Two Dead Wives picks up where Adele Parks' earlier novel, Woman Last Seen, leaves off, although you definitely don't have to read the first book in order to enjoy the second. In Two Dead Wives, Kylie Gillingham's murder reveals a shocking secret--she's been leading a double life and is a bigamist. Her second husband is the prime suspect, but he tries to get off the hook by persuading Kylie's sons to investigate her best friend, who moved in with the family to "help out" after Kylie's death.

The boys' investigation leads them to a small seaside town, where they run into danger and discover a shocking secret.

This book did a great job of keeping my interest and of telling the story from the viewpoints of a variety of different characters. It seems that everyone has something to hide, and there's plenty of suspense, especially when the boys unknowingly connect with a potential murderer online. A climactic scene in the seaside village had me on the edge of my seat.

Looking forward to reading more Adele Parks!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

First things first, this is a sequel! I had no idea until I finished the book and saw the author’s note. Had I read the first book I probably would have enjoyed this one more as I would have come in with some background to the main character, her two husbands and why she does what she does. I felt that just reading this book with no background left me with a ton of questions, which is part of the reason why this was only a three star read for me.

Overlooking the background of the story, this was a page turner and I sped through it. Very suspenseful with a dual narrator tone, if you like that then you will enjoy this book, 3⭐️

Thank you for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

Even though this is a sequel I did not have any problems following the storyline and saw that it was fine to read as a standalone. I really enjoyed the plot, it was much different than books I’ve read lately and I loved the ending! I will be purchasing the first book just because I enjoyed this one so much. Exceptional writing that kept me looking forward to being able to sit back down with it. Wasn’t sure at first if it was my kindle or the format but I did have some issues with having to zoom in/out to read/turn the page.

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.

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.

“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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

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

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.