Title: The Ultimate Village Game
Author: Beth Merwood
Genre: Women’s Fiction with mystery elements
Book Blurb:
Riddled with guilt and tormented by desire, Lucy Short keeps notes about newcomers to the village, but why? The misfit with the rescue dog has a mysterious past. She’s been biding her time, plotting and scheming, and now she’s determined to get what she deserves. It won’t be straight forward. Someone is sure to be watching her every move, and there seems to be something more sinister going on.
Mr. Lester Senior is dead. The family is in turmoil. The future of the famous village treasure hunt is in doubt, but for Lucy a new world beckons. She must stick to her task. The rewards could be huge, but will there also be a price to pay?
My Review:
It’s not a game to Lucy but she’ll play the game to win big. In a quaint British village, a woman named Lucy is tormented by her past. She’s reinvented herself and returned to the village where she was born. No one remembers her from before. She keeps tabs on any newcomers and writes her observations down in a notebook. She walks her dog and gets to know the villagers’ secrets. It's all part of her plan. She stays hidden in the shadows, waiting for her time to come. It was promised long ago but when it is finally hers, then it will be worth the pain and sacrifice. What is it? When will it happen? Lucy’s not sure but she’ll be ready. Let the game begin…
The Ultimate Village Game is a women’s fiction with mystery elements I thoroughly enjoyed. While I’ve never read anything like this before, the mystery of what was going on drew me into the story. I had questions swirling in my head as I read. The five W’s and one H kept me up late at night as I whipped through the pages. I had to know what would happen next. Lucy is the main character and the more I discovered about her, the more intrigued I became. The plot unfolds rather like peeling an onion. You peel one layer and there are many more layers under the surface waiting to be discovered. The POV was exclusively from Lucy yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. The POV plunges the reader into the story and only reveals little clues at a time. The descriptive narration is immersive, emotional, and intimately details every thought, feeling, people, places, and more that Lucy encounters. The surprise ending had a magnificent twist I didn’t expect. The writing is sublime, and Beth Merwood is an author to watch. If you love immersive fiction set in a British village, you’ll want to read The Ultimate Village Game. A stunning piece of fiction, The Ultimate Village Game will move you. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ultimate-village-game-beth-merwood/1141661627?ean=9781509242290
Author Biography:
Beth Merwood is a writer from the south of England. Her debut novel, The Five Things, was published in 2021. The Ultimate Village Game is her second novel.
Social Media Links:
Reviewed by: Mrs. N