I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Guilty Wife’ (previously titled ‘Happily Ever After’) written by Alison James in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Pippa Bryant calls off her wedding just minutes before marrying her fiancé Alastair and rather than lose the money paid for their honeymoon at the ‘Excelsior Resort’ in Mauritius Pippa goes by herself. It isn’t the quiet and restful ‘honeymoon’ she’d expected as she finds Nikki Lindgren lying dead in the villa occupied by Daniel and Tansy Halligan that the police say is accidental and she makes the acquaintance of private investigator James Cardle.

‘The Guilty Wife’ is a thriller that takes us on a trip around the world, from London to Mauritius to Thailand, and although not my favourite of Alison James’ novels it’s kept me involved. It has a well-written plot with interesting characters, particularly Pippa who I’d like to read more of in the future and find out what happens to her, a book that’s easy to read with an ending that wraps it all up, but nothing in particular stood out as making this novel special. But this is purely my own opinion and I’m sure other readers will disagree.

Originally titled "Happily Ever After", now "The Guilty Wife" was an interesting story, and I got through it quickly, but I didn't love it. It's teased as a thriller, but is much closer to a mystery and detective story.

Synopsis: On a resort in Mauritius, two couples are on their honeymoon, along with Pippa who is taking her honeymoon alone after calling off her wedding, and Cardle who is there as a private investigator. But everything is not as romantic as it seems, and by the end of the week, someone will be dead.

The mystery was intriguing, and I enjoyed how she wove in a secondary mystery as well. Alternating POVs and flashbacks kept it moving quickly. There’s nothing I hated about it, but I did have a couple things that I think could have been better. 

The characters all felt like a caricature, and very one-dimensional. I liked Pippa, and her bravery to call off her wedding mere minutes before and then go on her honeymoon by herself, but she actually seemed to devolve instead of grow as the story went on. 

The romance (the real one!) was also completely unnecessary, and distracting

There were some fun twists, and I liked how one “bad” character’s backstory played out. This was an easy, quick read, but nothing amazing. 

Side note: I'm still confused about the title change...the original title seemed to work better...

5 massive stars. I absolutely loved this book and read it in one day. It was gripping from the very beginning. There were lots of twists and turns throughout which the author managed to tie together perfectly at the end.

Pippa Bryant calls off her wedding with her fiancé, Alastair, at the last moment and goes on her honeymoon by herself at the luxury Mauritus resort. She then met 2 couples (Daniel & Tansy Halligan and Arne & Nikki Lindgren) in the restaurant watching them from a distance and thinking that Arna & Nikki looks loving together but something seems off the way Daniel looks at Tansy while 4 of them are having their dinner together. At the same time, J.Cardle was alone in the resort, is watching them all.

Pippa saw Cardle mysteriously alone, and so she tries to start a conversation with him so she does not look awkward being alone in this resort full of couples. Out of curiosity, Pippa then google about Cardle and finds him a private investigator.

One evening, one of the 4 honeymooners found dead in Daniel & Tansy's villa. Pippa and Cardle rush to their villa to see whats going on and finds a body lying on the floor pool of blood. Everyone gives their statement and to find out Cardle has been investigating one of the honeymooners.

I really enjoy this book. This is my first book by Alison James and definitely will check out her other books. Its an easy read and a page turner for me. I was able to connect with the characters and the story right from the very beginning. I was quite annoyed by Tansy's doing but theres also some romance between Cardle and Pippa, which i enjoy. Overall, i really enjoy "The Guilty Wife" and would recommend it.
4.5 stars

Huge thanks to @netgalley @alisonjames @bookouture for this advance digital copy.
And Happy pub day!

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Alsion James' latest psychological thriller THE GUILTY WIFE (previously titled "Happily Ever After").

First of all, the luxury resort was not in The Maldives (which is off the coast of India) but Mauritius (which is off the coast of South Africa) - the only similarity being that they are both in the Indian Ocean. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't in The Maldives, as the premise promised, as I've always wanted to go there so it would have been nice to visit via a book. Sometimes one has to wonder if whoever writes these premises has actually read the book, some of them are so way off base.

But that aside THE GUILTY WIFE, which I believe was better of titled with it's original "Happily Ever After" , turned out to be not what I expected. Particularly as the setting for this rather complicated psychological thriller takes the reader on a whirlwind ride across continents from England, Mauritius, Australia and Thailand. I felt jet-lagged just reading the book!

Two hours before she is due to marry Alistair, Pippa Bryant turns up to the registry office already crowded with their guests clad in jeans and a t-shirt to call off their wedding. Realising that while they are comfortable together, they aren't actually in love anymore. So since her parents paid for their luxury honeymoon to Mauritius, which was non-refundable, Pippa decides to enjoy the holiday on her own. But she soon discovers that being alone in a resprt rife with honeymooners is not quite as much fun as she had anticipated.

