Imagine coming home from picking your child up from an activity to a masked man waiting for you in your garage. He has a gun, and he’s threatening violence against not just you, but also your children. It’s terrifying! And just as terrifying? The fact that as the course of the day unfolds, Jade will realize she knows absolutely nothing about her husband.

My Darling Husband takes place during just one day. But of course, with many things, the events of the past years (not months) all come to a head in that one day. I’m always a little hesitant to pickup a book that takes place in such a small time-frame, but Belle does an excellent job of interweaving the present with the past. Everything that brought Jade and Cam to this crucial moment is also inter-cut with hints here and there as to who the masked intruder is.

My Darling Husband is an amazing read. I don’t normally ever stay up late to finish a book. I’m just usually too tired. I was up until midnight on a weeknight finishing this one, which may sound lame, but is super late for me! Check this one out, you won’t be disappointed. Special thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was flipping the pages quickly to see how it would turn out! The story flowed well while changing between the different characters to give all sides to the action going on within the book.

It checks all the right boxes for a psychological/domestic thriller and delivers in all the ways that really matter. I highly recommend this book to those who love a quick and thrilling read!

Thank you to Park Row Books + NetGalley for my e-copy!

This was an incredibly tense, edge of seat thriller. Particularly as a parent, this story line had me gripped! I truly felt as if I was in the room with Jade, trying to work out a way for her to get out of the terrifying closed room situation. At the same time, I was infuriated by Cam more with every chapter! Twist after twist, one more diabolical than the last.

This was an ok thriller. Since it all happened in one day parts were really fast paced and then other sections seemed to really drag on. It was kind of like the main characters kept saying the same thing over and over again. I kept with it to see where it ended up. It was bad but wasn't my favorite.

This book kept me interested throughout! I loved the multiple-POV writing style, and piecing together what happened really kept me going. I liked the reasoning behind the hostage situation, and all the little details that the author used to build suspense, like the nanny cams and the neighbor.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Jade Lasky and her two children are being held captive by a masked man who invaded their home. He issue instruction to Jade's husband Cam to have a very specific ransom amount gathered with a very tight deadline. Will Cam be able to gather the large amount demanded in time and save his wife and children? Who is the man that broke into the Lasky home? Why their family, why now and why so much of a ransom amount?

Cam is a successful restauranteer and is known as the steak king. His restaurants should be profitable enough for him to gather the money. Right? Or are things not as they seem?

All while Jade is being held captive, she worries for her children. And for Cam. However, as the day wears on questions begin to plague her regarding the family's finances.

In this riveting story by Kimberly Belle the character development is spot on, as is the incredible tension. Tension that never lets up for one second. Jade's strength and bravery shines though, as does that of her daughter. Cam struggles fast and furiously to liquidate his assets. This is definitely a pulse-pounding read from beginning to end.

Many thanks to Park Row and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I loved Belle's last book, Stranger in the Lake, so I had high hopes for this one but it just didn't do it for me. It starts off strong, with a lot of tension but then we start getting too many POV's and the middle scenes seem to drag on. I didn't like the wife's POV and wished there had been more of the husbands view point. I also didn't think the twist at the end was very, well, twisty. Here's hoping her next book is a better fit for me.

3.5 rounded to 4 for Goodreads.
This book was definitely a good quick thriller. Although I didn't LOVE LOVE it, there were some good things about it.

What I liked: I loved the characters in this book. Cam was a great husband and father, despite his many flaws. Jade was a kick ass mom who packed a punch when it came down to protecting her kids. Beatrix was a little firecracker and very protective and smart, and Baxter was just so cute and innocent, even in danger. Even Sebastian (who was holding them hostage), who was a good Dad behind the mask who just wanted to help his daughter. The chapters were quick which is always great, and they were alternating POV between Jade, Cam and Sebastian. I also loved she added the Interview with Cam post invasion. I loved the overall message of the book too... how far would you go to save the ones you love??

What I didn't like: the ending left me sooo frustrated. I wanted to know more. The whole book was super quick and like edgy, and then the end just felt cut off... like there should have been more !! I want more !!! What happened after the home invasion? what happened to both families ? are they still together? what happened to Cam's restaurants... I just wish there was a LITTLE more to end the story.

Overall, a quick thriller. Good story, just wanted more at the end. This book would be perfect for readers who don't like all the intense, gory thrillers... easy domestic thriller.

Another hit from Kimberley Belle. This one kept me awake during night feeds, just one more chapter! Fast paced page turner than kept me guessing to the end!

My Darling Husband is the tale of the seemingly perfect family. Jade and Cam and their children are living a picturesque life when masked intruders come into their home. Cam is then scrambling to find money to pay a ransom and undercovers dark secrets along the way.
The beginning of the story has some tension but about midway through the story, it starts to cool off and struggles to find the right pacing. The ending was not surprising either.
This is a fun, fast read if you keep your expectations reasonable.
#MyDarlingHusband #NetGalley. #Harlequin #ParkRow

Thank you so much @ParkRowBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 08 March 2022)

SYNOPSIS | A mother & her two children are taken hostage at gunpoint in their home by a masked intruder. Her husband (a renowned celebrity chef) is tasked with delivering the ransom of $734,296 in only a few hours.

