Olivia has been married to Lucas for six years, and he is her everything. When she meets his colleague, Natalie, she doesn't understand the look of hatred she sees in Natalie's eye. The two women become friends, and Olivia starts to learn that Lucas has been lying to her and may have had relationships with underage girls, as she was when she and Lucas first became involved. Meanwhile, Natalie has her own secrets and she will do anything to protect herself and her daughter.

This is an intriguing story told from multiple points of view. It is easy to feel a connection to the two women and the plights in which they find themselves. The book unfolds to a dramatic conclusion, which for me came at 2 a.m. because I couldn't close the book until I knew what happened!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Natalie is reunited with her first love, Mr. Hanson (he was her soccer coach when she was sixteen and ended up in a relationship with him) when she begins her new teaching job. Thankfully Lucas does not recognize her, but Natalie recognizes that Lucas is still a pedophile with a predisposition for being attracted to young teenage girls, despite the fact that he is married to Olivia. Natalie has her own secrets, especially that her daughter Emma is not her ex husband's daughter as Emma believes she is, but the result of an abusive relationship. As Olivia and Natalie’s friendship grows, Natalie finds herself helping Olivia. Great read with a satisfying end.

This was a good story and the author threw in some really interesting red herrings along the way. The treatment of statutory rape and predatory behaviour patterns over time was interesting and it is important these concepts are considered for what they are rather than excused or romanticised. Some of the coincidences were a bit hard to believe and the writing style was a little bit simple at times but it was a good story.

He is charming, sexy, observant, buys you things and listens to you. He really seems to know you, he picked you. The only problem is that he is your adult high school coach and you are a teen in high school.

Natalie has had to restart her life several times and never forgets her past which haunts her every waking day. When she starts her job at the new school, a man from her past is there to remind her of the hardest decision someone else took for her when she was a teen.

Olivia, Lucas' wife is sweet, kind, and very very young, just like Lucas likes them. She is a volunteer at the school where her husband works. She meets Natalie and they hit it off. What Olivia doesn't know is that Natalie and her husband share a past and it may be deadly.

Natalie must save the new victim that Lucas has set his eyes on, while trying to find out who has been stalking her, breaking into her home and befriending her daughter. Is it Lucas out for revenge? Could it be her ex who is Emma's father and who she sent to jail years ago? Could it be her new love interest Ryan who is a bit weird?

Find out how Natalie navigates these twisty and dangerous situations that put her, her daughter and The Innocent Wife in danger.


Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful ARC!

This book was okay, it was a pretty common theme of books that came out this past year. It was okay, it had a lot of predictable things go on. I guessed most of the twists and turns, so it was just not as thrilling or enticing as it could have been.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

A quick read. Lots of suspense making it a real page turner. Becoming a bit predictable towards the end however I enjoyed the book.

My first book by Sally Royer-Derr and wow I was absolutely hooked.
Natalie and Olivia were both well written likeable characters and I love how they were such strong women. The story was full of twists and turns, the ending was excellent and I didn’t guess what was going to happen at all. A brilliant read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sally Royer-Derr for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Natalie is a great main character and it was refreshing to read a non-traditional family set up where the point is not laboured, merely stated and assumed to be accepted.
She comes across a troubling character from her past when she starts her new job and watches him repeat his crimes again whilst struggling with how and when to intervene.
There are lots of page turning moments and some twists and turn along the way that make this a book to start early so you are not up late finishing it!

The Innocent Wife
By: Sally Royer-Derr

5 Stars

When Natalie starts her teaching job at a new school, she comes face to face with her past in the form of Lucas Hanson. She thought her crazy ex in jail, Theo, was all she had to worry about. She soon finds out, while trying to help a friend, that people are not what they seem to be at times.

Wow, this book was a powerful and emotional read. I loved all the characters, except a few of course. The storyline was crazy, and then, as the secrets came out, it got even crazier. It battles a difficult topic, and it does it well. I honestly loved this story because I was shocked. I can usually figure a thriller out, but this had me guessing until the end.

I loved the way the story ended. The epilogue and the message it sends alone is worth the read. You have to read the rest to get there, though! :)


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

Okay I read this book SO FAST. I quite literally could not put it down. The twists and turns of this book are addictive… you will have a new suspect every other chapter. This book is perfect for people who love a Thriller, but don’t want to be strung along forever and ever. It has so many genres wrapped into one, I think it would be perfect for anyone (adults only obviously)! I will give zero spoilers because you are going to want to read this one! Well done, Sally Royer-Derr!

Natalie is thrilled to begin her new job. But when she sees the 4th grade teacher, her past begins to flood back. Upon meeting his wife, Olivia, she suspects this man will continue to leave a path of destruction, but will she be able to stop him in time? Fabulous twists and turns throughout that kept me wanting for more. I could barely put this book down. Highly recommend!

Olivia Hanson thinks she has a dream marriage. Her husband, Lucas, keeps her safe and happy and is well-respected in the local school system. Olivia is the perfect wife for him, always happy and supportive—then she meets Lucas’s new colleague, Natalie, who has nothing but contempt for Olivia, a woman she had never met.
When Olivia befriends Natalie, she soon learns that her marriage to Lucas is not all she thought it was. Another woman was involved, and Natalie held all the secrets of Lucas and his long string of women. Olivia isn’t surprised. She knew her husband wasn’t a saint, but then came the shocker. Her history isn’t squeaky clean, either.
This edge-of-the-seat reading is full of unsuspecting twists – not to be missed.

