The title places Jess Ryder's latest book firmly within the popular genre of Domestic Thriller, and that's pretty much exactly what it is, following the not-unfamiliar plotline of a young woman marrying a man only to find that he's not quite what he seems. It's a good read, though, and well written.

Lily, a teacher, takes on a job as private tutor to Edward Morgan's young son, Noah, who apparently can't go to school in case people remind him about his deceased mother, Clare, which he can't handle. Naturally, Lily and Edward fall in love and before you know it she's become his second wife, rather to the displeasure of his bitchy older daughters. But there's a LOT Edward isn't telling her about his past.

The Second Wife was readable and engaging - I enjoyed it, although I'm not sure I'll remember much about it in a few days time. Lily had a bit more about her than some protagonists of similar stories and is quite proactive, and young Noah got me invested in the outcome.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

The simple, but sleek, cover caught my eye, and my quick glance at the blurb sealed the deal on this one. It wasn’t exactly a creepy read, but it’s an ARC that publishes Nov 3, 2021, so I needed to squeeze it in.

I started by reading this one on my kindle and finished up by listening to the audiobook. The kindle read was a little slow-going for me. There were some lulls and it was hard to stay focused at times. I’m so happy I was able to get the audiobook from #NetGalley. Once I started listening to the audio, I had the book finished up in no time. I’ve found it’s usually easier to relate to the characters when I hear their voice! I recommend the audio version of this one.

Lily takes on more than she bargained for after taking a private tutoring job. Within months she’s married to her employer, living in a gorgeous house, with no money worries. Edward is a handsome widower, but I found him creepy and unlikeable! Although her new stepson is adorable, he’s also very anxious. Noah has secrets that he shares with Lily, but he keeps them from everyone else, including his father. I liked Lily but was irritated with the way she handled this situation.

Huge thanks to #netgalley / #bookouture / #jessryder for this ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

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Great thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested. Found the beginning drew you in quickly but lots a little momentum to me after that. Still an overall good read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This book was a real rollercoaster and I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end! From page one I was hooked and continued to stay on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The author somehow had me loving a character one chapter and then hating them the next. That aspect kept me wondering what actually happened the whole time.

Although I spent most of the book changing my mind on what I thought the ending would be, guess early on ended up being right! Sometimes I don’t know if I like being right or if I’d rather be thrown for a loop I didn’t expect. I knocked a star off my review because in this case, I thought the ending was a little too predictable. Overall, it was a gripping domestic thriller that kept me turning the pages, waiting to see what happened next!

The Second Marriage is a thriller that I just couldn't put down. It opens with Lily being proposed to by her employer and boss, Edward. After she began working for him, they had a whirlwind romance, despite the age difference of fifteen years. Once she begins to settle into married life however Lily begins to wonder if Edward is all that he seems to be and what really went on in his life before she arrived on the scene.
I enjoyed this gripping read. Lily is a little to trusting at times, certainly far more than I would be, but perhaps she needs to be in order to move the story along. There is plenty here for her to find out, with quite a few surprises as the story unfolds. Nothing as it first seems in her life with Edward and it isn't long before Lily finds herself questioning everything that he has told her.
The only thing that slightly annoyed me with this book was that forty-five was made out to be really old a couple of times. Yes, Edward is old for Lily as a partner, but the idea that he was too old to have an eight-year-old son or that Noah (said son) was a late in life baby, just seemed really strange. He would have been 38 when his son was born. (The average age for first-time fathers in the UK in 2019 was just under 34.)
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This was a good book! I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrator, she had a way of drawing the listener in like a friend telling a story. It kept me guessing what would happen next until the end and even gave closure. I would definitely read more by this author.

If you haven’t read books by Jess Ryder, DO IT NOW. I’ve read several of them and each one has completely grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the very end.

The Second Marriage comes out on November 3, can you believe that only a week away?

This is another book that you won’t be able to put down:

My best friend warned me that it was too soon to marry Edward, a widower with an adorable but troubled little boy. She said we were moving too fast. But all I could see was a kind, loving man, struggling with grief, who needed my help.

