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The Mother’s Secret
Don't miss the next thrilling read from Karen Clarke, author of My Best Friend's Secret!
Fans of Claire Douglas and Shari Lapena will love Karen Clarke!
Kate and her husband are expecting their first child. Even though it was a surprise, Kate is thrilled and so is her mother, Helen. Kate just needs Helen’s anxieties to ease and for Dan to be on board.
Dan is struggling – he loves Kate, but he is not ready to be a father. With relations between them feeling hostile, the attractive lead singer in Dan’s band offers him a tantalizing escape.
Two weeks before the due date, Kate heads off for an overnight stay at a guesthouse she is designing. When suddenly neither Helen nor Dan can reach her, Helen discloses a dark secret from their past. One that leaves them wondering, has something terrible happened to Kate and the baby?
Fans of Claire Douglas and Shari Lapena will love Karen Clarke!
Kate and her husband are expecting their first child. Even though it was a surprise, Kate is thrilled and so is her mother, Helen. Kate just needs Helen’s anxieties to ease and for Dan to be on board.
Dan is struggling – he loves Kate, but he is not ready to be a father. With relations between them feeling hostile, the attractive lead singer in Dan’s band offers him a tantalizing escape.
Two weeks before the due date, Kate heads off for an overnight stay at a guesthouse she is designing. When suddenly neither Helen nor Dan can reach her, Helen discloses a dark secret from their past. One that leaves them wondering, has something terrible happened to Kate and the baby?
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 16, 2025
71 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Karen Clarke
46 books292 followersI live in Buckinghamshire with my husband and three grown-up children where I write psychological thrillers for HQDigital/HarperCollins and romantic comedy novels published by Bookouture.
Over the years I've been a secretary/bookkeeper, a wedding photographer, a pub manager, I've worked in a supermarket, a newsagent's and as a librarian - all good for story ideas.
I now write full-time and when I'm not writing, I read a lot, enjoy walking - which is good for plot-wrangling and ideas - photography, watching Netflix, baking and eating cakes. And then more walking to work off the cakes.
Over the years I've been a secretary/bookkeeper, a wedding photographer, a pub manager, I've worked in a supermarket, a newsagent's and as a librarian - all good for story ideas.
I now write full-time and when I'm not writing, I read a lot, enjoy walking - which is good for plot-wrangling and ideas - photography, watching Netflix, baking and eating cakes. And then more walking to work off the cakes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 21, 2025
Awful.
A book where you can skip half and still follow the plot is always a worry. The skipping part was because the characters were unlikeable, the plot unbelievable and it was so repetitive.
As for the ending…just, no!
A book where you can skip half and still follow the plot is always a worry. The skipping part was because the characters were unlikeable, the plot unbelievable and it was so repetitive.
As for the ending…just, no!
February 23, 2025
It's been a little while since I've read a Karen Clarke book and I've missed them. This was everything I'd hoped it would be having read lots of Karen's books before. That ending though, so clever.
March 28, 2025
This book became a bit of a clanger for me. It was pretty obvious fairly quickly, where the plot would be headed. I found myself irritated by how reckless Kate behaves and struggled to see what Dan’s role was in the story and his marriage.
Kate, heavily pregnant, goes to spend a night away with a client, helping to offer design advice and hopefully secure some new business for her interiors company. However, despite being due in mere weeks, she leaves the house without her mobile, barely acknowledges her husband, and has very little information about this potential new client. As far as adulting goes, it felt pretty thoughtless, especially when it is portrayed how desperate Kate is for her baby.
Happily going along with everything her host tells her, Kate does not suspect that anything is wrong. Even when she seems to be sleepy all of the time and has made next to zero contact with people she knows, Kate convinces herself that it is for the greater good of this client. Yet, when this client shares some life-changing revelations, Kate continues to be a sucker for this version of events, naively failing to question anything about the situation she is in.
Even Dan, the husband, doesn’t show much interest. I was frustrated by how little he seems to care for Kate and there are plenty of suggestions that Dan is encouraging a fellow bandmember. Despite being happily married, Dan appears to enjoy Zoe’s attentions, weakly telling her that he is due to be a father soon – but hardly meaning it. When he starts to realise that Kate might not be alright, he still didn’t seem to be full of energy and I felt his lack lustre attitude to be very irritating.
