Thank you so much for the ARC and apologies for the delay in reading.
Wow this was a great thriller, which I would highly recommend.

Wow! 🤯 This book totally blew my mind! 😮😲😬

When I saw the title of this book I hoped it was going to be a story that included fantastic #mindf+cks and let me tell ya, this book delivered.

The story begins by placing the reader in the mind of Eliana, who is an emotional wreck. She thought Jackson was the man of her dreams. She felt extremely lucky to have found love again after her first husband died and believed that marriage to Jackson would provide stability and security to her and her daughter’s lives.

“I have a perfect life. Jackson might tell me what to wear, but he just likes to buy me nice things. He says I don’t need a job, and why would I want one? I can spend all day taking care of Phoebe and running errands in the fancy car Jackson gave me—he knows everywhere I go, and I love how much he wants to keep me safe.”

Elana is realizing how wrong she was about Jackson being a perfect husband. Her eyes are now being painfully opened to the danger she placed herself and her daughter in by marrying Jackson. When we first meet Elana at the beginning of the book, she is about to be questioned by the FBI—about what? Her wonderful husband! She finds herself in the precarious position of desperately wanting to report Jackson’s behaviors to the FBI, while being terrified that if she divulges anything, Jackson will make her pay dearly.

“Elana stiffened; guilt at her anticipation that Jackson might be out of her life, and panic that she’d have to disobey him, collided like tectonic plates shaking her foundation.”

There are several subplots in this story that all revolve around the lead male protagonist, Jackson Belauru, who is quite simply a psychopath. He is also the mayor of the small Florida town where much of this story is set. Jackson is a narcissistic, psychopathic small-town mayor working on his third marriage, brother of a police officer, and a possible kidnapper and murderer of children. He is recently married to Elana, a widow and mother to 7-year-old Phoebe.

Once the book gets going, it becomes very clear that Jackson is someone who needs to take a long walk off a short bridge and go for a swim! 🐟🐠 🎣

There are many other characters in the story who are also pivotal to the plot: Jackson’s two brothers, Sawyer and Derek, Zoey, Sawyer’s wife, and, as Elana finds out, Jackson’s two ex-wives, Faith and Shantel, along with two missing young girls, Grace Collins and Raelyn Keen, and some side characters who help add tension to the story.

😎Also we can’t forget 3 German shorthaired pointers Gunner, Dash, and Chase. 🐕🐶

This story moves along at a steady clip and keeps you guessing - there are lots of twists and turns and a couple “no way” moments. This magic combination had me flipping pages as fast as possible!

What happened to the two little girls? What else is Jackson hiding, who is helping him find perfect wives in an attempt to obtain the son he so desires?

Such a great story! Can’t wait to read more from this author! Thank you to Bookoture for the review copy. Opinions and review are my own thoughts.


5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave this book 3 stars only because the
weakness of the main character.

I understand it’s hard to get out of an abusive relationship and I feel for those who are struggling but this story could have gone a lot better with her having a little more spunk.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

This book was a welcome surprise. Dive into it right away because the plot hooked me. The story got way too tense in some bits and it was a complete page-turner! Such a great domestic thriller!

I had all the emotions with this book! Right off the bat, we’re introduced to our main character and I was fully invested in her story and worried for her. The twists and turns in this story between the husband and all of his wives is crazy and really set the hatred for him as a character. You cheered for everything bad to happen to him. It was so hard at one point to not get angry with the main character to not leave her husband with all of the abuse. What a wild ride with an intense ending!

Breathtaking!
This cleverly written tale will give you goosebumps with a dollop of fear.
A scary tale of naïveté, self-discovery and fear that comes from the realization that all is not as it seems.
Simply terrifying and thrilling I cannot recommend highly enough.
Five Stars and some advice… Leave your lamp on!

