This book was verrry slow to get into BUT I am soo glad I stayed with it, excellent!! Very, very good, thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for an early release. I absolutely loved it!!

Susie Lynes never fails to keep you absorbed in her books. Another cracking read that kept me hooked. I loved the characters in this book but often found myself giving them a telling off which I suppose is good in a way. Already recommending this to friends as one of this year's must reads
Brilliant

Having read all of S E Lynes books I was really excited to start this, and I have to admit, everything else on my shelf got bumped to start this..
I am a lover of the genre of abusive/controlling guy marries submissive, downtrodden girl - because you know somewhere down the line they are going to get their comeuppance! This didn’t disappoint - although there were some really unbelievable bits, which lost it a star, it was easy to read and hard to put down.

This book was ok. The main character was annoying and the ending was pretty predictable, but there were good points along the way. Interesting story.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

The Women is a story about the unravelling of lies, the unveiling of a person's true intentions. I was put off at first by the tense of the writing, it just makes it not as smooth to me. But my interest slowly picked up. The writer feeds us drops of information to later reflect on. The second half really picks up and the reveals get bigger and more shocking. The ending wraps things up in a neat bow, tying it all together in a way that makes me happy. I was hoping for a bit more suspense, but this did serve a decent amount of unease and suspicion all around. And I was definitely pleased with the way Samantha grew within the story.

Twenty one year old Samantha falls for a college lecturer and a short time later moves into his home.
He is charming, rich and a intelligent and little bit at a time takes over most aspects of her life.
People try to warn her but Samantha only sees the good in people.
A chilling tale of lies and manipulation that I found hard to put down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chilling tense I was hooked from the opening pages Lovely naive Samantha is swept off her feet by Peter older a Professor at her university a bachelor around town town.From their first date he takes control moves her into his large home takes control of her life their relationship.Samantha is Pete’s and there is where the danger lies& when she starts getting messages from someone who tells her Pete has done this before to another woman the danger starts creeping in.A true page turner an edge of your seat thriller highly recommend.#netgalley #bookoutture

I have just finished this book after not moving all day and read it in one sitting as I was totally hooked in from the start. I have read all of S E Lynes books before and in my opinion she just gets better and better and is an incredible story teller.

This book had me shouting warnings out loud to Samantha whilst she was subtly groomed and gas lighted. I felt so many different emotions and had me gasping out loud along Sam's journey of the truth about her relationship.

It feels as if the author has written this to give a voice to the women who inappropriately carry the shame that never belonged to them. It is a book about the insidious shadow and affects of abuse that impacts women

She has managed to create a story that not only raise awareness but is thriller too and I feel this is one that others will discussing for a while and has been thought provoking for me.

'But we're on your side. And at a certain point, women have to trust each other, don't we? We have to believe each other and we have to look after each other. God knows, the world is against us as it is without us being against each other"

#metoo #findyourvoice #nomoreshame

What a book! The Women is a great story that shows how monsters can be hidden in plain sight.
I found the first half of the book quite slow but it picks up and when it does it will blow your mind, I finished within a couple of hours, it was impossible to put down and I will be looking for more S.E Lynes books!
5 out of 5

Well the wonderfully talented Susie Lynes excels herself once more and produces another stunning read I have read all her books and each time I say the same thing that this is her best yet ..well guess what here I go as yes oh yes this is her best yet !!! Compulsive reading and a storyline that’s very very good and kept me rooting for Samantha all the way through, it’s also very topical as how a women can be manipulated and controlled without really realising just how she is falling into this trap. So I would just say this really is a book not to be missed it’s a sure fire winner and many many thanks to Susie Lynes for one hell of a read !!!
My thanks also to NetGalley and Bookouture for the giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Samantha Frayn meets Professor Peter Bridges at a student affair. That same night they get into his 1985 Porsche and end up at Peter's home. His place is quite nice. They have a glass of wine and he offers her an Ecstasy pill. She is very leery of taking this but he talks her into taking a 1/2 pill. They fall asleep on the couch - no "fooling around". A day or two after, he asks her to move in with him because he is "crazy in love" with her. Samantha is quite impressed with Peter's lectures, money, trips, fine wines and passion. She moves in and finds out that he is controlling. A couple of months later, Sam tells Peter that she is pregnant. he is happy - "marry me, Sam". She is not ready to take this step, particularly since her father had walked out on her mother and she does not want that to happen to her.

