REVIEW: The Open Marriage by Victoria Jenkins

 

The Open Marriage by Victoria Jenkins

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

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Published: 6th July 2024

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

It was supposed to save us. It destroyed us.

My husband, Marcus, and I used to be so in love. But now, after ten years together, we barely talk. I’ve seen so many of our friends’ marriages end in divorce, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening to us.

And then I meet Erin. She tells me all about her perfect marriage to Kieran, and I’m shocked when she reveals the secret to their marital bliss—they have an open marriage. My heart starts to race as I consider it for me and Marcus. Could we really do this?

When Marcus cautiously agrees, I know it can’t be with strangers, and so I call Erin. She tells me there is only one rule: complete honesty. But when I meet Kieran, it doesn’t take long for me to break that rule. Soon this isn’t an open marriage, but an affair.

As I start to fall for Kieran, Marcus becomes the attentive husband I’ve been craving, and I’m soon full of regret. This was all an awful mistake and I swear to end it. But my blood runs cold when Erin is reported missing. Who is this couple I’ve entangled our life with? And as the police knock on my door, it’s much more than just my marriage that is now at stake…

For fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl and The Housemaid, this is a psychological thriller with a twist you’ll never see coming.

MY THOUGHTS:

It was supposed to save us...it destroyed us...

I had high hopes for this book having read and devoured Victoria Jenkins' previous thrillers but I just couldn't warm to this one. The maid character Louise is just so depressing. Her life is depressing. It's all so mundane and her monologue is depressing. If I wasn't depressed before I started, I certainly was with only a few chapters in! 

The premise offered a promising tale of forbidden fruit. Why on earth thinking that sleeping with someone else would be the saving of their marriage? I found it somewhat distasteful and a mockery of what marriage is.

I won't bore you with the outline of the plot because it's not entirely interesting anyway. Louise feels invisible to her husband Marcus having only been married barely a decade. She begins to wonder whether he is having an affair and then when meeting Erin, she's introduced to the idea of an open marriage, begins one herself with Erin's hubby Keiran.

And why, when you have a perfectly good gym at home, would you then in the next scene take yourself off to the leisure centre (ie. gym) for yoga that you could do at home for free??

I expected more but with the reading slump I'm currently in, I found this one to be boring with irritating and depressing characters. I DNF. I may pick it up again at a later date and give it another go.

I would like to thank #VictoriaJenkins, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheOpenMarriage in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Victoria Jenkins is a Welsh author who has made a name for herself writing the highly popular Detective King and Lane series of novels. The first novel in the series was “The Girls In The Water” that Jenkins first published in 2017 and is an Amazon UK top 30 bestseller, and top 5 bestseller in the Amazon US chart., to much critical acclaim and popularity among crime fiction fans.

The series of novels features Detective Constable Chloe Lane and Detective Inspector Alex King, who are the lead investigative characters that solve some mysterious murders in their hometown.

Her first psychological thriller, The Divorce, was published in July 2019. The second, The Argument, was published December 10th 2019 and The Accusation was published June 9th 2020, followed by The Playdate, The New Family and The Bridesmaids.

Victoria lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based.

 

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REVIEW: The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden

 

The Housemaid is Watching (The Housemaid #3) by Freida McFadden

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 4th July 2024

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Amazon

Published: 11th June 2024

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…

I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…

The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?

From New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Freida McFadden comes the next installment of the unbelievably twisty, tension-packed and globally bestselling Housemaid series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone read: and once you start, it will have you up all night racing through the pages until the final explosive twist.

MY THOUGHTS:

She lives next door...she knows your secrets...

We are back with housemaid Millie Calloway and her hunky Italian gardener Enzo, now more than a decade after the events that took place in the first two books "The Housemaid" and "The Housemaid's Secret". 

Millie and Enzo have been married for twelve years with 11 year old daughter Ada and 9 year old son Nico. After struggling to provide living in their cramped two bedroom shoebox in the Bronx, the couple have splurged on a mortgage and purchased a sprawling house on Long Island where they believe it the perfect place to raise their family.

From the first moment Millie sees her bubbly neighbour Suzette, she practically hates her on sight. The woman is an overt flirt, openly throwing herself at Enzo in front of both her husband Jonathon and Millie's eyes. Whilst Jonathon doesn't appeared to be perturbed by the spectacle, Millie is. And Enzo doesn't even seem to notice the woman's more than obvious innuendoes. But if they want to feel welcomed in the neighbourhood then Millie must bite her tongue. After all, Suzette apparently has some influential contacts to help Enzo in building his landscaping business.

