4.5 stars rounded up. The Second Mrs. Strom is a sequel of sorts, but you don't have to have read Best Day Ever to enjoy this book. Paul Strom married Cecelia after a whirlwind courtship. They met at Esther's funeral, the woman who left her fortune to her companion, Paul. It is now their one year anniversary and they are celebrating in Paris. To the public they are a beautiful, happy couple, but in private, they are not happy. Who is Cecilia and did she set out to meet Paul for her own reasons? Paul may have loved Cecilia, but he has changed. He wants her home, barefoot and pregnant, as well as having a mistress on the side. Will their marriage end sooner rather than later?

I am not usually a fan of unlikable characters, but both Paul and Cecilia are exactly that. However, I still enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to get to the end to see what was going to happen. As we learned more about Paul, I began to think he was a psychopath, Cecilia was a liar and had lots of secrets. The book is well-plotted and written in such a way that the suspense was increased as the story progressed and there was a sense of impending doom and tragedy. There were many twists along the way, ones that kept me guessing along with my surprise at what happened. With unlikable characters, secrets, lies, little or no morals, and lots of mind games, I read and/or listened with interest. This was a book to go into cold, as well as to sit back and just enjoy the drama. I did a read/listen and enjoyed both formats. Nick Landrum and Laurence Bouvard do an amazing job with the narration. As the story is from dual POVs, the choice of narrators is perfect. If you enjoy an entertaining psychological thriller, then I recommend The Second Mrs. Strom. I enjoyed this one so much, I am going to read or listen to Best Day Ever to find out about Paul's life before Cecilia.

Thank you to Bookouture for the copies to review.

First of all, if you can do audiobooks, I highly recommend you listen to this one. Paul is BACK with a new wife and the audio absolutely encapsulated him and brought him straight back to me, and it was so much fun listening to him just like in Best Day Ever. Second, did I mention Paul is BACK? I don’t want to spoil anything but he is one of my favorite villains, in one of my favorite thrillers, and I do think he has met his match in this sequel. Kaira Rouda is a favorite thriller author of mine and she has outdone herself here. I highly recommend this book (you will benefit from reading the first book FYI, although this can be read as a standalone) and I cannot wait to read the third book in this fabulous series.

This books had a some fun moments. Gave me some smiles. I enjoyed the deception and back and forth jabs. It was a little predictable. I was hoping for a bigger twist and more ah ha moments. Still entertaining. I enjoyed the opportunity to read it here and get to know these devious characters.

I listened to this as an audiobook; I enjoyed this. It felt slightly predictable and I definitely did not love Paul, the lead male character, but I did kinda enjoy Cecelia, the lead female character. Paul is pretty despicable in nature and I found myself oftentimes rolling my eyes at his narrations. Cecelia is annoying in her own way but the determination to take what she felt she deserved was a bit impressive though sorta diabolical at the same time. The narrator/POV does shift in this, so I think it was beneficial to listen to this, but this should be easy to follow if read in print or e-book. Despite some of the predictability, I did find myself interested in hearing more. I did find out just before writing this that this book is the second of two in a series, I’m assuming at least, so perhaps I’ll go and read the first book now that I’m aware of its existence (it’s called Best Day Ever).

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ: Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ • ᴘꜱʏᴄʜᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛʜʀɪʟʟᴇʀꜱ • ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛꜱ • ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʟᴏᴛꜱ • ꜱᴜꜱᴘᴇɴꜱᴇꜰᴜʟ ʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ •

Ｍｉｎｉ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ

💭: I really enjoyed this one on audio and felt the voices were pleasant. I’ve listened to books before where I had a hard time getting through them due to the narrator.

This was a quick read and I found myself engaged.

I’d recommend reading the author’s Best Day Ever prior to reading this one. However, this can be read as standalone!

The Second Mrs Strom by Kaira Rouda

When you are in Paris with your husband and things don’t go as planned or did they?


