So this was my first book of Miranda Rijks and it was an interesting one for me. I loved the plot, was very suspenseful and had loads of red flags so you never knew exactly where the story was going to go. I really enjoyed the writing style and the pacing was great, I never felt that parts of the book were too long.

My main issue with this book and ultimately why I gave it three stars was the main character Lydia. I absolutely hated her and I don’t think this was intended. Everything that goes wrong in her life after her husband’s death comes back to her just being self-absorbed, selfish and extremely gullible. She believed that a certain character, whom she had known for 20 years, was suddenly responsible for Adam’s death based purely on them being brought into the police station based on the exact same motive that she herself had been questioned by the police about.

Lydia is supposed to be somebody who created a multi million pound business from scratch and someone with that level of sense and intelligence just would not have found themselves in the predicament that she was. Because of that, the ending (which was good and I did not see coming) I just didn’t care for her enough to be worried about her.

If you enjoy suspenseful psychological thrillers then I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy this book to review.

This one was an easy read which I enjoy. I did find the premise pretty similar to other books I’ve read but that didn’t deter me from enjoying this one. I liked that the characters were relatable. I also enjoyed the plot twist!

This is a classic domestic noir with unreliable characters, misdirection, lies and secrets. Oh yeah this little baby had it all. The plot was not very unique and it was quite predictable but the writing style and the good characterisations draw you in. I got a sort of guilty, voyeuristic pleasure from reading this, knowing where it was going but the main character, nevertheless kept walking towards her doom.

Lydia has been married to Adam for about 18 years. Lydia is co-owner of a business called Cracking Crafts with about 15 outlets. Adam is the firm’s accountant. They are very well off but the marriage is rocky. One night while having his evening swim, Adam doesn’t return. Later Lydia finds him at the bottom of the pool. Dead. It turns out he died from electrocution but not one knows how this occurred. Although you do! Fast forward 3 months and Lydia has been persuaded to try internet dating by her friend Cassie. She meets a very nice man, Patrick, who is attentive and kind and sweeps her off her feet. They soon marry. And then things start to get interesting. It was a quick, light, but hugely entertaining read . A guilty pleasure because you know it’s not going to end well. But you can’t look away.

I will, unfortunately, have to rate Roses are Red by Miranda Riijks a 2/5 stars... I was so excited to read this, as all of her other books have been fabulous, but alas...

This is the first time I have been disappointed in one of this author's books. This will be a DNF for me. I cannot stomach reading anymore about Lydia and Patrick. How dense can one be? Clearly the man is not who he says he is and he's after your money. Your husband, Adam, was murdered honey... It was in the papers and on the news, so of course Patrick knows who you are and how wealthy you are. I got almost halfway through the book and wanted to scream. Red flags were everywhere, yet you agreed to marry this man you've known only for a few months? No ma'am. At this point I could careless who killed Adam... The author killed (pun intended) any interest I had in figuring this out with Lydia's stupid choices.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adam and Lydia on the outside look like they have it all, she runs a successful craft business, they live in a big house and he drives a Bentley. They have 2 children.

Adam has been having an affair and divorce is on the cards. When he dies suspiciously after being electrocuted in their swimming pool, the police suspect that Lydia may have had something to do with his death.

Lydia meets handsome, charming Patrick on a dating site, theirs is a whirlwind romance and they are soon married. But is he too good to be true?

I was drawn into this book after the first page and read it in one sitting. I did want to shake Lydia at times, as she rushes head first into a new romance. I could feel something was not quite right and was afraid to read what was going to happen next. I love a book that makes you so angry with a character, as that is a sign of a good author that she can stir your emotions!!

