This missed the mark for me. I was expecting a bit more thrill as I believed it was a psychological domestic thriller. Unfortunately, I didn't make it through as I found myself bogged by the drama without any big hook or thread of suspense - there was no hook or build to grab my attention or care how the stories intertwined between the initial reveal. My thanks for the opportunity- and while it didn't work for me, I do believe this was the right pacing and plot for someone else.

This book is definitely Emilie Richards at her best!! The storyline was deep, poignant, and truly lovely. After the death of a husband/father, his wife and his daughter are thrown together. The problem? The daughter hates her stepmother. Seems stereotypical, but it really is a moving story. Richards provided vivid descriptions of the characters and locations throughout the story. Mystery, secrets, and a little romance make for an enthralling tale. I loved it!

When her stepdaughters actions leave her no choice but to offer safe haven to a young woman and her son, the stage for THE HOUSE GUESTS is set in place. With two women and two teenagers in the house, drama is a given. But these two families will blend to become one, even with each secret bringing more questions than answers. Emilie Richards has given us a story that resounds enough through families that you'll find some part of your family in the pages. The story builds as they learn to trust each other.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on kindle for a review...I have read many books by this author...they are light quick reads...the characters are usually likable. This book...I do not like the fact that the author used a fake name for a county in WV and then used the real one of Kanawha...use fake or real...not both...usually when I find this, I stop reading...this is fun for an afternoon of escaping...

I really liked this one! It was a compelling read and I didn't feel pulled out of the story. I wanted to keep reading.

A brilliantly layered page-turner spiced with family strife, dangerous secrets, old ghosts and ever present dangers, outstanding storyteller Emilie Richards is at the top of her game with her latest novel, The House Guests.

The bottom falls out of Cassie Costas’ world when her husband dies suddenly. Heartbroken, grief-stricken and with the weight of the world upon her shoulders, Cassie’s life has been turned upside down. As if coping with her own grief and sorrow isn’t enough, Cassie has to contend with her teenage daughter Savannah who makes it perfectly clear that she blames Cassie for her father’s death. Their relationship is already strained, but it becomes even more difficult when they move to Tarpon Springs, Florida. Savannah despises Cassie and hates her new town and her new school. Cassie has got a lot to deal with at the moment – but uppermost in her mind is searching for the truth about her late husband and the reason why all of their life savings have disappeared.

As Savannah’s bad behavior escalates, a selfish act of rebellion ends up leaving single mother Amber and her sixteen year old son homeless. Having lost so much herself, Cassie can relate to Amber’s pain, so she invites her and her son into her home in an effort to make amends. Only, as their lives become intertwined in the most startling and unexpected of ways, it becomes clear to Cassie that Amber is a woman with plenty of secrets and skeletons in her closet. Just what is Amber running away from? Can Cassie trust her? Or has she made the biggest mistake of her life letting Amber and her son into her home?

As Amber’s past catches up with her, Cassie and Savannah find themselves in grave danger. With everything to lose and their lives in jeopardy, will Cassie manage to save herself and Savannah? Or will her act of selflessness end up costing her everything?

I’ve long been a fan of Emilie Richards and she never ceases to surprise and delight her readers. In The House Guests she has penned a richly woven domestic drama liberally imbued with danger, terror, intrigue and suspense that will certainly keep readers turning the pages. The House Guest is a deftly told tale that astutely explores putting one’s trust in the wrong people, the lengths we go to for the ones we love and the sacrifices we make in order to survive that grips readers from the very first page.

Suspenseful, highly charged and immensely absorbing, Emilie Richards’ The House Guests is absolutely impossible to put down.

This was such a heartwarming and captivating domestic suspense! I really enjoyed it, and fell totally in love with Amber and the extended Costas family. I really hope this becomes a series, I would be very interested in a continuation of their life stories now that things have changed.

This is one of those books that I definitely wish I had read sooner. I absolutely loved everything about this book. From the storyline to the characters...everything is phenomenal.

Amber and Cassie are very relatable. Especially for all the struggling single mothers out there. Their different situations are actually something that brings them closer together. You do have one that is keeping a secret and one that will end up revealing many she had no idea about.

