Mine by Courtney Cole is a fast-paced, intense thriller with an unfortunately disappointing ending.

From the moment I started reading, I was hooked.  The setup is perfect. Tessa is just settling down to wait out a hurricane when she discovers that her husband is cheating on her.  Instead of falling to pieces, Tessa decides to up the ante by masquerading as her husband and inviting his mistress over to weather the storm.

When Lindsay, the other woman, comes over, things get very interesting.  Mine is a story of how far one woman will go to protect her marriage.

The book’s chapters alternate between Tessa and Lindsay’s points of view.  They build on each other’s stories. Tessa’s story tells things as they happen whereas Lindsay’s focuses on the past.  Both of these viewpoints work well together and make a compelling, unified story.

What’s interesting is that there are no heroes (except for the children).  Each adult is terribly flawed. The husband, of course, is a cheater. Tessa’s need for revenge is insane; however, Lindsay’s stalkerish tendencies can’t be ignored.  Given this, the ending came as a disappointment.

The setup is wonderful.  The stakes are raised after every chapter, and I was expecting a magnificent, shocking ending.  What I got instead was a very low-key ending. Ultimately, there wasn’t any confrontation. Everyone kind of walked away.  Even the storm, which I had thought might play more into the ending, fizzled out.

If the ending had been more climatic, this would have been a great thriller.  Unfortunately, the impact just wasn’t there.

2 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Wow! This book is like a fast rollercoaster ride and each turn is a surprise! I thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced story about a woman and her husband’s mistress.

This is an excellent book for of raw emotions. It keeps you guessing what will happen next between all three main characters.. It is very realistic in the emotions each character portrays. I highly recommend this book.

4.5 Stars
This was so different from Courtney Cole’s other books and I loved it. Tessa’s worst nightmare has happened. She never thought there would be another woman involved in her and her husband’s marriage. She takes matters into her own hand one night when her husband can’t get home from work.

This book was full of surprises and I loved every minute of it! If you are looking for a good read that pulls you in from the beginning look no further.

This book begins rather slowly with the setting of a hurricane heading to Florida and Tessa all alone at home while her husband Ethan is on a business trip in New York City. Tessa has to do everting to get ready for the impending storm, including put up storm shutters. From the beginning, the reader knows that Tessa is intelligent and resourceful because she is not going to let a little thing like a hurricane keep her from enjoying being at home. Then, the unimaginable happens. Tessa picks up Ethan’s IPad to use since she can’t find hers and is blown away by the nude photos and sexually suggestive messages from some woman named Lindsey. Not willing to accept Ethan’s infidelity, Tessa decides to pretend to be her husband and to invite Lindsey over. That’s when the real fun begins! Both are strong-willed women, but Tessa has right on her side. After all, Ethan is her husband. But Lindsey is equally determined to fight for him. This is the story of betrayal and revenge and it isn’t a pretty one, but it is one that definitely entertains. Tessa was a totally sympathetic character, one who was acting out of the rage that she felt inside. The premise of the book is very interesting, and the drama within the pages is well-written and fast-paced. Told from the perspective of both women, this story tells itself and is not to be missed by fans of thrillers.

After reading the blurb for MINE, I was immediately intrigued. This book had me addicted from the start. The emotion acted out on the audiobook was amazing. I didn’t want to shut it off. You can’t help but feel everything Tessa is feeling. I constantly fought a war with myself because I wanted to jump ahead so bad. The anticipation of what was to come was that great. All in all I was glad I didn’t. When I started I couldn’t fathom where this story would go and could never predict where they’d end up.

"One bad decision shouldn't justify another."

W.T.H.

Tessa discovers that her husband is cheating on her, when he leaves his ipad home while on a business trip. Does she wait to confront her husband or confront the mistress? She takes the crazy route and cons the mistress into coming to her house. What happens afterwards, changes both women forever.

I was so mad at Lindsey for most of the book. The things she said and how she acted, it was completely frustrating to the reader. But this is the sort of thing that makes for a great read. It brought out a multitude of emotions in the reader. You felt everything right along with Tessa, as she peeled back the layers of her husbands infidelity.

