Book Review #25 -The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

About the book

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

About the Author

Kaira Rouda is a multiple award–winning USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels of domestic suspense include The Favorite Daughter, Best Day Ever, and All the Difference. To date, Kaira’s work has been translated into more than ten languages. She lives in Southern California with her family and is working on her next novel. 

My take

This is the story of two wives of John Nelson - Kate and Tish. Kate, his ex wife, with whom he has built a life together, a company called EventCo that is soon broadening it's horizons into the public domain,  and with whom he has a teenaged daughter Ashlyen. And Tish, his current wife of three years, who was his executive assistant, and whom he started believing to be a soulmate while being stuck in his midlife crisis.

The story is narrated from alternating points of view of the three ladies, their play for power, their mind games to score against each other, and the consequences of their actions.

I felt angry at Tish for stealing John and his family life from Kate and Ashlyn, and even though Tish's character tries to justify her actions,  they don't always feel rational.

Kate is portrayed as a strong woman who has withstood the humiliation of her husband and co partner of the company she started leaving her for a woman half her age and with one fourth her brains.

Ashlyn is the typical teenager who gets exposed to the bitter realities of life sooner than she should,and how they shape her is worth the read.

Even though the plot is simple, the twists and turns keep us hooked. We crave to know who wins, what really happened, and there are some unexpected revelations, even though I had partially predicted them.

The language is simple yet flowing and narration is well paced.

The cover page is very attractive and intriguing, and I loved it.

I have seen many mixed reviews for this book. It has been called regressive and stereotyping towards women and its attitude towards marriage. Well, maybe, but again, we don't change our beliefs by reading a thriller. So I will say I enjoyed the read and whatever adrenaline it filled me with.

I rate it 3.5 stars. 

 

Book Review #24 - Laura’s hidden legacy : The mansion by PT Elliot

 

Laura’s hidden legacy : The mansion by PT Elliot

About the book

An abandoned mansion in Scotland; revelations about her stepfather’s past life; an enigmatic handsome neighbour who is not quite what he appears to be. These are the essential ingredients of Laura’s Hidden Legacy – The Mansion.
The year is 1971 and Laura Walter is a contented London art student living a privileged life and on the point of graduating university when tragedy strikes: her parents die in a car crash. As part of her legacy, Laura discovers she has inherited an estate in Scotland in the middle of a forest; an estate about which she had no prior knowledge.
Laura’s journey takes her to Scotland to see both the property and the village situated just a few miles away, as well as the man living just down the road who had been keeping an eye on it for her stepfather. While staying in the property, she comes across a number of art works that appear to have been painted by famous artists. In addition to the paintings, she comes across a journal written by her stepfather and dating back to 1940.
At first, her life at the mansion and the life of her stepfather as expressed in his journal are wonderful. However, she soon discovers a number of disturbing truths about her stepfather and his abusive behaviour towards women, as well as his involvement with a Masonic Order and his role during World War Two, including what lay behind the paintings. When Laura eventually falls for the man keeping an eye on her mansion, things take a downward turn as disturbing aspects of his past come to light.
As Laura becomes more aware that the lives of her deceased stepfather and her handsome neighbour were inextricably linked, her curiosity leads her into a perilous situation. The truth behind the mansion, the paintings and the Masonic Order leads to a discovery that might have changed the whole course of World War Two. As the story races towards its climax, Laura discovers the true, sinister history behind the mansion, as well as the family who had inhabited it for generations.

My take

The story is set in the year 1971. Laura Walter is orphaned at the age of 21, when her mother and stepfather Raymond Richards are killed in an accident while on a vacation in Italy. Laura soon learns that Raymond has left all inheritance to her, including a supposedly decrepit mansion in the forests on the outskirts of Scotland.

Laura is an artist who loves to draw sketches and paintings of picturesque landscapes, and her stepfather, whom she loved more dearly than her biological father who had abandoned her and her mother, had been an art dealer and her mentor from a very young age. So Laura has only fond memories of her stepfather.

Disturbed by the sudden death of her parents and confused about her relationship with Philip, her boyfriend, Laura decides to take a break from everything and visit the secret mansion in Scotland that she has inherited. Little does she know that this decision will change the course of her life.

As Laura reaches the magnificent, huge, palatial mansion and begins staying there, she begins to explore the place. She meets her neighbour, Andy, who also has the job of keeping a watch on the mansion, and finds herself getting irresistibly attracted towards him. She also finds a diary, written by Raymond in the 1940s. The diary that initially chronicles Raymond’s love for an artist woman, slowly goes on becoming darker and revealing a side of Raymond that Laura never knew existed. She also realizes that Raymond was a part of a secret service order that was vital during the World war 2.

But the more she reads, more secrets start tumbling out, and soon Laura realizes what is at stake.

I have mixed emotions after reading this book. The plot is very strong, different and interesting. The descriptions given by the author are amazing. I could literally visualize the old, huge mansion nestled amongst the trees in the forest in the Scotland of the seventies. – the east and west wings, the long-running corridors, the spiral staircase, the high-backed armchairs, the resplendent library, the terrace overlooking the forest., the magnificent portraits adorning the walls! The descriptions of pieces of art are also equally vibrant. The narration is slow initially but picks up pace in the later half. The end has some surprises and it makes the book a gripping read.

