I really enjoyed this twisty book! it wasn't exactly a straightforward mystery nor was it a typical thriller. It felt like it started off as a healing / friendship book that slowly added red flags, questions, and full on strange coincidences. But as the story progresses and the reveals happen, all of those elements suddenly make sense and the story will probably pull the rug out from under you more than once.

I really enjoyed the journey and the surprises, twists, and turns!

Alyssa has just been unexpectedly dumped by her wealthy husband, leaving her alone with nothing. When she meets Bree, a woman running from dangerous, she invites her to her home.

I loved the plot and the slow unravel of this but it was difficult to believe with how naive and innocent-acting the main character was. I think the way everything unraveled was quite clever and unexpected. You’ll probably have some ideas on what’s happening but you’ll probably be wrong. There’s too many twists to be predictable!

“…… this was not a game, not a moment of vengeful make-believe, or woman-scorned, divorce induced anger. This was action. This was battle.”

The House Guest comes out 2/7.

I found this book very entertaining, as I have found other books by this author. Alyssa, is a recently separated woman, who meets Bree, a down on her luck woman, in a bar. The narrator of the audiobook does a fantastic job of distinguishing the characters and making them interesting, while Hank Phillipi Ryan as always brings the fun twists and turns, zippy writing, and expert plotting. Those of you who don't like suspending your disbelief too much may not relate to this one, but, as for me, even though I had a sense from the beginning of the unbelievable way this was going to end, I had a great time going along for the ride. The ending has a lot of explaining, but it kind of has to be that way with the complicated plot. I enjoyed the book all the way through and had fun with the red herrings and misdirection. Hank Phillipi Ryan remains one of my go-to suspense authors and this is an extremely well-done book that you will be likely to gobble up in one or two sittings as I did.

The House Guest is absolutely riveting! There is so much going on in this story that I wish I could jump in and tell Alyssa "yes, do that" or "no, don't do that." Basically this story is about trust. Who can you trust? Who has earned your trust? If you're like me, you will read this book at the speed of light!

This book was very descriptive, insanely descriptive. Alyssa's inner monologue and fear of her ex husband was a bit preposterous. Bill was a corrupt man,a narcissist but I honestly didn't feel like he was a threat. Something the author tried pushing throughout this book.
The entire plot felt like one big paranoia episode instead of a realistic engaging or nail biting mystery.
Alyssa and Bree were okay characters, they lacked depth. The writing while descriptive was also moving at a snails pace.
The first half of the book was chaotic, I had no idea where the story was headed. I had to go back and read the blurb to remember what this was really about. But as fun and interesting as the blurb sounds the real story isn't as much fun. It's quite boring. Alyssa drones on and on about her fears which seem self made no matter how much the author pushed the whole Bill is dangerous agenda on me.
There was so much potential, so many different directions this book could've taken but it passed on all those opportunities and went for a very different one. One that frankly wasn't good. I had to skip a few chapters and I still didn't miss anything. Thats how slow this book was. I just can't stress how bad this was. In no way was this mysterious or intriguing.
I really wanted to like this but unfortunately it was a huge miss for me.

Alyssa is the beautiful, rich wife of a successful money manager. That is until she isn’t. Her husband, Bill has left her and she is terrified that he will leave her penniless in the divorce. She has already lost her friends, or rather Bill’s friends. Perhaps that is why she feels she can relate to a woman she meets in an out of the way bar. Someone like her, alone and terrified. Alyssa invites Bree home to stay as her house guest and as she becomes embroiled in Bree’s problems all is not as is seems.
Thanks to the author, Hank Philippi Ryan for writing another excellent book and Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The comments and review are my honest opinion

The House Guest
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
Tor
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I am new to Ryan, but I have read her reviews and I was eager to start a new thriller.

A seductive new friend, one who’s running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers Bree Lorrance the safety of her guest house, and the two become confidantes. Then Bree makes a heart-stoppingly tempting offer. Maybe Alyssa and Bree can solve each others’ problems.

But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.
I loved the clues, red herrings, and subtilities' throughout this book. It's a definitely a ride!!
Action-packed, it kept me on my toes.
4 stars

Hank Phillippi Ryan can do no wrong in my opinion! I love her books and The House Guest is no disappointment. There are quite a few characters brought into the story very quickly so make sure you listen closely to the first couple of chapters. Not that I was really trying to figure everything out but wow... I was wrong. Several times!

