Hannah Parker/Butler is a gold digger. As soon as she realised her attraction to the opposite sex she used it to get what she wanted. She wasn’t a prostitute was she? She didn’t charge for her time. She just expected and got gifts - very expensive gifts. Told from the perspectives of Hannah and Susan Shepherd (more about her later) this is a fast paced read told in short chapters and I read it in one sitting it was so compulsive.

Briefly, Hannah is 39 years old and married to wealthy septuagenarian Ivan Butler. But when he finds out she has been hiding something from him he sees red and beats her until she is unconscious. She realises that she has to leave him and by chance she comes across a photograph of university boyfriend Mark Shepherd. Mark is the only man she can remember who treated her really well and, even thought she didn’t love him, she thinks this is what she needs now. Only one thing lies in her way. His wife Susan. But that’s not a problem for a woman like Hannah…

There is a cast of pretty unlikeable characters in this book and although I felt sorry for Hannah when her childhood is revealed I still didn’t like her, she was completely ruthless. Susan started off as seeming very downtrodden but there were hidden depths to the woman scorned. And as for Mark he was a weak man whose get up and go got up and went! There are some excellent red herrings and I was fooled more than once, and that’s no easy task and as for the ending that a real humdinger of a shocker! A very entertaining read.

Does a sudden memory trigger the wonderful time you had many years ago. Hannah remembers the love of her life, Mark, but he is married now, but Hannah still wants him in her life. She contacts him and soon realizes that she has the ability to win him over. She doesn't realize that Mark's wife also will do anything in her power to keep her husband.
I did enjoy this thriller and will read more books by this author.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just okay in my opinion. The characters felt very basic, Hannah is the wild bad girl and Susan is the boring stay-at-home mom. As the title suggests, they are "sharing" the same man (Susan's Husband).

The thrills weren't very thrilling to keep this interesting for me. Thanks for the advance review copy.

I was hooked on this book from the very first page, so much so that I couldn’t put it down until it was finished! This book contained so much you could want, love, drama and manipulation! Great read from a brilliant author!

The Mistress started brilliantly. I found the premise intriguing, and I really enjoyed the first half of this book. However the plot then started for feel just a little too far fetched for me, and the ending came out of nowhere and felt rushed. I would read more by this author, as I think their writing is great, this story just didn't quite hit the mark for me this time.

Hannah Parker is a manipulative woman; she has been using men for years and in return they pay for her extravagant lifestyle. Her wealthy husband Ivan is much older than her and after he discovers she has cheated him out of providing an heir, he beats her severely. After she is released from hospital, Hannah decides to leave her husband and a chance look at a photo of her ex-boyfriend leads her to wonder what her life could have been like if she hadn’t treated him so cruelly.
Hannah sets out to get Mark back. He is now a partner in a successful law firm. Married to Susan, his lifestyle is relatively dull. Susan has been a stay-at-home mum, but she is now suffering from empty nest syndrome, their son having recently departed for Uni. Mark is a pretty easy target and is no match for Hannah once she sets her sights on him.
The story is told from the perspectives of Hannah and Susan, which really proved how different their lives are. There aren’t really any circumstances in which these two women’s lives would cross, apart from the mistress/wife scenario.
The main characters are set at just the right level, especially Mark who is pretty much a sitting duck when the malevolent Hannah ruthlessly gets her claws into him. Susan starts off as rather downtrodden and weak, but you can’t help championing her as you see a different strong side to her personality emerge.
The plot is full of suspense and thrills. It has some great twists, with Valerie leaving the most shocking one until the end. One of my favourite authors who has produced another awe-inspiring read.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
All her life Hannah has wanted someone to love her - her daddy said he loved her and the next day he was gone, she and Mark seemed happy once but she left him. Before he could leave her. She met Ivan, a much older man with money and they married - when this begins to crumble she decides to hunt done Mark who always made her feel loved, It doesn’t matter that he is married with a family - she wants Mark- will she succeed? A wild read!

The premise of this book seemed to be that Hannah Parker is a determined women, willing to prostitute herself to get money from rich sugar daddies. Her aging husband beats her severely when he realises she is not trying to provide him with an heir, with the result that Hannah looks for a way out of the marriage, and back into the arms of the young love of her life, Mark. Mark, however, is already married to Susan and has a dull but pleasant lifestyle.

I found it really hard to empathise at all with any of the characters - they seemed very simplistic and not particularly nice people. I found Susan's vague fantasies of revenge rather confusing, and thought Mark was very weak willed in the way he behaved. Hannah was just a nasty person, although moulded as such by her rather vile mother. Some of the scenes just stretched credulity - the building of tension about what happened to Ivan was stretched rather thin.

So overall I didn't really enjoy it; I expected something razor sharp and witty. I kept reading because I wanted to see what happened but with no investment in the characters I didn't really care who came out on top. The final pages just became silly and unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Parker is a woman who always gets what she wants. When her current husband discovers she has been lying to him - again - she knows it's time to move on and find someone who can give her the life she desires.... The life she knows she deserves. But who will be the lucky man? When her eye catches a glimpse of an old flame in a photograph, she's sure it's a sign. Mark Shepherd has always been in her thoughts - they'd been happy once, he'd adored her, but she'd made a mistake and let him get away. She won't make that same mistake again.