There is one other house in their quiet little cul-de-sac and that belongs to single mother Janice and her young son Spencer, who is the same age as Nico. The boys hit it off as fast friends but the mothers do not. Janice is over protective bordering on weird. She questions Millie about Nico's vaccination status and will only permit the boys' playdate once this is proved via a certificate. She questions Millie about nits as well as what exactly her husband is doing at Suzette's so much. The woman is busybody if not strange. After all, she stands at the bus stop with Spencer, a leash attached to him! 

Soon Millie begins to question the insight into the move. What on the surface appeared to be a safe place to raise their children threatens to implode their family. And then there's the murder...

I totally LOVED the first two books in this fantastic series and was eagerly awaiting this third installment after it was announced last year. However, for me, I found this one to be something of a disappointment...particularly when you compare it to the first two. On its own it could well suffice but this is the housemaid...and I guess I expected a little more. I know that Freida is capabale of brilliance in her thrillers and the final twist to her plots. But this one was just meh for me. Especially considering I was totally puzzled by the motive behind the crime, which incidentally is just an aside. I mean, toys? It made no sense. And there was no real reasoning behind Janice and her leashing Spencer. So many loose threads left at the end I was left a little confused by it all. Read it and see if you can figure it out.

Not a bad read, but it doesn't compare to the two that preceded this one.

I would like to thank #FreidaMcFadden, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHousemaidIsWatching in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

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SPOTLIGHT: The Perfect Nurse by Daniel Hurst

The Perfect Nurse (The Perfect Nurse #1) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller

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Amazon

Published: 1st July 2024

** Due to a change in circumstances I have had to drop out and relinquish my tour/review obligations until further notice. I will publish my review and thoughts after reading **

DESCRIPTION:

‘My name is Darcy, I’m your nurse and I’m here to help you.’ I repeat the words I’ve said so many times. Except this time, I don’t mean it…

If you saw me walking down the street, you’d think I was pretty ordinary – I wear the typical crisp, white nursing uniform, my hands are scrubbed clean and you’d have no reason to believe I was anything other than a good citizen. A good nurse.

But looks can be deceiving. You shouldn’t trust me – because I don’t even know if I can trust myself.

Now I stare at the reflection in the mirror – dark smudges under my eyes and blood on my hands – listening for the sound of police sirens.

Because the truth is I had to do something terrible. I broke all the rules a nurse should follow. I wanted someone gone so badly. And now they’re dead because of me.

I’m looking over my shoulder everywhere I go because I’m sure someone knows my secret. Then when my home is broken into I know one simple truth: this isn’t over yet…

It’s only the beginning.

The police are the least of my worries now. But to save myself, am I going to have to kill again?

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

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SPOTLIGHT: The Open Marriage by Victoria Jenkins

The Open Marriage by Victoria Jenkins

Genre: Psychological thriller

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 21st June 2024

** Due to a change in circumstances I have had to drop out and relinquish my tour/review obligations until further notice. I will publish my review and thoughts after reading **

DESCRIPTION:

It was supposed to save us. It destroyed us.

My husband, Marcus, and I used to be so in love. But now, after ten years together, we barely talk. I’ve seen so many of our friends’ marriages end in divorce, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening to us.

And then I meet Erin. She tells me all about her perfect marriage to Kieran, and I’m shocked when she reveals the secret to their marital bliss—they have an open marriage. My heart starts to race as I consider it for me and Marcus. Could we really do this?

When Marcus cautiously agrees, I know it can’t be with strangers, and so I call Erin. She tells me there is only one rule: complete honesty. But when I meet Kieran, it doesn’t take long for me to break that rule. Soon this isn’t an open marriage, but an affair.

As I start to fall for Kieran, Marcus becomes the attentive husband I’ve been craving, and I’m soon full of regret. This was all an awful mistake and I swear to end it. But my blood runs cold when Erin is reported missing. Who is this couple I’ve entangled our life with? And as the police knock on my door, it’s much more than just my marriage that is now at stake…

For fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl and The Housemaid, this is a psychological thriller with a twist you’ll never see coming.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Victoria Jenkins is a Welsh author who has made a name for herself writing the highly popular Detective King and Lane series of novels. The first novel in the series was “The Girls In The Water” that Jenkins first published in 2017 and is an Amazon UK top 30 bestseller, and top 5 bestseller in the Amazon US chart., to much critical acclaim and popularity among crime fiction fans.

The series of novels features Detective Constable Chloe Lane and Detective Inspector Alex King, who are the lead investigative characters that solve some mysterious murders in their hometown.

Her first psychological thriller, The Divorce, was published in July 2019. The second, The Argument, was published December 10th 2019 and The Accusation was published June 9th 2020, followed by The Playdate, The New Family and The Bridesmaids.

