3.75 star
Detective Darcy White discovers her husband is having an affair when the mistress's husband is discovered dead

Started out a bit slow , but picked up midway

My Husband's Mistress by Willow Rose and narrated by Lauryn Allman and Barbara Barnes was an excellent heart-stopping psychological thriller and it was an excellent audiobook from start to finish. I just love the way this author writes, and every book she has written has been 5 stars reads with lots of twists and turns throughout that will have you hooked from the beginning till the very end. My Husband's Mistress was no different. . . . Another s Star read!

The narrators Lauryn Allman and Barbara Barnes were brilliant and bought this audiobook alive. Just superb together.

I highly recommend this book. Great Holiday read.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for my ARC's.

Darcey White is a senior detective working for the St. Augustine Police Department in Florida. She is married to Bradley Cavendish, an attorney and they are the parents of 5-year-old twins Jacob and Emma. Darcey is also mother to teenage Georgia from another relationship. Darcey has known for some time that Bradley meets up with other women and has actually seen him in action.

Darcey is called to a large mansion to investigate the murder of Edward Kane, 45, a well-known and very wealthy businessman. Police are treating his wife, Charlotte Kane, as a suspect. When questioning the woman, she tells Darcey that she did not kill her husband but that it was Bradley Cavendish with whom she was having an affair, who killed him. Shocked, Darcy knows she should recuse herself from the investigation but she remembers when she saw the two of them together, Bradley swore to her he would not see Charlotte again.

As the story unfolds, Darcey and Charlotte begin an unlikely friendship. Darcey feels like the woman is brow-beaten and she wants to help her. However, her own marriage is unraveling and she’s worried about her own drinking. As things come to a conclusion, the reader isn’t sure who the murderer truly is. Can you discover the truth?

This was certainly a twisty thriller and the ending was a surprise to me. The lengths that some people go to in life to hurt and humiliate others is unreal. Enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a page-turner! Detective Darcey White discovers that her husband is having an affair. He promises to change his ways but can she really trust him? Then she goes to investigate a murder and the prime suspect Charlotte, is her husband's mistress...but she says she didn't kill anyone. Darcey will need to use her witty to figure out who is lying and who is telling her the truth. She knows she shouldn't keep the case, but she will go to any lengths to protect her family.

I like that the story is told through the eyes of Darcey and Charlotte as this added to the tension and drama. It is a quick read, that will have you hooked until the final page. I liked the short chapters and the pacing. It was like a reading soap opera as it had everything you'd expect, love, betrayal, secrets and lies! I really enjoyed the flawed characters and how the story came together. Some aspects I figured out but it was still entertaining and kept me invested until the final pages.

If you like a twisty thriller, this one is worth a read.

Willow Rose is a prolific author who always manages to pull me into the story. She has several series ongoing but MY HUSBAND'S MISTRESS is a stand alone that is like nothing I've read before.
Detective Darcy White has been assigned the investigation of a wealthy man. She has not let her supervisor know that the victim's wife was having an affair with Darcy's husband.
The victim's wife is the primary suspect, she does not know Darcy's connection to her lover when she points the finger at him for killing her husband.
Darcy's husband does not know that she is investigating the murder.
Confused yet? Don't be. This is a great murder mystery that follows no plot line known to me. The chapters alternate between Darcy and Charlotte, the mistress. Each has a different view of the investigation but the same over riding goal. Protect their children. There are twists enough to cause you to need paper and pen to keep track and the reveal at the end......WOW!!!!!

4 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to Bookouture for the ARC & Bookouture Audio for the ALC via NetGalley! 💌

Y’ALL. Imagine being a detective, walking into a murder scene… and the prime suspect is your husband’s MISTRESS. Oh, and she’s blaming YOUR husband for the crime. Sounds like a fever dream, right? WHEW. This book was DRAMA from page one!

🔪 THE PLOT: Darcy White is a detective, and she’s good at her job. But when she’s called to a murder scene and realizes the suspect is Charlotte—the woman her husband, Bradley, has been CHEATING on her with—things get messy. Charlotte swears up and down that Bradley is the real killer, and suddenly Darcy is stuck between being a detective and a scorned wife. Can she trust the man who betrayed her? Or is Charlotte setting her up for an even bigger lie?

💣 WHAT WORKED FOR ME:
🔥 Unputdownable—I DEVOURED this. Short, fast chapters kept me flipping pages like a madwoman.
🎭 Dual POV—Getting inside both Darcy and Charlotte’s heads? Chef’s kiss. So much tension!
💃 SO MUCH DRAMA—Infidelity, murder, betrayal, secrets on top of secrets… LOVED IT.
🎧 Great audiobook narration—Lauryn Allman & Barbara Barnes did a solid job bringing these messy characters to life!