I would definitely recommend this book, it’s twists will keep you firmly in its grasp until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

A real ‘paint by numbers bullet point’ of a psychological thriller that ticks every box, twice

Lydia is divorcing Adam, they have a very profitable business, great kids and wealth but just are not happy together
Adam is then shockingly murdered, electrocuted in his swimming pool
Lydia is distraught but months later is tentatively looking at on line dating ( she meets 1 guy that is described hilariously) when she meets Patrick, he is handsome, loving and seems too good to be true, which he is, of course
Then have a whirlwind romance and marriage and then things start to change, and not for the better...
And if you read many psychological tales you will be imagining what comes next...and it does, every cliche is there BUT for me I loved the cliches and love how a book like this unfurls even if Lydia is incredibly naive to believe a word he says and she cant see through the ‘my sister
is ill and needs £50k for treatment’ ruse or the gifts he buys her that then turn up on her statements being bought by her cards, oh and the ‘new friend from the gym’ who makes an appearance and yep the ‘twist you wont get’ is guessable by half way through but I LOVED IT, it was comforting and enjoyable and in this time of nothing being as it should be, this was unthreatening reading bliss
Well written, good and mega bad characters as you want and a dark well told many times story that was just right for the time

10/10
5 Stars

Lydia's husband died - electrocuted in the family pool. While upsetting, they were headed down the path of divorce so not altogether devastating to her. But who killed him? To enjoy her best life, Lydia gets into on line dating and thinks she found the perfect man. or has she? It was a decent read but I was frustrated by the continued bad decision making by Lydia.

Thanks #Netgalley for sending this book!!

This is an average, romance-entangled suspense novel. I am reading Miranda Rijks for the first time and I was attracted by the cover, and the description of the book at the first place. However, that led to a disappointment!!

Lydia Palmer, a successful entrepreneur is the co-partner of Cracking Crafts with Mr. Ajay Arya. Her husband, Adam Palmer is the financial director, managing accounts in the company. Adam dies suddenly, and quite suspiciously, with no definite answers from the detectives (DI Cornish and DC White) in the pool of their extravagant house leaving Lydia and the two children, Oliver and Mia.

After a short interval of only three months, Lydia finds that she must lead a normal life and stop hurting about her dead husband. She seeks to find love through 4everlove.com, a dating site after much encouragement from her besties, Cassie and Fiona. To her surprise, she discovers a 💯 percent match in Patrick Grant. Lydia falls head over heels for this handsome hunk and gets married to him, wasting no time, turning a deaf ear and blind eye to all the warnings and premonitions from her friend Cassie and her sister Bea, and even ignores the fact, that her children may not accept her hasty decision cordially. Well there was a push from Patrick too, to get married, but she did not think much before falling into the whirlwind.

My thoughts;

1. The story does not involve much suspense/mystery and failed to be a page turner. It became more of a tale of Patrick’s and Lydia’s immature, teen aged love story which often resulted in unnecessary long cooing and diddling!!
2. Adam’s character was less explored and the only thing which becomes evident in the short span of time, is he was extravagant, cautious about his status, loved his expensive branded items like his Bentley and Rolex.... It was not explained, why on earth did he choose to do something similar for which he hated his father? It is also not clear, what went wrong between Adam and Lydia, that they were considering to get separated.
3. Lydia got all kind of indications from every possible way, that Patrick might be holding something from her. Does love make anyone this much blind or dumb? She never turned back to ask him any question and it is hard to believe that a woman, who is an entrepreneur, running a successful company herself, can be so dull-witted and immersed in physical aspects of a relationship ( the case of ignoring Rory, the first date makes this more evident).
4. Even it is surprising, when Lydia suspects Ajay as she has a long relation of friendship and trust with him. It is really sad, that Patrick, only few days of introductions had so much influence over Lydia to convince her that Ajay is the one behind everything.
No, this book failed to give a thrill or keep me engrossed because I felt disgusted when I saw, women can be so dumb and half-witted. This book makes me feel that women are easy targets for men like Patrick who are sitting on the other side of online dating sites. Why give them a chance by being so vulnerable?

