Everyone at the Pulse loves Paul Strom! He is an iconic character and I just had to see what shenanigans he was up to this time, so I when I saw a spinoff of his beloved series, I was quick to pick it up. What the Nanny Saw follows Cecelia Strom - Paul's second wife - and her new venture into motherhood.

Motherhood is not for the feint of heart and Cecelia is struggling. I appreciated how authentic her struggles felt, particularly because her partner was so unsupportive and left the childcare burden to Cecelia. It was surprising that for as wealthy as Cecelia was, she didn't have a nanny right away, particularly once she realized just how difficult a newborn can be.

Lizzie was an interesting character. She clearly had a very sordid past and I liked that more and more of it was revealed as the novel went on. It was hard to tell what her motives were but my spidey senses were going from the moment she entered the picture.

For being such a strong and intelligent woman with Paul, it was amazing to see how far Cecelia had fallen. The effects of new motherhood, sleep deprivation, and stress from Paul's release were palpable and my heart went out to her.

There was definitely a need for suspension of belief. Cecelia losing all her money when we were repeatedly told how wealthy she was seemed surprising and the closing of a commercial building in a literal day was also anything but realistic, but if you could disregard these minor grievances, the novel is really unputdownable.

Now if you're reading this because you love (or love to hate Paul), be warned that this is Cecelia's story. He's a minor character for sure, but the story isn't based around him nor is he a primary character.

Fun and not exactly what you would think, I absolutely recommend What the Nanny Saw!

I was so lucky to score this pre-release, I blew through it in one day! I couldn't put it down. A well written, thrilling page turner. This was my first book by this author, I’m excited to read her other books!👏🏼

Wholy Moly! The 2nd book from Kaira Rouda in the series. LOVED this book (and the first one). Very twisty without giving too much away. I thought I had it figured out and surprise I didn't. If you like Freida McFadden, you will love this book. This writing style was amazing.

The Strom’s are back! I absolutely loved The Second Mrs. Strom and when I saw a third with Cecilia back, I was so excited to dive in!
After Paul almost killed her in Paris, he’s in jail. But she knows he won’t be gone forever. After her current boyfriend cheats on her while she’s home with their newborn, she leaves him but how will she do this on her own?! It seemed like a dream come true when Lizzie, a nanny to the neighbor, comes to the rescue. But Lizzie has alternative motives and Cecelia should’ve known it was too good to be true….
Told in multiple POV’s I didn’t know who to believe in this book! Full of twists and characters we love to hate- you won’t want to put this one down!

4.5!! I cannot get enough of Cecilia Strom!! After reading Rouda's The Second Mrs. Strom, I was so excited that @thrillerbooklovers featured this one! Full of jealousy, power, and revenge, Rouda has created a character that is ever changing and fun to read!! I could not stop reading this one. The second half really picked up the pace and I was on the edge of my seat. Thank you net galley for a copy of this great book!!

The Stroms are back! In this third edition, with Paul in prison, CeCe has gotten a little security paranoid (I mean can you blame her?). Her boyfriend is terrible, her boyfriend’s mom is ridiculous and the nanny is … sketchy. I saw the twists from a mile away but I still enjoyed the quick page turner this was.

3.5🌟
Life in California isn’t all sunshine and surfing!

Book three of the Paul Strom series by Kaira Rouda.
Cecelia is in the process of healing, hoping to move forward with her life after Paul. With more money than she’s ever dreamed of, a new baby and a life in Malibu, healing should be considerably easier. But when her current boyfriend and father of her child fails to pull his weight she boots him to the curb…. Now all she needs is a nanny to help her with her baby girl.

Enter Lizzie, the nanny who dumps her current family and immediately moves next door with Cecelia.

So many unanswered questions. Can Cecelia trust her? Can she trust anyone? And what about Paul? Will he be trying to make a comeback and return to Cecelia?

What I’ve loved about this series is Paul. He’s my favorite sociopathic character. Unfortunately, his role was fairly minor and his presence was missed.

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I would highly recommend starting at the beginning with Best Day Ever!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture

Another great thriller to read by the beach. Cecilia is still recovering from the events in Paris but has now had a baby girl. The only issue is the scars and pain from her fall is making it impossible to look after the baby and when she bumps into Lizzie she thinks her prayers are answers and hires her as her new nanny whilst kicking out her baby’s daddy. With Paul now released from prison and Cecilia struggling with tiredness is she going mad or is she in real danger from those closest to her. Don’t miss this great read.