This is a story about family, redemption, forgiveness and generally doing the right thing. There are some moments of suspense as well. Overall a very well flowing story with a great resolve.

I will be keeping an eye on this author. I can't wait to see what is next.

Grieving over the death of her husband, Cassie had to deal with her stepdaughter and her tantrums some of which cause problems for others. Secrets abound along with a lack of trust. Not really a thriller, it was a good family drama.

The House Guests
My thanks to #Netgalley and for this eBook in exchange for an honest review. Emilie Richards gives us a nice little thriller that delves deep into what a mother will do to anything for her children. As Cassie Costas struggles to pick up the pieces of her life after the sudden death of her husband, her resentful stepdaughter, Savannah, does something so horrible that it sets in motion a chain of events that changes the lives of everyone in her path. As Cassie and Savannah learn to live together, they also have #thehouseguests to contend with. This a touching story of mothers and daughters, and women coming together to help each other out of what they each think are insurmountable difficulties.

This is a fun festive quick read perfect for the holidays. For lovers of baking and reality baking television contests, you will want to pick up this book. While predictable in its ending, it is an enjoyable holiday comfort book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had a great plot and a great set of characters. I liked the way the author writes and look forward to more from them.

Based on the tagline/description, I expected a taut suspense novel with clues and hints that would make me wonder what was happening to who and why at any given time. While there is certainly lots of tension, it is not of the very suspenseful kind. It definitely favors family drama tension. Once I adjusted my expectation and changed my attitude toward what I was reading, it turned out okay. I think I just did it a little bit late. I liked how the author illustrated that one simple decision can have long-reaching repercussions. I thought it was particularly effective because it was largely due to teen decisions. And we all know how well teens usually make decisions. I do wish the author had focused more on the moms than the teen points of view. It’s difficult to write teens accurately without making them stereotypical. With that being said, if you go into this book expecting family drama between teens and moms, with some analytical commentary on being a good Samaritan, I think you’ll probably enjoy the story. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin (MIRA) for a digital copy of the book.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to finish this one. The story follows Cassie Costas. She's dealing with the death of her husband, and trying to keep things together with her step daughter. This step daughter thinks she has something to do with her father's death. Savannah tries to bring in two homeless strangers and it all goes crazy.

When I started reading this book, I was in for a pleasant surprise. It’s not a traditional thriller where you immediately know what the plot is. Frankly, I would characterize this more as women’s fiction where the suspense thriller is secondary. Hence, I was not sure if I would enjoy reading it. However, I loved the way the author portrayed the characters and ended up liking it.

What stands out in the story is how the author writes the emotions of the characters. My favorite character in the story was Cassie and her complex relationship with Savannah. Savannah blames Cassie for the death of Savannah’s father, and it was interesting to der how they adjusted with each other. Similarly, Will constantly asks questions about his father while Amber tries to dodge them. The story gets interesting once Amber and Will move in as house guests. I also enjoyed how Amber bonds with Cassie. You already know that Cassie and Savannah are on shaky grounds, and you wait for their relationship to collapse. Moreover, it was interesting to see how Will got along with Savannah.

The author also writes the thriller nicely. I was intrigued to find out what Amber was running away from and why. Some memorable moments were when Cassie meets Fletcher to find answers or when she meets Nick or Ivy. None of the characters are likable because of their secrets, but I liked how the author told their story.

Overall, “The House Guests” will be a hit or miss because it is not the traditional thriller that you expect it to be. Nevertheless, I found the book interesting mainly because of how the author wrote it.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
This is an almost painfully slow story about four people sharing a house in Florida. The house belongs to Cassie and her stepdaughter, Savannah. The houseguests are Amber and her son, Will. Cassie invites Amber to live with her after Savannah steals Amber’s savings.

I really struggled with this book. There are a couple of storylines here that should be exciting. Cassie is digging into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, Savannah’s father. Amber is running from something – and for the longest time, readers don’t know what. However, both of these storylines drag along without any building tension. Interspersed between are scenes where Cassie and Savannah struggle with grief, relocating, and being poor(er) than they are accustomed to. Cassie reads as slightly useless, and Savannah as spoilt, so I found it really difficult to have empathy for either of them. Amber and Will are much more likeable, but Amber is too secretive and guarded for readers to ever connect with.