Yet as storm clouds gather above our small wedding ceremony, my hopes and dreams fall apart. None of my husband’s family turn up to support us. Instead of a honeymoon, we have a quiet night in. My wedding bouquet is placed on his first wife’s grave. And then my new stepson tells me he’s sure his mother is still alive.

What does Noah remember and why is his father trying to make him forget? Have I been completely wrong about my husband? What happened to the woman who came before me, and how far will he go to stop me finding out the truth?

Only $3.99 for the Kindle version!

Lily Baxendale home schools Noah, Financier Edward Morgan’s eight year old son. She is also in a relationship with the handsome middle-aged widower.. Quite unexpectedly, he surprises her with a proposal of marriage. Edward has two grown up daughters, neither of whom Lily realises, will take the news well. But when he announces their engagement, as well as the anticipated reaction from the girls, it triggers a strange response from Noah. How can his father be marrying when his mother is still alive?
This is a wonderful rollercoaster of a read. Lily, in her new role as stepmother soon begins to question her husband’s interpretation of Noah’s reaction to their engagement. It’s fantasy he tells her. After all, Noah was only three when his mother died so how could be possibly remember anything? But there are other things Noah remembers and which Lily considers too detailed to be a figment of his imagination.

The story is told from Lily’s perspective. Noah is an isolated child. His father considers him too sensitive for mainstream education. Wrapped in cotton wool and kept away from the world, Lily begins to question the reasons behind such an overprotective stance. Edward has plausible answers for everything Noah keeps saying. But there is something that doesn't add up and Lily is determined to discover the truth.

I liked Lily's character. Throughout the book she was totally committed to Noah, but some of her actions put her in danger. The story is like pass the parcel - each layer unwrapped reveals a new clue to the truth, pushing you onwards, like Lily, eager to find the truth. It's a tangled web of deceit and lies. which ends in an exciting climax.

I would like to thank Jess Ryder, Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of The Second Marriage in exchange for an honest review. A well deserved four stars.

This was really good, I had guessed a lot of what had happened but enough to keep me surprised and loved the ending so perfect it tied everything up.

This was definitely a page turner as I needed to know more what was happening.

I will definitely be investigating more by this author

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

My best friend told me it was too soon marry Edward, a widower with an adorable but troubled little boy. She said we were moving to fast. But all I could see was a king, loving man, struggling with grief, who needed my help. Yet as storm clouds gather above our small wedding ceremony, my hopes and dreams fall apart.

When Lily marries Edward, a widower with three children, she can hardly believe when Noah tells her that his mum is still alive and that she's coming to get him. But Edward had told Lily that his first wife Claire tragically died after eating a loaf that contained nuts even though she had an extreme bad nut allergy. None of Edwards family attended the wedding and now Lily is finding it strange. What is Edward hiding?

I was quickly pulled in to this well written story. The story is told in the present day and the past giving us an insight in to what had happened before Edward married Lily. Lily and her best friend Marsha try to solve the mystery surrounding Noah's claims that his mother is still alive. But will Lily like what she finds out?

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #JessRyder for my ARC of #TheSecondWife in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a emotionally draining read this was! Have read books by Jess Ryder before I knew I was in for an addictive read but this has to be my most favourite of her books so far. The old saying “marry in haste, repent in leisure” couldn’t have been a more perfect warning for Lily-the second wife. After working as a tutor for Edward, home educating his young son Noah, very quickly they become involved and marry. Edward is a widower and this is his explanation for the small wedding they have, with no family or friends on his side except for Noah and his two older sisters. Now, maybe it’s just because I’m a cynical older woman now but surely this should have set those alarm bells ringing for the naive-but deeply in love- Lily. But that’s the least of her problems because it quickly becomes obvious that Noah is a very troubled young boy…

This is the sort of psychological thriller that fills my heart with a twisted joy! Deliciously mysterious with characters that you want to trust but just know you can’t, The Second Marriage is a book I found I just couldn’t put down! I had to find out what had happened to Edwards first wife and why Noah is convinced his mother is still alive. His memories paint a puzzling picture-surely a young child isn’t able to remember the things that happened to him as vividly as he does? Is it because of the trauma of losing a parent so young? And can his memory be trusted? Every time we bring a memory to the forefront of our brain, we are remembering our previous memory of it so that initial memory has faded and we remember a diluted version. But when other strange things happen and physical clues come to Lily’s attention, surely this validates Noah’s convictions?