However, there are some downsides too. The typesetting is not proper and looks like it has been self-published without proper editing or proofreading. There are many typographical errors that are a definite turn-off for the reader. Some dialogues, especially monologues seem to be cliché. The book becomes boring at some parts where there is unnecessary description which doesn’t add much to the book.

I absolutely loved the cover. In fact, that was what attracted me to the book in the first place.

So overall, the book is an interesting and gripping read. But for the writing style and the lousy editing, I enjoyed the read. I rate it 3.5 stars.

Book Review #23 The tutor by Daniel Hurst

The Tutor by Daniel Hurst

About the book

What if you invited danger into your home?

Amy is a loving wife and mother, to her husband Nick, and her two children, Michael and Bella. It's that dedication to her family that causes her to seek help for her teenage son when it becomes apparent that he is going to fail his end of school exams.

Enlisting the help of a professional tutor, Amy is certain that she is doing the best thing for her child. But when she discovers that there is more to this tutor than meets the eye, it is already too late.

With the rest of her family enamoured by the tutor, Amy is the only one who can see that there is something not quite right about her. But as the tutor becomes more involved in Amy's family, it's not just the present that is threatened. Secrets from the past are exposed too, and by the time everything is out in the open, Amy isn't just worried about her son and his exams anymore. She is worried for the survival of her entire family.

This will be one lesson they will never forget.

My take

Amy and Nick are married for eighteen years and have two children, Michael and Bella. Worried that Michael is going to flunk his GCSE exams, Amy and Nick decide to hire a tutor for him.

Soon the gorgeous Swedish beauty, Petra, begins tutoring Michael.

However, Petra is obviously not what she seems to be. There is more to her, and she has hidden agenda's of her own. 

Slowly it starts becoming clear that each one is hiding a secret. And gradually these secrets start spilling. Amy begins to realise that the life she has carefully crafted for her family is on the brink of unravelling.

The story flits between the present and the past, a past where the school Amy and Nick studied in burnt down to ashes, destroying lives of those who were involved in the incident.

The story is also narrated from alternating POV's of Amy, Nick, Michael and Petra, and that makes it an interesting read.

Halfway through the story though, I knew what was coming. And yet the ending seemed unrealistic. Why the perpetrators do what they do seems too flimsy and unbelievable, and doesn't explain most of the things that happen in the story.

The writing is good, the writing style is impressive, the theme was also good to begin with but the end seems a let down.

I have read 'The passenger' by this author, and I actually love his style of writing and his imagination.

The cover page though designed nicely doesn't really portray the theme of the book.

So overall, an okay read. I rate it three stars.

Book review #22 My husband's secret by Kiersten Modglin

My husband's secret by Kiersten Modglin

About the book

On the day of Lucas Martin’s funeral, his wife, Naomi, learns he was hiding a devastating secret.

One that may have cost him his life.

When two strangers approach her, Naomi realizes they could be hiding important clues as to what actually happened the day her husband died.

Was it an accident? Or something more sinister?

Determined to learn the truth, Naomi initiates another meeting with the strangers, in hopes that she’ll uncover the missing puzzle piece from the mysterious last day of her husband’s life.

As more secrets and lies begin to become clear, Naomi and the strangers find out they’re in a much more tangled web than they could’ve ever imagined. If she can trust them, she may be able to find the answers she so desperately seeks.

The only problem? Any one of them could be lying...just like Lucas was.

The biggest question is: who?

My take

Three women, one dead man and a web of lies and deceit.

Lucas Martin has been married to Naomi for over four years and has a daughter with her, is dating Clara for twelve years, and is engaged to Alaine to be married soon. All three women have no idea about the existence of the other. And all three meet each other at Lucas Martin's funeral.

It is evident that each of them is lying about something, and each one has secrets of her own. 

The story then flashbacks to the last ten days of the life of Lucas Martin, and how the events pan out, the story line flitting narratives between the three women. 

The tension builds beautifully as twists and turns keep us hooked to read what happens further. The personality of Lucas is very well described - that of a compulsive liar with no empathy, a selfish person who loves no one but himself. How do people cope around such a person? How do people perceive a man like that? It's interesting, how this seemingly deceptive and vile person is perceived to be one of the most kind, humble and selfless man by each of the women in his life. That is what makes the story really interesting, how he manages to pull it off.

There is a mystery as to what exactly happened to Lucas. Whether it was really an accident? Or planned murder? The book kept me guessing till the very end, and the final twist was totally unexpected.

The only downside for me was, it was hard to imagine how a man could manage to keep three relationships, without either one of them getting even an inkling that he might be cheating on her. That too being a busy surgeon himself. Fooling a colleague who works at the same hospital, that too for twelve whole years, not just one or two, seemed a bit impossible and too far-fetched.

But if these minor glitches are ignored, the story does make for a thrilling and gripping read.

The cover design is beautiful, though I would have loved a design that showed a mysterious man with three women in the backdrop, which could have been more suggestive of the theme.

Overall I rate it 3.5 stars.