🤔 WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
📖 A bit predictable—Not all the twists shocked me, but I was still entertained!
⏳ Dragged a little at the end—The final stretch could have been tighter.

Overall, this was a juicy, binge-worthy thriller with all the soap opera-level drama I LIVE FOR. Messy characters, tangled lies, and a whole lot of betrayal. If you love thrillers where no one is innocent and everyone has something to hide, add this to your TBR!

🔥 READ IF YOU LIKE:
✅ Domestic thrillers with cheating spouses & murder
✅ Fast, addictive reads with jaw-dropping secrets
✅ Morally grey women making BAD decisions

I really enjoyed this book. A quick book with lots of twist that make you want to read more and hooks you in.

International bestselling author, Willow Rose (favorite author), returns from her Detective Billie Ann Wilde series (a favorite) with her latest new standalone —a gripping psychological thriller, MY HUSBAND'S MISTRESS.

Things get personal for Detective Darcy White in a twisty and dangerous game of cat and mouse involving a murder— when her husband's mistress is the one she is questioning. But the mistress does not know the detective is the wife.

Get ready for a wild ride!

About...

Detective Darcy White is with the St. Augustine PD, and she is gunning for a promotion to senior detective. Being a female, she is under even more scrutiny.

On the personal front, she is married to the charming, cheating husband, Bradley. As sleek as his black Mercedes, he is an attorney who always demands center stage. They have five-year-old twins, Jacob and Emma, who keep her in the marriage.

At the beginning of the novel, Darcy is following her husband and catches him in a French cafe with an alluring woman, kissing her. This scene, a pivotal moment in the story, confirms Darcy's suspicions about Bradly's infidelity. She knows deep down that Bradly has secrets. She must decide what to do next.

The story picks up a year later when she is in charge of her first murder case. The victim: Edward Kane, 45 years old, and the husband of her husband's mistress, Charlotte.

Let the games begin.

My thoughts...

Get ready to be on the edge of your seat, getting your mind blown time after time as the story progresses. With secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, revenge, and lines crossed, this entertaining game of cat and mouse with unreliable narrators is full of intrigue. Trust no one. The plot has unexpected twists that keep you guessing until the explosive ending.

Oh my, just when you think this will be a predictable love triangle, it is anything but. Again, this is masterful, Willow Rose, so expect the unexpected. She is a pro at delivering jaw-dropping twists, and MY HUSBAND's MISTRESS is the perfect example!

I am a huge fan of Rose's Detective Billie Ann Wilde and have read them all. This is my first standalone from her, so I wondered how it would be. That jaw-dropping twist? Let's say it's an unexpected game-changer you will not see coming.

Told from the POVs of Darcey (wife) and Charlotte (mistress), you do not know whom to trust in this unputdownable, whodunit suspense! The strong character development will connect you to the characters and their struggles.

Willow Rose delivers the unexpected with a clever, executed twist. It's a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers, and if you're a fan of the genre, this book is a perfect addition to your reading list. I also adore books set in Florida that are in my backyard.

Audiobook...

The audiobook was exceptionally narrated by Lauryn Allman and Barbara Barnes, giving the two main characters a distinct POV. You will be glued to your iPhone while they deliver an engaging listening experience and an entertaining performance.

Author's Note/Inspiration...

What I love about this author is that she always includes the inspiration for her novels, and if inspired by true crimes, she includes the link to read more, which I find fascinating. You can read more about the gruesome case from France and the courageous story of the wife who took it public. Trust me; you will be lured down a rabbit hole, leaving you speechless.

Recs...

MY HUSBAND'S MISTRESS is for fans of the author and those who enjoy works by Freida McFadden, Jenova Rose, Mary Kubica, Ashley Winstead, Daniel Hurst, Miranda Rijks, and Emily Shiner.

Thanks to Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, Hachette UK, and NetgGalley for gifted advanced reading and listening copies in exchange for my honest thoughts.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: March 28, 2025
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This is a great psychological thriller.
Detective Darcey White is called out to a murder and can’t believe her eyes when she meets the victim’s wife.
She is face to face with the woman who was having an affair with her husband, Bradley.
Darcey keeps this information to herself but is shocked when Charlotte says her lover, Bradley, killed her husband.
It’s a little bit unbelievable when Darcey is seemingly investigating this case on her own, and she manages to keep her connection to Charlotte to herself.
Charlotte is also unaware that she is Bradley’s wife.
This is a fast paced story with some great twists that I really liked.
Thanks to Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

An intriguing and interesting murder mystery. Detective Darcy White gets her first murder case and it turns out to be a woman standing over her husband with blood on her hands - and the woman is her own husband's mistress! Talk about a great set-up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

My Husband's Mistress by Willow Rose

A surprising and twisty thriller which the story will stay in mind for a while.

