Paul is back in The Second Mrs Strom and he is met his match in Cecelia.

He just doesnt know it .

Yet.

Paul is in his devious sociopatheic way has inherited a fortune and is living the life.

A wife and children will complete his perfect scenario.

His bride Cecelia has other ideas.

She is out for revenge .

Cecelia can out plot and out maneuver Paul and that's not easy.

When he finally figures out he is losing control (while in vacation in Paris) the final games begin.

Kaira Rouda takes the reader down quite the twisted path that will have you turning the pages as quick as you can.

I found myself routing for Cecelia, not that she is much better than Paul.

Perhaps more finesse.

Settle in for a wild read you wont be disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a nail bitng read.

Author Kaira Rouda was not finished with her narcissistic character Paul Strom from Best Day Ever (2017) as she continues his story in The Second Mrs. Strom in this twisty psychological thriller coming out August 16.

Paul has been the playboy since his first marriage blew up five years ago, finding favor with the rich, twice-married, twice-divorced Esther Wilmot in Palm Beach. Esther has been showering her lover and companion Paul with gifts including a Bentley, and in death, she has rewarded him with her entire estate.

At Esther’s funeral, Paul, ever on the make, flirted with the lovely Cecelia Babcock who had designed the funeral program, asking her to marry him after a short courtship. They live in a mansion in Malibu as Paul is breaking into the whole Hollywood producer scene. Now they are in Paris celebrating their first anniversary, though both have a hidden agenda.

Cecelia feigns love with Paul to carry out a master plan that has been in place long before she met him at the funeral, not the coincidence he thought. Paul, while seemingly doting on Cecelia, has already had an affair, securing his mistress in her own bungalow in Brentwood.

How far will each spouse go to secure a future that each believes is entitled to them?

Kaira Rouda is a writer of suspense novels that explore “beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives.” The Second Mrs. Strom is a standalone book but pairing it with the Best Day Ever makes for a double-dip read. A master of the psychological thriller, Rouda lives in Southern California with her family and is always at work on her next novel.

My review will be posted on GoodReads starting July 10, 2024.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Another good book by one of my go-to authors, Kaira Rouda! She always tells a good story. Paul and Cecelia are newly married and newly wealthy, living a life of luxury. It is told from two perspectives, Paul and Cecelia, as they move from Florida to Malibu and take a trip to Paris for their first anniversary. This is a fast-moving book. This is a perfect book to get lost in for a while! I recommend this book and all of Rouda’s books.

This was a fun read!! I was sucked in quickly and read this rather quickly. Paul is back and is just as unlikeable as ever. His inner voice and thoughts are so awful, snarky, and even a little comical sometimes. His new bride, Cecelia, was a character who I was unsure of. I had a hunch of her true colors, but wasn’t completely sure if she was as awful as her husband or not. The main twist was one that I never predicted or saw coming. The author’s description of Paris were fun to read about as well as the food. I would have loved more flashback scenes between Paul and Esther. This novel was well written and the storyline was expertly crafted. I would definitely recommend reading this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoture for the ARC

****Publishing August 16, 2024****

Paul’s second wife, Cecilia, is a much younger wife than his first! With having a beautiful young wife, he is always trying to be one step ahead of her because he can’t trust her! But can he keep up?

Paul has an image in his mind of what his marriage to Cecilia is supposed to be. One where he can control her, but when her behavior doesn’t fit his “perfect wife”, he starts to get angry and starts to question her. Cecilia feels she can’t do anything right in Paul’s eyes! Is it what it seems? Is Cecilia in the marriage for his wealth? Will Paul fail a second time?

I love Kaira Rouda’s books! Just when you think you have figured it out, she puts in twists and turns you don’t see coming! It makes for a page-turning and entertaining read! It’s one you won’t want to put down! A perfect book to take on vacation!

Even though this book is a sequel to Best Day Ever, it can be read as a stand alone.

