My second book by this author, and the cover and description grabbed me straight away. This is a classic psychological thriller revolving around the life of psychologist Stephen McKenzie. Set with a beautiful backdrop of the beautiful Dorset coastline, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to work out what is happening. Stephen is a widower and is cared for by his 19 year old daughter, Maya. Maya was only a young girl when her mother tragically died, and whilst she witnessed her death, Maya struggles to remember anything else about her. I really liked Maya's character, but did feel for her how her life has turned out and how she had to give up her dreams to care for her father.

I have to admit, the story does begin slowly. It is given throughout from the points of view of two characters, and whilst it is a slow start, it does give it time to build the tension and suspense as to the secrets that are being hidden. There is plenty of mystery to keep you intrigued and as the book went on I wanted to read quicker to find out the secrets surrounding Maya and her parents. The chapters alternate between the two characters, and the switch between these is done seamlessly and is not complicated at all. The story itself is well written and easy to follow, and the characters all hide enough secrets to give you suspicions about all of them!

This is definitely a dark and intense thriller with a bleak backdrop which was absolutely perfect to leave you feeling chilled to the bone and on edge throughout. Filled with secrets and lies, the storyline twists and turns throughout to its satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend, and I'll certainly be looking for more by this author!

This unfortunately did not work for me.

The author's writing style captivated me from the beginning but the plot itself quickly deranged. The characters never felt real, the whole situation had a far fetched air. The dialogues were not credible and the resolution was too impossible to believe. Also, for the life of me I can't understand the title. It's such a minor detail in the story and adds absolutely nothing to the narrative, why is it the title?

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

#HisHiddenWife #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and Wendy Clarke for an ARC to review.
A slow burn thriller that reminds me with classic thrillers, few characters, remote setting and solid twists.
Maya and her dad Stephen lives alone in the same beach house her mom lived and died at, she loves spending time on the memorial bench at her mother's death spot. Her memories about her childhood are of a content child growing up between two loving parents, but are those memories real or planted?
Their calm life changes rhythm by Stephen's new girlfriend Amy, who suspiciously looks so much alike Maya's late mother.
I loved it and would really love to read more by Wendy Clarke.

Wife thrillers are all the rage... literally. The characters weren’t the most likeable but the twists and turns kept me going and in fact I finished this one pretty quick. This is unexpected and full of twists, the end will be unpredictable which is the best part of a thriller.

I struggled to connect with the characters in this one, which is such a bummer because I just love Wendy Clarke’s writing. It won’t stop me from reading her future books though! It’s just a miss for me this time.

I know my blog is called short thoughts but this is probably going to be the shortest thoughts i've done due to one reason...

I finished this over 24 hours ago and i STILL cant decide if I enjoyed it or not...and I DONT KNOW WHY!!! There was nothing bad about the book - well written, good twists, but it just left me all 'so what' if you know what i mean.

Apologies but I have put the review off all day whilst I thought about it and I still dont know.. To be fair, as there was nothing actually wrong with it i thought the fairest thing to do is give it a neutral score.

Full of twists and surprises, where I was never sure who to believe. A stark reminder of how important memory is when trying to make sense of the past, and what happens when those memories let you down. Scary and atmospheric. A little flat and drawn out in the middle which, for me, loses it a star. And the title is misleading and somewhat irrelevant.

If you enjoy a slow burn book, this is the book for you! Unfortunately. I do not enjoy a slow burn. However, this book was well written and told from 2 main characters points of view.

This book, His Hidden Wife, was a first Wendy Clarke book for me. And I was decently surprised. Clarke kept my attention through the book and she managed to surprise me with the ending. Just when you thought you had it figured out, Clarke would turn it around again. Clarke's writing was easy to follow and was written in chronological order. Each chapter was told from one of two characters and was clearly labeled and easy to follow along. I appreciate when the chapters are shorter and don't drag on forever, allowing for easier interruptions from life and kids.
Clarke introduces us to the seaside town were Maya's mother tragically died. Maya and her father have continued living in this town surrounded by her memory. Years later, a new woman enters the father life and things begin to surface, forcing Maya to question everything she has grown up knowing. Who is her father really and what happened the night her mother tragically fell to her death? More and more questions keep surfacing as Maya keeps uncovering secrets people thought were long gone and buried.
Overall, a good suspenseful story. I will be recommending The Hidden Wife to others and I will be looking for other works by Wendy Clarke. 4 stars
#HisHiddenWife #NetGalley

This is an unexpected story. A girl loses her mother at a young age and has spent quite a long time taking care of her father. As she gets older she starts to wonder if she should go to university, since she has already delayed a year. She wonders if she will ever know the truth about her mom?

Do you really have memories of your own when you are so young when you lose a parent? Or are your memories jus what others have been told by others? How do you know if what you are told is the truth?
Thanks Netgalley for complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Maya was only 6 years old when her mother tragically died, falling off a cliff at their seaside home. Now, 12 years later, she dotes on her father Stephen, a therapist, and they still live in the same house. But Maya’s having flashbacks to the day her mother died, and things may not have happened the way her father says. His Hidden Wife is a slow-burn psychological thriller, with a ton of twists that will keep you off balance. The story moves a little slowly, though, but finally kicks into gear. Unfortunately, there’s a long, tedious wait for the book to pick up steam, and that affected my overall experience with the novel. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

May contain spoilers: Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC in return for a honest review. This was my first book by the author Wendy Clarke. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. The book is written from the sides of Maya and Teresa. Maya's mother died when she was six when she "fell" off a cliff by her home. Maya doesn't remember much other than the memories that her father, Stephen, a psychologist, shares with her. Teresa is also a psychologist who works with Stephen and they share a history. Teresa is dealing with her own issues with an abusive husband and an other mother who is displaying signs of dementia. Maya and her father have been each other's only support for years until he meets Amy, a younger woman, who surprisingly looks just like Maya's mother. Memories keep coming back making Maya doubt the stories her father has told her and leading her to the real truth. Teresa offers support and assistance in getting Maya the answers she needs. The reader was kept in the dark for a good majority of the novel and the ending was a twist you don't see coming. I would definitely recommend this book and will plan to read more novels by this author is the future.