The book follows how Kate questions who is her real mother. This of course parallels with her pending birth. The plot moved very slowly and felt as claustrophobic as the intense summer heat. I could not understand how Kate didn’t realise she was in a dangerous situation and thought the treatment and attitude towards such a pregnant woman to be very far from reality. I was irked by Kate’s actions and instead wanted her to put herself first, rather than this very odd client.
For me, I struggled to believe that someone so close to their due date would take such unnecessary risks. The characters were not very likeable and I struggled to be convinced by the switched baby story. Whilst the closing chapter was supposed to reveal the final truths, I don’t think it was very suspenseful and I couldn’t see how it tied in to the main plot. Instead, I would have preferred a faster paced, more realistic novel where the protagonist was more switched on, with a husband who was loyal and supportive.
Overall, this novel from Clarke really fell flat. I have read several books by this author in the past and this one really didn’t grab me like I had hoped. Far from being a thriller, it was a story of frustrations and reckless behaviour that, by the time I reached the end, I couldn’t really care who was the real mother.
With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kate, heavily pregnant, goes to spend a night away with a client, helping to offer design advice and hopefully secure some new business for her interiors company. However, despite being due in mere weeks, she leaves the house without her mobile, barely acknowledges her husband, and has very little information about this potential new client. As far as adulting goes, it felt pretty thoughtless, especially when it is portrayed how desperate Kate is for her baby.
Happily going along with everything her host tells her, Kate does not suspect that anything is wrong. Even when she seems to be sleepy all of the time and has made next to zero contact with people she knows, Kate convinces herself that it is for the greater good of this client. Yet, when this client shares some life-changing revelations, Kate continues to be a sucker for this version of events, naively failing to question anything about the situation she is in.
Even Dan, the husband, doesn’t show much interest. I was frustrated by how little he seems to care for Kate and there are plenty of suggestions that Dan is encouraging a fellow bandmember. Despite being happily married, Dan appears to enjoy Zoe’s attentions, weakly telling her that he is due to be a father soon – but hardly meaning it. When he starts to realise that Kate might not be alright, he still didn’t seem to be full of energy and I felt his lack lustre attitude to be very irritating.
The book follows how Kate questions who is her real mother. This of course parallels with her pending birth. The plot moved very slowly and felt as claustrophobic as the intense summer heat. I could not understand how Kate didn’t realise she was in a dangerous situation and thought the treatment and attitude towards such a pregnant woman to be very far from reality. I was irked by Kate’s actions and instead wanted her to put herself first, rather than this very odd client.
For me, I struggled to believe that someone so close to their due date would take such unnecessary risks. The characters were not very likeable and I struggled to be convinced by the switched baby story. Whilst the closing chapter was supposed to reveal the final truths, I don’t think it was very suspenseful and I couldn’t see how it tied in to the main plot. Instead, I would have preferred a faster paced, more realistic novel where the protagonist was more switched on, with a husband who was loyal and supportive.
Overall, this novel from Clarke really fell flat. I have read several books by this author in the past and this one really didn’t grab me like I had hoped. Far from being a thriller, it was a story of frustrations and reckless behaviour that, by the time I reached the end, I couldn’t really care who was the real mother.
With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2025
2,5⭐️
Started as a fun read, but the ending mostly just left me confused and didn't make sense to me.
Started as a fun read, but the ending mostly just left me confused and didn't make sense to me.
November 28, 2024
When heavily pregnant interior designer, Kate, visits Magda, a new client, she is stunned when the woman claims she is Kate’s real mother.
When Kate feels unwell and tries to leave, Magda’s face turns dark and Kate knows she is in trouble. The story is narrated by Kate and her husband, Dan. I found Dan weak and unlikeable and his part of the story didn’t add anything to the mystery of who Kate’s real mother was. There wasn’t much suspense, other than whether Kate could escape from Magda, who was clearly drugging her.
The epilogue gave a sort of answer but it all felt quite random and disconnected.
Not one for me this time.
2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Karen Clarke and HQ for an ARC in return for an honest review.