The Innocent Wife by Sally Royer-Derr was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was compelling and had me hooked from the start.

Thinking she has finally escaped a tumultuous past, Natalie and her young daughter are embarking on a new life. Coming face to face with Lucas, someone from her past leaves Natalie shaken and in a panic. Then she meets Olivia, Lucas' wife and sees the parallels of her own teen years. Noticing that Lucas has the same M O as twenty years ago, Natalie is on high alert. Olivia is starting to realize something is off with Lucas and their marriage. She too is on high alert and joining forces with Natalie, they vow to stop Lucas before another innocent teen becomes his next victim.

I loved the characters of Natalie and Olivia and how compassionate they were even though they hadn't had the easiest of lives so far. They made up for the ugliness of Lucas as they fought to protect another innocent teen even though they never had anyone protect them. This was truly a great book and I enjoyed every page of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the advanced copy

Finished this book in less than 3 hours, one sitting! Took me a bit to get into as the beginning felt a bit forced. It wasn’t until about 40 pages in that I was really hooked. As the book progressed, it was hard to know the ending, though the obvious guesses jumped out. I enjoyed the twists and turns, which kept me intrigued and invested in finishing the book. As a mom, I wanted to jump into the book and do everything possible to find and protect Emma. Definitely worth the read, and one that will have me reading more by Sally Royer-Derr. Now it’s 3am and I’m wondering…did I move my trash can??

I liked it! This is a fast paced, easy read that had me flying through the chapters. It was a one day read for me. With 3 POVs and only 2 of them identified, the mysterious 3 POV increased the intrigue and added to the ‘creepy’ factor. The storyline includes some predatory subject matter that might be triggering for some. This is my first title by Royer-Derr but it won’t be my last. I liked how it was written. (3.5 rounded up to 4/5)
Thank You to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sally Royer-Derr for the invitation to read this ARC.

The Innocent Wife is such a great suspenseful book that you will not want to put down! It keeps you guessing until the very end. I loved everything about this book, especially the shocking way it ended.

I really struggled with this.
Some interesting moments and some unbelievable one's.
I found myself skimming which is not a good sign.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher.
Sadly this was not for me.

If you’re looking for a Page Turner then The Innocent Wife should be your next read. The Innocent Wife is a thrilling, edge of your seat page turner.
Written in multiple point of view style in Natalie, Olivia and “him” perspective you’ll be sucked in by these characters that are easy to connect with. I love a book that has me guessing and The Innocent wife didn’t disappoint. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by Sally Royer-Derr.

A fantastic domestic thriller read, There are no surprises or twists in the story; you know where the characters stand, For me, it was a unique story about Natalie, a special educator and single mom, who encounters Lucas again after twenty years. He is also a teacher in the same school she works,—the man who seduced her (rape) when she was only sixteen and he was her coach. Lucas doesn't recognize her at the beginning, but Natalie sees him as a teen predator who won't stop,..when she realizes there is another young woman caught up in Lucas’s lies.

Olivia is Luca's wife and she thinks Lucas, is charming and successful, and he offers her safety, security, and the life she always dreamed of. In return, Olivia is a picture-perfect housewife, smiling and supportive. But when she befriends Natalie, secrets come tumbling out that exposes the ugly side of Olivia’s beautiful marriage.

This was a page-turner, with an intriguing story, complex characters, and multiple POVs had all the thrill elements for suspense, a little bit of mystery and action, and a fast-paced story that will keep you entertained throughout the entire story.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

Title: The Innocent Wife
Author: Sally Royce-Derr
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Pub Date: January 13, 2025
My Rating: 4.4 Stars
Pages: 279

Story is told from the POV of Natalie, Olivia, and Him (who is mysterious).

We are introduced to Natalie Amaryllis a single mom at the beginning of this story. She is a single mom co-parenting young daughter Emma with now ex-husband Jake. Natalie loves Jake and he loves her but not in a romantic way. He is not the biological father of little Emma but loves her. He is a good guy and wants what is best for both of them. However now five years later he falls in love with Candace. Natalie is actually delighted as she knows he deserves a marriage of love. Little Emma misses her dad but does like Candace.

Natalie is a special education teacher and just started a new job at Peyton Heights East Elementary as a learning specialist supporting teachers of third and fourth grades. It is also little Emma’s first day at kindergarten so they are both excited. As Natalie is meeting the teachers she is shocked to find one of the teachers she will be working with is Lucas Hanson who was her soccer coach when she was fifteen and he was twenty-five. She is not happy to see him and is thankful he doesn’t recognize her.

Olivia and Lucas Hanson are the perfect couple.
Olivia meets Natalie at ‘The Back to School Carnival’ and they connect.
Olivia befriends Natalie and after a few casual get-together lunches Olivia begins to learn secrets come tumbling out that expose the ugly side of Olivia’s beautiful marriage and she realizes there is another young woman caught up in Lucas’s lies. Olivia sort knew her husband is no saint,

This story was a page-turner. I read a lot of thrillers and expect similarities so when one fools me-I am delighted!

About the Author: Sally Royce-Deer has degrees in psychology and education. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. She tells us in “A Letter from the Author” that this story was a fun story to write since it took place in a school setting as she worked in special education for many years. She of courses added twists and turns but wanted to show the powerful aspect of friendship – in this case between Natalie and Olivia as both deal with trauma and find strength in one another.

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 13, 2025.