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The Night Nurse
They seem like angels of mercy. Until you invite them in.
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her widowed father who suffers from dementia.
Quickly realizing she can’t handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father’s needs and mood swings.
Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worse. He becomes violent and claims he’s being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want?
The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her widowed father who suffers from dementia.
Quickly realizing she can’t handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father’s needs and mood swings.
Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worse. He becomes violent and claims he’s being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want?
The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2022
About the author
Cole Baxter
42 books287 followersCole Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It's all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night--they are very addictive!
Sign up for Cole's VIP Reader Club and find out about his latest releases, giveaways, and more. Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/dqL8yT
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night--they are very addictive!
Sign up for Cole's VIP Reader Club and find out about his latest releases, giveaways, and more. Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/dqL8yT
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
October 30, 2023
I'm still reading The Master and Margarita, but I needed something 'light' in between. And light it is! The Night Nurse is the first book in the Cole Baxter Psychological Box set. I just had to crawl my way through it.
The characters: as flat as the proverbial paper books were used to write on.
The story: every cliché was used.
Psychological thriller: no.
Laura is supposed to be a writer of light romances - so light, they practically float, I think. The Night Nurse can be read as a light romance with a touch of suspense. Just a touch, because you can see everything that is going to happen from a mile away.
Of course Laura is secretly in love with someone, and of course the help she hires to take care of her father is not what she hoped for.
The dialogues read more like an exercise for a YA book. Laura's days are filled with cooking, but she apparently thinks it normal to be served, at one point, egg fried rice for breakfast. The strong taste is meant for her not to notice the poison in it. Even the person who is doing the poisoning thought Laura wouldn't find it a little strange to get a meal that is not her customary breakfast.
I could go on and on, just as the book itself, but I won't. Yes, I like to read some lighter stuff in between thrillers I like to read, but no.
I still have to finish the other two books in this box set. Of course I will try and read them, but suddenly I'm not so much looking forward to it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator books though. I actually read some glowing reviews for this book, but sadly it's not for me.
The characters: as flat as the proverbial paper books were used to write on.
The story: every cliché was used.
Psychological thriller: no.
Laura is supposed to be a writer of light romances - so light, they practically float, I think. The Night Nurse can be read as a light romance with a touch of suspense. Just a touch, because you can see everything that is going to happen from a mile away.
Of course Laura is secretly in love with someone, and of course the help she hires to take care of her father is not what she hoped for.
The dialogues read more like an exercise for a YA book. Laura's days are filled with cooking, but she apparently thinks it normal to be served, at one point, egg fried rice for breakfast. The strong taste is meant for her not to notice the poison in it. Even the person who is doing the poisoning thought Laura wouldn't find it a little strange to get a meal that is not her customary breakfast.
I could go on and on, just as the book itself, but I won't. Yes, I like to read some lighter stuff in between thrillers I like to read, but no.
I still have to finish the other two books in this box set. Of course I will try and read them, but suddenly I'm not so much looking forward to it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator books though. I actually read some glowing reviews for this book, but sadly it's not for me.
November 17, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her wicked father who suffers from dementia. Quickly realising she can't handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father's moods and mood swings. Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worst. He becomes violent and claims he's being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
The pace is slow in the first couple of chapters, then it picks up, only to slow down and then pick up again. Laura and her brother had a terrible childhood, but Laura still feels it's her place to look after her father. The brother and sister and brother caregivers she hires to help look after her father are not at all like what Laura first thought. This is not the best written book I've read but it wasn't the worst either. The word "darlin" is a bit overused. There were a lot of possible directions this story could have taken, but it didn't have the big twist we are all looking for in a thriller.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #ColeBaxter for my ARC of #TheNightNurse in exchange for an honest review.
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her wicked father who suffers from dementia. Quickly realising she can't handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father's moods and mood swings. Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worst. He becomes violent and claims he's being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
The pace is slow in the first couple of chapters, then it picks up, only to slow down and then pick up again. Laura and her brother had a terrible childhood, but Laura still feels it's her place to look after her father. The brother and sister and brother caregivers she hires to help look after her father are not at all like what Laura first thought. This is not the best written book I've read but it wasn't the worst either. The word "darlin" is a bit overused. There were a lot of possible directions this story could have taken, but it didn't have the big twist we are all looking for in a thriller.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #ColeBaxter for my ARC of #TheNightNurse in exchange for an honest review.
November 24, 2022
A woman's wealthy father has dementia, and she needs someone to help care for him and hires a brother and sister team. However, they are not as they appear. How will she protect her father?
Ok, here is the down and dirty for Cole Baxter's THE NIGHT NURSE. I usually do not inject my feelings into a book that did not live up to my expectations, but this one is ripe for the picking.
By the looks of the other reviews, many others shared my feelings.
Pros:
~The Cover
~The Title
~The Book Description
~The Prologue
It ends there with the positives.
~I have not read this author before, but it appears he has a successful track record. My first impression was not a good one. Do I try again for another of his books?
The jury is still out.
~THE HOUSEKEEPER: I went into this thinking it would be another great book similar to Joy Fielding's The Housekeeper (5 ⭐ STARS) which I loved. Sadly, it does not compare, nor is it in the same league.
Or even something like Frieda McFadden's The Housemaid.
Nope!
Now the Cons:
~No shockers, surprises, or twists here
~Completely silly and elementary
~Overuse of the word "Darlin'!"
~Predictable
~No character development (Laura, in particular)
~Not enough (creative) gaslighting or manipulation to make it suspenseful or believable with tension
~No suspense. I would not call this a psychological thriller.
~Never mentions the town or state set in
~Radcliff estate setting could have been more atmospheric and built upon
In every conversation between Sam and Laura, he used "Darlin"! (Please use their name!) Not once, but the entire book in every conversation they had, which was many! Plus, other characters were also using other adjectives instead of their name. Who does this? If this had been an audiobook, it would have been a DNF the second time I heard it.
~Why spend so much time talking about their childhood abuse when not even leveraged?
~Not even part of the plot?
This would have been prime for murder, obsession, and revenge!
Characters:
~Laura: Daughter (Author) newly separated, drama-filled, distracted, clueless
~Billy: Son (does not like the dad)
~Sam: the caretaker (onsite gardener and property mgr for many years)
~Michael: Dad: Dementia (a wealthy businessman)
~Mom: Deceased (physically and verbally abusive)
~Bella: Nurse: Live-in woman hired to take care of dad's dementia
~Andrei: Bella's brother. Hired to handle physical therapy dad's care
~Dr. Temple: Dad's physician
~Dr. Fischer: Laura's Therapist
~Jim: Laura's husband
~Here is what would have made the book better: (Just my opinion, and happy for anyone to weigh in).
MY THOUGHTS: Since Laura and Billy had such an abusive childhood (at the mother's hand) and the dad was the victim, as were the children, and he did not stand up to the mom to protect the children—then USE Billy, the younger brother that Laura left to fend for himself—HE wants revenge. As we saw, he does not like his dad and refuses to help with his care. BINGO!
So when Laura reaches out to him, he refuses to come. Now here is what would have made it wickedly juicy:
In reality, he is behind the couple being hired as a way to distract his sister and sneak in himself to plan his revenge plot.
