****Publishing August 16, 2024****

Paul’s second wife, Cecilia, is a much younger wife than his first! With having a beautiful young wife, he is always trying to be one step ahead of her because he can’t trust her! But can he keep up?

Paul has an image in his mind of what his marriage to Cecilia is supposed to be. One where he can control her, but when her behavior doesn’t fit his “perfect wife”, he starts to get angry and starts to question her. Cecilia feels she can’t do anything right in Paul’s eyes! Is it what it seems? Is Cecilia in the marriage for his wealth? Will Paul fail a second time?

I love Kaira Rouda’s books! Just when you think you have figured it out, she puts in twists and turns you don’t see coming! It makes for a page-turning and entertaining read! It’s one you won’t want to put down! A perfect book to take on vacation!

Even though this book is a sequel to Best Day Ever, it can be read as a stand alone.

Thanks to Bookouture, I was provided an ARC of The Second Mrs Strom by Kaira Rouda via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

He’s back!!! Paul Strom returns in all his narcissistic sociopathic glory. In this fast paced excellent sequel to “Best Day Ever,” Paul has surprisingly found himself another wife. Devious Paul has not changed his ways with wife number two and is soon up to no good as she soon has tired of his selfish ways. But as luck would have it the new wife is incredibly smart and has her own agenda with the new marriage. Set during a anniversary trip to Paris, this book is impossible to put down.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 because of the twists near the end.

This is a psychological thriller full of narcissism, betrayal & revenge. I found the beginning slow & hard to get into. The banter between the 2 main characters (Cecilia & Paul) came across sophomoric and over the top sticky sweet to be enjoyable or even likeable (by design?). However, 3/4 through the pace picked up & the twists started to happen. Most that I didn’t see coming.

Favorite Line: “When he laughs he looks like a horse. Big teeth, mouth too wide. Ears pointy. I’m not threatened anymore. He isn’t charming. He’s a horseface.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture & Kaira for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The perfect follow up to Paul’s story but a stand alone in its own right for Cecilia This story had my jaw on the floor

I am still reeling from this book weeks after reading it! I really enjoy books with unreliable narratives, and i felt my stress levels rise every time we followed Paul’s perspective. I have a lot of very strong opinions about Paul for sure. Overall this was a nice paced thriller with gripping characters and a plot that keeps you guessing what’s going to happen!

It’s been years since I read Best Day Ever but Paul is the type of character that is unforgettable and being back inside his world was so entertaining. It’s not often that a thriller makes me laugh but Paul is so unhinged and over the top I couldn’t help myself. I think going into this knowing as little as possible is the way to go, it’s such a fun and wild popcorn thriller, knowing nothing really made it a blast for me. If you like domestic suspense with unlikable and untrustworthy narrators this is for you. If somehow you missed the first book definitely read it first, you’ll be happy knowing the backstory of this man.

This is a sequel to The Best Day Ever and it can be read as a standalone but I would read the books in order. In The Best Day Ever, Paul is a man you love to hate. This book feels like karma came back and Paul is finding out what it’s like on the other side. His new wife is not as obedient as he expects and I loved it. I don’t want to share any spoilers but this book is a must read! I loved every word!!!

3.5/5
Check out what #thepulse #pulsepoint peeps are talking about now! Thank you @thrillerbookloversthepulse @kairarouda @bookouture for allowing me to be a part of the cool kids club! 🫶

This book is a follow up to Best Day Ever and can be read as a standalone which is what I did. This is absolutely a bingeable story that I devoured in one sitting. It’s a great popcorn thriller about a couple who is filthy rich and they are both behaving badly! Newly married, you would think everything and everyone should still be in their honeymoon phase however this couple is not your typical couple. It seems they have a trust issue and some hidden agendas 👀 I think every single character in this one was one you’ll love to hate…I most certainly did! 🤣 I really enjoyed the Paris setting. Having been there it took me back to my visit and was fun to envision them at cafes and museums! 🫶 My favorite part was most certainly the wild ending that gave me whiplash flip flopping between all insanity that encompassed these characters! Kaira Rouda is definitely the queen of rich, rowdy, wicked characters! I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

Kaira Rouda can do no wrong in my eyes - her books have me salivating at just the thought of reading them! It's safe to say I absolutely devoured Mrs Strom. The way the book moved from start to finish had me gasping in delight. I'm all for a devious relationship and the way these two carried on was no short of entertaining. I have all my fingers crossed for another book in this series! 