When Kate feels unwell and tries to leave, Magda’s face turns dark and Kate knows she is in trouble. The story is narrated by Kate and her husband, Dan. I found Dan weak and unlikeable and his part of the story didn’t add anything to the mystery of who Kate’s real mother was. There wasn’t much suspense, other than whether Kate could escape from Magda, who was clearly drugging her.
The epilogue gave a sort of answer but it all felt quite random and disconnected.
Not one for me this time.
2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Karen Clarke and HQ for an ARC in return for an honest review.
February 16, 2025
“The Mother’s Secret” by Karen Clarke. This book has 696 pages.
Having not read this authors book before, I was intrigued as it’s a new “thrilling, heartbreaking, unputadownable psychological suspense” book for 2025. Now started reading the story, I’m already starting to think this is a mistake.
From the first go, the main characters Kate and Dan seem not a good match. Kate is an interior designer and her husband is in a band. He’s freaking out about becoming a father, which sounds like it was an accident. The wife is ploughing through with the pregnancy. He’s already checking out their new lead singer a woman. Zoe.. (how convenient).
It seems a bland story, I’m not sure if I like any of the characters.
Pregnant Kate (3 weeks till due date) had a fall out with her husband Dan, and left to meet a client at their property without her phone, so her husband can’t reach her.
Kate’s friend Magda has a property which she wants to make it into a guesthouse but it’s not “in such a good shape.”
“Has your mother ever talked to you about the circumstances of your birth?” - Magda Trent.
Magda has brought Kate on false pretences.. Kate is her daughter Lexi. Her mother Helen, isn’t her mother.
“Kate led a pretty sheltered childhood, as far as he could tell, just her mother and herself. No wider family. Not even grandparents. Helen could be overprotective.” - Dan thoughts.
According to Magda, Helen Fletcher’s real name is Jane Goodwin, that’s why she couldn’t find her. Jane had a miscarriage and always wanted a girl. Lexi/Kate was in Leeds. She took magda’s baby because she wasn’t coping, and registered lexi as hers and disappeared. Patrick Gilmore is her father.
“There are no photos of mum when she was pregnant with me.” - Kate.
Helen goes to see Dan and tells him she received a letter (I know what you did) from a lady called Mary, in Leeds who lost her baby and has taken Kate. She kept calling Kate, Lexi.
Okay, so who do we believe? Who’s lying and telling the truth?
‘“We both have red hair and freckles”… finally seeing some likeness.’
Kate’s view is changing, Dan didn’t want the baby. She doesn’t need Dan or Mum (Helen).
So Magda is a midwife? Patrick is a doctor? Magda had post-natal depression..
Meanwhile, Dan has no idea when his wife is back, his protective mother in law keeps turning up at his house. His colleague Zoe is trying her luck with him. Half way through the book, Helen says what if the client Kate went to see really is Mary? Mary aka Magda wants Kate/Lexi’s baby?!
As a reader I don’t feel connected to any of the characters, I don’t feel sorry for them.
Kate thinks her relationship won’t recover, if Dan isn’t there when the baby is born.
Emotions seem to be missing this book.
Madga slaps Kate, breaks the phone… runs off into the night??
Dan’s colleague Zoe is a psycho. According to his colleague Eric, who’s fond of Kate, Zoe doesn’t need the job, she’s loaded. Dan gets a call from Magda who tells him his wife has told her their problems and staying another night at the clients house.
Kate constantly whining through the story.
Dan is starting to suspect Helen?
If his wife is missing, why isn’t anyone calling the police?
Helen and Dan find Kate at the clients house. Kate goes into labour, gives birth to a boy. Not sure what happens to Magda. The after chapter didn’t really make sense. I guess the writer wanted a cliff hanger, revealing that the kidnapped child was Zoe, it was really confusing.
This is NOT heartbreaking, NOT thrilling or unputadownable psychological suspense - it was NONE OF THESE THINGS. It was really dull. Don’t get fooled into reading this book.
Having not read this authors book before, I was intrigued as it’s a new “thrilling, heartbreaking, unputadownable psychological suspense” book for 2025. Now started reading the story, I’m already starting to think this is a mistake.
From the first go, the main characters Kate and Dan seem not a good match. Kate is an interior designer and her husband is in a band. He’s freaking out about becoming a father, which sounds like it was an accident. The wife is ploughing through with the pregnancy. He’s already checking out their new lead singer a woman. Zoe.. (how convenient).