He wants to make his dad pay, suffer, torment him, and pay back for all his years of suffering—how his dad did not come to his rescue as a child. Also possibly attempted murder or even murder to get his money. His sister has no clue he is involved.
Of course, all this would be hidden from the readers, and then at the end, after much more gaslighting and manipulation (much more than was here), we would need to guess who the killer is: Bella or Andrei. Neither, it is Billy!
And maybe throw Sam and Dr. Temple in the mix as suspects (sure, they have some grievances with the old man). Also, get Laura kicked out of the house and distracted with her husband (he could be in on it). Then the final twist would be Billy as the murderer. Also would be fun to make him gay and Andrei his partner in crime.
Laura was such a weak character, and we need someone much more robust, wicked, manipulative, and evil —Don't you think?
Laura was supposed to be an author and not creative, so would not want to read her books. She is not too worried about her father being poisoned, only herself. All she worries about is getting laid (between Sam & Andrei and lying out by the pool.
So sad; this book had so much potential. I am being overly generous with the 2.5 Star rating rounded to 3.
VERDICT: Do yourself a favor, skip THE NIGHT NURSE, and go straight to THE HOUSEKEEPER You will thank me later.
Thank you to #InkubatorBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 2.5 Stars rounded to 3
Pub Date: Nov 27, 2022
Ok, here is the down and dirty for Cole Baxter's THE NIGHT NURSE. I usually do not inject my feelings into a book that did not live up to my expectations, but this one is ripe for the picking.
By the looks of the other reviews, many others shared my feelings.
Pros:
~The Cover
~The Title
~The Book Description
~The Prologue
It ends there with the positives.
~I have not read this author before, but it appears he has a successful track record. My first impression was not a good one. Do I try again for another of his books?
The jury is still out.
~THE HOUSEKEEPER: I went into this thinking it would be another great book similar to Joy Fielding's The Housekeeper (5 ⭐ STARS) which I loved. Sadly, it does not compare, nor is it in the same league.
Or even something like Frieda McFadden's The Housemaid.
Nope!
Now the Cons:
~No shockers, surprises, or twists here
~Completely silly and elementary
~Overuse of the word "Darlin'!"
~Predictable
~No character development (Laura, in particular)
~Not enough (creative) gaslighting or manipulation to make it suspenseful or believable with tension
~No suspense. I would not call this a psychological thriller.
~Never mentions the town or state set in
~Radcliff estate setting could have been more atmospheric and built upon
In every conversation between Sam and Laura, he used "Darlin"! (Please use their name!) Not once, but the entire book in every conversation they had, which was many! Plus, other characters were also using other adjectives instead of their name. Who does this? If this had been an audiobook, it would have been a DNF the second time I heard it.
~Why spend so much time talking about their childhood abuse when not even leveraged?
~Not even part of the plot?
This would have been prime for murder, obsession, and revenge!
Characters:
~Laura: Daughter (Author) newly separated, drama-filled, distracted, clueless
~Billy: Son (does not like the dad)
~Sam: the caretaker (onsite gardener and property mgr for many years)
~Michael: Dad: Dementia (a wealthy businessman)
~Mom: Deceased (physically and verbally abusive)
~Bella: Nurse: Live-in woman hired to take care of dad's dementia
~Andrei: Bella's brother. Hired to handle physical therapy dad's care
~Dr. Temple: Dad's physician
~Dr. Fischer: Laura's Therapist
~Jim: Laura's husband
~Here is what would have made the book better: (Just my opinion, and happy for anyone to weigh in).
MY THOUGHTS: Since Laura and Billy had such an abusive childhood (at the mother's hand) and the dad was the victim, as were the children, and he did not stand up to the mom to protect the children—then USE Billy, the younger brother that Laura left to fend for himself—HE wants revenge. As we saw, he does not like his dad and refuses to help with his care. BINGO!
So when Laura reaches out to him, he refuses to come. Now here is what would have made it wickedly juicy:
In reality, he is behind the couple being hired as a way to distract his sister and sneak in himself to plan his revenge plot.
He wants to make his dad pay, suffer, torment him, and pay back for all his years of suffering—how his dad did not come to his rescue as a child. Also possibly attempted murder or even murder to get his money. His sister has no clue he is involved.
Of course, all this would be hidden from the readers, and then at the end, after much more gaslighting and manipulation (much more than was here), we would need to guess who the killer is: Bella or Andrei. Neither, it is Billy!
And maybe throw Sam and Dr. Temple in the mix as suspects (sure, they have some grievances with the old man). Also, get Laura kicked out of the house and distracted with her husband (he could be in on it). Then the final twist would be Billy as the murderer. Also would be fun to make him gay and Andrei his partner in crime.
Laura was such a weak character, and we need someone much more robust, wicked, manipulative, and evil —Don't you think?
Laura was supposed to be an author and not creative, so would not want to read her books. She is not too worried about her father being poisoned, only herself. All she worries about is getting laid (between Sam & Andrei and lying out by the pool.
So sad; this book had so much potential. I am being overly generous with the 2.5 Star rating rounded to 3.
VERDICT: Do yourself a favor, skip THE NIGHT NURSE, and go straight to THE HOUSEKEEPER You will thank me later.
Thank you to #InkubatorBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 2.5 Stars rounded to 3
Pub Date: Nov 27, 2022
June 16, 2024
i’m sorry but this is so badly written, so predictable and the characters are so one dimensional. also why do we have to read so much about the main characters cooking!!! boooorrring
December 27, 2022
★★★ 3.5 stars
Of the three books I've read by this author, this is the one I've liked the most. And after reading the three, I have to say that I'm not entirely enamoured by his style though this one was certainly much better than the previous two I tackled. Despite that, I was initially drawn to this one because of the premise which sounded intriguing and the story surrounding the protagonist's father suffering dementia. Admittedly, it sounded an interesting concept.
As a romance writer, Laura Radcliffe had always dreamt of finding that one true love and thought she had found it but after 18 months of marriage and a huge debt accumulated in her name by her ex-husband Jim, she found him to be cheating with one of his 19 year old students. She throws him out and while going through a bitter divorce, she moves back to her childhood home on the sprawling Radcliffe estate to care for her aging father who has dementia. But coming back has not been without its burdens. For years Laura and her little brother Billy had been subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother and being back in her childhood home brings back some of those nightmarish memories, although her mother is now three years dead.
Having been back at the estate for several days, Laura begins to realise that she can't cope with her dad on her own. He is obstructive and cantankerous and she finds it incredibly draining that she is too tired to focus on her own work. So she decides to hire a nurse and caregiver for her father as he needs 24 hour care that she is not equipped to give him.
And then in walk the answer to her prayers. Bella and Andrei Ormond, brother and sister, specialise in caring for dementia patients. And after a week's trial, Laura is more than happy with the service they provide that she hires them and they move in to begin full time care. And for a time, Laura finds the freedom liberating. She is able to concentrate on her writing and get her edits done and even begin seeing a therapist to help her deal with the betrayal of her marriage and the unresolved feelings of the past.
