Nora Holliday makes a spur of the moment choice that has long reaching and life changing consequences. She’s not the type of woman who has an affair, by caught up in the whirlwind of what her life should be like, sends Nora on a bath she may regret forever.
I enjoyed the many layers of this book. It kept me hooked until the end. Highly recommended.

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

This is my first book by Margot Hunt and I enjoyed it. I listened to this one in one day as I just had to find out what was going to happen. The Last Affaire opens with a ghastly murder and we are privy to who the victim was. This had me intrigued right from the start and my curiosity did not fade until the end. It was a very easy story to listen to with some edge of the seat moments. I enjoyed the family drama with both families in the story. It was quite interesting to see how a spousal relationship can break down easily, yet there was still some reason to stay together and not share true feelings. I will say that this story kept me guessing. What was going to happen next? When were the spouses going to find out? Who is the murderer? Again, I thought I had it all figured out, but oh no! That final twist was totally unexpected. I was entertained by this fast paced story. It was an interesting story with some angst, some drama, and some intrigue. The characters and their relationships were unique and interesting and the suspense kept me curious until the very end. If you are looking for an interesting story with some mystery and some suspense, as well as family relationships, then pick this one up. It will definitely entertain you.

A twisted and terrifying family drama in the tradition of Big Little Lies, The Last Affair is a spine-tingling and jaw-dropping thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and reading all through the night.

Nora Holliday is the last woman you would think would have an affair with a married man. However, staying away from Josh Landon had proved absolutely impossible. Josh is everything her alcoholic husband is not and when she had been unable to resist temptation, Nora had given into her feelings for Josh and indulged in an illicit affair that got more and more complicated as time went by. Josh and Nora’s attraction and infatuation has given way to an obsession that simply cannot be denied. However, the longer their affair goes on, the more their feelings for one another escalate. Nora and Josh’s affair will leave a trail of devastated people behind – like Josh’s daughter, Abby.

Abby has just broken up with her boyfriend and she is home from college to recover from her broken heart. She is looking for refuge and a place to lick her wounds and rest and recuperate from her heartbreak. What she isn’t looking for is more scandal, so she is shocked to her very core when she spots her father kissing Nora Holliday. Abby cannot believe that homewrecker Nora is going to destroy her parents’ marriage and ruin all of their lives, so she vows to take her down and do whatever it takes to keep her mother Gwen from getting wind of this sordid affair.

Gwen Landon leads a life most people would envy. The perfect suburban housewife lives the perfect life with her perfect kids in her perfect house. Gwen leads a charmed life all of her friends, neighbors and acquaintances would give their eye teeth for. Until Gwen is found dead. Who would want to kill Gwen Landon? Is her murder connected to her husband’s affair with Nora Holliday? Was Gwen’s life as perfect as everybody thought it was? Or is there something far more sinister going on beneath the surface?

The quiet town of Shoreham used to be an idyllic place to raise a family and bring up your children – it is certainly not the place where housewives are brutally murdered. But as more shocking and sordid secrets are uncovered after the murder of Gwen Landon, one thing is for certain: life in Shoreham is never going to be the same ever again.

Margot Hunt’s The Last Affair is a chilling, compelling and mesmerizing tale about what really goes on behind closed doors and the devastating deceptions and scandalous secrets that lurk behind the perfect smiles of our friends and neighbors. Margot Hunt stirs a pot spiced with lies, obsession, heartbreak and murder and once readers start reading The Last Affair, then putting it down will simply not be an option.

Shocking, unmissable and absolutely unputdownable, domestic noir does not get better than Margot Hunt’s The Last Affair.

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt is a twisty domestic thriller that will grab you from the 1st page and keep you engaged the entire book through. On the opening pages, police are investigating the death of Gwen Landon. The story goes back 6 months in time of two families whose lives become intertwined as a result of an illicit affair between two of the characters. Both families have unhappy marriages, unhappy children and lots of family drama unfolds. Neither families life behind closed doors is the same as they project their public personas. Hunt has written a suspenseful novel from multiple POV's which gives the reader a well rounded picture of what is going on. I think that all the characters in this book are unlikeable as well as unreliable. I did find this book to be a quick read as it was hard to put down. I give this book 4 stars!

As many of us know, domestic thrillers are quite the rage right now. I’ve read some that were outstanding and others that were just ok, but I’ll be completely honest…..even the just ok ones fascinate me!