It seems a bland story, I’m not sure if I like any of the characters.
Pregnant Kate (3 weeks till due date) had a fall out with her husband Dan, and left to meet a client at their property without her phone, so her husband can’t reach her.
Kate’s friend Magda has a property which she wants to make it into a guesthouse but it’s not “in such a good shape.”
“Has your mother ever talked to you about the circumstances of your birth?” - Magda Trent.
Magda has brought Kate on false pretences.. Kate is her daughter Lexi. Her mother Helen, isn’t her mother.
“Kate led a pretty sheltered childhood, as far as he could tell, just her mother and herself. No wider family. Not even grandparents. Helen could be overprotective.” - Dan thoughts.
According to Magda, Helen Fletcher’s real name is Jane Goodwin, that’s why she couldn’t find her. Jane had a miscarriage and always wanted a girl. Lexi/Kate was in Leeds. She took magda’s baby because she wasn’t coping, and registered lexi as hers and disappeared. Patrick Gilmore is her father.
“There are no photos of mum when she was pregnant with me.” - Kate.
Helen goes to see Dan and tells him she received a letter (I know what you did) from a lady called Mary, in Leeds who lost her baby and has taken Kate. She kept calling Kate, Lexi.
Okay, so who do we believe? Who’s lying and telling the truth?
‘“We both have red hair and freckles”… finally seeing some likeness.’
Kate’s view is changing, Dan didn’t want the baby. She doesn’t need Dan or Mum (Helen).
So Magda is a midwife? Patrick is a doctor? Magda had post-natal depression..
Meanwhile, Dan has no idea when his wife is back, his protective mother in law keeps turning up at his house. His colleague Zoe is trying her luck with him. Half way through the book, Helen says what if the client Kate went to see really is Mary? Mary aka Magda wants Kate/Lexi’s baby?!
As a reader I don’t feel connected to any of the characters, I don’t feel sorry for them.
Kate thinks her relationship won’t recover, if Dan isn’t there when the baby is born.
Emotions seem to be missing this book.
Madga slaps Kate, breaks the phone… runs off into the night??
Dan’s colleague Zoe is a psycho. According to his colleague Eric, who’s fond of Kate, Zoe doesn’t need the job, she’s loaded. Dan gets a call from Magda who tells him his wife has told her their problems and staying another night at the clients house.
Kate constantly whining through the story.
Dan is starting to suspect Helen?
If his wife is missing, why isn’t anyone calling the police?
Helen and Dan find Kate at the clients house. Kate goes into labour, gives birth to a boy. Not sure what happens to Magda. The after chapter didn’t really make sense. I guess the writer wanted a cliff hanger, revealing that the kidnapped child was Zoe, it was really confusing.
This is NOT heartbreaking, NOT thrilling or unputadownable psychological suspense - it was NONE OF THESE THINGS. It was really dull. Don’t get fooled into reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2025
First Impressions
The premise hooked me instantly: Kate, pregnant and nesting, disappears during a brief work-related trip, and her mother Helen, rattled by fears from their past confesses a secret that reframes everything. It promised suspense, emotional stakes, and a mother’s desperate quest to understand what happened to her daughter and grandchild.
What I Appreciated
❤️ A gripping setup with noir undertones. Kate’s sudden disappearance just two weeks before giving birth sets a strong emotional pulse, especially with Helen revealing she’s never told anyone what really happened years ago, leaving me eager to untangle the truth. 
❤️ Twists that keep you guessing. Betrayals, abandonments, and unreliable memories swirl in the story. Plot revelations like the true identity of ‘Magda’ (Kate’s client/midwife) or the confusion around baby switching did catch me off guard at times. 
❤️ True thriller atmosphere. The writing leans into psychological suspense, with reviews praising its pace and reveals: “gripped from start to finish,” “mind-blowing twists and turns,” and “just couldn’t put it down.”  
Where It Fell Short for Me
💔 Emotions didn’t land. Fascinating secrets and plot developments couldn’t make me connect with the characters. Their fear, grief, or desperation never pulled me in emotionally. 
💔 Characters felt like clichés. Kate’s anxiety-laden perspective, Helen’s overprotectiveness, and Dan’s disengagement contributed to a cast that felt flat rather than fully dimensional. 