After the birth of Emily, Peter tells Sam that he secured a position at the college for her teaching Creative Writing; then, she can complete her Master's Degree the next time she is pregnant. This, he says, as Emily is only one month old. Talk about controlling! Regardless, Sam takes the job and begins finding an extra poem each time she collects papers. These poems are derogatory - particularly towards Peter. Samantha spends most of her time trying to figure out who is sending these messages to her. She knows the contents are not true - regardless, she becomes skeptical of everyone.

I read this in one day!!! What a thriller! Up until the last page the reader is spellbound and kept guessing about everything. Many twists throughout the story - this is one you cannot miss. I HIGHLY recommend to all !

Many, many thanks to Bookouture, S.E. Lynes and NetGalley for a brilliant and captivating read !

S.E Lynes is one of my favourite authors. I have read all her previous books and on arrival I bumped this beauty up to the top of my 'to be read list' and I absolutely loved it! The writing is sublime, intellectual and well researched. The story line flows well and the characters are well drawn.

If you are looking for a well written compelling psychological thriller which you won't be able to put down until you finish it, then look no further.

I predict this will be one of the talked about books of 2019.

Highly recommended!

What a great story!
As most of the times, I go blind in reading new authors and new books as I rarely read the blurb, but I was captivated by the cover and wanted to know what the title stands for.
I don't usually go for an age gap love story but this book is so much more than that and got me reading it in one sitting from the first chapter to the unexpected end.
Being young and inexperienced, you can easily fall in love with a man that offers you all his attention and supports your dreams. Unexpected situations may always make you take decisions that you are not ready or you are not happy with but for the benefit of your future you have to comply with it. But also you have to believe in your strength and find your tribe, find those women friends that have gone through similar situations and trust them with your story and your thoughts because this way the imbalance of power will end sooner and will give women that opportunity to raise future generations with equal powers in every aspect of their lives.
Peter is the perfect candidate for a deceive monster that will show you exactly what many people are refusing to see: not everything you see it’s true and there will always be the double side of a coin. He is taking so much advantage of his financial and intellectual power as he plays the unseen cards exactly as he wants.
Needless to say that I loved everything in this book, from the writing to the growing of the characters and most of all, the powerful message sent to us for more awareness of how one’s the the outside story can be a psychological nightmare in the inside of their homes.
Looking forward to more stories from the author.

***Warning: Review Contains Spoilers***


The Women is my first S.E. Lynes book and my thanks to Netgalley, Ms Lynes and the publisher for gifting me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Peter is a university lecturer, seemingly suave, sophisticated, charming, worldly and handsome. He is adored from near and afar by many of the girl students in the university. On a night out, Samantha is approached by Peter and asked to go for a drink. What ensues is a whirlwind romance where they move in together very shortly afterwards, with Peter declaring his love for her almost immediately. She is swept off her feet. When Samantha moves in with Peter she finds that he is very set in his ways, he likes things done his way, he is covertly bossy (suggesting rather than ordering), suffocating and controlling. As time goes on, Samantha finds that Peter's past is not as cut and dried as he makes out and ghosts from the past have a way of coming back to find you.

Sam is portrayed as naive but to my mind, she is a young girl from a farming community at uni in London, doesn't do drugs, doesn't really drink, doesn't do large crowds, and has one close friend. All very sensible and her worst trait is that she is probably lacking life experience, not unknown at 20. Peter targets her specifically for that reason, knowing she, like lots of other girls in the university, are in awe of and slightly in love with him. She is thrilled to be the object of his attention.

The character of Peter is well drawn out. He is fighting a losing battle against aging, and is desperately trying to hold on to his status of revered, supreme, matinee style idol in the university. In reality, he is a womanising Lothario and that aspect of his character came through clearly.

The second half of the book is much better than the first and moves a lot quicker. Truths unfold about Peter's past which show that he isn't altogether what he has portrayed himself to be and Samantha is forced to covertly take action. However, I didn't get any of the danger signs that Peter was a threat is any way to Samantha or their baby.

I am a bit on the fence with this book. From the blurb I envisioned this to be a story about quite a calculating, menacing figure who intimidates and abusively controls an unsuspecting young girl. To that end, it doesn't quite get there. This is a good domestic thriller though, if falling a little flat on suspense. It is a quick, engaging read that I flew through and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Lyne's books.

An amazing engrossing book with a relatable plot and engaging main character.

We meet the heroine who falls head over heals in love with her middle age lecturer and looking forward to create the perfect family.
The honeymoon is over and the husband's true colors start emerging. But she is still madly in love and refusing to acknowledge all the signs.

What follows is an engrossing and thought provoking study in control, lies and secrecy.
A wonderful and highly recommended read.