Thanks to Bookouture, I was provided an ARC of The Second Mrs Strom by Kaira Rouda via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

He’s back!!! Paul Strom returns in all his narcissistic sociopathic glory. In this fast paced excellent sequel to “Best Day Ever,” Paul has surprisingly found himself another wife. Devious Paul has not changed his ways with wife number two and is soon up to no good as she soon has tired of his selfish ways. But as luck would have it the new wife is incredibly smart and has her own agenda with the new marriage. Set during a anniversary trip to Paris, this book is impossible to put down.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 because of the twists near the end.

This is a psychological thriller full of narcissism, betrayal & revenge. I found the beginning slow & hard to get into. The banter between the 2 main characters (Cecilia & Paul) came across sophomoric and over the top sticky sweet to be enjoyable or even likeable (by design?). However, 3/4 through the pace picked up & the twists started to happen. Most that I didn’t see coming.

Favorite Line: “When he laughs he looks like a horse. Big teeth, mouth too wide. Ears pointy. I’m not threatened anymore. He isn’t charming. He’s a horseface.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture & Kaira for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The perfect follow up to Paul’s story but a stand alone in its own right for Cecilia This story had my jaw on the floor

I am still reeling from this book weeks after reading it! I really enjoy books with unreliable narratives, and i felt my stress levels rise every time we followed Paul’s perspective. I have a lot of very strong opinions about Paul for sure. Overall this was a nice paced thriller with gripping characters and a plot that keeps you guessing what’s going to happen!

It’s been years since I read Best Day Ever but Paul is the type of character that is unforgettable and being back inside his world was so entertaining. It’s not often that a thriller makes me laugh but Paul is so unhinged and over the top I couldn’t help myself. I think going into this knowing as little as possible is the way to go, it’s such a fun and wild popcorn thriller, knowing nothing really made it a blast for me. If you like domestic suspense with unlikable and untrustworthy narrators this is for you. If somehow you missed the first book definitely read it first, you’ll be happy knowing the backstory of this man.

This is a sequel to The Best Day Ever and it can be read as a standalone but I would read the books in order. In The Best Day Ever, Paul is a man you love to hate. This book feels like karma came back and Paul is finding out what it’s like on the other side. His new wife is not as obedient as he expects and I loved it. I don’t want to share any spoilers but this book is a must read! I loved every word!!!

3.5/5
Check out what #thepulse #pulsepoint peeps are talking about now! Thank you @thrillerbookloversthepulse @kairarouda @bookouture for allowing me to be a part of the cool kids club! 🫶

This book is a follow up to Best Day Ever and can be read as a standalone which is what I did. This is absolutely a bingeable story that I devoured in one sitting. It’s a great popcorn thriller about a couple who is filthy rich and they are both behaving badly! Newly married, you would think everything and everyone should still be in their honeymoon phase however this couple is not your typical couple. It seems they have a trust issue and some hidden agendas 👀 I think every single character in this one was one you’ll love to hate…I most certainly did! 🤣 I really enjoyed the Paris setting. Having been there it took me back to my visit and was fun to envision them at cafes and museums! 🫶 My favorite part was most certainly the wild ending that gave me whiplash flip flopping between all insanity that encompassed these characters! Kaira Rouda is definitely the queen of rich, rowdy, wicked characters! I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

Kaira Rouda can do no wrong in my eyes - her books have me salivating at just the thought of reading them! It's safe to say I absolutely devoured Mrs Strom. The way the book moved from start to finish had me gasping in delight. I'm all for a devious relationship and the way these two carried on was no short of entertaining. I have all my fingers crossed for another book in this series! 

And yes, you could read this as a standalone but if you can, definitely read book one, Best Day Ever, first to get the full background on the characters.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book had so many twists and turns. Some I saw coming and some surprised me. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Book Title: The Second Mrs. Strom by Kaira Rouda
Author: Kaira Rouda
Series: The Kingsley #1
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: August 16, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Pages: 289

I read " Best Day Ever" back in 2017. My comment about Paul Strom started with his quote
~ “Well sexually I’m above average. I have a gift.
One woman just isn’t enough to handle all I have to give”. ~
I totally bust out laughing - Of course, I figure out that Paul is a narcissist, psychopathic creep with a need for power and control.