There is something about taking a peak into the lives of your neighbors and coworkers that just never gets old. You know the whole, the grass is greener situation never ceases to disappoint me.

This book of course is a domestic thriller, but I thought it sounded promising. Torrid affair, perfect suburban family, secrets, lies, and of course murder. I couldn’t wait to start turning the pages of this one!

Summary
Love may be blind, but obsession’s a real killer.Nora Holliday is not that kind of woman. Not the kind who has an illicit affair with a married man. But Josh Landon is everything Nora’s alcoholic husband isn’t. And now she and Josh are so infatuated, they can’t stay away from one another.Abby Landon, Josh’s daughter, is home from college nursing a broken heart. She’s seeking solace, not more scandal, so when she catches her dad kissing Nora, she vows to take the homewrecker down.And as for Abby’s mother and Josh’s wife, Gwen?

To anyone on the outside looking in, the mother of two appears to be living the ideal suburban life.Until she winds up dead.The serene seaside town of Shoreham has always been the perfect place to raise a family–not somewhere housewives are brutally murdered. So who killed Gwen Landon, and how many twisted secrets will be exposed as the vindictive plot comes undone? (summary from Goodreads)

Review
When I started this book, I tried to keep my expectations within reason. As I said, there are so many domestic thrillers out there and not all of them are 5 stars but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable for me. But I still wanted to go into this one with an open mind so I didn’t read any reviews of it before I started.

It was fairly quickly and there were enough plot twists to keep me reading and wondering what the hell was going on with this family. But I also felt like a lot of what I was reading wasn’t anything ground breaking and new. But that was ok with me. I mean there were plenty of unlikeable characters with questionable morals and motives and there was enough drama to keep me glued to the pages, but if you are picking this one up thinking it’s going to be the next ‘Gone Girl’ or something of the like, then you might be disappointed.

I started this one on a weekend night and was so mad because I had to get to sleep somewhat early and after the first couple of chapters I was not ready to just put it down. I wanted to keep reading all the drama and get to know the characters and their intentions. But sadly I did have to book mark it but as soon as I got up in the morning it was the first thing that I thought about and immediately dove back into it over my morning coffee. I really enjoyed this one more than I had anticipated. It wasn’t earth shatteringly different but it was engaging and interesting with enough drama to hold my attention any time I picked it up!

I am looking forward to there being a sequel as I think there is enough left untied to justify another installment.

Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 336 pages
Expected publication: November 26th 2019 by MIRA
ISBN 0778309223 (ISBN13: 9780778309222)
Free review copy provided by publisher, MIRA, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: thriller, domestic thriller

This is the first book that I have ready by this author, I also don’t normally read Mystery/Thriller books. This book was something.
From the first chapter I was sucked into the story needing to know what was going to happen next. As I was reading, I kept thinking who? Who was the one that killed Gwen? I kept trying to figure out if it was Nora or Gwen’s Husband? Or was it someone that I didn’t see coming?
I don’t think that I could have read this book any faster to know who really had done it. This book was amazing, and it was a complete page turner. It could defiantly be turned into a movie.

Margot Hunt writes a hugely engrossing and entertaining début psychological thriller, awash with glorious tropes of lies, obsession, malice, vindictiveness, and harboured secrets. I thought this book had a fascinating synopsis, so I grabbed the opportunity to read it with both hands! I am so pleased I did as there were no disappointments here!

Gwen Landon has everything she could ever wish for - a beautiful family, married to husband Josh, a orthodontist that everyone in town adores, and living in an idealistic seaside town called Shoreham. The picturesque town is peaceful and uneventful until, one day, Gwen is found with her head caved in.

Meanwhile, Abby Landon has dropped out of college, in the midst of her junior year, following a break-up with her boyfriend.

Colin Holliday has a history of gambling and alcoholism. His wife, Nora writes a successful food blog and attends a conference in Tampa. She bumps into Josh Landon at the conference venue whilst he is attending a different event, they have dinner and the two embark on a torrid affair which continues after their return home.

So why does Gwen end up bludgeoned to death and who is the killer?

Margot Hunt delivers an unrestrained story with a compelling blend of marriage toxicity, harboured secrets, terrible lies and underhand scheming. The Last Affair is beautifully plotted, a cracking story and a book I revelled in all the way through. The author did a brilliant job of slowly drawing me into the plot, capturing and commanding my attention with her superbly drawn characters, while adding in clever twists. It brought no let-downs and everything was well-wrapped up in the satisfying and fulfilling finale.

