Sometimes you need to indulge in a little guilty pleasure of the psychological suspense variety. I was intrigued by the offer to read this advance copy as it aligned with other books that I’ve enjoyed. I was not disappointed! It was dark and twisty which are two of my favorite descriptors when we starting wanting some mystery and thrillers to add to the TBR stack. We have multiple narrators which means trouble with a capital T. Who to believe? What is really going on? What are these crazy girlfriend dynamics? We have two neighborhood newcomers in Brooke and her husband Jack, a successful technology mogul. Existing neighbors Erin, a TV anchor and head of the community association and her husband Mason, seem welcoming, and Brooke quickly gets the scoop on another neighbor, Georgia who is a famous mankiller according to community gossip; her first two husbands died in and accident and a suicide respectively and Georgia is about to marry husband number three, Did she, didn’t she? It looks like Brooke has made friends quickly and she gets caught up in the worlds in record time. Are these the type of friends you need? If you are in the mood for a quick read that you cannot put down, pick this up and dive in!! Loved it

A wild ride of a book with one “Black Widow”and her two friends, who all live in a posh San Fran community. I don’t typically read this genre, but once into the first chapter I was hooked. Did the Widow kill her exes? Do her friends really believe her professed innocence? And what about their marriages to ultra-rich controlling men? I dare you to put this down before the shocking end. Wow!

4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 20 Jul 2021
#TheSinfulLivesofTrophyWives #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

What a fun beach read. Think Real Housewives meets Desperate Housewives and that will fit this book to a tee. While I felt the end/epilogue a little unbelievable, it did work well with the the overall tone of the book, just a fun read not to be taken too seriously.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine. It was fun to try a new author out that I was not familiar with.

I loved this who dun it with a few twists and turns. With a definite Desperate Housewives and Stepford Wives ambiance, secrets were revealed at just the right time. It kept me guessing until the end!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not big on thrillers because they are often predictable. HAHA! Not this one. I doubt that most people would figure out the ending to this book. It is definitely a book that should be put on the list of all readers of psychological suspense. And if this isn’t your genre, give it a try! Definitely a quick and surprising read.

Three Women, All Friends, All Rich, All Hiding Something

Brooke and her husband have just purchased and are moving into their home when Brooke meets her neighbors for the first time. Erin lives across the road, is married, a news anchor at a local TV station, and the chairman of the homeowners association. Georgia lives next door, has been widowed twice, and is now only days away from marrying the love of her life. They will become an almost inseparable trio as they share their unique lives with each other. Each of them have secrets that can only be shared with one another, not even their husbands can know. None suspect their bond will be wrapped in a future murder mystery. But one of them holds the key to everything. Will you figure out who it is before it is revealed to the others?

This is not your typical gossip filled housewives kind of book. Kristin Miller has written an entertaining novel that really captures the reader’s imagination. There is continual mystery in all the dialog and events that make you feel there is much more going on than you know and you have to keep turning pages to discover what has been hidden. The first chapter seems an anomaly but go back and read it after you have finished the rest of the book.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an Advance Review Copy of The Secret Lives of Trophy Wives.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

4/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Another fun, fast-paced thriller about “trophy wives” in upscale suburbs. The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives starts with a flash-forward about one the wives laying in a hospital bed listening to nurses discuss her tragic accident. From there, it does not slow down. At 300 pages, this one is the perfect length for a quick, twisty read that you can read in a couple of sittings. These are my favorite kind of beach reads and I loved reading all about these crazy women and their terrible husbands.

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives follows three women - Brooke (a mystery writer and the new trophy wife of a tech billionaire), Erin (a wealthy news reporter worried she is past her prime), and Georgia (a beautiful, mysterious woman dubbed “The Black Widow” by the media after her first two husbands die). When Brooke moves to the wealthy neighborhood, she strikes up a friendship with Erin and Georgia. When she becomes curious about her new friends, she finds out much more than she ever expected.

