3.75 stars

Told through multiple points of view, this thriller slowly unravels the story of four couples, including the newlyweds at the heart of the story. I enjoyed the four women's friendship, but found the ending not satisfying. That is the primary reason for the lower rating.

Thank you to net galley and bold wood books for the advanced read.

3.5 ⭐

I picked up The Wives by Valerie Keogh looking for more of a summery read while was on holiday, and it definitely delivered on that front. The setting of a luxury cruise ship is pure escapism, and the drama between the characters is juicy and fun *soap opera vibes*.

While the book is categorized as a thriller, it leans more towards a character-driven drama(?) / light mystery in my opinion.

Sometimes, with so many characters in stories I get confused, but I found the author did a good job of differentiating the women here.

Overall, The Wives is a good summery read that has some mystery to it without requiring you pay too much attention.

The Wives by Valerie Keogh is a book about four couples who go on a cruise together, courtesy of Natasha’s new husband, who is quite the successful business man. Natasha is surprised when her friends don’t seem thrilled to go on an all expenses paid for trip. We soon find out everyone has a secret and in the close quarters of the ship, they begin to be exposed. Told in multiple POV’s, we get to hear several sides to the story.

This was…mildly entertaining. It’s kind of exactly what you’d expect. A predictable storyline filled with cliches (which can be fine) but I was a little surprised at how much the protagonist Natasha was hyped up to be somewhat of a mastermind which she clearly was not. I would’ve enjoyed this book more if it didn’t attempt to be more clever than it was.

An easy book to get through and entertaining enough if your expectations are low. I would recommend reading it on a cruise for a bit of a fun palate cleanser. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

I love Valerie Keogh and her wonderful books. The Wives is no exception. Four female friends and their partners embark on a luxury cruise. One couple are recently married, and the charismatic husband has paid for everyone to join them. There are secrets behind every cabin door. It's a twisted story with a shocking unpredictable ending that will have you up late reading to find out what happens next.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Things change between a long-time group of friends when one of them marries a wealthy charmer.

This was my first Valerie Keogh book but it certainly won’t be the last one. Are you a fan of friendship and secrets based thrillers that turn really dark and twisty? Well then this one is calling your name!

Four friends with their husband on a luxury Zanzibar cruise. Natasha got married recently but her introduction of her husband handsome, charming & wealthy husband Daniel seems to have stirred up all sorts of unrest among her friends!

The Wives was absolutely bingeable. This one takes diabolical characters to a whole new level. People behaving badly in a beautiful setting is definitely my cup of tea. And that ending! 🤯 Twists just kept coming at the end! Grab this one when you need an entertaining mind escape.

A huge thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Wives by Valerie Keogh
What a brilliantly written book about four friends and their husband's who take a relaxing cruise. The Lies and deceit that unfolds....and I didn't see the twists coming
This book was so much fun to read, awesome characters, great descriptions of places, loved the setting. The story got better and better as I read
The story is told by several characters, although not confusing,  the author did a great job introducing the characters in a memorable way.
This is a great, quick and easy read with lots of characters that you can love or hate, and some great twists at the end.

Fast paced thriller I didn't want to put down, great setting with interesting characters. Loved the plot, loved the ending, definitely one to read in one go. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Wow. Sooo good. I couldn’t put it down. Definitely a must read.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read it

Soo good! Short chapters and captured my attention from the beginning. I didn’t expect the twist at the end. The writing is very similar to Fredas.

I really enjoyed this book.

The story was fast paced and kept me engaged the whole way through. I would have liked more of the backstory of the friendship group, and maybe more of Daniel's backstory.

This was a quick read from an author that I love, I'd recommend to anyone that enjoys fast paced thrillers that are quick and easy to read.

I really wanted to love this one. But it was very mediocre. Very bland. I needed more flavour, more spice!! There was so much potential. Secrets could have been more juicer. I was wanting more from the wives and Daniel.

“When Natasha meets Daniel, she knows her life is made. Rich, handsome and charming, Daniel will make the perfect husband. Even if she won't make the perfect wife...
She is thrilled when Daniel suggests an all-expenses paid cruise for Natasha, her friends, Barbara, Tracy Ann and Michelle, and their husbands. What better way to show everyone that Natasha has finally made it?
But as the ship sets sail, she learns that far from being the perfect husband, Daniel has terrible secrets that are about to be revealed. And each of the wives has their own reasons for wanting him dead.”



Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a DRC. The Wives is available now.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of The Wives.

I started and finished this book withing a few hours, it was hard to walk away from the story, one more chapter after every chapter. I really enjoyed the story, although my initial feelings of the end is anticlimactic. However, as I'm writing the review and thinking more on it, i realise how much I LOVED the end!
Highly recommend

The main characters were very unlikeable. Daniel was the worst and if the author was trying to gain sympathy for him on his demise, it didn’t work. The other characters, once best friends, provided a great storyline but at times it was shocking how cruel they were to each other. Overall a decent story. Thanks NetGalley for the arc

Really good, kept me reading. I loved the characters and the pacing, Valerie never disappoints. I totally recommend it!

Another great read from tbia author, based upon a group of friends with one who has recently gotten a new love interest but doesn’t quite fit into the group. An eventful, all expenses trip goes horribly wrong- great characters who have a multitude of secrets which bring the story to life

For me the book was alright. It was a bit slow to start and I had to push myself to read it. About 3/4 of the way in is where it picked up for me and I got interested. Was about when they went off the boat to the excursion. I was surprised by the ending.

This was my first read by Valerie Keogh and I will be running to add additional books of hers to my want to read list. What an amazing read!!!

Natasha meets the man of her dreams, he is handsome, and he is rich. She has mostly been single and spends a lot of time with her close friends that are married and some have kids. Shortly after Natasha and Daniel get married, Daniel decides to book a cruise and invite Natashas friends Barbara, Tracy Ann and Michelle and their husbands with Daniel footing all of the bill. Natasha and her girlfriends had discussed doing a girls cruise, so this was perfect, and she was very excited! Little did she know, Daniel has been up to things, and not things that she is happy about. What has Daniel been up to? Just what is going on?

Grab this book and read it! You will not be sorry!

Valerie Keogh has a knack for keeping readers engaged and The Wives is a perfect example. Her writing kept me engaged throughout even though the characters never seemed realistic or likable. Four women, best friends for years, travel on a cruise together with their husbands, three of the couples having been invited by the new groom. As secrets are revealed division between the friends as well as their spouses continue to snowball until a death brings things to a head. Events are at times are seemingly implausible but Keogh’s writing kept me totally engaged.
Many thanks to talented Valerie Keogh, Boldwood Books Ltd, and Net Galley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of The Wives. Keogh’s writing style made this a four star read for me.

4 best friends and their hubby’s on a cruise

All 8 have secrets between each other

What could go wrong?….

Suffice to say a lot and in a short space of time, once they realize how close they will actually be living together for a week and the pretenses of how happy they all are being so close at all times, the bonhomie quickly wanes and revenge is on a lot of their minds…not that the others have a clue about how each other are feeling…or plotting

I loved being back on a cruise ship and the descriptions of the ship and the food and the ambience and the day trips, never tire of books set on ships…and this exciting thriller kept me bobbing along as the waters got murkier and more muddled leading to a wave of actions that would change all of their lives forever

Beware who you invite on your holidays and what there true intentions might be…oh, and who you marry!