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a thrilling storyline that builds to a shocking, tension filled finale. I thought I had everything all figured out but Jess Ryder kept me guessing right up until that final chapter. Definitely recommended!

It was okay.
Giving it 3.5 stars.
I loved the blurb and I think it was an interesting premise. It got my attention from start till finish but I find some of the way the conversation between characters are slightly mediocre.
But all in all, I enjoyed it.

Oh what a book. I liked so much the story. I needed just something not obvious to be a five star. But I like the style of this writing so much.

Love is blind and sometimes we are blind for many other things but... that is life. This is also a story about mother's love. About friendship and love that last forever. It is also many negative aspects but i prefer to remember it after positive sides.

What would you do if you discover husbands secrets and lies. You would be divided and this is a perfect story for you if you like going to the end of the problem when you discover there is something wrong.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture publising for an arc copy in echange of an honest review.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book has LOTS of twists and turns and will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. The ending is absolutely shocking. I highly recommend this!

Brilliant physiological thriller. This book grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let me go. A really fast paced read. When Lily goes to work as a home teacher for little Noah and falls in love with his father Edward life should be everything she’d hoped for, but suddenly when the past starts to reveal itself it soon becomes a nightmare.

Secrets, lies and family drama are on every page in this book. Most of the characters were despicable and unlikable which made for a good read. The story unfolded and then unfolded some more and had some surprises. There was a lot of suspense in the last 10%. I thought the ending was especially good and satisfying. I have read one other from this author and also liked it very much, so I definitely will be checking out her other works. Recommended for those who like this genre.

Plenty of drama, suspense, twists and turns to keep the reader gripped. The novel gets you thinking about how well you really know someone. A very good read!

The Second Marriage by Jess Ryder was great! Lots of suspense and twists! Had me guessing and guessing again throughout. I really liked the character development and the way I was rooting for Lily and Edward one minute and wishing they wouldn't be together long the next minute. This was a good ride! Highly recommend.

A fast-paced domestic thriller with a twisty ending.

Following a whirlwind romance, Lily marries Edward, a widower, who is fifteen years her senior. On her wedding night, Ed's seven-year old son, Noah confides in her that his mother is still alive and that everyone around them is lying. While Ed brushes off her concerns regarding Noah's revelation, Lily realizes that she knows next to nothing about her husband and his past. With the help of her best friend Marsha, Lily sets out to solve the mysteries that surround Noah's broken memories.

I have mostly mixed feelings about this book. The author manages to generate an eerie backdrop to the narrative by likening Lily's apprehensions of her marriage to the haunting presence of her predecessor's ghost. Lily and Ed's romance is just about mentioned in broad strokes at the beginning and so as a reader, it gets decidedly difficult to buy into the idea of the quickie wedding. The one thing that I appreciated is that the author didn't drag the plot by having the protagonist dilly-dally with her misgivings and jumped right into investigation mode.

Lily's character was commendable as she didn't choose to be blind in love but had more of a take-charge attitude. Edward was one of those characters that you loathe right from his first appearance and continue to do so as the story progresses. Despite being a central character, Noah's presence wasn't felt all that much in the story.

Overall, a quick and predictable suspense. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Author Jess Ryder for this ARC.

This thriller had a HUGE failure that ran through the whole story and not only took from the suspense and mystery but also the characters. There were so, so, so many scenes that HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT! They bogged everything down and took readers on side trips that meant nothing. It was frustrating and slowed it all down to the point of near boring. If those scenes had been omitted--any good editor would remove them--the story would have been great. It had all the aspects of a good, twisty, turny book.