I love this authors writing, and I think she did great with the thriller aspect in this. However, I was hoping for more romance. Overall I did enjoy this book though!

I have read 86 books this year and this book just blew all of them out of the water. This was a FANTASTIC and riveting read. Most books are predictable but this plot twist had me SHOOK!! This is a 2023 MUST read. Honestly, just go pre-order it now and thank me later.

Rating: 4.5★
"Think of life as one big game board. If you control the pieces, if you're a master of every move, you're a kind of god. If you decide to play, always, always play to win."

— genre: suspense/thriller, romance as a sub plot

— Too many emotions, & way too many things to say. Finished this book in one sitting and i could not put it down. The plot totally had me engrossed in the book, it was unputdownable. The suspense was ON POINT. Trust me when I tell you it wasn't predictable. This book kept me guessing every other page.

Mia Sheridan did it again. She wrote another book that has me in a chokehold. [Yes Archer's voice by Mia Sheridan will always be one of my favorite books.]

— The characters were very well written and the plot was detailed and neatly executed. This book was enthralling and exceeded all my expectations. Please add this masterpiece to your tbr.

Pub date: March 28, 2023

Thank you Netgally for the ARC!

I haven't read many books by Ms. Sheridan in the past, but I really enjoyed Bad Mother. There was mystery, suspense, danger, love, and romance. And I had a great time with Sienna and Gavin, and with Sienna's colleague, Kat.

The action started as soon as Sienna came back to her home town, as she was thrown straight into a murder investigation. It turned out there was a serial killer on the loose, and he was playing with them all.

Well written, with a good romance, and an even better mystery part, Bad Mother ticked all the boxes for me.

From the author of Archer's Voice the Signs of Love series.

Bad Mother by Mia Sheridan was just an incredible book.
I devoured this in three sittings. It's seriously that good. And not just good, it's amazing!
This has a bit of everything.... it's definitely more of a romantic suspense novel.
And Sheridan wraps everything together so perfectly.
Her brilliant writing is fantastic and her characters are engaging.
I love how they come to life right on every single page.
They had me flipping the dang pages till well past midnight.
And the nail-biting suspense makes this an unputdownable story.
Overall, Bad Mother was a quick, fast paced, intriguing read that was a hard one to put down.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Mia Sheridan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5⭐️

This book blew me away. I was pulled in from the very first chapter and the excitement didn’t stop until I closed the book for good. The twists and turns kept me on my toes and I honestly did not see some of the twists coming! I was fascinated by Danny Boy’s story and each installment was brilliantly laid out. Sienna and Gavin had my heart from the get go and I thought both of these characters were well written (although the only reason this isn’t a 5⭐️ for me is that it felt like Gavin and Sienna’s relationship progressed from 0-100 really fast, instead of a gradual building of tension that I expect from a somewhat second-chance romance). Argus and Mirabelle both have my heart. I love Kat and her spunk. Seriously, the plot and the characters of this book was superb and exceeded all my expectations going in!

ONE OF MY TOP READS FOR THE YEAR!

Who are you Ma'am?
Are you still the same Mia Sheridan who gifted us with powerful, gripping and emotional masterpieces? Look at you giving us another great read but of a completely different genre.

Reading Bad Mother was an exhilarating experience. It was a fast paced, thrilling read that will keep you guessing and anticipating for the next drop of clues.

The romance aspect was deep and beautiful but slightly overshadowed by everything that was happening thriller wise. I was left craving for more. Though I understand that we are trying to focus on the crimes - the romance was something worth highlighting as well. A novella perhaps? *wink wink*

Now, let's talk about the thriller aspect. Boy, that did not disappoint. Maybe it was my recent thriller binge that kept me on high alert as I look out for clues but I did had my suspicions but without anything concrete. And so, when the pieces started falling into place, I was immensely satisfied.

The writing was top notch, the thriller carefully planned and tastefully executed and that ending was just gutting.

What did I just read.....no... WHAT DID I JUST READ??
This book constantly kept me guessing. Shock after shock mottled the plot trapping me in amazed bewilderment, add to that the heightened sexual chemistry and you have a tempting n tantalizing read in your hands.
From the author who gave us sensitive, emotional powerhouse stories like Archer's Voice & The Wish Collector and then she writes a total mind-bender psychological thriller like this one. It's CAPTIVATING & ADDICTIVE with HEART-PUMPING Rush of adrenaline, that ups the dosage with every page.

