My thanks to Boldwood Books, Valerie Keogh and Netgalley.
I absolutely hated each and every moment that I wasted on this book.
It was well written and honestly I can't think of how much more I would have enjoyed this had there been even one iota of suspense.
Suspense was sadly suspended.
I didn't even really finish the book. Why should I?
From the beginning we know who will die, and we know they deserved it. But really? Everyone pretty much sucked, and so far as I was concerned, they could have died too. Hell, it would have made the book better. The women were horrendous. I would not want them as my friend.
So, I cheated and looked at the ending. It was much as I expected.
I'm just a wee bit over these best friend/husbands/get aways.
I would love to say that I was bored silly, but I wasn't. But, I was over it by page 50. Take that as you will!
I won't be reading anything from this author again. She's not bad, she's just not willing to be bloodthirsty.

I would have loved to read The Wives but I couldn't get it to send to my kindle. I enjoy reading anything by Valerie Keogh.

OMG, this book, y'all! THIS BOOK! Another HOT HOT HOT read, written by Valerie Keogh. I have yet to see a book of hers I don't enjoy.
Gripping, it sucks you in right from the start. And then, let the whirlwind of the craziest twists happen - with some real book crazies.
So, yeah. Not to spoil it, but when the book blurb says it's "Perfect for fans of Frieda McFadden, J.A. Baker and Sue Watson"- I'm there 100%. If you enjoy any of those authors, you will enjoy this one too.

Well this one reminded me of the saying "with friends like this, who needs enemies?"

When Natasha met Daniel, she found someone dependable and steady. They got married quickly and settled into a comfortable routine that suited them both. Although they got along well, their relationship lacked a deep sense of love and loyalty, which affected how Natasha's friends connected with him.

Missing the closeness she shared with friends, she's thrilled when Daniel suggests a cruise for them and Natasha's friends and partners. When Natasha excitedly calls each of her friends, they all seem less than enthused by the invitation; almost as though they felt it was a chore to go.

As the cruise gets underway, secrets are shared and lives are ruined as the group's tangled web comes undone. Two won't return from their vacation. Who? And why?

This was thrilling and kept me hooked from beginning to end! Valerie Keogh has definitely secured her place on my "MUST READ" list! Don't wait to check this one out!

Phew! I am glad this is titled the Wives and not the Friends. When Natasha introduces Daniel into her friendship group she has no idea how dangerous this will turn out to be. Absolutely nail biting.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Wives by Valerie Keogh is an intriguing and largely engaging thriller that transports readers to the sun-soaked Zanzibari islands. Keogh’s vivid descriptions beautifully capture the atmosphere of the Indian Ocean tropics, drawing you into the lush, exotic landscape that sets the scene for the story. The setting alone makes this book worth picking up, especially for readers who appreciate a strong sense of place.

At first, I was drawn in by the characters and the complex friendships that had developed since Natasha’s marriage to Daniel. Keogh initially builds these relationships with subtlety, and it was fascinating to see how Natasha’s friendships evolved. However, as the plot unfolded, I felt the characters lacked genuine development. The sudden shifts in loyalties felt abrupt and, at times, a bit unrealistic, which detracted from the believability of their relationships.

The ending, too, left me slightly disappointed; it seemed rather convenient and too neatly resolved, which felt at odds with the suspense and intrigue that had been building throughout. While the story was certainly engaging and had its strengths, particularly in terms of setting and atmosphere, it didn’t quite reach the level of some of Keogh’s other works. Still, it was an enjoyable read overall, though not one of my favourites from her.

Out of all this author’s books, I think this one is my favourite - a concise but non-stop pace & no padding. A psychological thriller encompassing eight characters & their secrets which all unravel on an intense 7 day cruise.