Surrounded by loved-up couples, Pippa hones in on the only other vacationer who appears to be on their own - a seemingly grumpy middle-aged man who rebuffs her attempts at conversation. She tries to befriend him but he isn't receptive though he does introduce himself as James Cardle. After a bit of web-surfing she discovers that Cardle is a private investigator from London. So what is he doing on Mauritius? Or rather, who is he investigating here? Determined not to spend her entire holiday alone and armed with a bottle of wine one evening, Pippa turns up at Cardle's hut to share a couple of drinks together. As they enjoy a playful banter, they hear a couple of screams followed by the appearance of one of the honeymooners, a look of shock on his face. Pippa and Cardle follow the direction in which the man, Daniel Halligan, was pointing and are shocked by their discovery.

We have two honeymooning couples who are hiding their own secrets...but is it enough to have one of them killed? So who of the players do we have that could be involved?

Tansy - wealthy and beautiful Australian/Filipino and social media influencer who makes a living out of sponsors gifting her their products for her to sprout them to the world via social media. Her honeymoon was a gift from one of her sponsors and she is there, not to enjoy the first forays of wedded bliss, but to document her entire honeymoon with live coverage for her fans. As with anything Tansy, the honeymoon is fake, as she arrives with her hair stylist and makeup artist to ensure she looks her best for her fans. Back home in Australia, she is a the founder and proprietor of Hiraya Shakes, a green health food shake she promotes as having cured her of lupus while recruiting "angels" to sell for her therefore making money off them.

Daniel - Tansy's new-suffering husband, who left Britain some years before to backpack around Australia before settling in Sydney. He is escaping his second worst nightmare, an ill-fated property venture that has all but bankrupted him and from which his new wife had rescued him. He spends their honeymoon sipping drinks by the pool and going on catamaran trips to see dolphins. Alone.

Nikki - a thirty-something young woman from Britain who has arrived in Mauritius with her husband Arne to enjoy their first days of wedded bliss. She compliments Tansy on a designer dress she is wearing one evening, pouring over its beauty, when Tansy proclaims she will have it cleaned and sent to her to keep, as she has plenty of items by this designer anyway. Nikki is thrilled and gushing her thanks. But Nikki has a secret from her past that is about to catch up with her.

Arne - Swedish and the oldest of the couples, he is a wealthy and successful with possibly a lot to lose. But he loves Nikki and the couple are most definitely loved-up honouring their vows "till death to us part". They are the only couple intent on living the dream of wedded bliss on their honeymoon. Until it all goes wrong...

After the incident, police are called and everyone gives their statements. And then, everyone goes their separate ways. The Halligans flee back to Australia, the Lindgrens to Sweden whilst Pippa returns to England and her mundane job in insurance. She also has to deal with moving out of the flat she and Alistair had shared for nearly six years. But nothing would prepare her for what she discovers the day after she returns...and all at once the late nights, the no sex and the withdrawal of affection makes perfect sense. Alistair had been seeing someone else. And now she is moving in and taking Pippa's place.

Life couldn't get any worse, that is until Pippa finds herself out of a job as well as homeless. But she soon finds a flat above an old coach house and a sometimes companion for an independent elderly lady, and though the rent is cheap, Pippa knows she needs to find herself a job. So she looks up Jim Cardle and heads over to his office offering her services to keep some sort of order to his incredibly messy office and filing system. And soon the pair are jet-setting off to Australia to investigate claims of Tansy's fraud and the possibility of Daniel Halligan's guilt over what happened in Mauritius, given that they fled soon after. Their investigations take them all over Australia to Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth with the only capitals not visited being Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin. But their travels didn't stop there...and I got jet-lagged just reading it!

THE GUILTY WIFE begins at a steady pace, I wouldn't say slow, but just a relaxed pace as the couple settle into their honeymoon with Pippa people-watching. You think it will be another predictable run of the mill thriller but that's where you're wrong. Once this tale gets warmed up, the plotting becomes very complex indeed, very clever and very compelling. With a tapestry of circumstances cleverly woven together, we are confronted with blackmail, murder, suicide, fraud and grief to name a few...not to mention vanity, self-absorption and the fakeness portrayed to highlight that things are not always what they seem. And this book is definitely one of them!

There are twists that are unexpected and a lot of jet-setting for Pippa who's teamed up with James to help solve the underlying mysteries. They certainly make a good team as they travel the globe to uncover the truth amidst the lies. There is most definitely a chemistry between them that is hard to ignore and at times becomes intense.

