There is no limit to the lies, suspicion, and secrets that can poison the perfect marriage in this twisting novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

After Reading The Favorite Daughter, I put this author on my radar and have been waiting patiently, well maybe not so patiently, for this book!!

It’s a big day at EventCo when the company that John and Kate, his first wife, started many years ago goes public on the Stock Market. But Kate, and their only child Ashlyn, are seething because Tish, his 2nd and much younger wife, is trying to move into the spotlight.

John has been under a lot of stress with the company going public so Tish plans what was going to be a romantic getaway weekend. Another reason to take John away is that she is getting feelings that Kate and John might be having thoughts of reconciliation. But John never makes it home. Did he have a heart attack from all the stress or was it murder?

Now the 3 Nelson women are battling it out as to who has complete control over the company. Is it Tish, who they think is a gold digger? Or is it Kate, the first wife who helped built this company and wants revenge on how John humiliated her? Or is it Ashlyn, the only heir apparent, who has been spoiled from her birth 21 years ago?

This was a quick read because I just kept turning the pages to see what the outcome was going to be. The characters were believable. It was a read that transports the reader into the story.

I knew, or at least thought I thought I did, from that fateful day that John died, who was behind everything and fighting to get everything. WRONG!!!! And then the ending that blew me away!!!!

A chilling read that was gripping from the first page to the last.

The reason for not a full 5 stars was for 2 reasons. 1. I felt that some things were repetitive and 2. The ending left me with unanswered questions. Does that mean a sequel?

Either way, I will be once again in waiting mode for Ms. Rouda’s next novel.

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Mia covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She hated the dark, but her mother had made her promise. But what was the point of being a good little girl if she couldn’t help her mother? She’d promised her mother not to scream, but she hadn’t promised not to escape…

To the world, Mia Thornton is invisible—a quiet, timid preschool teacher. People would never guess that she found the will to dig her way out of a locked shed when she was just six years old. That she never saw her mother again.

Now, all Mia longs for is a normal life and friends to call her own. But when she runs into a group of colleagues one evening, she discovers that, once again, she’s been excluded. Stung at the rejection, she pockets the keys of one of the women in a petty act of revenge. Celeste Cooper is fearless, pretty, popular—everything Mia wishes she could be.

The next day, Celeste is reported missing. And Mia realizes that it might have been her fault. Wracked with guilt, she joins the search, determined to make up for her mistake. But as she grows closer to Celeste’s family, Mia can’t help but feel she’s being watched…

What if Celeste’s disappearance has more to do with Mia than she realizes? And if she keeps digging, does she risk being dragged back into the dark forever?

Prepare to be gripped by the pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Carey Baldwin. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to Her First Mistake.

Caveat: It’s been some time since I read a Carey Baldwin book and when I saw that her newest book, a psychological thriller, I was so excited and preordered a Kindle copy. But then, I saw that it was available for request as an eARC on NetGalley and I did because sometimes patience isn’t one of my virtues. Am I glad I did?

Since the synopsis concisely describes the story, I’m not going to reiterate except to say that Mia’s first mistake of taking Celeste’s keys, sets in motion a chain of events of lies in which Mia finds herself and deepens as the story progresses, but will state how I felt reading this book.

Even though it may look like that it took many days to read it, it has nothing to do with the story and suspense of the book. It was due to adulting responsibilities. But also with this book, I did something I haven’t done in quite a while and that is read into the early hours of the morning until I finished it because I just HAD to find out how this was going to end. Am I glad I lost some hours of sleep? Absolutely!!!

The author’s writing style transported me directly into the story. I felt that I could visualize every single page of the story and feel each of the characters’ emotions. The suspense started on page 1 and continued to the intense ending. An ending that I had to process after reading the last word.

A thrilling page-turner that captivates the reader and doesn’t let go!!!

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“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.”

So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

After seeing so many posts about this book that I decided to give it a shot. However, I am sometimes skeptical when I see a lot of hype about a book because in the past, unfortunately, I have been disappointed. Was I this time? Especially since, over the past year or so, the majority of my reading has been psychological thrillers, and with this being a debut, could it stand up to those that I have read before it.

