Member Reviews

When I started reading this book I didn’t realize it was a sequel to another book by this author— but the way the book is written it is totally able to be read as a stand-alone . This book is full of tension and intrigue — there are many narrators POV this story — and I have to admit I was more invested in some characters or than others and wanted more of their storylines .

The story is based around the missing bigomist wife named Kylie(aka Lee) but begins by following the POV of both her husbands and her friend Fiona — and later we are introduced to her step sons Oli and Seb— of which Oli is convinced his stepmother isn’t dead—we are also introduced to Stacie who’s supposedly recovering from cancer—-and has no memories of her past life seems to have a connection with the situation— these three characters were the ones I was most invested in and intrigued by and wanting to follow what was would happen with them.

This author is good at building the tension and structuring her novel to reach the climax at a good pace while maintaining your interest and intrigue in characters and their outcome.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin trade Publishing/ MIRA for this ARC —this is my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Why does NetGalley have some book unformatted? I was really getting into this book, but it's so hard to read because I have to zoom in to read a page and then zoom out to move to the next page, then zoom in again. The cycle continues. It really creates a bad experience for the reader. This one's not for the book, but either NetGalley or the publisher is not providing it in the right format. Please fix this, I could not finish this book because of that reason and started my next one instead.

Was this review helpful?

“Two Dead Wives” is a wild ride of a story. Just when you think you have everything figured out a twist comes out of nowhere. This book was a great psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.
Kylie is missing and presumed dead. As the police investigate the case many things start to pop up that have them questioning what they actually know. As those closest to her begin to question what they know the twists start to happen. Will they find out what actually happened to Kylie?
This book was fast paced and action packed. Highly recommend

Was this review helpful?

Not realizing this was a sequel until I got to the author's notes at the end, I went into this book without reading Woman Last Seen. Luckily, I had no problem understanding the story line as this book read well as a standalone. I liked the characters with all their flaws as the story developed and moved at a satisfying pace. There are twists woven into the action to keep you on your toes, and I liked how the storyline wrapped up.

Was this review helpful?

this was the second book in the series. I think you would need to read the first book to figure everything out. interesting story.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a sequel to another Adele Parks. I was very confused for a long time trying to figure out why the plot was so similar. I finally figured out it was because of Woman Last Seen. I don’t really understand why a sequel was needed as I didn’t love this one.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t really enjoy this book at all. The plot and storyline didn’t really grip me and wasn’t that enjoyable. Not much else to say about it without giving too much away.

Was this review helpful?

What a great read! Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. And that's the *best* compliment you can give any suspense/mystery novel.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

So many characters and plot twists. At first I was a bit confused as to what was going on, then the pieces started to fall together from mistaken identity to lies and deception on so many levels. The second half of the book kept me on my toes and wanting to see how it was all going to play out. Was ultimately happy to see the adult characters each put their own personal concerns behind and put the children first, no matter what that meant for each of them.

Was this review helpful?

3.75 stars. I read this as a standalone, which is entirely possible. I will probably go back and read Woman Last Seen Twisty thriller, with interesting characters. There is quite the twist in the middle that will surprise most readers (not me - I saw it coming, but still enjoyed the book). It has quite the dramatic denouement. I did like the ending.

"An overprotective father has lived as a recluse until his adult daughter – Stacie Jones – returns from Paris, in need of radical brain surgery. Peculiarly, he appears to almost welcome her illness, it does at least mean she is back under his roof – and his control.

In the meantime, the country is rapt with the scandalous case of murdered bigamist Kylie Gillingham. Her husbands, son and best friend are left dealing with a confused mix of emotions: grief, fear and triumph.

But none of them can piece their lives back together while suspicion of her death hangs over at least one of the husbands.

Despite the evidence, Kylie’s two sons won’t accept she is dead and gone. They set out to search for her and find themselves in the same town as Stacie and her father…

How are these families linked and can any of them ever be a real family again after such tragedy?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin/MIRA for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I would put this book in the mystery/suspense genre.

Stacie returns home needing surgery and has to move back in with her father.

We have to figure out how the characters are linked together when there is a scandal going on about a murdered bigamist.

There were some plot holes for me, but overall I would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

I wish I had known this was a follow-up to Woman Last Seen before I started reading this because I feel like the book would have been much more of a page-turner for me if I had. Now, it's not that I didn't enjoy Two Dead Wives. I did. I just felt like it was moving slowly, and at times, I kept getting confused about the characters and what was happening. I enjoyed the last 30% or so when the book took off.

I did like that the book focused on a woman who had two separate lives and identities. Most of the time, it's the men who have separate lives in books, so it was an interesting take to see it the other way around.

I'd say it's a solid 3.5-star read for me.
Thank you Mira Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Was this review helpful?

First of all, I didn’t realize this was a sequel 🤣 but you can read this as a standalone. In the beginning it didn’t grab my attention but I’m glad I kept reading because it ended up being a wild ride!! This isn’t just your average thriller at all.