This book reminded me of the 2020 release, Every Last Secret by AR Torre, in that it was just so fun and easy to read. The melodrama, dark humor, and twists make it feel like you are reading a well-written Lifetime movie. Fans of Kaira Rouda and AR Torre will love this entertaining thriller.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

Well, that did not go at ALL like I expected. Kudos to Ms. Miller for stepping out of the womens lit/mystery mold and actually giving us a crucial piece of the puzzle about halfway through the book while still leaving many more to be discovered. I found myself reading reading this one compulsively to figure out who was doing what to whom.

Brooke has just moved into Presidio Terrace with her uber-rich technology genius (and older) husband, Jack. Presidio Terrace has a notorious resident known as the Black Widow, because she has had two husbands die under somewhat mysterious circumstances, and she is now engaged to a third man, Robert. The Black Widow, whose real name is Georgia, has a close friend in Erin, a news anchorwoman who also lives in the the Terrace. The story is told in the voices of each of the three women, and the reader soon learns that each woman has secrets they are hiding and they're only willing to let the others in on certain select ones. Brooke quickly finds herself drawn into a friendship with these two women, despite her husband's misgivings, and soon they find themselves invited to a pre-wedding celebration on Robert's yacht. All that glitters is not gold, of course, or there wouldn't be anything to write about. Sometime during the night Robert disappears off the boat. Has the Black Widow struck again? Is Robert dead or alive? Did he get cold feet, like the police seem to think?

There are a lot of threads woven together in this novel and they don't all lead where you think they are headed. I love that! I love that I was surprised more than once by a plot twist. I love that I started out thinking I was reading a story about bored (and sometimes boring) rich women, who are way out of my league socially. Instead I found myself in the middle of a murder mystery. Or was it a kidnapping mystery? You'll have to read it to find out.

What a sinfully delicious book!!! Omgosh this was outstanding and I can not recommend this one enough!

The focus of this book is a trio of very different but linked together ritzy trophy wives. Georgia St. Claire has a reputation and is called the black widow as she mysteriously lost two husbands and is about to get married to her third incredibly rich one. Erin King is a news anchor and Georgia’s best friend and married to a very successful plastic surgeon. Then there is Brooke Davies who just moved into the high scale neighborhood and is a mystery writer who is married to an older man who is a very well known tech God.

All together it’s a recipe of amazing women who are catty, devious, and a little wicked! Going into this novel blind is the best way to go and enjoy every little surprise thrown in. I didn’t see the end coming and it’s been a rarity for me with how often I read this genre. Not everything is at seems and it’s a heck of a ride on this one! It’s told in 3 different point of views from each woman and is like gossip girl for adults times 10. The writing is phenomenal and sucks you into the lifestyle of the rich and famous and their eccentric ways. The characters are developed so well that you love to hate them but secretly love them. You will roll your eyes at outbursts but also smile at the audacity. It’s perfection.

Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Rounding up from a 3.5! This was a nice, light, engaging read. It fills that guilty pleasure spot of me that loves reading about problems and difficulties in the lives of pretty, rich people, haha. The writing was great, I enjoyed the multiple perspectives. I think overall, there were a few little tiny plot holes that affected my rating, but all-in-all, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick murder-y beach read, for fans of Liane Moriarty and shows like Desperate Housewives.

Whoa. Best way to sum up this book. Whoa.

This isn't normally my go to genre, However, this one was such a fun read! Think Housewives but all their dirty husband killing secrets Housewives. Erin, Georgia, and Brooke live in Cali in their multi million dollar homes and live the life that goes along with it. All three live in such an exclusive neighborhood it can't even be found on Google maps, blow money like its monopoly money, and generally do all the self absorbed things we think Housewives do when theyre not being filmed. However, Georgia's first two husbands died suddenly early on in their marriages and now the third one is missing right before their wedding. Of course she's been dubbed the Black Widow and everyone speculates sometimes right in front of her that she's the reason they're all dead.