But then little things begin to happen and Laura wonders if she has made the right choice in the pair. Although her father appears to be much more compliant under Bella's care, he also seems to be sleeping a lot more that she rarely sees him. And Andrei is a notorious flirt, taking every opportunity to bat his eyes and attempt to woo Laura. But she is conflicted. Andrei is definitely good-looking...but he's not Sam. Safe dependable Sam, the estate manager who has cared for the Radcliffe estate grounds for over a decade. And then when Sam falls victim to an accident he confides in Laura that he believes someone has been tampering with his equipment. Although he won't tell her who he suspects, it isn't hard to figure out.
Suddenly, things take a rapid turn and begin to rapidly escalate as Laura finds herself becoming her father's full time carer once again before becoming a suspect to murder! Why did she not call the FBI contact she had when police stormed the house? And I felt Angela should have come back with her information before the FBI took over and things were wrapped up. The ending, when it came, was a little rushed and even rather predictable. There was no real twist as you knew who all the players were from the beginning so it wasn't rocket science figuring it all out.
So many others hated Sam's constant use of the term "darlin'". I don't know if that's because it's not entirely PC to refer to women as such these days, but I don't take offence. I found it endearing as it is meant to be. Though I agree it did seem a little repetitive but that, I think, was just part of Sam's nature. He was endearing as is the use of the term.
I loved that the story centred around someone with dementia and how that could be a perfect opportunity to take advantage but I just felt that the rest of it was a little lacking in execution and twists. And there was such opportunity for that ending that simply just concluded. No big twist, no great fanfare...just the end.
Overall, THE NIGHT NURSE was a good read but not a great one as it still has so much room for improvement. I think a solid 3.5 (rounded down to 3) stars is fair as it is still the best of his I have read. Having said that, I don't think I would read another. I just don't think his style fits my taste.
I would like to thank #ColeBaxter, #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheNightNurse in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Of the three books I've read by this author, this is the one I've liked the most. And after reading the three, I have to say that I'm not entirely enamoured by his style though this one was certainly much better than the previous two I tackled. Despite that, I was initially drawn to this one because of the premise which sounded intriguing and the story surrounding the protagonist's father suffering dementia. Admittedly, it sounded an interesting concept.
As a romance writer, Laura Radcliffe had always dreamt of finding that one true love and thought she had found it but after 18 months of marriage and a huge debt accumulated in her name by her ex-husband Jim, she found him to be cheating with one of his 19 year old students. She throws him out and while going through a bitter divorce, she moves back to her childhood home on the sprawling Radcliffe estate to care for her aging father who has dementia. But coming back has not been without its burdens. For years Laura and her little brother Billy had been subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother and being back in her childhood home brings back some of those nightmarish memories, although her mother is now three years dead.
Having been back at the estate for several days, Laura begins to realise that she can't cope with her dad on her own. He is obstructive and cantankerous and she finds it incredibly draining that she is too tired to focus on her own work. So she decides to hire a nurse and caregiver for her father as he needs 24 hour care that she is not equipped to give him.
And then in walk the answer to her prayers. Bella and Andrei Ormond, brother and sister, specialise in caring for dementia patients. And after a week's trial, Laura is more than happy with the service they provide that she hires them and they move in to begin full time care. And for a time, Laura finds the freedom liberating. She is able to concentrate on her writing and get her edits done and even begin seeing a therapist to help her deal with the betrayal of her marriage and the unresolved feelings of the past.
But then little things begin to happen and Laura wonders if she has made the right choice in the pair. Although her father appears to be much more compliant under Bella's care, he also seems to be sleeping a lot more that she rarely sees him. And Andrei is a notorious flirt, taking every opportunity to bat his eyes and attempt to woo Laura. But she is conflicted. Andrei is definitely good-looking...but he's not Sam. Safe dependable Sam, the estate manager who has cared for the Radcliffe estate grounds for over a decade. And then when Sam falls victim to an accident he confides in Laura that he believes someone has been tampering with his equipment. Although he won't tell her who he suspects, it isn't hard to figure out.
Suddenly, things take a rapid turn and begin to rapidly escalate as Laura finds herself becoming her father's full time carer once again before becoming a suspect to murder! Why did she not call the FBI contact she had when police stormed the house? And I felt Angela should have come back with her information before the FBI took over and things were wrapped up. The ending, when it came, was a little rushed and even rather predictable. There was no real twist as you knew who all the players were from the beginning so it wasn't rocket science figuring it all out.
So many others hated Sam's constant use of the term "darlin'". I don't know if that's because it's not entirely PC to refer to women as such these days, but I don't take offence. I found it endearing as it is meant to be. Though I agree it did seem a little repetitive but that, I think, was just part of Sam's nature. He was endearing as is the use of the term.
I loved that the story centred around someone with dementia and how that could be a perfect opportunity to take advantage but I just felt that the rest of it was a little lacking in execution and twists. And there was such opportunity for that ending that simply just concluded. No big twist, no great fanfare...just the end.
Overall, THE NIGHT NURSE was a good read but not a great one as it still has so much room for improvement. I think a solid 3.5 (rounded down to 3) stars is fair as it is still the best of his I have read. Having said that, I don't think I would read another. I just don't think his style fits my taste.
I would like to thank #ColeBaxter, #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheNightNurse in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
November 28, 2022
Tumbling Turkeys on ice! 😳😯🤯
⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫 ⊱
Gah! I had such high hopes for this one, it had me pulled in from the beginning. But it isn't what it claimed to be. It's not much of a thriller in my opinion but perhaps a weak suspenseful mystery. Sadly you can see the entire plot and ending nearly a mile away and it just fell so short for me. I've tried Baxter a few times but unfortunately I just don't think he's for me. Although it was a super fast, & very quick paced, I had hoped for more meat & potatoes to this. It just fell short in so many ways. I will say though, it was more like a read you don't have to pay full attention to and can kind of zone out. It had its fun moments, some intrigue & interesting parts, but I need something more hearty. If you want something straight forward & easy, I totally suggest it. But otherwise, I'm afraid no go darlings.
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Laura is dealing with a tumultuous divorce and tries to find the silver lining in moving back with her Father to help care for him in his state of dementia. As she comes to the realization that it's more advanced and harder to deal with than just herself, she inquires help from Bella and Andrei, who claim to be specialists in the caring of dementia patients. But very quickly, Laura's uncertain about her decision as her father worsens and unruly things start to occur. By the time she realizes they aren't who they claimed to be, she's in far too deep and the truth will be for reasons she could never imagine.
Thank you to NetGalley & Inkubator Books for this ARC.
Release Date: Out Now!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 3 / 5 Iced Coffees! 🧋
⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫 ⊱
Gah! I had such high hopes for this one, it had me pulled in from the beginning. But it isn't what it claimed to be. It's not much of a thriller in my opinion but perhaps a weak suspenseful mystery. Sadly you can see the entire plot and ending nearly a mile away and it just fell so short for me. I've tried Baxter a few times but unfortunately I just don't think he's for me. Although it was a super fast, & very quick paced, I had hoped for more meat & potatoes to this. It just fell short in so many ways. I will say though, it was more like a read you don't have to pay full attention to and can kind of zone out. It had its fun moments, some intrigue & interesting parts, but I need something more hearty. If you want something straight forward & easy, I totally suggest it. But otherwise, I'm afraid no go darlings.