The Pine family has become famous, not only in their home state but nationally due to a documentary, whereas the oldest son, Danny, was convicted for the murder of a local girl. His father, Evan, vowed that he would prove that Danny was innocent. On another tip, the family travel to Mexico to chase it down. However, Evan, mother Liv, daughter, Maggie, and youngest son Tommy never make it back alive. Matt, the 2nd oldest son, and Danny are the sole survivors and now there are rumors that they killed the family for the inheritance. Was it foul play or was it a tragic accident as the Mexican officials claimed it was?

I was hooked from that first sentence, “They found the bodies on a Tuesday.”.

The plot was intricately weaved and interweaved where the story was told by different members of the family and alternating between the before and after of the Mexican tragedy. The narrative was so expertly written that I was transported into the story. The characters were believable and three-dimensional. The suspense was intense and profound with no letup. So many twists and turns, and just when I thought I might be onto something, the story veered again.

An extraordinary debut novel that blew me away! A dynamic and captivating read!!! I suggest putting this author on your radar! I can’t wait to see what he has in store next!!!

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Best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent’s nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak. Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb? They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community. With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.

This was the first book that I read by this author but it won’t be the last.

Kendra, Lindsey, and Dani have been friends for 30 years and now living in close proximity of the other. They were thrilled that their 16-year-old sons are also friends and hang out all the time, playing sports, and going to school together. But will their friendship survive after a horrific tragedy that is every mother’s worst fear?

These three families are not only going through every parent’s nightmare but they find during this time that there are many secrets within their own families with themselves and their other children. But can they face those head-on while trying to accept what happened that night?

As a mother of 2, now adult sons, this story was heartbreaking. I tried putting myself in the shoes of each of the women to see if I would react in the same way and I still can’t answer that question. This story is so realistic, and unfortunately, happens every day to families. A tale that will pull on your heartstrings. I suggest having tissue close by since you will feel the emotions of each of the characters in this book. A story that will stay with me for a very long time.

Highly recommend!

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Emma loves her life. She’s the mother of a precocious kindergartener, married to her soulmate—a loyal and loving police detective—and has a rewarding career as a doctor at the local hospital.

But everything comes crashing down when her son, Josh, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Determined to save him, Emma makes the risky decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment he needs. But when somebody ends up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, her own husband leading the chase. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Emma is dragged into the dark world of drugs, lies, and murder. Will the truth catch up to her before she can save Josh?

We all have those authors that we patiently wait for their next book and Christina McDonald is one of those authors for me. After reading one of her previous books, The Night Olivia Fell I became a fan. I then read Behind Every Lie, and I was hooked. And she didn’t disappoint with Do No Harm.

An author once told me that if you weren’t pulled into a story within the first 20 or so pages, the odds were low that the book would keep your interest, and the author hadn’t done his/her job. Ms. McDonald definitely did her job since I knew after the first 2 pages that this book would be a page-turner.

One phrase kept coming up in the book and it was “the end justifies the means”, or does it? I’ll let you know.

Emma, a physician married to the love of her life, Nate, a police detective, and their beautiful 5-year-old son, Josh, had the perfect family. After losing both her parents in a horrific car accident when she was 8, she now had the ideal life she always wanted. Until that fateful day that Josh was diagnosed with an aggressive case of acute myeloid leukemia. The prognosis wasn’t good unless they tried a new treatment that needed to be started immediately. But their insurance only covered a minimum of what it would cost for this treatment and the rest, over $500 thousand plus, would be out of pocket. Both Emma and Nate knew they had to come up with a plan. Nate was hoping that if he took on a new case, one to find out who was bringing opioids and Fentynal into their community, he would get a promotion. But Emma knew that plan of action would take too long. So she risked everything. Her marriage, her career, and her integrity but didn’t the end justify the means, which was saving Josh?

She starts down a very dark path of selling drugs, stealing, and forging her co-workers’ prescription pads. It would only be for a short period of time, at least that’s what she thought. But then bodies start piling up and her past also catches up with her.

The suspense was heart-pounding. The setting and the characters appeared to be so real that I was pulled into and transported into the story that I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. When there was a scene where she was in danger, my breathing increased and the pages turning faster and faster. I was so afraid for her safety, even though I knew what she was doing was hurting people. When she was hurting emotionally, my heart went out to her. But didn’t the end justify the means?

The ending!!! The ending blindsided me!!!! An emotional, yet bone-chilling conclusion!!

Did the end justify the means in this story? The jury is still out on that one.

