When Lydia's husband Adam is horribly murdered in the pool behind their house, she quickly moves on with life, knowing that she hadn't really loved her husband for years and was going to divorce him anyway. She meets Patrick, and it seems as though everything in her life is coming together. She has finally met the true man of her dreams, she has her crafting company, and her two precious children are quickly growing up. However, someone is out to get Lydia, and she begins to realize that there is nobody she can trust.

Roses are Red by Miranda Rijks was a captivating psychological thriller. I enjoyed it, especially the second half once the plot began to pick up and I was able to get more insight into the characters. I wasn't overly impressed with the beginning of the book, especially as the writing and story timeline felt choppy, but once I got into the action, I was hooked and read a majority of the book in one sitting. I would recommend Roses are Red to those who are looking for a quick, psychological read that will have people guessing on details until the very end!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of Roses are Red!

Well this did not go as well as I'd hoped. Normally enjoy a Rijks novel but this one was actually painful to read.
Lydia must be the least bright bulb in the house which really leaves you wondering how she managed to build a successful business. She definitely won’t be winning any mother of the year awards either.

I felt like she wasn't really a victim. A business woman that acts impulsively and ignores her gut feelings? I highly doubt it. Everything was so obvious. How could she miss it? I know I didn't. All the way to the end was predictable.

I will give read to a future Rijks book because I know she's capable of excellent writing but this one seemed rushed.

Thank you for the opportun ity to read this. My apologies for the delayed review.

Story started off interesting but then just seemed to drag. Not among my favorites for this author. I would not recommend this book.

This was quite the thriller! It had mystery, intrigue and romance. I thought I had figured out what was going to happen next, but many twists along the way surprised me. Highly recommend this book!

The perfect wife with the perfect life is at the forefront of domestic thriller ROSES ARE RED by Miranda Rijks. Classic domestic noir with unreliable characters, lies and secrets that will have you turning the pages into the night.

On the surface, Adam and Lydia Palmer have it all. Money. Wealth. Success. A lavish restored farmhouse, two children and a life of luxury. But things are never what they seem. Lydia is far from happy. Adam is a serial philanderer and the couple are on the verge of divorce. After discovering the identity of his latest conquest the couple have a massive row afterwhich Adam storms out to go for his nightly swim. And Lydia goes to bed. When Adam hasn't returned three hours later, she goes in search of him...and finds him at the bottom of their swimming pool, having been murdered by electrocution. The police swoop in and investigate, questioning both Lydia and her business partner Ajay. And then the trail goes cold.

Three months later and Lydia's best friend Cassie is encouraging her to try internet dating. After an unsuccessful date and vowing never to use internet dating again, Lydia meets Patrick - a warm and charismatic man who is kind and loving and everything Adam wasn't. Can this man be the calm amidst the storm of her life?

Patrick woos Lydia and by Christmas the couple are engaged, much to the shock of everyone...particularly her 15 year old daughter Mia who is outraged. Patrick wants a quick wedding without the usual fanfare but Lydia isn't so sure. She only buried her husband seven months ago and her children are still grieving. But Patrick is insistent and even manages to talk Mia round, begrudgingly, for she refuses to attend their very small wedding of just five people. Lydia wants her daughter to love her new husband so badly but she also wants her to be happy. Her son Ollie is content enough but becomes rather ecstatic when Patrick spends time bonding with him over computer games. At last, life seems to be good.

Then things start to fall apart...

Patrick travels a lot for work and Lydia finds herself the recipient of prank calls throughout the night. Then her business begins to suffer when she appears on a home shopping show to promote a product her business is selling only to discover the wrong product was sent to the network, which is a cheap knock-off version of the one they sell, and her demonstration resulted in a humiliating display. She is shocked to discover her partner Ajay had changed the instructions and so she confronts him after clarifying her paperwork had been in order but he denies having done so. But why would he do that? Then she discovers that the police have new evidence pointing to Ajay as being responsible for Adam's murder. Is this true? Could it have been Ajay? But why?

Then the silent calls begin again. And noises in the night. Shadows in the dark. A dark maroon car seen driving away from the house, matching Ajay's car. Is he stalking her? Trying to scare her? Before long, Ajay offers to buy Lydia's share of the company which she refuses. Has this been his ploy all along? To discredit her business only to buy her out at way below the market value? Patrick had warned her he might do this and it seems he was right. But is Ajay dangerous too?

But then nothing will prepare Lydia for what is to come...

Collapsing on the kitchen floor one morning eating breakfast, Lydia is unable to breathe, her tongue swelling in her throat. She knew at once what it was. She is highly allergic to peanuts and she has gone into anaphylaxis. Mia searches for her mother's EpiPen, none of which could be found, screaming in panic before Lydia fades into blackness. Who put the peanuts into Lydia's granola, knowing full well she is allergic? It seems whoever it is wants Lydia dead...and they will stop at nothing.

Is it Ajay? Or is it someone closer to home?

Told solely in Lydia's narrative, except for the opening chapter, ROSES ARE RED is a fast paced thriller that will have you scratching your head...and not always in a good way. It was well written and was a heart-pounding read but for me it was all too familiar. In fact, I had to stop reading to search for the book that it did remind me of because it screamed of such similarities to Alison James' "The Man She Married", albeit with a few differences.

My biggest issue with this book though was Lydia herself. How someone with the nous to build a multi-million pound crafting empire could be so gullible...really? How could she be so blind to be unable to see how she is being played? How could she doubt her business partner and friend for over twenty years and take the word of her new husband whom she has known just 5 minutes? For these reasons I found the story a little too predictable and the shock twist promoted with the book really wasn't. ROSES ARE RED wasn't a bad book but it wasn't the greatest either. It was still intriguing and held my interest throughout as I was interested to discover "why", despite the "who" not being such a great shock. There were a couple of surprises but I had figured out the majority of what was happening by the time all was revealed.