The characters are all well developed with some likeable and one most definitely not so likeable. Throughout the book, we are given glimpses into their stories and what lead them to where they are now and more importantly, to Mauritius. The story unfolds through the eyes and narratives of Pippa and Daniel, but through them we get to know the other players just as well. The book itself is divided into five parts as the story begins with Pippa and Daniel respectively on Mauritius but then goes back a year to Daniel's story in Australia and what lead him to where he now finds himself before moving back to the present day and the underlying investigation. Don't be fooled into thinking it's confusing, because it's not. It is incredibly well thought out and cleverly written.

My only complaints, firstly the fact that there was a discrepancy with the name of a church, in which a couple had been married citing it being the same church that one of them was then buried, was actually two different names - St Nicholas as the first and the second St Peters and yet it was stated as being the same church. I found it just a small error but within the space of the same chapter it should have been picked up.

My biggest issue with the book is the ending. I felt the Epilogue was practically a non-event and didn't see why it was even included as there was no real finality to it. As it ended at the bottom of the page, I flicked it over expecting there to be more...and there wasn't. I was a little disappointed given how things had developed to have left it there. While other reviewers are hoping for a second book to pick up where this one left off, I'm fully aware that that's not how these thrillers pan out. They are not a series so therefore there will not be a sequel. And that's why the ending is somewhat disappointing.

I also think the original title "Happily Ever After" is far more fitting than THE GUILTY WIFE, which I don't believe fits, because in the end...no one is happy ever after.

But that aside, THE GUILTY WIFE is a delicious drama that is most definitely a riveting read. The pace begins steadily but picks up to the rate of knots which will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Though it's not her best book, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and have no hesitation in recommending it to those who enjoy complex psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank #AlisonJames, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGuiltyWife in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky to receive a copy of The Guilty Wife by Alison James from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I have read Alison James books before and was excited to be able to read this ahead of her publication date. This book has all the twists and turns you would expect from her psychological thrillers. She hit a home run with this book!

I found The Guilty Wife hard to put down. In a luxury resort in the Maldives, Arne and Nikki and Daniel and Tansy are celebrating their honeymoons. Tansy and Daniel look like a hot couple of their Instagram picture are anything to go by.
However Tansy doesn’t love Daniel and he’s realising he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Meanwhile Arne’s going to have his heart broken and Nikki’s past is catching up with her. It seems they all have secrets to hide. This book is billed as a dark addictive thriller and it certainly lives up to that. The novel flows well and chapter by chapter you are drawn deeper into the gripping plot. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Two couples on a luxury honeymoon at a Maldives resort. Everything is wonderful but is it really? Pippa Bryant, cancelling her wedding at the last moment, is on her honeymoon alone. She has been watching the couples and thinks things may not be as they seem. James Cardle, a man out of place in resort full of couples, is watching them all.

This is the setting for a complicated psychological thriller that takes the reader on a whirlwind ride across continents from England, the Maldives, Australia and Thailand. I felt jet-lagged just reading the book!

While still at the Mauritius resort, one of the four honeymooners is found dead. Pippa had been making friends with James the mysterious lone man at the time. They both run to see what is going on. It turns out James is a private investigator, and he has been investigating one of the four honeymooners.

After giving her statement as to what she knows, Pippa flies home to London and later purposely runs into James there. She has a proposition for him; she will work for free and help him on the case. From there the story really gets intense.

The plot is original and complex, the story full of exciting twists and turns. Every time I thought I had it figured out I was dead wrong. The only thing that left me a little put off was the ending. I was like, “wait, what, that’s it?” I’m truly hoping with the way it ended there will be a second book with Poppi and James working together again. I thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This is the first book I've read by the author.and can I just say how brilliant it is.

Pippa gets cold feet on her wedding day and abandons her fiancé at the alter. She decides to go on the honeymoon by herself to relax. The story unfolds and we find everyone on the resort has secrets and something to hide. The story is full of twists and turns.

This is a complex dark, fast paced and I was hooked from start to finish. I really enjoyed reading about love and loss of relationship, blackmail and tragedy.

I recommend this book and looking forward to reading more of James's work.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC.

Pippa finds herself calling off her impending wedding on the wedding day. She decides to go ahead on their honeymoon as planned, but without her former fiancé, Alastair. At the honeymoon resort, Pippa meets a private investigator named James Cardle. She becomes entangled in a murder that occurred on the island and somehow becomes James’ impromptu assistant on the case.

I have read a few Alison James books at this point and she always delivers a compelling story line! THE GUILTY WIFE is no different! I liked the use of flashbacks which keeps the setting changing and keeps things very interesting. I would recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) on June 22, 2021.

