Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book is seriously a whirlwind of emotions.
It’s written from three point of views after the murder of Margaux.
This book is told from Jessica, Kirsten, and Margaux’s point of view before she is murdered.
Jessica is a firefighter who is trying to get to the bottom of Margaux’s murder. She’s involved with a detective, Decker, as well as a man named Jack Wyatt. Kirsten’s husband, Ian Holloway, is a prominent attorney. He seems to have ties to a popular sex club called Aquasphere Underground. Margaux happened to work at this same club. After encountering Margaux at Ian’s cousins wedding, Kirsten feels that Ian May have more to do with Margaux’s murder than he’s letting on.
This book goes between the three points of view to craft a murder mystery that isn’t quite solved until the last page.

Nothing is what it seems in Third Party as we learn of Margaux's apparent suicide. There are enough twists and turns in this novel to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

This book was good, but I felt it was too predictable at times. The characters were stiff in some parts, and also it was obvious what was going to happen after the first half of the book. However, I really liked the duel view of the characters.

This was an interesting if ultimately predictable story. I was able to guess the twist about 1/2 - 2/3 of the way through. Nonetheless, the writing was thoughtful and pacing was even. The characters had moderate depth and ranged from sympathetic to completely unlikable.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride! There were twists, there was suspense, and there are two strong female leads. Margaux's part in the story alone was captivating, but add in the mystery surrounding her death, and although I wouldn't consider her a lead character, she definitely is revealed to be a strong woman. Nothing in this story is simple, but it isn't overly complicated either. I absolutely couldn't put this down, and I'd love to meet up with Jessica and Kirsten for a coffee and get to know them better!

I couldn't put this one down! Lots of twists and turns, leading up to the big reveal. I was hooked to find out who the third party was and I was surprised at the ending. Great twist!

I love a psychological thriller and damn, does this book deliver! Amazing twists, fantastic characters and strong writing has you hooked on this book from start to finish. 4 stars..

Well written, interesting and captivating mystery.
Well developed storyline, good characters, story is full of twists and turns.
Not boring!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting mystery with a lot of twists an turns. I like that you got a lot of points of view - so you were with the wife, the last few days with the victim, and then also with a female detective. I thought they all balanced out the story and I liked that you got to see the various characters from each person's POV.

The subject was a bit twisted and more than I thought it would be. I didn't mind the adult themes but was just surprised - clearly I didn't read the synopsis or other reviews well enough to know what I was getting in to. But the subject felt new and taboo and I found it fascinating as each person juggled the information in their life.

Interesting story, well flushed out and a good mystery.

Third Party by Brandi Reeds is seriously twisted story full of mystery, murder, secret identities, and abuse. My first by this author, this one is a compulsively readable, rather shocking tale.

The apparent suicide of a beautiful aspiring law student unites two strangers, connected only by their tangled suspicions: that nothing about Margaux Stritch’s tragic end is what it looks like.

Firefighter Jessica Blythe is doing well in the male-dominated Chicago Fire Department whilst in the throes of a complicated relationship with Detective Decker. A first responder to the crime scene, Jessica has a professional duty to Margaux. Kirsten Holloway is a wife and mother, getting herself together after an emotional breakdown however, her husband’s infidelity has left her in a terrible place full of mistrust and fear. Her curiosity about Margaux’s death has become very personal as she suspects that her husband might have been having an affair with Margaux. Two women are about to converge on a trail of blackmail, secrets, troubled pasts, and hidden shadows, but they’re not the only ones stepping into the dark. Someone else is following, but is it to warn Jessica and Kirsten, or to direct them both into an evil nightmare?

The story was told primarily from three women’s perspectives -Jessica, Kirsten, and Margaux - one in the past and two in the present, I found myself gravitating toward Jessica the most as an interesting, complex, troubled character and it was a journey to get to know her.

