I found this book a bit slow and was speed reading towards the end just to find out the ending. The wives did have a few tangled lives that were interesting to read but the whole book just didn’t gel together for me . I love this author but I’m afraid I didn’t think this was one of her best

Nice easy read. Characters were easy to get to know. Did find certain aspects of the book a little unbelievable such as the main character quitting her career she’d worked so hard at to be a kept woman and the ending was not what I was expecting

You can always count on Valerie Keogh for a good thriller, and The Wives did not disappoint! I was especially excited to dive into this one since I LOVE vacation thrillers, and the cruise ship setting added an extra layer of claustrophobia that really worked for me. The sense of being trapped with characters who all had their own crazy secrets kept the tension high and made it impossible to predict where the story was heading.

Each character, from Natasha’s friends to their husbands, was distinct, which made them easy to follow and even more intriguing as the suspense built. With multiple POVs, the book delivered some pretty wild reveals that I didn't see coming. It’s a super fast and easy read—I had a tough time putting it down! Keogh definitely kept me guessing, and I was shocked more than once. If you’re looking for a crazy adventure, this is one thriller you need to pick up!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Valerie Keogh for the ARC of The Wives.

I love cruises and thrillers, so I was excited for this book. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. It was alright, but definitely not my favorite thriller/mystery. I liked the fact that The Wives had multiple POVs throughout. It was fast-paced and the chapters were relatively short. The cruise ship setting was great and I think Keogh did a good job with the details.

There were so many characters, yet not a single one of the eight were even remotely likable. It was hard to believe that the wives were even friends due to how they treated/talked about each other throughout the book. I found myself having to go back to remember who lied about what and try to keep it all straight. It seemed everyone had “killer tendencies” and honestly I could’ve believed any of them did so. There were a lot of clues throughout the book that could take you in the wrong direction which did make it more interesting. There was a nice little twist in the end I didn’t see coming, so that was a plus.

The Wives
By: Valerie Keogh
Pub date: November 6. 2024
Publisher: Boldwood Books

I loved this novel about best friends. Most best friends have been through the ups and downs of life including marriage, children and perhaps divorce and death.
This one friend 3 friends who go on a cruise. The recently married Natasha and her husband Daniel give her friends and spouses an all-expenses paid cruise.
As the cruise embarks and excursions are planned things go horrible wrong. One of the husbands ends up dead!
So many delicious secrets held by everyone provide so many motives. This book is one delicious ride.

I love Valerie Keogh’s books and she is definitely one of my favourite authors. I was super excited to read this book and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I was hooked from page 1 and was kept guessing right up until the unexpected ending.

Book Title: The Wives
Author: Valerie Keogh
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: November 6, 2024
My Rating: 3.3 Stars
Pages: 299

Natasha is a nurse and although she loves her career – but doesn’t love being a bit financially strapped at her age
When she meets rich, handsome and charming Daniel her thoughts are he will make the perfect husband and she is fine with being a trophy wife.

Natasha likes Daniel and loves his life style but knows she is not in love with him but the perks of being his wife seem to outweigh that. When Daniel asks her to marry him, she accepts.

Daniel surprises Natasha with a cruise and wants to know her friend better so tells her to invite - her best friends Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michelle and their husbands to come along on the cruise at his expense.

Since this is a thriller as you might expect the trip just might cost more than what any of them ever imagined...

We find out more about the friends and their secrets via a chapter from their POV. We also learn they all have connections to Daniel.
• Michelle and her husband Dan
• Barbara and husband Ralph.
• Tracy Ann and Blake

I am a big thriller fan so this story pulled me in immediately.
However I soon found the characters unlikable.
This is my tenth: Valerie Keogh novel.
Her psychological thrillers have never been a disappointment- however there was something missing for me in this one. The ending wasn’t the big shock I was expecting

I know Ms. Keogh typically has a signature ending!!! “ She loves to leave us reader with some doubt!! In this case, I got thinking - I sure must have missed something!
But I am definitely looking forward to her next thriller!

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this this great early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 6, 2024.

LOVED this book. From start to finish, it kept me hooked and the gut-punching twist at the end shocked me to my core.

