The Mistress is a thrilling story, with plenty of twists and turns!

Laura Dixon is a teacher, who is having an affair with fellow teacher, married man, Ralph Wilson.
When their relationship started, Laura had no idea that Ralph was married and had a daughter too, but she soon found out. Laura believed Ralph’s story that things weren’t good between him and his wife. She forgave him and continued the affair as she was madly in love with him to the extent of being obsessed with him.

However, some time later Ralph told Laura that he wanted to end their relationship and Laura was obviously very upset. One night she was at his house, (while his wife has no idea that she was there), and got into a heated argument with him. She accidentally pushed him down the cellar stairs in a crime of passion, and ended up killing him.

In a twist of fate, Ralph’s wife Helen saw this happen and was in shock. She said she would take care of the situation and asked Laura not to mention anything to anyone as it would cause disgrace for her and her daughter Anna, due to her husband’s cheating, and the way he died. Laura was extremely shaken up and terrified but agreed, as she had committed a crime and didn’t want to get caught.

Then, things get strange for Laura as she starts getting mysterious messages from an unknown number, which seem like Ralph contacting her from the grave.

Half the story is told from Laura’s perspective and the other half is from Helen’s point of view. In this way, we get a more in depth view of the main characters, and can actually feel for them and sympathize with them as well.

The backstory of both characters is well developed and we get a chance to see how both women started their relationship with Ralph, in flashbacks throughout the book.

Let me just say that the story goes into places that you will not expect and it will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages in anticipation.

I would definitely recommend this book for people who like the mystery, thriller and suspense genres!

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.

The beginning drops us right in the middle of the action! 

Once we have had time to take a breather, the book turns in a romantic story when we are taken back in time. The charming husband forgets about his wedding vows and acts like he is still a happy single. But often things are not what they seem and it becomes clear very fast that it's also true here...

The author knows how to add some passages that are creepy with capital C that had chills running down my spine. How I love that!

Once a cheater, always a cheater apparently and you keep on doing it until that final drop hits the bucket and makes it overflow, because that's when the cat and the mouse change roles...

Playing mind games can be fun until you are on the receiving end. I loved this book and give it 5 stars without a doubt.

Thank you, Jill Childs and Bookouture

Everyone who works at the school knows that Ms. Dixon is infatuated with Ralph. Ralph's wife also knows. Poor Ms. Dixon has not heard from him in months until one evening when she receives a text from him. Their affair is rekindled and what happens next is a thrilling story of what those who love someone will do to protect them. Ms. Dixon spends the next months in despair broken hearted and sick over her involvement in the cover up about what happened to Ralph. Ralph's wife slowly uncovers the mystery of the man she was married to and this book takes the reader on an adventure into deception, cold blooded calculation, and heartache. Really good thriller with lots of twists and turns and changes. Once mean and vindictive the wife uses her courage to become a hero in this novel of deception. Look for publication date Sept. 14, 2020. Thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me to read and review #NetGalley#TheMistress.

Laura knew that work romances (particularly affairs with a married man) never worked. In fact they were doomed... Ralph - a teacher at the school she worked at. managed to charm her and led Laura into a (selfish?) affair. She became infatuated with Ralph, in fact.

Ralph had both - a wife, Helen, and a daughter, Anna. This, of course, adding to the complexity of Laura's feelings. Yet, Laura fell in love with Ralph.

Things were fine until Ralph dumps her. Still obsessed with him, Laura is shocked when she receives a text from Ralph to meet him at his house! Another chance! Was he ready to dump his family for Laura?

A divided perspective - particularly in the last half of this read - is wonderfully worked out. This is the type of book that will grab the reader in from the start!

Plenty of suspense!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a wonderful read!

Wow! The Mistress, by Jill Child’s, is awesome! Just when you think you have things figured out, another twist! Rich characters drive a well crafted storyline.

I love any thriller with multiple povs and unreliable narrators,such as this one. also,the first chapter itself was so intriguing.
The book is well written and the plot is well thought-out. i was able to guess the ending though,but maybe that is because i have read far too many thrillers than someone should.
This book also has an open cliffhanger style ending..which just plays with my mind.

