Fate Falls Hard
A psychological thriller of obsession, identity, and the darkest kind of redemption.
By Lelia A. Piet
Genre: Domestic Suspense / Psychological Thriller Publication Date: July 18, 2023 Formats: Paperback (page count 295), Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9882545-0-8 eBook ASIN: B0C9JR8YGP Publisher:Origins First Press
Why You’ll Love It
- A fractured identity hides in plain sight.
- A second-grade classroom becomes the stage for buried trauma to reemerge.
- Perfect for readers who crave slow-rising dread, emotional weight, and a devastating final reveal.
The Gist
A single, impulsive decision is the catalyst in a series of events that have mounting repercussions for multiple generations. Aspiration, fortune, and resentment twist and turn, coiling together the women of Fate Falls Hard. Each driven by their own yearnings, one force links them all, but none of the women know of the ferocity with which it controls them. The women’s fates may be a pre-determined set of circumstances, but something sinister dominates their destinies.
On the night Ama and Leoti are born, their mother decides to sever her ties to The Community. Leoti is free to leave the cult with her mother. Ama is not. Bearing the mark of greatness, Ama is destined to become the most powerful two-headed worker The Community has ever known. Ama and Leoti are raised in different worlds, adhering to different rules, yet the twins spend as much time together as their parents will allow, believing their bond can’t be broken.
Leoti’s daughter, Esme, has never experienced a day without an obstacle or hindrance she must overcome, but Esme’s real struggle begins after the birth of her son Jay. Esme prays for God’s guidance and grace daily. Still, Jay’s actions continue to grow more evil, and battling his demons could prove deadly.
Merel Sowanoke has no one to blame but herself for the string of staggering losses and life-altering events she’s suffered. Carrying the secret she’s desperate to forget, the past she wants to erase, and an urgent desire to recreate her life, Merel flees. New routines, fresh faces, a rewarding career as a teacher—Merel believes the worst of her days are long gone. So why are the memories resurfacing? What Merel can’t bear to relive, however, is the nightmare her student Jay dredges up, throwing her into dark holes of lost time.
The women soon learn determination only gets you so far, and fate falls hard, especially when the best-laid plans begin with a curse…
What’s Inside
Tropes & Themes:
- Female protagonist with a hidden past
- Dual timelines and interwoven POVs
- A troubled child and a teacher on the edge
- Generational trauma
- Themes of motherhood, identity, and unraveling truth
- A dark past catching up with the present
Read if you liked:
The Push by Ashley Audrain — the terror of motherhood and a child with a sinister edge .
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden — layered secrets and a woman rebuilding her life under threat .
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell — a missing past, psychological suspense, and haunting consequences .
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris — emotional tension with hidden motivations .
The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry — unsettling relationships between adults and children
If you’re drawn to thrillers where guilt, memory, and buried truths collide… Fate Falls Hard is waiting for you.
Reader Praise
“If you like psychological thrillers with strong female leads and a twist that knocks you sideways, Fate Falls Hard is for you. It reminded me of The Housemaid and Verity—but darker.”
“I’m obsessed with domestic thrillers, and this one delivered. Secrets, lies, and a gut-punch ending. Fate Falls Hard is exactly what I’m searching for when I type ‘psychological thriller with a twist’ into Amazon.”
“This isn’t just a thriller—it’s emotionally layered, character-driven, and haunting. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda will eat this up.”
“One of the best KU psychological thrillers I’ve read this year. Suspenseful, addictive, and impossible to put down.”
“If you’re looking for books like The Last House Guest or The Guest List, Fate Falls Hard will keep you reading past midnight. Twists, secrets, and a stormy setting you won’t forget.”
“A twisty psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator and a truly shocking reveal. I gasped out loud.”
Get Your Copy
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