Thank you to NetGalley, D.J. Palmer and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I was worried when this one started out because I found it super slow, but it starts to ramp up a little bit every single chapter and that’s what kept me reading. I hated one of the main characters and just detested every single thing that he did, but they were so unpredictable that I just had to know what they got up to next. I loved that Maggie could see through everyone and had her own opinions about all the other characters. The last half of the book was a super quick read because there was so much stuff going on and I couldn’t read it fast enough! I did find that the last chapter was super random and probably unnecessary, but overall I really enjoyed the novel!

Out April 14!

Wow, what a whirlwind of a read! I absolutely adored this book! The characters were well developed and the story was intricately plotted. I was surprised many times by twists in the story which made it even more of a pleasure to read. The epilogue was a nice touch! This was my first book by D.J. Palmer and it won't be my last!

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer
How well do we really know someone? Do you ever have the weird feeling that something is off? A split second look from someone? If you blinked, it would be gone and you would question if it was ever really there. It was probably your imagination, right?
After her husband, Glen, disappears, Nina starts to think that all is lost. Enter Simon. What happens when you meet someone wonderful? Someone who seems to know you only too well. He knows your likes, dislikes, favorite food, smells, your hopes and dreams. Simon is just such a person. Almost too good to be true. Not everyone is willing to take on an instant family. A mother with two teenage kids. Nina can’t believe her luck. But something is off. Her friends start to see it. Even her own daughter, Maggie, is against it. But why?
Everything is not as it seems. The essence of Nina is slowly slipping away. Gradually, she is losing sight of all that she held dear. Her friends, her family. But that is all part of the plan now isn’t it?
Buckle up folks. Fasten your seat belt. You are going to stay up late tonight. You won’t want to put this book down. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!! Happy reading.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book at my request..

There have been a mix of reviews for this book but I enjoyed it. The psychological thriller starts off low key but once it started it was fast and created a wild ride. This is the my first time reading DJ Palmer but the writing is quite good. Thank you to D.J. Palmer, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nina, a mother of two, has found love again after her husband disappeared under mysterious circumstances
All is well until Maggie, Nina's teen-aged daughter become suspicious of Simon, Nina's new love. Nina takes a long time, too long to doubt Simon's good intentions.

Though I finished the book and had moments of enjoyment it took too long to get where it was going.

Nina, too often left me shaking my head. News flash, most women work and maintain a home and family. This was the most hard to swallow part of the book for me. Nina was exasperating and was the reason I wanted to forget the rest of this book

Maggie and her friend Ben were charming and my favorite characters in this long drawn out story that said a lot of nothing for many pages.

This book may appeal to some so I am not discounting it as a do not read; just not the caliber of thriller of I am used to.

Nina was betrayed on so many levels by the husband who has disappeared and is presumed dead. Almost two years have passed and Nina is ready to move forward with a new man in her life. But has she really healed enough for her and her children to trust Simon? He seems perfect, but as Nina asserts more independence,, Simon’s perfection begins to tarnish and she begins to wonder if she’s made a mistake.

It took a while for me to really get into this book, but it ended up being well worth the read. This is a fast paced read once it really gets rolling and the last third is quite a roller coaster ride! The pages practically turn themselves.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley the reading opportunity.

This book was FABULOUS!! I was pulled in right from the beginning.

Nina is a single mom, she's just moved in with her boyfriend. Her daughter can't stand him and her son adores him. However Nina has a bit of baggage. Her husband is presumed dead after his boat was found with a fair amount of blood in it but no body.

Simon seems to know all the right things to say and do to win Nina's heart. He's sweet, loving, he cleans and cooks like no other. But is he really that perfect??

This was my first D.J. Palmer book and it will not be my last. I have been in such a slump not being about to concentrate on a book for very long. This book had me hooked from chapter 1. I can't think of one thing I didn't like!!

4.5 stars, actually.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Glen Garrity's boat was found with his blood on it, but not his body. He's presumed to be dead, and six months from now, his wife Nina can have him declared legally dead. That will free her up to marry her new love, Simon Fitch, a teacher who appeared on her scene almost immediately after Glen went missing. Much to the dismay of her middle-school daughter Maggie - who thoroughly detests and distrusts Simon - Nina has moved the family (including Maggie's older brother, Connor) into a new home that includes Simon.

