Member Reviews
Receiving a free ARC of this box set for my honest opinion. How can you go wrong with a box set. I very much enjoyed each book. They are all stand-alone and keep me interested in each one. Thanks, NetGalley for the chance to read the set.
Easy to read and highly enjoyable stories make this book perfect for passing a few hours.
Plenty of depth to the plotlines, with twists you'll never see coming, this is a well written and well thought out collection of thrillers.
The characters are imaginatively created, yet all too easy to believe in. They fit well together within the plot lines and draw you in with ease.
I spent a highly recommended afternoon and evening with this book. All in all well worth reading
An intriguing, thrilling read.
The storyline was well constructed, the characters were interesting and each added something new to the story. This is however a rather long read, but don't give up on it as it is certainly worth investing your time in.
Twists, turns, and suspense. this was a wonderful read!.
3 awesome psychological thrillers. Miranda Rijks has quickly become one of my favorite authors. All of these books had great characters and twists and turns galore. I will definitely be on the lookout for more. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.
I’ve loved Miranda’s previous books the Arrangement and The Visitors. This book trilogy featured all the things I like about This authors writing including really well developed protagonists and many many twists. I think for me having to read 3 books in 1 was too much for me as I like to change genres up a bit. I thought it would be more like short stories not full novels. Deserve to Die was my favorite out of the 3 books. I love the settings...made me wish I was in London right now. I would recommend this trilogy for someone who has time on their hands and wants to have a few thrillers to read without having to buy 3 separate books.
Receiving a free ARC of this box set in return for this honest and unbiased review provided me with the opportunity to get to know a new writer – three times over! Each of the three thrillers in this box set is based on the theme of obsession and starts with a chilling murder committed in London, followed by a literary individual’s lust for revenge. In Roses are Red, we encounter craft business owner Lydia whose life is blown apart when her husband Ajay is found dead and their business partner Adam is declared a suspect. Much later, when she chooses to set up home with a new partner called Patrick, Lydia’s life falls further apart. In his mission to destroy Lydia’s life, Patrick is comparable perhaps to Tamara, the protagonist in Deserve to Die (the second novel included in this box set). Deeply jealous of the charming life that Stacey has built with her husband Dom, Tamara inveigles herself into their professional and personal lives in a plot that will leave of all of their lives in tatters. Finally, in the third novel in this box set entitled You are Mine, we once more encounter a grieving protagonist; this time she is called Charlotte, a painter grieving the loss of her boyfriend some six months earlier. When rich estate owner Rupert Baskerville commissions Charlotte as a portrait artist, we already sense that her vulnerability will be exploited. In hindsight, I perhaps should have separated my reading of these three novels, as with three obsession-focused plots, psychopathic characters, and long descriptive passages, all three books were quite similar. Nothing in them is really new but readers looking for fast-paced, contemporary-themed novels with predictable outcomes will not be disappointed.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, this was right up my street and loved the Complication of 3 in one, kept me gripped and entertained through another lockdown. Fab read
I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.
Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I've only read the first book (Roses are Red) so far, so I'll update my review with the links to the other two reviews once I have them up. The plot was a bit far fetched, but it was a fun read overall. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.
Edit: I quite enjoyed the second book, Deserve to Die, although not as much as The Visitors. It's interesting to read a story where you know who the killer is from the beginning but not WHY they did it. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.
Roses Are Red is about Lydia, Ajay, and Adam who are partners in a craft business. Lydia and Ajay set up Cracking Crafts nineteen years ago. Adam came along two years after the business got started. It’s a multi-million dollar business. Her thriving business is crumbling after her husband is found dead and her business partner is a suspect. The case remains open as detectives have yet to find evidence.
Months pass and Lydia is ready to find love again. She uses an online dating app to find potential men to date. After an unsuccessful date with one guy she finds Patrick. He’s good looking and caring. The relationship moves quickly with both announcing love to each other.
After Lydia settles into her new life with Patrick suspicious circumstances starts to occur. Patrick believes it’s Ajay her business partner. He begins pumping her head with all the reasons why Ajay wants to harm her.
