“The Second Mrs. Strom” by Kaira Rouda is a sequel to “Best Day Ever.” I think reading the first book would help a little with this book but Ms. Rouda does a pretty good job catching the reader up on past history (though I do think the first book really helps establish the character of Paul better than this book did). Anyway, Paul has a new wife … and they’re celebrating their first year anniversary in Paris. While the majority of this book once again takes place over a few hours, there’s a lot of backstory from a number of character’s points of view (which, I’ll admit, I found a bit confusing at times since we jumped back 10 years, then last week, then had a mysterious “diary” writer in certain parts). I did like that this book once again held my attention, but I didn’t feel this one was a strong as the first book - granted, though, it would have been difficult to top the first book. I didn’t really like either Paul’s new wife or his side piece (of course Paul has yet another side piece!) and couldn’t feel anything for either of them, which did take away some of the enjoyment I felt from the first book. The short chapters helped move this book along at a good clip and once again, Ms. Rouda’s story was engaging. 3.5 stars rounded up.

It was suggested to me that I read Best Day Ever before this so that I really understood Paul. That being said, I have never loathed a character so much. I loved loathing him – if that even makes sense. I didn’t realize that the first book was released in 2017. I imagine that those readers are chomping at the bit to see what Paul is up to this time.
The Second Mrs. Strom brings us back to Paul’s world. The world that he controls. In Paul’s world, he knows all the outcomes, he is always right and gets what he wants. Paul has swooned an elderly widow who recently passes so he comes into quite a fortune. Sticking with his younger blonde and beautiful type, he meets Cecilia at the funeral and his conquest has begun. They have a whirlwind marriage and move to the West Coast where is he set on becoming a successful producer. Paul attempts to control everything about their relationship, down to what she can wear, who she can talk to and interact with.
But Cecilia has her secrets too. There is no victim and no villain. This isn’t a traditional cat and mouse game. It is more like a battle between two pit vipers. “There really is such little space between love and hate, life and death, for all of us.” This is a great binge read with devious and greedy characters that keep the story moving quickly. Enjoy!

Being back in Paul’s world is hilarious 😂 I love his inner monologue of thinking he can do no wrong. Best Day Ever definitely grabbed my attention more and kept me wanting more. This one felt a little slow and I wasn’t dying to know the ending. Also a few predictable parts.

Well well, looks like Paul is given a run for his money! Let me tell you that I was ecstatic when I found out Kaira Rouda had a sequel to Best Day Ever coming out in August. Best Day Ever, released in 2017, is literally my favorite hidden gem when it comes to thrillers. Everyone at #ThePulse, @thrillerbookloversthepulse couldn’t wait to eat this up!

Best Day Ever was the story of a married couple headed away for the weekend to have their Best Day Ever! Only thing is, both parties were terribly wrong! While heading for the cabin, we get to hear the narcissistic thoughts that come from Paul. Man, this guy is one hell of a character.

Fast forward seven years later enters The Second Mrs Strom. Paul has managed to snag himself a younger and gorgeous wife, Cecilia. It is their one year wedding anniversary and they are spending it in Paris. Once again, it will be their famous best day ever! Or will it?

This dude is beyond in love with himself. Paul truly believes the world revolves around him, since he’s so handsome, successful, rich, a great lover, and has the best looking wife. His controlling ways and ignorant thoughts are truly baffling. But you know, I LOVE his character and hope you do too!

Thank you so much @kairarouda and @bookouture for this amazing opportunity!
Publication date August 16, 2024
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Second Mrs. Strom by new to me authoer K. Rouda is a thriller of its finestr. Masterfully crafted, full of unexpected twists and turns that has the reader guessing till the very last page.
There is no real villain or victim, they're all that and more. A story where nothing is as it seems. literally nothing, wonderful twisted.

This was a pretty good thriller. I was kept on the edge of my seat and wanting to know what was going to happen next the whole time. I definitely look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with!

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. I tossed aside all my adult responsibilities to finish it in one day. While I need to read the first book it wasn't necessary to be able to follow along. In this story we find Paul with his second wife, Cecilia on holiday in Paris. Paul is controlling and devious. He's acquired the fortune that Esther left him at her passing and maybe Cecilia is scheming to get the money. As the story progressed, I found it hard to like Paul and Cecilia equally. It was a very enjoyable book as I couldn't decide who was good or bad. This is a five star book!

I found the storyline to be entertaining but overall I found the writing to not be the best. It was fairly predictable and somewhat far-fetched at points, though I understand fiction often is. Both main characters were not likeable in my opinion and that made it hard to get into.

