Thank you for the advanced copy of this edge of your seat thriller. Im providing an honest review based on my thoughts about this novel.

At first I was unsure about the very beginning - the gruesome crime scene and the personality of the main character, Emma. As Detective Rossi began her investigation of Nate's murder I became more sympathetic to Emma and the bullying she experienced at the hands of her husband.

To say that Nate deserved to be dead is an understatement based on his vile activities, proclivities and friends. Then there is the ending! WOW!!!

A twisty thriller that switches from past to present which helps to build up the suspense in the story.
One I enjoyed and will look out for more from this author

The lucky widow is a fast paced thriller book that had me hooked from start to finish. It was full of thrilling drama that I struggled to put down. I loved the writing style and how it jumped from past to present it helped build up the suspense I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I will definitely be recommending this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

THE LUCKY WIDOW by Samantha Verant
⭐️ rating: 9/10

read if you like:
📕 Frieda McFadden books but deeper
🙇🏻‍♀️ revenge
💵 rich people
😵‍💫 sociopaths

summary:
Wow this book has everything I love. It’s about Emma, an unassuming aspiring interior architect, who marries Nate, a wealthy, arrogant cardiac surgeon. She lives a life of misery when she comes home from a work trip to find Nate dead in the pool. Conflicted on her emotions, she calls the police, who start an investigation to determine — who killed Nate? Was it Emma, who had every reason to, or was there more at play than meets the eye?

This book has several of my favorite tropes — a “bait and switch” (not sure if this is what it’s called when you think you’re marrying one person and actually get another), a woman scorned, and a whodunnit after a hated spouse is found dead. The book alternates POV’s between Emma, Nate and Detective Rossi, the lead detective in charge, who immediately suspects Emma murdered her husband out of revenge. It moves super quickly (my favorite), and doesn’t waste time getting into the investigation and telling us how Emma and Nate met and when their relationship started to go south. There is a lot of focus around sex trafficking though, so trigger warning for anyone who can’t read that, as it is an important part of the overall plot. The author weaves such a complex story of power, money, victims and empathy, and you can’t stop turning the pages. The end feels satisfying and complete, and without giving anything away, much more gratifying than you can expect.

The power of women runs strong in this, and for anyone ever burned by men, money or power, this book feels like a rallying cry that justice can be served.

Thank you so much to Storm Publishing and Net Galley for the advanced copy. Definitely check this book out when it releases on July 5.

The book reels you in right from chapter 1 and I couldn’t wait to finish it. I will certainly be checking out other titles by this author

I would like to start with a huge thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance!

The lucky widow is a fast paced thriller book that will have you hooked from the beginning. You can actually visualize this story as you read and for me it was a drama filled book that I kept reading and wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Did the wife kill the husband ? Or was it someone else. This book is one you can read in one- two sitting . I throughly enjoyed it!!!

This was a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was hooked from the first to the last page

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Many thanks to the author, Samantha Verant, and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book. The publication date is set for July 05, 2024!

The Lucky Widow is a gripping domestic thriller that delves into the complexities of a seemingly perfect marriage unraveling into a web of secrets and deceit. The story is split into past and current-day timelines. I loved following Emma to the moments leading up to the murders while simultaneously seeing things unravel in the present. Adding dual POV was an excellent decision by the author/editor as it created depth from the various perspectives. Although I had a hunch the entire time, it was neat to see the story unravel and secrets/lies be exposed. The story is longer for the genre but executed nicely and fast-paced.

4-4.5 stars! ✨

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I highly recommend this book - be sure to add it to your TBR!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of The Lucky Widow. I’m at a loss for words other than what a story! This is a domestic thriller, human trafficking, sex parties and very abusive book and I’m sure I left out something. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. You will not want to put it down. So if you are in to a plot twisting story……..this book is waiting for you.

This book has A LOT of drama to unpack - it’s not a short book, but I’ll be up way too late tonight, because I had to see how this one ended! But to begin…Emma hates her husband Nate and wants him dead. She doesn’t make this a secret - she says it all the time, but nobody takes her seriously. Everyone says that now and then, right?

Emma, after some light stalking, got married to New York’s finest wealthy man, and they have twins, Ava and Grace. They seem to have the perfect life - he’s a cardiac surgeon and she is an interior architect who designed their massive house. But when Emma and her friend Abby return from a trip to Paris and find Nate dead in the pond on the property, all of the imperfections quickly come out.

Detective Rossi is on the case, and she’s convinced that Emma killed her husband, despite Emma being out of the country when he died. During her interviews, she finds that most people love Emma for her kindness, and most people don’t seem to be upset that Nate is dead, including Emma. What Rossi realizes is that Emma is very happy about her husband’s death, and the detective in her wants to know why.

