Cecelia is married to Paul, but she’d rather not be. She’s on a mission for revenge, and being his wife is merely a role she has to play to achieve that revenge. What better location for that than the City of Love?

…and that’s all I’m going to say!

Thriller Book Lovers, the Pulse did it again! I love our partnership with Kaira as she was a new to me author in 2024 but has made her way to my list of favorites and has become an auto-buy for me.

This is book two in the Paul Strom saga (known as the Family Secrets series), and I do suggest reading book 1 first, however I did read this one as a standalone and I don’t feel as though Kaira left out any details that would hinder your enjoyment of the story.

Kaira writes a fantastic unhinged story, all of the characters are off the rails, the plot is fast paced and can be unbelievable but it’s so fun that it doesn’t matter.

This book probably won’t work for you if you don’t enjoy despicable characters - luckily for me, I adore them. I will read about Paul Strom for the remainder of my days with complete joy!

The suspense built steadily throughout the book, leading to a final twist that I never saw coming. A gripping and satisfying read.

Oh how I missed Paul and his narcissistic and eccentric ways! He's probably one of my favorite love to hate characters and I was so excited when I found out there was going to be a second book after enjoying Best Day Ever so much! While this can be read as a standalone, I'd suggest starting with the first book because both are just so good. Kaira Rouda really knows how to write fun domestic suspense novels.

The Second Mrs. Strom was another bingeable, wild ride and I am so thrilled that there is a third book in the series (out now)!

**Thank you Kaira Rouda and Bookouture for providing an e-ARC through NetGalley!

When I found out this was a sequel to BEST DAY EVER, excited is an understatement. I loved that book and it’s so fun being inside Paul’s sociopathic head again! Before picking this up, I hadn’t realized it was a sequel, so it was a pleasant and welcomed surprise.

Paul is back with his new wife, Cecilia, and you can’t help but wonder if he’s going to get up to his old antics again or if he’s finally met his match. I love being inside that crazy, narcissistic villainous mind of his. You just know there’s something sinister in store for Cecilia and you find yourself wincing in anticipation on what it could be. There are plenty of twists and turns and maybe even a jaw dropping moment or two.

Kaira never disappoints and you have to read BEST DAY EVER first to truly appreciate Paul and the events that unfold. Here’s to more addictive thrillers from Rouda in the future.

Excellent read with lots of twists and turns. A followup to Best Day Ever, The Second Mrs. Strom kept me guessing throughout!

Excellent read with lots of twists and turns. A followup to Best Day Ever, The Second Mrs. Strom kept me guessing throughout!

This thriller was actually insanely good and i had a lot of fun
It was a pretty unique storytelling style and i had a lot of drama to get me through the month
I highly recommend this one

Told through the alternating POVs of cultured, savvy, recently very wealthy Paul, and Cecelia who had never been out of the state until the two of them moved to California. It’s the ultimate cat and mouse story as we travel to Paris with the couple, learning about their individual secrets along the way.

You will see many mentions of this being a sequel - I read this without knowing that and the story was perfectly contained with no issues understanding. I am sure there are details I missed that will be a bonus for return readers. Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in advance and share my thoughts.

Kaira Rouda is an instant-read author for me. I was thrilled to see she had a new book - AND there’s a sequel coming! This first book in her new series, Family Secrets, is The Second Mrs Strom, a psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start. The chapters alternate with Paul & Cecilia’s side of events, in the present and in the past. This is a couple I just wasn’t sure about & they kept it interesting along the entire ride!
Thank you, Kaira Rouda, bookouture, & netgalley, for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

What a juicy, drama filled book! Perfect vacation read. Paul Strom is so fun to hate on! He met his match with this wife for sure. A fast paced, fun read.

I hadn't read the first book in this mini-series, but it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of this one. An extremely unlikable couple, I couldn't wait to see who won the battle between them. Highly recommended
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Second book in the series (oversight on my behalf) I usually like to read books in order but after reading other reviews on Goodreads, some are saying it’s better not to have read the first book before reading this one (I’ll have to let you guys be the judge of that).

