I am always a fan of a good domestic thriller and this one had me hooked from the beginning! Imagine having a home invasion rock your entire family, and as a wife and mother feeling like you have to put it all back together again. Secondly, only to find out that the reason for the home invasion might be your fault!

You get to see this play out through the eyes of Kate as she goes through the year following the home invasion. You get to start off at the 1 year mark on a family vacation- that finally feels like things might be returning to normal. You get to jump back in forth in the timeline to see what has been going wrong the entire year, and how Kate struggles to feel like she has a partner that's willing to fight with her and make her children's lives as normal as possible.

You get to see a Husband struggling with feeling like he's strong enough to deal. And the lengths that people will go through to make their families feel safe.

This book is frightening to me as a Mother and Wife. I couldn't imagine living through this scenario- and that's what makes it so scary. Someone coming in and messing with your home life and family dynamic is scarier than any horror novel out there. Because it's a struggle with yourself and feeling, as a woman, that it's your job to hold it all together.

I really enjoyed this one- read it super fast and couldn't believe how this one ends up. It'll keep you guessing and keep you up at night for much different reasons that a horror story.

His Loving Wife is a domestic thriller with alternating timelines. Chapters switch between current and past until they eventually intersect. While there were a couple twists towards the end of the book, the majority was somewhat slow paced. I found that most of what was likely meant to be shocking, was actually quite predictable. That said, it was a short, quick read that I was able to finish in a day. Overall I enjoyed the book but never really connected with any of the characters and like I've said, was able to predict most of what happened.

I received an e-arc of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review

A year ago, Kate's life turned upside down when an intruder breaks into their house and stands in front of their room. Kate finds out who the intruder is and why he broke into their house.

Now, Kate's husband, Andrew has booked a vacation and while the family is trying to enjoy their vacation, forgetting about the incident that happened a year ago, Kate is having a nagging feeling, when she hears the news that particular intruder has been released from jail...

The story divides itself between the Present Day, told from the Kate's point of view and the months after the incident happened, with Kate and Andrew trying to rebuild their marriage and meeting a psychiatrist and at the same time, wondering why this person harmed their family. Initially, the first few chapters were boring but eventually, I got hooked into the story by the middle of the book. It eventually becomes a fast paced thriller and soon, unexpected twists and turns come to play! However, towards the ending, it got more intense and filled with suspense and the great twist at the end, you so did not expect that twist at all!!! I was then literally hooked into the story and then manage to finish the book, trying to reel from that ending! It was really good!

Kate is a likable character in my opinion and Andrew seemed to be some what a naive character in my opinion. The writing was good and intense and the suspense was there in the chapters, making this book a fast paced thriller. Overall, it was a fast paced thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns you didn't expect...worth giving this book a shot!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.

His Loving Wife was a gripping read. From the first page, we're thrown into the drama of Kate's family facing an intruder in her house. The book takes part both in the past as they deal with the aftermath of this attack and while on holiday a year later, trying to rebuild the family.
As the story unfolds we learn what happened and why it took place, along with how this has impacted all members of the family. It also becomes clear that although the initial attack is over, there is still much that the family has to deal with.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I did struggle slightly with a couple of Kate's decisions or the way that she reacted to things. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there is an incident that takes place that particularly impacts their son Noah and Kate herself. Personally, after something like that there's no chance that I would be repeating the activity or allowing any family members to do so. At least not in the near future. Kate does seem to be a little slow in picking up some of the signs as to what is going on. That might be understandable when you are so close to it all, but it left me wanting to reach into the book and give her a shake, surely she could see all wasn't well!
This was a great read and one that I would highly recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

We meet Andrew, Kate, Willow, and Noah who were the victims of a home invasion and whose effects are still with them.

When the police find out who the intruder was and that he was someone Kate dated in college, her husband raises questions about why Kate never told him that her old college boyfriend had been stalking her and that she was meeting with him before the invasion.

Is this the reason he invaded their home? Did he want Kate back?

To help with the trauma, a year later the family takes a surprise vacation as they try to forget that night, but no one will ever forget it.

We follow the family in the present and months before.

Andrew and Kate seem more distant than usual, and the vacation didn't seem to be helping.

Andrew is always on his computer talking to his friends and Kate can’t get over the fact that she still thinks the intruder is there at the beach and that Andrew still doesn’t believe that she and the intruder didn’t have an affair.

On top of everything, they have to deal with a moody teenager, a son who is timid, and secrets.

You can just feel the underlying tension everywhere. Ms. Smith did a great job with having that tension felt.

HIS LOVING WIFE has twists, turns, lies, and surprises.

The ending is a HUGE surprise. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Completely captivated and totally absorbing, i could not stop reading and chose not to sleep in order to finish it. it had moments that were pure tension and brwah taking, literally I couldnt breathe I felt like i was in the pages. I adored it

Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley and Author for this readers ebook copy in return for an honest review!