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Laura is dealing with a tumultuous divorce and tries to find the silver lining in moving back with her Father to help care for him in his state of dementia. As she comes to the realization that it's more advanced and harder to deal with than just herself, she inquires help from Bella and Andrei, who claim to be specialists in the caring of dementia patients. But very quickly, Laura's uncertain about her decision as her father worsens and unruly things start to occur. By the time she realizes they aren't who they claimed to be, she's in far too deep and the truth will be for reasons she could never imagine.
Thank you to NetGalley & Inkubator Books for this ARC.
Release Date: Out Now!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 3 / 5 Iced Coffees! 🧋
November 22, 2022
I was drawn to this book because it is a thriller, it deals with a nurse, and the main character has my name! This was a very quick read, with some very fast parts and a lot of detailed slower parts.
Summary: Laura is a romance author who moved back in with her aging father who has dementia. She’s just getting out of a rough marriage and was also abused by her mother throughout her childhood. Soon after moving in with her dad, she realizes she can’t care for him by herself. She hires a brother-sister nurse duo who sound great for the job, but soon after they move in, Laura notices a change in her dad, and incidents keep happening throughout the estate and to her estate manager and crush, Sam. Laura takes matters into her own hands and investigates the nurse.
My take: There isn’t a big reveal at the end, but the events leading up to the ending were written well. There is a lot of detail in this book, and if that were to be taken out, then the book would probably be even shorter. So many of the main character’s every day tasks are so detailed that the writing seems a bit bland.
What I liked: a quick read, it drew me in even if there were some slow parts. I also liked the theme of the book
What I didn’t like: so much use of the word “darlin’” by Sam! Laura seemed a bit of an unstable character, but to be fair, she has been through a lot. There’s a lot of dialogue between Laura and the characters and it’s a bit mundane. I give it a 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator for this ARC!
Summary: Laura is a romance author who moved back in with her aging father who has dementia. She’s just getting out of a rough marriage and was also abused by her mother throughout her childhood. Soon after moving in with her dad, she realizes she can’t care for him by herself. She hires a brother-sister nurse duo who sound great for the job, but soon after they move in, Laura notices a change in her dad, and incidents keep happening throughout the estate and to her estate manager and crush, Sam. Laura takes matters into her own hands and investigates the nurse.
My take: There isn’t a big reveal at the end, but the events leading up to the ending were written well. There is a lot of detail in this book, and if that were to be taken out, then the book would probably be even shorter. So many of the main character’s every day tasks are so detailed that the writing seems a bit bland.
What I liked: a quick read, it drew me in even if there were some slow parts. I also liked the theme of the book
What I didn’t like: so much use of the word “darlin’” by Sam! Laura seemed a bit of an unstable character, but to be fair, she has been through a lot. There’s a lot of dialogue between Laura and the characters and it’s a bit mundane. I give it a 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator for this ARC!
March 7, 2023
I absolutely loved this book!! Cole Baxter has always been one of my favorites authors and this book was amazing!! I enjoyed every minute of this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning!!! I couldn’t put it down.
December 11, 2022
I received an advance review #giftedgopy and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Partner @colebaxterauthor and @zooloosbooktours.
This author has such a brilliant ability to create engaging psyhological thrillers that leave the reader wanting more. Thus I jumped at the chance to be a part of my tour. This is my third book by this author and I continue to be impressed with the level of detail. It makes for an intriguing story filled with drama, intensity, and suspense.
In The Night Nurse, We meet Laura, who is an interesting character with a backstory of childhood trauma that impacts her as an adult. I enjoyed the backstory, it gives the story depth and allows the reader to better understand the dynamic between her and her father. Laura is going through a divorce and her wealthy aging (not to mention vile) father has dementia who needs looking after. Against better judgemnet, she moves in with him and quickly realizes she needs help.
Insert A brother/sister duo with extensive expereince and the story takes it's fist twist. While they are clearly qualified, something is off, and of course not all is as it seems. What I love most about well written psychological thrillers is that chase to figure out who is responsible and what they are hiding. This book didn't disappoint. I found myself on the edge of my seat from start to finish because I had to know what would happen next.
Overall, I highly recommend and can't wait to see what's next from this author!
This author has such a brilliant ability to create engaging psyhological thrillers that leave the reader wanting more. Thus I jumped at the chance to be a part of my tour. This is my third book by this author and I continue to be impressed with the level of detail. It makes for an intriguing story filled with drama, intensity, and suspense.
In The Night Nurse, We meet Laura, who is an interesting character with a backstory of childhood trauma that impacts her as an adult. I enjoyed the backstory, it gives the story depth and allows the reader to better understand the dynamic between her and her father. Laura is going through a divorce and her wealthy aging (not to mention vile) father has dementia who needs looking after. Against better judgemnet, she moves in with him and quickly realizes she needs help.
Insert A brother/sister duo with extensive expereince and the story takes it's fist twist. While they are clearly qualified, something is off, and of course not all is as it seems. What I love most about well written psychological thrillers is that chase to figure out who is responsible and what they are hiding. This book didn't disappoint. I found myself on the edge of my seat from start to finish because I had to know what would happen next.
Overall, I highly recommend and can't wait to see what's next from this author!
November 30, 2022
Laura is a romance writer who has yet to find true love for herself. She thought she found it but after 18 months of marriage and an accumulation of debt he was a fraud and so now she must move back home not only to get her bearings but to take care of her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Thank goodness the caretaker for the estate Stephen has been there until now. After she’s there a while she sees taking care of her father is too much and this is when she hires Andre and his sister. Andrea is not only an expert on Alzheimer’s but he’s good looking and he knows it. His sister bell seems dependable and Laura is glad she hired them until strange accidents start happening her father takes a severe turn for the worse and it seems he’s sleeping way more than he should be. Will Andre distractor enough that she misses all the signs that her dad is in distress or will her Long time crush bring her back to reality long enough to help her dad and see where true love has been all along. This is a thriller romance in that or something I don’t think I’ve read before but I totally love this book it was so good I love the characters Laura and Stephen we’re so likable and although her dad is grumpy he did make me laugh. Not that Alzheimer’s is funny but sometimes they say funny things. Having said all this I highly recommend this book it is more thriller than romance but all of it is great! Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 5, 2022
I have to say I think this was my favourite one out of all of Cole’s books. You have a backstory of Laura and her childhood, which wasn’t always easy to read about. You see how this has affected her present-day and her relationship with her dad and brother. Then you have her father who’s got dementia and needs a full-time carer.
In walk the most amazing couple. A brother and sister duo who look after dementia patients. You know straight away something was going to happen from the opening pages of this book. You just knew something wasn’t quite right. It was interesting, and it was intense. I found like I couldn’t put the book down.
I was constantly thinking about the book and wondering what was going to happen when I did put it down. About 80% of the way through it was intense!!! It was a bit of a cat-and-mouse game, but it was over a bit quickly. I think I would have liked a bit more of a grander ending, especially as I was suspecting everyone about everything! But for that short period, it was very intense! I have to say I do have a massive soft spot for Sam, despite the constant use of the word ‘darlin’ 😉 I quite enjoyed Bella’s character, there was something dark about her but innocent at the same time.
