The Lucky Widow is a gripping thriller with an unusual premise. What a shocking opening, with Emma expressing her delight to the police that she’s thrilled to find Nathanial, her surgeon husband, dead. This is a story of horrible, entitled people, doing shocking things, yet it is extremely compelling with plenty of twists and secrets.

I read a lot of thrillers, so the ending didn’t come as a surprise to me, but nevertheless, I couldn’t put this book down. It was compulsive reading, with a clever use of different perspectives and a fascinating insight into evil minds.

Thank you to Samantha Vérant, Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Solid 4 stars

To start, I ended up loving Emma's character; she's tough, brave, give-it-all mother, I enjoy that. The meet of Emma and Nate left a bit to be desired, but still left no question on where my loyalty went. I'm not sure if this was Verano's plan, but I absolutely loathed Detective Rossi - not a single bit of her was likable in my experience, but it did the story well! The wrap up was top-notch, did not leave many stones unturned as to the outcome.
I look forward to reading Samantha Verant again!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Samantha Verant's "The Lucky Widow" is a gripping, suspense-filled thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. This four-star novel masterfully weaves together themes of betrayal, suspicion, and the facade of perfection, making it an unputdownable read.

The story kicks off with a bang as the protagonist returns home from a work trip to find her husband, Nathaniel, dead in their pond. Her impulsive outburst, calling him a liar and a cheat in front of the police, immediately puts her under suspicion. The tension escalates as the narrative unfolds, revealing the protagonist’s past remarks about fantasizing over her husband’s death. This darkly humorous twist adds an intriguing layer to the story, making the protagonist both relatable and complex.

Verant’s writing is sharp and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the seemingly perfect life that begins to crumble under scrutiny. The protagonist’s voice is compelling, drawing readers into her world where every marbled detail of her meticulously designed house symbolizes her attempts to craft a flawless life and marriage. However, the cracks in her marriage and the secrets buried within their perfect home soon surface, intensifying the suspense.

The supporting characters add depth to the plot. The police's thorough investigation involves questioning the couple’s daughters, friends, and household staff, all of whom were conveniently out of town at the time of Nathaniel’s death. Each character is well-drawn, contributing to the mounting tension and suspicion that keeps readers guessing.

The plot is well-paced, with twists and turns that maintain a high level of intrigue. Verant skillfully balances the protagonist’s internal struggles with the external pressures of the investigation, creating a story that is both emotionally and psychologically engaging. The exploration of themes like deception, control, and the façade of a perfect life adds a thought-provoking dimension to the thriller.

However, there are moments where the narrative feels slightly predictable, and some readers might anticipate certain twists. Despite this, Verant’s ability to create a compelling atmosphere and develop complex characters ensures that the story remains captivating until the very end.

In conclusion, "The Lucky Widow" is a standout thriller that combines suspense, emotional depth, and dark humor. Samantha Verant has crafted a tale that is as chilling as it is entertaining, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing and leave you contemplating the true nature of perfection and deceit, this one is for you.

Books like this is why I love to go back and forth from a thriller to more of a contemporary or a of a rom com or else I don’t think I could stay down “low” and read just thrillers. I am grateful for storm publishing to be able to read authors such as this that I otherwise would not seek out on my own.

Thank you to the author, Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book because the premise was really unique. To find the husband you hate and want to leave dead...all your problems solved - except you have all the markings of a suspect...so here comes a whole new set of problems. Really great read.

WOW. First off thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc copy of The Lucky Widow.

I am a thrilled/suspense and mystery story lover but this story really was so good!

The story follows Emma who is married to Nate a cardiothoracic surgeon. It also includes Nate’s friend group as well as following from the pov of the detective following the case, Gabriella Rossi.

All is not what it seems in their life and marriage… and as the story goes on you learn everyone in the book has secrets. Big secrets.

I did not see the twists coming - not at all & was pleasantly surprised by the ending being even more shocking when it had yet another twist.

This four star read is definitely worth recommending- I loved it!

Oh my, finally a Hitchkonian style book that would make a great movie, except I don't know how modern movie makers would do the disgusting sex scenes, this author did an excellent job alluding to the evil orgies, without the specifics. The thing about books are that I must like at least one character, Emma is not it, Nate is certainly not it. I like Emma's parents, I like the girls, especially Taryn, very sweet, Abby was okay, but what a potty mouth, I couldn't feel sorry for Emma, she did stalk Nate and she got what she deserved. This is a suspenseful book, I really thought Rossi had her, but I didn't like Rossi, people like to say there is a gray in the world, but there is only black and white, good and evil. The protagonist in this story are evil! Yuck.
I highly recommend it. Thank you #StormPublishing #Netgalley
carolintallahassee

THE LUCKY WIDOW by Samantha Verant (Sorry, the accent point doesn’t work) was SO GOOD, you’re gonna want to clear your calendar!