Strap yourself in for a rollercoaster of emotions and take a full free afternoon when you have no responsibilities because otherwise you'll be so engrossed in this you'll forget the kids at after school pickup. Every time you think you can put it down for a minute something else happens and you have to find out what happened now! Perfect for women's fiction fans who want an exciting bite of a thriller thrown in. Five huge stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Miller, and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm so conflicted with this book. Now that's out there, I'll get on with my whys.

The first chapter pulled me in. How could it not? The setting, main character, her identity, and the "accident?" Or was it? Who died? All juicy questions to compel us to read on.

The writing is exquisite. Nearly perfect. Just enough lovely, fresh description that I never skipped a sentence, paragraph, or page, which is rare for me. "Nearly perfect" translates to the overuse of "wearily" and "warily," and wondering if the author always knew the difference between the meaning of these two words.

The author slowly pulls back the curtain to reveal the characters, who they really are and what they're capable of, and we're left trying to guess if Georgia is, indeed, the Black Widow, and what exactly happened Robert. The journey to get there is delightsome.

When the end of the story arrives and our final reveal, OhMyGOSH! Never saw it coming. Incredible! Excellent! How clever to hide in plain sight.

Then I closed the book and pondered. A few things didn't square up. One, I felt, was a huge plot hole, which downed my rating by two stars.

**WARNING WARNING WARNING FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. COME BACK HERE AFTER YOU READ TO SEE IF YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE.**

The little nigglings first:

- Jack. He initially comes across as overly controlling, someone for Brooke to almost be afraid of. And we fear for her. We feel she loves him, but maybe the marriage was a mistake and now she's being held prisoner. Later, we learn how much Jack actually loves Brooke and although their marriage is somewhat unconventional, she appreciates his love and protectiveness, and dearly loves him back. When she revealed this at the end, I felt manipulated. I didn't get that Jack really loved her, or she, him. It was written in such a way to portray him as a cold, loveless, dominating man. That Brooke was, in fact, a true trophy to him. Jack's tender side seems to come out of nowhere. I wished we had received more glimpses of this side along the way, then we (readers) could have been guessing the whole time what his true feelings were. As is, the completion of his arc felt artificial and a complete manipulation of the reader.

- Mystery man at the mimosa cafe. Okay, he looks like Jack. Was he? Who was he? Danny, maybe? We never find out. Readers remember these details and it drives us nuts when there is no closure or answer.

- Theresa. She's having a year-long affair with a CLIENT? And nobody mentions all the legal ramifications or how Erin could sue Theresa's estate (I mean, I don't know if she could. I'm not a lawyer, but if I thought of it, someone else in the cast of characters surely would have considered it too) But Theresa's egregious break of trust with her client is never mentioned publicly.

Big plot hole:

Erin - We learn she hired Danny to kill Mason. That being so, why did she then quit her job and decide to become a full-time devoted wife to him? She has it all built up in her head how their fantasy life will go now that she can spend more time with him. But she also knows someone is going to whack him soon. The reader gets no inkling of this, that their time is going to be limited so she's doing her best to make the most of it. Nope. It's like they'll be newlyweds again and rekindle their marriage. Has the woman totally forgotten about the killer? After finishing the book and pondering, this part made the least sense to me. Plus, exactly WHY did she have a contract out on him? Prior to the contract, he had never hit her or cheated (that she knew of or even suspected). What was her motive? Was Mason abusing her in other ways that I somehow missed? I know she's the one who hooked Georgia up with a killer-for-hire when Georgia needed it for Eli. Otherwise, I never saw a clear, strong motive mentioned for Erin.

Summary:

So much to love about this book, I'd read it again. You can make darn sure I'll be double-checking for those irksome issues mentioned above.