The main character, Paul Storm, is a man we love to hate and hate to love (if you know, you know) he got so far under my skin that I wanted to scream at time! As for Cecilia, she intrigued me the most, I never truly believed she was this super naïve newly wed…. there was something about her that…. I don’t know…. just a feeling….

A very fast paced book, one that had me saying ‘one more chapter, promise!’

Mr Strom has been busy. After a questionable relationship with a wealthy elderly woman leaves him the sole heir to her estate, the second Mrs. Strom crazily catches his eye. Now in Paris, she is breaking all his rules. And there could be a child no one knew about...
We all know I love angry women - this one does not disappoint.

Fast paced, suspenseful and devious. Cecelia Strom marries a man she thinks is her forever. After a year passes, CeeCee is beginning to pick up on some strange indecents in her marriage...as she unravels who she is really married to, her own secrets are called in to question!

The Second Mrs Strom is a domestic thriller. Rich people behaving badly with dark skeletons in their closet. Several turns during the story led me down all kinds of dark paths! Definitely recommend. For fans of Freida McFadden, Liv Constantine, you'll enjoy this story,

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for a copy of this title. All my opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. The Second Mrs. Strom is a sequel of sorts, but you don't have to have read Best Day Ever to enjoy this book. Paul Strom married Cecelia after a whirlwind courtship. They met at Esther's funeral, the woman who left her fortune to her companion, Paul. It is now their one year anniversary and they are celebrating in Paris. To the public they are a beautiful, happy couple, but in private, they are not happy. Who is Cecilia and did she set out to meet Paul for her own reasons? Paul may have loved Cecilia, but he has changed. He wants her home, barefoot and pregnant, as well as having a mistress on the side. Will their marriage end sooner rather than later?

I am not usually a fan of unlikable characters, but both Paul and Cecilia are exactly that. However, I still enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to get to the end to see what was going to happen. As we learned more about Paul, I began to think he was a psychopath, Cecilia was a liar and had lots of secrets. The book is well-plotted and written in such a way that the suspense was increased as the story progressed and there was a sense of impending doom and tragedy. There were many twists along the way, ones that kept me guessing along with my surprise at what happened. With unlikable characters, secrets, lies, little or no morals, and lots of mind games, I read and/or listened with interest. This was a book to go into cold, as well as to sit back and just enjoy the drama. If you enjoy an entertaining psychological thriller, then I recommend The Second Mrs. Strom. I enjoyed this one so much, I am going to read or listen to Best Day Ever to find out about Paul's life before Cecilia.

I seriously binge every book Kaira Rouda writes. They are some of the best popcorn thrillers out there, and The Second Mrs Strom was no exception!

Thank you to Bookouture for the copies to review.

First of all, if you can do audiobooks, I highly recommend you listen to this one. Paul is BACK with a new wife and the audio absolutely encapsulated him and brought him straight back to me, and it was so much fun listening to him just like in Best Day Ever. Second, did I mention Paul is BACK? I don’t want to spoil anything but he is one of my favorite villains, in one of my favorite thrillers, and I do think he has met his match in this sequel. Kaira Rouda is a favorite thriller author of mine and she has outdone herself here. I highly recommend this book (you will benefit from reading the first book FYI, although this can be read as a standalone) and I cannot wait to read the third book in this fabulous series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy books by this author and this one was no exception. This is a great thriller told from alternating points of view. But, you don't get enough to completely understand what is happening from the get-go. I despised Paul so much and wanted him to come to a painful demise by the end of the story! Lots of twists and turns in this one. I wanted a little more from the ending, but overall, this was a great read!

I loved Best Day Ever but this one, as the second of a series didnt grip me . I see from other reviews that I am in the minority.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

I absolutely love novels by Kaira Rouda and was thrilled to get my hands on The Second Mrs Strom. I loved the first novel in this series and was thrilled to continue one and see what would happen in this novel.

This was a fast-paced thriller that had me hooked until the very end. With so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat.

A definitely must read.