Natasha is a burnt out nurse manager who is in a new relationship with wealthy & charismatic Daniel. Her three close friends are all married & the group often meet together or have separate boy/girl jaunts. Out of the blue, Daniel proposes & the wedding swiftly follows with only a short break honeymoon. He promises a longer holiday later & this materialises in a cruise for all the friends; paid for by Daniel in recompense for not having had a big wedding celebration either. I’ve never fancied a cruise; I now know why.

Each chapter is told from a character’s POV & everyone has something to hide, especially Daniel. Marry in haste; Natasha should’ve listened to her friends. Read it & find out why.

I think this is Valerie Keogh's best book yet and I was gripped from the first page to the last. It is the story of Natasha meeting Daniel. He is charming, caring and charismatic and they marry very quickly. His generosity appears to know no bounds and when he offers to pay for them both along with all of Natasha's friends and their husbands to go on a cruise, Natasha is all the more enamoured with him.

However, it is on the cruise that Natasha begins to see a different side to Daniel, who has dark secrets to hide. Equally it seems her friends have secrets too, and Natasha sees a different side to all of them, and of herself.

This made for an exciting read. Ms Keogh writes extremely well and knows how to increase the tension with the turn of every page. Being set on a cruise ship, I could really feel the sense of claustrophobia that the characters were experiencing.

The chapters vary in their point of view. Most are written from Natasha's perspective, but there are also chapters written by her friends, Michelle, Barbara and Tracy Ann. This varied perspective gave the book immediacy as I was able to understand the feelings of the different women from their own viewpoint.

The story is loaded with secrets, lies and deceptions, along with some marvellous twists and turns in the plot. This was a five star read for me and I highly recommend it.

Bestselling author Valerie Keogh returns, following The Mother with her latest scandalous domestic suspense, THE WIVES — Four friends and husbands take a seven-day cruise together. Explosive lies and secrets begin to unravel with dangerous consequences and a trip that may cost more than ever imagined.

Best friends. Perfect marriages. A holiday to DIE for...

About...

Natasha is thirty-eight years old, single, and enjoys being a career woman (nurse in charge of the intensive care unit). She has always been independent and never cared about getting married or having children.

Her three friends, Barbara (Ralph), Tracy-Ann (Blake), and Michele (Don), met at university and are all married with children. None of them work outside the home except for Barbara, who works part-time as a hospital secretary, and others are stay-at-home moms.

Then everything changes when Natasha meets the charming, rich, charismatic, and dangerously exciting investment banker Daniel at an exclusive art gallery opening. They begin dating immediately, and Daniel wows her with the best restaurants and his large penthouse.

He wants her to move in, then talks her into quitting her job (as most control freaks do), and then a marriage proposal. It happens so quickly. Then, she introduces him to her friends and their husbands. The only issue was a prenup with specific stipulations, but Natasha moved ahead blindly.

After the marriage, Daniel suggests they go on a posh cruise to Zanzibar on the Duchess Mary and take her friends and husbands as their treat.
However, things do not go as planned, and they are stuck on a ship off the coast of East Africa for seven long days.

Had Natasha brought a viper into their friendship group?
Is Natasha the only one in the dark?
What are her friends keeping from her?
Daniel is not who he seems. Do we know our friends?
Is one ship big enough to hold all these secrets and scandals?

My thoughts...

These questions will keep you on the edge of your seat, unraveling the complex relationships on this ill-fated cruise. The plot twists and turns will keep you guessing until the end, making THE WIVES a wicked, shocking, and unpredictable read with a twist.

If you call these friends, I would hate to have enemies! TRUST NO ONE...

Hold on tight for this wild ride! The question isn't whether someone will murder Daniel, but who will it be and how? There is plenty of why, but whodunit and howdunit? The plot twists and turns will keep you guessing until the end, making it a thrilling, complex, and unpredictable read.

Will it be the wife, one of the other 3 wives, or 3 husbands? Everyone has their motives and agenda. Get in line. There may be some others that need to be murdered before it is over.