And yes, you could read this as a standalone but if you can, definitely read book one, Best Day Ever, first to get the full background on the characters.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book had so many twists and turns. Some I saw coming and some surprised me. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Book Title: The Second Mrs. Strom by Kaira Rouda
Author: Kaira Rouda
Series: The Kingsley #1
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: August 16, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Pages: 289

I read " Best Day Ever" back in 2017. My comment about Paul Strom started with his quote
~ “Well sexually I’m above average. I have a gift.
One woman just isn’t enough to handle all I have to give”. ~
I totally bust out laughing - Of course, I figure out that Paul is a narcissist, psychopathic creep with a need for power and control.

In this story Paul inherited a fortune from Esther an elderly lady, he had been seeing for a year. He meets Cecelia at her funeral and she soon becomes the second Mrs. Paul Strom. However, those of who read “Best Day Ever” know Paul will be Paul - our favorite love-to-hate guy who we are sure will be up to his old antics. In this case - he may have met his match.

Now a year later Esther and Paul are celebrating their first anniversary in Paris; Paul has plans for their last evening in Paris- an elegant dinner with a panoramic view of Paris from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, which will surely be the best night ever.

Although the story was slow at time with a lot of back story – the many twists made up for that!

I often mention in my comments how much a enjoy reading the author’s notes. Love the inside scoop on the author’s motivation. In her ‘A Letter from Kaira’ - She mentioned it was a blast to write about Paul again. She also states that Cecilia Strom isn’t finished with her story.
Hmmm sure sounds like we are going to hear from Kaira and Cecilia!
BTW: I found the Reading Group Guide’ had fun interesting things to think about and if you are in a book club, your group surely will discuss!
This is my seventh Kaira Rouda novel ~ they have ALL been great.
I love this author and looking forward to her next release!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley. Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 16, 2024.

Holy cow, getting to spend another 24 hours with this sociopath is like a gift from the baby Jesus himself.

Paul is just as crazy, new wifey is no dummy but it's just as fun. Thank you Kaira Rouda!!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Paul Strom is back. This time, he has a new wife, Cecelia, and they're in Paris to celebrate their one year anniversary. But once again, both have ulterior motives for their last night.

This was another brilliantly written story filled with unhinged and untrustworthy characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and just kept hoping that Paul would finally get what he deserved. I had kind of hoped there would be a point where the two Mrs Stroms met, but maybe there will be a third book? Let's hope so.
I would highly recommend reading Best Day Ever before reading this one.

3.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

This is the second book in the series and can be read without having read the first book.

I read this book in one day! It was so good! The twists and turns will keep you up till late at night!

Paul really is a ray of sunshine!!! NOT! This narcissist is in for a big surprise when he marries Cecelia! I think he finally met his match!

Love how the author blends both their plans together to give a smooth , clever storyline!

A must read! Thank me later!

He's back!!!!

After being lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this and doing some Goodreads investigation (haha), I quickly realised there was a prequel to Paul's story that I had missed. So I placed a pause on this book and went back to read the first installment...and I must say I absolutely loved it!

Paul Strom is the psychopath we all love to hate - selfish, delusional, and apathetic to the point of needing a straitjacket. After the events of 'Best Day Ever' (which I highly recommend), we see Paul has reinvented himself as a companion to the ailing elderly woman, who was kind enough to leave him a substantial amount of money. He soon meets the enticing Cecilia, who appears to be just his type. But, as we all know...appearances can be deceiving! Will Cecilia finally be the woman of his dreams? Or is it that he's finally met his match?

It might not be the most PC thing to say - but I really love Paul! As I said in my review of 'Best Day Ever' I think we can all learn a thing or two from him. He always knew what he wanted and never let himself get down or swayed from his path.

It is always fun to read psychological thrillers where you get both a psycho and a thrill. Many times, authors fall short here and I can safely say Kaira Rouda knows how to write a proper thriller. I was never bored as the plot was steady with intrigue from beginning to end. It was also nice to get both Paul's and Cecilia's perspectives throughout the book as this lent to the overall mystery.