I loved the dual perspective of this, getting Laura's version, the mistress, and then the wife's version at the end. And that first chapter? Wow. It truly pulled you in.

While I was able to guess at what had really happened, I couldn't figure out the how or why. It had me guessing and I was definitely wrong each time a new twist would come along. It had my heart pounding at times, especially towards the end. I felt almost as if I needed to watch my back and listen for someone sneaking along the house.

I did think it ended too soon. I wanted a little more from it. For instance, who was Mike, really? I have my own theories but I hate that I'll never know. Though, I guess from the last line, my theory is probably correct. Either way, I'd love to have just a little more from it for closure. And of course, my heart broke for Laura and Meghan. All the women, really. Each of them had their lives ruined by Ralph. No female in that story ended up not being messed up by him, in some way.

Ms. Dixon is enthralled with Ralph. His voice when he reads poetry is so sultry. It touches something deep inside her being. She is in love with him. Then she finds out about Helen. His wife and Anna, his little daughter. She knows it's wrong to continue but it's too late by the time she finds out he's married with a family she's fallen in love. He says he loves her too. He knows how to pull the strings. She won't hear from him for days at a time. She begs for another chance. She tells him she's sorry for pushing. Then he reels her back in. Until she finally snaps. She shoves him, next thing she knows he's in the cellar with his body bent at impossible angles. It may have been an accident, but his wife Helen has just walked in the door.
Twists and turns that keep you occupied to the very end!!

Ooh, this book starts with an action where there is no turning back, a life changer of the highest order, and I found myself thinking, “Laura - what the hell happens next? Nooo!” And that was all in the first few pages.

I loved the school and home settings, they were so authentically written and I feel as though we have all known a Ralph at least once in out life. Helen appeared as normal as can be, and Laura, her emotional expressions were unnerving and I felt the weight of her descent. Then the other characters came cleverly into play.

This story was a web that got more intricate as I read on until the metaphorical spider came for its meal. Did the spider devour everything or was there a bit of light left? This is a no spoiler review so you’ll have to decide for yourself. All I can say is I didn’t expect that to happen?

A steady psychological thriller with surprises, perfect for lovers of this genre. I really enjoyed this book!

A forbidden work romance out of marriage goes awry and results in the death of Ralph(the cheating spouse).
Laura is obsessed with her lover and is not happy when Ralph summons her to his house one evening and tells her he wants to end the affair. Her unhappiness proves fatal as she ends up pushing him at the bottom of a stairwell.

The story is a fast paced thriller told in two parts and POVs, Laura (the mistress) and Helen (the wife). Its not a surprising plot but a decent read in case you are looking to get over a reading slump of sorts.

I like a plot where I cant guess and the story keeps surprising me which did not happen here.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for providing me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

Nobody chooses to be the mistress, but sometimes it happens. Laura is a shy, quiet school teacher who falls for a charismatic man. Ralph is also a teacher, and a poet, and a married man with a small child. Laura is aware of this and still she loves him. She waits for him to find time for her. But then, Laura kills him. She didn’t mean to do it, it was an accident.
This is a wonderful book that will have you reading and not stopping. We follow the journey of Laura as she lands up in cahoots with his wife Helen as they dispose of the body and fake his disappearance.
Laura finds herself unravelling, badly and not able to cope with what has happened. Helen on the other hand seems to be coping quite well.
Halfway though the book, the story twists and is no longer about Laura, but instead about Helen.
The characters are so different to each other, and this adds some wonderful tension to the story.
I don’t want to give any spoilers at all, but I would highly recommend this book for lovers of mystery and intrigue. The tale evolves and right up until the very end the surprises keep happening.
I finished this book and straight away wanted to read another by Jill Childs.

I found this book to be a plodder rather than a page turner. Quite a lot if unbelievable things happen and I guessed the 'twist quite early on. That said, the book is well written and worth a read.