💔 Cliffhanger that didn’t satisfy. The ending leans hard into ambiguity, a final twist that felt more confusing than clever and left me yearning for closure. 
Final Reflection
Rating: ⭐⭐½ or ⭐⭐⭐ (2.5–3/5)
The Mother’s Secret offers a compelling setup and suspenseful plot twists, but ultimately fell short in emotional depth and character connection for me. If you enjoy cryptic family mysteries and unexpected secrets, it might scratch that surface-level intrigue itch but prepare for a finale that could leave you murmuring “Wait… what?”
The premise hooked me instantly: Kate, pregnant and nesting, disappears during a brief work-related trip, and her mother Helen, rattled by fears from their past confesses a secret that reframes everything. It promised suspense, emotional stakes, and a mother’s desperate quest to understand what happened to her daughter and grandchild.
What I Appreciated
❤️ A gripping setup with noir undertones. Kate’s sudden disappearance just two weeks before giving birth sets a strong emotional pulse, especially with Helen revealing she’s never told anyone what really happened years ago, leaving me eager to untangle the truth. 
❤️ Twists that keep you guessing. Betrayals, abandonments, and unreliable memories swirl in the story. Plot revelations like the true identity of ‘Magda’ (Kate’s client/midwife) or the confusion around baby switching did catch me off guard at times. 
❤️ True thriller atmosphere. The writing leans into psychological suspense, with reviews praising its pace and reveals: “gripped from start to finish,” “mind-blowing twists and turns,” and “just couldn’t put it down.”  
Where It Fell Short for Me
💔 Emotions didn’t land. Fascinating secrets and plot developments couldn’t make me connect with the characters. Their fear, grief, or desperation never pulled me in emotionally. 
💔 Characters felt like clichés. Kate’s anxiety-laden perspective, Helen’s overprotectiveness, and Dan’s disengagement contributed to a cast that felt flat rather than fully dimensional. 
💔 Cliffhanger that didn’t satisfy. The ending leans hard into ambiguity, a final twist that felt more confusing than clever and left me yearning for closure. 
Final Reflection
Rating: ⭐⭐½ or ⭐⭐⭐ (2.5–3/5)
The Mother’s Secret offers a compelling setup and suspenseful plot twists, but ultimately fell short in emotional depth and character connection for me. If you enjoy cryptic family mysteries and unexpected secrets, it might scratch that surface-level intrigue itch but prepare for a finale that could leave you murmuring “Wait… what?”
October 7, 2025
The Mothers secret by Karen Clarke
Genre: Psychological thriller
Rating 3/5 star💫💫💫
Blurb:
Kate is an interior designer heavily pregnant and excited about her first child. Her mother Helen is super anxious and her husband, Dan has doubts of being a new father.
Two weeks before her due date, Kate goes away overnight to a guesthouse she is designing for a client. She leaves without her phone, which makes contact difficult.
The situation escalates when her mother reveals a dark secret from Kate’s past. Meanwhile, there are tensions: Dan is feeling unprepared for fatherhood, there's a flirtatious American girl in the mix, and as Kate becomes unreachable, everyone fears for Kate and the baby.
Will Dan and Helen manage to find Kate ?
I personally did not connect with the characters,
Kate seemed overly naive, Dan unsympathetic and Helen over anxious! The plot was flat. All I knew was a client has held pregnant Kate hostage, she is 9 months pregnant, 3 weeks away from due date, no phone, a husband who hasn’t called her for a night and day including her mother. Did not really make sense to me.
Have you read it ?
Genre: Psychological thriller
Rating 3/5 star💫💫💫
Blurb:
Kate is an interior designer heavily pregnant and excited about her first child. Her mother Helen is super anxious and her husband, Dan has doubts of being a new father.
Two weeks before her due date, Kate goes away overnight to a guesthouse she is designing for a client. She leaves without her phone, which makes contact difficult.
The situation escalates when her mother reveals a dark secret from Kate’s past. Meanwhile, there are tensions: Dan is feeling unprepared for fatherhood, there's a flirtatious American girl in the mix, and as Kate becomes unreachable, everyone fears for Kate and the baby.
Will Dan and Helen manage to find Kate ?
