Happy Friday-Eve, folks!

I was feeling restless after finishing a rough work day and I knew the only way I could unwind would be either

A. Turn on Dateline
B. Laundry
C. Read

You know I was definitely NOT doing laundry, so I scrolled NetGalley for a book that would sooth my soul.

How about…

The Lodge

Good ole, Miranda Rijks, to help me relax (or so I thought) 😳 The Lodge was one heck of a nail biter and as my heart crawled up my throat and my lungs froze, I grasped my pillow in angst.

Holy Mother of Moses, Rijks, isn’t playing around with this one, she nearly ripped my soul right out of my chest and did a little tap dance on it .

Teaser:

It’s so quiet at the lodge. But if you listen very hard, you can hear the screams.

Anna has rebuilt her life after a toxic relationship with her obsessive, controlling ex, Clayton. She's finally found happiness with her fiancé, Joel, a veterinarian in the running for a dream job on a game reserve in South Africa.

When Joel is asked to interview at the luxurious safari lodge, Anna is delighted to be invited too. But her exotic holiday takes a sinister turn when she discovers that toxic ex Clayton is also a guest at the lodge.

Clayton seems happy with his new girlfriend, but Anna isn’t buying it. She doesn't believe in coincidences, and her gut tells her that Clayton is here for all the wrong reasons.

And she’s right. Because what Clayton has planned is beyond her worst nightmare. She escaped him once before – but this time he’s prepared the perfect trap.

The Lodge – the shocking psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and What She Knew.

The Lodge by Miranda Rijks is another great surprising read.
This story does not disappoint. It is fast paced, has well written characters. And as always amazing twist and turns.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Inkubator Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Lodge is a run-away psychological thriller.
Anna is staying at the lodge with her fiance. Her abusive and toxic ex, Clayton, shows up with his new girlfriend. He claims it is coincidence that they are both there but he is lying. He hatches a plan that is a true horror for Anna.
Can she escape him one more time?

The book is well written and I really felt Anna's terror. A really terrific read

This is my 2nd book by Miranda Rijks and wow did it keep me turning the pages faster than I thought I could. Anna had been engaged to Clayton (I call him Crazy Clayton that made me want to throw my kindle across the room a few times because of him. Ha) but then he turned up dead. Only he was faking. Anna met a new guy, Joel and fell head over heels in love with him. He was offered a job in South Africa , an all expense paid trip paid so of course, they went. Things started to go wrong, I wasn’t sure where this was going but lots of twists and turns thrown in. Had me totally engaged from the very first page. A quick read for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published July 2023.

I always know when I start to read a Miranda Rijks book that its going to me a fantastic read and this was not exception. Fantastic thriller which had me hooked with lots of twists and turns the tension within built all the way through until the jaw dropping ending. The description of the scenery was amazing.

Anna was in a controlling relationship in the past with Clayton but he is dead now so Anna now feels safe and she is now engaged to Joel who treats her right and she loves. So when Joel a vet comes home and tells Anna he has been offered an interview at the safari lodge in South Africa all expenses paid how can she say know. When they land Anna has a bad feeling something is going to go wrong. But Joel convinces her it is safe everything will be ok. That is until they get to the lodge where Anna meets the other guests one of the Clayton. How is he here he is supposed to be dead and is it just coincidence that they have both ended up here?

Fantastic book, and well worth reading. It had me gripped through out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would like to thank Inkubator Books, Miranda Rijks, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Newly engaged, Anna and Joel set off to South Africa for a job interview at a game reserve; Joel’s dream job. Anna’s initial uneasiness of the trip quickly turns into suspicion and fear when she sees her ex at the reserve. How is it possible that the man who stalked her and then supposedly died was at the exact exotic location at the same time? Could it all be a coincidence or a sinister plot to get her back?

This was the first book I read by Miranda Rijks, but it certainly will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lodge. This fast-paced, suspenseful thriller is refreshingly different than most and holds your interest until the very end. Definitely a 5⭐️ read!

