I enjoyed this book very much. From the first chapter I was sucked in wanting to know more and what was going to happen next. Great thing the chapters are on the shorter side so I could read just one more chapter. I needed to know what was going to happen next. This book is a great page turner that makes you want more.

I would highly recommend this book to a friend.

I do love a thriller and I really enjoyed this book! Twists and turns galore! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book.

This was ok…I was skimming a lot of the repetitive stuff where Madeline was “thinking” as it came to an end.

3.5 stars.
The Stepfather is a well developed, twisty read with believable characters. We follow Madelyn, who, after a painful divorce, has remarried and is trying to co-parent her teenage daughter Connie with her ex-husband. Madelyn has married a wealthy restauranteur called George, but her daughter doesn't like him, and neither does her veteran father, Damon. The first half of the book is quite slow going as it sets the scene for the twists, but once you hit the second half, it takes off much better. George does send off alarm bells with how he treats his new wife, but Madelyn seems to have blinkers on. I really enjoyed Connie's character and perception throughout the book. When Connie finally discovers what it is that George has been hiding and it all comes to light, she rightfully runs to her father. But can Damon save the two women he loves (yes, he still loves his now ex-wife) before it's too late. The twist was very worth carrying on reading this book for, so I do suggest sticking with it if you find the first half slow like I did.

This book I have to admit was a really slow burn, it was really frustrating because of that, but I understand why.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC in order for an honest review

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Stepfather' by Theo Baxter.



Read and reviewed for ZooLoos Book Tours, Inkubator Books and Theo Baxter.



Publication date 13th April 2023


This is the first book I have read by this author.


I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Inkubator Books. I have yet to read a book published by Inkubator that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of 40 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Damon and Madelyne. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

'The Stepfather' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Theo discusses domestic violence and abuse and PTSD.

This book is an extremely well written book by this amazing author which had me hook line and sinker!!! It is so smoothly and beautifully written with vivid descriptions I completely forgot I was even reading a book a few times. The storyline, title and cover really fit the storyline. to create an absolutely addictive storyline that had me hooked from the gripping first chapter to the absolutely shocking ending!!!

Madelyne and Damon were married for 20 years but unfortunately their relationship fell apart when Damon relists back into the army and comes back a different man. They end up having a divorce and Madelyne later marries George who is a successful restaurant owner. In the middle of all of this is Connie who is Madelyne and Damon's teenage daughter. Connie lives with Madelyne and George the majority of time but does get to spend some weekends and holidays with her father Damon. Damon and Connie both dislike and distrust George intensely and Connie thinks he is a creep from the start and wants to spend more time with her father and move ion with him. Madelyne thinks Damon is being jealous and Connie is just upset at Madelyne for leaving her father. Who is right and who is wrong? Is George the loving and caring man who just wants to be a good stepfather to Connie as Madelyne thinks or is he the creep and un-trustable man that Damon and Connie thinks he is? You will just have to pick up your copy to find out!! This book is a fast paced psychological thriller that I devoured in one sitting. It is ram packed with suspense, tension, mystery, family, secrets and everything that you could ask for in a page turner!! Theo's evocative writing skills sucks the reader deep into the storyline from the first page to the last ensuring the reader is feeling, hearing and seeing everything that is going on around them. I was on the edge of my seat and biting my nails on several occasions throughout this book. This book is definitely a rollercoaster ride which starts with the build up to the top of the ride and then once it releases you into the action it is full speed ahead!! This is one of those books that I was glued to and each time I told myself just the one more chapter something would happen to make sure there was no way I could put it down and this happened over and over until I had completely devoured it in several hours! I cant say I was surprised with much of the ending and sadly that did let the book down a bit for me. However, please don't let this put you off!! I have read hundreds of psychological thrillers and crime novels so it is definitely getting harder and harder to surprise me. Sadly, for this reason I would normally deduct a star from a book for not having the shock factor and for falling flat but IU enjoyed the storyline too much to lose a whole star for this so I will just deduct half a star. The good news is that although I wasn't shocked and the ending did fall a bit flat to me I still really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more books by this promising author!! In fact as soon as I have finished writing this up I am off to add his and the rest of his brothers Cole Baxter books to my wish list. I have already read Cole Baxter's 'The Perfect Suitor' and you can tell that they are related as they both have the same fantastic imaginations and writing talents! I can't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers so if you want to know you'll have to grab yourself a copy!! You won't regret it!!