This is a novel that will be staying with me for a very long time. Highly recommend!!!

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Attorney Olivia Sinclair is shocked when she receives an anonymous video showing her husband Richard sleeping with someone else. After years of handling other people’s divorces, she thought she could recognise a marriage in trouble.

She angrily throws Richard out of the home they share. But days later she’s arrested—for the murder of his mistress.

Olivia knows she’s innocent but, with all the evidence pointing at her and an obvious motive, she must find the real killer to clear her name.

She may be used to dealing with messy divorces, but this one will be her most difficult case yet. Olivia’s husband has already betrayed her—but would he set her up for murder?

I had seen many posts about this book on FB groups I belong to, and seeing it was a thriller, I requested it. I did not know at the time that this was the debut novel of this genre and that the author has written other books, which I have to admit, I have not read.

From the start of the book, I was hooked. The writing was smooth, which I enjoyed. The suspense was constant and captivating. It definitely was a thrilling read.

However, and this could be that for the past year or so, thrillers are all that I have read that I figured out the who and why very early in the book. If my memory serves me correctly, in the past I read another book with a plot very similar to this one, which is another reason why I might have figured it out.

Would I recommend it, yes!!!! And I will be looking up this author’s other books because I did really enjoy her writing style.

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A woman disappears into the dark city night…

Gen is on the verge of a divorce from her cheating husband. When her sister, Meg, has a convention to attend in the Big Apple, she invites Gen along to celebrate her newly found freedom. But the perfect sisters’ getaway quickly goes awry when a tipsy Gen defiantly throws her wedding ring off the hotel room’s balcony. Then, wanting some fresh air, she decides to take a late-evening walk alone and vanishes without a trace.

The investigation that follows uncovers secrets–and betrayals–between sisters and spouses that will twist the truth in on itself until nothing is clear.

What really happened to Gen and who, besides Meg, was the last to see her?

Dr. Meghan Harris has invited her sister, Genevieve Thibault and who considers each other’s best friend, for a NY weekend away to lift Gen’s spirits because she is going through a very tumultuous divorce from her husband Thad due to his infidelity after 10 years of marriage.

On the first night in NY, after the sisters go out to eat and end up having a few too many drinks, they return to the hotel. Meghan asks Gen why she is still wearing her very extravagant wedding band after all these months. Gen decides it’s time to take it off and walks out onto the balcony and throws it off. At this point, she tells Meg that she just needs to be alone and get some air. That’s the last time she is seen.

This is the first book that I have read by this author but it surely won’t be the last.

The story alternates between Gen and Meg, with the then and now.

The writing and storyline were solid. The suspense was unremitting and substantial that it had me glued to every word.

There were so many OMGs!! I didn’t see that coming throughout the book.

My explanation as to why I didn’t give it a full 5 stars was for 2 reasons. Approximately a little over halfway through I did figure out who had kidnapped Gen. Even so, I kept on reading because I felt that there had to be more to this story and I had to know the whys. And it was then that many of the OMGs!!! started. The other reason, which probably wouldn’t bother another reader, but for me, I found annoying was the use of the word mercurial too many times.

Even with that, I will be putting this “new to me” author on my “authors to read” list.

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Mackenzie, Robin, and Lily have been inseparable forever, sharing life’s ups and downs and growing even closer as the years have gone by. They know everything about each other. Or so they believe.

Nothing could come between these three best friends . . .

Except for a betrayal.

Nothing could turn them against each other . . .

Except for a terrible past mistake.

Nothing could tear them apart . . .

Except for murder.

Twenty years ago while at college a friendship formed where Mackenzie, Robin, and Lily vowed to be forever bound, through life and love, through thick and thin, until that day when death will win. pg. 14

They thought that they knew everything about each other but that wasn’t the case. Each of them was broken and hiding secrets that could destroy the bond that they created in college. Could they come clean? Would they finally tell all? Would the friendship survive? Lies, betrayals, abuse, addiction, and even murder, will test this friendship.

I was hooked with the first chapter. I connected with the characters even though they all had flaws, some more than others. The writing flowed and the pages kept turning with the suspense. What I enjoyed the most was the dynamics between the three women and their loyalty, even through the toughest times. I did figure out some of the aspects in the story but there were others that totally surprised me.

This was the first book I read by this author and looking forward to future works.

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