Member Reviews

Inheritance Dispute in Second Marriage

The Second Wife is a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers and domestic dramas. Its strengths lie in its intriguing plot, complex characters, and the palpable tension that Miranda Rijks masterfully builds. The alternating perspectives of Tamsin and Mia add depth to the narrative, making it a multifaceted and engaging thriller. While some parts of the story may feel slow, the overall experience is one of suspense and intrigue, making it a worthwhile read for thriller enthusiasts.

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*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

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This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it.
It kept me interested this whole time, even with the changing POVs that I am not a big fan of. I was able to figure of part of the twist, but not the whole thing. I am interested in reading other stories by Miranda and will continue to look for more that are available to me.

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This is a fast paced character driven thriller. The pace was steady. I loved the family drama. The ending was a surprise

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Thank you for the ARC.
I have read other books by Miranda but this was a bit all over the place for me - hence the 3 stars - sorry!

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This one was a bit of a miss for me, but it could be that I wasn't entirely in the mood for it! I thought it started and ended strong, but just needed a bit more in the middle.

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Tamsin has recently married composer Robin Featherstone. Robin is much older but Tamsin doesn't care as she is in love with him. However Robin's first wife and children believe she is a gold digger.

Mia is Robin's cleaner who had trained to be a musician. They spend a lot of time together.

When Robin dies unexpectedly, Tamsin has a nasty surprise when the Will is read. As Mia and Tamsin are pitted against each other, the family will go to any lengths to stop either of them inheriting.

I loved this family drama and I kept changing my mind on who the culprit was.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a fantastic book as always from Miranda, fast paced and full of twists and turns….loves the characters and the ending was Wowser!

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Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast-paced thriller with a good premise, however, it is not my favorite thriller I've ever read. I liked the dual point of view. You didn't know who you could trust and the twist at the end did surprise me. I did not like the two main characters. By the end I found them annoying and I could not relate to either one of them. This book lacked a bit of the complexity I love about unreliable characters.

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Mia, a violinist without an orchestra, finds herself working as a cleaner for Robin, a famous composer, and Tamsin (2nd wife) in a rather large house which needs a housekeeper, head gardener plus their son to keep on top of things. Naturally there’s an embittered first wife and two grownup children who are not happy and even more so later on in the book! Miranda writes in an engaging way which keeps the reader on track when things are getting a bit bogged down. Even if you’re not invested in any of the characters her books are an easy read and not at all complicated. This for me was less of a thriller and more of a domestic drama.

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A brilliant thriller that had me engrossed from the very first page. Very quick paced and finished this within a day. I absolutely love the character building and had me immersed into the book. I almost felt like the character themselves and that I was involved. 4.5* from me.

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I received an ARC of The Second Wife by Miranda Rijks from Inkubator Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars for this gem! It's a fast-paced thriller with plenty of secrets that will destroy the lives of the characters. Definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers. I look forward to reading future books by this author.

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*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5, this was a pretty good thriller not gonna lie, i was unsure at first but i have read other books by this author and it was pretty good! would recommend for sure

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A brilliant read that had me engrossed right from the very start. This is a complete page turner that i couldn’t put down.

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Tamsin has recently married renowned composer Robin Featherstone. Robin is much older, but Tamsin doesn’t care - she’s in love.

And she knows Robin loves her too, even if he is very close to another young woman – his assistant, Mia.

But Robin’s ex-wife and grown children aren’t happy – they’re sure Tamsin is a gold-digger and Mia is an opportunist.

Then, when Robin dies suddenly, the family’s worst fears are realised - Tamsin stands to inherit everything. But when the will is read, its contents are beyond shocking.
Wow. I got caught up in this and really enjoyed it!! Great story and characters, nice twist at the end!

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The second wife# NetGalley
This was definitely not my type of book. Although the synopsis read like it was appealing to me. But I was almost half way through and I was not enjoying it very much. It’s not the storyline although there are so many of much the same thing out there if anything too many of the same old same old. But it was the author's way of writing. It didn’t flow as well as most book. Each chapter felt abrupt. Also as if they were thinking as they are going along. Not like they had a story already planned. Very difficult to read to be honest subject matter. Very much as I have read so many similar it was not holding me. We are inudsted with so much of a muchness. Now that I found it boring.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for my advanced readers copy! My thoughts and opinions are my own. My review is given voluntarily.

This was my first book by Miranda Rijks, and I can't wait to read more of her books! This one sucked me in almost immediately. At first, I was not in love with our protagonist, Tamsin, but the more I read, the more i fell in love with her. and started to feel for her. I hated Mia, until I didn't. When the story kept unraveling, I was more invested. I was in the dark until the last page. Just when I thought the final plot twist was revealed, I was shocked at yet another. I love her writing style and her world building.

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I really enjoyed this book, going into it I just thought it was another normal thriller. Once I got about 50 pages in I realized this book was special. The writing style was great, it really kept you guessing and flowed so nicely it was one of those books you don’t feel like you’re reading because you get so swept up in the story.
At first I didn’t really like the characters, but the farther we went along the more invested and interested I got. The characters were well thought out, as was the story line. Once we got to the big reveal I really thought that would be it and had almost written off the rest of the book as boring, but boy was I wrong. The author kept us guessing until the last page! I was absolutely thrilled by that and was so pleased that I was completely fooled. The ending was a fantastic wrap to this story and I look forward to reading more from this author.

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I really love Miranda's style of writing and this story was no different. The characters are believable, and Mia in particular was likeable and sympathetic, especially as the story unravels. Tamsin is an unlikely hero and I loved the change we saw in her.

The storyline is original and engaging without being overly complicated. Miranda manages to bring a number of unrelated threads together in a way that is neat but also surprising. For me, her books all fall on the strength of the twist, and again this one did not disappoint!

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Thank you to netgalley for the ARC
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I requested it because I like thrillers and I'm always interested in finding new ones.
I read this one just after reading another book with a similar story line of a second wife and the husband dying. I was afraid it would be too similar but thankfully it wasn't.
It was a good book but just fell a bit flat for me. I could never really get into the main characters. The one who was the most interesting was David which is sad because he's a really secondary character. It was an easy read but that's it

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