Victoria lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based.

 

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REVIEW: Guilty by Ruby Speechley

Guilty by Ruby Speechley

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 17th June 2024

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Amazon

Published: 7th June 2024

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

“You’re invited to my farewell party. I’ve got something to tell you before I die…”

Heather wants to leave this world with a clear conscience.

One confession. One secret. Two scores to settle.

Heather accepted the fate of her terminal diagnosis long ago, but now the time is nearing, she arranges a huge farewell party for her nearest and dearest.

She wants to say goodbye to everyone personally, but there’s another reason she wants the people in her life to gather.

She knows who killed young Simon Eyre all those years ago, and she needs to tell. The boy deserves justice.

But she doesn’t realise that by freeing her own inner demons, she’s unleashing much worse secrets, and putting everyone at risk…

MY THOUGHTS:

One secret...one confession...and she knows who it is...

Honestly, I feel a bit GUILTY about writing this review. This was a really hard book for me to get into. I found the main character and her terminal diagnosis of cancer just a little too depressing. And she felt the need to create these gatherings of loved ones, past and present, to make the sad announcement. It just felt a little too contrived and, well, depressing. And if it wasn't that, it was boring.

The characters are all a little irritating and with every turn of the page I was dreading something happening to the dogs she tended to when boarding in the kennels she ran. An author can kill of as many people as they like...but hands off the dogs!

I can't tell you if anything happened to them because I ended up skipping to the final pages where even more people died and seven months later, Heather is still alive and kicking when her announcement at the beginning of the book made it sound as if she was at death's door, about to be taken at any moment.

I wish I could have connected with this book more as I do love Ruby Speechley but a reading slump makes it difficult to enjoy many books and this one was just one of those that didn't cut it with me this time round.

I would like to thank #RubySpeechley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #Guilty in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ruby Speechley, graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2009, with an MA in Creative Writing. She is a Faber Academy alumna and prolific writer whose work has been longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize, the Exeter Novel Prize, the Caledonian Novel Award, the Bath Novel Award and has won the Retreat West First Chapter Competition.

Ruby is a mum of three was born in Lisbon, Portugal at the time of the first earthquake there in 200 years! She has been a journalist and worked in PR.

Ruby’s debut novel Someone Else’s Baby, a chilling psychological thriller, follows a young woman, Charlotte who has always dreamed of becoming a surrogate. When she and her partner Steve, choose Malcolm and Brenda, a middle-aged couple who they find on a surrogacy forum to become the intended parents, Charlotte believes she is about to fulfil her dream of helping a loving couple finally become a family, only to find that her act of kindness comes with devastating consequences.

Ruby’s debut was published by Hera in ebook in July 2019, and following a fantastic digital run, was published in paperback in January 2020. She now publishes with Boldwood Books.

Ruby’s second novel, Every Little Secret, was published in April 2020. Her next novel, A Mother Like You, published in November 2020. Ruby’s fourth novel, The Face at the Window was published in July 2021! Her most recent book, Gone, was published in February 2023.

Ruby lives in Cheshire with her husband and two of her three children and two Springer spaniels. She has an older son and two grandsons.

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SPOTLIGHT: The Woman at my Wedding by L.G. Davis

The Woman at my Wedding (Broken Vows #1) by L.G. Davis

Genre: Psychological thriller

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Amazon
Published: 13th June 2024

** Due to a change in circumstances I have had to drop out and relinquish my tour/review obligations until further notice. I will publish my review and thoughts after reading **

DESCRIPTION:

I’ve dreamed of this day forever. But will it be my last?

My stomach flutters as I try on my shimmering wedding dress with my two closest friends. In just a few weeks I’m going to marry the man of my dreams. I can’t believe the next time Nathan sees me it’ll be when I walk down the aisle. I’ve never told him my real name, and I hate lying to him. But it’s for his own good, and nobody could love him more than me. I’ve been through so much; don’t I deserve this happiness?

As I’m gazing at my reflection in the mirror, there’s a knock on the door and when I open it my heart leaps into my throat. Right in front of me is someone I hoped I’d never see again: my mother-in-law.

Nathan doesn’t speak to her, and the estrangement has been a huge relief to me. Because Debbie knows my secret. And she could ruin everything…

From the moment she sweeps in, it’s clear that if I don’t let my mother-in-law stay, she won’t stay quiet about my dark past. But she has no idea how far I’ll go to stop her destroying everything I’ve worked for.

But when I realise my friends have been lying to me too, I wonder if my mother-in-law is really the person I need to worry about. Is there another woman in my life who is determined not only to ruin my wedding, but to take my life?