A riveting, stellar and exemplary novel that I'm delighted to recommend.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from HARLEQUIN - MIRA (U.S. and Canada) via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

From the outside, suburbanite Mom, Gwen Landon, seems to have it all. With successful husband, Josh, two children and a Labrador, they are a living example of the picture perfect family. Until Gwen winds up dead, that is, bludgeoned to death in her own backyard with a driveway paving stone.

Nora Holliday also appears to be living in suburban bliss, although behind closed doors, things are a bit darker for Nora. Her husband, once an abusive alcoholic, now in recovery, is challenging to live with and the love and spark is definitely gone. Nora does what she can to try to keep it all together for their children but that type of life can be hard.

When Josh and Nora run into each other at an out of town hotel bar they make a irrevocable and passionate decision that will alter all of their lives.

Full of the domestic drama we all love, glazed with a delightfully devious revenge plot, The Last Affair will keep you vigorously turning the pages until the very end. Once I started down this twisted road of secrets and lies, I could not put it down!

Jumping back and forth between multiple perspectives helped this one to never lose its pace. There were so many secrets, so little honest communication, it was frustrating and amazing all at the same time.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, cleverly plotted domestic drama to help get you through this holiday season, you should definitely consider picking this one up!

I am so happy that I had the opportunity to read this one early. Thank you so much to the publisher, Harlequin -- MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had a lot of fun with this story and am definitely looking forward to Margot Hunt's next novel. I think her writing has grown a lot for this book compared to For Better and Worse so I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

Josh Landon is the man of Nora’s dream. His wife? Maybe her worst nightmare. If you love flawed characters with a bit of murder and mystery…The Last Affair is your book.
Domestic thrillers are my new jam. As a Law & Order expert, a thriller must deliver believable characters, suspense and a twist to knock your socks off.
In the beginning, we meet two detectives at a murder scene. {Don’t worry, this is not a spoiler} Rewind six months earlier – Nora, a married food blogger, is attending a national conference in Orlando and bumps into her children’s dentist Josh, at the hotel bar. A few drinks with great conversation lead to a one-night stand. Then it turns into a torrid love affair when they return home.
The characters and the plot make it great storytelling. A cruel and heartless villain rounds out the many suspects. I would have preferred the story being told back and forth between past and present. The prologue grabbed my attention immediately and I wish it would have been more of a criminal investigation delivering what happen prior to the crime.
One of my favorite things about the book is Gwen Landry’s daughter Abby. I was glued to the story just to see how far she would go to forward her own agenda in the story. I read with so much concentration trying to predict who the killer is. And the ending begs for a sequel. It’s a fast paced whodunit to keep you guessing until the ending.

Now if that prologue didn’t get you interested in the book than I don’t know what will. I really enjoyed the family dynamics showcased in this book and I found the discussion of cheating and love very interesting. The book starts off strong with a look at the beginning of the affair and the emotions were portrayed perfectly. Emotion was a major strong suit of this book and every character portrayed a different type.

I did like the organization of the novel with a flash-forward and then the novel was how they got there. It did take some of the suspense out of the novel, as many times I forgot that Gwen was going to die. It made the novel seem sort of like a contemporary, which is not something I usually like. This book would probably be very interesting for someone who is just getting into mystery/thriller from more contemporary novels.

The overall plot felt very atmospheric and this book was definitely a page-turner. There were definitely some moments that I wish were handled differently and by the end it was just getting more and more ridiculous. The final ending felt almost like a joke, but one that I already had been told. I figured out the ending about 3/4 of the way through and I just kept telling myself “there is no way that will happen” and then it did. I dislike books that include side characters with side stories that take way too long before you realise the signifigance and then are integral to the plot. For the longest time, I just felt like the author was writing unnecessary information.

I did enjoy reading this book, but I feel someone with more a love of contemporary novels will find a new favourite with this book. I am surely going to take a look at any new releases by Margot Hunt and maybe check out her backlist as well. I hope you enjoyed this blog tour post for The Last Affair by Margot Hunt. My next blog tour will be for First Cut by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell. Happy Reading!

3.5 stars

From the opening scene, until the very end, this book will have you turning pages and guessing. This book kept me intrigued and entertained, plotting theories and trying to find the truth, and tell me if that’s not the best thing about suspense’s books: the emotion to play detective, follow clues and get the answers.