This may be the first book I have read by this amazing author but if all his books have fantastic storyline like this I cannot wait to get stuck into them and I have added all his previous books to my wish list already and look forward to what he comes out with next!!

The characters are realistic, strong and each have their own unique personalities. However, I must admit that I actually wasn't a huge fan of half of them!! I would normally deduct a star from a book for this but I don't believe it should lose a whole star so it just loses half a star) On the other hand, I normally wouldn't be able to finish a book if I didn't like the characters but due to me loving the actual storyline so much I still managed to read it and still enjoy it regardless of the character dislike which is very rare for me!! Just because I wasn't a fan of the characters it does not mean that other readers wont click with them but for me I just couldn't, unfortunately. Madelyne was one of the main characters and so help me I don't think I have EVER wanted to slap a fictional character so badly in my life!! i mean OPEN YOUR EYES WOMAN!!!! Regardless of what happened in the storyline, as a Mum myself I will never understand anyone who doesn't listen to their children when it comes to their partners. Instead of taking any of Connie's concerns seriously or trying to work out why she feels like that Madelyne just keeps banging on how wonderful George is and how hard he is trying and blah, Blah, BLAH!!! Seriously woman get a grip!!! On the other hand I really liked Damon who is hard working, devoted to his daughter, hot and just really sweet as well!! OK he is jealous of George but he doesn't bang out about him as much as Madelyne does!! OK sorry Madelyne dissing over just ARGGHHH that woman!! Anyway, yes Damon, he is an amazing father who runs his own gym, loves his old car and sadly suffers with PTSD from his army days which affected his family and is something he regrets deeply. I could not trust and did not like George from the start. there was something about his mannerisms and the way he was so insistent on certain things and the way he dictated how things should be done in his home that made me want to bang his together with M's (see didn't say her name!!). I really liked Connie was was such a mature girl for her age. She is smart, misses her Dad and trusts her instincts. She is also a strong girl who is becoming a woman and it breaks her heart that M refuses to listen to her as well as angers her. Each of the main characters are complex and have a strained relationship with at least one of the other characters and it was intriguing watching how their relationships with each other changed and developed throughout. There are two other characters that I have to give a mention and they are Damon's best friend Jason, Damon's therapist and Detective Edwards. Jason is a fantastic friend to Damon who says it has it is regardless of whether Damon will like it but will also stand by him no matter what he decides. I loved Detective Edwards to made me laugh on several occasions and I absolutely loved his attitude when it came to Mrs. Connors. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters they all jump out of the pages and play their parts perfectly. I am looking forward to reading more books by Theo and seeing what he comes up with next!
I won't go into more details as I don't want to risk giving anything away but Theo really has done an amazing job constructing an addictive and explosive psychological thriller with fantastic and varied characters that you just won't be able to put down!!


Congratulations Theo on an explosive success!!! Welcome to my favourite author club!! Here's to many more successes 🥂!!!


Clear your schedules before picking this up as you will not be able to put it down!!! "


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Theo's 'The Widow's Secret' which looks just as addictive as this one and one I'm looking forward to reading myself!

Overall an absolutely page turning, addictive, gripping and explosive must read that will keep you addicted from the very start to the fantastic ending!!!


Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Domestic Thriller, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Crime, Domestic Suspense, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, International Mystery & Crime, Suspense Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Women's Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors, fans of Miranda Smith, Sheryl Browne, Sue Watson, K.L. Slater. Nina Manning, Shalini Boland, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn and anyone looking for an explosive page turner!!!


327 pages.


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited and £10.45 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it, I loved the storyline but not the ending ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews



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This was a good book. It had a great story line but I felt like it was a little repetitive with the arguments between two main characters. The point was made and the story could have moved on faster from that and in my opinion it would have been better. I really enjoyed the way this ended! I would be interested in other books by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc.

There were really only a few major plot points to this story and it just took too long to get them. I felt most of the book was just the main characters arguing, and it was pretty annoying. Overall, I felt like there were good ideas here, just not executed to my liking. I'd be willing to read future books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this eARC.