I love a book that dives right into the story and doesn't let go of you until the end, and this one did just that. I found myself thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it, which is a really good thing in my view! The plot develops well and builds the tension brilliantly.
This is the first Jill Childs book I have read so had no idea what to expect. I wasn't disappointed and would definitely read her other books after this.
A compelling, easy read, well written book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a roller coaster ride! So many unexpected great twists and turns. Lots of OMG moments. This book kept me hooked from the first page to the very last sentence. Awesome well developed characters that were so easy to relate to. My first time reading Jill Childs, I will be sure to read more! Such a dynamic read, I highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Mistress

Knew this was going to be good from the opening sentence. Perfection! That’s how you draw a reader in! The first few chapters really sold The Mistress to me. I read it in one sitting!

There’s a great contrast between the characters of Laura and Helen, I didn’t particularly like either of them as people but the chalk / cheese differences sing through the pages of The Mistress. More information is needed about Mike, I didn’t understand him at all.

This book could be stronger if all the hints weren’t given to the reader. When the characters find out the twist you’ve know since the first 30% of the story. The last fifteen percent was my favourite part of the story but it didn’t blow me away.
I was expecting a different story from the synopsis. I don’t like the one liner on the cover “It could happen to anyone” No, only if you’re home wrecking scum!

Not my favourite I’ve read recently but there’s a fantastic opening and a decent plot.
3/5

I just didn’t gel with this book. It’s not that it’s badly written, or that the pace is wrong... I just didn’t enjoy reading it. From the start I found some of the plot lines a bit questionable; What sort of head case walks in on her dead husband and his mistress and automatically decides “we need to hide the body” to protect their young daughter from being subjected to the bad press of his death? Without spoiling the ending - everything now makes sense, but it still came across as a bit... weird at the time you’re reading it. The main character is a bit of a pushover and I just couldn’t warm to any of them.

I’ve never really given a bad review but I was looking forward to reading this book and it disappointed me. It was a quick read though and I’ve given it three stars because for someone who enjoys a crime thriller, it has everything you would want and isn’t too predictable. I guess it’s a bit of a ‘marmite’ book though - as it has plenty of other good reviews! Read it and decide for yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley

The very first chapter of this book, we find out that sweet, soft-spoken schoolteacher Laura kills her married lover, Ralph. It starts out with a bang, but unfortunately starts to become a little repetitive. Page after page was Laura drowning in her sorrows, wondering when she will be caught, and being followed by a strange person. I very nearly DNF’d until halfway through the book, when a new twist came on scene and my ears (eyes?) perked up. I can’t say enough good things about Part 2, as it was pretty much just a collection of jaw drops. I am glad I stuck it out to the ending!

Part Two was five star- great voice, interesting characters, snappy. Part One was two star- slow going and Laura was a bit much. Overall, three stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling read. The Mistress, Laura, only occupies half of this book as the reader learns about her ill fated affair with English teacher Ralf Wilson. The other half of the story is told from wife Helen's viewpoint. It's one of those reads that you have difficulty putting down. It's also one where you think you have it all worked out and then you get hit but something totally unexpected. The book grips and holds you prisoner. You simply don't want to put it down until you've finished.. No one is quite what they seem and I really didn't see the ending coming at all.

Brilliant and worth every one of the five stars I have given it.

oh this was good! Took a totally different turn than what I expected and I loved it!
Very good character details. well written.
This is 4.5 - 5 star book!
Thank you for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Laura, the soft-spoken schoolteacher with the faded cardigans and flat shoes, is smitten with Ralph, a teacher of literature. So, when he asked her to go out with him, she immediately agreed only to end up being his mistress.

Ralph tries to break it off with her but she is unwilling to let go. He invites her to his house to talk and things get out of hand. As if right on cue, Ralph's wife, Helen, appears and hatches a plan that will change Laura's life forever..

This is a book that focuses on infidelity, with the plot being divided into parts each narrated by Laura and Helen. This was a fast read with some predictable twists. All the characters were well written. While it was possible to relate the actions of Laura and Helen, I was filled with pure hate for Ralph. I found him to be a loathsome character who deserved nothing less that what he got.

Overall, an okay read!

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!