This was my first time reading the author, and I found in the book a thrilling story, characters were well developed fueling the plot with their particular relationship dynamics, and lots of surprises.
All started with a body found in the backyard of a house. But then the author takes us back in time to meet Nora, Josh, Abby and Gwen.

Nora is a food blogger who will attend a convention. Josh is an orthodontist who found himself in the same place as Nora. They have met before. They talk. That chat turns into flirting, and the flirting drives them to share a bed. The only problem there is that Josh and Nora are married to other people.

Then we have Abby. She’s Josh daughter and she’s back home after a heartbreaking experience in college. She’s having a hard time. And they she discovers her dad is cheating on her mother.

Finally we have Gwen. She’s Josh wife and Abby’s mom. She’s the body found in the backyard in the opening scene. Through the pages you will know part of her story, as well as follow the clues to discover who killed her.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was amazing! I had a great time reading it and I recommend it to all fans of suspense out there.

While the number of people who cheat on their spouses is up for debate (statistics vary from a high of half of all married people to a low of less than a quarter), what isn’t up for debate is that infidelity is a popular plot in movies, TV, and books. From Anna Karenina to Showtime’s The Affair, the intrigue and angst caused by infidelity is a natural draw for readers and audiences.

And it rarely ends well.

Click on the link below to read the entire review.

Is it wrong that you almost cheer the fact that a character is killed? We start the story with the death of Gwen, a narcissist who quite frankly, I would have whacked on the head a long time ago. We then go back to the beginning of an affair between Gwen's husband Josh and Nora, a woman who is in a bad marriage too. I felt happy for the two even though it was an affair. They both seem so deserving of a good relationship. At the same time, Josh and Gwen's daughter Abby has left college after catching her boyfriend cheating with her roommate. When she finds out about her dad's affair, it sets off a chain reaction that leads to Gwen's death. Did I figure out who killed her? No. I was quite surprised by the killer. Was I surprised by the ending? Oh yes. The ending will make you go "Oh no" out loud, in your room, by yourself.

This one was a keeper. You won't want to put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy and the review is my own (possible slightly demented) opinion.

Two Families, One story

Gwen Landon is found dead! Now let’s go back six months to see how the story unfolds.

Nora is a mom of three, a wife and a food blogger. She is unhappy in her marriage to Carter, an alcoholic ,but she is trying to make things work. That is until she is at an out of town conference and runs into Josh Landon in a hotel bar.

Josh is a father of two and a husband in an unhappy marriage. He tries to make the best of his situation married to Gwen who is a woman who only thinks of herself. He doesn’t realize just how unhappy he is until he runs into Nora.

Nora and Josh get involved in an illicit affair, both seeking refuge from their marriages. They are falling in love and it’s getting harder to hide.

Abby, Josh’s daughter who is home from college stumbles across Josh and Nora together and makes it her mission to find out who this woman is who is wrecking their family.

The story starts weaving among the two families as we find out more about their pasts. The author, Margot Hunt does a brilliant job of keeping the reader guessing until the very end. You become entwined in the stories of the families right from the beginning until the very last page. This was the first book I've read by Ms. Hunt and I thoroughly enjoy the story. The end was a complete surprise! Thank you to Harlequin, Margot Hunt and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

This was a fun domestic drama with a bit of a suspense at the end.

Unhappy marriages and an illicit affair, with one of the children seeing them together led to a blast in the routine of their lives where masks were removed and real nature of the characters came through.

My first book by author Margot Hunt, I enjoyed it completely as it was a light read between my suspense thrillers. I felt like a voyeur waiting for my daily fix of gossip. Characters were varied, good and bad and mixed.

The book did not require deep concentration, and it was formulaic in some ways. But Margot Hunt's writing helped me sail through the story at one go. Some known scenes and some dramatic ones along with an unexpected ending made this book quite entertaining.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

When I was younger I use to read harlequin books all the time. I loved them. They were easy to read, interesting, and full of great stories that I could read over and over if I wanted. I, however, did not know harlequin did thrillers and that is my favorite type of story. So when I saw The Last Affair was coming out from Harlequin publishers, I jumped right on it.

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt is a twisty thriller filled with a lot of guessing! I could not lay my finger on what was going to happen until it actually happened, which made me happy. I love being surprised. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and even creeped me out a bit. Some of these characters are CRAZY! Hunt did a wonderful job of writing deep characters that we learned more and more about as their layers were peeled back.