I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author does next.
In walk the most amazing couple. A brother and sister duo who look after dementia patients. You know straight away something was going to happen from the opening pages of this book. You just knew something wasn’t quite right. It was interesting, and it was intense. I found like I couldn’t put the book down.
I was constantly thinking about the book and wondering what was going to happen when I did put it down. About 80% of the way through it was intense!!! It was a bit of a cat-and-mouse game, but it was over a bit quickly. I think I would have liked a bit more of a grander ending, especially as I was suspecting everyone about everything! But for that short period, it was very intense! I have to say I do have a massive soft spot for Sam, despite the constant use of the word ‘darlin’ 😉 I quite enjoyed Bella’s character, there was something dark about her but innocent at the same time.
I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author does next.
December 1, 2022
For me 2.5 round up 3 star book because of the slow paced story and lack of twist which i like for a thriller book. The story line was nyc but very slow it picks up some pace and then again slow down which i was really annoying i was skipping pages during reading. The ending was very predictable 😒 you can predict even half way through. It was not a totally bad experience but a slow experience for me. Its a short story for me.
January 23, 2023
This was a bit of an average thriller. There was nothing new or exciting about it and the characters were bland.
April 16, 2023
I really wanted to like this, but it became a little bit too predictable for me. The story was well-written, and I liked the characters, but was disappointed in the twists.
March 4, 2024
A killer twist? This book was so lame and predictable and I see why it’s free for prime kindle members.
December 22, 2022
The Night Nurse
I actually wasn't ready for this story to end but I'm glad everything turned out the way it did even though people ended up getting hurt and some were killed because of these people. I'm ready for more night nurse stories now so thank you for a great book...
I actually wasn't ready for this story to end but I'm glad everything turned out the way it did even though people ended up getting hurt and some were killed because of these people. I'm ready for more night nurse stories now so thank you for a great book...
March 14, 2023
I think the description of dementia care and the challenges it poses were extremely well written, having personal experience of this. It is an important issue to highlight and the first time I have seen this in a novel.
I found myself irritated by Sam's "darlin" which was overused and grated on me, it made him seem insincere when he was not supposed to be that type of character.
I found myself irritated by Sam's "darlin" which was overused and grated on me, it made him seem insincere when he was not supposed to be that type of character.
November 19, 2023
After catching her husband cheating & his subsequent departure, Laura moves back home to take care of her widowed father who is suffering from dementia. Her younger brother, Billy, is unhappy that Laura is taking care of their father as he did little to shield them from their abusive mother as children. Laura is happy to return & even happier to see grounds caretaker Sam whom she has always had a crush on.
Quickly realizing that looking after her father & her day job as an author will be too much to handle, Laura decides to employ a specialist caregiver. Help arrives in the form of Bella & her brother, Andrei, who claim to be dementia specialists & have a list of glowing references from former employers. Things are OK at first, even with Andrei's blatant flirting, but then accidents begin to happen & her father suddenly takes a turn for worse & claims he is being poisoned. Bella & Andrei seemed like the answer to Laura's prayers but now they seem more like a nightmare.
I decided to read this as the second book out of the four in the boxset & I hope it is the worst. The characters were rather thinly drawn & Laura was not the brightest spark. Why not go through an above-board agency rather than inviting two complete strangers to move in after a one week trial? Plus they were initially far too good to be true - they practically had flashing neon signs saying "Danger". It was all rather unbelievable that anyone would be so naïve. Finally, if I never see the word 'darlin' again, it will be too soon.
TWs: infidelity, sexual content, domestic abuse, physical child abuse, attempted sexual assault.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Inkubator Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. (Read as part of the Cole Baxter Psychological Thriller Box Set).
Quickly realizing that looking after her father & her day job as an author will be too much to handle, Laura decides to employ a specialist caregiver. Help arrives in the form of Bella & her brother, Andrei, who claim to be dementia specialists & have a list of glowing references from former employers. Things are OK at first, even with Andrei's blatant flirting, but then accidents begin to happen & her father suddenly takes a turn for worse & claims he is being poisoned. Bella & Andrei seemed like the answer to Laura's prayers but now they seem more like a nightmare.
I decided to read this as the second book out of the four in the boxset & I hope it is the worst. The characters were rather thinly drawn & Laura was not the brightest spark. Why not go through an above-board agency rather than inviting two complete strangers to move in after a one week trial? Plus they were initially far too good to be true - they practically had flashing neon signs saying "Danger". It was all rather unbelievable that anyone would be so naïve. Finally, if I never see the word 'darlin' again, it will be too soon.
TWs: infidelity, sexual content, domestic abuse, physical child abuse, attempted sexual assault.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Inkubator Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. (Read as part of the Cole Baxter Psychological Thriller Box Set).
February 14, 2023
The Night Nurse deals with dementia and realizing you can't be a sole caregiver for someone that requires round the clock care. So what do you do? Hire someone to help you out. Laura knows she need help so she hires a brother/sister team of nurses to care for her father. Everything seems great at first until things go from bad to worse. Will Laura find out what is happening before it's too late?
December 18, 2022
The main character in the story is Laura Radcliffe, a woman who moves back home to look after her dad who has severe dementia, but it brings back a lot of issues from her childhood. Her mother was an evil woman, who would beat her for the slightest thing and when she became pregnant again years later, expected Laura to wait on her hand and foot, then care for her little baby brother, Billy. She was thirteen when he was born and suffered under her mother’s mean and nasty side until she left home. She got out of the house as soon as she was able and lived her own life until now. She had married a man she thought would give her a normal life and ended up divorced after just eighteen months after catching him cheating on her with nineteen year old students. She had been left heavily in debt with everything somehow all in her name and credit cards her ex-husband ran up as well. She couldn’t even afford to stay in their apartment and was having to return to the ‘estate’ as she called it, never home. Laura and Billy had gotten into lots of arguments recently about their father’s ailing health, with Billy wanting nothing to do with the father who allowed his wife to abuse him, as she had Laura! She hadn’t received much information from her own father about his health, but rather from Sam Willoughby, the man who took care of the estate’s garden and house. He’d been there some fifteen years and knew both her father and mother, the latter unfortunately, Sam was the one that called Billy and Laura to let them know about their father, a man who still refuses to accept that his wife abused them as children!
Radcliffe Estate was on four acres of land with a small caretaker’s cottage at the back. Her father has ended up beign offensive to the housekeeper, Mrs Shephard, who has no left and a new cook has been hired, but no one to help with the housework, other than the twice a week cleaning service. He is obviously getting worse and will be harder to handle now, going forward. The new cook Mya, who only comes to cook dinner then leaves. Her dad hasn’t told Sam what his doctors have said, but form the medications he has collected for him, he know sit is dementia, which goes along with his throwing tantrums and being forgetful as well. Laura works as a romance novelist and used to be a teacher, but barely makes ends meet now due to the massive debts her husband ran up. She soon finds that caring for her dad is a full time job and finding out what her father should be eating and how to deal with him, soon have Mya quitting as well. After a full day of looking after him, she goes for a walk in the garden and speaks to Sam, who suggests she might need to hire some help. Sam, who is clearly older than her and always calls her darlin’, and who she had a crush on for years and who has read her books and her blog! Before she can hire anyone, she will have to check with her dad’s accountant, Mr Pippen, to see if there are funds available to do so. When he agrees to it, she hires a sibling duo, Bella and Andrei Ormond, who specialise in dementia care. She had interviewed lots of people, but not many were suitable nor could they live in and work full time like she required.