In this story Paul inherited a fortune from Esther an elderly lady, he had been seeing for a year. He meets Cecelia at her funeral and she soon becomes the second Mrs. Paul Strom. However, those of who read “Best Day Ever” know Paul will be Paul - our favorite love-to-hate guy who we are sure will be up to his old antics. In this case - he may have met his match.

Now a year later Esther and Paul are celebrating their first anniversary in Paris; Paul has plans for their last evening in Paris- an elegant dinner with a panoramic view of Paris from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, which will surely be the best night ever.

Although the story was slow at time with a lot of back story – the many twists made up for that!

I often mention in my comments how much a enjoy reading the author’s notes. Love the inside scoop on the author’s motivation. In her ‘A Letter from Kaira’ - She mentioned it was a blast to write about Paul again. She also states that Cecilia Strom isn’t finished with her story.
Hmmm sure sounds like we are going to hear from Kaira and Cecilia!
BTW: I found the Reading Group Guide’ had fun interesting things to think about and if you are in a book club, your group surely will discuss!
This is my seventh Kaira Rouda novel ~ they have ALL been great.
I love this author and looking forward to her next release!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley. Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 16, 2024.

Holy cow, getting to spend another 24 hours with this sociopath is like a gift from the baby Jesus himself.

Paul is just as crazy, new wifey is no dummy but it's just as fun. Thank you Kaira Rouda!!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Paul Strom is back. This time, he has a new wife, Cecelia, and they're in Paris to celebrate their one year anniversary. But once again, both have ulterior motives for their last night.

This was another brilliantly written story filled with unhinged and untrustworthy characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and just kept hoping that Paul would finally get what he deserved. I had kind of hoped there would be a point where the two Mrs Stroms met, but maybe there will be a third book? Let's hope so.
I would highly recommend reading Best Day Ever before reading this one.

3.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

This is the second book in the series and can be read without having read the first book.

I read this book in one day! It was so good! The twists and turns will keep you up till late at night!

Paul really is a ray of sunshine!!! NOT! This narcissist is in for a big surprise when he marries Cecelia! I think he finally met his match!

Love how the author blends both their plans together to give a smooth , clever storyline!

A must read! Thank me later!

He's back!!!!

After being lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this and doing some Goodreads investigation (haha), I quickly realised there was a prequel to Paul's story that I had missed. So I placed a pause on this book and went back to read the first installment...and I must say I absolutely loved it!

Paul Strom is the psychopath we all love to hate - selfish, delusional, and apathetic to the point of needing a straitjacket. After the events of 'Best Day Ever' (which I highly recommend), we see Paul has reinvented himself as a companion to the ailing elderly woman, who was kind enough to leave him a substantial amount of money. He soon meets the enticing Cecilia, who appears to be just his type. But, as we all know...appearances can be deceiving! Will Cecilia finally be the woman of his dreams? Or is it that he's finally met his match?

It might not be the most PC thing to say - but I really love Paul! As I said in my review of 'Best Day Ever' I think we can all learn a thing or two from him. He always knew what he wanted and never let himself get down or swayed from his path.

It is always fun to read psychological thrillers where you get both a psycho and a thrill. Many times, authors fall short here and I can safely say Kaira Rouda knows how to write a proper thriller. I was never bored as the plot was steady with intrigue from beginning to end. It was also nice to get both Paul's and Cecilia's perspectives throughout the book as this lent to the overall mystery.

I would 100% recommend 'The Second Mrs. Strom' but I think you need to read 'Best Day Ever' to get the full experience of Paul!

*A great many thanks to Bookouture, Kaira Rouda, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

I was so excited to get an early reading of The Second Mrs. Strom. Paul is back and better ( or worse) than ever! After a whirlwind courtship and marriage, Cecilia is whisked off on a trip to Paris where Paul has everything planned to a T! Unfortuntaly for him, Cecilia has other plans. This one had me reading straight into the night and I am hoping there will be a third book!