He’s bacckkkk!!! 😍 I can’t even tell you how excited I was to hear Paul was back!! ❤️ I missed you Paul!! 😘So I immediately jumped at the chance to read this early copy! Five big stars!! 👏👏

Pub date is August 16th!! 🥳🥳 Trust me… it will be THE BEST DAY EVER!! ❤️ See what I did there. 😉

Paul… you handsome devil 😈… you never change. 😂🤷‍♀️ So attentive.. so charming… so controlling… If you have never met Paul… you are in for a treat… 😉… he is one of a kind. 😂 If you have met and loved to hate Paul as much as I do… get ready because he is back and.. typical Paul.. just a different wife. 😂

When Paul and Cecelia got together… 💍 .. I was a bit worried for her… but then I wondered if maybe… 🤔… he has met his match… 😏

Okay guys that is all I am going to say!! 🤐 I ABSOLUTELY loved this book!! No shocker as Best Day Ever was the book that made me start reading thrillers… yes.. for real..😍… No worries if you haven’t read it… this is totally 💯 % fine for a stand-alone. Except guys.. Best Day Ever is one of my favorite books EVER!! ❤️You need it!!

Lastly.. if you have never read @kairarouda .. well you are missing out!! She is literally… no kidding… the QUEEN 👸 of cray!! 😂 Her characters are so much fun!! She has mastered the snarky crazy unlikable characters like no other!!! She is one of my very favorite authors. ❤️ Absolutely loved this book!! #paulisback

Summary: This is the follow-up novel to Best Day Ever about the ever-charming psychopath Paul Strom. After the implosion of his first marriage to Mia in Best Day Ever, Paul took some time to get his life together and then spent a year in Palm Beach pursuing lonely, elderly ladies with too much money. Yes, Paul was basically a gigolo. He struck gold with Esther Babcock, an octogenarian with millions. After Esther shuffles off the earthly coil, Paul is the sole inheritor of her massive wealth and then meets stunningly beautiful Cecilia. They fall madly in love and one year later, Paul has whisked her off to Paris for their anniversary where, as usual, he has planned the day down to the last second. Frustratingly, the day does not go as Paul meticulously planned and Cecilia has suddenly become obstinate and uncooperative, which is totally unacceptable! Their best day ever in Paris is about to take some unexpected twists.

Thoughts: Can you tell from my summary how much fun I had reading this novel? After Best Day Ever, I couldn’t wait to see what Paul Strom would do next. He is so confident in his ability to charm and manipulate that it never occurs to him that perhaps he could actually be someone else’s target. One of my favourite quotes from him occurs when he is contemplating his wife’s attitude in Paris and concludes that it is selfish and narcissistic, “I hear that personality trait is quite prevalent these days.” I was reading and chortling to myself as Paul struggles to comprehend what is happening with his compliant second wife. The pace is quick and the eye-opening developments keep coming to keep the reader engaged. I would highly recommend that you read Best Day Ever prior to this novel as one flows neatly into the next.

If you enjoy a novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously and resembles an episode of Dallas or Dynasty on steroids, then I highly recommend The Second Mrs. Strom and the precursor, Best Day Ever.

This was an absolute fun, fast paced and of course twisty read! Paul and Cecelia, I loved them but goodness, I hated them too! This was the first book I’ve read by Kaira Rouda and better believe it won’t be my last!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced reader copy!

I requested this book specifically because I loved Best Day Ever but I didn’t even realize it was about Paul!!! But first chapter, I was like wait a minute. IYKYK. It was funny being back with Paul he is a hoot but overall it felt really long and boring 🥱

This was a fast paced and twisty novel. I did guess one of the twists but that didn’t take away from the fun. The ending suggests a follow up and I’m excited to read that!

Wow what a sequel! This was a gripping back and forth battle. Oh Paul you stunning, well dressed and charming yet oh so evil man. Why must you be so controlling and possessive? If you haven’t met Paul you are missing out!! But don’t count his new/younger wife out just yet…Cecilia also has some tricks and secrets up her sleeve.

Paul Strom is back after first appearing in one of Kaira's previous books, Best Day Ever. Paul is now divorced and meets his new wife Cecilia at the funeral of a very, very wealthy widow that Paul had been engaged as an escort for. The woman has passed away and Paul has now received her massive fortune, not bad for only 12 months after meeting her.

Paul believes all his dreams have come true after meeting the noticeably young and attractive Ceclia at the widow's funeral, a girl who grew up with nothing. Soon they are married, Ceclia has moved into the mansion owned by Paul, but she is not yet aware of what she has taken on, a very narcissistic and self-absorbed egotistical man who believes he is above everyone else. After 12 months the marriage we would not call this marital bliss, Paul is trying to isolate his pretty young wife, he hosts many parties and loves having the blonde candy on his arm to be seen by his friends and she is trying to establish herself as a sophisticated person that all would wish to know. The main question here is who is playing who?