'Mine' flips back and forth between Tessa and Lindsey's POV. You get to see Lindsey's motive and how she came to be with a married man. As the stories connect, you realize just how much Tessa's husband lied to her. I couldn't read it fast enough. I needed to put all the pieces together.

There are no winners in the story like this. There are only lessons to be learned. This is a must read.

This will make for a good summer read, fast pace with a lot happening between the wife and mistress, I definitely would not want to be on Tessa’s bad side. Would like to have read more about the wife and husband face to face final confrontation.

What an amazing story! Hooked me in from the very beginning and difficult to not cheer on what Tessa has decided on. In the end, difficult to keep hating Lindsey for her part. I wish that more could have been said about the situation with Ethan, however. I good read.

Even though it took me a long time to read it, it was a very fast read. The topic is not a pleasant one, but it grabbed me, and I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next. The ending was sufficient, but I was semi=disappointed that there wasn't more.

Thank you Gallery Books for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 Stars

I love EVERYTHING Courtney Cole writes! This is no different. I loved the alternating perspectives, I loved both Tessa and Lindsey. Both women were incredibly different, and so well written. I loved Tessa, so loyal, and strong, and a fighter for her children. Lindsey, was young, arrogant, and selfish. She took no ones feelings into regards, but her own. Lindsey has someone in her life, that is not mentioned in the synopsis, so I won’t mention it here, but that character and how she treats them, really makes me dislike everything about her.

However, there is a shift in the tides, and and something forces these women to work together. When the dust settles, things become clear, and secrets are unravelled. Just such a great book, and addicting read. Once I started, I just could not put it down!

Mine was a great novel up until the end. I was very unsatisfied with how it ended. There was no confrontation between Tessa and her husband, or even Lindsay and the husband. I was really hoping for something more, but then Tessa pays Lindsay money and that’s it.

"She tried to take what was mine."

"Lindsay stares at me, doe-eyed. In this moment, she almost looks like a child. A <b>conniving</b> child, but a child nonetheless. She thought she had so much power, sneaking around to steal my husband. She had no idea who she was dealing with."

********
Yikes! There's nothing like a woman scorned!
Two women, one man. Put a wife and a mistress alone together, trapped in the same house during a category four hurricane
and what do you get? The perfect storm!

I'm not quite sure how to review Mine by Courtney Cole. It was interesting. Very interesting, indeed! I'm also not sure what I expected but this wasn't it. That's not a bad thing, though. It's a definite twist to the wife meets mistress theme, and I did actually enjoy it even if I was a little reluctant about it at first. I figured it would end the way it did but it was definitely worth reading.

With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Courtney Cole for this advanced digital copy to read and review.

This book was listed under mystery and thrillers but I’m not sure I would classify it that way. The women’s fiction genre was the more accurate description. During a hurricane, Tessa is home alone and grabs her husband’s iPad to do some work from home. She sees nude photos sent to her husband and sees red. From here, I’m not sure exactly what I had expected, but it definitely wasn’t what I read. The book switches between two point of views, Tessa and Lindsey. Those point of views could be past or present. There wasn’t anything to label it that way but it was obvious a few sentences in which time you were reading. Tessa’s story was mostly told in the present, noting how she felt as she realized the man she was married to wasn’t at all what she thought. Lindsey’s story is told little by little in the past until they reach the present. I found this intriguing and it built the story nicely. I only give this book 3 stars because being listed as thriller, I expected a lot more ‘action’ and more edge of the seat type storyline. What I got was more of a slow burn that had a few ‘suspenseful’ moments. I did want to keep reading because I just had to know what happened next. It felt like it was kind of just abruptly ended after such detail throughout the book. I was left with so many questions. I would recommend this book but I would describe it as a drama.