When her private investigator finally gets the goods on her husband‘s cheating, Emma returns from a trip to tell him she wants a divorce. The prenup says she’ll get nothing but there is an infidelity clause and Emma can’t wait to break out of the prison in which she has been living, albeit a beautiful glass and concrete eighteen thousand square-foot home that she designed and decorated herself.. When she arrives however, she finds her billionaire heart surgeon husband, Nathaniel Booth Landon, the “Prince of New York” dead in the pond. The police immediately suspect her of having something to do with the death. They begin speaking to friends, family, employees, neighbours and of course, her BFF Abby and her twin fourteen year olds who are currently abroad, staying on holiday while she came home to take care of things. All of her carefully laid plans are crumbled to dust when she finds Nate.

As the police continue their investigation, it becomes clear that Nate may have actually died of natural causes which will make her a very LUCKY WIDOW indeed. A very rich, lucky widow. But Detective Gabriella Rossi can’t seem to move on to other suspects. When another billionaire in Nate’s social circle is also found dead the secrets slowly begin to emerge and the lifestyles of the rich and famous are not too sweet.

I love any mystery with a good dose of glitz and glamour and this one fit the bill. It was also a deep dive into the depravity that money can buy. Samantha Verant weaves a masterful tale of crazy, sick individuals with too much time and money on their hands. I would caution that there may be some abuse triggers; physical, sexual and emotional, but I felt that these topics were addressed within with respect. The writing style was clear and concise and I felt richer just reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this arc opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This was the first book I read by this author and it had me hooked with its many twists and turns! It is definitely fast paced and a must add to your TBR!!

Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I love the plot, but did get confused a few times. But it all set up pretty well with good writing. I always like different POVs, It was a little slow to the point for me, the beginning took quite a while to get the book moving.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. This is the first book I have read by Samantha Verant and I am now hooked. This book had me not wanting to put it down. This domestic thriller had a lot to unpack. This book was fast paced and had so many twists and turns. The story is very complex but it made the book better. This book does jump around in time some and the story spans over decades. The book is mainly from the female main characters point of view but does jump to some other characters point of view. This book sucked me in from the start. I highly recommend this book.

Wow! What a story. Even when you think a marriage looks perfect from the outside, you never know what’s it’s really like. Emma accidentally on purpose met the ‘perfect’ man, Nate, but once they married, things changed. Emma makes plans to get out of her marriage, but how far will she really go and who is she saving? There is a theme of sex trafficking in this book, so beware, although it doesn’t go into detail. Thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a interesting read for sure. Imagine wishing that your husband would die and plan on serving him divorce papers when you get home just to find out your dream has literally come true. The story was enjoyable to say the least and I do plan to read from this author.

I could not get into this one for the life of me, this is the biggest red flag book, there are so many. The relationship is hard to get past. I just couldn't find myself being invested and interested enough to continue reading this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Please note that this is a 3.5 for me.

On one hand, I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was very solid, and I enjoyed it from the perspective of domestic thriller more than most that I have read recently. There's a lot to be said for the substance of a long-standing, slow burn read like this one, where the storyline traverses decades of background to culminate in the climax. I think that this part of the book was done really successfully.

I do think as well that Emma and Nate were both written really well - Nate is a walking red flag and a big bucket of 'No thanks', and Emma is, realistically, a galvanised and interesting woman. The one flaw with her is that you never really understand why she pursued Nate in the first place - that could be made a little clearer.

While I guessed a lot of the twists, I had a fun time with this one, and really did think that the twists were written in well. They were certainly gripping, and it was an absolute delight to read this one in the dark with the company of the cats!

On the slightly less good side. I do think that there was a touch of a saviour complex to Emma that I wasn't a huge fan of. I think as well that the narrative could have been pared down a little in places, and expanded in others - pared down in relation to the end bit and a large chunk of Rossi and her motivations, but expanded in terms of why Emma picked this particular guy.

Rossi is, unfortunately, the main reason that I couldn't rate this higher. She comes across as self-righteous and frustrating, and, while I understand her black and white view, it reaches a point where it's a little too much. This could have been done better and she could have had just a bit more nuance.