This is by no means a murder investigation story. It’s pretty straight forward in the way Miranda presented the information. Miranda reserved all the thrills and chills for the final few chapters making this a slow progressing story. Once Lydia met Patrick my interest declined. I got tired of Lydia’s character being gullible and easily manipulated. The story didn’t progress at the pace or direction I had expected. The more time Miranda spent creating suspicion I had already made up my mind who was involved. The only twist was motive. Miranda wore on my patience prolonging the suspicious activity leading me to skim.
I would like to know what Patrick said to Mia to change her attitude towards her mom? I would like to know if Lydia getting sick was planned? Why was the purpose of crashing the cars? There were some scenes that left the reader hanging.
Deserve To Die is about a woman with a methodical plan. She has systematically orchestrated a plan to destroy the perfect life that Dom and Stacey have built for themselves. She strips them of their control taking them into the deepest parts of hell.
Tamara’s character is a woman on a mission by getting close to Dom. Tamara infiltrates herself into Dom’s work place then slowly worms her way into His personal life.
I know this is not an investigative story, but I can’t help wondering how Tamara gets away with what she did. Investigators would know from the timeline of death that the suicide note left on the laptop would have a time stamp.
Operation destroy Stacey’s life left so many unanswered questions regarding Dom’s character. For one Abandoning his wife so easily. “I have spent a lot of time with this woman.” This sentence pisses me off. Dom defends Tamara a woman he’s known for a short period of time yet his wife of ten years he quickly doubts her. It’s sad and disheartening that Dom doesn’t defend his own wife.
This book is Definitely better than Roses are Red. Yet this book followed a similar template as that book. A family with 2 kids the wife who used to work with the husband but stays home and writes children’s books. The other book that character liked to swim this one a kid has a water phobia. Peanut allergy in one and salmon allergy in this one.
It seems implausible that these characters would blabber personal information about their spouses to co-workers. It’s inappropriate and unprofessional.
You Are Mine
You Are Mine is about Sir Rupert who has a romantic obsession with Charlotte a woman he has been watching for eighteen months. An opportunity has presented itself when her paintings are being sold in at an art exhibit.
Charlotte Aldridge is a painter who lost her boyfriend sex months ago. She’s still grieving his loss and has not been able to paint. Her sister helps Charlotte sell her paintings knowing she needs the money.
Rupert comes into the gallery impressed with Charlotte’s work. He wants to commission her to paint his portrait. Charlotte hesitates. The money offered is substantial however his request to have her live at his estate has her concerned.
Sir Rupert St John Baskerville is a posh man living in a large home in Sussex. His family has lived in that mansion for many years. Each family member before him had his portrait commissioned by an artist. He has invited Charlotte to stay with him so she can paint his portrait to add to his collection.
Charlotte and Jodi have a lovely sisterly relationship. Jodi offers love, support, and encouragement to her sister. Jodi has been her rock after losing Matthew.
This book starts off as one of those on-the-nose narratives with every minute detail overcrowding the storyline. I prefer dialogue driven story’s with minimal descriptive details.
This is a slow progressing story with fully developed characters. Rupert is a patient methodical man. With that patience comes a very drab encountership between Rupert and Charlotte building a relationship. Which means Miranda reserved the action for the beginning and ending.
The concept was brilliant. Taking the typical Stockholm syndrome and adding her own twist was clever. It’s not the content nor the concept that doesn’t interests me. It’s the way Miranda tells the story. Her writing style is too wordy. I have nothing to grab onto to. Rupert is an interesting character. His backstory is fascinating. But I still can’t find it in myself to delve deep into this story.
Where it fell short for me was the long drawn out manner in which the characters progressed. The routine of the relationship was mind numbingly boring. It’s when Miranda goes into great detail describing the way a room looks or how a dress will look on Charlotte. It’s too much. It breaks up the pace taking me away from the connection I develop from the psychotic mind of Rupert. I enjoyed being in Rupert’s psychotic mind. Miranda illustrated his intellectual mindset as well as his inability to interact with women from a courting standpoint extremely well. When Miranda focused all her efforts on Rupert’s psychotic mind I was 100% consumed and intrigued. He is a functioning psychopath with a high IQ with very little common sense when courting a lady companion. As an only child who lost his mother early in his childhood he relied on his father. His father used a firm hand of discipline when raising Rupert. Rupert’s father wasn’t an affectionate man. He used a deep menacing voice when speaking with Rupert. He wasn’t equipped to raise a fragile boy.