What wasn't so cliched as it was real is the whole internet dating thing. I may be old fashioned but for me that's just playing with fire. You don't know who you are talking to, who you are meeting or what you are opening yourself up to. It is scary as hell and incredibly frightening that intelligent people are willing to open themselves up to complete strangers without knowing anything at all about them. Online, people can be whoever they want to be...and none of it is real.

ROSES ARE RED is still an enjoyable read though I don't think the "twist you won't see coming" tagline is at all apt. You can spot it clearly a mile away.

Although I did enjoy the book, it is not one that will stay with me as some books do. It is, however, a perfect read for something quick and mindless that is uncomplicated and still enjoyable. And sometimes that's just what one needs. ROSES ARE RED is a great book to escape into with its fast pace and easy reading style.

I look forward to Miranda's next book "The Arrangement" .

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #RosesAreRed in exchange for an honest review.

A good read with plenty of action. I thought though that it was a bit predictable in places. I also did not like Lydia. She seemed selfish and shallow in a lot of her decisions.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Now this is a strange one to review... I couldn't put it down, I was almost addicted to it BUT it was highly predictable!

A dark, twisty noir that will have you sat zombified to its pages BUT full of cliches.

In all honesty alot of what happens (no spoilers) is WAAAAY over the top and the ending had me rolling my eyes.

The characters weren't overly likeable or relatable but I still couldn't put it down

Overall an enjoyable read but overly predictable.

3*

With thanks to netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

Adam and Lydia appear to have the perfect life. But in reality Lydia is deeply unhappy and wants a divorce. But then Adam dies and leaves her to raise their two children alone. Within months of Adam's death, Lydia is married to new man Patrick. He's handsome, smart, loving... the perfect man. Or is he just too good to be true?

Okay, so the story was great. Suspense and twists in all the right places. It was gripping and I struggled to put it down once I started. But I am so annoyed with Lydia! She seemed like such a smart woman, is aware of men who scam wealthy women, yet she falls for it hook, line and sinker. I mean, really. Who marries a man they met online a month ago? Especially when their husband has only been dead for four months. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, I don't know. But it really did annoy me. Other than that, I loved this one. I look forward to reading more from this author.

After having devoured Deserve to Die, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book very much. The story captured my interest in the beginning but then it dragged on for so long that by the time I got to the lackluster twist, I didn’t much care anymore. This one just wasn’t for me.

I love a good love story gone psycho and Roses Are Red had me up way into the night for "just one more page".
It was sad, it was emotional, it was dark, it had secrets and lots of wealth, and it had a twisty ending!
Very well written.
Love the cover art too.
Thank you for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. Posted on goodreads as well.

3-4 stars, this was one of those that was good enough for me to stay interested in throughout and finish, but not one that blew my mind! I think it was well written, had the normal things I look for in thrillers; thrills, chills, twists & turns, and shocks. I think it may have been one that just seems to have that way too familiar theme, we see in many thrillers, which is why it didn’t blow my mind, but I definitely think most will enjoy the quick suspense ride!

This was a typical Lifetime movie book but I do say I enjoyed most of it. The main character was pretty clueless and I wonder how realistic that is. I enjoyed the 'mystery' of trying to find out just what was wrong with Patrick. I do not like how everything was tied up nicely in a neat little bow at the very end. The ending was extremely rushed as well. It was almost too much in the beginning and middle but not enough in the very end. The title makes sense since he continuously gave her roses. Overall it was a quick and fun read.

Lydia is a partner in a multi-milion dollar crafting company - a company that she started.  She has the perfect life, a perfect husband and perfect kids.  When her husband is found dead in the swimming pool, we find out that her life is not really so perfect after all.

I enjoy a good psychological thriller, but Roses are Red was just not an enjoyable read.  Lydia is so irritatingly naive that you have wonder how she ever built a multi-million dollar business.  The story is just too predictable and the characters were not well-developed.

Lydia's husband Adam dies soon after they agree to a divorce. Lydia finds out he was murdered. A few months after his death, she meets Patrick through the internet. Everytime Patrick comes to visit, he brings a single red rose or a bouquet of roses. They marry.
This is the story of Lydia's second marriage and how it impacts her and her children.
A quick read. No real surprises for me.

Lydia discovers that her husband Adam is having an affair with their business partners wife, shortly afterwards Lydia finds Adam dead at the bottom of their pool. She thinks it was an accident, the police discover it’s murder, and start investigating everyone in their circle.
A few months later, Lydia meets Patrick online. He is handsome and charming but is he too good to be true? After a very short courtship they marry, much to the dismay of her teenage daughter. Needless to say, Lydia’s life starts to fall apart, to the point where she’s doubting everyone around her.
This book was very well written and interesting.

This author has an excellent way of pulling you in and making you NOT want to put it down. I had to stay up allll night last night reading this sweet little read. Not all books are as riveting as this! You will want to add this to your read stack.

I LOVED this book I could not put it down when I started reading it the twist at the end I did not see coming will definitely read more by this Author 5 star rating

Great book, kept turning the pages without putting it down. I just wished it included more twists! But overall I would recommend a read as it was still a fantastic book!

This was a thrilling read that will keep you up at night! Nice fast read in which I loved! Thank you Incubator and Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review!

Really did not like any of the characters. Lydia's cluelessness and stupidity really annoyed and frustrated me. I figured out part of the twist early on but was surprised by the other part of it. Not one likeable person on the whole book