A red flag should have been the fact that Bella married her last patient, shortly after meeting him, even though he was eighty five, and he apparently died in his sleep unexpectedly! Bella starts flirting with her father straight away and soon has him eating out of her hands, whilst Andrei flirts something rotten with Laura and she is tongue-tied around him. An accident almost occurs with her father and Sam on his mower, making Andrei ask her to fire Sam, and Bella gets just a bit too concerned about Laura chasing up her cheating husband to get the divorce papers signed and to change her insurance and will immediately, so he can’t benefit if anything happened to her. That isn’t the last of the near misses or accidents, as her father takes a dramatic turn for the worse, even accusing Bella of poisoning him! She doesn’t know if it is the dementia that is making him accuse her and for him to now be spending all of his day in bed, which is so unlike him. She checks with his doctor and is told that can sometimes happen, faster with her father than expected, but still possible. Sam feels someone is tampering with his equipment and after a nasty accident, still won’t tell Laura who he suspects, but it isn’t rocket science! Everything begins to progress at great speed and Laura is left to try and manage her life and her father’s dementia, as matters take an unexpected and lethal twist. Suspicions may have been raised, but they aren’t enough to get anything done legally, placing Laura, Sam and even Billy in danger, as well as her father. Bella and Andrei certainly have a rapid timeline and were a bit too eager to have things go their way and certainly couldn’t cope well when things didn’t go their way! Why Laura didn’t call the FBI contact she had, when the police turned up at the end, is kind of unbelievable. Some really good bits, but you knew who the bad guys were from the off, it was just a matter of how they went about it and how long it took Laura and others to notice it and try to do anything about it! I received an ARC copy of this book frm BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Radcliffe Estate was on four acres of land with a small caretaker’s cottage at the back. Her father has ended up beign offensive to the housekeeper, Mrs Shephard, who has no left and a new cook has been hired, but no one to help with the housework, other than the twice a week cleaning service. He is obviously getting worse and will be harder to handle now, going forward. The new cook Mya, who only comes to cook dinner then leaves. Her dad hasn’t told Sam what his doctors have said, but form the medications he has collected for him, he know sit is dementia, which goes along with his throwing tantrums and being forgetful as well. Laura works as a romance novelist and used to be a teacher, but barely makes ends meet now due to the massive debts her husband ran up. She soon finds that caring for her dad is a full time job and finding out what her father should be eating and how to deal with him, soon have Mya quitting as well. After a full day of looking after him, she goes for a walk in the garden and speaks to Sam, who suggests she might need to hire some help. Sam, who is clearly older than her and always calls her darlin’, and who she had a crush on for years and who has read her books and her blog! Before she can hire anyone, she will have to check with her dad’s accountant, Mr Pippen, to see if there are funds available to do so. When he agrees to it, she hires a sibling duo, Bella and Andrei Ormond, who specialise in dementia care. She had interviewed lots of people, but not many were suitable nor could they live in and work full time like she required.
A red flag should have been the fact that Bella married her last patient, shortly after meeting him, even though he was eighty five, and he apparently died in his sleep unexpectedly! Bella starts flirting with her father straight away and soon has him eating out of her hands, whilst Andrei flirts something rotten with Laura and she is tongue-tied around him. An accident almost occurs with her father and Sam on his mower, making Andrei ask her to fire Sam, and Bella gets just a bit too concerned about Laura chasing up her cheating husband to get the divorce papers signed and to change her insurance and will immediately, so he can’t benefit if anything happened to her. That isn’t the last of the near misses or accidents, as her father takes a dramatic turn for the worse, even accusing Bella of poisoning him! She doesn’t know if it is the dementia that is making him accuse her and for him to now be spending all of his day in bed, which is so unlike him. She checks with his doctor and is told that can sometimes happen, faster with her father than expected, but still possible. Sam feels someone is tampering with his equipment and after a nasty accident, still won’t tell Laura who he suspects, but it isn’t rocket science! Everything begins to progress at great speed and Laura is left to try and manage her life and her father’s dementia, as matters take an unexpected and lethal twist. Suspicions may have been raised, but they aren’t enough to get anything done legally, placing Laura, Sam and even Billy in danger, as well as her father. Bella and Andrei certainly have a rapid timeline and were a bit too eager to have things go their way and certainly couldn’t cope well when things didn’t go their way! Why Laura didn’t call the FBI contact she had, when the police turned up at the end, is kind of unbelievable. Some really good bits, but you knew who the bad guys were from the off, it was just a matter of how they went about it and how long it took Laura and others to notice it and try to do anything about it! I received an ARC copy of this book frm BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
November 14, 2022
This is a review of The Night Nurse, a psychological thriller written by Cole Baxter. This review contains spoilers. The story focuses on Laura, the daughter of a man with the beginning stages of dementia. When Laura moves home to take care of her father she soon realizes that she’s in over her head. Because of this, Laura decides to hire a pair of siblings to help care for her father. This doesn’t go as planned as the progression of his disease starts mysteriously developing at a rapid pace.
What it got right:
Usually, I have to be instantly engaged to decide to keep reading something. This book is able to hook you in immediately, as it starts off with a bang from the first sentences. I do believe the book slows down a little, but picks up a lot towards the end.
As a neuroscience student I can say that the portrayal of dementia and it’s symptoms in this novel were completely accurate. It’s common for individuals suffering this illness to experience temper tantrums, mood swings, confusion and frustration.
I also enjoy the fact that this book chose to focus on a woman (Laura’s mother) as the perpetrator of abuse. Typically most authors tend to cast the male in the role of the abuser, which isn’t always accurate in real life. It is true that sometimes male victims may have more trouble coming forward and saying they’re being abused, which is exactly what happens with Laura’s dad.
What it could improve on:
I have mixed feelings on the execution of this book. In terms of the writing, I do feel that it’s a little lacking. It seems like the story focuses too much on the mundane tasks characters do everyday instead of adding depth to the backstories of the characters themselves. Adding more description could’ve gone a long way into improving the storyline overall. I would also edit out Sam saying “darlin’” soooo much. It felt like that was every other word he said, to the point where it became hard to read his dialogue after awhile.
There were so many possibilities for the ending that I’m disappointed in what the author chose. I was almost hoping that Sam or the doctor would be in on with Bella and Andrei. There was room to get creative here and I would’ve liked something a bit more wild or twisty.
Overall I would give this book a solid 3 stars. I think the idea for this book was great but the actual story became bogged down by technical mistakes and choices in the writing. I haven’t read any of Cole Baxter’s other books but I’ve heard lovely things about him so I’d be happy to give it a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Inkubator for the ARC of this book!
