I’m sad to say that this was not the book for me. I read half of it, and just couldn’t bring myself to finish. I hate doing that but sometimes if I can’t even get into it at all – then what’s the point of dragging it out?

I did not like the writing this one, how it was laid out, and the writing style. I found the jumping around and jumping point of views discombobulated and confusing as not all were well marked. I did not enjoy the addition of new characters with no idea what they had to do with the plot. I felt this book tried too hard to be a mystery that it completely forgot to clue the reader into what was going on. I wanted to root for Vera or even Odilie but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Odilie seemed too innocent and mailable which was frustrating and exhausting, and Vera, well she just wasn’t a good person overall.

I am so thankful to netgalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing for my e-arc in exchange for this honest review. I will not be publishing this one to social media. Usually, I share books that weren’t for me, but this one just didn’t work on so many levels it would not be fair to the author or publisher for me to share. I look forward to reading more from this publishing house in the future and thank you for your understanding that this one just didn’t work for me.

A Small Affair is a roller coaster of a read with twists and turns and characters that are not all that likeable . Yet you get invested in their story.

Flora Collins draws you in slowly but surely and before you know it the pages are turning quickly.

Vera gets involved with Tom who is married and when he and his wife are found dead she becomes the scapegoat.

Scandal follows and there are twists and turns with secrets and lies that keeps the lights on.

Highly recommend A Small Affair and this book will stay with me for quite awhile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin Trade Publishing Mira for a twisted read.

Okay, where do I begin? This book entertained the heck out of me. It's thematically similar to lots of other books I've read but well-executed. The characters are weird but multi-faceted, which meant there are many possibilities about what happened. The multiple points of view, especially Vera's chapters, kept me turning the pages. Also, I like the cover! Thanks for the advance review copy.

I liked the premise of this one. It had the makings of what could have been a really good story. But the pacing was incredibly slow! Which for the way this one was laid out, should have been fast-paced.

It alternates between past & present, which I normally love. But this..it was painfully boring for me.

Someone with more patience and determination will enjoy this. But it wasn’t for me.

The first book I've read by author, I've seen a lot of praise online so was excited to read it.

No spoilers. Personally, I think the blurb gives too much away (I only read it properly after finishing the book), so I'm only going mention the bare minimum of the plot.

Vera is broken, her prestigious dream career in fashion ruined, her life in tatters following the death of her former lover's wife. Vera only dated Tom briefly but was widely blamed and shamed across social media.

It's a slow burn, deep in character and really quite involving. Vera's trying to rebuild her life, intercut with Tom's dead wife's backstory.

I enjoyed it, and was thinking about it when not reading it. Not one for me to get too excited about, but if you love slow burning, moody brooding character stories with plenty of detail and backstory there's a lot to lose yourself in.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

Wow, I was looking for a great thriller and this book did not disappoint. I love the different perspectives and I was shocked right up to the ending. This is a great story about deception and obsession that had me hooked. I found myself rooting for Vera and wondering why all of this happened to her. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I’m looking forward to more books by this author. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced read.

This was seriously one of the best thrillers I have read this year! Filled with unlikeable characters you will not be able to look away as the story unfolds. Told in three parts, each one got better until the shocking, jaw dropping ending. I could not believe what I was reading! My head was spinning, and I was in utter disbelief. This story is dark filled with lies, obsession, and mind games galore and I loved everything about it. This book is an example of a perfect psychological thriller!

I cannot wait to read more from this talented author!

So good! The Small Affair has so much to offer. It’s an intricately developed thriller. I was captivated by how the story twists to discover who is using who. Nothing is quite as it seems. I found Vera to be believable and driven. All the characters are developed well and best of all none of them are overly likeable.

Go in blind and enjoy the ride.

I’m usually not a huge fan of a slow burn mystery but there was something incredibly intoxicating about this one that held my attention. I think a big part of the reason was that I was captivated by the authors writing style, she managed to write a story full of unlikable characters and somehow I was still invested in them? The way the story slowly unraveled revealing so many layers of deception, obsession and betrayal was hypnotic and really had a hold on me. This one went dark too, super dark in unexpected ways. Definitely many moments were I felt uncomfortable and unsettled but I’m telling you, this one got under my skin! If you like slow burn stories full of women’s rage this was good.

Slow pace from start to finish, but with the perfect mix of deception, obsession and betray, as well as a character-driven thriller that makes you want to know more about them as well as what is going on .

A Small Affair is a well written, tension filled thriller that kept me glued to the pages! Normally books like this aren't my cup of tea but I was entranced with this one! Looks like Flora Collins will be an author I always look out for.