I'm excited to see what this author writes next, however- the most fundamental part of a mystery novel is the mystery, and that is, at least, certainly done well!

The Lucky Widow by Samantha Vérant The book is about Emma Novak Landon who is an interior architect and returning home from Paris France she walks in to find her house a mess and her husband dead in the pond. When police are called in Alex Kowalski and Gabrielle Rosa are the detectives sent in to investigate the suspicious death. Despite the Landonds being one of the richest couples in New York City Gabrielle and Emma have a past and it isn’t a good one. The detective immediately focuses straight in on Emma being the perpetrator despite all the evidence to the contrary. When the corners report comes back that he died from a heart attack Detective Rosa still believes there’s more to the story and win the billionaires friends start to die from heart attacks as well things just get stranger especially everything and everyone they find in the dead men’s homes. I thought this book was going to be predictable and in a lot of the case it was but in a good way. Even when I thought I knew who did it I still couldn’t wait to turn the page to see if I was right. The smoke as much longer than your average Thriller but once you start reading it is hard to put it down this was really a great crime thriller and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Detective Rosa because of her ulterior motives in my mind for wanting Emma to be guilty by the end of it I was still happy for her and her personal life. Those who read the book will know what I mean this is a great book in one I definitely recommend. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.#StormPublishing, #NetGalley, #TheLuckyWidow, #SamanthaVerent

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Twisted mystery about Emma and her husband Nate. When Emma first met him, Nate lived a very high societal life, which is what first attracted her to him. Now that they are married, he treats her, and their twin daughters terribly. His rich friends are also rude to Emma, and always seem to have ulterior motives at their parties. When Emma comes home from a trip, she finds Nate dead. Immediately Emma is a person of interest, but as the detectives do some digging, they realize there are many people who wanted Nate dead. A decent mystery, lots of twists and turns towards the end.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this Advanced Readers’ Copy. This book is available July 5th!
#booksbyashleynicole

Great thriller! Loved the drama and backstabbing told from different POV!!

Reminds me of Fried McFadden books!! So good!

I was immediately drawn into the captivating world of "The Lucky Widow" by Samantha Vérant, a thrilling tale of betrayal, suspicion, and unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story unfolds with Emma, an aspiring interior architect, returning home from a work trip only to discover her husband, Nate, dead in the pond.
As accusations and suspicions swirl around her, Emma finds herself at the centre of a police investigation as the prime suspect in Nate's murder. The intricate web of lies, secrets, and hidden motives slowly unravels, painting a complex portrait of their tumultuous marriage and the dark truths that lie beneath the surface.
What struck me most about this novel was the deft handling of multiple points of view, including Emma, Nate, and Detective Rossi, the lead investigator hot on the trail of the truth. The shifting perspectives added layers of suspense and intrigue, giving readers a glimpse into the minds of the characters and their tangled motivations.
The fast-paced narrative wastes no time delving into the heart of the mystery, skilfully blending elements of a psychological thriller with a gripping whodunit storyline. While the book touches on sensitive topics like sex trafficking, it does so with nuance and sensitivity, adding depth to the narrative without detracting from the overall plot.
At its core, "The Lucky Widow" is a powerful exploration of power, money, and the resilience of women in the face of adversity. Vérant expertly weaves a tale of justice and empowerment, reminding readers that strength can emerge from the darkest of circumstances. The satisfying conclusion ties up loose ends and delivers a gratifying resolution that left me thoroughly impressed.
For anyone seeking a page-turning read filled with suspense, complex characters, and a compelling storyline, "The Lucky Widow" is a must-read that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Sometimes you know exactly which path you are going to take in life and this means you also know who you want to marry. The only thing left to do is to meet him and make sure to win him over.

He is rich. He is charming and it seems like he falls for you. This sounds like the perfect recipe for a happy future. Sometimes tough, the outside is shiny enough. It's the inside that is rotten.

It looks like someone has had enough...

Little by little all the sordid deals are surfacing.

This is my first book by this author and from the very beginning the story swept me off my feet and I raced along on this rapid river. 

Sometimes people act spontaneously, but what I learned from this book is that a perfect plan gives the best results even if it takes a lot longer before you achieve your goal. In the end the time you have invested pays off. 

I liked the intrigues, the lies and the twists and I was shocked by the cruelty of people. On the other hand, when you show kindness to others, they will repay you. 5 stars

Thank you