I CANNOT get enough of the character Cecilia. I knew after “The Second Mrs. Storm”, the sequel to “Best Davy Ever” she was one to watch.
Cecelia is now raising a baby girl, while her soon to be ex-husband Paul is in prison. The father of the Peyton is Evan. Paul wants something from her, and Evan is wanting to be part of their lives.
She wants nothing to do with either man. Evan was sweet and seemed to be a great distraction from Paul situation. Now he has done something unforgivable and Cecelia is determined to raise their daughter with luxury and a mom who is present.
Raising her is exhausting and she meets Lizzie who she hires as a Nanny to look after Peyton. Things seem easy at first and Cecelia showers Lizzie with gifts and appreciates her help. Little does she know, Lizzie has alternative motives.
Jealousy, envy, revenge and power can be destructive. Rouda has created a character that is EVER-CHANGING and FUN to read.

I loved the first book starring mrs Strom and I was happy to connect with her again.

After everything she went through in the previous book, it's only natural Cecilia is on her guard. Some would call her maybe even a bit obsessive, but can you blame her? I would be too if I was in her shoes. On the other hand she is not an angel either and this also explains why she acts the way she does.

Even though I know she is not completely blameless, I did symphatise with her. Someone taking advantage of someone else to better themselves or a loved one is always despicable behaviour. 

The author also includes a bit of correspondence between two people, informing us of no good. I felt that if I could figure out who the second person was, because the writer of the messages is named, it would help me later on. One sentence gave me the 'aha' moment and I will leave you guessing whether it helped me later on or not. ;)

I do hope the author still has lots of inspiration left for more books about Cecilia and her life. I will be a happy camper if this wish would come true.

I utterly enjoyed this book. 5 stars

Thank you

This was a strong sequel in the Family Secrets series, it had everything that I was hoping for in a psychological thriller novel. It was a tense story that felt like it could happen, the characters worked with the story and was invested in what was going on. Kaira Rouda has a great writing style and was able to create a great overall experience.

The adventures of Paul and Cecelia Strom continue in this fun and highly entertaining read! I was on the edge of my seat, flying through the pages with anticipation to see what would happen next. I simply couldn't read fast enough. Cecelia's character felt a little off from the first novel though. She didn't seem to be as ruthless. I wanted to scream at her over her gullible choices and naivete. Rouda certainly knows how to stir up my emotions. I kept trying to figure out the nanny's motivations and her end game. I'm still not quite sure if there was more to the explanation given, but I'll settle for what I know. I'm guessing and hoping that there will be a third book since this story ended without much of a resolution. I wanted a little more, but it was a fun, quick read and sets the tone for book three. I would certainly recommend, but not as a stand-alone. Start with Best Day Ever (featuring Paul Strom) and then continue with the start of this series, The Second Mrs. Strom.  

Thank you to Bookouture for granting me early digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I like this one better than the other Kaira Rouda books. Can you ever trust a nanny? Fans of Shari Lapena will enjoy this mystery. Looking forward to the next book.

Let me start by saying how much I love Kaira Rouda’s books! I was excited to see more from this series after reading Best Day Ever and The Second Mrs. Strom. These are not my favorite books of hers, however I love domestic thrillers and What the Nanny Saw really kept me entertained. I’ll eagerly be awaiting her next book!

This summer, I was invited on the book tour for “The Second Mrs. Strom”, and I really enjoyed it. I realized afterwards that it was a sequel to a book called “Best Day Ever” (which I finally purchased in the middle of reading this third book). As with the second book, this would be fine as a stand-alone, but it was great knowing a couple of the characters. I can’t wait for my copy of the first book in this series to arrive!

We know Cecelia from “The Second Mrs. Strom”, but she is a different person now. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Paul, is in prison, and she’s now dating Evan, who gave her a daughter she wasn’t trying for. Once she got pregnant, Evan became distant, and when Peyton was born, he didn’t seem to want to connect with his daughter. Once Cecelia finds out he’s been unfaithful, she kicks him out of her luxurious home and refuses to let him see their child.

The problem is, Cecelia has severe back pain, loves her daughter so much but never felt maternal or anticipated having a child, and doesn’t feel she can do this on her own. After a breakdown at a coffee shop, she meets Lizzie, who surprisingly lives right next door. Lizzie is a nanny for the Johnson family, but after the kids got older and Mr. Johnson got pervy, she was looking for a new job. When she realized how much Cecelia needed her help (and how much she’d be paid), she immediately quit, and moved in next door.

The two women get along great; they both love Peyton, and Lizzie loves living in the luxurious house on the ocean (at the Johnson house, she was relegated to the attic - not quite as nice as the guest suite she was given at Cecelia’s house). Soon though, Evan and his mother start to come around asking to see Peyton, Paul is released from prison, Cecelia starts getting threatening texts, and the entire situation becomes out of control. Cecelia doesn’t trust anyone; even Lizzie is worrying her, and she’s feeling like she’s the worst mom ever. This ends with a terrifying twist, then perfection. I can’t wait to read the first book of this group, since I enjoyed the other two so much - look for that review soon. 4.5 stars!

(Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me on this book tour. “What The Nanny Saw” will be released on November 13, 2024.)