Alyssa's marriage is not going to succeed. Feeling down, she meets a new friend, Bree, who meets a new boyfriend, Dez. Somehow the FBI get involved because of the soon to be ex husband.

Oh wow, this is a ride! I hope you enjoy this book.

BETRAYAL, LIES, and a game of CAT & MOUSE … let the GAMES BEGIN 👀!!!! “The House Guest” by Hank Phillipi Ryan offers T W I S T after T W I S T in a game of hide and seek / friend vs. foe 🌪️

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Alyssa has been left by her husband Bill who is a high level banker that partners with various charities. Without any explanation, Bill just up and leaves and cuts off forms of communication with her! Alyssa gave up law school, changed her name for him and lived a sheltered life in his shadow during their entire marriage. Now Alyssa feels lost and alone as she treks through a nightmare divorce as her soon to be ex husband TAUNTS and INTIMATES her from a distance 🫣

While drinking alone at a seedy bar one evening, she meets a woman named Bree who is running from a toxic relationship herself. After their second meeting, Alyssa offers Bree refuge in her guest house. Once the invitation is accepted, a DOMINO effect of twists begin and the dark truths of both women begins to surface. Throw in some trouble with the law, the fear of being hunted down by dangerous people and an extremely unreliable narration and you’ve got yourself one heck of a thrilling read 👀 m

Thank you kindly to @hankpryan @forgereads @macmillanusa @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on February 7, 2023!

Rock-star bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan (a favorite, with more Emmy Awards than you can count) and the queen of cat-and-mouse thrillers returns following Her Perfect Life with her latest sizzler—THE HOUSE GUEST —where no one or nothing is as it appears.

Who is the cat, and who is the mouse? Who will wind up in the mouse trap? You will be guessing—until the final page —with twists so sharp you are liable to get whiplash!

Alyssa (Alice) Westland Macallan —is an almost-divorced thirty-five-year-old. She dropped out of law school and gave up her identity (even her name) when she married Bill (15 yrs older) eight years ago.

Bill, a big-time charity fundraiser, turns out to be keeping some of these funds for himself—naughty, naughty—She was Bill's possession.

He has decided to leave Alyssa, and she is left in the big house, setting traps to ensure he does not enter while she is away. Plus, she has the funny imaginary dog barking alarm and the hidden closet — She no longer trusts him even though they have an agreement. He is manipulative and charming.

She has no friends because Bill's friends are loyal to him, especially the Weston, MA, country club set. She never knows when her card will be declined—since Bill pulls all the strings. She is still determining if she will have any money.

Lonely, she goes to Vermilion, a local bar, and meets a thirtysomething woman, Bree Lorrance. She is staying in a hotel (a banker) and running from an abusive relationship and a horrible boss.

Alyssa acts impulsively and offers Bree to stay in her guest house. She does not know her, but they may become friends. She will keep her company.

Someone calls Bree's cell phone from an unknown number, and Alyssa encourages her to answer and see who it is. She also encourages her to follow up on a DNA/ancestry database her mom gave her. This leads her to Dez, an attorney who has been trying to track her down.

Then FBI agent Hattie Parker comes knocking at her door.—Most of Bill's fundraising(turns out) for charity went to lining his own pockets, and the FBI thinks Alyssa knows more about it. Can she trust the FBI agent? Is she being set up?

She and Bree become BFFs, but can she trust her?

Every story had a secret, and every storyteller had a motive.

Life with Bill had shown her the destructive side of affluence. It bred only the relentless desire for more of everything. And the constant terror loss. What will a wife do for her husband, even an ex-husband?

Alyssa turns to her old friend, Mickey, now an attorney, for help. Is she being set up by Bill, Dex, Parker, or Bree? Who was Collin Whishaw?

Dex and Bree become engrossed in all aspects of Alyssa's life. From unreliable narrators to back-and-forth twists, where your loyalties will change more than a ball in a tennis match. Then there is Bill.

Trust NO ONE! Who is being duped? Kickbacks. Illegal. Forfeiture. Inheritance. Extortion. Twenty-two million dollars.

THE HOUSE GUEST —is a fiendishly clever standalone thriller of psychological manipulation that explores the dark heart of marriage and friendship—Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. A whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the final page from the rock star of cat-and-mouse suspense. You do not want to miss this one!