Thirty-nine-year-old Hannah is married to seventy-pear-old Ivan Butler, a wealthy landowner. But the marriage is falling apart. Ivan had only married her as he wanted a child. Hannah leaves Ivan and goes home to live with her mother. But the original love of her life, Mark Shepherd, is a successful partner in a law firm, married, and has a son at uni. But Hannah always gets what she wants and sets her sights on Mark.

The story is told from Hannah and Susan, Mark's wife, perspectives. The pace is steady. The characters are well-developed. I enjoyed the way this story ended.

Published 25th March

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #ValerieKeogh for my ARC of #TheMikstress in exchange for an honest review.

The Mistress is the latest popcorn thriller by author Valerie Keogh. The book comes out on March 25, 2024.

To summarize, Hannah Parker is a woman in a marriage with a much older and abusive man. Hannah is only with him because of his wealth and she loves to live the wealthy lifestyle. One night things go too far and Hannah realizes she must leave her husband.

By chance she finds a picture of herself with an old flame (Mark) from college. She let him get away 20 years ago but now she sets her sights on reclaiming him despite him being married to Susan. Hannah knows how to make men want her and she wants Mark.

This book is fast paced with short chapters that keep you wanting more. The character of Hannah is very interesting. On one hand she is just a lonely woman who wants love but on the other she is a calculated and manipulative woman who doesn’t care who she hurts. I wasn’t sure if I should be rooting for or against her. The Susan character was equally interesting. Her character really developed over the course of the book. Other minor characters in the book include a private investigator named Ethan, Susan and Mark’s son Drew, and Hannah’s mother. Most of the book I was unsure who I wanted to end up with Mark in the end, they both had compelling arguments.

One thing that I think could be improved upon was more backstory on Hannah and her mom’s relationship and the motivations of her mother.

The ending of The Mistress left me with my jaw on the floor. Nothing I predicted came true so having a surprise ending was a big positive for me.

This is the second book of Valerie Keogh’s I have read and I am looking forward to reading more of her earlier novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Huge thank you to Boldwood books and Valerie Keogh for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

Full of twists and turns The Mistress kept me gripped. I did find the very beginning a little hard to read due to my own personal experiences but this is not reflective of the author or the story. The Mistress is extremely well written and definitely a gripping read.

Thank you so much once again!

Good book with a few twists in the pages. I liked the main character and you really get to see the book through her eyes.

One of my favourite authors, a very dark story about Hannah,l and Susan could not put down, a few twists and turns and a fab ending.

Trying not to give anything away, but I recommend this book

This book was really good. It kept me interested and guessing. Trying to figure out where the story was going. Usually these types of books follow a predictable pattern and you find yourself figuring things out well before the end of the book. This one did not which I found refreshing. 4 stars.

The amount of repetition in this book, Oh My! I almost Dnf’ed it.

None of these characters are likeable and when done right, I like such characters in thrillers; looking at you Amy Dunne. However, in this book, they lacked substance and were not interesting enough to carry the plot.

All in all, it was an ok read, nothing noteworthy.

Hannah Parker is a nasty, self-absorbed and beautiful woman, who always gets what she wants. So when she decides she wants her married ex Mark back, the small detail of a wife isn't going to stand in her way,

Susan, Mark's wife, is a weak and downtrodden woman who has empty nest syndrome, now that their only child has gone to university. Initially, I felt empathy with Susan, but as she went on and on... and ON about her son, I found her boring and feel her character needed more development. Mark was easily manipulated and lacking in personality, so I struggled to understand why Hannah was so determined to make him hers. There were some good twists, but the repetition and undeveloped characters became boring and the ending was completely random and left me with an "oh. Is that it?" feeling. I actually re-read the last few pages, thinking I must have missed something!

Great potential, but didn't quite hit the mark for me.

2.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Valerie Keogh and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the chance to read this arc. What a thriller! Fast paced, with some twists thrown in. I did not see the ending coming! I love her books!

I really enjoyed this book, i have only recently found this author. When susan and marks son Drew chooses to cut the apron strings and go to a university far away from home, susan is devastated.
Hannah is stunning and could have any man she wants, but she went out with mark a long long time ago, and she let him go. Now she wants him back or does she? Will she take him away from his faithful wife?????
A large house is hiding secrets, what could they be? And what is the connection???? This book had a lot of great twists, and I DIDNT SEE THAT COMING moments. Highley recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of the Mistress by Valerie Keogh!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was a fast and easy read. The narration bounced between two women’s POV; Hannah and Susan.

Hannah as the mistress was strongly unlikeable in the beginning, but yet there were times where I found myself empathizing with her.

The twist in this one was a bit of a shock as it didn’t seem to have much to do with the main plot line. The cliffhanger ending left me wanting more, but it’s definitely a stand alone book.

An interesting read with a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming! ‘The Mistress’, Hannah, is a conniving liar who is out to get what she wants without considering anyone else at all. ‘The Wife’, Susan, is a bit of a walkover, but also a woman lost after her son moves away from home. ‘The Husband’, Mark, well, you’ll have to read the story to find out about him. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.