Thank you to netgalley and inkubator books for this e-arc copy for review consideration. All views are my own.

How would you react if a dream holiday with your loving finance turned into your worst nightmare, and you found yourself sharing the experience with an abusive ex partner you thought dead? Do you believe in coincidences? Or is something more sinister at play here?

The book opens with a first person prologue that hooks you instantly, and sets you up for a ‘who done it’ narrative and hints at plenty of drama to come.

The writing is colourful and descriptive, and you really get the sense of being right there in the safari, with the sounds, sights and smells being conjured up in your mind. The story also flows easily, and is almost melodic in its style. We flick between different timelines of past and present as our story unfolds.

As our protagonist, Anna appears to be a likeable character, and she shares her thoughts and feelings with us as our narrator. Joel also comes across as one of the good guys, and you find yourself supporting them as a couple early on.
As we are introduced to Clayton, we find an controlling bully, who demonstrates his toxic personality within his opening lines. Some of the past scenes are really difficult to read, and you can really feel Anna’s discomfort and awkwardness, and it makes it very easy to sympathise with her. Around two thirds of the way in, our narrator flips from Anna to Nancy and we gain another perspective on the stories we’ve heard so far, which makes for interesting reading.

The book as a whole is a wonderful read, and contains everything you want from a good suspense novel. The author explores stalking, unwanted attention, fear, isolation, coincidence and the feeling of absolute powerlessness, that all wind together to create a perfect story.

I always enjoy Miranda’s suspenseful books. This one had me turning the pages so fast. I couldn’t even make any guesses as to what was going to happen. I really liked the fact that the occupations of the main characters were different than other suspense novels (doctor, psychiatrist…is that literally not the occupation of every MC?!). The MC’s in this novel were a food scientist specializing in…yogurt…what…and a veterinarian hoping to work on a safari reserve.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. The characters were well drawn but not particularly likeable and I found I had to suspend belief to continue reading it, and it was not the book for me.

A solid 4.5⭐️Thriller read that keeps you on your toes the whole book.

“Fear is not real. It is simply an imagined thought as to something that might or might not happen in the future”

Anna got out of a controlling relationship two years ago. Now she is engaged to a great guy. When her fiancé gets a free trip to Africa. They can’t turn it down. It all seems to be too good to be true until the arrive and Anna’s ex is there.

This book is a great thriller. This is my first book by Miranda Rijks and I was not disappointed.

I was pulled into the story from the first chapter. You don’t know if Clayton planned on this or if it’s all in Anna’s head. The ending was great and fasted paced. It tied almost everything up but also might keep you wondering.

𝐀𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞.

Probably the most atmospheric of her thrillers, THE LODGE primarily takes place on a game reserve in South Africa. Anna has walked away from her life with her controlling ex Clayton and found love again with Joel, a veterinarian who was contacted by a headhunter for his dream job in South Africa.

When Joel is asked to interview, Anna is invited as well. She is apprehensive of her surroundings but takes comfort in the fact that she is supporting Joel's dream. However, she is astonished to find that Clayton, whom she was told was dead after she ended their relationship, is there with his new girlfriend. Coincidences such as this just don't happen, and Anna has a sick feeling that Clayton is there because of her...but how could he have known she would be there? Things just aren't adding up.

This book was reminiscent of my favorite short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" because it's a chilling reminder that despite all of the wild, beautiful, dangerous creatures in South Africa, man will always remain the most dangerous of all big game.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the early copy. THE LODGE will publish July 26, 2023.

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.

I always know when I pick up a Miranda Rijks book that I'm in for an amazing time and once again I wadnt disappointed! Its everything you want from a thriller, twists and turns, an atmosphere of unease, not knowing who to trust including the narrator herself.......

I loved the setting of South Africa and the writing style really brought this to life without going off on boring descriptive tangents that stall the plot. The author has a knack of being able to make a scene come alive in your kind and make it so vivid that it feels like you're watching it all play out in front of you.

