I was really disappointed with this one. It took about 60% of the book before anything really ‘thrilling’ happened, and from there it still wasn’t anything special. The characters were super boring, there was nothing memorable about them. The multiple POV’s were hard to remember who was who, and then some chapters were just labeled ‘Wives’ and it would jump between each person's thoughts. It was also super annoying to read the same scene from 4 POV’s… I think the ‘best’ part was one of the reveals at the end of why everyone hated Daniel, and how he used them all for his own personal goals.

Deliciously clever. It had all the elements I love in a good read. The setting on the cruise was absolutely stunning, it created the perfect dramatic backdrop for a good whodunnit.

I don't want to spoil it but its so clever, I thought I had it figured out but I was way off.

This was a good read full of bad people! Really not a nice friendship group. The book is quite slow paced but has short chapters so this kept me engaged.

This is a fab book I really enjoy Valerie's books. I was hooked from the beginning to the end

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Natasha is a Practice Nurse at the local hospital, and she used to love her job but now she seems to be rushed off her feet. She meets the dashing and charismatic Daniel, who also happens to be wealthy too. She has something positive in her life to look forward too. She is now 36 and the only single person in her group of friends, which consists of Barbara, Tracy-Ann and Michele and herself. Her relationship with Daniel is supposed to be a fling. But she gets a surprise when he asks her to marry her, and she agrees.
After the wedding Daniel asks Natasha to go on a cruise and tells her to bring her friends with their other halves too. She is delighted but when she tells her friends the news, the reaction is not what she expected. But they agree to support their friend. But whilst on the cruise, Natasha finds out what Daniel is really like. He is not the Charming charismatic person they are all led to believe.
This is a gripping story with lots of twists and is told in several POV’s of each friend having secrets that are linked to Daniel and someone who wants he dead. But why? Like her other books. I enjoyed this tale, and I wasn’t expecting the ending. 4 stars from me.

This is not the first suspense thriller I've read called THE WIVES but it is my favorite so far! I love the ladies drama, the intrigue, the twists and how the mystery unravelled as we went. What a great time, highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really like how Valerie Keogh writes- short, fast paced chapters that move the storyline, revealing twists along the way.
I didn’t see the final twists of this story coming…..I’m not sure that I liked how the book ended but I totally didn’t see it coming!
This wasn’t my favourite of Keogh’s books but still a recommended read.
4 couples travelling together, on a cruise ship for a week- what could possibly go wrong?
Thank You to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for the opportunity enjoy this ARC.

Loved!!! I was blown away and the twists? Fantastic!! I love a good twist and this book delivered! Thanks Netgalley for always coming through!

Natasha and Daniel recently rushed into a marriage. Natasha was a nurse, but is now content just being a trophy wife of her rich investor husband. Daniel mentions wanting to go on a cruise to Africa and ends up paying for Natasha’s three friends and their husbands. Natasha has felt distant from them lately and is ready to reconnect. From the start, secrets are revealed, one by one. It seems like everyone is hiding something, and everyone has a connection to Daniel, who is appearing more and more untrustworthy and suspicious as the story goes on. His own wife even beings to hate him because of what she’s found out.
You can’t have a “thriller” set on a cruise ship without at least one murder. The drama kept unfolding, but to me, this was a slow-paced story. It was predictable and not very thrilling for me at all. It was told from the perspective of all the wives, and it took a bit of time for me to have all 8 of the main characters differentiated in my head. The last twist just seemed unnecessary. Also, all the characters were extremely unlikeable.
I do want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an opportunity to read this ARC for free in exchange from my honest review.

Love a good who done it! How well do you know your significant other? How long together until you discover who they really are? When a group of friends dubbed “the wives” welcome their friends new spouse into their lives he immediately worms his way into their relationships and starts to break down their friendship. I really enjoy Valerie Keogh’s books and make a point to read any I come across; The Wives did not disappoint. That ending though 😱

The book started off so strong. But then quickly lost momentum. Short choppy writing. Very repetitive. Plot was boring. I did not even care to know who or why the person killed Daniel. And the multiple POV written in 3rd person also got very confusing.

I enjoyed the story, but I think it could use more elements to evoke a stronger emotional response. While it was a good read and I would recommend it for those who enjoy slow suspense, I wish there was more anger and hunger for revenge in the storytelling. I appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. Thank you!

