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The Stepmother cover art

The Stepmother

By: Claire Seeber
Narrated by: Karina Fernandez
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Summary

The perfect wife. A fairytale family. Don't believe your eyes.

Jeanie and Matthew are a happily married couple who both have teenage children from previous relationships.

No one said it would be easy to raise a blended family under one roof but Jeanie and Matthew are strong. They will make it work.

And whilst Jeanie's step-daughter Scarlett rejects her, Jeanie will just have to try harder to win her over.

But Jeanie has a past. A terrible secret she thought she'd buried a long time ago. And now, it's coming to the surface, threatening to destroy her new marriage.

Someone is playing a terrifying game on Jeanie and she must put a stop to it once and for all.

After all, a fairytale needs a happy ending, doesn't it?

©2016 Claire Seeber (P)2016 Bookouture

What listeners say about The Stepmother

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Seriously unputdownable!

Which character – as performed by Karina Fernandez – was your favourite?

The narration was first class.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I don't often get emotional at books, but this one did bring tears to my eyes at one point. I feel sure this must be because the characters are so well drawn that I was thoroughly engaged with them.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book. Well written, excellent, well drawn characters and interestingly story that certainly kept me gripped. I couldn't put it down.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fast paced, thriller, dark, eerie & addictive!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would happily recommend this based on the intensity of the story. Begin with a basic fairy tale 'Snow White' and sink rapidly into unhappiness, lack of trust, so many secrets, jealousy, fear and confusion. When all Jeanie wanted was to live happily ever after with her beau, she didn't realise how difficult it would be to blend the families with so many external influences. Step-Mother's tend to get a bad name but sometimes it's not as simple as that. There were so many twists and turns to endure, it felt like a dead-end and then would ramp into another moment of tension. There were a few 'sick' incidents so if you have a *trigger* for animal harm beware.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I would like to think Jeanie would be my favourite but at times she was just too nice or weak, her character came across as downtrodden and wishy washy, maybe she was simply worn out with all the events. In which case her sister Marlena probably grabbed my attention the most. She was harsher, abrupt, not an overly likeable person but she does show a softer more dependant side and actually has a pretty big secret of her own! On that basis she added some fire to the story. Scarlett came a lose second, the spoiled little 'princess' daughter. Again a slight *trigger* for self-harming.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Karina Fernandez?

Personally the answer to that would be no. Her voice grated on my nerves when she was reading Jeanie's character. I think I might have perceived Jeanie slightly differently had I 'read' the book instead of listened. The majority of the audio was ok but the narration certainly knocked the overall score of the book down for me which is rather unfair to the author because she did a fabulous job with the story.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It didn't cause a laugh or cry reaction but it was certainly very tense in places. I found myself saying just one more chapter and so it would go on, I never quite got to a point where I wanted to take a break because I was desperate to find out what would be revealed next. So a level of high enjoyment was definitely achieved.

Any additional comments?

As with any story there are always a few niggles .. my major gripe with this one is Jeanie managed to marry Matthew without disclosing her BIG secret. Has she not heard of social media and the story getting out! Also as a mother it didn't ring too true with me when Jeanie's son Frankie was accused of something by Matthew and she didn't stand up for him. Nevertheless it was a brilliantly written story and I enjoyed Claire's easy style. Put aside a few hours and savour this one.
Many thanks to Kim at Bookouture for the audio version in exchange for my honest opinion.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent characterisation.

It is so telling (in a good way) that the name of the main character has already slipped from my memory. What I actually enjoyed about this novel was not so much the storyline but the way it was crafted. In short: I like the way the author writes. Her characters are authentic. The narration was excellent, especially the portrayal of Marlene. I thoroughly recommend this audio book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

could not get interested at all in this book Cskel

tried as hard as I could to get into this book, got up to chapter 8 and it was boring me. so I gave up Cathy skely x

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

unexpected enemies

Would you listen to The Stepmother again? Why?

Yes. It was gripping and well read. I was kept guessing to the end.

What other book might you compare The Stepmother to, and why?

Not sure

What does Karina Fernandez bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I liked her voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No I like to listen over time.

Any additional comments?

No

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good read from stepmother view

Written as story of the new stepmother not a bad but messed up girl who found her dream marriage not a fairy tale
Sad after her dreadful childhood
Recommended as good read

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story

Bit hard to get into, you need to concentrate on it but once you get going it’s a good story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Promised so much, but..

A real slow burner this book. Took forever to get anywhere. Almost gave up, but I did persevere. Found myself a little bored sadly. All the details in the last chapters. By which time I didn’t really care.
Performance on audible it’s only saving grace. Don’t waste a credit!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Had to stop listening mid-walk

Not sure where the fault lies: the narrator with a 'little laugh in her voice' about every fourth sentence, trying to put too much feeling into it. Or maybe it's the author's fault I couldn't get beyond an hour or two of this - the annoying references to fairytales, or the ridiculous plot and the idea that someone who gets married quickly takes no time to find out anything about their partner - they got married a few months after meeting, not a few minutes.

Had hoped for better based on other reviews.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Where is this Killer Twist?

I enjoyed the Narration. Some good characters and it was slightly spooky which made me look forward to the ending but when we got there I was sadly disappointed.

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