The one thing which I liked is the ending of the book. When the first half almost 80 percent is quite boring, the remaining 20 percent is a bit interesting, twisty and aggressive compared the first phase. Things churn in a fast pace manner and I loved the way, the author has fabricated the plot in the end, connecting the links. Off course, like every other book, you get to see a happy ending, with Lydia finally getting a grip over her life and realizing that she could live without a man in her life.... “and they lived happily ever after with the kids”

An average read, sometimes felt disgusted though!!

having dated online myself I enjoyed this novel, I do think that I would have been suspicious earlier though. I was suspicious that he was too perfect. The ending was too thrilling and unbelievable but all in all a good read.

She wanted a second chance at happiness. She got a first-class ticket to hell.

Lydia Palmer seems to have it all - a thriving business, a beautiful house, a picture-perfect husband and two wonderful kids. But things are different behind closed doors - Lydia is desperately unhappy and wants a divorce. Then, shockingly, her husband Adam dies.

When her grief eases, Lydia starts online dating and almost immediately meets Patrick. Handsome, successful, loving, he’ll make the perfect second husband.

But is Patrick too good to be true? Can you really find prince charming online?

These are questions Lydia is forced to ask when her world begins to collapse. First, the police say Adam may have been murdered. Then her daughter turns against her, her business disintegrates…

Lydia is convinced that someone is trying to destroy her happiness. She’s wrong. They want so much more than that…

Roses are Red is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you up until the early hours. Perfect for fans of K. L. Slater, Teresa Driscoll, and Andrew Hart.

This was an intense psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. There are many twists and turns that ends in a surprising ending.
However I did find myself at times yelling at the main character of the story, how many red flags to you need before you tell a man to get lost.
I will be definitely reading more from this author.

Edge of your seat thriller about a woman who has recently become widowed. When Lydias cheating husband dies under suspicious circumstances she feels she has lost her chance at happiness. Even though her husband was a cheat and they were planning on divorce, Lydia is still heartbroken. Enter Patrick who after a whirlwind romance sweeps Lydia off her feet, but is he too good to be true. Cautionary tale of deceit and murder. Impossible to put down.

This was my first Miranda Rijks and I immediately warmed to her. She has a nice, flowing style and succeeds in writing a story that is hard to put away. Even though you could see from the beginning where this was leading to – Patrick is just too good to be true and his stories about broken cars and terminally ill family were no surprise to me – I was intrigued to know the story behind all this. The characters I found a little flat to my taste and I really don’t understand why a parent keeps up with such ill-behaving children.
Conclusion: I was not disappointed because I spent some nice hours reading this book – and after reading a book as this, that earns ‘only’ three stars, I always try and think: I couldn’t do this. Should the story have been a little more complicated and the characters more interesting, I would have given it four stars. I’m looking forward to reading more of Miranda Rijks.
Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

This one had me going several different directions at once. It started as one thing, switched to another, added something else in, and kept going. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I only had a little bit. Some things that seemed obvious, but they always had more depth. This one kept me guessing right up until the very end, and I loved every minute of it. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley for a digital-ARC of this book.

Adam and Lydia live a charmed life, beautiful house, great children and friends and a successful business. Until it all starts to fall apart - Lydia discovers Adam is having an affair with their business partners wife, she then finds Adam dead at the bottom of their pool, is it an accident or murder?. She does manage to meet someone through internet dating, Patrick is handsome and charming but is he too good to be true? As her life falls apart Lydia clings to Patrick, he is the only light in her life. After a very short courtship they marry without the blessing of her teenage children, but she deserves some happiness doesn't she? Yes, Patrick says so.

I didn't like the characters and found Lydia rather weak and needy. Who in their right mind would a) internet date within 3 months of their husband's death no matter what the state of their relationship? b) lend huge sums of money to this date who is by all intents and purposes a stranger? and c) marry this stranger within weeks of meeting him? She was far too trusting and also very selfish. Her children did not like Patrick so that should have put an immediate brake on the relationship, they needed not only time to get used to their Dad not being around but also time to get to know Patrick and get used to their mother dating again.

The book was well written and made me want to read more to find out what was going on, but the situations were unrealistic.