This was an okay read for me, but not one I can rave about. The main character was alright, she went on her honeymoon on her own after almost ditching her groom at the altar and the fun begins. I hope other readers enjoy it more than I did. I just didn't connect with the book very well.

Happily Ever After by Alison James will whisk you around the world in a breathless pursuit of the truth. As with Ms James' previous novels, this one does not disappoint.

Two couples are at a luxurious resort in the Maldives celebrating their respective honeymoons. Pippa, having aborted her own wedding plans, decides to take the vacation solo. All around her, couples seem happy and in love, although she is cognizant of the looks that newlywed Daniel gives his wife when it appears that no one else is looking. It soon transpires that everyone has secrets, and will go to any lengths to keep them, and Pippa finds herself entangled in a mystery that provides far more intrigue than she bargained for when she embarked on this holiday escape for one.

While I did find this one to be a little bit slow out of the starting blocks, I was increasingly engaged as the story progressed, and would recommend this as a quick and satisfying read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

On the day Pippa is suppose married, she informs her soon to be husband that she can't go through with the wedding. While Pippa did not get married, she still attended her honeymoon alone to figure out her next step in life. However, Pippa finds herself caught up in a murder investigation and cannot leave it alone. Pippa begins to spiral out of control as she looks for the answers everyone else are determine to let lie.

I fell in love with this book. I could not tear my attention away from it.

All A Facade…?
The epitome of luxury - a resort in the Maldives, blue seas, sun and sand. Two honeymoon couples. Perfection? Do they really have it all? Or is it all a facade? A web of secrets, lies and deception awaits in this character driven suspense. Engaging, entertaining and escapist reading.

Happily Ever After by Alison James – Book Review

Pippa bails out on her fiancé moments before they are about to walk down the aisle. Something is wrong with their relationship, and getting married will not fix it.

The marriage didn’t go ahead, but Pippa still goes to Mauritius for their honeymoon alone. But instead of a break from her life, she gets tangled in a web of lies and murder.

Happily Ever After got me hooked immediately, but I felt I was losing interest as it progressed. The story is segmented and then links everything very skilfully in the end. What struck me the most about this book was the characters. Pipa and James Cardle are a brilliant duo. I would love to know what happens next with them! This could be a great start to series with Pipa and James, Private Investigators who solve murders.

It was a great read with characters I won’t forget quickly, and it was the characters that made this story.

It took me a while to get into this book, I though it was a tad slow to start with but then I got into it and it flowed really well and I enjoyed reading it. I though it was good how earlier than the end that you found out who had done it and then it went on to finding out why and more about that person. It is well worth a read and I’d definitely recommend it.

Have you ever read a book and found that small details in it completely changed your overall opinion of it? Happily Ever After by Alison James is a perfect case of that happening for me as I thought this thriller was one that I was completely going to love but instead found myself struggling to decide how to rate it in the end over a few minor details.

The book begins by introducing readers to Pippa who was just about to walk down the aisle when she had a moment of clarity that everything was just all wrong. Pippa had been with her soon to be husband for several years but had never really thought about marriage until friends pushed them into a wedding. Knowing that everything felt wrong Pippa called off the ceremony and then decided to take her already pre-paid honeymoon by herself to give herself a chance to think.

After arriving at the luxury resort in Mauritius Pippa feels out of place as she notices all the couples around her that seem to be doing the celebrating she had once thought she was going to be doing. At dinner Pippa notices two couples seated together, Arne and Nikki who seem very much and love and then Tansy and Daniel who seem to only appear happy when they know others are watching. Pippa soon meets another single man at the resort, James Cardle, and strikes up a friendship with the standoffish vacationer but one night Pippa and James come across a frantic scene as Nikki is found dead in Daniel and Tansy’s villa.

Now I honestly could toss out all the typical thriller descriptives of gripping and page turning etc as this book really did completely entrance me as I read. I absolutely loved Pippa and her sort of awkwardness being alone but finding herself as it went along. However, I came across some things towards the end that I just don’t know what the author was thinking writing it in this way. Without spoilers I will just say I did not agree with how Pippa went from a seemingly strong lead to not being one so much in my mind with a simple little addition that didn’t really make sense with how it ended. Anyway, I settled on three stars as I enjoyed most of this I just would have changed a few things I didn’t really care for at all.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A cancelled wedding. A honeymoon destination for one. An accidental death, or was it? Not all the money or luxury in the world can bring happiness to some of the honeymooners at the luxurious Excelsior Resort in Mauritius. Secrets will be told and a mistake will bring tragic results.
Alison James has written more of a mystery than thriller, but there are several plot lines, the characters offer a wide range of personalities from complex, shallow, intriguing and of course likable which makes this book even more enjoyable.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