Was this review helpful?

I did not realize this was the second in a series, but after reading other feedback I realize that shouldn’t have messed it up for me.
That being said, I am not a fan of pandemic setting stories since that is still a fresh memory of such a dreadful time. I wouldn’t have requested the ARC if I had known.

This story is written in third person, about a woman Kylie who goes missing. Her two husbands are the prime suspects. She was a bigamist and they didn’t know about each other.

The writing style was okay, i personally prefer first person as it’s easier to get a feel for the characters, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

Was this review helpful?

I somehow totally missed that this is book two! After finishing reading this one, I now have no choice but to read book one! Of course, I now want to know the back story of what continued in this book!
There were twists and turns, and it was an engaging, entertaining, and fast-paced read. It had some kind of cat-and-mouse game going on with the reader. Like, hey, how can mislead you better? How can I make you think something else is going on and then boom and something unexpected happens?

Was this review helpful?

Two Dead Wives
By: Adele Parks
Publishing: December 26, 2023

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first novel by this author and now I will be reading more. When I finished this one I found out her previous book Woman Last Seen introduces us to these characters in this novel, so I will be reading that next.

One storyline follows Kylie who is a bigamist. Her first husband Mark was a widower and she has raised his sons for years. When she comes up missing we find out she is married to Daan. Her best friend Fiona is now living Mark during the pandemic.

The other storyline follows Stacie who has lost her memory and is living with her dad in a secluded home. Her dad claims she has an illness and that is why she has memory loss.

I was so intrigued with the premise and how these stories weaved together for one fast-paced and twisty novel full of betrayal.

Thank you Netgalley, MIRA for this advanced copy. After reading g this one I am starting Woman Last Seen which introduces us to these vivid and fun characters.
#twodeadwives, #adeleparks, #mira, #netgalley, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50

Was this review helpful?

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I was a little disappointed to find out that there is another book that talks about why Kylie married both men. I feel like that book should have been read first so that I wouldn’t have felt somewhat confused reading this book. The book itself was good, I thought it was exciting and had a good plot.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, it was great reading! I thought some aspects were unbelievable and lessened my overall experience, but then I read Woman Last Seen. Woman Last Seen is part one of this series and is also a great read! It clarified everything I took as unbelievable and I highly recommend reading the series in order for clarification and no spoilers.

Was this review helpful?

***UPDATE: I couldn’t resist the urge to buy the first book, “Woman Last Seen”. I wish I hadn’t read them out of order, because this one is so much better when you know the back story. I gave that one four stars, and I’m changing my rating for this one to four stars as well. They are a great set of books, but this is NOT one to read out of order!***

Two husbands, one wife. Kylie Gillingham has gone missing during the Covid pandemic, and now her dirty little secret has been exposed: Kylie is actually Kai and Leigh, one woman with two different lives. With one husband, she’s the rich trophy wife, and with the other, she’s the devoted stepmother. She’s been getting away with it for quite a long time, but her disappearance brought the scandal to light.

We also have the story of a woman named Stacie, who has just moved back from Paris to London after a brain cancer diagnosis. She remembers almost nothing, not even her father, who is now taking care of her. How does she relate to Kylie?

Unfortunately, that part I figured out right away. I did enjoy this book, though it was slightly slow. I didn’t find out until I read the epilogue that this is actually a standalone sequel to a book called “Women Last Seen”, or “Both Of You”, I think depending on the country you’re in. The first book apparently tells us how Kylie ended up in two marriages, and had I read that first, I think I would have enjoyed the sequel more.

This started slowly because I was trying to get invested in the characters, but found it slightly confusing. Had I read the first book, I think I would have been invested right away and I would have had more interest in the story. I’m giving this 3.5 stars, but if you read the first book and liked it, I can’t imagine you not loving this one!

(Thank you to MIRA, Adele Parks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on December 26, 2023.)

Was this review helpful?

Two Dead Wives
Adele Parks
December 26, 2023

A new story from Parks that follows in the footsteps of her previous novel, Woman Last Seen. It’s been awhile since I read it but it did start to follow the adventure. In Two Dead Wives, police are called to investigate the probable death of two missing women. In turn the women turn into one woman, Kylie Gillingham and Kai Janssen (her married name), She married Mark Fletcher a widow with two sons. She lovingly became the boy's mother. Time passed and she met Dann Janssen, a single bank official. Instead of divorcing Mark, she moved in part time with Dann, then proceeded to marry him. Neither husband was aware of the situation. Her job involved travel so neither man considered it a problem. Eventually Kai marries Dann. When she disappears each file missing person activity with the local police.
Two Dead Wives will be published by Mira on December 26, 2023. I was able to read the ARC via NetGalley. Park's latest involves several family members and police detective, DC Clements. Chapters are titled by the names and situations of characters. It’s very interesting but requires following closely to the plot. If you have read Woman Last Seen you will want to read this one. It’s well written and absorbs the reader in the suspense. Enjoy!

Was this review helpful?