Stranger Within, The MP3 CD – Unabridged, July 4, 2017

Callie Harwell wants so badly to be a mother to Dillon and Luke, her husband’s children. She married James almost a year ago but she still cant seem to get along with them...it’s just been hard for the children to adjust. James had been married to Lauren who’d died three years ago and when he married Callie, she just moved into the house that he’d lived in with Lauren. He works at his photography studio with Tabitha which makes Callie a bit jealous but James still comes home to her every night so she tries not to let it get to her too much. Her home studies and taking care of the children and her father keep her quite busy.But her mind starts to wander at times, maybe she should’ve told James about her father. Just because her father is ill doesn’t mean that James wouldn’t accept him or help her with his care. Not only that, but James’ hours at the studio seem to be a lot more now than they were before they got married and Tabitha sure likes being affectionate towards her boss...This psychological thriller kept me reading til all hours of the night! I had to force myself to stop reading telling myself ‘I can read more tomorrow, first thing!’...jeez! I know I read this before but once I got into it I had to keep going, I couldn’t remember ‘the twist’. Nor did I leave a review. So now I am.

Engaging story. Good fast fun summer read. Kept me guessing until the end. Would read other books by this author.

Tons of unexpected twists and turns. I don't think I've ever read a book this quickly.

I'd read another book by Kathryn Croft and found it interesting with plot twists I hadn't seen coming, so I selected a couple more of her books to read. Her writing style here seems very similar to the other book, but I don't feel like it's worked in this story. This is written from the perspective of the main character only who obviously has a mental disorder of some kind (Bipolar? Schitzo-affective?). The story is fast paced throughout, or perhaps it just feels that way coming from a very scattered character. The plot twists are weak and predictable, in my opinion. I've just finished reading it and feel like I've spent two days inside the head of a crazy person. I'll be taking a break from Ms Croft...

Twisted story about a very unstable person, who has problems. Who could not figure out what she really wanted. Callie thinks she has it all, except her mind tells her otherwise. How does James not notice how Callie gets through one day at a time and the pressure it puts on her? She does need help, but can't find it, so in her mind she attaches herself to Rhys, and all the sex and attention makes her feel loved. But when Rhys get killed , she really snaps. The end was also a surprise, well worth reading the book to find out what really happened.

This is the first book I have read from Kathryn Croft. At first I wasn’t convinced I would read another but, I am certainly sure now! I originally felt uninspired about the story line; another heart ache for a step mom but, as I continued to read, the hook just reached out and pulled me in! I never in a million years saw this conclusion coming. Oh what a tangled web we weave! I had to decide if my tears were from sadness or joy, but now it’s your turn to decide for yourself.

The Stranger Within, by Kathryn Croft and published in 2014 by Bookouture, is dark and twisty (not in the uber sarcastic, self-absorbed Buffy the Vampire Slayer way). This is darker and twistier than even I could have predicted. The chilling details of betrayal, adultery, suspicion are played out in a present/past format that focuses on Callie and her desire to be a parent to her new husband's teenage sons. The lengths she goes to protect her family, ward off the mental illness she feels is taking over her life, and to deal with the petulance and overwhelming hatred from her stepsons is written in such a way that even though she commits the ultimate marital sin, kept me rooting for her. With a heroine who makes every bad decision she could possibly make, it would be easy to turn away this book without reading, but it would be a tragic mistake. This writer, again, threw in a few red herrings, kept me guessing, and astounded me with the big reveal. I could never have guessed and I LOVED that about this book. Definitely a 5 star read.

I liked this book but not as much as the other two I have read by Kathryn Croft. The story line was good and as always the ending has the big disclosing twist but this one didn't have the suspense the other two had. I happen to love how she writes so I am a fan in general. I LOVED "The Girl With No Past" and "The Girl You Lost". This one is still hard to put down and makes you NEED to know whats going to happen but unlike the other two I found this one to be predictable. I wish she had an endless collection though! I would read them all.