Title: The Cradle SnatcherAuthor: Tess Stimson
ISBN: 978-0330458528
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Romantic, Women's Fiction, Fiction, Comedy
*WARNING SPOILERS*
This was the first audiobook I have read. I have always wanted to start listening to audiobooks but I have always looked online for one to listen to. However, the books I have looked at online have always been expensive and I've not wanted to log in and create a new account for yet another website.
So I paid a visit to our new and improved local library to see how it has been redeveloped. There was an area dedicated to just audiobooks. I did not know the local library had an audiobook collection. I selected The Cradle Snatcher by Tess Stimson. So I took the audiobook into my car and it soon became my travelling reading. I do sometimes lend my car to my mum, she is usually driving with my dad at the time, we quickly found out this book is not for the faint-hearted or those who don't like swearing (my dad).
I did enjoy the book. It was easy to listen to and the voices were nice smooth voices. There were three different voices who took on the roles of Jenna, Claire, Davina, Marc, Cooper and Xander. Very versatile voices to complete this book.
The book starts with Claire making her way through London completing her Christmas shopping. Her twins are due around Christmas which she is completely organised for. She has everything down to a T, including which roads to take to the hospital and where she actually wants to be when she goes into labour. However, her beautiful twins do not agree with this planning. They have their own idea of when they would like to be born, as all babies do. To Claire's surprise and horror, she goes into labour on the streets of London and gives birth outside of a shop. Due to Claire's surprise delivery, she has to spend a number of weeks in the hospital recovering from an infection she has picked up after half of her body dropped out on the floor due to labour. Marc, Claire's loving Canadian husband of Lebanese decent takes care of Poppy, the couple's daughter whilst Rowan isn't very well and has to stay in the hospital. Unfortunately for Claire, and later Rowan, this is not the same hospital that Claire is residing in.
When Claire, the owner of a multi-million-pound flower shop business, is able to come home she feels like she has not been able to bond with Rowan successfully as she did not see him for the first few weeks of his life. She feels Poppy has taken to her easier and more comfortably, Rowan screams and cries at her "on purpose because he knows she's not very good with him". This is of course not true, but I always had my suspicions whilst reading the book that Claire was hiding the fact she has postnatal depression. She even considers holding a pillow over Rowan's face because "she has to consider what's best for Poppy." Thankfully she never actually does anything purposefully cruel or hurtful to either Rowan or Poppy. Following this moment of weakness, Claire decides, against Marc's will, that she needs a nanny to come and help look after the twins. After all, Claire will be eventually returning to work and she needs to know her children are in good hands. Jenna is hired when the children are only three months old. Marc hates the idea of his children being looked after by anyone other than their mother, after all, his mother managed with six of them under eight, which he regularly reminds Claire. He constantly accuses her of choosing her business over their children, he may think this but her job earns far more than his but he never suggests giving up his own job to look after the children if he is so concerned with their upbringing (I didn't like Marc if you hadn't guessed, something about his bigoted, "I'm a man, you do as I say" attitude).
Eventually, Jenna has the common sense and strength to leave Jamie and goes to live with Claire on a more permanent basis, she took a live-in nanny job to get away from Jamie during the week in the first place. Jenna starts to secretly date Claire's brother, Alexander (Xander). He is a high-end businessman who has recently found out he has a degenerative disease. Something which he keeps to himself throughout the story, even when he randomly disappears and leaves Jenna behind. Jenna is aware of Xan's shakes and sometimes erratic behaviours but believes this is due to the DTs from drinking too much and for too long. How wrong she is.
Unfortunately, Poppy is unwell at a time in the book and rushed to the hospital to find that she has dehydration. Jenna can not understand how Poppy can be dehydrated as she points out regularly, Poppy is constantly thirsty. She constantly wants more to drink and makes a fuss until she gets it. The doctors investigate the cause of Poppy's dehydration to find they believe she has salt poisoning. Someone has force fed her the equivalent of four teaspoons of salt. The police investigating naturally accuse the mother and take Claire in for questioning. Marc is suspicious of why Claire would do such a thing and convinces himself she was jealous of the attention the twins were receiving so created an illness for Poppy to cause Munchausen by proxy. A condition which makes people believe a child is sick, or create a sickness in a child, in order for a parent or carer to receive more attention than the child. This is something which is a ludicrous assumption on Claire's opinion and she cannot understand why people would think this of her, especially her husband. Jenna is adamant and convinced that Claire has done no such thing to her child. Enter Cooper!