4-5 stars

Although it sits in a crowded genre, this book was so well done that it stands out. Pippa Bryant abandons her wedding to Alastair 2 hours before they are due to tie the knot. She realises that, while they are comfortable together, she is no longer in love with him. Since her parents paid for their honeymoon on Mauritius, and the fee is non-refundable, she goes on the trip solo. It doesn’t take long for Pippa to realise that being solo at a honeymoon hotspot is not as much as fun as she thought it would be. There are loved up couples everywhere. She meets the Swede Arne Lindgren and English bride Nikki. She also meets Daniel Halligan and Tansy Dimaano - Tansy is an exotic beauty from Australia who is a social media influence. She spends most of her time creating new ‘content’ and ignoring her new husband. This couple doesn’t seem very loving!

Pippa notices a man who seems to be on his own, James (Jim) Cardle. She tries to befriend him but he is not initially receptive. After a bit of web surfing she learns that Cardle is a private investigator from London. Hmmm, she wonders who or what he is investigating on Mauritius. Eventually he softens a bit and they share a couple of drinks. One night, they are on his deck and hear a couple of screams, then people are running towards one of the beach huts. Pippa and Cardle run over as well to see what is happening....and find....I can’t tell you that but it sure wasn’t what it seemed!

It turns out Cardle is investigating Tansy. Soon he and Pippa are working together and the story gets very interesting indeed. I read this so quickly as I couldn’t put it down. The pace was excellent and you just kept getting new tidbits of information which changed the complexion of the story. Your loyalties tilted one way and then another. The strength of this story lies in the excellent character development. My goodness Tansy was a piece of work - willing to trample over anybody and everybody to get what she wants. When people were no longer useful to her they were discarded like a used tissue. Such self-absorption is a rare thing but it was so well depicted. Daniel Halligan was a harder nut to crack. It took a lot longer to get a handle on what made him tick and in the end I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Yet everyone had a part to play in this delicious drama.

The pacing of the story was excellent and it never really let up. You were always waiting for the other shoe to drop or some other new revelation. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It will appeal to anyone who likes thrillers or psychological thrillers and I am grateful to Netgalley for my gifted copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story starts with a wedding that never happened. Three newlywed couples were expected to arrive at the luxurious hotel resort in subtropical Mauritius, but only two arrived.
Wealthy and beautiful Australian it-girl and social media influencer Tansy arrives with her husband Daniel, a Brit who is escaping from his worst ever nightmare, an ill-fated property venture that has broken him. Tansy is due to document her entire honeymoon with the live coverage that her fans desire so much, so with her are her entourage. She will be busy working for their free honeymoon, but she must honour her pledge - she wants the fame.
Arne and Nikki Ling are all loved up. Their wedding day is joyous and they are eagerly travelling to the other side of the world for their honeymoon. They have no doubt at all that they will honour their wedding vows ‘Till death us do part.’ Just bring it on.
Pippa arrives alone. She left her fiancé Alistair in the UK, because she knew something was ‘off’ with their relationship after so many years together, so she halted the wedding ceremony at the last minute. She decides to treat what should have been her honeymoon as a holiday rather that forfeit all the money spent on their luxury hotel and flights.
Also arriving alone is mysterious James Cardle. He is here on a working holiday and he has a task he must achieve. He seems very quiet and remote, even a bit unfriendly when Pippa first talks to him at his table. But during the week he mellows and they become friends.
They all have secrets that are going to be revealed. The photographs will be adorned with happy smiles, but some of the smiles are false. Wealthy and beautiful they may be, but they are not all happy. Looks can be deceptive. One of them is going to have a very short honeymoon and another is going to return home alone. The other couple will have to cut their honeymoon short as well, but for an entirely different reason. What about the singletons?
The complexity of this dark and riveting story is beyond doubt a triumph. It comes complete with flashbacks and fascinating back stories that move the story onwards. The eclectic cast of characters are beautifully created and developed with great skill, each with a part to play. It has to be said they are not all pleasant. The settings are gorgeous, laced with the trappings of wealth and global travel. I really enjoyed the modern themes within this novel: love and loss, relationships and breakups, blackmail and dishonesty, deceit and sadly tragedy. There are shocks, thrills and many red herrings as the story progresses and the secrets are spilt.
Thank you for my copy of this novel, received through my membership of NetGalley and from Bookouture, sent to me in return for an honest unbiased review. I really enjoyed reading it and my review reflects this. I recommend this as a very good read and award it a 4.5*.