Even though Maggie has so far resisted Simon's proposal of marriage, she's pretty sure that's how things will end up. After all, Simon's got plenty of money and anticipates her every need and want (almost before she does). The tension between Simon and Maggie gets worse almost by the minute; but when Maggie complains about something nasty she's sure Simon did to her (readers get a closer look by way of chapters told from her perspective), Simon always has a plausible excuse and ends up looking like a rose in Nina's eyes.

Until he doesn't. Little by little, Nina begins to have doubts - mostly triggered by Simon's intense dislike of her decision to return to her career as a social worker. Somehow, she suspects, he's overreacting, but the question is why? Even before her husband disappeared, Maggie learned some unpleasant and totally unexpected facts about him. Now, she's understandably wary of making another mistake. But if Simon's not the person she believes him to be, can she ferret out his intentions before her family is totally destroyed?

Somewhere around the 50% mark comes a major reveal; from that point on, it's a race to see who makes it to the finish line (and a race to see if I could get there before I absolutely had to go to bed). Safe to say the book held my attention all the way - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the privilege of reading an advance copy.

One of the big plusses of the book for me is that although Nina questions her own actions and beliefs, she never crosses over to the hand-wringing, wishy-washy female characters who tends to populate stories like this (never failing to make me want to throw up). On the other hand, the epilogue, which is attributed to one of the major characters, would be far more appropriate, IMHO, as an afterword from the author. While I agree 150 percent with the opinions expressed on spousal abuse and bullying, it just doesn't fit as part of a novel itself (and I just can't believe the text as written could have been done by this character). But that's just my opinion; read it for yourself - it's an enthralling story that will hold your attention from start to finish.

The book started out a little slow and seemed like it could head towards a predictable "husband disappears because he's leading a double life" story but it ended up being anything but that. The plot quickly picked up and you got the sense there was a lot more to Glen's disappearance and I had a hard time putting the book down. Maggie's young character made a strong argument for why you should never doubt your gut instincts and I her age made it that much more impactful for me. Once you get into the story, it was a quick engaging read that any thriller fan could enjoy!

OMG.....this book had me on the edge of my seat. Every time I tried to put it down I just kept reading. I read this book in less than 48hrs and it was so worth it. I suggest going into this book blind and enjoy the ride.

Thanks to NetGally and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Frightening, Creepy and Alarming all came to mind as I was reading! A boat floating in the ocean empty but for a dog and lots of blood! A wife, Nina waiting for her husband, Glen who left to go fishing but instead finds police officers at her door.
It has been over a year since that fateful day and the discovery of a secret life of her husband, who is presumed dead. Nina and her children, Connor and Maggie move in with a teacher at Maggie’s school, Simon who has become Nina’s boyfriend. Connor has embraced him as the father he has always wished. Maggie has not lost hope that her father will return and does not trust Simon and neither do Nina’s friends.
As things become more serious with Simon, Nina starts to notice things as well but writes them off as if they are her fault and is constantly talking herself out of what she feels. Nina is determined to find out more about Simon so she can decide if she is the nice guy she believes
him to be or the man that Maggie sees.
It starts off slow, I get that but hold on because once it gets going, you won’t want to put it down. Trust me, I stayed up way past my bedtime last night and was living on caffeine today!
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review and also to D.J. Palmer for another great book!

Can you ever truly know someone? Even those we live with can harbor secrets larger than life. This is a great psychological thriller that illustrates that fact in a big way.

Oh man this was good and honestly I did not see it coming even as I was reading it. I figured something was up with Simon but when the bombshell dropped I was like whoa!! So didn't see that even from a mile away. I can honestly say I loved it. I love how when you read a book and half way in you are hit with a bombshell, a huge surprise and you are just left in shock. Though you are left wondering just how did this person get away with it.

Nina's world is upside down. Her husband vanished without a trace and her children are not the same more so Maggie than Connor. Maggie was close to her father and so she has taken it the hardest and then dealing the bullies at school doesn't make it easier for her.