For me I needed more of a push. Rather than state the words how these characters hide emotions, think rationally, or conquer the empire. I needed the emotional breakdown and inner turmoil of what these threatening words could actually do.
I felt Rupert’s methods are similar to what a parent would do to discipline a child not a lover. He’s not a masochist and maybe I needed him to be. Miranda went a little too vanilla with her villain.
Each of these books in this three box series begins with the murder. From that point moving forward the killer infiltrates his or her victim seeking revenge or justice for something this individual did in the past. The disadvantage of beginning with all this chilling action is that the pace of the story doesn’t fall in line with this bone chilling opening scene. The reader goes from a dark gory killing to a bright sunny day.
All three books take place in London. Miranda is a British writer who uses her native British dialogue. As an American I found the verbiage easy to read. I’ve read enough British words to identify the differences.
In all three books investigative work takes a backseat as the victims rely on help from outside forces such as a loved one or LinkedIn and Facebook to research suspicious individuals.
I’ve never been to London so all the locations mentioned within London are not something my mind can conjure up. I’m unfamiliar with which areas are more privileged than others. In many cases I had to look up these areas to get a better idea as to the characters issues and concerns regarding these locations.
Expensive cars seems to be an important aspect in all three books because each one of the characters drives one and a point is made each time to note it. Miranda puts heavy emphasis on the status of these characters wealth by mentioning how extravagant the vehicle is they own.
Each book in its own rights was different, intriguing and suspense filled. I have never read a thriller box set before but this set was too good to put down. Although some of the characters were stressing me the hell out, I still found them interesting and the plots were good as well.
3 psychological thrillers with an obsession as a base for the events. This is a very long read and at times during the second and third part I was a little bored with the gradual build up of events . However towards the end of the individual books, the stories become more interesting and more full of action .All of the stories have main characters who are somewhat naive and who make decisions which they come to regret despite doubts about events or people that something is off. In all three parts, there are people who are very well off . This is displayed by use of designer names, descriptions of cars and houses which I fear will seem of a particular time and place (and thus date the book too much) in the future.
On the whole I enjoyed the books , though 3 in a row was perhaps too much because they were fairly similar and I prefer to vary my reading so I don't think I will go for a trilogy again . Thank you to Net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!
Started reading each of these books however struggled with the characters and the plot lines.
Didn’t finish any of them and to be honest was disappointed with aspects of all of them, particularly the main characters.
Roses are Red - Lydia was dating 3 months after her husband dying. At times she didn’t care about her family or friends so I didn’t care about her.
Normally I would keep going and finish books but on this occasion couldn’t.
2.5 stars.
First rate set of thrillers. I am a huge fan of Ms. Rijks and was thrilled to be approved for these books. I didn’t realize I had already read all three, but it didn’t matter because I throughly enjoyed reading them all again. “Roses are Red “ is my favorite of the three, but “Deserve to Die” and “You Are Mine” are also top rate thrillers. If you love mystery, domestic thriller, suspenseful books read these, they are top notch!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
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Roses are red:
So i kind of have a love-hate relationship with this one.
It started strong and was really nerve wracking at some point, but then it went on downward spiral.
At the beginning, i really sympathized with Lydia and what she went through, but when patrick started appearing in the picture i started to dislike her.
Who starts dating after 3 months they became a widow, i know they decided to have a divorce, but still, you gotta think about your kids and the drama they've been through.
Also, i didn't like how weak she was, like whenever her gut tells her "don't do that" she just ignores it....WHYYY!!
Overall, kind of disappointing.
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Deserve to die:
That was really good.
