This was not my kind of book. It took me a long time to finish it, but finish it I did. I didn't care for the characters & everything was just so slow.
You may enjoy it though, so try reading it.

Character List *spoiler free*

Adam, married to Lydia, two children, Oliver and Mia, likes the women

Lydia Palmer, married 19 years to Adam, two children, joint owner of Cracking crafts

Ajay, married to Marianne, joint owner of Cracking Crafts

Cassie, Lydia’s best friend, sometime babysitter of the children

Fiona, met Cassie in the gym, friends with Cassie, a lawyer

Patrick, gorgeous and Lydia's new lover


I do love a book by Miranda! You are guaranteed twists and turns and a rollicking good time! It is no different here. This is not my favourite, however, by Miranda, I did find it dragged slightly in the middle, but that was only because I wanted the action of what was to come. I wanted more disruption and bad feelings for Lydia - wrong I know, but we focused more on Patrick and Lydia. I understand why, but I wanted a bit more terror. That's not to say, I didn't like Lydia, I really did. She was dealt such a bad hand in life, and it just didn't get better. I was watching, upset for her and what she was going through, that I thought there was hope for her.

Out with Adam and in with Patrick. You can guess the twists, but I actually loved it in this book. It added an extra dimension because you just knew that something didn't add up and as you follow it through, it was a very intense game of cat and mouse....except not all the players knew they were in a game.

I really do love books by Miranda, she is a Queen at what she does. She entertains, but she also has you on the edge of your seat, and it is the same here. I blasted the audiobook, although the narrator was amusing when doing the male voices, and I wanted to constantly be glued to it. I needed to know what was going to happen. I loved the ending, and I loved how things worked out, just felt for Lydia the entirety of the book! The emotions were definitely high in this book as you just want to protect the characters you warm to.

This is a page-turner and a book I found hard to put down!

This was an entertaining read. However, I have big issues with women who are mothers not listening to their children's obvious concerns. In addition, it's hard to take women who jump into relationships that move WAY too fast and are plagued with red flags seriously. It's not hard to identify the villains in this one, unless your Lydia, the MC, who is incredibly naive and trusting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While this wasn't a favorite read of mine, I did mostly enjoy it. I liked the writing style and the storyline, although I do have to say it was very predictable. I was hoping for a twist at the end that would prove me wrong but when there wasn't, I was kind of disappointed.

I absolutely LOVED this book. From the beginning you think you know what's going to happen next, but the author keeps on surprising you around each and every turn! I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, and can't wait for the next one.
TB

WoW........... Roses are Red by Miranda Rijks was an excellent book I was hooked from the beginning till the end., All Lydia Palmer wants is to be happy but she is so unhappy in her marriage to Adam and she so wants a divorce. Then, shockingly, her husband Adam dies. Lydia finally gets a chance of happiness when she starts online dating and almost immediately meets Patrick. who is Handsome, successful, loving, he’ll make the perfect second husband.

But is Patrick too good to be true?

Can you really find prince charming online?

Will Lydia ever be Happy?

The Police visit Lydia and she finds out her Husband Adam was murdered! Her world starts to fall around her and has to ask questions. Is someone trying to destroy her and her daughter turns against her But why?

I highly recommend all 3 books and are great for your holiday.

Big Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Roses are Red by Miranda Rijks won me over with the initial description, "She wanted a second chance at happiness. She got a first-class ticket to hell." it sounded like it was going to be a roller-coaster. It was a little predictable but overall a good read.

It to a while to understand what it was really about. glad the ending was good. I would recommend. I give it 4 stars

This is the first book I have read from this author and I felt let down honestly. I felt that the main character of this book is vapid and just completely checked out of any reality going on around her.. At the same time, she is extremely wealthy and has formed a craft empire with a business partner. These things do not go together in any way. I guess I dislike the trope of dumb woman becomes victim of bad guy who seems ok to absolutely no one, but her and at the same time has made a new friend that is suddenly everywhere all of the time. This book was completely implausible in the worst way and did not keep me guessing in any manner. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Although I started off enjoying this book, the story became hard to follow and became uninteresting. Overall a good read to pass the time, but not to my taste.

When I read the blurb on this book it sounded great and it most definitely was a great read. A fast paced domestic drama that I really enjoyed.