Stay away from men like Daniel. Evil narcissistic charmers— the devil in disguise. He has plenty of enemies. Daniel must meet with Kaira Rouda's narcissistic Paul Strom (The Second Mrs. Strom or Best Day Ever to compare their devious blackmail plans. However, Paul might outlive Daniel.

The question is, who has the most to gain? You must read to find out why.

Also, Natasha's friends are not so lovely. Watch your back. Everyone is keeping dirty secrets, and I could not believe that someone did not murder a few people or throw them overboard from the Duchess Mary on DAY ONE.

Told from the wives' POVs: (Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann, Michelle). THE WIVES is full of dysfunction, lies, secrets, deceit, affairs, lust, greed, drama, and plenty of unlikeable characters, making it difficult to figure out whom to root for (maybe Natasha, even though she was a little naive). The author gets an A for creating some despicable characters in this entertaining, complex popcorn thriller. The only thing missing was the dark humor I adore.

You would never catch me on a cruise. No way. Not my thing.

Recs...

THE WIVES is for fans of the author and Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Miranda Rijks, Emily Shiner, and Keri Beevis.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a gifted, advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. #CoverLove

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Nov 6, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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This was a quick easy read with short chapters. It'a got old school soap opera vibes with lots of drama, secrets and sex. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Wow, this book took me by surprise. I really didn't know what to expect when I started it, but I loved it. Great story, loved the twist at the end.

Natasha was the last of her three girlfriends to get married. When she met her husband, Daniel, she knew that her life would be great. He's rich, gorgeous, and extremely charming. But unbeknownst to her, he's not the man he claims to be.

When Daniel offers her best friends and their husbands an all-expenses paid cruise, Natasha is thrilled to show her friends that she's got it all. But her friends: Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michelle all have different opinions about Daniel. When the ship sets sail, Natasha realizes that Daniel has terrible secrets and when they are revealed, each woman has their own reason for wanting him dead.

But when he actually dies, Natasha doesn't know who to believe about their innocence.

A must read!!

Unfortunately, this was one of the worst thrillers I’ve read in 2024. The story was boring, I didn’t like any of the characters and the reveal didn’t shock me at all.

Natasha, 38, is a nurse in charge of the intensive care unit. She works long, hard hours but has loved her work. However, lately it’s become a bit wearying for her. Her pay is low and she lives in a tiny apartment near the hospital. At University, she made 3 very good friends and they have remained close over the years. Only one of her friends has a part-time job and the other two have been stay-at-home mothers.

At an art gallery opening, Natasha meets a man named Daniel who is very charming. After showing her some glamorous evenings at top-notch restaurants, and after seeing his large penthouse, she is quite intrigued by him. When he proposes to her, she is somewhat surprised but agrees to marry him even if they haven’t been together long.

Natasha introduces Daniel to her 3 friends and their husbands and they all get along. She is pleased with this as her friends are important to her. Daniel is a financial advisor and his money proves he is doing quite well. So, when he suggests all four couples take a luxurious cruise together and he will pay for it, they agree. But when they are on the ship and the alcohol begins to flow, some secrets come out and Natasha is shocked at what her friends and Daniel have been keeping from her.

I have read and reviewed numerous books by this author and have enjoyed them all. I wasn’t sure how this book was going to end but, in a way, it was a sad ending. It’s amazing how intertwined people’s lives can become. It’s also amazing how little conscience some people have. So, read and enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5 Stars

The Wives was a quick read and I was interested enough to know “who dun it”, but this isn’t a a must-read to me. I thought the plot/concept of the book was great, but something was missing. None of the characters were likable and the amount of secrets kept from friends & spouses was becoming a bit unrealistic. I wasn’t able to predict the twist but I didn’t particularly enjoy it as it just felt random and abrupt. However, it still kept me invested enough to finish within a couple days (which doesn’t happen for often for me) so I count that as a win!