From the first page, there was so much happening in this hard-hitting story! There was abundant depth to Brandi Reeds' writing which kept me hooked throughout. The author really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.

The plot was great and moved along at a really comfortable pace and I was very happy with the author’s general writing-style. The main focus brought incredibly good entanglement to this mystery, before hurtling towards the surprising denouement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story and I will be checking out this author's novel - Trespassing - as well as looking out for her next one. All in all, this is cracking read for anyone who has a preference for brilliant suspense thrillers.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so there's really no way to review this book without going into some spoilers, so if you're going to read it (and you should) you might not wanna go much further. The story starts with the suicide of a young college student. It is told in alternating chapters between the dead girl (Margaux), the firefighter who cut her down (Jessica), and Kirstie, the wife of a man with an interesting connection to the other two women. I am actually a really big fan of the alternating POVs and I think this added a bit more to the story than had we been told just through one of their perspectives.

I HATED Ian/Arlon/Jack whatever his name was supposed to be. I know we were supposed to, but between his need to gaslight everyone around him, his cheating ways, and his smug attitude I didn't feel a bit sorry for him at the end of the book. He might not have committed a murder, but he was a rapist, and let's be real-- as a white man in America if they had decided to ban together and report him for rape and abuse, he would have gotten off anyway, because #patriarchy. I knew that he was going to get his comeuppance, but when he decided to throw his own child into his hole of lies I couldn't deal.

TW: This book deals with a lot of BDSM/auto erotic asphyxiation, rape, and abuse. It was by no means an EASY read, but if you can stomach it, it was a very good one. I finished this book in one day because I had to know how it ended. I couldn't put it down. I did notice a few typos within the text, and some word spacing that was a little bit off, but now that the book has been published I'm sure that those issues have been fixed by now. I can see why it didn't get a ton of hype, given the topics covered; it's not one that you can read and forget about, but for me, it was a compelling read that I will recommend to some of my friends and other patrons that I know can handle it.

Wow! What a thrilling, twisted read, that’s sure to keep you reading way past bed time! Well written, characters are developed in an amazing manner, fast paced, and entwines mystery with thrills to keep the reader on high alert and guessing non stop. I highly recommend!
Will make sure I buzz, buzz, buzz it up!

A seriously twisted story full of mystery, secret identities, abuse and murder, this one is a compulsively readable story.

Told primarily from three women’s perspectives, one in the past and two in the present, I found myself gravitating toward Jessica the most. She seemed the most complex and had the most interesting character build of the three. While the responsible party wasn’t hard to guess and the different identities exposed what with the limited cast of characters, I still enjoyed the journey to the conclusion.

I did feel like there were these moments of rah rah girl power that felt too over the top. I get the message but a bit more subtlety would’ve benefited it.

Overall an enjoyable read, 3.5 stars and thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seriously twisted! For once I didn’t read too much about a book before going in. Brandi Reed’s latest thriller Third Party is daring and uninhibited, exploring a very twisted web of secrets, lies, and betrayal. What a ride! By about one third through, I couldn’t put the book down. A twisted thriller with some expert reveals!

The suspicious suicide of aspiring law student Margaux leads to questions about her death. When firefighter Jessica is on the scene with her fling Detective Decker, she begins to realize there is more to Margaux's death than meets the eye, and she investigates. This leads her to meet Kristen, a wife and mother who just discovered evidence her husband may have been having an affair with none other than Margaux. As the two women work to discover what happened, a third party becomes involved. The third party seems to know exactly what happened, but is this person friend or foe?

Jessica was a great character, torn between her desire for bad-boy Decker and her blossoming relationship with financial analyst Jack. In the opposite of how magnetic her attraction to Decker is, her relationship with Jack is slower and much more normal and healthy. But most of us can’t resist a bad boy, amirite??