This thriller is more than just a husband found dead and his wife being the main suspect. Without giving too much away, this book deals with some very major things, like human trafficking, domestic abuse, affairs and drugs. Nate’s friends were like having Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and P. Diddy as neighbors. When Emma was away, her husband definitely would play, and the results were deadly - not just for Nate.

Between Emma, her friends, Nate’s friends, and the staff of these billionaire families, there are a lot of people who could have wanted to kill Nate. The ending had twist after twist, and I didn’t see any of them coming (well, maybe the final chapter but it was still fun to read.) This book was not only thrilling and suspenseful, it tackled some tough topics while taking the reader on quite a ride. 4.5 stars, rounded up!

(Thank you to Storm Publishing, Samantha Verant and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 5, 2024.)

We never truly know what goes on behind closed doors. Are people as perfect or as happy as they portray? Emma married Nate, a billionaire bear surgeon, and has the perfect life. Or so it seems. When Nate ends up dead the police naturally look to the spouse as their first suspect. A unique story with a crazy storyline!

Lucky widow

Emma wants her husband dead. She envisions all of the different ways it could happen. She’s prepared to serve him divorce papers when she comes from a trip to Paris with her best friend, Abby, and twin daughters. She comes home to find her dream has come true with her husband floating dead in their pond. The only problem? She’s the main suspect.

The book shifts between past and present to tell the story of Emma and Nate as their relationship evolved. Nate is named the upcoming “prince of New York” and was a highly sought after bachelor before Emma swooped in. After a few years of bliss, their relationship turns dark and secrets are revealed of Nate and his billionaire friends.

We also hear from Detective Rossi’s perspective- convinced that Emma committed the murder of her husband and a definite bias against Emma. She was a very unlike character. At 50% in, she is still adamant Emma is guilty and crosses all kinds of boundaries to prove her case.

Part 2 brings in Nate’s perspective of the week leading up to his death and how he really felt about his wife. This book gets so wild the more you read! I was totally hooked from page 1 and loved the different perspectives, how the characters evolved, etc.

Similar to the Housemaid, The Last Mrs. Parrish, and The Favorite Girl

Thank you to NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review- out July 5!!

This is a gripping domestic thriller that delves into the complexities of a seemingly perfect marriage unraveling into a web of secrets and deceit. The story follows Emma, who returns from a trip to find her wealthy husband, Nate, dead in their pond. The investigation into his death reveals layers of dark secrets.
This book is fast pace with unexpected twists, although you're definitely going to be hating some annoying characters

Initially I was quite intruiged with how the plot was going to develop but quickly it became quite a difficult read.

I found the backstory tiresome and Emma an unlikeable character who it was hard to have any sympathy for.

As the true life of her dead husband is revealed this is also not surprising.

A tale of privileged psychopaths.

Intrigue…mystery…secrets…red herrings…family and friends…murder…the recipe for a page turner…do not try to guess the ending too early…difficult to do…this author has written a cannot put down story that is, at times, gruesome…a wife wanting revenge…divorce…millions of dollars…thanks Netgalley

*****Publishing July 5, 2024****

Emma Landon comes home with her best friend, Abby, from a girl’s trip to France to find her billionaire husband, Nate Landon, dead in the pond. She calls 911 and tells them with anger she has “…pulled her lying cheating son of a bitch out of the goddamn water-“ Since Emma always joked about. wanting to kill her husband, will she become a suspect? A detective on the case is trying to find ways to prove Emma killed him, but will she have the evidence she needs?

Samantha Verant’s writing just draws you in from the start. It quickly becomes a page turner with misbehaving characters and an entertaining story! The manipulation, the speculation, the lies, and the deceit will have you turning the pages to find out the truth! A perfect book to take on vacation!

Thanks to Storm Publishing, I was provided an ARC of ‘The Lucky Widow by Samantha Verant via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Emma returns from a trip from France she discovers her husband dead in the pond. Handsome and mega rich he seemed the perfect catch. But behind the scenes he was a different man. Emma was living a lie. Her marriage was not a happy one and she wanted out. So finding him dead was the perfect end to her marriage.
However, despite being out of the country she soon becomes a major person of interest for the police and one officer in particular. What was really happening behind closed doors.
This was a great read for me and i loved the way the story developed into a very clever plot.

I initially liked this book. However it devolved quickly into a morass of infidelity, sex parties, and nasty characters. Emma was really a stalker going after Nate in the beginning, and she wildly marries him quickly. Lo and behold, Nate isn't that nice a person. This could have been a great book, but the mega=rich trope felt overdone, people with no morals and just a story that didn't hold up. I didn't care about the characters or how it ended.

Fantastic, edge of my seat read. I was surprised by the events that unfolded. Lots of surprises and whodunits. Just when I thought I had it figured out I was wrong!

This was an ok read. I found it a bit slow in places but when you get past these parts the pace does get quicker. I haven't read anything by the author before and would definitely give other books by her a go. Overall a good book that other readers may like.
💓 Thank you to storm publishing, netgalley and the author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.