I personally did not connect with the characters,
Kate seemed overly naive, Dan unsympathetic and Helen over anxious! The plot was flat. All I knew was a client has held pregnant Kate hostage, she is 9 months pregnant, 3 weeks away from due date, no phone, a husband who hasn’t called her for a night and day including her mother. Did not really make sense to me.
Have you read it ?
November 20, 2024
3* If you can suspended disbelief that a 2024 self-employed, roughly 9m pregnant businesswoman can go off on a job without her phone, this sort of works.
For me, believing that Katie could leave her phone, her business and personal lifeline behind when driving to a job to meet a virtually unknown client, didn't really work. Who doesn't think about the dangers? Who doesn't worry that she's days from giving birth and wonder about the sanity of her decision? Plus, most modern cars habe tracking devices these days, so for me, this tale required a huge suspension of disbelief.
It had not-as-horrible shades of Misery. Minus the cutting of limbs. It sadly wasn't very believable but it was quite predictable.
The Zoe character with Katie's husband wasn't very believable. She's a Glenn Close type at the start and middle, then a meek kitten at the end. Hmm. And the supposed twist on the airline? Just asking for too much suspension of disbelief from me.
It's not a badly written book but it's not believable in 2024, sadly.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HQ, for my reading pleasure.
For me, believing that Katie could leave her phone, her business and personal lifeline behind when driving to a job to meet a virtually unknown client, didn't really work. Who doesn't think about the dangers? Who doesn't worry that she's days from giving birth and wonder about the sanity of her decision? Plus, most modern cars habe tracking devices these days, so for me, this tale required a huge suspension of disbelief.
It had not-as-horrible shades of Misery. Minus the cutting of limbs. It sadly wasn't very believable but it was quite predictable.
The Zoe character with Katie's husband wasn't very believable. She's a Glenn Close type at the start and middle, then a meek kitten at the end. Hmm. And the supposed twist on the airline? Just asking for too much suspension of disbelief from me.
It's not a badly written book but it's not believable in 2024, sadly.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HQ, for my reading pleasure.
April 3, 2025
Thank you for an arc of this book!
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, but it definitely went places I didn’t expect haha.
Overall I did enjoy it, even if a lot of it just felt like it wouldn’t happen in real life, but It did keep me captivated throughout it.
The unbelievable things:
- Kate just constantly believing she wasn’t trying to keep her there and trying to justify Mary’s behaviour. When it was quite clear something else was going on. I understand being pregnant and not fully aware but still - you would’ve tried to leave before
- Dan full on not giving a shit 😂. Like I just didn’t believe it. I again understand that he was going through his emotions too, but when Kate didn’t come home surely that should be a massive red flag to him? And dismissing it when others were worried.
I never fully believed that Magda was her mum either, you could tell there was something unhinged about her even when she started telling Kate that she was her mum.
Yeah it was a good book but not one I would revisit and not one that will stick with
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2025
Kate is a heavily pregnant interior designer. She visits a new client, Magda. But Magda tells her she is her mother. Kate starts to feel unwell, but when she tries to leave, things don;t go to plan.
This story is told from Kate and her husband Dan's perspectives. The story could have been a bit shorter, as everything is written in great detail. The characters are well-developed, but I did not care for any of them. I also couldn't believe that Kate left home without her phone, especially as she is nine months pregnant. The younger generation almost have their phones glued to their hands. The plot was interesting enough.
Published 16th January 2025
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #KarenClarke for my ARC of #TheMothersSecret in exchange for an honest review.
This story is told from Kate and her husband Dan's perspectives. The story could have been a bit shorter, as everything is written in great detail. The characters are well-developed, but I did not care for any of them. I also couldn't believe that Kate left home without her phone, especially as she is nine months pregnant. The younger generation almost have their phones glued to their hands. The plot was interesting enough.
Published 16th January 2025
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #KarenClarke for my ARC of #TheMothersSecret in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2025
Someone knows the truth. OH WOW!!!!! A superb read.
Kate and Dan Burgess dealing with a surprise pregnancy and Kates mother Helen is thrilled.
Magda Trent calls Kate wanting some interior design work done at bluebell cottage in Lexminster wanting a qoute as soon as possible Kate takes an overnight bag with only a couple of weeks to go before the baby arrives she tells Dan she will be fine.