I would 100% recommend 'The Second Mrs. Strom' but I think you need to read 'Best Day Ever' to get the full experience of Paul!

*A great many thanks to Bookouture, Kaira Rouda, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

I was so excited to get an early reading of The Second Mrs. Strom. Paul is back and better ( or worse) than ever! After a whirlwind courtship and marriage, Cecilia is whisked off on a trip to Paris where Paul has everything planned to a T! Unfortuntaly for him, Cecilia has other plans. This one had me reading straight into the night and I am hoping there will be a third book!

This was such a quick read that is full of suspense and twists that I didn’t see coming! It’s the second one in a sequel but I definitely didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first one!

After serving as a companion to an older woman named Esther, Paul has inherited a TON of money. At her funeral, he meets a much younger woman, Cecelia, and the couple seems to fall quickly in love. But is everything really as it seems? Both have secrets that they are keeping from eachother and the marriage that seems perfect to everyone on the outside is spiraling out of control, as the couple begins an intense game of cat and mouse!

The tension between Paul and Cecilia was clear at the beginning but boy did it escalate throughout the story! The chapters were told in dual point of view, alternating between both characters. Through each of their perspectives, we witness a battle unfolding between them, as the suspense grows because you just know that there is no way that this will end well for both of them. They are both very unlikeable but you will love to hate them as you witness the mind games they play with each other! I found myself quickly turning the pages to see how it all played out! While I disliked them both, I was personally rooting for one and needed to find out if justice was served in the end!

4.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Paul and Cecelia are celebrating their one year anniversary in Paris. Paul has always heard good things about Paris from his last partner who passed away a few years ago and left her sizeable estate to Paul. He now wants to plan his life with Cecilia and hopes to have some children of his own to pass on his name and sizeable fortune. As they celebrate their one year anniversary, they are learning more and more about each other and their seems to be some secrets from each of their pasts that are just coming to the surface. Do they really know each other after only dating for a short time before getting married. Why is Paul always sick after eating the rich foods in Paris and why is Cecelia not getting pregnant and going against Paul's wishes and spending huge amounts of money on wasteful trinkets. Once the story ends you will see that each of them will get what they are entitled to and what they each deserve......enjoy!!!

This was a quick read but I did find it a bit unrealistic and predictable. It centers on a horrible narcissist named Paul and his new, much younger wife Cecelia, on their first anniversary trip to Paris. Both have secrets and the trip becomes kind of a cat and mouse game as they try to suss each other out.

The book moves at a fast clip and takes place mostly over one day, but with important flashback chapters that set the stage for the current happenings. Paul is totally insufferable and while Cecelia is better, I didn’t completely warm to her either. There were a few things I thought weren’t that realistic but it still was exciting to read. I predicted the twists but felt that they were still decent, and the ending tied up everything fairly cleanly.

Overall, this was a decent read but not sure it’s super memorable. In fact I didn’t know this was a sequel and realized I had read the first one and didn’t remember it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cecilia initially appeared unremarkable and unnoticed until meeting Paul, whose wealth and attention transformed her life. They swiftly moved from obscurity to luxury, culminating in a lavish proposal in Paris. Despite outward appearances of love and happiness, Cecilia harbors deep resentment over Paul's infidelity soon after their wedding. Her smile conceals a vengeful determination rooted in a hidden agenda from their first encounter.

The novel intertwines the charm of Parisian romance with a thrilling storyline, vividly painting the cityscape through evocative descriptions and cultural nuances. The use of multiple points of view enriches the narrative, providing a nuanced exploration of characters and their motivations, which adds depth to the overall storytelling. Both the plot and characters feel exceptionally authentic, with believable interactions and realistic dilemmas that resonate with readers. The book flows smoothly, offering an easy read that captivates from start to finish. However, despite its strengths, falters in some areas. The repetitive nature of certain perspectives can make parts of the book feel sluggish and predictable, hindering its pacing. Additionally, while it aims to be a thriller, the plot lacks sufficient suspense and fails to deliver the excitement expected from the genre. Furthermore, the major plot twist, although integral to the storyline, is overly telegraphed, diminishing its impact. In summary, this book is a well-crafted novel that successfully blends genres against a captivating backdrop. Yet, those seeking a fast-paced, suspenseful read may find its slower pacing and predictable twists less compelling.