Valerie does it again! I always love a thriller set on a tropical island so there was that but also the fact I really had no clear idea just who was the bad guy here. I had my suspicions but was never quite sure. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and the end - wow. Inhaled this one and now I have the long wait until her next masterpiece. I wish I read slower!

After reading several 5 star books in a row. I didn't expect The Wives to be anything but a quick. Fun. Easy to read book. Which it was. But it was also much more devious than I anticipated. It's the first book by this author I've read. But definitely won't be my last. I'd compare her writing to May Cobb's better novels like The Hunting Wives. On the surface, Natasha's married friends seem like full, boring women. But looks can be deceiving. I promise no spoilers. I encourage you to read this book if you enjoy fun books about friends traveling together with unexpected twists.

The Wives was kinda a slow paced thriller. I did keep reading it to find out what was going to happen. I really didn’t care for any of the characters, but there were a few twists I didn’t predict which I enjoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Newly-wed Natasha feels that she has found her perfect match with Daniel. When Daniel books an expensive cruise and invites her 3 friends and their husbands it seems like a trip of a lifetime. During the trip secrets and lies are revealed and Natasha starts to question her marriage. This is a well-written page-turner with lots of twists. The cruise added to the claustrophobia and tensions. A recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book.
All of the characters were very hard to like. They were all very self obsessed with little or no feelings for their "friends ". I found the whole story very flat with little to draw the reader in. Obviously we all knew he had been murdered but I wasn't very interested in who did it because he deserved it.
Not for me at all I'm afraid.

Natasha marries Daniel. He is a successful businessman, and she will be able to give up her job which has sucked the soul right out of her.
Daniel invites Natasha's friends and their husbands on a cruise, but each of them has something to hide. Each woman wants Daniel, but also wants him dead.

I was hooked from the first page of this psychological thriller! Valerie Keogh knows how to write books that keep the readers glued to the pages!
Daniel was a particularly nasty piece of work, and Natasha's friends were no better! Twists galore to keep your head spinning!

I recommend. 4/5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

It took me until a quarter of the way into this book to feel invested in the story; and even then it never really drew me in. I could easily put the book down at night and wasn’t overly eager to pick it back up again.
After the death on the ship is when things truly became interesting, and by then the story was nearly finished.
Thankfully, the book finished strongly and made up for a weak beginning

This was a super fun read, and I really enjoyed myself. Normally I’m not a fan of locked-room thrillers- this one took place on a cruise ship but I was too invested in the juicy mysteries behind each character to really care.

The book follows Natasha, her new seemingly too good to be true husband, Daniel, and her three best girlfriends and their husbands. Daniel and Natasha invite the three couples to join them on a cruise, and all hell breaks loose shortly after the embark on their trip together.

I have some whiplash from reading this-in the best way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the advanced reader copy (ARC) of this fun and well done mystery thriller.

Oh my! This one definitely is a super fast fun read. I went knowing who did it, to, everyone did it....in about 5 minutes. The ending was good, but dang I wanted more. Can we have a part 2? I'm invested in these characters now.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for this great read.

WOW The Wives (Kindle Edition) by Valerie Keogh was an absolutely amazing thriller. Release date 6th November 2024.

Natasha a practice manager is tired of her job and mundane way of life then out of the blue comes along her very own James Bond, Daniel who sweeps her off her feet and after a short time proposes to her and she became Mrs Vickery Orme.

Not long after they are married Daniel suggests that Natasha invite her three married girlfriends and their husbands to go on a cruise to Zanzibar on an all expense trip paid for by Daniel.

Unbeknown to Natasha and her friends they are all going to be taken in by Daniel who has an ulterior motive on his mind from the beginning.

Natasha is going to learn that Daniel and her three girlfriends are keeping secrets and all three want him dead.

This thriller is a 'Whodunnit' story which will leave the reader guessing until the very end.

I found this a little too unbelievable in places. I’m sure there are people out there who act like this but with people who they call their friends? I did guess who it was half way through. Also think maybe the cover should be on a boat and not a swimming pool…

Fun, fast paced mystery thriller. While I didn't find the twists too surprising, it was still an enjoyable read and had me flipping the pages right until the end. I will say that I did not like any of these characters but was still interested enough to keep reading so I guess that's saying something.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.