So this is a follow on from another book and I didn’t know that…. I kinda feel like it would have been nice to have read it first but I also feel like I didn’t already know all about Paul so I was a lot more surprised by what was going on!
Paul is a sociopath. Grade A level abuser. The dynamic between him and his new wife was odd! He thought he had her ‘managed’ but being in Paris he is realizing that maybe he doesn’t have her as controlled as he thought. He is wrong footed a lot and he has something planned but so does she!
It wasn’t massively twisty and less so for anyone who has read book one but it was decently paced and entertaining. It was good. I really enjoyed it and now I’m waiting to read book one.. fingers crossed it comes fast haha!
4 stars

This novel has a great sociopathic character who you sort of love to hate. He met his match in Cecilia. I have to admit, I didn't realize this was a second book with the main character, Paul. Even missing the first book, it was a complete novel and worked well as a standalone.

3/5 stars

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the advanced listening copy!

First off... apparently this book is a sequel?? I had no idea, so that could be part of the problem lol! Based on other reviews I read, I think I would have enjoyed this one way more had I read the first one. Secondly, Paul was INSUFFERABLE. I mean, I get that that's his character but listening to his portion of the audio was truly painful.

Other than that, this book was okay! There were some pretty shocking twists and it was definitely a fast-paced, intriguing story. Pretty middle of the pack overall and not going to stand out in a year from now, but I didn't mind the listen overall! I'd read more by this author for sure. I think the potential was there, it was just these characters that I struggled with!

SYNOPSIS -- Cecelia and Paul are in Paris celebrating what should be a very romantic first anniversary. Unfortunately, Paul hasn't been feeling well, and, with his desperate need for control, that just won't do. As these two try to navigate the trip, they're forced to contend with the fact that their marriage may not be quite as fated as it first appeared to be. You see, these two both have secrets, and something tells me they're all going to come to light in Paris.

I have read other books by this author. I always love the writing and I find it to be rather interesting. This was no exception. I found this book to be intriguing. Will be picking up more from this author.

"The Second Mrs. Strom" by Kaira Rouda is a psychological thriller that’ll likely hook you, even if you didn’t read the first book, Best Day Ever—which I didn’t! But don’t worry, you can still follow along just fine.

This is one twisted tale of love, lies and revenge.

The story centers on Paul and Cecelia, a married couple celebrating their one-year anniversary in Paris. But don’t be fooled by the glamorous setting—this relationship is far from picture-perfect. Cecelia may seem like the doting wife, but she’s got secrets of her own. And Paul? Well, he’s as narcissistic and manipulative as they come. Their marriage is more of a battleground than a love story, with both characters plotting and scheming.

The book is told through rotating chapters from Paul and Cecelia’s perspectives, which adds to the suspense as you try to figure out who’s playing who. Paul’s misogynistic, controlling behavior is on full display, while Cecelia seems like she’s had enough and has a plan of her own. Neither of them is likable, which, I’ll admit, threw me off at first, but once I embraced the fact that these two are meant to be unhinged, I was all in. Their constant bickering and underhanded tactics make for a wild, twisted ride. Especially when you realize Cecelia’s motives are deeper than just a bad marriage.

The audiobook, narrated by Nick Landrum and Laurence Bouvard, really highlights the two characters’ distinct voices. That said, the narration didn’t completely sell me—there were moments when the back-and-forth timeline made things a bit confusing to follow.

Overall, The Second Mrs. Strom is a well-crafted thriller where you’re not rooting for either character—you’re just watching them spiral deeper into their own mess. If you like thrillers with dark, twisted characters, you’ll enjoy this one.

Special thanks to Bookouture Audio for the advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app!

Another good one from Rouda!! This one kept you guessing trying to figure out what these two were up to you know they both have something nefarious going on but you are never sure what or if you are wrong about one or the other! I enjoyed the dual povs and the flashbacks, neither of these 2 are at all likeable but that's half the fun is you can't root for either one!


Nick Landrum narrated the Paul Strom chapters and i liked his narration but I have to say the times he was narrating the thoughts inside in head it reminded me of the Whistler, that is not a bad thing but my mind kept thinking how much he sounds like the Whistler. Laurence Bouvard narrated the female chapters she did a very good job.