What it got right:
Usually, I have to be instantly engaged to decide to keep reading something. This book is able to hook you in immediately, as it starts off with a bang from the first sentences. I do believe the book slows down a little, but picks up a lot towards the end.
As a neuroscience student I can say that the portrayal of dementia and it’s symptoms in this novel were completely accurate. It’s common for individuals suffering this illness to experience temper tantrums, mood swings, confusion and frustration.
I also enjoy the fact that this book chose to focus on a woman (Laura’s mother) as the perpetrator of abuse. Typically most authors tend to cast the male in the role of the abuser, which isn’t always accurate in real life. It is true that sometimes male victims may have more trouble coming forward and saying they’re being abused, which is exactly what happens with Laura’s dad.
What it could improve on:
I have mixed feelings on the execution of this book. In terms of the writing, I do feel that it’s a little lacking. It seems like the story focuses too much on the mundane tasks characters do everyday instead of adding depth to the backstories of the characters themselves. Adding more description could’ve gone a long way into improving the storyline overall. I would also edit out Sam saying “darlin’” soooo much. It felt like that was every other word he said, to the point where it became hard to read his dialogue after awhile.
There were so many possibilities for the ending that I’m disappointed in what the author chose. I was almost hoping that Sam or the doctor would be in on with Bella and Andrei. There was room to get creative here and I would’ve liked something a bit more wild or twisty.
Overall I would give this book a solid 3 stars. I think the idea for this book was great but the actual story became bogged down by technical mistakes and choices in the writing. I haven’t read any of Cole Baxter’s other books but I’ve heard lovely things about him so I’d be happy to give it a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Inkubator for the ARC of this book!
November 25, 2022
***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
Laura, going through a bitter divorce, moves home to care for her father, who is suffering from dementia. Because of of his frequent temper tantrums, he is once again without a housekeeper and nursemaid, so Laura begins the search to find help. She ends up hiring a nurse by the name of Bella, who works as a team with her brother Andrei. Everything starts out wonderfully, but then Laura;s dad takes a turn for the worse,, freak accidents start happening around the estate, and Laura begins to wonder if she is being drugged and her father;s meds are being tampered with. As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want? The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise sounded good, but it did not live up to my expectations. The author did a really poor job with character development. They either felt completely unrealistic, had no redeemable characteristics, or just felt one-dimensional. There was so much time spent on describing mundane, everyday tasks, that felt completely unnecessary, and I felt that Laura's mother was over-the-top evil, especially for someone who was supposed to be a schoolteacher. It also didn't make sense to me how much the father defended his late wife, and seemed to revere her, when he was a victim of her abuse also. I kept waiting for the big reveal, or twist to haooen, but there wasn't one. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention how annoying it was how often the caretaker (Sam) used the endearment "darlin'_. I really can not in good conscience recommend this one.
Laura, going through a bitter divorce, moves home to care for her father, who is suffering from dementia. Because of of his frequent temper tantrums, he is once again without a housekeeper and nursemaid, so Laura begins the search to find help. She ends up hiring a nurse by the name of Bella, who works as a team with her brother Andrei. Everything starts out wonderfully, but then Laura;s dad takes a turn for the worse,, freak accidents start happening around the estate, and Laura begins to wonder if she is being drugged and her father;s meds are being tampered with. As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want? The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise sounded good, but it did not live up to my expectations. The author did a really poor job with character development. They either felt completely unrealistic, had no redeemable characteristics, or just felt one-dimensional. There was so much time spent on describing mundane, everyday tasks, that felt completely unnecessary, and I felt that Laura's mother was over-the-top evil, especially for someone who was supposed to be a schoolteacher. It also didn't make sense to me how much the father defended his late wife, and seemed to revere her, when he was a victim of her abuse also. I kept waiting for the big reveal, or twist to haooen, but there wasn't one. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention how annoying it was how often the caretaker (Sam) used the endearment "darlin'_. I really can not in good conscience recommend this one.
March 10, 2024
Couldn't wait to read it due to the synopsis, but it was a real let down. The synopsis being bizarre things happening around the estate as soon as the caregivers moved in. Well for the first roughly 200 pages nothing bizarre was happening around the estate. Instead it was all Laura going to therapy. Laura working on her laptop. Laura having difficulty with her divorce. Laura drinking Jim Beam and waking up hung over. Laura going over her difficult childhood. It got to a point where her father, who should have been central, was relegated to about the fifth character, at times rarely mentioned. All the bizarre things that happened as a result of the caregivers seemed to happen in such a rush after page 200, as opposed to a steady build-up. Plus the way Andrei flirted with Laura from the start with such confidence, I mean unbelievable to do that with an employer, in her fathers home and with his own sister present. On another note, Sam was the perfect gentleman, yet picked a strong fight with Andrei over virtually nothing. Not to mention all of Laura's debts left to her by her ex, we never got updates as to whether they were being paid off, they were as good as forgotten as we got deeper into the book. Also, Laura is described as gorgeous. I think with all she went through in life, she may have just hardened up appearance wise. Wouldn't even call it a twist at the end either, as from the word go we know the carers aren't who they said they were.
November 11, 2022
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the author, Cole Baxter, for this ARC.
*this review contains spoilers*
Laura is fresh out of a difficult marriage to a man that took advantage of her kindness, and she soon finds out that her father’s dementia diagnosis means that he needs extensive home care. She volunteers to help, and moved back to her childhood home to be a live-in caregiver. Enduring horrible flashbacks to an abused childhood amidst her fathers tantrums, she decides to hire help. Once things take a turn, Laura senses that the new live-in nurses may not be who they claim to be.
I believe that the premise for this book was great, but the execution was not the best. This book was really detailed, to the point that I found myself skimming paragraphs because of the sheer amount of detail it would give about making dinner, or taking out the garbage. If Laura was a real person, I think someone would have called her on her stupidity and lack of common sense more than once. For instance, when someone claims to be a nurse, wouldn’t you check a license?
Overall, the book was fine. It was pretty slow to start. It seemed like the first half of the book was an attempt at reaching a word count. The second half picked up, but it pulled in the middle of the action and didn’t keep my attention as well as I’d hoped.
*this review contains spoilers*
Laura is fresh out of a difficult marriage to a man that took advantage of her kindness, and she soon finds out that her father’s dementia diagnosis means that he needs extensive home care. She volunteers to help, and moved back to her childhood home to be a live-in caregiver. Enduring horrible flashbacks to an abused childhood amidst her fathers tantrums, she decides to hire help. Once things take a turn, Laura senses that the new live-in nurses may not be who they claim to be.
I believe that the premise for this book was great, but the execution was not the best. This book was really detailed, to the point that I found myself skimming paragraphs because of the sheer amount of detail it would give about making dinner, or taking out the garbage. If Laura was a real person, I think someone would have called her on her stupidity and lack of common sense more than once. For instance, when someone claims to be a nurse, wouldn’t you check a license?
Overall, the book was fine. It was pretty slow to start. It seemed like the first half of the book was an attempt at reaching a word count. The second half picked up, but it pulled in the middle of the action and didn’t keep my attention as well as I’d hoped.