I really enjoyed this one. We hear from three different perspectives black widow Georgia, a bit wound up Erin, and newest wife Brooke. Georgia and Erin are very traditionally stuck up rich woman. And Brooke character didn't have allot of personality. I really did enjoy the story and how it all unfolded. I was intrigued on how two of Georgias husband died and the next hubby is a bit too friendly with the other wives. Erin left her job and is getting used to living there trophy life but worried her hubby is stepping out on her and Brooke seems likes has a lot of secrets to hide. As the story unfolds it does have a twist that kept me rating it higher than I normally would have. Enjoy this sudsy one.1

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. I really enjoyed reading The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller and am rating it 4 stars!

Erin King, a television newscaster & Georgia St. Clare, known as the “Black Widow”are already friends and living in an exclusive development when Brook Davies, a murder mystery novelist moves in across the street. Each of them has their own secrets that are all interestingly intertwined and connect the three women for better or for worse. There were a few twists and turns the book takes, that really held my attention and kept me guessing until the end.

What in the world did I just read?? First let me say a great big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish. This has only happened one other time in the all the years I have been with NetGalley so I was excited to be chosen. This book is told by 3 point of views, Georgia (the Black Widow), Erin and Brooke. All of them are rich and all become great friends. Or so they think!! This kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not put this book down. Some of the things that happened were over the top but did this deter me from reading it? No way. I wanted more!! So many twists and turns until the very last page that I did not see coming.

One of my favorite books I've read I'm 2021. Even though I know how it was probably going to end I still loved it. I loved all the characters in the book . Which doesn't happen offent. I liked that it show different points of view from everyone. This my first book I've have read from the author. I would love to read more of her books.

Presidio Terrace, San Francisco, is a gated, private community of the very wealthy. The wives who live there are featured, and the stories are told from the perspectives of three neighbors: Georgia (the Black Widow), Brooke, and Erin. I really enjoyed this book and all of the twists and turns. Recommended for a fun ride.

Review of Uncorrected Proof

Meet three of the ladies who call the gated community of Presidio Terrace home . . . .

Ostentatious Georgia St. Claire, on the verge of marrying Robert, has been married twice before; each of those husbands met a violent, untimely death, thus causing the press [and several of the neighbors] to refer to Georgia as “the Black Widow.”

Neurotic news anchor Erin King, married to plastic surgeon Mason, has a contentious relationship with her co-anchor, Ted and, as the story opens, she creates a scene and walks off the set just before airtime.

Mystery writer Brooke Davies is struggling a bit with her lead character’s motivation [and her book is due to her editor in a week]; she’s twenty-two years younger than her husband, billionaire tech mogul Jack, and they’re the new folks in the neighborhood.

It isn’t long before Georgia, Erin, and Brooke are bosom buddies.

Each woman [and husband] holds secrets, some shared with others, some theirs alone. But some secrets can lead to disaster and it’s only a matter of time before something shatters their carefully constructed façades.

Told alternately from each woman’s point of view, the unfolding story is one of self-interested, entitled women angling to keep their secrets from upsetting the perfect lives they believe they’ve created for themselves. The women may be unlikable, but the men seem more focused on having flashy arm candy rather than having a true relationship with their wives. Presidio Terrace doesn’t seem to have any likable tenants.

The humor is dark; the unfolding story takes implausibility to new heights, a bit like a pretentious, over-the-top soap opera filled with meretriciousness. But as surprising revelations take the story in unexpected directions, there’s a huge, unexpected twist that readers simply won’t see coming.

This is a book that is difficult to set aside and readers are likely to find themselves turning the pages as fast as possible in order to discover what happens next in this highly addictive tale of friends, power, and relationships.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Ballantine Books and NetGalley
#TheSinfulLifesofTrophyWives #NetGalley

Wow wow wow!!! The twists just keep on coming with this one! It’s sooo good, it very well written where you must pay attention and read every word or you might miss a confession or a secret being told. This one pulled me in, tossed me around and kept me on my toes. I loved it soo much. Very good, better than Desperate Housewives and I LOVED Desperate Housewives!

Twists, turns, and back again! This book was a great thriller! The end totally took me by surprise and that doesn’t happen very often! I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes to be kept guessing! A who-done-it to the very end!