The Wives was a gripping read with so many twists! I honestly didn’t know what to expect at the start of the book, and I’m still shocked at the ending. The setting of the book being on a cruise adds to the plot of being trapped around the betrayal of people you are supposed to be close to.

The book focuses on Natasha and Daniel who have booked a cruise trip with 3 other couples, what could go wrong? Only the fact that Daniel has terrible secrets and each of the wives wants him dead. The themes revolve around betrayal, secrets, murder and vacation, but what made the book unique is the setting and all the POVs. The book is told from the perspective of quite a few characters of the book which was exciting, although some didn’t add too much to the storyline.

I thought this book was written really well, especially with all the twists and characters to keep up with. I found the first half of the book to be a slow burn but the second half was thrilling and I couldn’t put the book down! It was an easy book to read with the short chapters and the captivating plot. I always know this authors books are going to be a good read! I highly recommend this book to all thriller and mystery lovers. Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for sending me a copy of this book.

📚 THE WIVES by Valerie Keogh 📚

Length: 299 pages
Genre: Thriller
POV: Multiple
Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2024!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions given here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Natasha seems to have it all - a caring, handsome, wealthy, husband, a core group of couple friends, and she no longer has to work as a nurse in a very stressful situation. Daniel, her new husband, has even proposed an all-expenses paid cruise to the Zanzibar archipelago including their 3 closest couples. Strangely, the wives (Michele, Barbara, and Tracy Ann) don't seem all that excited to come on this free vacation with them. It's almost as if there is something about Daniel that is making each of them very uncomfortable...

Opinion:
I flew through this fast-paced, short-chaptered thriller in one sitting! I loved the multiple POVs of the wives and how little by little it became clear just what it was about Daniel that each of them hated. I also loved the cruise ship setting and the additional aspect of the husbands in the story. The old phrase, 'keep your friends close and enemies closer' was very key to this book! Great quick read and though I did guess some of the reasons for what occurred (no spoilers!), there was definitely one part I did not figure out!

Wow wow and wow this was another brilliant read from one of my favourite authors their books just keep getting better and better. I know once I start reading a book by this author that I won’t get anything else done as won’t be able to put it down and this one was no exception.

An engaging page turning read with fabulous can caters and storyline that would make a brilliant summer holiday beach read. I also think this authors books need to be dramatised for tv.

Can’t wait to see what they write next

A fast-paced, suspense-filled thriller that keeps readers hooked from the very first page. The novel centers around Natasha, a woman who believes she's found the perfect life with her rich, charming husband, Daniel. But as they embark on a luxury cruise with their closest friends and spouses, Natasha quickly discovers that her seemingly ideal life may be built on dangerous lies, and the cruise will turn into a deadly game of secrets and betrayal.

I’ve always enjoyed Valerie’s book but unfortunately this book did not remotely feel like her work.

Obviously this is my opinion and I know people have enjoyed it but, I think it was repetitive. I feel like is was a rushed job of a starting out independent author.

I’m giving two stars because I usually enjoy Valerie’s work.

I really enjoyed this book wasn't what I was expecting at all . Was a good read well worth it. A good holiday read .

The synopsis of this book hooked me. A pretty fast read, with A LOT of characters,and secrets to keep track of. This definitely had me guessing and second guessing as to what was going on. I took off 1 star because I felt there was a lack of character development, I didn’t know who I was supposed to like and who I was to be suspicious of. The husband was atrocious, some of the “friends” not worthy of the title … all in all it was a good & satisfying read. Twists I didn’t see coming, secrets that shocked me, and events that made me do a fist-pump in the air. Overall a solid 4 star book.

This is a great psychological thriller.
A cast of weak and amoral characters.
The wives and their husbands. A tale of, friends, lies, and loyalties.
An unputdownable read

I’ve always enjoyed Valerie’s book but unfortunately this book did not remotely feel like her work.

Obviously this is my opinion and I know people have enjoyed it but, I think it was repetitive. I feel like is was a rushed job of a starting out independent author.

I’m giving two stars because I usually enjoy Valerie’s work.

I’m sorry.

Yet again another great read from this author with an unexpected twist you don’t see coming. Natasha and her friends Tracey Ann, Michelle and Barbara had been close since university. Natasha had watched her friends get married and have children and she was the odd one out. Still single and a hard working nurse. When she meets Daniel who is handsome and rich and wants to marry her she thinks she’s finally going to be like her friends. Daniel offers to take them all on a cruise the trip of a life time to make up for the small wedding they had. This close group have a lot of secrets hidden from each other that are about to come to light.