You do not know where Hank is taking you, but trust me, get on board—do not concern yourself with the destination, but enjoy the journey—it is one wild ride! All will become clear with the wicked satisfactory conclusion.

THE HOUSE GUEST is an insanely intense ultimate rollercoaster reading experience. From fun, Hitchcockian movie references (Gaslight, The Birds, Strangers on a Train, Rear Windows, and Thelma & Louise) to twists and jaw-dropping surprises. No one does clever, twisty, intelligent, diabolical cat-and-mouse thrillers better than HPR!!

Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries Interview with Hank—upcoming Feb 7th.

Thank you to #ForgeBooks and #NetGalley for a gifted e-ARC and the beautiful promotional engraved House Guest Pashmina Shawl wrap! I love it.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Feb 7, 2023
My Rating: 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books

BRILLIANT CAT-AND-MOUSE THRILLER!

Multiple Award Winner Hank Phillipi Ryan’s fans will be thrilled with her latest release, a brilliant cat-and-mouse thriller, The House Guest. In my opinion, this is Ryan’s best work to date and is my personal favorite of all of her novels. From the first paragraph, Ryan draws readers into this intricately woven story of divorce, division, and deception. Because with every divorce, there is division–a division of money, property, and friends, which typically leads to deception. And Ryan has loaded this novel with deception! Readers will enjoy trying to determine which character to believe amid all the deception—the wife who claims she was caught off guard by her husband's request for a divorce, the husband whose personality began changing in the weeks before he left, the new friend the wife makes who suddenly finds herself an heiress, the attorney who was sent to find the heiress but nearly scared her to death and now has become their friend, an FBI Agent investigating the soon-to-be ex-husband, and the wife’s former law school friend. Here is the Big Question: Will anyone have possession of the millions of dollars at stake when is all said and done? Brilliant cat-and-mouse thriller from beginning to end!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Forge Books and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own and without influence.

Alyssa’s world has come crashing down when her wealthy husband Bill leaves her. To make matters worse, he appears to be harassing her as well. When the FBI shows up at her door, she has never felt more alone. So when she finds herself in a bar and meets a young woman named Bree, she invites her to stay in her guest house and the two quickly become friends. But just who is this woman? And how she will play a role in Alyssa’s life?

Well, this was certainly entertaining! The synopsis described it as a “cat and mouse game” and I certainly found that to be true. In fact, I had no idea who was the cat and who was the mouse for most of the book. All the characters seemed like they could be hiding something and I loved finding out how their stories fit together. I found Alyssa and Bree’s friendship strangely endearing too. But my most revelries character was the dog 😊

Thank you to Hank Philippe Ryan, Netgalley, Forge books and MacMillan Audio for the ARC and ALC! “The House Guest” is releasing February 7th.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

Wow this was written quite different then what I'm use to. It was very well written story. I kept expecting something to happen but I didn't expect the ending WOW you really surprised me Hank.
Great book.



Thank you net galley for giving me the opportunity to read this sensational book.

This is a story of 2 women, Alyssa and Bree. They meet in a bar when they are both having a rough time of things. Alyssa takes pity on Bree and invites her to come stay in her guest house until she gets back on her feet. She is happy to help and could use the company after her husband left her, a move that she did not see coming. But both women have their secrets.

There is so much going on with this book… friendship, trust, love, money, lies, deceit, betrayal, and so much more. Thriller lovers will devour this one like I did

I love Hank Phillippi Ryan books and was very excited to get a chance to read an ARC of The House Guest.

It definitely delivered on surprising twists and turns. It kept me guessing up until the very end.

Alyssa is in the middle of a divorce. She is married to a powerful man and she has been the dutiful wife at all his functions and lives an extravagant lifestyle. She had no clue her husband wanted out.

Feeling down she meets Bree at a bar. They become instant friends and she relates to Bree as she left an abusive relationship. She lets Bree live with her. Letting someone you barely know into your home might be a mistake!

The secrets these characters have and the abundance of twist in this novel kept me up late to find out what happened.

Thank you @netgalley, @macmillianaudio, @forgebooks and author @hankfillippiryan for this advanced book and audio due out February 7, 2023.