A mysterious American who has been buying flowers from Claire's shop for a "friend" of his who is poorly and in the hospital. Claire is impressed by Cooper's knowledge of flowers and what the background story behind a specific type of flower is. Following the lack of appearances by Claire at the shop Cooper enquires as to where she is. Craig, Claire's assistant informs him that Poppy has been unwell and they believe it is salt poisoning. This sparks something in Cooper which makes him think about a previous time and information he has read somewhere before about a similar case. We then find out that the lady Cooper is buying these flowers for is his recently widowed sister-in-law who has had an accident and broken her leg. She is also a top Paediatrician and has heard of these kinds of cases before. She investigates Poppy's case and reveals to Claire she believes Poppy has a type of diabetes. Almost the reverse. Rather than not being able to process sugar, Poppy is unable to process salt. Her body has stored the salt in her system since birth and now at five months old it has made her seriously ill. Claire is elated to find out that Poppy will be okay. Marc, however, does not believe such a story and is adamant that Claire has tried to poison his daughter.
Marc starts to file divorce proceedings from his wife on the grounds that she is a risk to herself and to their children. He applies for custody of both children with limited visitation rights to Claire, "all because your damn business always comes first!" Claire will not take this and finds herself a top divorce lawyer, the very one who refused to represent Marc. Marc uses the "evidence" against Claire that she tried to poison their daughter. Thankfully when Claire and Marc first started a relationship, Davina, Claire's mother, did not trust Marc. Something about his Lebonan decent. So she hired a private detective to investigate Marc in Canada and find out what he could. To Claire's shock Marc was previously convicted of sexual assault on a minor. He had been in a club and assumed a young lady was over age, she was not. Marc is furious that she would brand the father of her children a pervert, as Claire says, "I believe this is what we call tit for tat."
Throughout this argument, Claire is in constant protection and contact with both Jenna and the children to ensure their safety following Marc's threats to take the children from her. One Friday the children are unwell so do not attend their baby swimming lesson. Or so Claire thinks. Marc makes yet again another threat to take the children from their lesson once it is finished. Claire is relieved to find Jenna at home when she arrives, but to Claire's shock and horror only Poppy is there, Jenna confesses that Rowan seemed better so she took him to his swim lesson. Marc has Rowan.
Claire and Jenna start to run away through the town with a screaming Rowan. Claire suddenly realises this is not the lifestyle she wants for her or her children. She gives Rowan to Jenna and returns to Marc to discuss what has happened and what the next steps are for their family. Both Jenna and Cooper are stunned the Claire is suddenly so open to talking to the man who stole her baby. Claire does not want her children to be raised in a family which is broken and having to be "shipped" from one family to another. Claire wants to make her marriage work for the sake of the children rather than what her and Marc want. As she states herself, "you can't love someone out of pity."
Cooper confesses that he loves Claire and that he would do anything for her and the children, things which Marc never could. Claire is determined to get back together with Marc and try again. Cooper quickly leaves and has very little contact with Claire again. Marc stays in Lebanon whilst Claire returns home with the children and Jenna. Over a number of weeks Claire realises that she does not want Marc back in the house, it is too soon and she would not be comfortable with him being there. Marc phones and Claire tells him this, for Marc to reveal that he isn't returning to the UK. He has met someone on his flight home from Lebanon, another Canadian whose family have close links with his. He has decided to return to Canada to try a relationship with this new lady and "he will be back in the UK every few months to see the twins". Oh, how special and convenient of you Marc.
Overall I enjoyed this audiobook and I thought it was a very good decision to start with something easy and simple to listen too. I would definitely recommend audiobooks to other people as they are a great way to pass the long journeys in the car.
Rating: 7/10
10-Word-Review: First audiobook, great listen, easy and exciting, definitely have another.
The next book which I have chosen as an audiobook is The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson. A great uncle dies and his niece and great niece are staying with him. A three-year-old girl went missing seven years ago, is the great niece the missing girl?
I am still reading Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I am enjoying it. I mostly read it during my time on the bike at the gym, it helps pass the time.
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