Lizzie is a nanny, but she’s not happy working for the Johnsons. But a meeting at the coffee leads to better opportunity for Lizzie to nanny for Cecilia and baby Peyton. But, Lizzie wants to be Peyton’s mom. And Cecilia is in pain from a critical fall from the hands of her estranged husband who is in prison. Lizzie feeds on the paranoia and pain to insert herself into Cecilia’s life.

But, Lizzie has her own secrets and plan for a better life.

Oh, so good. The manipulation and plotting by such likable characters that I was cheering for Lizzie the entire time no matter evil thing she was up to. And then the twist. Aack!

A slow burn that leads you into a roller coaster ride of darkness. You will love it!

RECOMMEND

Thank you #NetGalley for the complimentary copy of #WhattheNannySaw in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you @bookouture for approving my request.

The third book in this series and great fun to catch up with Cecelia, The Second Mrs Strom, now that her estranged husband, Paul is finally behind bars.

Cecelia is a single mother to baby girl, Peyton, and struggling to cope with motherhood alone, as well as dealing with the physical and psychological scars from her time with Paul. Fortunately, the neighbour's nanny, Lizzie, is ready to move on and what Cecelia believes to be a chance meeting seems to solve all of her problems. Except that meeting wasn't by chance at all and Lizzie has been watching, and is obsessed, with Cecelia and wants what she has!

Paul Strom doesn't feature in this book as much as in the previous two, but he is never far from Cecelia's mind and his letters continue to taunt her.

This story isn't twisty like the first ones, but for anyone who loves the series and it's characters, it's a great catch up and I look forward to the next one!

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

Summary: The follow-up to The Second Mrs. Strom, this novel continues the story of Cecilia after Paul Strom goes to prison for attempted murder. Cecilia continues to struggle with the physical and psychological impacts of the murder attempt and being thrown from the building. In an attempt to improve life for herself and the baby, Cecilia hires the nanny away from her neighbours. Initially, she thinks this is the best decision ever and life is running more smoothly. However, Cecilia’s personal possessions are going missing – her Rolex watch, her favourite bath salts – and where did that personal letter from Paul Strom go? As it turns out, the nanny wants much more than to work for Cecilia.

Thoughts: This latest installment of the Strom chronicles is true to form. It has short chapters, multiple POV, and quickly moving action, as well as underhanded characters and schemes. Paul features very little in this one, but never fear I strongly suspect he will be back in the next! My only real issue with this one is that it ends quite abruptly, and this could have been executed better. However, if you are addicted to the bad behaviour of the Stroms then you won’t mind too much.

First time reading a book from this author. So glad I did because I absolutely loved it. I know I said it before but I could not put the book down cuz I had to know what was going to happen next and it shocked me cuz I did not think that what happened was going to happen. You think you haven't figured out but I promise to you and you're going to be completely wrong..

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers The Pulse, Bookouture, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of What the Nanny Saw in exchange for my honest review.

It’s no secret that I love Kaira Rouda’s books. I’ve read every single one of them and just love the characters she creates – they are the ones you love to hate because they are so deliciously devious and this latest one is no different, with some returning favorites and a few new ones.

This book is a follow-up to The Second Mrs. Strom, picking up a few years after that book ended. While it could be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading not only The Second Mrs. Strom but also The Best Day Ever before reading this one because that is were you first meet Paul and really he is at the heart of all three of these books and then Cecilia comes next. And both characters are such crazy characters you need to follow their character arcs from the beginning to fully appreciate them, at least I think!

In this book, Paul plays more of a back seat, but he is still there…which I loved because he is undoubtedly my favorite psychopath ever and of course he shows his true colors once or twice throughout the book, even though he is in jail. This book is primarily Cecilia and the Lizzie, the nanny’s story, and let me just say – it’s once again a story of matching wits.

What I love most about Kaira’s books is that she manages to craft characters that pull you in and then pull the wool out from under you. You are never sure whether you can trust them or not, they do such a good job of manipulating you. I loved how slowly the layers are peeled back from each of the characters here so that even if you thought you had things figured out, when a reveal would finally happen, it often did so at a moment you weren’t quite expecting.

