Another fabulous book by Kimberly Belle. She hasn't written a book I didn't totally like. I devoured this one. So many lies and secrets and I was afraid for Charlotte. I almost fell off my chair at the ending. Not even on my radar as a possibility. I highly recommend this book and everything written by this Author. Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin and Kimberly Belle for allowing me to read and review this book.

3.5 stars - I have always been a huge fan of Belle's but this one was lacking a bit for me - I found the characters hard to connect with and the mystery felt too obvious. I'm sure this will be a one off for me as I've loved all her other books and can't wait to keep reading them in the future.

EXCELLENT! Kimberly Belle has written a tense thriller here and I couldn't put the book down! If there is any book that should be in your beach bag this summer it's this one! I honestly cannot recommend it more if I tried!

Gripping, suspenseful, and intriguing! A total must read!

** Full review to be posted on release day!

Charley, aka Charlotte, has lived at Lake Crosby all her life, albeit not where she lives now.
Growing up, she lived in a trailer park with her mother and younger brother Chet. She was often the one car for her brother while her mother was doing drugs or drinking; life was not easy for young Charlotte.

Charlotte, now an adult, is married to Paul, a widower, and successful architect. One morning when Charlotte goes to the boat, she discovers the body of a young woman in the lake. The police are called, and an investigation ensues.

The story is told through Charlotte's point of view as she tries to learn more about who the dead woman was and her connection to Lake Crosby and each character.




The past and present combine through dated scenes from the past.
The scenes provide insight into the characters and why the woman was in the lake.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. Every character was suspect. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin and Kimberly Belle for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well Kimberly Belle does it again! Another great twists and turns psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages faster and faster. A great book for me when I thought I had it figured out but it surprised me. A must read!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of Stranger in A Lake by Kimberly Belle.

Jax, Micah and Paul have known each other since they were kids. They hold a deep dark secret amongst the three of them. Paul's wife mysteriously dies in the lake. Now there is a second drowning. How and why have these people showed up in the lake?

This author has kept us on the edge of our seats again. She has delivered another must read book!!

This was the first book I had read by this author. I’ll definitely be reading more! I absolutely love “winter weather reads.” The winter weather played well into the plot of this book. Although, I had the ending figured out by the time I got to it, I still really enjoyed the book. The development of the characters was great!

Kimberly Belle is one of my absolute favorite authors but this book left me feeling a bit meh...While it kept me interested enough to keep reading, it just didn't leave me with any strong emotions when it was over or during reading. I didn't really love any of the characters and never felt attached like I normally do.

Read in One day! Couldn’t put this book down! Thank you so much for the advance copy! Without spoiling the plot...The author does a great job of bringing the book to a conclusion without giving away the “ending” too soon! Excellent build up and resolution to a book that got “meatier” by the page! Great character development and description! Will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

Charlotte ignored the rumors when she married the wealthy, widower, Paul.

After all, despite her being a strong swimmer, the drowning death of Paul’s first wife, Katherine, WAS deemed an accident.

But, when a second woman also drowns, in the same exact spot under Paul’s dock, SECRETS which began in 1999, begin to SURFACE...


WHO IS THE STRANGER IN THE LAKE, AND WHY HAS SHE COME TO TOWN?”

Something happened in 1999 to bind childhood friends, Paul, Micah, and Jax together.

Could their SECRETS have anything to do with the drownings?

The mystery started out strong but it stalled a bit just after the 50% point for me, when the flashback chapters took me out of the present, and the story lost some of its tension.

This story focuses on the SECRETS from 1999, and those chapters were my least favorite part.

I would’ve preferred the story to focus more on the relationships in the present day, and more on the drowning victims.

I wanted the other relationships to be as fleshed out as the one between Charlotte and her brother Chet.

WHY the second woman came to town, WHAT she was looking for, and WHO wanted her to remain silent, DID surprise me...but, again, I wanted MORE of this part of the story!

Although I didn’t enjoy this one as much as “The Marriage Lie” or my personal favorite “Dear Wife”, Kimberley Belle will ALWAYS be an AUTO-READ author for me!

Thank You to NetGalley, Harlequin, and the author for the digital ARC, I received in exchange for a candid review! This title will be available on June 9, 2020!

Posted to Goodreads and NetGalley on Feb. 23rd

Will post to Amazon and “theblondelikesbooks.wordpress.com closer to publication date.

Stranger in the Lake is a very suspenseful story and one that has lots of secrets going on. Charlotte or Charlie- depending on who you ask...has found the man of her dreams. A small town girl that was raised by a drug addict in a trailer park that was under deplorable conditions- marries the town millionaire., Who would do anything to keep a 20 year old secret. Kimberly Belle has done it once again! A masterful, twisty, nail biter of a read. I literally couldn't put this book down. Many thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my honest true and honest opinion.

Wow! I was left speechless after reading this intense, mysterious novel. The who done it, and who could you trust was not who I thought at all!

"I'll tell her the sins of her father are not her burden, and neither are they mine."

Lake Crosby, North Carolina is a small quaint, tourist place where the locals know everyone and their business.
It's also a place of murders, secrets, lies and deception. Is the lake haunted?
Charlotte aka Charlie the trailer park chic and gas attendent and much younger 2nd pregnant wife of Paul Keller, a very wealthy widower, owner of Keller Architecture. He designed most of the homes in the area and was in high demand. Michah Hunt a diver for the police department and Paul and Jax close friend. I immediately took to liking Michah, I think because he made Charlie feel like she was a part of the "family", and didn't judge her. People can be deceiving.
How does the mysterious woman, "Sienna" fit into all of the drama? She's found dead in the same place that 4 years ago, Paul's 1st wife was found in the lake.
Kimberly Belle is an amazing author and I look forward to reading more of her novels. Put this on your TBR. You won't be sorry!


Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

This is a solid domestic noir written by an author I always enjoy. Charlie is the second wife of a wealthy widower whose first wife drowned in a tragic accident in the lake surrounding their million dollar home. Or was it an accident? Townsfolk believe it was more but Charlotte truly loves Paul and supports him one hundred percent. Until another young woman ends up drowned under the same darned dock. Now off and running, we learn of a teenage friendship between Paul and two other young men, once of which is the son of the Police Chief and the other is considered the twin crazy person living in the hills. As Charlie becomes more and more involved, she begins to doubt her husband. With good reason? Maybe, maybe not.

Kimberly Belle just never, ever disappoints.

Jam packed with secrets, lies, misdirection and surprises this one had me literally dropping my jaw in a room by myself, looking around to see who else was shocked.

The pacing was perfect, the characterizations were outstanding and the story was original, vibrant, and utterly gripping.

I loved this one as much as Dear Wife and that is some seriously high praise.

Thank you to Kimberly Belle, Park Row and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

STRANGER IN THE LAKE by Kimberly Belle is a gripping domestic thriller that had me hooked from the first page straight through to the shocking ending. When Charlotte marries wealthy widower Paul, she believes the strength of their love will allow her to put her troubled trailer park past behind her despite the constant gossip about her motives and the fate of Paul’s first wife who tragically drowned near their opulent lakeside home. Everything changes in an instant when Charlotte discovers a woman’s body in the lake in the same spot as Paul’s wife met her end. Could it be a coincidence? As the investigation into the stranger’s death progresses, it becomes clear that Paul has long-buried secrets that Charlotte is just starting to uncover. Who is telling the truth and is there anyone she can really trust? The story is filled with twists and turns that I never saw coming. It has great characters and a setting that drew me in right from the start. I have read and loved several of Kimberly Belle’s previous thrillers and this one definitely does not disappoint. Highly recommended! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

Charlotte starts to wonder who Paul the man she married really is. Seems everyone has guilt and are hiding something.
At times it was hard to put the book down and other times it felt like it was missing something. I've read all of Kimberly Belle's books and have loved them all, this book not so much. I had to finish it as I had to know who done it. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this and leave an honest review.

Of course I loved this book, it’s Kimberly Belle! Mysterious, creepy, thriller, page turner that I couldn’t turn away from. I devoured all the secrets and the drama and the way Belle digs deep it’s like watching a reality murder mystery reality who dun it! Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy! Put this on your TBR for sure!

From start to finish this suspense book delivers a nonstop thrilling ride. Charlie, married 14 months and newly pregnant, takes the boat to town to pick up her husband Paul, where she sees him talking to a beautiful stranger. Paul, a rich successful architect met Charlie while she was working at a gas station and they quickly fell in love. Getting married everyone thought she was crazy because Paul’s wife was found a few years earlier dead, floating under their dock, and although he was the prime suspect they could never arrest him for the crime.
Telling her the conversation was nothing they return to their palatial lakefront home, but Evie can’t sleep and in the early morning hours goes down to the dock to find a woman’s body floating under their dock. Paul swears innocence, but Evie isn’t sure what to believe anymore. Could everyone have been right about Paul?
I couldn’t put this book down and love how Kimberly Belle fleshes out her characters, and successfully introduces plot twist after plot twist. We all know there are a glut of suspense books being published, but Stranger in the Lake will stand out, and is well worth the read.

Secrets always come back to haunt you and money doesn’t buy happiness. In this latest by Kimberly Belle you learn that early on. With that said, I was hooked from the beginning. This was a fast-paced, well-written story ... I did have the mystery solved pretty early on (hence the 4 ⭐️) but definitely recommend! Add this one to your TBR.

Thank you #netgalley and #harlequin for the eARC.

So that was..........fantastic!!! Yes, Kimberly Belle managed to pull it off again. I literally couldn't put this book down. I flew through this in just one day.

Charlotte or Charlie- depending on who you ask...has found the man of her dreams. A small town girl that was raised by a drug addict in a trailer park that was under deplorable conditions- marries the town millionaire....hmm this is going to be interesting.

When Charlotte marries Paul.... well people are going to talk. Gold digger anyone?? You be the judge..but the town has branded her as a gold digger as well Paul's wonderful mother. I mean couldn't it just be love? Paul is not only a millionaire, he is "the man" of the tiny town. Everyone knows Keller Architecture and everyone knows of Paul. See Paul lost his wife to a drowning accident, even though she was an excellent swimmer. She was also more loaded than Paul. Soooo you do the math.

I loved this book! It was mysterious from start to finish. I didn't know if I should love Charlotte or hate her. Am I #teamcharlotte? Read for yourself and I think you will figure it out. I especially loved the whole secluded lake environment. It gave the story a creepy vibe. The Kellers had a gorgeous home that Paul had designed, with huge windows that faced the lake. Which was fantastic during the day, but at night...well night is a different story. The windows are so huge they don't have window dressings, what is the need anyway, they have no immediate neighbors. Yet as a murder happens right in front of their windows, unbeknownst to them...well it got a bit creepy. Who is out there and who is looking in? I am getting goosebumps thinking about it!


One dead body in the lake, well ok...two dead bodies in the lake...umm ok...three dead...Houston we have a problem! Mysterious, creepy, page-turner! This book had it all for me. Add it to the list of all the other books I love by this author!

Loved it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5 big hearts for this one!!!!!