What a roller coaster of intrigue and emotions as this story unfolds.
Once you start reading, you are compelled to keep reading into the night.
Well planned as you unravel the deception and intriguing as you are treated to twists and turns and have to decide if there truly is a more satisfying end to all the unfolding drama and deceit.

The Mistress by Valerie Keogh is yet another thriller crime fiction with an exciting plot. The story is about infidelity, ego, and relationships. Although this book is not one of the best works of the author. There is no actual mystery in the plot. The story seemed to be finished in haste. The story has much more potential, and I was a little bit amazed with the abrupt ending. Hannah's and Susan's characters were great. Susan portrays a sad wife, and in the end, she takes control in her hands. But Hannah's character needed more color. The author missed the recipe for a wonderful crime thriller. The book deserves 3 stars.

3.5 stars - Wow, that was a bit of a wild ride, and I loved it! This was my 1st book by Valarie Keough but will not be my last, I am adding all of her books to my TBR!

#TheMistress
#NetGalley

The plot is centred around two women, Hannah and Susan. Hannah is someone who always gets what she wants, she is current married to an older man who uncovers her deceit. She decides to move on to an old flame, Mark, the only trouble is, he is married - to Susan. Susan notes the change in Mark and discovers his affair. Susan contacts Hannah directly but gets caught up in her web.
I felt the lot a little thin and took a different return when you thought you knew what was really happening. Not the fastest paced book which it needed to be in order to retain my attention.

Really enjoyed this and am becoming a fan of the author. This one is gripping and kept me wanting to read on. Great twists.

Told from the point of view of Hannah and Susan who on the surface appear to be polar opposites . This thriller will have you glued as the reality of being a women seducer or the scorned women will pin back the layers and show never trust everything you see. I loved the way the characters were human and flawed but always near the is there a reason for this or will they or can they change. The character of Mark was very stereotypical . Hannah's inner monologue which explained her true thoughts but showed her skill at manipulation was fantastic . It showed the writer had truly written a real multi-layered mistress. The ending and final twists were what pushed this to 5 stars for me. I was invested in the characters and I never felt sorry for either of them as they both developed within the story and showed their true capabilities. This was a relatively short read with the majority of the action feeling starting at 70%. The references to the past dripped into the narrative gave Hannah an edge . This is perfect for anyone who enjoys a good domestic thriller. Thanks to netgallery, publisher and author.

The story centres around Hannah who appears to be a self centred character and a complete liar. She realises that her husband has had enough of her lying and when she comes across a photo of Mark, an old flame, she realises that he may be the answer to her solution. Even when she discovers that Mark is a family man and happily married she knows that she can use all her experience to recapture him. We soon realise that Susan, Mark’s wife, is not prepared to lose him. She is feeling very lonely and vulnerable as their only child has left home to go to university. She suspects Maek of having an affair and begins investigating. As the story progresses we learn about Hannah’s abusive childhood. This was a book full of lies and deceit , with plenty of twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending. An enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Valerie's books always pack a punch. This was a fast paced and diabolical read. It had the right pace and it flew by and left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

4/5

This is the tale of a woman who is very much like the Black Widow spider: what she wants, she will get and she will devour any man (or woman) who gets in her way. Hannah is a strong female and has no scruples or morals about her behaviours, even if it involves a married man who has a relatively happy life.

Except Hannah feels that Mark was the one true love of her life and Hannah will do anything to get him back in her arms. Susan suspects that something is off with her husband and when more of the truth comes to light, she starts to realise she needs to do something drastic to keep her life entact.

I really enjoyed how Keogh has created such a deadly character in Hannah. She is definitely someone you would want to keep your husband away from! The mysterious circumstances surrounding Hannah’s husband kept me guessing all throughout the novel and I enjoyed how this hung over the story. On the other hand, I did find Susan’s behaviour a bit bland in the story, even when there was an eventual showdown between the two women. I thought this part of the plot was the weakest.

Keogh successfully builds tension in this book with Hannah’s actions. I could not fathom whether Mark would have the confidence to end his marriage and return to Hannah’s arms. Nor could I see a way that Susan would ever return to domestic bliss. However, when Hannah and Susan come together, I thought the story lost its pace and tension. The ending was a surprise but I thought Hannah’s fire, which I had come to reluctantly admire, was extinguished. In my opinion, the revelations between Hannah and Susan were lacking suspense and the reasoning behind Hannah’s actions were too obvious. Indeed, the subplot about Hannah’s family life just felt a bit cliched and I wanted there to be a more creative foundation to Hannah’s ways.

Whilst the final chapter was a surprise, I think that by this point the story had lost its momentum. The conclusion was unexpected but I wanted there to be an ending with a bang; instead, it fell a bit flat with me and I thought that Hannah’s tale was become a bit far-fetched. Furthermore, whilst Susan did change by the end of the story, I think I was hoping for some of Hannah’s fiery influence to have rubbed off on Susan a bit more.

Overall, this was a good story with a surprise twist. You can’t help but admire Hannah for her actions, even if she is trouble throughout, but I think the last quarter just sizzled off with too much convenient chat to tie up loose ends.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dear gosh this one was total drama, total fun, in no way happy at any point but was super cool as a read. Valerie Keogh has done it again!

Hannah Parker is on a mission.

Mark Shepherd is an old lover is her goal.

Since she always gets what she wants, she has no worries that she will win Mark back.

There's only one obstacle. Mark's wife. Susan.

This begins a wild tale where Hannah will stop at nothing no matter how crazy or intense, to try and lure Mark back.

We can assume that Susan won't give Mark or the marriage up easily or willingly.

This book was wild. Intense.
Dramatic and even a bit crazy.

Like a train wreck that you just can't Not see.

We get to "know" Hannah and Susan through their chapters.


This was my first, but by no means my last book from Valerie Keogh.

I highly recommend this book if you like psychological thrillers.

4*****

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

I love alternating points of view and getting more than one version of a story. We have Susan and Hannah. Susan is Mark's wife. Hannah is a former girlfriend, now married to a very old man, and she wants Mark back.

She decides to find him and does her best to reignite their relationship. But Susan isn't giving him up without a fight.

This was fast paced filled with many unlikeable characters and toxic relationships and I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC.

Hannah Parker’s older husband is less than loving and when he discovers she’s been lying to him, she decides it’s time to move on. She finds a picture of a former love, Mark, and decides he can give her the life she wants. One problem – Mark is married to Susan, who loves him, and they have a son just heading off to university.

But the gorgeous Hannah is ruthless when she sets her mind on getting what she wants, so will Mark rebuff her advances? Will Susan keep Mark’s interest, even as she struggles with their son moving away? And what will Susan’s response be if Mark succumbs to Hannah’s advances?

The characters are complex and compelling, even the ones you don’t particularly like. And the story twists and turns, keeping your attention on who is doing what and what will happen next.

This book grabbed my attention from the first page through to the final word. Well done, Ms. Keogh! I’ll definitely be watching for more from this author.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Boldwoodbooks for the review copy. This story, while not my favourite of hers, was decent.

Another great psychological thriller! I was in suspense the whole time!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

I quite enjoyed this book but there was nothing new or exciting but it was interesting and it was worth a read.

It was okay, I think if someone was new to the genre they would very much enjoy this but when you're a thriller veteran you want something a little more fast paced.

This book was so good and I recommended it to so many people. The plot was very interesting and things happened that I wasn’t expecting. Go into this one without reading the summary so you can enjoy it as things unfold.