For a first book, The Widow’s Secret is above average.

The Widow herself is very well-etched. We feel her pain, we even feel her fears, and worse we boil at her stubbornness. Given bouts of self-talk rather long in duration, our Widow has a believable backstory. And as the protagonist, she stands tallest while others either show sparks or simply subsist. The twists and turns are mysterious.

With a better trim, this book can easily touch 4.5. Looking forward to reading many more books from Baxter’s pen.

Our gratitude to Theo Baxter and NetGalley for providing a copy in the Read Now section. However, their generosity does NOT influence this review.

I enjoyed the story of Leona and Wade. When Wade falls off a cliff and his body isn't found, Leona is the main suspect. Little does she know that life is about to get difficult for her. Especially when Wade's brother who suspects her of Wade's murder is found dead.

The plot was amazing. The twists and turns were carefully constructed. Really enjoyed the story and writing.

This book was ok…I found I was skimming through the lead characters thoughts because they weren’t interesting, I thought she wasn’t smart , and I figured out most of it before the end.

Sadly, I wasn't able to finish this book. I did not find it believable, as in, I did not relate to any character. Everything seemed so far-fetched to me. The way the "accident" happens... Nope. I kept reading for a few chapters, but it was not keeping me in.

You're on a hike with your husband and he falls off a cliff. Nothing is found but bloody clothing. Your brother-in-law thinks you have something to do with it but then something happens to him too! The Widow's Secret will have you hooked from the beginning pages and won't let go!

Solid book. Not the deepest plot but enjoyable. The author weaves multiples storylines together. Some might find the ending too obvious, but I found the story interesting.

Thank you so much NetGalley for letting me have a chance to read and review one of the most requested mysteries of the year! This book is fast paced but has its turns of course. Did she kill her husband? Then she killed her in laws because they knew the truth???

I was really looking forward to reading this book as it promised to be a mystery round "The Widow's Secret" set in the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Since I live in the UK and never been there the setting was promising and I was looking forward to reading the book. Sadly it did not delivery for me as the storyline was predictable, The main character difficult to like and understand her feelings as they are very contradictory! The tittle is also misleading as the secret is not the widow's...
Still a decent read but I was not enamoured with it sadly....

Leona loses her husband in a tragic accident, but his body isn’t found. Soon, Leona gets a big payout and her in-laws suspect foul play. Her condemning in-laws are gone too. Leona is a suspect of several different crimes. But, did she do it? An impressive psychological thriller with shocking twists and turns that keeps you engaged in the story. This author doesn’t disappoint.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Inkubator Books, I received review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Widows Secret is a fast-paced thriller and good entry level read for someone looking to pick up reading again or someone new to thrillers.

Leona and Wade are celebrating their anniversary when Wade goes missing on a hike. The story follows Leona while she adjusts to the loss of her husband and all the secrets he left behind.

I personally found this book very predictable but it was a very easy read. For the right reader, this is a good twisty thriller with a plot twist satisfying enough to stop you from wanting to put the book down.

An enjoyable read though I found the main character to be slightly annoying at times. I still enjoyed the story though. Thank you to netgalley & the author for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Really not for me, very predictable and in my opinion boring. it felt like every point was dragged out page after page often repeating, defiantly not for me, not enough grit, sorry

Riveting and suspenseful with a completely unexpected ending! This book hooked me in from the start. Loved it!

The Widows Secret is a fast-paced, twisty read that brought a current missing person case near me to the forefront of my mind throughout this book. Leona and her husband Wade are off celebrating their wedding anniversary by hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Wade has an accident and falls off a cliff edge. After a search party look for him, they find some of his clothing with blood on it but no trace of Wade. When Wades brother accuses Leona of being responsible of his brothers death Nd is later found dead by gunshot and his wife Chelsea suddenly disappearing, Leona finds herself as number one suspect for a twisted and intricate plot made up of secrets, lies and betrayal as well as being accused of murder. I did predict the ending of this one, but the twists were amazing. Definitely one to read if you enjoy quick, fast-paced thrillers.

I cannot finish this book. The cover, the description - all very intriguing. The writing is not there. It jumps from very descriptive in depth scenarios to a completely different part of the story with no warning or lead up and feels like it is very tedious thought out writing and then all of a sudden very blunt and short writing. It is hard to keep up with and not smooth. I will possibly try again in the future and update my review but this book is not it for me.

A chilling psychological thriller that keeps you hooked from the very first page. Well written full of twists and turns a great read.