I’ve been dying to read one of Valarie’s books I just hadn’t found the time so I was over the moon to receive this arc! The book follows four friends 3 of which are married and are ““the wives” one is single. Natasha has always been focused on her career but recently she’s fed up. She meets a man and although she doesn’t feel strongly for him he can offer her a certain lifestyle that she thinks she might now want after years of working for the NHS. They quickly get married and she is thrilled to become one of the wives! When Daniel her husband suggests a Cruise with all the wives and their husbands Natasha is happy to get away with her friends. Quickly though things don’t go to plan when one of the wives makes a confession and the bond between the friends starts to unravel!
My heart was in my mouth towards the end of this book, as the events unfolded and things happened it wasn’t what I expected at all! Can’t wait to get stuck in to her whole back catalogue now 🤣
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Release date - 6th November

Do you really know your best friends as well as your husband? Although Natasha knows that she has a lot still to learn about her new husband especially after their whirlwind romance and marriage, she still believes that the friends whom she has known since university, all have her back. However when they are all invited onto an all expenses paid cruise together, the vipers begin to crawl out of their nests ! Plenty of deals going on behind the scenes to a rather naive Natasha, makes them all guilty of wanting her husband dead, but the question is which one has the guts and opportunity to do it. Great descriptive writing of the cruise ship and the destinations and plenty of information to muddy the waters as to who the guilty party is. Oh and also an ending that I didn't see coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC to review.

Well I stayed up until the early hours reading this one, I couldn’t put it down. It is a suspenseful mystery, with cliff hanger chapters making you want to keep reading to find out the secrets that are being kept.

Natasha has three best friends since their uni days, Barbara, Michele and Tracy Ann. The other three have all been married for a long time but Natasha has only recently become a wife herself. Her husband Daniel treats the group of wives and husbands to a seven day cruise, a chance to relax, enjoy the ports they stop at and spend time together as couples. But is Daniel really the Mr Charming as he would like them all to believe?

Set on a cruise ship this is a perfect summer read, or a great winter read to escape the doom and gloom. Murder mystery with scandal and secrets galore to keep you guessing, focusing on the fractured friendships in the group and I must admit I don’t know if I felt more sorry for the wives or the husbands. Great ending too which rounded it all off perfectly.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC.

Wow, what an incredible story! I absolutely loved the locked-door mystery with the cruise as the setting. Valerie is undeniably a talented author. By infusing intense drama along with mystery and intrigue, she really brought this story to life!

A little about the book:

Natasha is over the moon when she meets Daniel. He's rich, handsome, and charming. Soon after they meet, they tie the knot! Natasha believes she's found her happily ever after; her friends not so much.

As if that wasn't wonderful enough, Natasha's excitement reaches new heights when Daniel suggests an all-expenses-paid cruise for her, her friends, and their husbands.

But once the ship sets sail, Natasha discovers Daniel isn't the perfect husband she thought he was.

This thrilling story keeps you hooked! What starts as a dream vacation quickly turns into a dangerous game of deceit and deadly intentions.

I loved the alternating characters' POVs. Also, everyone in the cast becomes a suspect. Towards the end, I thought I figured out what was going to happen but nope! Talk about making my jaw drop, fantastic job, Valerie.

Good friends, lies, deception, and betrayal are the perfect combination in this gripping, unpredictable thriller! Everyone has secrets and some are deadly. What is everyone hiding and could it possibly lead to murder? An exotic cruise is the perfect setting for intrigue, unexpected twists, and an addictive mystery. I loved every wicked minute. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my copy.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.5 stars
A perfect popcorn thriller about four couples on a cruise, where each of them tries to hide a secret | Told from multiple POVs in a single timeline, the story is very fast paced and energetic | From page 1 you know that something bad is going to happen - the anticipation build up is intense | There were several twists, although none of them were completely shocking | This still made an amazing read that I highly recommend to any thriller lover | I will check out Valerie Keogh's other books

This review has been published on IG (@Nadineslovelybooks) and on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book from Valeria Keogh. She never disappoints. Tense and Suspenseful. Recommended.

This psychological thriller is about four friends, Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michele. Natasha was the last one of the group to marry, her husband is wealthy, so when he suggests that all the four couples go on a cruise as his treat, Natasha is pleased. The girls have been talking about going on a cruise for a while, so they all agree, but some more reluctantly than others. When one of the husbands dies during the cruise, friendships and relationships are tested, with secrets and deceptions coming to light.
There are lots of plot twists and turns, and I didn't see the ending coming. A great read. 5 stars.

The Wives is a quick psychological thriller that definitely has some interesting twists and turns. We are introduced to Natasha, Tracy Ann, Michele and Barbara, friends from college, who embark on a cruise to Zanzibar. That should be great, right? Except it seems that everyone has their own secrets and motivations that slowly start to come to light. When one of the husbands ends up dead, there are a lot of unanswered questions.

I think this one was just average for me. It was a fast paced book, and a quick read with an interesting story but it didn’t seem like there was a lot of character development. They weren’t relatable and for “friends” it just didn’t seem to line up. The multiple POV seemed a little disjointed and rushed. There wasn’t really any action until the book was almost over. The twists towards the end had me going, but it was really hard to get into for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for the eARC of The Wives in exchange for an honest review. You can look out for The Wives next week, 06 November 2024.

As always with Valerie Keogh books I felt immediately invested in the secrets and danger, very suspensful read.