February 13, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This book is described as a gripping thriller but I did not find it reached the promised standard. I thought the quality of the writing was juvenile at times: 'bit of make-up' is a simple term to avoid giving knowledgeable detail as though the author is unfamiliar with make-up and couldn't make the effort to research further, 'smirk' (a smug or conceited smile) for what is supposed to be an attractive smile and Sam's constant use of the endearment 'darlin' as though he was Laura's grandfather. Laura does not seem credible: she didn't want to tell an applicant that she wasn't 'the right fit' to nurse her father, even though a professional with experience of patients with dementia would understand this, she treats Bella as a best friend rather than an employee she barely knows and answers personal questions without thought. At one stage she exchanges several sentences with Andrei and only then notices he's only wearing shorts and no shirt! Laura is an author and there are paragraphs of the work she's doing, we're even told 'people don't know how much is involved in writing a book' and criticism of those who won't pay full price for it.
I read almost 50% before giving up.
This book is described as a gripping thriller but I did not find it reached the promised standard. I thought the quality of the writing was juvenile at times: 'bit of make-up' is a simple term to avoid giving knowledgeable detail as though the author is unfamiliar with make-up and couldn't make the effort to research further, 'smirk' (a smug or conceited smile) for what is supposed to be an attractive smile and Sam's constant use of the endearment 'darlin' as though he was Laura's grandfather. Laura does not seem credible: she didn't want to tell an applicant that she wasn't 'the right fit' to nurse her father, even though a professional with experience of patients with dementia would understand this, she treats Bella as a best friend rather than an employee she barely knows and answers personal questions without thought. At one stage she exchanges several sentences with Andrei and only then notices he's only wearing shorts and no shirt! Laura is an author and there are paragraphs of the work she's doing, we're even told 'people don't know how much is involved in writing a book' and criticism of those who won't pay full price for it.
I read almost 50% before giving up.
December 5, 2022
I was excited to read this book because I am a fan of Cole Baxter’s writing; in particular her book “I Won’t Let You Go”. Unfortunately, however, this book fell short of my expectations.
Laura is going through a bad divorce and moves back to her childhood home. Meanwhile is also trying to write her book and take care of her elderly father, who has dementia. She ends up hiring siblings Bella and Andre to help care for her father.
This had a slow first half, where we mainly only met the characters and were shown how difficult life was in the household. The only inkling that anything would possibly go wrong in this book was the title and the fact that it is a thriller. It took a while to build suspense and when we got there, there wasn’t any twist. Instead, the book went exactly where expected.
There is some nice character development in “The Night Nurse” and I do appreciate getting to know each of them. Similarly, Cole Baxter’s portrayal of someone with Alzheimer’s is rather accurate without being belittling or juvenile, as we might see in other stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Laura is going through a bad divorce and moves back to her childhood home. Meanwhile is also trying to write her book and take care of her elderly father, who has dementia. She ends up hiring siblings Bella and Andre to help care for her father.
This had a slow first half, where we mainly only met the characters and were shown how difficult life was in the household. The only inkling that anything would possibly go wrong in this book was the title and the fact that it is a thriller. It took a while to build suspense and when we got there, there wasn’t any twist. Instead, the book went exactly where expected.
There is some nice character development in “The Night Nurse” and I do appreciate getting to know each of them. Similarly, Cole Baxter’s portrayal of someone with Alzheimer’s is rather accurate without being belittling or juvenile, as we might see in other stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 31, 2023
When I receive an ARC, I make every attempt to complete the novel; I believe this is only fair - but I just couldn't read another page (I got to about 25%) and did not finish the book - and here is why.
The Night Nurse reads a little too closely to The Housekeeper.
Sam continually calling Laura "darlin" - couldn't' he use her name at least occasionally?
Too many "yeahs" in conversations - yes, it is the way we talk in real life but reading it frequently is distracting.
Unnecessary information - "jogged to garbage can. . . tossed her trash" Why was this necessary? Does it add to the plot?
Many pages devoted to the abuse Laura and her brother suffered at the hands of their mother, while children. Why was this pertinent? (In fairness, the reason may have come to light later in the story line).
Laura's search for a caregiver for her father - Was she not put off by the appearance, how convenient, of a brother/sister team? Did she not get bells and sirens when she saw the pair drive off in a Mercedes? Did Laura not do background checks on the pair? And Laura was an annoying character.
Feedback for publisher./writer use only - nothing on Goodreads, etc.
The Night Nurse reads a little too closely to The Housekeeper.
Sam continually calling Laura "darlin" - couldn't' he use her name at least occasionally?
Too many "yeahs" in conversations - yes, it is the way we talk in real life but reading it frequently is distracting.
Unnecessary information - "jogged to garbage can. . . tossed her trash" Why was this necessary? Does it add to the plot?
Many pages devoted to the abuse Laura and her brother suffered at the hands of their mother, while children. Why was this pertinent? (In fairness, the reason may have come to light later in the story line).
Laura's search for a caregiver for her father - Was she not put off by the appearance, how convenient, of a brother/sister team? Did she not get bells and sirens when she saw the pair drive off in a Mercedes? Did Laura not do background checks on the pair? And Laura was an annoying character.
Feedback for publisher./writer use only - nothing on Goodreads, etc.
December 10, 2022
This book was an interesting mix of thriller and romance. There were some pretty steamy scenes which were in direct contrast to the underlying threat posed by the two “carers”. I wouldn’t describe it as a psychological thriller as it is fairly obvious from the blurb who the bad guys are and they weren’t particularly subtle. I have to agree with others that Sam, despite apparently being sex on legs, was pretty annoying in that he never referred to Laura by name but constantly as “darlin”. This made it difficult for me to picture him as a young, sexy guy but made me think of a much older man addressing a small child. I do disagree with other reviewers who found the descriptions of every day domesticity slowed the story down. I found it worked well against the frustration and fear that is Laura’s life. Cole Baxter does an amazing job describing the horror of dementia and how difficult life is for the sufferers loved ones and indeed for the sufferer themselves.
The ending was not a surprise and I don’t think it was meant to be but the build up to it was a page turner.
November 26, 2022
The Night Nurse by Cole Baxte
They seem like angels of mercy. Until you invite them in.
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her widowed father who suffers from dementia.
Quickly realizing she can’t handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father’s needs and mood swings.
Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worse. He becomes violent and claims he’s being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want?
The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
Really enjoyable read. Twisty and gripping. 5*.
They seem like angels of mercy. Until you invite them in.
While going through a bitter divorce, Laura moves home to care for her widowed father who suffers from dementia.
Quickly realizing she can’t handle her dad alone, Laura hires nurse Bella and her dementia-specialist brother, Andrei, to look after him. The siblings are the perfect caregivers, effectively handling her father’s needs and mood swings.
Then accidents begin happening around the estate, and her dad takes a drastic turn for the worse. He becomes violent and claims he’s being poisoned. Is it true? Or is his illness causing paranoia?
As Laura tries to get to the truth, she begins to realize that the caregivers are not who they seem, that they may have a sinister agenda of their own. But who are they really? And what do they want?
The answers to these questions are more horrifying than anything Laura could ever have imagined…
Really enjoyable read. Twisty and gripping. 5*.
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