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.

When Natasha meets Daniel, she thinks she's hit the jackpot. Rich, handsome, and charming, Daniel seems like the perfect husband—at least on the surface. But as Natasha soon discovers, Daniel's secrets run deep, and he's not the only one with something to hide.

To flaunt her new life, Natasha invites her closest friends—Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michelle—along with their husbands on an all-expenses-paid cruise, courtesy of Daniel. It’s supposed to be a dream vacation to show everyone how much she’s "made it." But as the ship sets sail, things quickly take a dark turn, as each of the wives has their reasons to want Daniel dead. What was supposed to be a luxury getaway could end up being far more costly than any of them expected.

The cast of characters is as dramatic as the plot. Barbara, struggling with her husband Ralph’s early retirement and his complete withdrawal from life, sees Daniel as a fantasy escape—a sexy distraction from her mundane reality. Tracy Ann worried about her fading beauty and the monotony of her marriage to sweet but predictable Blake, finds herself drawn to Daniel after a fleeting moment at a party changes everything. And then there’s Michelle, whose next chapter with her husband Don was supposed to be full of excitement, only for Daniel’s involvement to send them spiralling toward bankruptcy instead.

With plenty of alcohol, deception, and tension, secrets start to spill between these eight friends, and the result is a whirlwind of drama on the high seas. The intrigue and betrayal build with every chapter, making for a fast-paced, page-turning read. Watching the lies unravel and the stakes rise kept me hooked until the very last twist.

If you love thrillers with juicy secrets, complicated relationships, and a touch of luxury gone wrong, this book delivers it all in spades. Perfect for anyone looking for a fun, dramatic read that keeps you guessing until the end.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

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.