Great piece of fictitious writing. Thank you to Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

I enjoyed this novel despite the holes in the story. A bit over dramatic at times, but I did enjoy it and recommend it, Main characters were a bit much to handle, but definitely a four star read. Recommend

Roses are Red by Miranda Rijks- Lydia Palmer has it all, she is wealthy, has her own business (which she shares with her husband Adam Palmer and friend Ajay Arya) and has the perfect family home. However, her world slowly begins to spiral out of control when her marriage with Adam begins to breakdown and her business begins to go down hill. Then, Adam dies unexpectedly and Lydia’s world is turned upside down. Lydia tries to move on with her life and explores internet dating where she meets Patrick. Patrick ticks every box and is the perfect man for Lydia but is all too good be true?
This is the first novel I have ever read by this author and was given it to read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I found it was a very easy read and I really liked Miranda’s style of writing. I became lost in Lydia’s world. However, I did find this book to be quite a predictable read and found I worked out the ending quite early on. I would love to read a sequel and find out more about Lydia’s life following on from the events of this book. I’d give this book 4⭐️ and would recommend it to anyone who wants something quick to read. This book highlights how easy it can be to become a victim of fraud and has taught me to be more careful especially when meeting people online.

Lydia is is in the midst of getting divorced from her husband Andrew. Andrew has an untimely and mysterious death. Problem solved, right? Lydia doesn't waste any time and starts dating Patrick and get married!
Weird things start happening- who is sabotaging Lydia's life? Is it her business partner? Is it someone else?

This book was great, quick suspenseful read with twists and turns along the way.

Great reading. Its the first book I have read by this author and it wont be the last. Addictive compelling reading and I lost many hours sleep over this book - desperate to get to the end. It tells the story of Lydia and her family - Lydia is married to Adam, they aren't happy together and are considering divorce - then tragedy strikes and Adam is gone! Lydia cannot understand what has happened and although the police are doing all they can - they too cannot find out what happened to him. Move forward 3 months and Lydia has met Patrick on an online dating site - they immediately hit it off and are married with weeks. ..Whilst Lydia didn't want to be married to Adam any more - she still misses him and grieves for herself and her children. Over time things go bad for Lydia and it appears someone has it in for her. Patrick - the love of her life is worried for her and sets out trying to prove who is making her life hell. ...If I say anymore I will be telling you too much! Defintely read it!

This was my first novel from this author and I am absolutely hooked. This one dug it’s claws in to me and didn’t let go. There was a little bit of internal screaming going on, and I desperately wanted to smack the main character for being so oblivious sometimes. The author really made the naive, new to dating angle work. It was exasperating at times but not in a way that cheapened the story, it was very well done.

Thank you to Inkubator books for allowing me to read an advanced eARC of Roses are Red.

This book was almost painful to read for me; it's the first one in a while that I have really really not enjoyed and just wanted to put down at almost every page but as i'd been sent it directly from the publisher I wanted to try and finish it so I could give a complete review.

I have to be honest, the last 40% or so I just skim-read because I couldn't deal with actually reading it all. The plot was so insanely obvious from the first few pages and there are never any surprising twists or turns. I was really hoping there was going to be a big twist at the end that was a lot more subtle but everything just stood out from every page. Patrick being who he was and Fiona being in on the plan just were obvious; it read in every interaction we had from both of them and I just don't get how Lydia was so naive. This is a woman who's started her own business and we're meant to believe she would be this naive and gullible?

The characters all felt so cliche and one-note, there was no real character development and they were almost stereotypical caricatures. I think it wasn't helped by the overall writing which never actually dealt with any of the issues the book arose. Husband and dad dies; three days later they're all fine and we're not really going to touch upon their emotions. She's getting re-married, eh the daughter will be angry but that's it. There is no depth to the writing or to the characters which made it really hard to actually feel anything about what was going on.

The book was just so implausible and unrealistic that it wasn't ever enjoyable. Honestly not one I could recommend.