Four wives in their forties, best friends for decades, take turns narrating this thriller, which soon reveals secrets being held by all, and a tide that all too quickly turns deadly when one of them, Natasha, marries the devilishly handsome Daniel (who perhaps not surprisingly, has secrets upon secrets of his own).

When the wives, and their husbands, go on an all-expense-paid cruise to Zanzibar (paid for by none other than the dastardly Daniel), the stage is set for murder.

With a plot that this reader found simplistic, and characters with backstories undeveloped enough to make it difficult to identify each as separate and interesting, nonetheless this book was a quick and lightly enjoyable read — a good fit for a rainy, lazy, afternoon.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

*** Three and a half shiny stars

I enjoyed The Wives by Valerie Keogh. I like all of her books and this one isn't any different! I enjoyed the cruise setting and the whodunit and I really didn't figure out the ending. I recommend it to anyone for a quick thrilling read! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Natasha has long been a career woman, not interested in marriage and kids, but she feels burned out from her job when she meets the rich and handsome Daniel and when he asks her to marry him, she quickly accepts even though she doesn't necessarily love him. She is good friends with a group of three other women, all of whom are married with kids. When Daniel invites the three women and their husbands on an all expenses paid luxury cruise to Zanzibar, they reluctantly accept and we find out that they all have reason to dislike Daniel.

4.5 stars.

I sped through this one in a day. This was unexpectedly good and better than the run of the mill psychological thriller. I think the reason I enjoyed it more than the usual is that many of these types of novels rely on the main character (almost always a woman) to be a fool that can't see the obvious right in front of her face. That wasn't the case here, as everyone generally knew what they were doing and knew Daniel was trouble and I really appreciated that. Beyond that, the story sped along and there were enough interesting revelations to keep be interested throughout. My first novel from this author, but it won't be my last.

Multiple wives, allocated days of the week. What is real and what is the truth?
A masterful suspense story. Full of hidden truths that do not reveal themselves till the very end

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑪𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔.

Natasha is feeling the burnout of her nursing job, and at 38, she longs for the life her married friends have. So when she starts dating wealthy, charismatic Daniel, she knows that he's the one...the one who will provide the life she wants, that is.

When Daniel graciously suggests inviting Natasha's friends and their husbands on an all-expenses paid cruise, she's overjoyed to show off her good fortune. But the sun-soaked cruise ship soon grows dark and stormy for Natasha when she finds out that Daniel has been keeping secrets.

She has no time to recover from her husband's duplicity, however, as each friend confesses their reason for hating Daniel. What started as a simple way to get a comfortable life has turned into a nightmare, one in which someone on board the ship won't wake up from.

This was a twisty, diabolical read with an ending I could NOT have predicted! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this stunning early read. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish on November 6, 2024.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Lots of great characters and a brilliant plot. Plenty of suspense and intrigue and a fantastic ending.
Highly recommended.

Thank you for Valerie Keogh and NetGalley for offering this ARC in exchange my review.

In reading "The Wives" by Valerie Keogh, I found myself captivated by the intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characters. The story revolves around the lives of three seemingly ordinary wives, each harboring secrets that gradually unfold, revealing a web of intrigue and deception. Keogh's masterful storytelling drew me in, making it difficult to put the book down as I eagerly turned each page to uncover more layers of their intertwined fates. I couldn't put it down. Recommend!

I had mixed feelings about this book. It was easy and quick to read, and kept my attention, but I didn't love any of the characters.

Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michele are best friends, who have been best friends since college. While Natasha loves her friends and their husbands, she has been consumed with her job as a nurse. And while she has loved her job in the past, it has become overwhelming and distressing due to circumstances we're not really given information about (except for one vague reference that may be about Covid). When Natasha begins dating Daniel, a rich, good looking, fit, charismatic professional, she enjoys being taken care of, wined and dined. So when he proposes, she just says yes, so she can quit her job.

Natasha is my biggest problem with this book. Which is unfortunate, because she's the main character. But she gives her life away...her personality, her preferences, the things she enjoys...all so can quit her job. What? I could understand if she fell in love with the man, and made decisions based on her feelings of love, but knowingly entering into marriage with someone you don't love, who ignores your desires and has a questionable character so you don't have to work...it fell flat for me.

I did enjoy the mystery, and plot never lagged. I mostly figured out "who dun it," except for that darn twist at the end.