If there's one thing I like doing, it's discovering new authors. Kirsty Ferguson is definitely a new author for me but having enjoyed reading 'Never Ever Tell' as much as I did, I can guarantee that I will be reading more of her work in the future. I absolutely flipping well loved reading 'Never Ever Tell' but more about that in a bit. I couldn't help but feel for Vanessa Sawyer from the first moment I came across her. She makes one of the mistakes of her life when she has sex with the boyfriend of her best friend. In effect it was rape, she didn't really want to but he wasn't listening. Things start to go wrong for her from then on. She ends up married to a man, who shows his true colours. It was at that point that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to give her husband a darn good slapping with a wet fish for the way he treats her and the way he treats his child. Vanessa is kind, compassionate and sensitive. She adores her child and does her best to protect him from his father. I just kept everything crossed that her husband took a very long walk off a very short cliff and that Vanessa would get the happy life that she so deserved. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you. Oh. My. Word. What a flipping fantastic book this was. I was drawn to the book by the synopsis and then as soon as I started to read, I just knew that I was going to be unable to put this book down very easily. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. The more of the book I read, the more questions I had that needed answering and so of course the more I had to read. I became seriously addicted to reading 'Never Ever Tell'. If I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. I became so involved in the story that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The page numbers became a blur. All too quickly I reached the end of the story. 'Never Ever Tell' is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start with a bit of a racy beginning to the story. I had an inkling that things were not going to work out for the best. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. Kirsty certainly took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the story. I felt myself becoming emotionally involved in the story to the extent that I found myself getting angry, tearful and incredibly frustrated with the actions of certain individuals. I felt as though I was part of the story and that's thanks to Kirsty's very vivid and realistic storytelling. In short I thoroughly enjoyed 'Never Ever Tell'. I would put Kirsty Ferguson on a par with Adele Parks- if you enjoy Adele's books then it's safe to assume that you will enjoy 'Never Ever Tell'. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will be reading more of Kirsty's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I should begin this by alerting any sensitive readers to the fact that some of the content maybe upsetting or difficult to read, rape, domestic violence, illness and death are included but all within context and are a valuable part of the story. I’ve always enjoyed a book I can get into and try to piece all the clues together. Never Ever Tell is very much focused on a mother’s love for her child and explores how much he is the centre of her life even though there are other relationships she should also be concentrating on instead of potentially neglecting. How far would you go to protect or rely on that one person in your life? There is no getting away from the fact Vanessa has had a difficult life but I found the further I read and the more I unravelled her personality I found myself changing from caring about her or rooting for her to actually disliking her a whole lot by the end. There are a handful of folk involved in this family all with their own agenda, I think Billy is the strongest and most tolerant person, he displays all the traits of a lovable family man and I really felt for him, as much as he tries to keep Vanessa focused she is intent on doing things her way. I read Never Ever Tell in a couple of sittings so that indicates the quality of the writing, the author kept me intrigued and as much as I didn’t enjoy parts I just had to keep reading desperate to know how events played out. There is a lot to take onboard but as I got to the middle of the book I sensed it was coming to a close so I was a little surprised to find ‘part 2’, personally I didn’t really feel the need for that and it jangled my nerves having to see things from a different angle for a while. By the end I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to finish and I must confess it wasn’t quite the predictable ending it could have been so that was a powerful touch. All in all with the benefit of hindsight I really enjoyed Never Ever Tell it could have been a bit shorter in places because it tended to repeat itself, (how the mother felt about her son) but overall I would be happy to read anything by this author again. My thanks to the author, publisher, netgalley and Rachel from Random Resources for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

*** TRIGGER WARNING*** Scenes Of Domestic Violence & Rape. Vanessa had a crush on her best friends boyfriend, Mark. But Vanessa had sex with him and he tells her he will break up with Maggie. But he doesn't. Not until Vanessa is pregnant. Her parents tell her she must marry him before the baby is born. She has a son and calls him Wren. Mark doesn't like the name. An abusive marriage evolves. One day Vanessa meets an old flame who wants to help her escape her abusive husband. They eventually end up in a relationship and has another son. But tragedy is about to strike. This is an emotional roller coaster read. I found it hard to read in places but the content needed to be written to make the story work. It's well written and the characters are complex but believable. Even though the plotline was harrowing inward caught up in the story and read it in one sitting. This is my first read by the author but it won't be my last. I would like to thank NetGalley Boldwood Books and the author Kirsty Ferguson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NeverEverTell #NetGalley

Wow, what an intense read Never Ever Tell is. I am still shaking long after finishing the final page. It is highly emotive, harrowing and heartbreaking all rolled into one. Make sure you have the tissues handy while reading this one, you are definitely going to need them! Kirsty has crafted a very dark plot that for some readers, may be hard to read. It deals with issues of rape and extreme domestic violence, which at times is quite graphic and confronting, but there is a magnetic pull that keeps you wanting to turn the pages to see how it is all going to unfold. This is the first book that I have read of Kirsty’s and I was really impressed with her writing, which kept me very engaged throughout. Due to its nature, it mustn’t be easy writing these types of stories, living and breathing its darkness until it is complete, but Kirsty takes it all in her stride and has delivered quite a remarkable read. Never Ever Tell will have you gripped from start to finish as you are taken on one very emotional roller coaster ride. At times it will have your heart pounding and gasping for breath, as the tension rises all in the lead up to a shocking revelation that you don’t see coming! With its strong plot and characters that are complex, believable and very well written, Never Ever Tell will capture your attention and have you reading well into the night. A well put together story that all comes together through writing that is both powerful and compelling, it really is a must read. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Kristy Ferguson for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Never Ever Tell which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.