She wanted a second chance at happiness. She got a first-class ticket to hell.

Lydia Palmer has a thriving business, a beautiful house, a picture-perfect husband and two wonderful kids. But things are different behind closed doors – Lydia & her husband are planning on getting a divorce as she catches him with another woman (and this is not the first time).
Then, all of a sudden Lydia’s husband Adam dies – electrocuted in the swimming pool! As she works on easing her grief, Lydia starts online dating and meets Patrick – he is too good to be true.
Lydia is forced to ask some questions when her world begins to collapse, nothing is going well for her at her work place too – then her daughter turns against her, all this leads to convince Lydia that someone is working hard to destroy her happiness. While the cops are working on figuring out whether Adam’s death was a murder or an accidental death.
All the investigation and questions leads to answers that Lydia doesn’t want to know, but she is not given a choice!
This was a good book, gripping to some extent – some places the reader is made to doubt all the characters
#netgalley #rosesare red

Adam and Lydia on the outside look like they have it all, she runs a successful craft business, they live in a big house and he drives a Bentley. They have 2 children.

Adam has been having an affair and divorce is on the cards. When he dies suspiciously after being electrocuted in their swimming pool, the police suspect that Lydia may have had something to do with his death.

Lydia meets handsome, charming Patrick on a dating site, theirs is a whirlwind romance and they are soon married.

Fun but predictable. If you’re looking for a good domestic drama, I’d look to other authors for a more promising storyline and better character development.

This had a good premise and the story was a decent drama, but in terms of mystery, I solved it rather straight away. Character development was poor and everything else was predictable.

The main thing that bugged me about this book was the way the main character lived her life as if her actions didn't affect anyone...when in fact, her actions directly affected her children and her own future. She appeared to be completely oblivious to what was right in front of her when it was obvious to the reader.

I was rather frustrated with the main character and the way she interacted with the other characters in this book. There were also several interactions that were not fully explained, such as the main character's daughter and the new stepfather. And many of the other interpersonal interactions seemed very unrealistic.

Thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐
Thrill factor: ⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Loved this thrilling book!!!!!!! This is my first by this author & it definitely won't be my last. It was so fast paced, it had me guessing until the last page.

I really enjoyed this story, however it was a tough read for me. I spent much of the book questioning Lydia, why couldn't she see what was so plain to me! Sadly, I imagine that anyone actually in this particular situation, cannot see what is so plain to others. To me, this book wasn't just a thriller but a cautionary tale. Will I recommend this to others? Absolutely, a great read! I think it was tough because it was true to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have cut and pasted to add to Goodreads manually.

The plot was pretty predictable. Husband dies, new guy jumps in and wins the woman over immediately. Family and friends can see right through him but woman is in love. Then it turns out the new guy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Not saying it was bad, just another Lifetime Movie. Overall I liked the premise and how the characters were developed. I would definitely read another book by Miranda Rijks. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

She wanted a second chance at happiness. She got a first-class ticket to hell.
Lydia Palmer seems to have it all - a thriving business, a beautiful house, a picture-perfect husband and two wonderful kids. But things are different behind closed doors - Lydia is desperately unhappy and wants a divorce. Then, shockingly, her husband Adam dies.
When her grief eases, Lydia starts online dating and almost immediately meets Patrick. Handsome, successful, loving, he’ll make the perfect second husband.
But is Patrick too good to be true? Can you really find prince charming online?
These are questions Lydia is forced to ask when her world begins to collapse. First, the police say Adam may have been murdered. Then her daughter turns against her, her business disintegrates…
Lydia is convinced that someone is trying to destroy her happiness. She’s wrong. They want so much more than that

Roses Are Red is about a woman named Lydia, whose husband Adam dies suspiciously and unexpectedly. A few months after he dies, a new man named Patrick enters her life. He seems to be perfect and quickly sweeps her off her feet. Her children are initially dismayed by her new relationship but eventually warm up to him. As things advance, Lydia gets weird vibes from Patrick but constantly shrugs them off.

The plot was pretty predictable. Husband dies, new guy jumps in and wins the woman over immediately. Then it turns out the new guy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The build up to the reveal is great but doesn’t happen until about 90% into the book. Overall I liked the premise and how the characters were developed. I would definitely read another book by Miranda Rijks. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.