On her arrival Magda Trent drops a big bombshell to Kate, a mothers secret and its one twisted story. Can Dan and Helen get to save her in time before the baby arrives.
Like I said wow! this is a fantastic read right through leaving me with just one more chapter, I loved the whole mind-blowing twists and turns full of ginormous secrets.
Absolutely brilliant read.
Kate and Dan Burgess dealing with a surprise pregnancy and Kates mother Helen is thrilled.
Magda Trent calls Kate wanting some interior design work done at bluebell cottage in Lexminster wanting a qoute as soon as possible Kate takes an overnight bag with only a couple of weeks to go before the baby arrives she tells Dan she will be fine.
On her arrival Magda Trent drops a big bombshell to Kate, a mothers secret and its one twisted story. Can Dan and Helen get to save her in time before the baby arrives.
Like I said wow! this is a fantastic read right through leaving me with just one more chapter, I loved the whole mind-blowing twists and turns full of ginormous secrets.
Absolutely brilliant read.
May 12, 2025
What an absolute rollercoaster of a book, like whattt, did that really happen?!
I was so taken in by Magda's story that it felt like I was Kate and I was living through it. For me, Magda's character showed just how mental health and desperation can take hold. This book more or less revolves around this but also revenge and how one acts when faced with issues such as these.
This is a slow to medium paced thriller bit it does get you on edge and fearing the worst, which keeps you turning those pages. It has great character development, an intriguing plot and atmospheric all the while showing sensitive topics which are handled with the appropriate purpose.
The twist at the end really had me like whattt, did I read that right??!!
Yes, go read it!
I was so taken in by Magda's story that it felt like I was Kate and I was living through it. For me, Magda's character showed just how mental health and desperation can take hold. This book more or less revolves around this but also revenge and how one acts when faced with issues such as these.
This is a slow to medium paced thriller bit it does get you on edge and fearing the worst, which keeps you turning those pages. It has great character development, an intriguing plot and atmospheric all the while showing sensitive topics which are handled with the appropriate purpose.
The twist at the end really had me like whattt, did I read that right??!!
Yes, go read it!
August 17, 2025
Kate and her husband are expecting their first child. Even though it was a surprise , Kate is thrilled and so is her mother , Helen .Kate just needs Helen’s anxieties to ease and for Dan to be on board.
Dan is struggling - he loves Kate , but he is not ready to be a father .With relations between them feeling hostile , the attractive singer in Dan’s band offers him a tantalizing escape.
Two weeks before the due date , Kate heads off for an overnight stay at a guesthouse she is designing .When suddenly neither Helen or Dan can reach her Helen discloses a dark secret from their past . One that leaves them wondering , has something terrible happened to Kate and her unborn baby ?
Dan is struggling - he loves Kate , but he is not ready to be a father .With relations between them feeling hostile , the attractive singer in Dan’s band offers him a tantalizing escape.
Two weeks before the due date , Kate heads off for an overnight stay at a guesthouse she is designing .When suddenly neither Helen or Dan can reach her Helen discloses a dark secret from their past . One that leaves them wondering , has something terrible happened to Kate and her unborn baby ?
January 29, 2025
📚The Mother’s Secret
✍️Karen Clarke
🎧Audiobook
5⭐️
The Mother’s Secret follows heavily pregnant interior designer Kate, who goes to visit a potential client - however all is not what it seems. While Kate’s life is turned upside down, her carpenter / musician husband Dan is grappling with impending fatherhood. The plot wasn’t too far-fetched, which made for an enjoyable read with characters whose motives were believable. I really enjoyed it - I wish the epilogue had been explored more or the events of which had happened sooner, but a definite 5* read.
✍️Karen Clarke
🎧Audiobook
5⭐️
The Mother’s Secret follows heavily pregnant interior designer Kate, who goes to visit a potential client - however all is not what it seems. While Kate’s life is turned upside down, her carpenter / musician husband Dan is grappling with impending fatherhood. The plot wasn’t too far-fetched, which made for an enjoyable read with characters whose motives were believable. I really enjoyed it - I wish the epilogue had been explored more or the events of which had happened sooner, but a definite 5* read.