“Think of life as one big game board. If you control the pieces, if you’re a master of every move, you’re a kind of god. If you decide to play, always, always play to win.”

I ran with Detective Sienna Walker who's transplanted from New York to Reno PD for a reason. And has to hit the ground running when a serial killer is terrorizing her old childhood town.
Bodies are popping up in staged bizarre scenes, gruesomely killed and the already short staffed PD is run ragged.
That means Sienna is working overtime, over hard and super stressed. Enough to take outside help from her childhood love, now abandoned- Poker King Gavin Decker.

"The killer. The caretaker. The monster. The victim. A mixture of them all."

Old ghosts coming to haunt, rotten mummies spreading putrid stenches and some deadly secrets unleashed. These all main ingredients keep the intrigue pot boiling for readers to feed from, while they're on a race to turn pages at warp speed.
As usual Mia's craft shines brilliantly, no surprises there. She keeps a tight hold on her plot, inserting well placed twists and jaw dropping revelations.
You HAVE to read when it releases. It comes to a shuddering halt with explosive finale fit for a major blockbuster.
5 stars for the Game Master

A deep story about having to face everything you go through head on and not being able to run from your past. I thouroughly enjoyed this book! Mia Sheridan did it again!

I am not normally a fan of this genre, but when I saw that it was written by the author of one of my favorite romance books, I just had to request it and it did not disappoint! It may have been enough to make me explore this genre more often. I could not put this book down. I read it all in one sitting! Loved this and would recommend to anyone who will listen.

Bad Mother by Mia Sheridan is a book I was really looking forward to. I have enjoyed Mia’s previous books but this one wasn’t my favorite. It was a little slow for me and I had trouble connecting to the characters.
I think many will enjoy, just didn’t stand out to me.

4/5 STARS


Wow…

This book left me breathless…

I love Mia Sheridan’s universe, her beautiful love stories, and I had the opportunity to discover another facet from her, a darker one, with the Where Duet (Where the Blame Lies and Where the Truth Lives).

This book is a mix of both facets, and the author did an amazing job.

I had a feeling about the Who, but I surely didn’t expect the “why” nor the “how”, and let me tell you, I didn’t see it coming.


So yes, you should totally give this suspense romance a try, for the second chance love story, of course, and for the suspense too, but brace yourself for the rollercoaster awaiting: the murders the clues, the plot twists, the heartbreak, the angst… THE FEELS!!!!


It was such a bittersweet, and yet, such a beautiful reading…

And I have to say: I shed some tears, it’s impossible not to.

Mia Sheridan has this amazing talent to write stories with wonderful characters, with both the best and the worst of humanity, all wrapped up in a book that will keep you hanging until the last minute. Literally.

Well done!

Mia is my absolute favourite so it’s no surprise I absolutely loved and devoured this book.

This thriller follows Sienna, a detective that has been transfer to her home town of Reno. Once she arrives the mysterious killings start.

Gavin is Siennas childhood best friend turned lover turned heartbreaker! They have not seen each other in 11 years.
Once she realizes that Gavin may be an asset to helping them solve the murders they are thrown back into communication that brings up things from their past.

The murders are starting to get really personal towards both Sienna and Gavin and they don’t understand who or what could be after them.

I was honestly on the edge of my seat, I was constantly guessing what was going to be next…..and I was never right. No matter how much you think you may be figuring it out, you really are not!! It all comes together so amazingly well. This book really show the amazing writer that Mia is.


I thank Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Releasing March 2023

This book really packed a punch. Even though you have the romance and reconnection of Gavin and Sienna, this is purely a psychological thriller. It keeps you on your toes with all the clues and puzzles. You are trying to fit it all together just like Sienna. You get this inkling that whoever is committing these crimes had a connection to Gavin, but who? It had me throwed until 80% of the book and then the pieces start clicking into place. When it all comes full circle, man it tugged at my heartstrings! The circumstances surrounding Danny’s actions was no one’s fault but an absolute monster of a father. Let me tell you, Danny was a clever fella too. The level of expertise Mia Sheridan had while creating this serial killer is *chefs kiss*!! “Mother” made the ultimate sacrifice by trying to protect her children. She however was not going to leave him behind again, that was rough and brought a tear to my eye. The epilogue gave me happy tears! I loved and devoured this masterpiece by Mia Sheridan!!!

