Paul and Cecilia are celebrating their first Anniversary in a trip to Paris, and on the final day Paul has set up a special dinner for his (second ) wife. But he has a dark and secret agenda for that dinner...
Throughout the entire book we, the readers, learn, by a dual timeline and a dual POV, how Paul and Cecilia met in the first place, how they ended up together and married and how, in fact, both of them keep secrets from each other and both of them have secret plans for their trip to Paris.

I'll first say that, before 5 minutes ago, I had no idea that THE SECOND MRS STROM is a sequel to a 2017 release book named BEST DAY EVER. Apparently, Paul was already the main character on that book.
Well, I haven't read that book and I genuinely believe that reading BEST DAY EVER is not mandatory to understand this new novel, or to feel engaged with the plot and the characters. Because I did feel invested the whole time. And I honestly don't think I "missed" something by not reading the previous book.

I really enjoyed how the chapters are alternated between past and present, and also there are some chapters that are diary entries from someone we don't really know.
Personally, I really disliked Paul, but I do believe it's the author's intention: we are supposed to hate him. And root against him.
The writing was easy and quick to follow, in my opinion. The whole book reads really fast-paced.
And even though some scenes can be very predictable, I'd say there is a final twist that might surprise some readers.

I had fun with this book. It was entertaining, fun, and a crazy ride.
I highly recommend it to everyone who likes fast-paced domestic thrillers with shady characters and couples full of secrets.
The audiobook is amazingly narrated by two narrators who really bring the story to life. Really well done! If you're an audiobook lover/addict like me, consider picking this book up on the audio format.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free advanced audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Paul Strom is back!! Somehow I missed The Best Day Ever when it first came out, but I went back and read it before this one and am so glad I did! I will say it can easily be read as a stand-alone, but you don’t want to miss Paul’s antics in the first book! This one was such a delight! Going back and forth between Paul’s POV and his new wife, Cecilia, as well as dual timelines and journal entries from someone unnamed and then it all comes together for an epic conclusion! It’s so well thought out and while I was able to predict some things, I still enjoyed reading it and was shocked by a few twists! Being in Paul’s head is an awful treat, I love to hate him! He’s a misogynist, manipulator, conniving, crooked man, to name a few! It’s a fun read that I recommend adding to your TBR now! The audiobook of this was amazing! The narrators really nailed the characters and their personalities! They brought the book to life for me!

4.5 rounded up!

Premise - a female gold digger marries a male gold digger and they set out to kill each other for the fortune. Shenanigans abound!

If you enjoy thrillers from the perspective of deliciously awful people, this one is 1000% for you. It was a little slow to start, but soon enough it sucked me in and then I couldn’t get enough!

Featuring:
- manipulation
- psychopath twin flames
- double murder plots
- French snobbery

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Nick Landrum and Laurence Bouvard. They did a great job, it was hilarious!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Mrs. Strom was a 5-star pleasant surprise. Besides a great style of writing, fleshed out characters, an interesting plot and great audio narration, the surprise for me was realizing this was a sequel to a book I'd previously loved, Best Day Ever. That one was released in 2017, so we can forgive my aging brain that it took me a while to realize I actually knew one of the main characters. I could not find anywhere on Netgalley that this one was a sequel, so, unsure what's up with that. Do you need to read Best first? Ya should. You'll love it, it goes by quickly and you'll appreciate the Second much better with that background.

Keep writing Kaira. You do it so well.

Paul Strom is back and is as twisted as ever! In the sequel to "Best Day Ever", Sociopath Paul is now married to Cecilia and the couple are celebrating their first wedding anniversary in Paris.

Paul is such a brilliant fictional character; he is charming and attentive, nasty and controlling as hell - the sort of guy a reader loves to hate and just can't get enough of! Why can't his wives just behave themselves and do as they're told? Poor Cecilia is in love and doesn't know what she's in for... or does she? Has Paul met his match this time? Good job he has a pre-nup in place for his huge fortune!

I loved the twisted mind games and the cat and mouse games the characters are playing against each other - who will win?

Nick Landrum and Laurence Bouvard did a fantastic job narrating this awesome book.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Kaira Rouda and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Kaira Rouda, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley.

This audiobook is narrated by Nick Landrum, Laurence Bouvard. I love, love, love when each POV character has its own narrator. It makes the audiobook feel more like a movie.

This had dual timelines: a timeline in Paris for a romantic getaway and a newlywed timeline starting 18 months or so before the Paris excursion. Paul and Cecilia met at a funeral, had a whirlwind courtship, a quick marriage, and are on a romantic getaway in Paris. At the best hotels, eating in the best restaurants, visiting the best museums, exclusive shopping at expensive retailers, a dream trip to Paris. The Paris portion is largely narrated by Paul. The initial meeting, courtship, falling in love, and quicky wedding is told by Cecilia.

I was in the mood for a thriller, so when I saw this available on NetGalley, I requested it. This did not disappoint at all! The reveals were wonderful, and I wasn't sure of the full plot until the reveals. My guesses were completely off. I love it when that happens!

Thank you to Kaira Rouda, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Fabulous fun!
A thrilling game of cat and mouse which had me devouring the book in nearly one sitting!
I loved the different points of view and the way it went back and fourth through time, it doesn’t always work but it really did here.
Great narrators