keough is an impressive thriller writer and this work is definitely a super cool thriller, though things get unraveled at a lottle bit of an erratic rate.

The plot of Valerie Keogh novels are gratifyingly diverse, but delightfully they all do share the hallmark of being utterly great reads!

This, the latest novel, is set aboard a luxury cruise ship, giving us the opportunity to enjoy variously living the high life, that said, I am delighted not to be sharing the painful death that befalls one of the character!

Natasha, the single one amidst her close friendship group, marries the handsome and charismatic Daniel, and the couple invite Natasha's 3 best friends, along with spouses, on a luxury cruise. Natasha is surprised when her friends seem reticent in accepting this generous offer. As this novel progresses, we discover he precise reasons behind the reticence.... and some very precise reasons for murder!

This is a very decent read, from a. very, very decent author! A book I absolutely wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this novel in exchanger for an advance copy.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The first half was SO boring that for a second I thought I wouldn't finish it. And then the second half was so brilliant and fast-paced it blew me away! The final twists are really incredible and unexpected. If it weren't for (about) the first half of the book being so boring and unnecessary slow, I would've rated it much higher.
I love Keough's writing style, which is what kept me going and I'm glad I did. I recommend it. Don't feel unmotivated by the first chapters, it gets better!

I love all this author's books so I was really happy to get an ARC of this latest one. It didn't disappoint. Everyone has their secrets and everything is about to spill. Natasha thinks marrying Daniel will set her up for life. When all her friends are invited to join her and Daniel on a cruise, well, what could go wrong... Really enjoyed the story. Characters are not particularly likeable but you do want to know what happens.
Not sure how I felt about the ending.. I won't give anything away. I thought it might happen and when it did I was a bit hmmm. However, it is different and will catch a lot of people out

When Natasha meets Daniel, she knows her life is made. Rich, handsome, and charming, Daniel will make the perfect husband. Even though she won't make the perfect wife. She is thrilled when Daniel suggests an all-expenses-paid cruise for Natasha, her friends, Barbara, Tracy Ann, Michelle, and their husbands. What better way than to show everyone that Natasha has finally made it? But as the ship sets sail, she learns that far from being the perfect husband, Daniel has terrible secrets that are about to be revealed. And each of the wives has their own reasons for wanting him dead.

I was fully invested in this story from the first page. With plenty of twists, a fast pace, and characters I did not like, just made me love this book more. The secrets and lies are plentiful. It's also a descriptively written story, and it's told from the wives' points of view. It's a cleverly crafted, gripping, and has an ending I wasn't expecting.

Published 6th November 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #ValerieKeogh for my ARC of #TheWives in exchange for an honest review.

4 best friends and their hubby’s on a cruise

All 8 have secrets between each other

What could go wrong?….

Suffice to say a lot and in a short space of time, once they realise how close they will actually be living together for a week and the pretences of how happy they all are being so close at all times, the bonhomie quickly wanes and revenge is on a lot of their minds….not that the others have a clue about how each other are feeling….or plotting

I loved being back on a cruise ship and rhe descriptions of the ship and the food and the ambience and the day trips, never tire of books set on ships….and this exciting thriller kept me bobbing along as the waters got murkier and more muddled leading to a wave of actions that would change all of their lives forever

Beware who you invite on your holidays and what there true intentions might be…oh, and who you marry! 😎

Overall a good read... a little slow in spots... but the end was great. I definitely didn't see it coming.

The Wives
by Valerie Keogh
Pub Date: November 6, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A gripping new story from the psych thriller queen that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Frieda McFadden, J.A. Baker and Sue Watson.
This book was a page turner for me! I could not put it down.
Wow, another winner by Valerie Keogh.

Daniel is everything Natasha has been looking for, her dream man. Confident, good looking full of charisma and not short of funds, what more could she want? Daniel offers to pay for her girlfriends and their partners to go on a cruise with Daniel picking up the bill. Unfortunately, Natasha is about to find out that behind the charming facade, he has qualities that will greatly affect her life, and not in a good way.
Excellent, entertaining book that I highly recommend.

The wives is about 4 couples that go on a cruise which is funded by Natasha's new husband Daniel. No one likes Daniel and they all have good reason not to so why do they all agree to go? I really enjoyed this book it kept me gripped right from the start and what an ending. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book and liked the writing. For me, the pacing was off, and I just kept waiting for the murder to happen, which established suspense. Some of the details of the illness that led to Daniel’s death were too descriptive in my opinion. The plot twist was unexpected and worked well. I would recommend this book to others, there were small aspects that made this a three star for me. I did enjoy reading and would pick up another book by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early access book. I’ve read 7 of this author’s books and enjoyed most of them. This one is really tricky to rate because although I liked the story and it kept me interested, nothing happened until I was over half way through the book. Towards the end all the twists kept flying and they were great.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and fun read. It wasn’t my favorite and it didn’t “stand out” to me as one of my favorite thrillers.

Initially a good read and the events seemed intriguing. All the characters had something annoying or untrustworthy about them and their friendship was odd. The ending was surreal and slightly bonkers, it took a strange direction..

the book was fine, took me a while to get into it, I'd read a few books with a similar concept recently so that might be why . But it was okay

This is my first read of Valerie Keogh. The book held a lot of promise and got interesting at 70%.

We have 4 best friends who have gone through different life stages and are still close. Natasha the only single friend introduces Daniel to the group and that's when things start going awry.

There are multiple POV's in the book and each of them show an undesirable side of the wives. None of the characters are pleasing and they all have an ulterior motive.

As the story progresses, cracks start appearing in their friendship and also in the book. The POV's don't generate a buzz. I feel that we could have just kept Natasha's PoV. The mystery part was fun till it was not. The ending felt anti-climactic.

I give this book 3 stars. It was a light read though I wished for a different ending.

I thank NetGalley and Boldwood books for this E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Wives by Valerie Keogh is a fun book about four couples who go on a luxury cruise, funded by Natasha’s new husband, Daniel. Daniel is a horrible, manipulative individual and each of the characters have issues with him, most of them wishing him dead. Told from different points of view, this is a quick, easy read, and the setting of an upmarket cruise ship adds to the increasing tension. Although I’m not a huge fan of unresolved endings, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised by the final reveals. This is a light-hearted, twisty, rollicking read that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Valerie Keogh, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Really enjoyed this. Had me gripped from the start full of twists as the story continued I’d highly recommend this book to anyone.

“The Wives” by Valerie Keogh was a cannot put down, slow burn psychologically thriller that pulled me right in. I cannot wait to read more by the author, I’m a total fan now!

We meet Natasha a 38 year old nurse in London. She met and was quickly swept up by her now husband Daniel. We meet Natasha’s friends Barbara, Tracy Ann, Michele and their respective husbands. Natasha’s friends seem to be standoffish with how quickly Natashas’s relationship moved but a free cruise paid for by Daniel brings them all together. Everyone has their own secrets they bring with them. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put this book down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This as a pacy, ‘keep you guessing’ read right from page one until the twisty end. Secrets, lies and revenge are the undercurrent to the story about four friends and their husbands who go on a cruise together but not all of them return home. Told from multiple viewpoints this keeps the punches coming. A great read.

Another great easy read and book from this author. Lots of twists and all the characters were well defined. The storyline was exactly what it said in the write up. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The twisty, suspenseful plot made this a hard book to put down! The story had me engaged and looking forward to each chapter! Great psychological thrill and I'm excited to read more of Valerie Keogh's books!