The synopsis of this book hooked me. A pretty fast read, with A LOT of characters,and secrets to keep track of. This definitely had me guessing and second guessing as to what was going on. I took off 1 star because I felt there was a lack of character development, I didn’t know who I was supposed to like and who I was to be suspicious of. The husband was atrocious, some of the “friends” not worthy of the title … all in all it was a good & satisfying read. Twists I didn’t see coming, secrets that shocked me, and events that made me do a fist-pump in the air. Overall a solid 4 star book.

This is a great psychological thriller.
A cast of weak and amoral characters.
The wives and their husbands. A tale of, friends, lies, and loyalties.
An unputdownable read

I’ve always enjoyed Valerie’s book but unfortunately this book did not remotely feel like her work.

Obviously this is my opinion and I know people have enjoyed it but, I think it was repetitive. I feel like is was a rushed job of a starting out independent author.

I’m giving two stars because I usually enjoy Valerie’s work.

I’m sorry.

Yet again another great read from this author with an unexpected twist you don’t see coming. Natasha and her friends Tracey Ann, Michelle and Barbara had been close since university. Natasha had watched her friends get married and have children and she was the odd one out. Still single and a hard working nurse. When she meets Daniel who is handsome and rich and wants to marry her she thinks she’s finally going to be like her friends. Daniel offers to take them all on a cruise the trip of a life time to make up for the small wedding they had. This close group have a lot of secrets hidden from each other that are about to come to light.

I’ve been dying to read one of Valarie’s books I just hadn’t found the time so I was over the moon to receive this arc! The book follows four friends 3 of which are married and are ““the wives” one is single. Natasha has always been focused on her career but recently she’s fed up. She meets a man and although she doesn’t feel strongly for him he can offer her a certain lifestyle that she thinks she might now want after years of working for the NHS. They quickly get married and she is thrilled to become one of the wives! When Daniel her husband suggests a Cruise with all the wives and their husbands Natasha is happy to get away with her friends. Quickly though things don’t go to plan when one of the wives makes a confession and the bond between the friends starts to unravel!
My heart was in my mouth towards the end of this book, as the events unfolded and things happened it wasn’t what I expected at all! Can’t wait to get stuck in to her whole back catalogue now 🤣
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Release date - 6th November

Do you really know your best friends as well as your husband? Although Natasha knows that she has a lot still to learn about her new husband especially after their whirlwind romance and marriage, she still believes that the friends whom she has known since university, all have her back. However when they are all invited onto an all expenses paid cruise together, the vipers begin to crawl out of their nests ! Plenty of deals going on behind the scenes to a rather naive Natasha, makes them all guilty of wanting her husband dead, but the question is which one has the guts and opportunity to do it. Great descriptive writing of the cruise ship and the destinations and plenty of information to muddy the waters as to who the guilty party is. Oh and also an ending that I didn't see coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC to review.

Well I stayed up until the early hours reading this one, I couldn’t put it down. It is a suspenseful mystery, with cliff hanger chapters making you want to keep reading to find out the secrets that are being kept.

Natasha has three best friends since their uni days, Barbara, Michele and Tracy Ann. The other three have all been married for a long time but Natasha has only recently become a wife herself. Her husband Daniel treats the group of wives and husbands to a seven day cruise, a chance to relax, enjoy the ports they stop at and spend time together as couples. But is Daniel really the Mr Charming as he would like them all to believe?

Set on a cruise ship this is a perfect summer read, or a great winter read to escape the doom and gloom. Murder mystery with scandal and secrets galore to keep you guessing, focusing on the fractured friendships in the group and I must admit I don’t know if I felt more sorry for the wives or the husbands. Great ending too which rounded it all off perfectly.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC.

Wow, what an incredible story! I absolutely loved the locked-door mystery with the cruise as the setting. Valerie is undeniably a talented author. By infusing intense drama along with mystery and intrigue, she really brought this story to life!

A little about the book:

Natasha is over the moon when she meets Daniel. He's rich, handsome, and charming. Soon after they meet, they tie the knot! Natasha believes she's found her happily ever after; her friends not so much.

As if that wasn't wonderful enough, Natasha's excitement reaches new heights when Daniel suggests an all-expenses-paid cruise for her, her friends, and their husbands.

But once the ship sets sail, Natasha discovers Daniel isn't the perfect husband she thought he was.

This thrilling story keeps you hooked! What starts as a dream vacation quickly turns into a dangerous game of deceit and deadly intentions.

I loved the alternating characters' POVs. Also, everyone in the cast becomes a suspect. Towards the end, I thought I figured out what was going to happen but nope! Talk about making my jaw drop, fantastic job, Valerie.

Good friends, lies, deception, and betrayal are the perfect combination in this gripping, unpredictable thriller! Everyone has secrets and some are deadly. What is everyone hiding and could it possibly lead to murder? An exotic cruise is the perfect setting for intrigue, unexpected twists, and an addictive mystery. I loved every wicked minute. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my copy.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.5 stars
A perfect popcorn thriller about four couples on a cruise, where each of them tries to hide a secret | Told from multiple POVs in a single timeline, the story is very fast paced and energetic | From page 1 you know that something bad is going to happen - the anticipation build up is intense | There were several twists, although none of them were completely shocking | This still made an amazing read that I highly recommend to any thriller lover | I will check out Valerie Keogh's other books

This review has been published on IG (@Nadineslovelybooks) and on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book from Valeria Keogh. She never disappoints. Tense and Suspenseful. Recommended.