The death of Margaux leads Jessica to meet Kristen Holloway, a wife and stay at home mother who married her high school sweetheart. When Kristen finds a pair of red panties in the pocket of her husband’s sportscoat when she is taking in his dry cleaning, her world crashes around her. I loved Kristen. She’s not the docile woman you would think she is. Kristen confronts her husband and remains skeptical of his attempts to explain away the underwear. She saw her husband talking to Margaux at his cousin’s wedding not long before her death. Was her husband having an affair with Margaux?

We also see flashbacks into Margaux’s life in the months leading up to her death. Margaux has a very twisted tale! Margaux got taken advantage of and her trust was spent, leaving her unable to afford law school without a job. She ends up working at an underground sex club called the Aquasphere. I enjoyed the way Reeds wrote Margaux’s chapters. Because she was dead in the present but alive in her chapters, I felt I could never fully get a handle on Margaux. Her story is tragic and engaging. I was shocked and horrified by some of the things in her life, but I’ll leave those to you to discover!

Three women with very different lives are entangled by this series of events. And of course, there is another person. A third party. This person seems to know exactly who all of the players are and what happened to Margaux, and who seems to have an ulterior motive. I was so fascinated to find out what the deal with the third party was, and I wasn’t disappointed!

I thought the resounding theme of this book was actually about feminism and how women are treated. Jessica, Kristen, and Margaux all have complicated relationships with the men in their lives. I thought all three women were so strong, and there was a tone to the novel that the abused, the taken advantage of, and the victims still have a way out, through the power of women.

I really enjoyed this book! It was gripping and had a great message. I loved the author note at the end. That said, there is some very sensitive content. I loved this, but I don’t think it will be for every reader!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Amazon for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Well, this was a reall,y riveting story with three different women, told in their alternating views and I thoroughly enjoyed - it certainly held my attention through to the very end. I haven't read Brandi Reeds before but I will definitely look up her past work.. Strong female characters, unexpected twists and turns and a great plot. Recommended for all lovers of psychological thrillers.

I love a good thriller. I love a book that keeps me wanting more. That keeps me in suspense. That makes me guess all the way to the end. One that I think I know but then find out it’s not exactly what I really thought. This is such a book in many ways.
One man with way to many secrets. Three names he uses. His real name and then the two he uses to fool other women or coax them into his bed. A very sick man who loves having complete control over a woman. Not just in life but especially in the bedroom. He loves bringing them to deaths door before stopping. Just stopping short of killing a woman. It is what drives him. Gets him going. Makes him feel powerful. One such girl is very young. He daughter’s age actually. She’s already had a lifetime of abuse and now when she thinks she is being loved, she finds out it’s all a lie and she is being used again.
A wife, Kirsten, who has dedicated her entire life to her family. Her husband, daughter and son. She’s always done the right thing. Been a dutiful wife. Obedient and loyal to a fault. Raised their two children and gave up her hopes of ever going to college. Of ever having a job or a life. All the while her husband is abusing her love for him too.
Margaux was just a child when she lost her entire family in a terrible wreck. She was adopted by an older couple who wanted her to call them grandparents. Strange in my opinion. Richard/granddad is a pervert from the start. I truly hated him with a passion. I felt so bad for Margaux. I felt bad for her through this whole book. She never stood a chance. Helen/grandmother was not good to her. So of course she turned to an older man, Arlon, trying to find love. He loved doing things to her that were not right. She felt like he was proving he loved her though.
Jessica is a firefighter who is on the scene where Margaux is found hanging. She has to cut her down and it leaves her feeling like justice certainly has to be served in this case. Was it suicide or murder. If it was murder who did it and why. Will an innocent man go to prison for murder or will someone who treats women as next to nothing get just what he deserves?
I loved how this book played out. I loved how Kirsten handled herself in this story. I actually loved how all the women finally banded together. They wanted to make sure justice was served and to show solidarity between women.
There are some very intense scenes in this book that will possibly make you feel uncomfortable or maybe not. There are things that happen that will possibly make you cringe. Things that happen to a young woman who should have had her whole life ahead of her. Things that were stolen from her that should not have happened. She should have been protected.... She only wanted to be loved.
A wife who finally sees that she deserved way more. Finally sees through open eyes that she’s been living a lie. Who will go to great lengths finally to protect her children. Who will not under any circumstances allow her son to be framed for something he did not do. A firefighter who finally faces her past and finds the love she really wants with the man she really loves.
This book was very well written. Some characters are so well loved while a couple will be hated. Things that happened may curl your toes and I don’t mean in a good way either. They will make you pause and think. Take deep breaths and wonder how can anyone do these things.
There are a few passages that I’d like to share:
(1) When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving oneself, and one always ends by deceiving others.-Oscar Wilde (I personally disagree with this one)
(2) I’ve spent my whole life waiting for things to begin, and suddenly, everything feels closer to the end than the starting line.
(3) You can smash a vase, apologize to it for breaking it, and you can even glue it back together. Maybe it even holds water again, but no matter what you do, its fractures will always be there. (I could relate to this one)
(4) “It doesn’t matter if you did it or not. You deserve whatever punishment they give you.”
Thank you to #NetGalley and #LakeUnion for this ARC. This is my opinion.
I give this book a huge, very huge, 5 stars and highly recommend it.

