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.

What a fast paced, page turning thriller! The characters in this were described perfectly, I felt like I knew them well. Definitely lots of twists and turns and I love the multiple points of view.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this

This is a really well written story full of twists, secrets and lies. The two women at the centre of it all have their own secrets too. It's a rollercoaster of a ride that doesn't let up. i really enjoyed it.

Natalie is a single mom and starting a new job at school. She has her secrets that she has run away from. Now, all she wants is a simple life with her daughter.

The first day at school she runs realizes she will be working with Lucas Hanson. He is one person she hoped never to run into again. He is good looking and charming but she knows the monster that lives inside him. Natalie wants to turn the tables on Lucas and reveal the truth about him. She hates him with a passion and you feel it radiate off the page.

Natalie becomes fast friends with Olivia who is married to Lucas. Natalie is a great mom and goes out her way to protect those around her. Hearing Olivia’s story is gut-wrenching to read about what she went through as a child and the fact she is isn’t the first.

As the story unfolds you will be shocked as the past is revealed.

If you're a fan of Frieda McFadden, this book might help fill the void while you wait for her next release!

This was a quick-read thriller that didn't include anything overly horrifying or obscene—though that may depend on personal taste. The writing is solid, and I found myself completely engrossed in the story. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I was eager to see how everything would unfold, and the ending took me completely by surprise.

I was very excited to be gifted this book by the publisher because I love finding new authors. I never heard of this author before however I couldn't wait to start this book. The plot sounded like everything I would enjoy and I was not disappointed. The weren't too many characters in this book which made it very easy to follow. It gave the reader much more information on the character development and the plot. For the most part this book circled around two main characters Natalie, and Candice. When Natalie takes position at her daughter's new school she thinks things can only go up for her. A new job a new city a whole new life it's everything she could want. However she stopped dead in her tracks when she runs into a man from her past that she thought she had long left behind. Her fears are confirmed as the man is confirmed to be Lucas, a man who seduced her and groomed her when he was twenty-five and she was fifteen. Now with a child of her own to take care of her fears multiply when she sees Lucas with the student helper at the school, Haley, who happens to be 15 as well. With her instincts going crazy she's determined to protect her family. This was a very fast paced read however there were lots of character switches which I'm not the biggest fan of. My favourite character had to be Natalie. I loved seeing her deal with her past trauma but at the same time being a strong woman and trying to do everything in her power to protect the child she didn't even know, on top of her own kids. With good character development in a really good plot I found myself getting lost in this book As the story connects you between time frames and characters you will be amazed at how perfectly they blend together. This was a creepy book that will really keep you guessing as well as pulling your loved ones closer. This is a book that binge reads were made for. Great read the whole way through. This book gave thriller movie vibes so strong that I could almost hear background music. This is one story you will get lost in. I loved every minute of it and I can't wait to see it hit shelves when it gets released. There was so many twists around every corner and the ending was the best I never saw that coming and I was left completely speechless. Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me early access of this story. I'm so excited to read what else Sally has written and after being introduced to her in this book I know I won't be disappointed.

4.75⭐️
Sally Roger-Derr has become an auto-read author for me and her books keep getting better.
I am so thankful to Storm Publishing giving me a free ARC of their titles as they are always stand outs to me this allowing me to review them.

Thriller writers can become so predictable or they regurgitate others works by changing a few things but this is fairly original. The FMC Natalie is a special education teacher and you can tell that the author has first hand experience as it was written with care and accuracy. That character background wasn’t part of the main plot but it enriched the character as well as made the story come together seamlessly.

While I figured out the who’s and what’s before they were unveiled that did not take away from my enjoyment. And.. there was one twist that I did NOT see coming and
Added an extra layer to the story.

It did her a little slow around the 30% mark and had minor things that kept me from giving it a 5⭐️ for my personal tastes but it’s moot as I rounded it up for Goodreads which I rarely to.

I loved the two women in this novel. It is twisty and thrilling and is a well written tale.

Two women vying for the same man but one knows better.

it is a great domestic thriller and how the story unfolded was just exciting.

I loved the ending and for once couldn't guess what would happen next

recommended read.

Whoa! This had me flipping pages like I was on some kind of book-induced treadmill (but, you know, the fun kind). The vibes? Totally domestic drama meets thriller central. And the secrets? Let’s just say everyone here could use, like, a major truth detox.

The way the story pulled you in with its "oh no, they didn't!" moments was chef’s kiss. Like, just when I thought I knew where it was headed—BAM—curveball central! And honestly, the tension between the main characters? It had me biting my nails and reaching for popcorn at the same time.

There’s definitely a juicy mix of "yikes" and "yes girl" energy throughout, and while not every twist left me totally shook, it was still, like, a thrilling ride. Overall, it was super bingeable and, like, the perfect dose of drama. I’d totally recommend it for anyone needing a "can’t-put-it-down" moment.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. 💕

This book is worth a read and it is well written. However, I was hoping for a bit more excitement. I really enjoyed it up to about the half way mark but then I began to get bored and wanted Natalie to keep her nose out of things! The twists and turns lacked lustre somehow, and there were several things that were just too unbelievable. It was interesting in a way, and I’m sure lots of readers will absolutely love it. For me, there wasn’t enough intrigue or tension but I thank the publishers for the complimentary copy.

Natalie and her young daughter make a fresh start following her divorce. She remains good friends with her ex husband. Natalie starts work at a new school and makes a friend with Olivia who is married to Lucas one of the teachers at the school. Natalie and Olivia have a lot in common.
This book deals with abuse of vulnerable young women. I enjoyed the book from start to finish.

This was just OK for me, nothing different or terribly interesting. It did keep my interest, but I was hoping for a good twist -- I didn't feel it delivered that. The main characters weren't very interesting and likable, so I had a hard time rooting for them. I think this will appeal to a pretty wide audience; it just didn't appeal to me very much.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This is my first Sally Royer-Derr read. It was really good albeit at times wordy. I loved the twists and turns and trying to figure out who was good and who was bad. The ending was great as well. Highly recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

I couldn't put this book down. There were times I was certain that X was going to be the person of interest. A couple chapters later I thought Y, and then Z...
I wasn't thrilled about the connection between 2 characters in the end (I don't want to spoil anything). That seemed a bit...too convenient. But overall I really liked the book.

This is another great novel by Sally Royer-Derr, tense and suspenseful as Natalie comes face to face with a teacher from her past. Lucas Hanson was her sports coach who groomed her when she was 15. He's now married to Olivia, and it seems up to his old tricks with a young girl Haley who's training at the school where Natalie works with Lucas.
Added to this and we have a mystery character who is watching Natalie's every move, just waiting to strike. Life is going to catch up with all of them and it won't be a happy ending.
Told from 3 perspectives this is a fast paced novel. I loved how Natalie tried to protect Olivia and Haley, there are characters you'll love and characters you'll hate all wrapped up in this domestic drama

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an early read of The Innocent Wife. I have loved all of Sally Royer-Derr’s books and The Innocent Wife was no exception. I was engaged from beginning to end with this story.

Thank you soooooo very much Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an Awesome book The Innocent Wife. Really good read, one part at the ending was a bit far fetched but otherwise it was great. Loved the characters especially Natalie. Super plot, sleazy teacher, awesome friends. Thanks again.

My this is a fast paced thriller. You really need to keep your wits about you to keep track of everyone and everything that is going on. It swaps a lot from one narrative to another which can be a bit tricky but does give you a better insight. Absolutely brilliant.