Nina moves on with her life by getting with Simon who is a teacher at Maggie and Connor's school. Simon is dealing with his own issues within his life. So it seems that Nina and Simon are perfect for each other.

You can tell from the get go Maggie is standoffish with him and of course a big part that plays is that he is not her father. As the story unfolds and we see really who Simon is, though it seems that Nina is just not seeing the signs until it is almost too late.

The author did a great job with Maggie with how a teenage girl would act if someone came in to fill the shoes of her father. I felt the character building was just in a great way. There is plenty of suspense and building up to the big wow moment!

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on April 14, 2020

Wow, wow, wow what a intense book it drags you in right from the beginning and it doesn't let you go. I believe this is my second book by this author, and this one was even better than the first one. Overall I am a pretty hard reviewer, it takes alot for a book to pull 5 stars out of me. I have to be pulled in and it has to wrench my emotions from me, this book certainly does that. I figured out parts of the story in advance, but I certainly wasn't expecting what we do learn in the book that was certainly a wow moment. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy psychological thrillers.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and St. Martins Press, and this is my fair and honest review.

A true thriller!!!!! Fast paced plot, great characters and unexpected twists made this a page turner that made me keep reading late into the night. Highly recommended for sure!

When Glen and the dog Daisy go fishing one day he never returns. Traces of blood are found but the family dog is located unharmed.

In time Nina Garrity presumes her husband drowned, even though his body is never recovered. When Simon Fitch begins to visit with Nina, they hit it off rather quickly. It feels almost uncanny what he knows about her and the interests they share.

Maggie, Nina’s daughter who is 13 years old doesn’t care for Simon from the getgo, however. She’s suspicious and watchful around him. But her younger brother Charlie takes an immediate liking to Simon and is happy to have the man around. That leaves Maggie to totally bear her concerns alone.

But is Maggie sensing something off about Simon Fitch, or is she just being a bratty teenager?

Simon, who is a widower, also teaches where Maggie goes to school. And that in itself opens some strange situations for the two. Could the close relationship be the problem? Or is it something deeper?

Mother and daughter are definitely at odds about the new man that has entered their lives. But who is closer to the truth?

My Thoughts
While this plot sounds quite interesting, I hate to report that for me the story felt drawn out and some of the characters were disappointing. Nina, for one, was completely naive and couldn’t seem to think outside the box. That’s all I’ll say about her. The other characters were just characters. They didn’t win me over in any way.

What Concerned Me
I think you’ll agree, the plot sounds good, but it just didn’t play out for me. The characters were weak and the events completely unbelievable. I always hate to feel that way about an author’s hard work. But this just didn’t work for me.

What I Liked Most
In this case, I can easily say that the author knows how to write. The sentences and dialog flowed beautifully.

This thriller was so good that I thought I was going to scream at a couple of shocking, tense, scary points! This is a true ‘can’t put it down’ read. Possible content warning for spousal abuse, and probably pass this one up if you want everything in your books to be absolutely believable and realistic. But, if you are looking for a pulse racing and riveting thriller, grab this!

Another great read by this newer author!! From the first chapter, readers are deep into this story as events quickly unfold. Chapters go by fast and keeps readers on their toes wondering what will happen next. The characters are very real and readers will connect with their experiences as this nerve wracking story deepens, page by page. One aspect of this story I enjoyed, was the point of view changes chapter by chapter, of each of the characters. Each character has a different experience based on their background and suspicions. This will be one of the great reads in the coming year, no doubt!

Overall, good book. However, I did feel it was a little too drawn out (hence how long it took for me to read it). It was easy to get in to but then just rambled on and switched between the mother and daughter too much for me. I loved the plot and thought it was a great story all around minus what I listed above.

Sinister and twisted ... two words I would use to describe The New Husband. This was a fairly fast paced (mostly the second half) and interesting read. I buddy read it and we flew through it in only a few sittings. Well written, solid character development and a great storyline. Unfortunately the ending wasn't my favorite ... kind of felt like I was reading an information pamphlet? Ending could have been much stronger.

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my review copy!