This one was pretty repetitive. By that I mean that I was 12 chapters in and still being given the same stuff - Stepdad is awful! Why? I don't know, it's just a gut feeling. Over and over again. And you spend a lot of time on the inner dialog of the mom, who frustrated me to no end. All she could do, no matter what her daughter was telling her, is blame her ex-husband for being spiteful, jealous and damaged from his time in the military. Considering what the mom herself went through in her own childhood, you would have thought she'd have been more receptive. She spends most of her time fighting with the reality she's being shown. She would almost convince herself that her daughter and ex-husband were right and her new husband was a bad man, and then she'd flip back so she wouldn't have to upset the status quo. It was maddening. When things finally did start going, they went gangbusters. I think there are plenty of people who will enjoy this one. For me, the frustration with the mom outweighed my enjoyment.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I only was able to get about halfway thing and I just could not finish it. The main character, Madelyne, complained about her ex husband over and over again that I just couldn't take it. Also, I felt like I was reading a bad romance book. I was looking forward to this one but really disappointed.

The chapters are split between narrators and I found I was only interested in the ones for Madelyne and even these became too introverted and repetitive sometimes.
I found it hard to find a reason for George ever being on the scene and if as we are expected to believe his character changed so dramatically I’m sure the vast majority of women would take their teenage daughter and run.

Madelyne Blake has remarried a man named George Elway. Madelyne's teenage daughter Connie has taken an intense dislike to her stepfather but her mom won't listen to her concerns. In fact, even worse, her mom attempts to force Connie to spend time with George. Connie turns to her dad Damon, who is suffering from PTSD, as a sounding board. Connie is convinced there is something seriously wrong with George and Damon agrees. The first part of the novel is pretty slow, and it's mostly quite repetitive inner dialogue of the characters and not much action. Once the truth starts to come out things pick up and it's a decent thriller.

The Stepfather by Theo Baxter.
She thought she knew who she was marrying. But he’s hiding a deadly secret.
Really enjoyable read. Gripping and tense. George I didn't trust from the start. I did like Damon and how protective he was of Connie. Madelyne I liked but didn't like. 5*.

Intense! Takes the plot of evil spouse to new levels, and gives new breath to a common plot. Definitely worth the read.

Madelyne and her ex-husband, Damon are co-parenting Connie, their 16 year old daughter.
Then along comes George, a wealthy restaurant owner, who sweeps Madelyne off her feet, they marry and consequently becomes Connie’s Stepfather.
All the four main characters have quite strained relationships and inner issues and you don’t know who to trust or believe.
A bit of a slow burner, as there was quite a lot of inner dialogue and constantly arguing with themselves. Got a bit confusing, as didn’t know if they’d actually said it or if it was an inner thought.
Also Madelyne constantly defending her new husband becomes wearing and frustrating, as you want her to side and believe her daughter’s point of view.
However, stick with it as the latter end of the book is definitely more readable, when you discover George’s true character and what he’s been hiding, putting both Connie and Madelyne in danger.
An intense read that keep’s your interest as you want know how it ends.
Thanks @inkubatorbooks @netgalley #theobaxter for the advance eARC

The Stepfather by Theo Baxter
Inkubator Books
Publication: 16 April 2023
4 ⭐️
This was my first Theo Baxter book and I found it interesting. Although the book consisted of too much dialogue, it was interesting to get inside the heads of Damien and Madelyne. This book has a lot of ups and downs for the reader trying to figure out who to trust and who is telling the truth. It makes for a crazy journey throughout the book of trying to predict the ending.
Thank you, Netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with this ARC for an honest review.
My review can be found on my Instagram blog (bibliophiles_elite).

This book will drive you absolutely mad, but you'll be hooked at the same time! You'll be so mad at Madelyne, but then you'll be on her side! It's quite a wild ride. I truly enjoyed reading this book - especially the second half.

The inner dialog made this book feel too much at times, because then characters were constantly arguing with themselves and repeating the same thing. Despite that, it provided us doubt about who to trust in the story, between Madelyne and Damon - whose reality was real? Was Connie making stuff up or was George really bad? The confusion had my mind spinning in circles!

The author's first book really got me interested in his work and looking forward to his next book!

I'm so grateful for Inkubator books for providing me a copy of this in order to give an honest review.

I liked it better than author's first book. The characters are better developed. Good book! Worth a read,

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The description sounded like the kind of book I enjoy but sadly the story didnt live up to it. Sorry this one isnt for me although others will enjoy it