Maya’s mother died when she was only six. She barely remembers anything from that day-- or her childhood until that point. The memories she does have were given to her by her father Stephen. Tales of her loving, doting mother. Stories of the happy life they shared. But that changes when he brings new girlfriend Amy home. With her help, Maya starts to remember fragments from the past, but they don’t match her father’s bright and cheery version. Combined with his sometimes dark moods, it makes her wonder what he is hiding and why. She’s always protected him, but should she fear him instead?

Teresa’s a psychologist in Stephen’s practice. She’s known him for years and has been in love with him for just as long. Her own life in shambles due to a bad marriage and a troubled teenage son, she also senses Stephen is keeping secrets. Like his daughter, she’ll do anything to protect him. But when she stumbles upon the truth, it’s Maya she must suddenly protect. But from whom?

Dark, brooding, and hauntingly eerie, “His Hidden Wife” makes you question how many of your memories are facts and how many are alternative versions implanted in your mind by others. Set in Stephen’s house atop a seaside cliff, the wispy fog that hangs over the landscape adds an ominous feel to the story while foreshadowing the peril that lies ahead for the characters. While the story moves at a brisk pace, the author remains vague about the details of the past and present, making it highly suspenseful and hard to put down. A few shocking twists toward the end help to lift the fog, but it’s the final twist that will knock you off the cliff before you see it coming.

Despite disliking all the characters except Maya, I was engrossed by “His Hidden Wife”, getting lost in the chapters without realizing it. Author Wendy Clarke’s pairing of setting and plot was like pinot noir and chocolate: deliciously brilliant. It’s what makes this novel stand out-- and above a lot of others.

A real rollercoaster of suspense, lies & twists. One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read this year. I made my mind up many times, only to be proved wrong each time. The last 30 pages had me almost holding my breath. Instagram - Raena_Reads
5*.

Alfred Hitchcock would have jumped on this book and would not have changed a word for the screenplay. Wendy Clarke is a new author for me and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books. The Hidden Wife is certainly like a Hitchcock movie. The story takes place by the sea with a dramatic coastline and crashing waves. Maya is struggling to bring her childhood memories of her mother and her untimely death into focus. With help from her father, she remembers the beautiful relationship she shared with her mother. But what is real and who can she trust? Her father, who has always been there for her or his co-worker, who has motives of her own? Maybe the new woman in her father's life, Amy, can make sense of Maya's muddled memories.. If Maya can just get past how much Amy looks like her deceased mom. The Hidden Wife has so many twists and turns but Clarke presents the story in clear, concise and orderly fashion. Each chapter flows and the story unfolds in a way that it's hard to find a stopping point. So be prepared to stay up late!
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

Addictive thriller! Between the unhealthy obsession that Teresa has with Stephen and Maya needing to protect her family life even though she knows nothing of her mother's death just draws me in. The author's style of writing is very vague, yet with just enough information to keep the story going, as well as keeping the readers' attention. However, there is no lack of information at any point in the story. There is a huge twist at the end that I did not predict. I do feel that Teresa's home life was unnecessary has it doesn't tie into the story. Even though Teresa's character does lend a large mysterious cloud to the story.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging psychological thriller that kept me guessing till the end. Set in an idyllic, seaside backdrop in Dorset, the story is a slow burn.

The plot revolves around the lives of widower, Dr. Stephen Mckenzie and his daughter Maya who has put aside her ambitions of becoming a doctor, to take care of her father. Their routine, seemingly perfect life begins to develop cracks when Stephen introduces his new girlfriend, Amy, who bears an eerie resemblance to Maya's own mother who passed away twelve years ago. Soon memories begin to surface that has Maya questioning everything she knew about her life thus far.

The story is narrated in alternative POVs of Maya and Stephen's colleague Teresa (which was a little confusing for me, as in, why have Teresa's POV at all?). Despite the slow pace, the author has spun plenty of twists throughout the story to keep one's curiosity piqued; just when you think you have it all figured out, yet another twist smacks you in the face.

Though I did think there were some inconsistencies in the age/timeline of one of the characters, overall this was an enjoyable read.

A big thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley who approved my request for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just bizarre. Like I genuinely haven’t got a clue what I have just read because it seemed so weird. I don’t know how to properly review it either because I’m not even sure if I liked it.

Okay, so what I can say is that the writing was pretty decent and wasn’t bogged down by flowery language. I thought the pacing was decent but the plot. The plot, I don’t even know where to start. I went into this book thinking it was one thing and by about 30% in I was convinced that another was happening and basically none of it made sense. The author tried to clarify it at the end but it just didn’t sit well with me. It seemed too convenient.

The characters. Okay so I despised Maya. I have never read someone who is so selfish and self absorbed and only concerned with their own happiness as this character. She treated her dad like crap and was awful to everyone.
I thought everyone else was just dull and unmemorable.

I just found myself feeling unsatisfied with this book and the direction it went and feel like there was so much wasted potential.

<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Gasp.. yes this book made me gasp outloud!!!!
What a great ride. Pulls you in like nothing else. One of the best books that I have read this year. It's over but I dont want it to be. So suspenseful, fantastic read everything about it is great.
More than 5 stars if i could. Put this on your reading list you wont he disappointed.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was well written and the author did a great job with the twists and turns. I liked that the characters felt real to me and they all had issues that are common in the real world. This was a great, fast paced thriller!