3.75 stars

I would love to thank Brandi Reeds, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Go into this book without reading the synopsis!

We have three perspectives going into this book.
First, there is Kirsten Holloway, a wife that thinks her husband might hide something from her, so she goes on a hunt after he denies some things.

Secondly, we follow Jessica Blythe, a firefighter whose complicated relationship with a detective seems to come to an end while she starts dating Jack Wyatt, a great lawyer that seems to really care for her.

And lastly, we have the perspective of Margaux Stritch, a person who died in present time but whom we get to see the past of.

I mostly liked Jessica's perspective, but as the story progressed I started liking Kirsten more because that's what I call a character improvement along the story/book.

So, what exactly is this book about?
Margaux Stritch died hanged. People think she commited suicide, but others think that she was murdered. Decker is a great detective that usually solves anything, including Jessica Blythe in bed. And she really cares about him, but he's usually bailing on her, so she thinks of giving Jack, the guy she dates, a chance.

Meanwhile, as I was saying before, Kirsten and Ian's marriage is on a thin line and he starts acting weird and tries staying far from his wife. She tries solving everything on her own, and that's how her life collides with Jessica's.

The ending is not what I expected. It wasn't extraordinary. Yes, it's a good book.
And after I have read the author's note at the end I understood that this book doesn't focus on the person who done it or how she died (although this is also important; it's a thriller, after all), but it's about a lecture, a thing that happens in real life and the author seems like a really great person who, through her book, shows the entire world that in a situation where you are abused by men or can't get out of a toxic relationship, you can get help and you have to get out because you can lose your years trying to make a man happy, you can lose possibilities, and that is not fair! I consider this book to be in kind of a feminism literature, so if you like/love either thrillers and/or feminism area/subject/etc, I recommend it to you.

Just...don't have expectations. Enjoy the book and the thrill. Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed this book. It was very fast paced and told from multiple perspectives which I appreciate in stories like this.

The mystery did keep me guessing and the ending was surprising. I did not see it coming so I would recommend this book.

4/5

THIRD PARTY is immediately engrossing and held my attention all the way through. It follows Margaux a beautiful, intelligent young woman (who dies at the beginning of the book), Kirsten, a housewife trying to recover from an empty-nest fueled breakdown and Jessica, the firefighter who cut Margaux down from the noose that killed her. Reeds gives a twisty tale in which all three have far more in common than they would ever imagine, and, as the truth is revealed, maybe the only ones who want justice served. While some of the interactions, especially between Kirsten and her husband, don't ring true there is enough right about this novel to overlook these issues. I thoroughly enjoyed it.