#MacmillianAudio, #forgebooks, #thehouseguest, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

I received an ARC from NetGalley to review.
Alyssa Macallan is feeling pretty low when she meets Bree Lorrance in a hotel bar. After 8+ years of marriage, Bill has left Alyssa. She’s alone in her big house, lavishly decorated to Bill’s tastes. Bill is in charge, even in his absence, because Alyssa lets him be. Enter Bree, who seems down on her luck and might be dealing with a controlling man of her own. Alyssa impulsively offers to let her stay in her guest house and that’s when things get strange. Does Bree have a brother she never knew! Is Bill a criminal? Can Alyssa trust the FBI agent who shows up at her door? Will anyone’s liver continue to function with all the wine and beer and vodka they’re putting away? The House Guest will keep you wondering and keep you turning pages. I found Alyssa a bit grating as a heroine but she has a lot to learn about herself over the course of this novel and learn it she does. The ending is quite satisfying!

Alyssa Macallen’s life has fallen apart. Her wealthy charity-fundraiser husband has left her, the divorce is becoming nasty, and he’s now purposefully doing things to make her worry for her own safety. One night Alyssa meets Bree, another down-on-her-luck scared woman in a hotel bar and they become fast friends, so much so that Alyssa invites Bree to stay in her guest house. Over the course of the next week, Alyssa learns her husband isn’t the stand-up fundraiser she thought him to be but also learns her new friend may be involved.

My thoughts:
This book gave me The Last Mrs. Parrish vibes in that it was an intense psychological thriller with some twists I didn’t see coming. This is a slow burn which is not my personal favorite and I did feel that it was too slow; the action didn’t even really start until about 80% in. The twist at the end was a good one though, I just wish things had progressed faster.

3.5 stars rounded up.

A big thank you to @netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge publishers for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

In her previous life, Alyssa (then Alice) was what you would call an underprivileged child, complete with pretty much an absentee mother. In her adult life, along comes Bill who captivated her, made her promises of having everything she ever wanted and all she had to do was marry him and the world would be hers. Of course, she jumped at the opportunity … all in the name of love, or at least she thought it was love. Fast forward about eight years and her world crumbled. Bill up and left her … high and dry. Feeling sorry for herself one evening, Alyssa finds herself drowning her sorrows at a bar, a place she would normally not be.

Enter a bedraggled-looking Bree. The typical bar conversation ensues. You know the one, how are you, bad day type of thing. Alyssa leaves, only to return a few days later thinking maybe she’d see Bree again. And guess what? In walks Bree. This time, though … more conversation, more of Bree’s story comes out, and Alyssa felt bad enough for Bree that she invites her to stay in her guest house.

Things take some twists and turns after that. Alyssa encourages Bree to look at the genealogy results, which then leads them on a path toward discovering Bree’s real family which leads them to Dez, which leads them to a trail of money, which leads them to discovering that Bill wasn’t the upstanding citizen he portrayed himself to be. Just when I thought I had Bree and Dez figured out - PLOT TWIST! Then, again, just when I had this tidbit figured out - PLOT TWIST!

Add this one to your 2023 TBR because … the plot twists will make your head swivel. Ms. Ryan does not disappoint with this one, it seems a simple story … it’s not.

For over eight years, Alyssa Macallen lived a charmed life. Her husband Bill was a handsome, charismatic, and very rich professional fund raiser, and he gave her the best of everything. She spent her days with her country club friends and her nights attending galas and socializing with the crème de la crème of Boston? Big wigs.
Her world came crashing down when, out of the blue, Bill told her he was leaving her. He walked out the door of their palatial home, threw his bags into the trunk of his car, and drove out of her life. Although Bill had always treated her with love and kindness, she’d seen how vindictive he could be when someone crossed him. She had no doubt he and his lawyers would leave her with nothing by the time the divorce was done.
While drowning her sorrows in a hotel bar one night she struck up a conversation with Bree, a young woman whose story was even more dismal than her own. Despite alarm bells ringing in her mind, she invited Brea to stay in her guest house, just for a few days, then a few more days, Alyssa’s life begins to resemble classic movies: Thelma and Louise, noir films like Rear Window and Strangers on a Train, or, increasingly, Gaslight.
The House Guest is a top-notch psychological thriller, with lots of red herrings and twists and turns that will keep the reader glued to the page, and an intelligent and well-plotted plot. The characters are three dimensional and believable. Another winner for Ms. Phillippi.