This was a really good story that kept me on my toes. There were some parts where it was a bit repetitive so some more editing could be done, but overall it was well worth the read. I would definitely read another by this author

This book surprised me. In the beginning it did not work for me. The first chapters were so focused on Mennonite religion, which I never heard of, I almost put it in my DNF pile. I was glad I stuck with it because it ended being a pretty good story. Just the beginning was not very good. It was a bit slow getting anywhere but I liked the end. Elana and her daughter Phoebe are living with her new husband Jackson. Jackson is not a very nice person who puts up a facade for everyone around him and Elana to make them look like the perfect couple but it's anything but. Elana is abused and threatened every day. She starts trying to figure out a way to get out/away from Jackson and his crazy family. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. 2.5 ⭐

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Elana is newly married to Jackson, who comes from a wealthy family and is the town's mayor. At first blush, Elana seems to have it all. Her daughter from her previous marriage, Phoebe, now has a great home and financial comfort. Jackson is a bit controlling, but nothing Elana cannot handle. Until things escalate.

Jackson lied to Elana. He never told her that he had been married twice before. both of his ex-wives had daughters who went missing after they left Jackson. Elana is terrified that she has put Phoebe in danger.

The ultimate twist in this book was super exciting! I found the main character, Elana, to be a bit frustrating. She is definitely one of those characters that you can't help but shake your head at. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable and thrilling read.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story about Elana who is drowning in bills after her husband dies. She is now left with her daughter Phoebe. She catches the eye of a rich man, Jackson, whom she falls in love with and marries.

This was a gripping thriller which had me hooked from the beginning. I thought Elana was quite naïve but made an interesting protagonist. I'd highly recommend this thriller.

A addictive physcological thriller that had me flying through the pages into the night. My husband is already married! What? This one is impossible to put down.

If you like books that blow your mind, keep you hooked because you just have to know what happens next then The Ex-Wives by Jenna Kernan is a must-read

This was my second book by Jenna Kernan and once again I wasn’t disappointed.

On the face of it Elana has it all, a devoted husband, Jackson, who is mayor of the small town they live in, a beautiful 7 year old daughter, Phoebe, from her first marriage and a lovely house to live in with all the trappings of a rich comfortable life. However, behind closed doors, away from public eyes, Jackson is a tyrant and rules both Elana and Phoebe with an iron fist, he controls everything about their lives; where they go, who they see, what clothes they wear, and any money spent by Elana is audited and accounted for down to the very last cent. With no job and no family or friends she and Phoebe are trapped. When the FBI visit and explain they are still investigating the disappearance of the two children of Jackson’s first and second wife and are suspicious Jackson is involved Elana realises that if her and Phoebe leave Jackson, he will find them and take Phoebe from her just as he did with the previous two children from his two previous wives. So, she hatches a plan, albeit a dangerous one, to help the FBI get the evidence they need to arrest and charge Jackson for the abduction and possible murder of the two little girls. Will Elana find the evidence that she needs to get herself and Phoebe free of Jackson forever and ultimately what price is she willing to pay to make this happen?

This was a bit of a slow burn to start, in the first half of the book setting the scene although it built the tension of Elana’s and Phoebe’s situation well. By halfway however, the pace picked up substantially and I raced through the second half not wanting to stop reading at all. It was a perfect example of a narcissist love bombing their victim and how not all domestic violence is physical, mental abuse is just as difficult to deal with and there are no bruises from this type of abuse! I thought Jackson was deeply unpleasant and I actually think he makes it into my top 5 list of baddies as his actions were deplorable. I really rooted for Elana all the way through and really hoped that she and Phoebe would outwit Jackson. I did think about mid way into the book that Elana really needed Millie from The Housemaid (anyone who has read The Housemaid knows what I mean).

Overall, a very tense but intriguing book with a satisfying ending. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller and I look forward to seeing what Jenna Kernan writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenna Kernan and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

Absolutely fantastic! Unputdownable! I typically guess what's going on before the 50% mark in these kinds of books but I didn't with this one. Absolutely brilliant.

Very twisty and I loved that. I wanted to shake Elena a few times but I had to keep rooting for her.
Many thanks to Bookotoure and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. It was a little slow and hard to get into for a while but it did pick up a d had a good ending.

Elana thinks she has met the man of her dreams, Jackson. After they are married his charming facade disappears. They have a daughter now and she lives in fear of her husband, his ex wives tell her that there will be consequences if she leaves him. An emotionally charged thriller with a blood tingling plot. The characters will take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride. I am a new fan of this author,

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Bookouter for this copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another book where I can honestly say "I did not see that coming!" Seriously, what a shocker that was! Woohoo! I love when a book can shock me and this one did it!