His Loving Wife by Smith is a fabulous thriller!
And guys thus is why Bookouture is my absolute favorite publisher they have some amazing authors with amazing thrillers!

Unstoppable, unputdownable, intriguing thriller will have you saying "one more that's it"!
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure this is Smiths first thriller! If so.... Girl you have found your calling! 😍
Such a suspenseful, gripping and incredibly well thought out story!
With characters that feel real and believable!
Vivid descriptions that will suck you straight into the storyline and captivated from beginning to end.

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

His Loving Wife by Miranda Smith should come with a warning: Reader, do not start unless you have the time to read it to the very end because this thriller begs no interruptions! The novel will be out October 4, 2021.
Kate Brooks grew up in the mountains of North Carolina but nothing in her upraising prepared her for a home invasion. The plot is boosted forward as Kate and her husband Andrew and children Willow and Noah are attempting to heal from that trauma months ago by renting a vacation home on the ocean.

Even though she tries, Kate cannot relax because she sees her intruder everywhere. Worse, she knows him, a guy named Paul who she dated in college. He’s out now on bail, and Kate is afraid for herself and her family. But even in jail, Paul is still reaching out, still threatening her. How is he able to do that? Who is helping him? This reader stayed up until the wee hours to find out those answers.

This psychological thriller is recommended to those readers who enjoyed novels like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

Miranda Smith has worked as a staff writer at a local newspaper and as a high school English teacher. She writes domestic and psychological suspense books about complicated women, dark impulses, and Southern settings. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three children. Her other books include Not My Mother, The One Before, What I Know, and Some Days are Dark.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 31, 2021.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

For the bulk of this story, I couldn't help thinking that it would have been better classified as general fiction, as it was greatly concerned with emotional growth and communication between spouses. Kate and Andrew are still coming to terms with a home invasion that occurred one year ago when a man broke in and threatened them and their kids. No one was seriously hurt, but it was Kate that sprang into action and grappled with the intruder, while Andrew remained frozen out of shock. This leads to feelings of inadequacy on Andrew's part and resentment on Kate's.

They try to move on through therapy and Andrew joins an online group specifically for men that helps them work through the emotions that society prefers men to stifle. He struggles with not feeling capable of protecting his family and Kate is happy he found likeminded men to support him. She's also dealing with guilt due to her past with the intruder and interactions she had kept secret from Andrew.

The story alternates between right after the invasion to the present, when the family are on vacation at the beach, relaxing and having fun. Kate and Andrew feel closer to each other and are committed to being honest and open. But soon, all of the progress that they made begins to fade as Kate can't shake the feeling that someone is watching them. Then they have a traumatic incident on a boat at sea and it's like they're right back in the worst time of their lives. Things get progressively worse after that. As hard as they worked to bring their family closer together, they can't stop their perfect vacation from turning into their worst nightmare.

Towards the end, the story does lean more towards the thriller category, but readers may find it hard to stick it out to reach that point. Here, the action really picks up and you see why there was such an emphasis put on the emotional impact of the home invasion. It's a heartbreaking conclusion that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

WOW! This book was very suspenseful and twisty! Miranda Smith has such a knack for writing fabulous stories that keep you guessing. The characters are extremely well developed and it didn’t take long to bond with Kate, Andrew, Noah, and Willow. As the story unraveled, Andrew became the character I loved to hate. It seemed like every difficult situation his family was placed in, it was Kate to come to their rescue. Was Andrew just a wimpy husband and father that succumbed to flight or fright (more fright and freeze)? Or was his behavior caused by some other deeper cause? Excellent thriller! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

His Loving Wife by Miranda Smith
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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In this story, our main character, Kate, has her life turned upside down when her college boyfriend broke into her home. The actions of this crime caused mental turmoil for Kate, her husband, Andrew, and their two children, Willow & Noah. The family escape for a vacation and things take an unpredictable turn.
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The first 70% of this book was a slow burn for me- necessary, but slow. However, after the plot twist, things sped up.
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I enjoyed the alternating timelines- the present and then month by month after the break in.
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This was another story that emphasized the importance of mental health. I will always support novels advocating the importance of seeking help.
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This was my first book by Miranda Smith and I will definitely read more of her work!

Very rarely do I find a thriller that I can’t figure out within the first few chapters, and that’s why this book was so great! Left me waiting until literally the last page for answers! Highly recommend!

Wow! His Living Wife was a thrilling page turner from beginning to end!