I’m usually not a huge fan of a slow burn mystery but there was something incredibly intoxicating about this one that held my attention. I think a big part of the reason was that I was captivated by the authors writing style, she managed to write a story full of unlikable characters and somehow I was still invested in them? The way the story slowly unraveled revealing so many layers of deception, obsession and betrayal was hypnotic and really had a hold on me. This one went dark too, super dark in unexpected ways. Definitely many moments were I felt uncomfortable and unsettled but I’m telling you, this one got under my skin! If you like slow burn stories full of women’s rage this was good.

This book went a direction simply impossible to predict! The 'other woman' who, not surprisingly, takes the brunt of a murder suicide of her liver and his wife. But things are not what they seem. With parallel stories, the mistress uncovers what really happened while that past story is told. Definitely a surprise outcome. Loved the characters. Also a 'new to me' author that I will be looking for!

A Small Affair has colossal consequences for one high-powered woman in fashion.

Vera is not afraid to go after what she wants, not particular about who she might have to walk over to get there. Vera loves her job, which she’s had a large part in raising from the ground up. When Vera starts seeing Tom, a wealthy tech founder, ten years her senior and soon to be divorced, she’s not sure what she thinks of him, but in the right light finds him attractive.

Vera’s life falls apart when she learns Tom and his wife are found dead. The media catches wind of Vera’s affair with the married man and blames her for their deaths. In short order, Vera loses everything and moves in with her mother.

A year later, Vera is ready to return to her old life but knows that people have not yet forgotten the scandal. However, Vera starts to uncover information about the married man that might restore her life and career.

This is a well-written, slow-burn, character-driven thriller. It never felt boring. I correctly guessed one of the twists, but it was satisfying watching everything come together.

Vera is a complex character, not always likeable but wholly believable. This novel clearly shows how quick people are to condemn strong-willed women, to put them in their “place” at the earliest opportunity. It also touches on how social media can harm one’s mental health.

The ending before the epilogue really had me shaking my head at one of the characters.

This is honestly one of the better thrillers I’ve read in a while. If you like slower, intricately plotted thrillers, you’ll surely enjoy this.

Thank you to MIRA for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

Three dates. That’s all it took to derail the carefully constructed life of Vera MacDonald, an ambitious fashionista. Three dates and Tom was so madly in love with her that he murdered his wife and unborn child and then committed suicide. The ensuing publicity with revealed texts and notes ended Vera’s career and drove her back home to live with her new-agey mother. After a year, however, she’s ready to move back to New York. Although she has doubts about whether this is the right decision (it’s not), she attends a memorial service for Odilie, Tom’s dead wife and is befriended by Odilie’s sister Page. This a strange relationship. Although neither women is truthful, each plans to benefit in very different ways. It will take until the final chapters of this deeply twisted walk on the wild side to see who is telling the truth and, more importantly, what that truth really is.

A Small Affair is an anomaly. It’s a deftly plotted, well written, compelling domestic thriller driven by obsession. What it deliberately lacks is one likeable character. Each person has a hidden agenda, each is totally self-centered and each seems to lack the basic ability to selflessly care for another. That said, you wont be able to put this one down! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Flora Clooins for this ARC.

This is a difficult book to review without spoilers so I will be brief. This was a slow pace thriller with a handful of characters that I had a love/hate relationship with. Vera meets Tom on a dating app, but when he and his wife, Odilie, are found dead in their home, no one is who they seem. The story is told in a dual timeline. It switches back and forth from the past for each of these characters to the present time and eventually shows what leads to the deaths of two of them and how their lives intersect. The ending for this one blew me away! I didn’t see it coming! I will definitely read other books by this author.

Vera is a haughty, full-of-herself woman who is blamed for the death of a man set met on a dating app and his pregnant wife. A year later she is attempting to put her life back together and find out what happened. We also find out about the wife's past, and I enjoyed this part of the novel more. I was interested but not overwhelmed with the story.

This is a book about obsession , money and greed. The characters in it were not likeable which made it difficult to get into caring what ultimately happened to them. Vera finds a rich mogul through a dating app- there is a time shift that moves ahead and she is forced to deal with a traumatic event with that rich mogul. Tom is a liar who along with his wife end up dead. But what happened? if you can get past the yucky characters then you will enjoy how this one plays out.

Unfortunately was not too thrilled with this one. I did manage to read the whole book but it was just slow and not that engaging. Definitely not my favorite.

Vera is a 28 year old girl who was on dating apps and met Tom, an older man who was "divorced," the two sort of hit it off and by the time Vera can decide the news article comes out that Tom murdered his wife Odilide who was pregnant with his child. Soon after Vera gets hate mail, loses her job, and death threats. Cut to a year later where Vera is invited to Odilide's 1 year memorial where she gets mixed up with her family. This book is told from multiple time periods and different perspectives of characters. What I enjoyed about this book were the progressive side characters. While I didn't find myself rooting for Vera, I wanted to know and uncover what happened as she became more involved in the murders. Overall, this is a solid read!