I love Karira's books and this is a very enjoyable quick and fun to read and I look forward to more books from this author. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Title- The second Mrs. Strom
Rating-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I picked up this book, I was excited to see how the husband and wife trope would play out, and I was not disappointed. Paul and Cecilia's journey to Paris for their first anniversary was filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The different perspectives were refreshing and added depth to the story, making it easy to become invested in the characters and their motives. Although there were moments in the middle of the book where the story felt a bit repetitive, the shocking plot twist made it all worth it, making it a book that fans of the thriller genre will surely enjoy.

Synopsis-

I don’t want the perfect marriage. I want revenge…

If you had met me a year ago, you wouldn’t have noticed me. A beautiful woman, but a struggling nobody in a tiny apartment, invisible…

Meeting Paul changed that.

And now here I am in Paris, after a whirlwind courtship and a stunning beach proposal. I smile at my handsome husband, my eyes shining in the candlelight, my huge diamond ring sparkling on the starched white tablecloth. Other women look at me in envy. They see a couple completely in love.

They’re wrong.

Despite this incredible luxury vacation, my husband and I can’t escape our problems. I can’t get over what he did with that woman just after our wedding, and my bright smile can’t hide the hardness in my heart.

I wonder if Paul knows the truth. That our first meeting, when we fell in love, wasn’t the coincidence he thinks it was. That what I want from him has nothing to do with his money.

And now that he’s wronged me, I’ll stop at nothing to get it…

This book has been blowing up over here in the pulse chat because it’s just so good 👏🏽

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
" A successful marriage is built on lies"
This book follows Paul and Cecilia on their first anniversary in Paris. While both pretend to be in love- they have ulterior motives for being there and are both hiding secrets.
While this book was predictable and I guessed the twists; I still had a great time reading it. Overall I would recommend this book for a fast paced, fun, domestic thriller.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Rouda's BEST DAY EVER, so I was looking forward to this second-in-the-series THE SECOND MRS. STROM (publishes August 16, 2024). Paul has married his second wife Cecelia after receiving an inheritance from an older woman Esther. This novel has a dual timeline - one timeline is the present day on their one-year anniversary in Paris, and the other timeline is throughout their relationship.

Unfortunately, I thought this novel was only mediocre. I wasn't on the edge of my seat like I wanted to be.

Pros: Paul's voice is similar to BEST DAY EVER. I would say that this novel can very much be read as a standalone. Paul is clever, and he definitely is morally questionable. Now I don't mind a deliciously evil character. (If you do mind morally reprehensible characters, then you'll want to stay away from this novel.) I liked the Paris setting. For a thriller, the setting came alive well.

Cons: This novel is rather repetitive. It rehashes the same beats...over and over again. There was a lot of foreshadowing on a few plot points, and the suspense was lacking.

On the upside, this novel doesn't twist in any too many implausible directions like some novels. You can pretty much see where it's going in the first couple of chapters, and it follows through on where you see it going.

If you were a super fan of BEST DAY EVER, you might like to see how Paul's life unfolds further in this one.

#netgalleyreview #bookstagram #bookouture #kairarouda #thesecondmrsstrom

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This is a sequel to Kaira Rouda's Best Day Ever. I highly recommend you read that book before reading this one.

Paul Storm is back and he has a new wife, Cecilia with his new life. Paul has not changed and in fact, I feel he has gotten worse since now he has money. I was not a fan of him in the first book and I was not a fan of him in this book. I also didn't care for his new wife, they are the perfect match for each other. Each have their issues and both are narcissists. In fact, they are both such horrible characters that I found it difficult to enjoy this book because they both were getting on my nerves. I don't know how many times I wanted to put this book down because they were both pushing me to my limit. Only reason I kept reading was to see if they each would get what they deserve.

As for the story, I felt like it started out slow and never really picked up. There was just enough excitement to keep me reading but not enough to be that book that I couldn't put down. Again, I almost didn't finish this book a few times because of the characters but also because I felt that story never really picked up. I figured out so much of the plot twists early on in the book so there were no real surprises for me.

I will keep reading Kaira Rouda's books since she is an amazing author. This book just wasn't for me. I will give it 3 stars though because it was interesting to see where Paul ended up. I just wish there had been a Mia update, it would have been great to read about her life now without Paul.

I did not read Best Day Ever, and honestly did not realize this was a sequel when I requested it. I had no issues with feeling lost, though I usually emphatically state I do not read books out of order. Oops!
Cecilia has fallen in love with Paul. A man who recently lost his good friend,Esther. Esther was kind enough to leave him her vast fortune (how convenient for Paul). After he and Cecilia wed, she goes from a life of poverty to one where money is no object.
But each of these people have plans of their own. When they head to Paris to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary, let’s just say their marriage has more cracks than a piece of broken pottery. Lots of twist and turns, and I went back-and-forth between despising both of these characters ,then cheering for at least one of them. No spoilers so you’ll have to read the book to find out if you feel the same way. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and was glad to be able to read this one outside in my garden. I am definitely going to go back and read the first book.