Thanks Netgalley, Bookouture, and author S.E. Lynes for a chance to read this wonderful book, looking forward to read more from this highly talented author.

Outstanding domestic psychological thriller! Well written with well developed characters. It's the story of a young university student who falls for a dashing, charismatic professor and the aftermath of that decision. There are thrills and twists along the way culminating in the final betrayal.

I'd like to thank netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book I have been fortunate to receive through netgalley by S.E Lynes and what can I say, she's done it again. Her books are hard to put down, I finished this one in s day just like the other two. The characters are interesting and the plot line kept me engaged, its a real page turner and I can't wait for her next one!

The Women by S.E Lynes 🖤
Thanks @netgalley @susielynes and @bookouture for my ARC
Publication date 22nd May 2019
‘You can tell your story. But someone needs to believe you’. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Wow 😮 just wow. I am for once speechless. I honestly didn’t think Miss Lynes could get any better but Wow. This book is phenomenal, pure genius. S.E Lynes writing is a work of art. It’s dark, foreboding and weirdly humorous at times. The story surrounds Peter and Sam’s relationship, an older man and a much younger vulnerable woman. I felt such a strong sense of unease and discomfort reading this book, again because S.E Lynes is such an incredibly skilled story teller, I’m sure this is how she wants her readers to feel. Please do not be fooled though this is definitely not your typical ‘domestic noir’. It is so much more than that. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I am aware I’m gushing but I’m on a roll so... I can’t recommend this book enough for fans of psychological thrillers. It’s in its own league, like her other books, they will stay with me forever, an absolute classic and beautiful tale. I don’t want to say to much about the storyline as I went in blind. I can only say read this! And everything else by this author. It will change your life. Hands down best book I’ve read this year, highly recommended xxx

Wow... Devoured them a book in one sitting!!! Loved it...Hope this author keeps them coming.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early release of this book.

When Samantha Frayn meets Peter Bridges she is mesmerised by his very being. He is much older than her, as handsome as handsome can be, accomplished, suave and miraculously he falls for her in a big way, despite her low opinion of herself and disbelief. She cannot imagine what he sees in her. She’s young, impressionable, and vulnerable really, lacking self-esteem and confidence: a total nobody who doesn’t fit amongst the gathered student crowd. She is amazed, flattered and quickly falls deeply in love, despite a niggling feeling in the very back of her mind. He sweeps her off her feet that first night, driving her away into the night in his roaring, flashy, sporty car. He lives in a huge, sophisticated house on the hill in Richmond. He has an art collection, a poetry collection and a literary collection worthy of his status as a well-respected university lecturer. He treats her like a princess; he drinks fine wine and eats in fine dining restaurants where he is a revered customer. It’s little wonder that she is awe-stuck.
Almost overnight they are a couple. She moves in and in a flash she is transformed. He brings out the best in her, wants even more for her, instils in her heart her true potential, helps her in every way he can. She had never realised what she could be and it frightens and thrills her in equal measure. She grasps for the stars and it seems as though her wildest daydreams can at last be realised. She becomes more sophisticated, more ambitious. It’s like he has infected her with his ambition for her and she thankfully drinks in his ideas and philosophies, although secretly amazed at what she has become. Sometimes she disagrees with him, but ever grateful for his presence in her life she pushes her doubts aside more often than not. He sulks if she doesn’t fall in with his plans and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.
He helps her prepare for her new part time job and this is when the cracks in their intense relationship begin to appear. He wants her to follow his lesson plans for the adult education classes that his long-time friend had arranged for her. He stays out later and later, he becomes angry more often. He resents her growing independence. He is desperate to marry her, but she will not marry him. That is when she receives an anonymous letter from one of her students, passed on to her in their pile of poetry homework. Of course she had had doubts before but with more and more letters arriving, Samantha makes a decision, one that she hopes will appease Peter, even delight him. But only one person really knows what is really going on and what will happen next is in the lap of the dogs.
I absolutely loved this page turner of a novel and truly believe that this is the best yet from this very talented author. The timeline was very cleverly designed so that it would not give away anything at all, so the resulting sharp twist in the story was totally jaw-dropping. I thought the character development was amazing, facts slowly drip feeding the action and events that made this an enthralling read. I loved the themes explored most of all: friendship, support amongst friends and caring for what happens to them. The chilling manipulation and darkness involved made this a tense and nail-bitingly powerful novel. It will be in my thoughts and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It will surely be among the top novels read and reviewed this year.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. Enormous thanks for my copy, sent in return for an honest review. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. It’s a top-notch read and totally unmissable. It’s a well-deserved 5* review from me and hits my mark of very highly recommended novels.