This psychological thriller is about four friends, Natasha, Barbara, Tracy Ann, and Michele. Natasha was the last one of the group to marry, her husband is wealthy, so when he suggests that all the four couples go on a cruise as his treat, Natasha is pleased. The girls have been talking about going on a cruise for a while, so they all agree, but some more reluctantly than others. When one of the husbands dies during the cruise, friendships and relationships are tested, with secrets and deceptions coming to light.
There are lots of plot twists and turns, and I didn't see the ending coming. A great read. 5 stars.

The Wives is a quick psychological thriller that definitely has some interesting twists and turns. We are introduced to Natasha, Tracy Ann, Michele and Barbara, friends from college, who embark on a cruise to Zanzibar. That should be great, right? Except it seems that everyone has their own secrets and motivations that slowly start to come to light. When one of the husbands ends up dead, there are a lot of unanswered questions.

I think this one was just average for me. It was a fast paced book, and a quick read with an interesting story but it didn’t seem like there was a lot of character development. They weren’t relatable and for “friends” it just didn’t seem to line up. The multiple POV seemed a little disjointed and rushed. There wasn’t really any action until the book was almost over. The twists towards the end had me going, but it was really hard to get into for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for the eARC of The Wives in exchange for an honest review. You can look out for The Wives next week, 06 November 2024.

As always with Valerie Keogh books I felt immediately invested in the secrets and danger, very suspensful read.

This book was so good. It had so much drama and suspense. I had no idea it would end the way it did. Read it, you won’t be sorry!

This is a great psychological thriller.
Natasha is close to her three friends, Barbara, Michele and Tracy-Ann. They are all married except for her but then she meets Daniel.
Things move very quickly and soon he proposes to her. Natasha works hard at the hospital but lately has been struggling, so Daniel tells her to quit as he has enough money for both of them.
Natasha initially enjoys married life but then realises she needs more from life.
Daniel then suggests a cruise for all four couples which they all agree to, but Natasha can sense some hesitancy from her friends.
I won’t spoil what happens when they get on the ship, but be prepared for a few twists and turns.
This is a great read.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Four best friends and their husbands go on a cruise together. The ladies have talked about going on a cruise for years, so what could go wrong?

Natasha and Daniel seem like the perfect couple, after a short engagement, they decide to treat their friends to an all expenses paid cruise. However is everything as perfect as it seems on the outside?

Barbara loves her husband, but since he retired she’s struggling to like him. Every day he lacks the motivation to leave the house and even shower some days. Will the cruise help save their marriage?

Tracey Ann needs more excitement in her life, more than her husband Blake can provide for her. Blake loves her and would do anything for Tracey Ann, but when he realises what she’s done, will he be able to forgive her?

Michele and Don are hiding something, and they are afraid that on this cruise all their secrets will come out. Will they be able to last the week without someone finding out their terrible truths?

I really loved how every time I read a chapter I had more questions, I really loved a book which makes me wonder and think (although I can never work out the mystery!). Valerie Keogh brilliantly writes this gripping story, with so many twists and turns it was hard to keep up! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a mystery thriller.

Thank you to Valerie Keogh, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Daniel would take advantage of his own mother if there was something in it for him"

Meet Natasha, Tracy Ann, Michele and Barbara, four best friends who, together with their husbands, embark on the trip of a lifetime: a cruise to the Zanzibar archipelago. Sounds like a dream right? Well, the dream very quickly turns into a nightmare as secrets are slowly revealed, secrets that all seem to have something to do with Natasha's wealthy and super-charming new husband Daniel. What will happen, as they spend eight days together on a ship with nowhere to run?

I am afraid to say, this one didn't quite grip me as much as I hoped it would. Yes it is a quick read and yes, the descriptions of the cruise ship, the food, the drinks, the shows and entertainment, as well as the lush islands our characters explore together off ship had me looking forward to my own next cruise, the story, nor the characters could hold my attention much. It is only at about 55-60 % in the book that anything thrilly starts to happen. Before that point, we are reading the dragged out stories of four women, all unhappy with their lives one way or another and one even more unlikable than the next, who should have never been friends, or at least gone on this trip together, They easily blend together, keeping it hard to keep track of who is who, who is married to who, and what their specific issue was again. Once it finally does start going, it goes, and it goes fast, and it turns into more of the twisty plot I have gotten used to from Valerie Keogh.

I have loved reading previous works by Valerie Keogh, so I am really bummed that this one was only so-so. Onwards and forward to the next one though!

The Wives
by Valerie Keogh
Pub Date: Nov 06 2024

The Wives is a fast-paced psychological thriller that kept me eager to turn each page. Lots of secrets, twists, and layers of tension.

The story was told from all four women's ( Michele, Barbara, Tracy Ann and Natasha's ) viewpoints. Natasha is looking to be a trophy wife after a hard career as a nurse, and she finds her place with investor Daniel.. She can finally fit in amongst her friend's. Unfortunately Natasha quickly realizes she’s not in love with Daniel but the perks of being a wife, and trying to fit his perfect mold is not easy, especially since he seems to be ready to leave her (without funds) before their prenup’s payout terms come up. Knowing this Natasha and Daniel embark on a cruise, paying for her friends to join along with their husbands. Daniel is shady and that quickly emerges on the cruise, with each of Natasha’s friends hiding secrets about him that give a dark edge to their images as perfect wives.

Many thanks to #TheWives #NetGalley and #Boldwoodbooks for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

This book was a fast easy read for me. It's about 4 women that have been friends for many years. Things start to change when one friend meets and marries a charismatic man. While some things are made apparent early on. A few things figured out if reader pays attention. There are twists till the very end. If looking for an enjoyable fast paced easy who done it book. I suggest to give this one a read.