My biggest, and really my only issue, with The Last Affair was the last few chapters. The description of this book made it sound like someone dies and finding out who did it is this big shock. But that doesn’t happen until almost the very end of the book. We are talking the last few chapters. And you are told almost instantly who did it, if you didn’t already figure it out yourself. Then the story tied up so fast that it was kind of like whiplash. There was this slow build to the climax of the story and then a 90 degree plummet to the end in a matter of minutes. I was disappointed with that.

With that being said, I like how it left it open at the end for a potential sequel. Even though I was disappointed with the main story line ending, I would read the sequel to see what happens next in these character’s lives. Hunt has a great writing style that flows easily and definitely draws you in, wanting more. I am a fan of Hunt and I will be checking out more from her.

If you love a nail-biting, edge of your seat thriller with a lot of twists and turns and some major psychological surprises, then pick up The Last Affair by Margot Hunt.

3.5 Stars!

Margot Hunt is back with another domestic thriller - this time looking at how an affair stirs up tension in a community and ultimately ends in murder (this is revealed in the prologue - not a spoiler). The whodunnit is definitely fun to figure out and not obvious from page one - despite some of the other plot points slightly having the feel of "where have I heard this before"

If you are a fan of Big Little Lies & the like, I think you'll enjoy The Last Affair!

This is a really well crafted suspense novel. We start out the first chapter with the police investigating Gwen’s murder and then we go back six months and start building up to that point. There are so many threads to this story that make this book so compulsively readable because you just want to know who kills Gwen and why. There are a few obvious suspects but there are also side characters who seem nefarious so I honestly had no clue who is was going to be.

This book is told in three different perspectives: Nora, Gwen and Gwen’s daughter, Abby. All three are dealing with terrible relationships that are fractured and they each deal with them in different ways. Gwen was the most interesting character to me especially since we know from the beginning how her story ends. Gwen is not a likable character but I found the way Hunt wrote her refreshing and I always looked forward to her chapters. Abby is more of a plot device, which I’m not saying is a negative thing, I just didn’t really connect to her character. Nora was a great character. Obviously as a blogger I really appreciated that part of her life and it definitely was a big reason why I connected to her so early on. The way the three of their stories interconnected and wove together are why this book is so successful. Their points of view are running parallel to each other and then the closer we got to the end the more they started weaving into each other and it was just exceptionally well done.

The part that really made me fall in love with this book is that it is so much more than just your average domestic story where someone is killed and we are trying to figure it out. Instead this book is more like a contemporary with the suspense building along with the story. Hunt really delves into motherhood, marriage, adulthood, the everyday stress we all deal with and does it in such a perfect way that it doesn’t take away from the bigger story. Some domestic mystery/suspense/thriller’s can feel really flat or one dimensional but this one is like a perfectly well told story that I think so many people will love.

I absolutely devoured Margot Hunt's debut novel!! I was super excited to get my hands on another one of her books!

But, this one was just ok for me. It took me awhile to get into the storyline and we have some unlikeable characters in this one. We have a nicely laid out love triangle here with a mix of drama but it was missing that extra cherry on top for me. I was waiting for something to knock my socks off and it just wasn't happening!

I do love how Hunt writes... she definitely keeps you on your toes with her stories. I definitely will be watching for what she comes out with next.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin/Mira for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

5/5 Stars - Margot Hunt does it again!

This is the third of Margot Hunt’s that I’ve read and she is a master at taking a seemingly straightforward plot and adding amazing twists and dimension to it. So here you have a story about an affair and a murdered wife, but it’s not nearly that simple. There’s so many moving parts that nothing is simple or straightforward.

Her books provide a juicy glimpse into the life of upper class socialites, a la Real Housewives. It’s a great escape.

The characters are also incredibly interesting; they’re all fully drawn and complex. From the good to the bad to the frustrating, there’s such a wide range of people in there and they all seem to have different motivations for possibly having a part in the crime.

The ending was really great. It brought together all the elements of the story and was satisfying - plus there’s the opportunity for some follow-up. I don’t want to say too much, but I wouldn’t mind seeing how the rest of this story plays out (though I will say, this is not a cliffhanger. The main story is wrapped up and concluded, so don’t worry!).

I just can’t wait to see what Margot Hunt brings us next. She has another winner here and I encourage all fans of domestic thrillers and mysteries to check this out.