THE WIDOW'S SECRET By Theo Baxter

Leona's husband Wade surprises her with a hiking trip as a way of celebrating their anniversary. While on the hike Wade slips and falls off the cliff, nothing but his bloodied clothing turns up after a long search. Wade's brother Wayne is very sure Leona is the one behind his brother's death and fights her for the inheritance. When Wayne is shot dead and his wife Chelsea vanishes, Leona becomes the prime suspect.

😊What i liked -

✔ Thriller/Mystery.
✔ All the characters were well thought and well written. Even the side characters played a big part in the story.
✔ You really feel the pain and the grief Leona goes through after her husband's death and then what she goes through with all the harassment.
✔ The author manages to keep you on the edge throughout.
✔ It's a fast paced book with a lot of twists to keep you engaged.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I wish I had not guessed the end.
✔ I was a bit disappointed with the last chapter.

📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
🕵Thriller Lovers

📈My Rating : 4/5


Thank you, Theo Baxter and Inkubator Books for a copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book.
What a book. I couldn’t put it down. A rollercoaster of a ride until the very end. Leona is the main character in this book. She and her husband Wayne decide to go to the Appalachian Mountains where Wayne falls and is presumed dead. After Leona searches for him after he falls she goes and finds someone who can call the police since she forgot to charge her phone. Leona ends up being a suspect in her husband’s murder since she was the only one up there and his brother Michael doesn’t like her and is convinced she is in it for the inheritance. Leona has an inheritance from her parents and has a job of her own. The police don’t believe Michaels claims until they start looking into things except for one police officer who believes she is innocent. Her sister in law ends up befriending her and helps her while Leona is grieving her husband. After ending up in jail and after getting attacked verbally by Michael his wife suggests dinner and Michael ends up murdered. Leona is charged with both Michael and Wayne’s murder and Michaels wife ends up missing. Leona discovers from an anonymous source that Wayne is alive and has been having an affair with his sister in law and fakes his death in order to get all his families money and her money as well. The police discover that he’s alive and Leona is free and all charges are dropped. Michaels wife is the one that killed Michael, a hired assassin, and Wayne once Leona ends up finding them. Michaels wife ends up in jail and Leona becomes the sole beneficiary of Michael and Wayne’s inheritance as well as her own and takes over Wayne’s law practice. Leona has her true friends behind her and is getting her life on track .

The Widow's Secret
by Theo Baxter
4🌟🌟🌟🌟

Description
Some secrets are worth dying for. This one is worth killing for.
Married couple Leona and Wade Woodrow are celebrating their anniversary with a hike on the Appalachian Trail when Wade slips and falls off a cliff. A search party turns up his bloodied clothing, but not his body.
An inheritance and a huge payout from a life insurance policy do little to ease Leona’s grief. Adding to her stress is Wade’s brother, Wayne, who makes it clear he suspects Leona is somehow responsible for Wade’s death.When Wayne is shot dead and his wife Chelsea vanishes, Leona finds herself the prime suspect in a twisted plot of secrets, betrayal, and murder.
Leona is sure that what’s been happening is connected to a secret in Wade’s family. And she’s right. But she has no idea just how shocking that secret is and just how far its keepers will go to protect it…

🛑 🛑🛑 My Review 🛑🛑🛑
I had 3 issues with this book. One being the name of the book .You would think with the title being "The Widow's Secret" that the widow has some kind of major secret that will come out. But she don't. Her husband and Sister n Law does. My second issue is the name of the brother. In the description it says Wayne's brother is named Wade. The brothers in the e-arc I read were named Wayne and Michael. This had me a little confused. So i kept reading thinking maybe he has another brother. After awhile i started back over thinking maybe i read the name wrong. But nope the names are wrong. Hopefully they catch this before it is published. The third thing is Leona hates Michael for all of the things he starts doing to her. I must say i would too. But then in the snap of a finger she is determined to get justice for Michael. I was like wow where did that come from. If these 3 things were fixed then it would be a 5 star review.
Now that is out of the way lets talk about the good. I was glued from the first page to the last! It's not too often I'm able to find books that hold my interest like this! I read this in one sitting!! It was jam packed with action. I loved every min of it. I would love to see this book turned into a lifetime movie. If your one to love lifetime movies then this book is definitely for you.
#TheWidowsSecret #NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of " The Widows Secret". I so wish I could write a better review, but this was a do not finish for me. The premise at first seemed really intriguing, but I wasn't finding myself attached or to be honest caring about any of these characters so I stopped reading.