The story is told from the pov of both Tamara and Stacey, you get to enter into both of their minds to know what they are thinking and, especially with Tamara, how the plan to destroy Stacey is unfolding.
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Now, let's talk about Tamara, i loved how this character was written, like sometimes i almost gasped at how crazy she is, and don't get me started about this chart that she keeps on her phone to tick off stuff from her plan!!
What i liked, too, was how the author left it to the very end part to show us the reason why Tamara is bent on taking revenge on Stacey.
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And now, let's talk about Stacey..
At the beginning, i really didn't like her, she wasn't written to be likable, i guess, she was kind of just there, with the author giving Tamara the heavy stuff at the beginning, Stacey didn't get brownie points from me, but then, the drama starts to happen, and suddenly no one trusts Stacey, she gets in a mega bad situation, which i won't spoil, when that happened, my heart literally was bleeding for Stacey, i felt so sad and anxious about her that i couldn't read big chunks of the book in one setting.
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So, You get two main characters, but for me, I would've loved if there was a pov of Dominic, i wanted to know what he thought of Stacey's downward spiral and Tamara's subtle advances, and so on.
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My problem with the book was the ending, it felt a little bit mediocre compared to the schemes and plans throughout the book.
Overall, super enjoyable.
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You are mine:
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That was quite dull..
You get another dumb lead character who ignores all the red flags, like the man literally almost had a "stalker" sticker on his forehead.
After she was captured in his house, the book fell in a monotonous line, him punishing her, and her crying and telling herself that she is weaker than him, it was all kind of boring, to be honest.
And don't get me started on the ending, suddenly everything gets resolved, charlotte gets her life put, she is successful and ready to mingle...
I honestly didn't like it.
This box set from Miranda Rijks brings together three of her excellent psychological thrillers.
The first is Roses Are Red a very tense psychological thriller. Miranda Rijks very cleverly explores the dark side of a relationship and a woman seeking a new love through her grief.
A story that is full of twists and turns that, as always keep up the intrigue. The characters are fully fleshed out which helps for the story development too.
Deserve To Die is a story with two women women in the centre who keep us in suspense throughout. A suspenseful tale of love, loss, revenge and hatred that has you gripped from the start.
You Are Mine is the introduction of a new psychopath in her books. Sir Rupert Baskerville is the man in question and yet again, we are presented with a story that, in this box set,is the Piece De Resistance for Miranda and us readers, giving us a story packed full of terror, intrigue and tension!
A box set that's worth every penny!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
First time reader of Miranda Rijks i already know I will be a life long fan.
Roses are red is centred around Lydia whose husband Adam dies however they were already planning to get a divorce. So four months later she starts dating. When she gets an hundred percent match with Patrick she can't believe her luck. Meanwhile there is questions surrounding her husband's death and it looks like a close friend could be responsible. Things all start to unravell quickly.
Now I loved the fact that this book is in first person I love an inner monologue prose. Lydia for a business savvy millionaire seems quite nieve at times but with all she has gone through it is understandable. Lydia is a very proud mother and has a great craft business which she runs with her close friend A.J. I loved her as a lead protagonist and I found her to be an inspirational character, at times. I do think she is quite gullible but like I said under the circumstances I get it.
I found the psychological thriller elements of this book great. Although I predicted the two twists I loved seeing them play out, I actually thought for a while maybe I was wrong but I seem to have the twisted mind of a thriller author. The story does go from 50 to 100 in the last few chapters but I loved it. For once I felt like this was a book that I felt possible, we hear about these types of things happening alot. I loved the mind games that were played throughout the novel really driving home the psychological element of the story aswell.
I suppose the one question that I never got answered was why Lydia's daughter Emily accepted Patrick eventually although I suppose that wasn't important. Both the kids were a great addition, although they didn't add to much esp Oliver they are helpful to show the characters of the adults around them.
Patrick is just mr smooth, he says the right things always has roses when he turns up for dates. He just seemed a lil too go to be true. But then again I have trust issues. Ha. Patrick is good at winning people over and although a high flyer in his chosen career he isn't as well off as Lydia. But thst doesn't seem to matter. He is an interestingly written character I loved and hated him throughout the book and it took me a while to decide where I firmly stood.