Please keep in mind the following TWs if you pick up this book - it's quite a heavy one.
TW: animal death, assault (incl. sexual), pedophilia, strangulation, child neglect, death.

Bad Mother is a thriller romance novel by Mia Sheridan. The story follows Sienna Walker, a detective who has a choice - leave NYPD altogether or get transferred to Reno, Nevada, to work in a small department desperate for more help. The first case Sienna has to solve is a gruesome murder that turns into a string of kills by a serial killer. He cannot be caught but he wants her to know his story - that's why he leaves cryptic messages on the victim's bodies, diary entries, and clues.

Meanwhile, Sienna has to come face to face with her ex - Gavin Decker. They haven't seen each other in 10 years and now have to work together to solve this case.

This was such an interesting and suspenseful book. We get to see the procedural side of things, the way these detectives try to solve the crime, and the connections they make between the clues. Slowly, throughout the story, we learn about the secrets our characters have. Out of all the plot twists, I guessed some but not all. It was a page-turner and I couldn't put it down.

The romance in this book is great, it's a slow burn but there's also this layer of "they know each other" which ultimately makes the characters closer than if they were strangers. I did think there could've been more scenes of these characters developing their romantic relationship and I wish the epilogue was a bit longer.

Side characters were fun & had their personalities. I loved Ingrid, the sergeant at the police department, for a few reasons and I hope you like her as much as I did. Women in power are interesting characters to read about, and even if we didn't see much of her, you could tell of her character and why she agreed to take Sienna in after the mess that happened to her in NYC.

I feel like the theme of this book is, indeed, Bad Mother. The perception of what is good and bad, the sides to the story that people might not have or give. If you don't know the full story, can you really judge someone, will that be fair?

But it also explores trauma, and what it does to people. There's trauma after being raped, there's trauma after being abandoned, and there's the trauma of doing the right thing and being punished for it because people are greedy and disgusting.

Overall, this is a great book if you want both romance and thriller/mystery aspects and if you like slow burns, psycho killers on the loose, and lots of secrets!

This will be a great read for fans of procedural shows such as Castle, Lucifer, The Mentalist, etc.

Release date: 28 March 2023

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is classified as a “romantic thriller” (hence the spice rating) but I really felt it was pretty much all thriller, which I did really enjoy. It was fast paced and interesting and really felt like an episode of Criminal Minds, which I love. I found the end a little predictable, and definitely put the clues together as they unfolded throughout. But overall, one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while.

While this one doesn’t come out for a while, I do highly recommend it!

There are some big trigger warnings here to be aware of: violence, physical and child sexual abuse being the big ones. Child abduction, neglect, and murder also come to mind.

A big thanks to @netgalley and @amazonpublishing (Montlake) for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Great suspenseful writing and interesting characters very well written suspenseful story. A great read.

Bad Mother is a quickly-paced romantic thriller steeped in second-chance energy that is heavy on the suspense… which doesn’t let up until the novel’s conclusion.

Having read some of Mia Sheridan’s other contemporary romance books before, I was excited to read her spin on romantic suspense/thriller. I was not disappointed. The story went a little heavier on the murder case than the romance, which I didn’t even mind because it made sense for the plot.

I can't wait to read more.

What a gripping mystery

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Mia Sheridan's latest novel is a psychological thriller that is a short, pacy, page-turner. It's a 'story filled with murder and sacrifice, trickery and terror'. Each page reveals more clues to toy with the reader, 'Is a false perception the same as a lie?'

Sienna is a detective recently forced to leave her NYPD job, to accept a role in her hometown of Reno, Nevada. Not only does coming back to Reno force her to face some unresolved emotions, it also lands her smack bang into a homicide. One murder quickly becomes more. Each body leaves a clues as to the serial killer's indentity. But who is the cat and who is the mouse? 'If you control the pieces, if you're the master of every move, you're kind a kind of god'.

I really enjoyed the pace and complexity of this book. Although I had my suspicions regarding some of the characters and their possible involvment, the final reveal was still illuminating. I did feel though that some story lines and characters were not fully addressed and explored - perhaps due to the short book length. Mia Sheridan is one of those rare authors who write easily across a variety of genres. I definitely enjoyed reading this latest thriller.