turns her face towards the sun. But whether Josh will let her go that easily, especially when they are being hunted by an unpleasantly dogged man and dark forces from beyond too...?

This is one of those stories where you suspend your disbelief because you need to know what happens next and whether the characters will get away with it! I really didn't like Josh much from the very beginning but I was rooting for Brigid to survive and thrive, even when it didn't seem like there was any chance for that to come about!

The plot and character development cleverly draw you in to the couple's troubles and I genuinely felt their fear and desperation, trapped on all sides by their own mistakes and decisions and unable to see a clear way out. Brigid's initial passivity rang true for someone struggling with such hopelessness and it was empowering to see her gradually begin to emerge from those shadows and take back control of her own life.

Ultimately I would say that it is her character's journey that carries the heart and soul of the story, so if you are looking for a standard paranormal or domestic thriller, this might not be quite the right fit, but if you are interested in a 'life journey' novel with aspects of those genres then The Winter's Sleep is exactly what you've been looking for.

The odds of winning the lottery jackpot stood at 1 in 45,057,474. This plan had much better odds. Yes, there were variables that could affect the outcome, but when it came down to basic maths it was a fifty-fifty chance. They either pulled the plan off or they didn't. They either got caught or they didn't.
Then he told himself not to be so bloody stupid. It was a crazy idea. Although he had to do something to get them out of this financial mess. But what?

- Monica Cafferky, The Winter's Sleep

Purchase Link: The Winter's Sleep on Amazon

About the author

Monica Cafferky worked as a journalist for national newspapers and magazines for over 20 years before turning her hand to fiction with the supernatural thriller The Winter's Sleep. The inspiration for her debut novel, set in Yorkshire and the North East coast, came from growing up in a haunted house in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Previously, Monica co-authored three self-help books (published by Little Brown), which have been translated into several languages including: Japanese, Norwegian and Czech. Monica is a Fellow of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and for five years was a visiting lecturer in journalism. Monica lives in Yorkshire.