I highly recommend this book it's a good read and a page turner. I couldn't put it down! I have to stop the review at this point otherwise I will give to much away. Like I said I guessed the two plot twist early on but I was okay with that it didn't make it any less fun to get to the big reveals. I recommend to anyone who loves this genre and anyone who loves reading. 5 stars.
Second book of Rijks and I am still a fan!!!
Deserve to die is centred around two women Tamara and Stacey. Stacey is appears to have the perfect life great husband Dominic two amazing kids Ivy and Arthur plus she is an established children's author and illustrator. However when Tamara seeks out her family and starts working at her husband firm, Stacey's picture perfect life starts to vanish.
were written so well. Plus I was always on edge about what Tamara's next move would be.
The book is written from the POV of both ladies and is in first person. I love well written first person dramas. The chapters alternate between Stacey and Tamara. I absolutely loved Tamara's chapters her inner voice said some crazy but hilarious things.
Both Stacey and Tamara are great leading ladies. Two very strong women but with different roles. I love the idea of comparing the domesticated and the career driven women. Both being very highly demanding roles to play
There are some unrealistic elements to the story but I don't read a book for reality.
I really enjoyed this book mainly because I really had no clue where it was going. I wanted to know what the link was and why Tamara was so hell bent on destroying Stacey's life. I found the psychological elements of this book fantastic. The little things that make someone feel like they are loosing their mind.The mental health element of the story is written quite well it really makes you think how easy it can be to believe someone is having a mental health crisis.
I found the story gripping from the very first chapter Rijks really knows how to grab the readers attention. I highly recommend giving this book a read it's quite fast paced and kept me guessing until nearer the end. I think the fact that it didn't just go from zero to one hundred like alot of books in this genre do, I appreciated. It really was a great read. Happy to give 5 stars.
So I really wanted to love "You Are Mine" as I really enjoyed the first two novels I read by Miranda Rijks. But I have to say I didn’t love this novel.
The plot centres around Rupert and Charlotte. Charlotte is an artist and Rupert appears to have some sort of infatuation. So, when he asks Charlotte to do a traditional portrait of him she finds herself agreeing and then going to stay with him to do it. Although Rupert is clearly wealthy and a respected member of his community, charlotte starts to feel an unease. After the worlds most awkward meal things for charlotte go from bad to worse.
Now heres the thing, on the suffice this sounds great. Who doesnt love the whole fatal attraction style book. But i found this book rather predictable none of the twist came as a surprise to me and in all honesty I think the narrative is just super slow. The thing is the first chapter was all go go go and I was like yes I'm hooked and then it was just super slow. Alot of prose that i wasn’t hooked by and to be honest i didn’t particularly like Charlotte or Rupert. Actually the side chracter of Charlotte’s sister I really liked and i think the book would of read better if it had entirely been from the sisters point of view.
The book is written in first person and each chapter jumps between Ruperr and Charlotte except the historical chapters when we meet Simone. I also thought Simone's story was really interesting and would of prefered more of that aswell.
It’s not all lost as there are certain parts of the book i quite enjoyed but I feel it was rushed at the end when there was so much narrative that could of been avoided for a more tense and better read. It’s definately a psychological thriller but it you are a massive fan of the genre like myself you might want to give it a miss. Miranda Rijks has some other fantasic psychological thrillers that I would read instead. I am rating ir 2 stars as I said there were some parts i enjoyed.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and Rijks for the digital advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion
The three books are scored 12/15 which i will average to 4 stars for the complete set of three
The first story Roses Are Red reminded me of all the stepfather movies. It was predictable but a good read. I got so mad that Lydia couldn’t see what was going on.
The second story, Deserve to Die, was my favorite of the three. It swept me in and I couldn’t put it down.
Third story, You Are Mine, was slow to start but ended up catching my attention. Sir Rupert was a very disturbed individual.
Not bad, but not unique or riveting. Not altogether believable. Decent writing but somehow misses the mark.