I love a family drama, especially with rich and unlikeable characters and this was all of these things! This was a quick and fun read, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬. 𝐍𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫...𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐈'𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲; 𝐰𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡.

I am a fan of anything Kaira Rouda writes, and I was so excited to see this was going to be a series. Reminiscent of Jackie Collins' 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒐 series, the Kingsleys is about the trappings of wealth and the lies and deception for one person to gain control and become the Kingsley heir.

Billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley sends an invite to his sons and their wives for a weekend getaway on his yacht, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔. His sons Ted and John instinctively know this weekend will be a test to gain their father's favor and controlling interest in the company. What they don't know, however, is that Richard has invited the estranged brothers on the same weekend. Pitting brother against brother, each vying for Richard's attention, is a dangerous game to play, especially with the secrets this family has. Coupled with Richard's newest trophy wife Serena and his unhinged daughter Sibley who crashes the party, this will be a weekend someone won't survive.

This story almost read like a tabloid. On the surface it's full of rich, spoiled people who flaunt their wealth and privilege, but there's much more to many of the characters. I especially liked Paige, Ted's wife, who is full of morbid trivia about drownings, and even Richard is not as shallow as he appears to be. I can't imagine what it would be like to wonder if I was loved for myself or for my money, but Richard seems to have his family figured out. This was such a fun read, and I'm already excited for the second installment. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the early copy. Publishes September 5, 2023.

Beneath The Surface is yet another perfectly on-brand Kaira Rouda novel: twisty, fast paced, and filled with characters you love to hate. I also loved the locked room element of the glamorous yacht setting. Unlike her previous novels, this one seems to be the first of a series so I am excited to read whatever Rouda dreams up next!!

An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.

I will automatically pick up any book from Kaira Rouda, she really is one of my favourite female authors. In this instance I do have to say this was probably the one I have least liked, but I still did enjoy it. Typical bunch of unlikeable characters but that are never an issue for me, as they personalities are so important to the story. Don't get me wrong the story is good, I just found it a bit repetitive in some parts and did just not grab like her other books. Lots of family members treating each other deplorably all in regard to money - bad how it brings out the worst in people. I am not going to say anymore but please do read it nd see what you think. I will still be a loyal fan of Kiara's books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own. 3 stars

This was a very fast-paced book with lots of build up of secrets and drama. It kept me entertained right until the very end, which was so un expected but a fantastic ending to tie everything up. The characters were very well developed, I enjoyed reading about the little mind games that they played with each other.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a crazy ride this family drama was! If you're a fan of many unlikable characters within a single family- buckle up and hang on tight! This was filled with twists and turns and didn't let up til the final page.

A weekend getaway to Catalina Island on billionaire Richard Kingsley’s yacht turns into all drama for the entire Kingsley family. Ted and John, along with their wives, agree to the weekend away, thinking their father, Richard will be naming one of them as the successor to his company.

The story switches perspectives each chapter, moving between each family member. The book is loaded with drama and secrets. The unfortunate part is that, it’s very repetitive and we hear the same things from each family member over and over.

There were a few shocking bits at the end, but thrilling? Nope. While reading I found myself wondering how a 268 page suspense novel could possibly be slow, but this was!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author Kaira Rouda for this advanced copy. This novel is due out Sept 5, 2023, and is set to be the first in a series!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Beneath The Surface by Kaira Rouda. The characters are what really stood out in this book. None of them were likable but they were all well-written and had really interesting stories, so there are reasons to dislike them. Most of the book establishes the characters and their backgrounds, so don’t go in expecting a thrill a minute, just let the (twisted) personalities sink in. The part of the book and that reveal came out of the blue for me, so I realize I should have paid more attention to the ‘little things’ happening and what people said. The story was a diabolical and cautionary family tale.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Book: Beneath The Surface
Author: Kaira Rouda
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: September 5, 2023

Oh me. It just wasn’t good. It’s a short read and honestly you can read the first and last chapter and miss a whole lot of nothing yet know what’s going on. This book was full of repetition. We had the same conversation from different perspectives page after page after page. It was just a soap opera with terrible dialogue. It was all predictable from the get go with no twists or aha moments. I have liked some of Kaira Rouda’s books. Best Day Ever was really good but this needed a lot of work.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is September 5, 2023.

Holy hell!! Scandalous secrets, devious plot scheming, extremely spoiled brats---Kaira Rouda delivers again! I think I say this in all of my reviews of her books, but Rouda definitely has a talent for portraying unlikeable characters. You just love to hate them. I wanted to jump on to that precious yacht and tell them off with my inner sailor mouth! The behavior between these siblings was very immature and I'm proud to say that I loved every single moment of their tit-for-tat mind games. This book was extremely fast-paced with a slow build of intensity. It took awhile before anything was revealed, but OMG, the secrets!! I guessed at some but there were just so many! I am still reeling from the drama. The ending was bittersweet and I absolutely loved how it all played out. And Beneath the Surface is Book 1? I cannot wait to read Book 2!! Bring it on, Rouda!!

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

A billionaire and his family on a weekend getaway turns into murder. The children of CEO Richard Kingsley are invited by their father’s new wife to an overnight on their new yacht, the Splendid Seas.

Sons John, Ted and their wives are invited for an overnight. As they arrive they realize there is more to this voyage. They are expecting their dad to name his successor to his company. They each feel they deserve to take over.

One son is still working for the company and the other left the company years ago under suspicious circumstances. Not long after the arrival their estranged step-sister Sibley arrives. She is a firecracker and adds so much to the family dynamics.

This novel is not smooth sailing for this dynamic family. So many deceptions, family feuds, drama and just craziness. I adore this author and I can always count on a delicious novel.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and author Kaira Rouda for this advanced copy. This novel is due out Sept 5, 2023.