January 7, 2026
This is the story of a heavily pregnant young woman called Kate who hears a startling revealtion that makes her question her whole background and identity, and her musician husband, Dan, who is struggling with the prospect of being a new parent.
It is a good idea and there is enough compelling content and curiosity to satisfy a fairly short read at under 250 pages.
There is a clue about half way through, which I twigged, but you have to give the ending a bit of thought and draw your own conclusion.
Yes, not bad,....4 stars
It is a good idea and there is enough compelling content and curiosity to satisfy a fairly short read at under 250 pages.
There is a clue about half way through, which I twigged, but you have to give the ending a bit of thought and draw your own conclusion.
Yes, not bad,....4 stars
November 28, 2024
"The Mother's Secret" is about an interior designer, Kate, who is heavily pregnant and goes away over night on a job, without her phone. Things then take a turn for the worst as the client believes that she is Kate's biological mother. The story is written in great detail, almost to the point of it dragging on too much. However, it is very intense and nail biting with some great twists and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller with twists!
January 16, 2025
WOW what an intriguing story!! After reading My Best Friend’s Secret, i absolutely had to give this author another go. It kept me on my toes with plenty of twists and turns. It was certainly a page-turner and i managed to devour it within 24 hours. Great characters, all totally believable. I really didn’t know or guess where this story was going and I even read the final chapter twice, it was that good.
January 26, 2025
this story is a very addictive twisty story that makes you want to keep reading. Kate and Dan are expecting their first baby, but Dan has been so distant. Kate owns her own interior business, a woman asks Kate if she would go to her home and give her input Kate says yes on the day she is going she forgets her phone. when she gets there the woman so friendly but then she says I am your mother. it's a very gripping read so recommend.
May 3, 2025
A powerful story of deep felt sadness and courage. The presumed mother Magda, wanting to abduct her false daughter Kate. Magda is a psychopath who needs help, while Kate is trapped by her, in her cottage. My feelings go towards Magda who is trapped in her inner turmoil. Kate is the victim, who needs to escape her claws.
There is horrifying sadness, in both these characters.
A compelling read.
There is horrifying sadness, in both these characters.
A compelling read.
December 26, 2025
I've really enjoyed some of this author's other books but this one was just so unbelievable with very little suspense. Everything was pretty obvious from the beginning, and while I found the other books by this author easy to predict, they were still enjoyable, with characters I liked. This book had a main character who was too stupid to live with a husband who was floundering and not very supportive. The very ending of the book involved a huge coincidence that was disappointing.
June 24, 2025
Kate is heavily pregnant, she visits a potential client to assess and quote interior decoration of a remote property in the English countryside staying overnight to get a feel for the place. Magda, the customer has differing ideas about the visit. Soon Kate’s assistant, her mother and husband become troubled by the arrangement. A quick read that is engaging.
December 24, 2024
THE MOTHER'S SECRET BY KAREN CLARKE.
Release date set for the 16th of January 2025.
I really enjoyed this story. I think I would go back to it and read it again in the future.
I think this is my first book by this author but I'm not to sure. I'll deffo be seeing what other books she has out
Release date set for the 16th of January 2025.
I really enjoyed this story. I think I would go back to it and read it again in the future.
I think this is my first book by this author but I'm not to sure. I'll deffo be seeing what other books she has out
February 2, 2025
This was a gripping, twisting, physiological thriller that had me hooked as the story unfolded and we got to learn about Kate’s relationship with her partner, her parents, and family secrets from when she was a baby.
Thank you to NetGslley for my ARC of the book in return for an honest opinion
Thank you to NetGslley for my ARC of the book in return for an honest opinion
November 24, 2024
I have read many from this author and enjoyed them all including this one.
I was involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end.
I was involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end.
January 29, 2025
In true Karen Clarke style, another brilliant, suspenseful read. FIVE STARS!
January 30, 2025
I really enjoyed the story even if a bit unbelievable. Will look at more from this author.
February 22, 2025
It was a great read, in fact I finished it in 3 days. I thought I had it all worked out but there was a great twist
June 4, 2025
Very good read but a silly ending
July 24, 2025
2.5 ⭐️ a predictable story with lotsss of unnecessary text which did drag on some chapters, probably too many “plot twists” which kinda left me confused while reading especially the ending
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