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

Natasha and her friends Michele, Barbara, and Tracy Ann have been best buddies since their days at university 20 years ago. Since then, their lives have taken different directions. While Natasha became an ambitious and career-oriented nurse, the other three married and focused on raising families. That was never what Natasha wanted. But after an unexpected virus ravages the country, killing patient after patient in the ICU where she works, Natasha is burnt out. When she meets the successful, ultra wealthy Daniel, she's more than ready to trade in her career for life with him in his posh penthouse apartment. Suddenly, she wants the perfect marriage and family with Daniel like her friends have with their spouses.

Natasha freely admits, at least to herself, that her marriage to Daniel was never about love. At least, not about love for him. She falls in love with his apartment and his wealth, but never the man. He wants a supportive wife. One whose purpose in life is to serve him. Gold digging Natasha is willing to play the part. She can put up with a lot for the penthouse and endless spending cash. Even him. She'll put up with anything since the prenup says she gets nothing if they don't last for at least two years.

Besides, her friends and their husbands adore Daniel. He likes them too. She felt like an outsider with her friends when she was a career woman, but that's changed now that she's married. When Daniel suggests they pay to take her friends on a luxury cruise, she's thrilled with the idea. It's an excellent chance to spend time together -- and to rub their noses in her wealth. However, no amount of opulence can hide the cracks in their friendships. Or their marriages. The longer they're trapped on the cruise together, the more secrets and lies that rise to the surface. It turns out Natasha isn't the only one who doesn't love Daniel. Her friends don't like him either. In fact, they all want him dead.

Dripping with scandal, secrets, and deceit, "The Wives" by Valerie Keogh is a fast moving "who's-gonna-do-it" instead of the typical "whodunnit". The story takes off at full speed ahead on the first page and doesn't slow down until near the end. It's clear from the very beginning that each of the female characters want Natasha’s husband Daniel dead. In a book replete with secrets, the question is which one has the motive to get the job done -- if any. Each woman's point-of-view is told in alternating chapters, giving you plenty of time to uncover their secrets and figure out who (if any of them) will do it. However, beware of what you believe. There are enough red herrings to make it seem like it could be one or the other... or the other.

"The Wives" is a high-octane thrill ride that hints of the heat and scandal of a Jackie Collins novel, but keeps the secrets and deceit clothed. It's a game of Clue brought to a fictional story. It's a masterfully written psychological thriller that leaves you to figure out the mental states of four well-developed, secretive female characters. It's filled with manipulation, secrets, and deceit -- every ingredient needed to create unbelievable suspense and make the book delicious. If that's not enough, the final twists will blow your mind. It quickly goes from "who's-gonna-do-it" to "OMG, I can't believe she just did that. Or that!!" It'll shock the shoes off your feet! A few parts dragged a bit in scenes with the women and the ship's security, but before you know it the story picks back up. You end up loving every second.

I've heard so many great things about Valerie Keogh's books long before reading "The Wives". All of it was true, leaving me to wonder why I waited so long to pick up one of her novels and excited to read another one soon.

Four friends take a cruise with their husbands. Secrets are revealed, chaos ensues.

I really liked this book. Multiple POVs, which were easy to follow. Great descriptions of settings, characters and food. Lots of drama and nobody seems very trustworthy. A very easy read.

Highly recommend if you need a fast paced, easy to follow read.

The ending had a pretty good twist and i was not expecting it but dude i hated the story i could not connect with it and the characters were so unlikeable

Not very likeable characters but plenty twists and secrets in this book with an ending I did not expect

I loved the ending to this book as it was quite a shock and a good twist. But, I found the characters spoilt, silly and very dislikeable. I usually enjoy Valerie's books but this one didn't quite hit the spot. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Natasha is miserable in her tiny apartment and nursing job. But then she meets rich, handsome, and charismatic Daniel who seems to be the answer to all her prayers. He takes a liking to her group of friends and proposes fairly quickly. Then he offers to take all her friends on a cruise and things seem to unravel in no time. A great story with lots of unexpected twists!