This book was entertaining, twisty and completely binge-worthy. The characters get their due and I love that even though I figured some things out, there were still a few surprises I didn’t see coming. I really hope this is not the last we have seen of these characters…they are too fun to say goodbye to just yet!

Omg, Kaira Rouda did it again! It feels like it was just a few days (months?) ago when I read both psycho-Strom books. And now, there is the 3rd book, this time it’s about Celelia. The very same one you have met before – if you have read the previous books.

Kaira is an extremely talented crafter when it comes to writing characters you love to hate. And, as it turns out, she is a master of creating spinoffs and sequels for the very same characters you learned to love to hate.


p.s.
I feel like ONE MORE BOOK in the series is needed. Can you get enough of this sheer insanity? Because I can’t for sure.

A good book. A fast read with lots of twists. I really enjoyed this read. I had not read the previous book in this series, but did not feel lost.

What the Nanny Saw
Kiara Rouda
Bookouture
Book 2 Family Secrets
November 13, 2024

Cecilia is back!!! The question is - can she let her guard down ? What about Paul? Is he in the picture ?

5 years after Paul tries to kill Cecilia in The Second Mrs Strom she is living her best life with a baby girl, Peyton. Cecilia’s partner is little to no help and she hires a Lizzie who just unexpectedly shows up in her life.

Twists turns and holy smokes moments are what we have come to expect eom Kaira Rouda and she does not disappoint. This is a binge worthy read you should totally check out.

Cecilia has it all - a beautiful home, a perfect baby girl, and much of her former husband’s fortune. After Paul nearly killed her in Paris, he went to jail. But if Cecilia knows him at all, she knows he’ll never totally give up. When she discovers her boyfriend/father of her child is cheating on her, she throws him out. But taking care of a newborn is more difficult than she imagined, so Cecilia hires a nanny. Lizzie seems too good to be true…and Cecilia of all people should know that anyone who seems too good to be true…usually is…

Another fun and twisty installment in this series, “What the Nanny Saw” is a book we at The Pulse are loving! It was intriguing to see Cecilia let her guard down and be more vulnerable. After seeing her as such a “no mercy” type character, I almost felt sorry for her in this book. New motherhood is a topic that always holds a special place in my heart. Lizzie seemed to be the perfect companion for her and baby Peyton and I was intrigued to find out what her end game was. No spoilers, but, although Paul wasn’t actively a part of this book, his presence was still very much felt.

I would definitely recommend reading the first two books in this series (Best Day Ever and The Second Mrs Strom) before starting this one. But every single one of these books is a quick and twisty read! Kaira Rouda never disappoints!

Thank you to Bookouture and Kaira Rouda for the ARC! This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This book was gripping and I flew through it, but the "killer twist" really didn't do it for me. I kept waiting for something to be revealed at the end and felt a bit let down with the ending, honestly, which is a huge shame because the characters were so interesting, and the pacing was excellent.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I will include a short review in my upcoming October Reading Wrap-Up on YouTube.

Cecilia is back! It’s been five years since her husband, Paul, tried to kill her in Paris (The Second Mrs. Strom). Five years of getting her life and health back together. She now has a baby girl, Peyton, but it’s taken a toll on her health. With little to no help from her partner, Evan, she’s having a difficult time postpartum. When she comes to the decision to do things on her own, she’s completely overwhelmed until she unexpectedly meets Lizzie. Lizzie is a competent nanny looking for a change in her own life and is eager to move in and be the lifeline Cecilia needs, but all is not right in the Malibu household. Cecilia doesn’t seem like a fit mother and Lizzie is more than happy to take up the slack. When Cecilia starts to receive threatening texts and feels like someone is watching her, she immediately is worried about Paul. Is he still in prison? Is her new life in danger? Things heat up as Evan as his mom are desperate to have a relationship with Peyton and things turn wonky with the nanny, but the big question is, “where is Paul”? While a sequel to Best Day Ever and The Second Mrs. Strom, this book can be read as a stand alone. A bit on the soapy side, it was rather easy to see where Rouda was headed, but it was a still fun, quick read. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

What a wonderful series Loved all of the surprises and the ending was a perfect wrap up ! Sets up Paul to be the bad guy once again !!