Tessa Taylor has it all-a handsome husband, 3 wonderful kids, a beautiful home and a successful makeup business. Waiting for her husband Ethan to arrive home from a business trip for a weekend alone, Tessa unlocks Ethan's iPad to discover nude photos of a blonde bombshell named Lindsey, and her perfect life crumbles. Tessa wants answers immediately but with Ethan in a meeting and cellular service spotty due to a rapidly approaching hurricane, she takes matters into her own hands. What follows is a story of revenge told in the alternating viewpoints of Tessa and Lindsey. While the story is eminently readable I found the whole premise a little contrived, but then I have never been in this position so who knows how I might act. The women reach an understanding but the ending is a little unsatisfying. I would like to have seen them confront Ethan and perhaps beat the tar out of him. I am not sure enjoy is the proper word here but I found this book to be an interesting study of human nature in the midst of crises both internal and external. I hope to read more by Ms Cole. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

While raising three children, one with a serious medical condition and starting a very successful cosmetic company, Tessa thought her marriage to Ethan was rock solid. But, she discovers he has been having an affair. Using subterfuge, she lures Ethan’s mistress, Lindsey, to her home while a hurricane rages outside. Both women behave shockingly as more and ore secrets are revealed.

Told in alternating viewpoints of the two women, I have mixed feelings about this book. As a longtime Florida resident, I found the implausibility of the beginning of the book disconcerting. Storms don’t come in that quickly. Even if Tessa was too busy to watch the news, potential storms are a big deal in Florida and talked about for days before landfall. If the family is so wealthy and the house has so many windows, why isn’t there someone they hire on a regular basis to help prepare for storms? And, where are there bluffs overlooking the ocean in Florida? Dunes maybe, but bluffs?

From that point on, I felt a lot of the book to be a bit unbelievable and, spoiler alert, the ending leaves some things unresolved. Yet, it was a fast, engrossing read….or perhaps I read it quickly to just get through it…….

Excellent story! It’s full of surprises and moves right along.
Recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers involving mistresses.

Tessa is preparing the house for a hurricane, fuming that her husband's business trip has been extended and that the romantic night she had planned for the two of them won't happen. Her annoyance turns to fury when she turns on his ipad and sees the naked pictures of his twenty-six-year-old mistress.



Almost immediately, Tessa decides to deal with the situation. She can't reach her husband, but she can lure the other woman to her home for a confrontation. This one is fast paced and over the top, not something that I think could ever happen in real life but it certainly made for an entertaining read.

Tessa is driving her children Connor, 18, and Ava, 15, to Atlanta for their annual 3-week visit with their grandparents. Her third child, Colt, is doing an internship for the summer.

Tessa’s husband, Ethan, is supposed to return tonight from a business trip to New York, and she needs to get back to her home in Florida. Tessa runs her own successful cosmetic business which means she travels a lot, as well as Ethan who is a successful architect.

On the way home, she hears on the radio that a storm heading her way has quickly turned into Hurricane Fiona. That’s when Ethan calls to say he is delayed in New York for another night. Arriving at home, Tessa quickly closes all the storm shutters and gathers together some candles should she lose electricity. Her daughter, Ava, inadvertently took her Mom’s iPad with her so Tessa grabs Ethan’s to keep up with the news. There, she sees texts from a woman named Lindsey who is obviously having an affair with Ethan. Furious, Tessa plots revenge. She texts Lindsey posing as Ethan and invites her to their home for some kinky sex.

What happens after that is a night readers will never forget. Whew. This was pretty intense and quite good. However, in my opinion, NO man is worth that. Kick the jerk to the curb. This is a good book. Enjoy!

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

Mine by Courtney Cole seemed to be a bit of a drama filled thriller in which there’s not a ton of guessing or twists galore but a flat out intense ride all the way. The story is told by switching the point of view back and forth between the two main characters, Tessa and Lindsay.

Tessa had some huge plans for her and her husband for the weekend while her children were going to be away but of course things do not go as planned. First, as Tessa is rushing home to beat a huge storm that is moving in she finds her husband isn’t even on the way but instead she will be alone as most have even evacuated.

Just as she thinks things can’t get any worse than her romantic weekend up in smoke Tessa picks up her husband’s Ipad when she can’t find her own only to realize he has been cheating on her. With the mystery mistress texting Tessa pretends to be her husband and invites her over.

As many other’s have mentioned already… Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…that is what you find in this book. The author mentions that this book came about from her own trying time in her marriage so this is like her version of therapy and I, for one, was thankful she shared it with us and it’s definitely a suspenseful page turner.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.