Highly recommend this one!

I received this audiobook from the publisher Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

The Second Mrs. Strom written by Kaira Rouda reminds me of a no-rules edition of MMA. All the characters in the book are vile, and everyone is scheming against each other to enact revenge.

While I typically enjoy thrillers, The Second Mrs. Strom felt too predictable and one-dimensional. The book fell flat for me, with no one really to root for (who was our protagonist, anyhow?!) and no real plot twists or layered plot lines.

Most of the novel occurs in Paris, France, while Cecilia (Mrs. Strom #2) and Paul (Mr. Strom) celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Over this week-long trip, we witness two people pursuing the Parisian tourist areas. What's clear from the get-go is that both Cecil has and Paul essentially despise each other.

Paul, a control freak and sociopath, already has a mistress back at home, and he's also a con artist who makes women believe he loves them in an effort to extort them for children, money, attention, and more. Meanwhile, Cecilia is no wonderful human either. She is materialistic, calculating, and vengeful. Both Cecilia and Paul will go as far as to kill to meet their life-long goals.

While I read this book quickly, I didn't feel compelled to return to my Kindle after a reading break. I won't be continuing with this series, but there are undoubtedly readers out there who will enjoy this read and series.

Bookouture, Kaira Rouda, and NetGalley provided an ARC of The Second Mrs. Strom, and I thank them all for the opportunity to review it.

Paul is self-centered, narcissistic and controlling. He likes Cecilia to do what he tells her when he tells her. But this trip is not going as he anticipated.

Paul is ready to start a family. He though Cecilia was as well. But this trip is showing him otherwise.

Loved the dual POVs and seeing things from both sides.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book

Kaira Rouda knows how to write a character that you’ll love to hate. This book is a sequel to Best Day Ever, which is also worth the read, but can also be read as a standalone novel. A little suspense, a little mystery, and a lot of drama.

The book is a story about married couple who are travelled to Paris for one year anniversary , however they are constantly fighting with each other . The book rotates between the two characters Paul and Cecilia . The book goes back and forth between current time and time before they came to Paris. Paul seems to be a selfish person who believes in women belong as a housewife have nothing more than that . He isolates his wife from any type of friendship . Now to narration I felt that With the book going back and forth between time it was difficult sometimes to follow . I like the twist and turn in the end . Thank you, Bookouture Audio And netgalley for the copy of the audiobook .

I like Kaira Rouda. I've been to her book tours, I have signed copies of several of her books and read Best Day Ever....but I struggled with this one. Rouda does a good job of creating really heinous men, but Paul Strom is a character she should have left alone. I enjoyed Best Day Ever but did not like Paul Strom at all, I was really hoping this time the wife would be a bigger part earlier, and she was.... but she was just as awful as Paul. I was so disappointed that the female character was as unlikable as Paul that I just really struggled with it, and the narration definitely did not help. The male narrator was so over the top pretentious, which I understand is the character, but it was just over done and it wasn't fun to listen to. The female narrator was okay at best but for me not enough to make me excited to listen to that part.

I hate to give a book I was given for free such a negative review but this was one of the worst books I’ve ever read… there was absolutely no redeeming element or development in any of the characters- they were all totally devious and depraved, their language and interactions were sooo cringey and unnatural and there wasn’t really even a specific plot or storyline- just a bunch of random interactions and monologues of a super messed up couple who married each other for the wrong intentions and are both trying to do things behind the other persons back… I honestly thought this was the authors first book and would have dnfed it a few chapters in if not for promising a review. Also the audiobook narrators were awful. The woman talked like a California valley girl and literally grated on my ears. I was listening to it at 1.75 speed just to get through it as fast as possible haha… At the very least I guess I can just be grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to give this author a chance so I will never have to read a book from her again 😂

I loved this audiobook! It was read in a way where it kept my interest and had me second guessing what may happen next. Highly recommend if you're looking for a good quick read.

The cat and mouse game being played in this novel left my jaw on the floor! Who’s playing who and who comes out on top? I couldn’t wait to find out! This was a really fun read and the narrators were fantastic.