With too many characters and too many narrative perspectives, this book becomes unwieldy. I was unable to keep the additional supporting characters straight. Cassie’s family members, her husband’s previous colleagues, the men Cassie and Amber date, Savannah’s friends… It is all a bit much in a single story. There are a couple of revelations at the end that should have been exciting, but they just weren’t. I’m a fast reader and I read just about everything. It isn’t often that I pick up, put down, and avoid a book as much as I did this one.

This is a heartfelt and compelling novel about what it means to be family and all that a mother will risk to keep hers together.

The story unfolds around two different single mothers, each with a teen child that they need to keep safe, but for entirely different reasons. Cassie's stepdaughter Savannah does an unspeakably selfish thing that gets the story rolling and gets the two mothers and their kids into the same house. I loved the interaction and growth of each character and loved how tightly the two intensely poignant stories were intertwined. I also loved how Emilie Richards developed the Greek restaurant and the Greek community of Tarpon Springs almost as a character unto itself. A thoroughly enjoyable novel that touched my heart and kept me turning pages.

#netgalley #harlequin #TheHouseGuests #emilierichards

Great characters trying to begin again. Moms who will do anything for their children. Resentments, secrets and a little intrigue. Just keep turning the pages to see what happens next. Very enjoyable read

Cassie Costas is struggling to pick up the pieces of her former life. To make matters worse, her stepdaughter's thoughtless act leaves Amber's family homeless. Seeking to teach her daughter a lesson and make restitution, she invites Amber and Will to move in as their house guests.

While Cassie and Savannah are coming to terms with Mark's death, Amber is trying to escape the past. Will the #TheHouseGuests teach the Costas how to live in the moment instead of focusing on the past? In turn, secure in their love, will Amber find the courage to stop running?

Thank you to #NeGalley and the publisher for the early edition in exchange for an honest review. Emilie Richards is a masterful storyteller and pens charismatic characters. There's honesty in their flaws and delving into their stories, readers find layers to be revealed. Curl up on the couch and dive into a story that will leave you treading water until the final chapter.

Two moms each with a child, and each family unit with secrets and concerns will have you flipping pages and wondering what will happen next.

If you’ve read many of my reviews you are aware that I usually don’t read a synopsis before I start a book. It’s usually enough for me to know the genre, since I want the unfolding of the story to be a surprise. So as this story unfolded I kept waiting for the thriller…and waiting. If you are expecting a thriller, this is the wrong book. But if you want great characters and building suspense, don’t pass this up. This is going to make you happy.

The Setting
The setting was the first thing to capture my interest. Tarpon Springs is a place that holds many fond memories for me. And the author’s descriptions brought me right back to the sponge docks and the first time I tried a gyro sandwich.

Characters
Secondly, the characters came to life in a very short time. Did I like everything they said? Nope. But don’t throw your hands up and say that you’d never accept that kind of back-talk from your teenager. It will be short lived. And when you think about it later you will realize that the mouthy teenager and her step-mom weren’t reacting all that much out of character. I think you’ll find that Richards has created dialog for characters that makes them much more than just names, they become people who could be your next door neighbors.

Content
I found the content of this story to be a little of this and that. As I said earlier, the characters have problems and are complicated and suffering many emotions, the relationships are difficult, and as continued turning the pages I realized that suspense was mounting.

My Concerns
Nothing at all.

My Final Thoughts
Even though I like many things about a story, I’m usually slow to hand out 5 stars. By doing that I want that rating to mean more to my readers. But this story ticked all the boxes.

Interesting Characters with believable dialog
Well though-out story with two families and two different secrets
The writing flowed
The ending was satisfying

For some unknown reason Emilie Richards has flown under my radar. This is the first time I’ve read a book by her, but I will guarantee you I’ve got her spotted and I’ll be watching for her next one.

My thanks to #NetGalley, the author and Harlequin for an eBook. All thoughts are my own.