The characters were well written and complex. I liked the backstories and the hidden connections. They were also written to be real, I know these people in my real life

Overall just another must read

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this book was such a riveting and suspenseful thriller. I’m talking heart pounding, toes curling, rapidly reading to see how it all ends. This is my second book by Miranda, and she just does this genre so well!

Anna and her fiancé Joel head to Africa for the trip of a lifetime to a game reserve, called Twivali Safari lodge. Joel has been interviewed for a position at the reserve, as their veterinarian so this trip is all expenses paid. But soon after arriving Anna comes face to face with her obsessive ex, Clayton. Only she was told one year ago that Clayton had died, so how is he here in the flesh in front of her? Every day they spend at the lodge more and more creepy things begin to happen, until one night Joel goes missing in the middle of the night. And shortly after his disappearance Anna finds herself in the fight of her life, trying to figure out if Clayton is behind all of this.

Buckle up, and set aside a couple hours because you’re going to want to read this in one sitting, because it is that good!

When Anna's fiance-vet Joel is asked to fly to Africa to interview for his dream job, she isn't sure what to think. Anna is still suffering PTSD from a toxic relationship and fears planes, large animals and basically all that Africa has to offer. She cannot stop him from his dream however, and she travels with Joel as support. Once there, her nightmare begins. Her ex, Clayton is on the safari with the couple. He claims has has changed but Anna knows that cannot be true. Will they survive this adventure?

Great thriller, love the scenery and plot.
If you love a twisty domestic thriller, a dastardly ex, or just want to go on safari, The Lodge is for you!#inkubatorbooks #TheLodge #MirandaRijks

This book started off well and I was gripped, however, it soon descended into complete ridicule. I was very confused with the ending and would have stopped reading much earlier.

I started off loving this book - the setting was wonderful, I could really picture the game reserve and enjoyed accompanying the characters on their game drives. The story was interesting and well paced in the first two thirds.

I did feel that the last third of the book descended into chaos, and became a bit too silly and unrealistic. Also, in the book as a whole there were a few sloppy mistakes (there isn't an hour difference between the UK and Tenerife for example) and the dialogue was a bit iffy in parts.

Overall I did enjoy reading the book, but after a promising start it didn't quite deliver in the way I expected it to.

You know those aircraft marshalls who direct on-ground traffic at airports with illuminated batons? Well, I felt like that while reading this book. I was frantically waving my baton, trying to get Anna’s attention to keep her from making terrible choices.

Author Miranda Rijks makes sure readers feel the anxiety and suffocating effects of being in a toxic relationship and choreographs her setting to enhance the feelings of loneliness and helplessness.

It all begins with Anna’s fiance getting a job offer he can’t refuse - a vet’s position in South Africa. Should he be hired, his job will involve assisting in the rehabilitation of injured animals at a reserve. When he shows Anna the pamphlet for Twivali Safari Reserve and Lodge, she hesitantly agrees to go for the interview with him. Who wouldn’t want to experience ten thousand hectares of unspoiled African bushland, see the Big Five and stay at a luxurious lodge?! Could you do it knowing that it’d be a complete digital detox?

I know what you’re thinking. Isolated setting. No form of communication. Surrounded by wild game. And men with guns. You’d be right to be tense.

At times I felt there were just too many coincidences, but it didn’t overshadow the intense, well-written read. I appreciated the different points of view and the well-crafted atmosphere.

Do you think fear is real? Or is it simply an imagined thought about something which may or may not happen? Perhaps you’ll change your mind after this story….

I was gifted this copy by Inkubator Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
Miranda Rijks is a hit or miss author for me and unfortunately this was a miss. The setting is great, if a little creepy, with dangerous animals and even more dangerous humans. None of the characters were particularly likeable and I could guess most of the outcome. The story couldn't hold my attention and I rushed to the ending. Sorry!

Wow - this is a fast paced story with plenty of twists and villains! The setting is amazing and the author does a great job of painting the helplessness of the situation at times (can’t say more or it would spoilt the story). Some of the dialogue is not great, such as the use of “forevermore” in a conversation - cringe. But all in all, I thought this was a terrific, fun read.