A powerful read for sure. It reads like fiction, like the most obscure imaginings from the back of your mind but you constantly remind yourself it’s reality.

do love a non fiction read occasionally and this is a kindle deal that instantly caught my eye. I definitely haven’t been disappointed.

This is a book based on the crimes of Mark Acklom and his deceit to the author. You cannot help but want to give her a big cwtch even though you may question her actions. It’s definitely an account that will leave you in utter shock at the manipulation and deception that has taken place. Following reading this, I am keen to watch the documentary about Acklom.

I am absolutely stunned by the antics of Acklom. I cannot believe I haven’t come across this one before now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mark Acklom is a fraudster but Carolyn Woods did not know that when she met him in the shop where she worked in January 2012. Despite instantly falling in love with him she was still trying to find out his surname 4 weeks later, and then the one given wasn't Acklom it was Conway.

This is a fascinating tale as well as a warning to unsuspecting women of how easily life can come unravelled. Now that's not to say I didn't approach the read with a certain amount of scepticism, after all I'm really not sure I'd hand over vast sums of money to someone I'd not long met even though I have to take Carolyn's assertions that it was different if you were there.

Interestingly the book doesn't stop at the fraud played upon this poor woman, it covers the later police investigation which took far longer than seems reasonable.

A well written story that really conveys the depths that this man led the author to whilst he was having fun! I hope Carolyn makes some money from this book as a small recompense.

Wow. I don't even know how to put into words how I feel about this book. The things this women went through. This book really got me thinking how love can make you blind

This is Woods’s memoir of falling for the wrong man, one who will make your worst hook-up look good. Woods is an intelligent woman who finds herself quickly taken in by Mark Conway, a man who proclaims to be both a wealthy banker and a spy. And while the claims seem preposterous from this angle, Conway manages to charm and seduce his way into Woods’s life and her mind. By the time she discovers that the only thing real about her lover is his wealth, it’s too late. This is an intense look at how easy it can be to lose yourself in someone else’s lies

Psychopathic tendencies include -
🔸socially irresponsible behavior
🔸disregarding or violating the rights of others
🔸inability to distinguish between right and wrong
difficulty with showing remorse or empathy
🔸tendency to lie often
manipulating and hurting others
🔸recurring problems with the law
🔸general disregard towards safety and responsibility

OMFG so so many alarm bells would have been going off in my head & the behaviour he exhibited in those first 24 hours would have had me running for the hills! Or is it just easy for me to say that having never been in this kinda situation before? I didn't realise this was a true story to start with, so I did a little research & read the news reports...what an absolute uncaring bastard (that's me being polite) he was!

I loved Dirty John when it was on Netflix, so if you too were a fan of that you'll find this book fascinating at the depraved lengths these men will stoop to!

I feel so sorry for any woman who finds herself in this situation, thinking she's found 'The one', yet he's just interested in milking her for everything she has, not caring what financial & mental destruction he is causing.

This was an open & honest account of one woman's fight for survival!

And I'm so glad karma finally caught up with him!

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