WHAT I LIKED:
- initially a fast-action story that started off super intriguing
- an easily bingeable popcorn thriller

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted more chapters from her husbands perspective
- the masked intruders chapters didn't really add anything to the story
- I really don't like a villainous monologue where they explain the motivations behind their actions & this book had a lot of that
- the middle of the story fizzled out & the ending was unfortunately exactly as expected

2.5 stars.

This book was unfortunately mediocre. I actually found myself zoning out a bit and speed reading a lot, hoping for things to pick up. It was “just fine”, but largely forgettable. The format was kind of interesting, but the plot was a bit predictable.

Kimberly Belle is one of my "Must Read" authors and she didn't disappoint with My Darling Husband.
Jade and her two children arrive home to find a masked man with a gun in their garage. He holds them hostage demanding ransom from Jade's husband Cam, a well-known celebrity chef with numerous renowned restaurants. With only a few hours left Cam frantically tries to raise money for his family's release while Jade learns of her husband's deep, dark secrets.
Told in alternating chapters between Jade, Cam, and the kidnapper the author also instills chapters of Cam being interviewed after the fact.
I enjoyed this domestic thriller but was perplexed by the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing/Park Row for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up to 5...

Kimberly Belle is one of my auto buy drop everything for authors, I was lucky enough to read this one back in September and it surpassed my expectations! My favorite book from her is The Marriage Lie and I loved this one just as much as that one or even more!

This book centers on a family caught up in a home invasion. If you are a fan of hers and love books that keep you turning the pages you have to read this one! I enjoyed the multiple POVs and she did a great job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seats for the entirety of this one. I read a lot of thrillers and this one managed to do a great job at standing out and feeling unique. She also did a great job of writing the characters in this one including the children.

This book is fast paced with a lot of drama and action! It is a book you will want to binge and read in one sitting so be prepared. I loved the dual timeline and multiple POVs. This was a great domestic thriller that I highly recommend.

Kimberly Belle has been on my radar for a while now. So when her latest novel, My Darling Husband, came across my dashboard, I was too tempted to pass it up! The same author wrote Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie, which I have heard great things about.

They say that looks can be deceiving, and Jade is about to find out just how true that statement is. By all appearances, she and her husband have a perfect life – two beautiful kids, a lovely house, and a budding business. But all it takes is one horrible moment for that to all come crumbling down.

When a home invader targets her family, Jade's eyes are opened to the secrets her husband has been hiding all of these years. And it turns out that the assault was less than random, as the home invader also knew of these secrets.

“People are more open to a proposition if they’re part of the solution.”

My Darling Husband was a fast-paced and chilling read – and that was before I saw Kimberly Belle's note on the book. According to her, My Darling Husband is "a story rooted in truth." Did anyone else get chills there, or is it just me?

I think it's safe to say that this book made me incredibly tense. If there was an award for freaking me out, I would grant it to My Darling Husband. Seriously, I was so anxious for the characters within this book.

A lot is going on in this book, and I think that's part of the reason why it was so dang tense. Every minute or two, there was something else for my anxiety to latch onto. That probably wasn't too great for my mental health, but it did make for a thrilling experience. I'll give you that much!

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Wow what a great book
This one drew me right in..such great writing and a great story thr way it's laid out and told you can't not be pulled in by it.
I loved it!!!

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

Okkkk! Listened to the audio and it was so well done. I loved the different but perspectives. This was fast paced and captivating.

My Darling Husband is an intense read from start to finish. It is a heart-thumping, meal-skipping sort of story. The synopsis of Author Kimberly Belle’s latest novel intrigued me, and the actual book absolutely floored me.

The present-day story is told from Jade’s perspective as she and her children, Beatrix and Baxter (AKA “the Bees”) live through a home invasion. Her horrific story is interspersed with snippets of an after-the-fact interview with her husband, Cameron. The effect is to create great foreboding and worry for Jade and children. Late in the story, their terrorist’s point of view is added in as Sebastian’s victims go off script and make his mission more challenging. Sebastian’s narration did not add much to the story for me in terms of plot tension, however, it provides the big reveal in terms of Sebastian’s motives and brings a lot of shades of gray to an otherwise "black and white" story arc.

As the story reaches an intense zenith, it is clear that there are more characters to dislike than to like. Even though I didn’t like the adults and couldn’t forgive their multiple errors in judgement, as a parent, I could empathize with their motives. At the zenith, readers learn of Sebastian’s motives. At the story’s denouement, Cameron’s motives are reiterated. They, of course, have one thing in common. They are parents who are motivated to provide what their children need or they believe their children need.

Ms. Belle’s thriller, My Darling Husband, is a nearly perfect read for me. The story slipped a bit for me when the author used it to preach about insurance reform and socialized medicine (and used the wrong character to convey her message, in my opinion). I have no issue with the message, I just don’t think the heavy-handed delivery is necessary. Readers are smart enough to read between the lines.

A little preachy, and a little too much forgiveness at the end, but otherwise a highly entertaining thriller with good twists, a big reveal, and a somewhat satisfying and yet open-ended, conclusion.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. For more reading recommendations, visit Book Junkie Reviews at www.abookjunkiereviews.wordpress.com

4.5 stars