An utterly heart-pounding and nail-biting new novel from bestseller L.G. Davis. This twisty, gasp-out-loud thriller is perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Teresa Driscoll and Freida McFadden.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Liz's story began in a refugee camp in Angola, where she spent the first eight years of her life. After that, she spent some years in Namibia (her home country), South Africa, and Germany. Liz wrote her first full-length novel at eighteen and hid it in a box under her bed. Several others soon followed it. Her passion lies in writing edge-of-the-seat psychological thrillers that give readers the same rush they would get on a rollercoaster.

She now lives in Vienna, Austria, with her husband and two children. 

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REVIEW: You Me Her by Sue Watson

 

You Me Her by Sue Watson

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 15th June 2024

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Amazon

Published: 3rd June 2024

★★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Three people. One marriage. One murder.

YOU: My handsome husband Tom. You’ve given me everything – our beautiful son and our perfect new seaside home. I want to trust you, but I know you haven’t been honest about why you really wanted to move here. I haven’t been honest with you either…

ME: I make a secret promise as Tom kisses me and pours a glass of ice-cold wine to toast the first night in our dream house: I’m going to forget about his past. For the sake of our son, I’ll keep this family together, no matter what.

HER: Chloe is the only friend I’ve made since the move. I love our long lunches, even though she asks prying questions about my marriage. Tom hates me spending time with her, but I ignore his warning to stay away. I’ve seen the way he looks at her. It’s better to keep your enemies close…

You may think you know what’s going on in my marriage, but you’ll be wrong. Only three things are true: Someone is a liar. Someone is in danger. Someone is a killer.

Fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train will love this absolutely jaw-dropping psychological thriller. With twist after twist, you won’t be able to put this book down!

MY THOUGHTS:

One marriage...three people...one murder...

YOU ME HER...how do I count the ways?

YOU must read this twisted tale of domestic suspense and delicious deception.

If you ask ME, this has to be one of Sue Watson's best thrillers to date! And I'm in a reading slump and finding it difficult to connect with any book!

But when I read about HER, I didn't know which of them to trust. Which HER is the unreliable one here?

First of all, the setting is the best part of the book. Cornwall, though never having visited except on TV and books (since I'm in Australia...lol) is one of my most favourite settings for any tale - thriller, historical, you name it. So I was thrilled to discover Sue takes us back to the sweeping atmospheric setting although it does play very little part this time round. But I still love it.

So we meet Rachel, who has packed up her life and her four year old son Sam, and is heading from the dirty grimy Manchester (sorry, Mancurians) to the beautiful rugged Cornwall. With her inheritance from her father, she and husband Tom have purchased a sprawling home that was in dire need of fixing up. Whilst she packed up and sold their flat up north, Tom was busy renovating their new home and making it theirs. 

But what Rachel didn't know was the surprise he had in store for her. In the form of a hidden swimming pool in the walled garden. She had envisioned a secret garden for her little boy to play in. Instead she got the stuff of her worst nightmare...But Tom mean well. He wanted to help her overcome her fear of the water and for her to enjoy splashing about with him and Sam.

And then on her first night in her new home, a stranger walks in all smiles and light and laughter. Chloe was their estate agent who sold them the house and helped Tom with the plans for renovating. So why is she just waltzing into her home uninvited? Chloe claims not to know that anyone was there. But still...

Despite their first meeting, Rachel and Chloe hit it off and become fast friends. Tom warned Rachel off befriending the young woman citing her gossipy nature and loose relationship with the truth. But Rachel can't help it. Chloe is fun. Until she's not.

Strange things begin happening. Shadows in the garden. Sounds in the night. Sam seeing a stranger swimming in their pool. Odd happenings. Things going missing and then turning up again. Random deliveries of a creepy nature. And then things ramp up a notch when a fire is set in their garden whilst Rachel and Sam were inside. Rachel begins to wonder the lengths to which this woman will go. what does she want? Her life?

There is so much that is intense going on in this twisted tale but despite my slump I was still able to guess the twist long before it came and I turned the final page. A totally brilliant read by Sue!

I would like to thank #SueWatson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #YouMeHer in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written sixteen novels (many involving cake), and many have been translated into several languages. Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her latest thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, THE EMPTY NEST, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, FIRST DATE, THE FOREVER HOME, THE NEW WIFE, THE RESORT, THE NURSERY, THE WEDDING DAY, THE LODGE and YOU ME HER.

Sue explored the darker side of life for her latest book 'Our Little Lies,' a dark, psychological thriller completely devoid of cake. She's hoping this change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.

Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

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