After a family‘s house was broken into one night by a masked man rattling a bedroom doorknob and threatening harm, Kate, Andrew, and their two children, Willow and Noah survived the incident, but were all effected by the tragedy and were living in fear . Each of them having reacted in a different way to this trauma, they needed counseling. The marriage started to crumble under the deep stress, most especially when it’s discovered who that it was that broke in!

The story goes back and forth, tracing a year to present time. Will this family be ok? Can they survive what happened? Why did it happen?
Love and trust are on the line, communication is suffering, and still worse - the nightmare doesn’t seem to be over. Something is definitely not right, it feels like danger is still there!

With twists and surprises, along with an ending that WAS surprising The Loving Wife is well written, exciting, realistic, and fast paced.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a good, creative domestic thriller about a family on a surprise vacation after having gone through a horrifying home invasion almost a year ago. I thank Net galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Kate's life was changed forever when her old college boyfriend Paul broke into her house with the intent to harm her and her family. Now a year later, Paul is being released. To take her mind off of things, Kate's husband Andrew has booked a surprise family vacation at a gorgeous beachside cabin. It should be a relaxing two weeks but Kate quickly begins to suspect that Paul may have followed them and that they are all in danger...

This was a suspenseful, unputdownable thriller by Miranda Smith. And when I say unputdownable, I mean it. Once I started this book I could not stop reading it. The plot, the isolated beach setting, and the tension-filled atmosphere all had me gripped until the ending. A particularly high-profile American murder case comes to mind when I think of the shocking twist and I wonder if the author got some inspiration from that case.
All in all, a very captivating read. This is my second book by this author and I really enjoyed her writing and plot twists. Looking forward to more books by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be picking some cracking books at the moment and this one did not disappoint at all. Another fabulous novel that keeps you guessing until the last few pages with twists and turns all the way through.
Dark, domestic noir. A twisting suspense to keep the reader on their toes. With a well developed cast of characters a story told from various POV and a gradual mounting of tension leading to some, perhaps, surprising revelations. A thoroughly engaging read.

#HisLovingWife #NetGalley
A good read.
Kate and Andrew were living peacefully along with their children, Noah and Willow until one night when someone broke into their house and their lives changed forever. Upon investigation, the man was identified as Paul, a college friend of Andrew, whom Kate was dating with before she started her relationship with Andrew.
To overcome that night's fear and to put their family together, Andrew booked a beach house on the shore and they hope that they'd left behind evrything.
But soon sinister things started again, Kate had the feeling that she'd seen Paul, someone put a jammer in their house etc. Who' was doing that and why?
Told from four POV's, two are of Kate's ( present and past ), one of Andrew and one is of Vincent, this story was a fun read until 85% but after that it didn't work for me. That twist didn't add another layer of suspense. I personally don't think that it was required.
Characters were ok. Kate and I were main characters. Although children hadn't much to do in the book.
What I Liked? :-
1 Setting and plot.
2 Narration.
What I didn't like? :-
1 Last chapters and ending.
2 Don't think that Vincent's POV was necessary. It could be told from Andrew's POV.
If you're a fan of Miranda's books then you definitely go for it but don't expect a blasting ending from this book otherwise you'll be disappointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

I literally read this in a day. One of those books where you want to get. through in one sitting and easy to do so.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

His Loving Wife by Miranda Smith is an unputdownable domestic thriller with a twist you'll never see coming! The book is set on a beachside vacation, which makes it the perfect vacation read! The story revolves around a couple who is grappling with the effects of a break-in from over a year ago. Kate and Andrew were peacefully in bed when a masked intruder broke into their house, hoping to do harm. Even though he is now safely behind bars, they are still scarred from that experience. Now that the intruder is about to be let out of jail, Kate, Andrew, and their two children decide to go on an island vacation to relax and get their minds off of things. Little do they know, dangers await them in their vacation rental...

Here is an excerpt from the Prologue, which is a flashback to 13 months ago:

""Andrew, something's happening."
Kate knew it now. The feeling inside her had blossomed from paranoia into fact. Someone was inside their home, someone that didn't belong. And they were making careless sounds, almost like they wanted to cause this type of tension before the big reveal.
She threw the comforter from over her legs and scrambled to the wall. "Andrew," she said, her voice an urgent whisper. He ignored her, until she flicked the light switch, drowning the room in sharp colors and light."

Overall, HIs Loving Wife is a gripping domestic thriller with an action-packed, explosive finale! Unlike other books in this genre, this book maintained my interest the whole way through. It starts with a masked intruder breaking into their house, and the story only moves on from there. One highlight of this book is the twist, which I truly did not see coming. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I ended up dead wrong. Also, all of the action that happens after the reveal was excellently done, and I could not put this book down at that down.
I had to keep reading to find out what happens to the characters. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of domestic thrillers, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in October!

This book is a thriller but I found it should be really scary at parts. I really enjoyed it. The story and the pacing were perfect.