I originally reviewed Manipulated Lives on 2nd April 2018 and I am delighted to be sharing my review again for this blog tour. With thanks to Rachel for the opportunity to join in again.

My review…..

Manipulated Lives is a collection of five short stories, although each longer than I had anticipated. Each story is unique and I found myself immersed in five very different stories about five very different people, living very different lives. However, they do all have something in common. They have all fallen victim to a manipulator or they are the manipulator.

I won’t say too much about the stories themselves as I don’t want to give anything away, but I have to say that I think the last story, where we meet Lisa, will definitely stay with me. As a parent I can totally understand her desire to make her child happy. However, keeping children happy isn’t the same thing as letting them have their own way all of the time. This teaches them nothing and Lisa learns this the hard way. I really did feel for her.

These stories highlight just how easy it can be to be manipulated by another human being and how it might be obvious to others looking in from the outside, but the victim can be totally oblivious. Also, some people thrive on manipulating others, but these people aren’t necessarily easy to spot. Any one of us could fall for their charms and I’m sure most of us have, to some degree, at one time or another.

A thought provoking collection.

Many thanks to the author for my review copy of Manipulated Lives.

Manipulated Lives

Five compelling true-to-life stories each highlighting a narcissist’s manipulative mind games

Narcissists are everywhere.

They can be witty, charming and highly charismatic.

Anyone can be their target.

At first their devious, calculating mind games can be hard to spot because they are masters of disguise, but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy for their victim.

All stories highlight to what extent narcissistic abuse can distort lives and threaten our self-worth yet ultimately, also send a positive message that once the narcissist is unmasked, the victims can at last break free.

Purchase Link –

https://books2read.com/u/49P2MJ

Author Bio –

Helene Andrea Leuschel grew up in Belgium where she gained a Licentiate in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She now lives with her husband and two children in Portugal and recently acquired a Master of Philosophy with the OU, deepening her passion for the study of the mind. When she is not writing, Helene works as a freelance journalist and teaches Yoga.

Social Media Links –

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15337013.H_A_Leuschel
http://www.facebook.com/HALeuschel/
twitter.com/HALeuschel
http://www.pinterest.pt/heleneleuschel/
http://www.heleneleuschel.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heleneleuschel/

Giveaway –

to Win a Paperback copy of Manipulated Lives (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.