Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book is told from the perspectives of several people, Beth who has finally left her abusive husband and lives in fear he will find her. At the same time Jeffrey comes home to find his wife Sabine missing, Police and her sister Ingrid are suspicious as to what has happened to Sabine and if Jeffrey has done something to her. A pageturner of a domestic thriller with some unexpected turns. Definitely worth reading if you like domestic thrillers. #dearwife #Kimberleybelle #netgalley #goodreads #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #amazon#kindle #greatreads #bookqueen

I couldnt put this book down. It had me right from the start. This was one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. I had heard good things about Kimberly and I wasnt disappointed. The characters were very well developed.

"Why doesn't she just leave? gets asked in living rooms and courtrooms across the country, when a better question would be, Why doesn't he let her go?
It took me a while, but I've finally figured out the answer. You'd sooner kill me than let me go."

Dear Wife is a well written thriller including heart-rending scenes of domestic abuse. While I found this to be a meaningful story, the cliffhangers and ending were not a surprise to me.

This was a wild ride that I enjoyed throughly. When Jeffrey’s wife Sabine goes missing, Detective Marcus Durand is tasked with finding out what happened to her. At the same time, Beth Murphy is running from her husband. The question is, who is Beth? And what happened to Sabine?

Oh my gosh I honestly can’t stop thinking about how cleverly this book was written. I kept switching from thinking I had it all figured out to not knowing what was going on and I loved it! I love books that make you feel like you’re the detective and this was definitely one of them!

I am very interested in checking out Kimberly Belle’s backlist, and will eagerly anticipate her new releases too!

A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Read for me. I would highly recommend this if you like twisty domestic thrillers!

A fast paced, exciting psychological thriller that is best read in one sitting!

The plot is laid out from three points of view, that of Beth a woman running from an abusive and controlling husband, Jeffrey the husband (and suspected murderer) of Sabine, a missing woman and Marcus, the police detective looking for Sabine. They are all well developed characters with fleshed out fictional lives, but it soon becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in this twisty, suspenseful novel which culminates in a thrilling ending.

I finished Dear Wife last night. I enjoyed this book from cover to finish. I was able to piece it all together before the twist was revealed at the end however this didn't take anything away from the book. The main female POV was captivating and the two male POV's were great backup. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers!

EXCERPT: I hit my blinker and merge onto the Muskogee Turnpike, and for the first time in seven long years, I take a breath. A real, full-body breath that blows up my lungs like a beach ball. So much breath that it burns.

It tastes like freedom.

Four hours on the road, two hundred and eighty-three miles of space between us, and it's nowhere near enough. I still hear the clink of your keys when you toss them on the table, still tense at the thud of your shoes when you come closer to the kitchen. Still feel the fear slithering, snake-like, just under the surface of my skin.

You have three moods lately: offensive, enraged or violent. That moment when you come around that corner and I see which one it is always inches bile up my throat. It's the worst part of my day.

I tell myself, no more. No more tiptoeing around your temper, no more dodging your blows.

Those days, like Arkansas, are in my rearview mirror.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Beth Murphy is on the run...

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning--one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing...

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she's taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine's carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that's certain is that someone is lying and the truth won't stay buried for long.

MY THOUGHTS: To all my bookworm friends: why did no one tell me about this author? Why didn't anyone say, 'Sandy, you HAVE to read this....?' Huh? You left me out in the cold! Shame on you.

I read Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle in one sitting, a knot of excitement? apprehension? sitting low in my belly. An hour after finishing, I am still trying to get my breathing under control.

This is a superb book. There is a palpable air of menace, but there is also something darker lurking underneath that flipped me upside down when it was revealed. Yes, I thought I knew, I thought I had it all figured. I was smug in my certainty, and yet I still felt that frisson of excitement, of apprehension, of danger. 'Good writer,' I thought. Only, I didn't realise just how good.

The story is told from three points of view: Beth Murphy, on the run from an abusive husband; Jeffrey, husband of missing realtor, Sabine; and Marcus, dedicated family man and cop in charge of investigating Sabine's missing persons case. The chapters are short and to the point, the pace relentless.

If you are going to pick this book up, and you should, clear the rest of your day, because once you start reading, you won't want to put this down.

Compelling, suspenseful, twisty and dark. I loved this! I will be reading everything this author has written.

❤❤❤❤❤

#DearWife #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of six novels, including her forthcoming domestic suspense, Stranger in the Lake (June 2020). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to HQ Fiction via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

Dear Wife, I found you...

Beth Murphy is on the run from her abusive husband. Sabine is a property realtor who's gone missing, too.
This is a must read thriller, full of secrets, suspense and tensions. This story will mess with your head!! Totally love the plot.
Thanks to Netgalley for an electronic advanced copy of this book.

This story is told by multiple protagonists, there is Beth, who is on the run from her abusive husband. Sabine who has mysteriously gone missing, Jeffrey who is Sabine's husband, and Marcus who is the policeman investigating the case of Sabine.

Beth has thought through this escape for months, she has hoarded money and planned her escape well, creating a trail that will leave her abuser going in the opposite direction to her. She knows that eventually he may catch up with her, so she lives in constant fear.

Sabine is a successful real estate broker who literally disappears overnight, with no obvious reason why. Her clothes are still there, her passport etc. but she has secrets she has been keeping from her husband.

Jeffrey is Sabine's husband who cannot seem to explain where he was at a certain time in a certain place.

Marcus has been assigned to the missing person case and discovers that all is not what it appears on the outside.

This book was a rollicking read from start to finish. I really enjoyed the character of Beth who is escaping a domestic abuse relationship, she is living hand to mouth and is determined to survive. Her biggest fear is that her abuser is going to find her before she can disappear completely. I can't give too much away but there is an almighty twist that I suspected early on, but was surprised when it was revealed. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys domestic suspense and I was pleased to discover that this new to me author has a back-list to delve into at some stage.
Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I must say, it was great to read a book featuring a backcover blurb that doesn't give too much away. I mean, I assumed it kinda did and that the plot itself was going to be straight forward. But it's not....

In fact at one point I thought I knew what was coming, but I was wr-wr-wrong. And I very much loved that about this book.

The twist becomes obvious part-way through, but thankfully there are more surprises to come. 

Of course this means I can't say too much about the book for fear of revealing its secrets. It unfolds from a few points of view but we probably spend the most time with Beth, fleeing a violent marriage. She reflects on the early days of her relationship, and how and when things changed. I liked the way Belle introduces Beth's escape plan. She's made her such an engaging character, readers are there with her as things work as planned. Or don't.

I appreciated that Belle was blunt about what someone is willing to risk, and the life they're willing to sacrifice, for their freedom. I realise that freedom looks different to everyone and this book reminds us of that.

It also offers an interesting reflection on relationships, trust and marriage. Of where women (and men I guess) draw the line and how that varies as well. 

The pacing was perhaps a little slow in the early chapters of this book, as we meet the characters and Beth starts her new life, but it picks up and becomes quite the twisty page-turner.

3.5 stars

This book drew me in from the premise, and I did enjoy reading it. It took me a few hours to read, and was a nice thriller.

While it was a good story, it kind of missed the mark for me. As someone who reads alot of books in a similar genre, I found this book to be quite predictable. There are a few twists that I saw coming from a mile away. However, if you don't usually read this genre, I can see the twists being a shock and making the book quite enjoyable.

Thank you so much to Harlequin for providing me with a copy of the ebook to read via Netgalley.