Charlotte's husband was found dead next to her. The detective Darcy arrived and she knew she could not take this case as Charlotte was her husband's Bradley mistress. Charlotte told the police that she was innocent and it was Bradley who did it.

The ending blew me away and it was definitely an enjoyable read. It had a slow start and it gave you time to get into the book. The book had dual POVs - Darcy and Charlotte, which gave a fuller story. The author Willow Rose never disappoints the readers.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my copy.

Pub date: March 28, 2025

I've been a Willow Rose Fan for years. I've devoured every book in the last few series and I know that there are always twists and unexpected endings. This book was likewise filled with turns in the plot. I had worked out a couple of scenarios for how it would end and I was somewhat right.

None of Willow Rose's characters are ever perfect. In this book they are more imperfect than most. The characters aren't very likeable, but it's up to the reader to determine what motivates each one.

This book seems to be written in a different style from most of the other books I've read by this author. It has more details, such as describing how clothing fits or how glossy hair someone's hair is and how it is styled. In other books I might have ignored it, but in this book, maybe because I was expecting something different, it bothered me.

I listened to the audio version and both narrators were wonderful. I also have the e-book.

My Husband's Mistress by Willow Rose is a shocking detective mystery that draws readers into a web of lies, deception, and ulterior motives.

When Charlotte is found with blood on her hands and her dead husband next to her, Detective Darcy White knows that she should pass this case on to another detective. That's because Charlotte is Darcy's husband Bradley's mistress, and Charlotte is blaming Bradley for her husband's murder. Darcy knows all about the affair but she just can't relinquish control of this case. Who does she believe, her husband who is cheating on her? Or her husband's mistress?

This was such an intriguing read. The first half of the book is a bit of a slow burn but the action soon picks up and will have reader's racing towards the final twist. With a dual POV between Darcy and Charlotte, the readers will be able to uncover a myriad of hidden agendas, and secrets. Definitely recommend for readers wanting a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, Willow Rose, and Bookouture for this ARC. Release date is March 28th 2025.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
📖- My Husband’s Mistress
✍🏼- Willow Rose
📅- 3/28/25
My rating: 3.8 ★

Thank you @netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

⚠️ rape, alcoholism ⚠️

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤

Darcey White, a lead detective is called to investigate the murder of millionaire, Edward Kane. Upon arrival they notice there’s no murder weapon and his wife, Charlotte Kane, has no alibi. A year prior to the murder Darcey followed her husband, Bradley, to a restaurant where he meets none other than Charlotte.

Did Charlotte want to get rid of Edward to get her happily ever after with Bradley? Will she get away with it?

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭

I loved how I was immediately drawn into the story. The author did an immaculate job of describing each scene perfectly. Although some lines were a little repetitive “A chill ran down my spine”. I was able to piece it together but nonetheless the plot was very interesting and I enjoyed the book. The ending was put together beautifully. This was my first book by this author and I plan on reading more by her.

I love Willow Rose’ books and this one was another brilliant and suspenseful read. I was hooked to it and found it very thought provoking. Just when I thought I had it figured out I was wrong! Loved the twists and the suspense

I walk past rows of immaculate white roses into the Kane family picture-perfect home thinking that I'd never guess what happened behind closed doors. The woman standing with my colleagues in handcuffs looks so innocent in her blue silk dress. But they say she's killed her husband. When I see her face, I recognise her immediately, she's my husband Bradley's mistress.... She was found beside the body with blood on her hands. But in a quiet voice. with tears streaming down her face, she says Bradley was the one who did it.

Detective Darcy White is called out to the murder of a man, his wife standing over him, her hands covered in blood. The woman is Darcy's husband's mistress. Darcy knows she should step away from this case and let someone else investigate it, but as Charlotte is blaming Bradley for the murder, she can't step away.

The chapters alternate between Darcy and Charlotte - the mistress. Filled with betrayal, secrets and deception, you don't know who you caan trust. The pace is fast and the characters are well-developed. I hope there is more to come from /darcy in the future.

Published 28th March 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #WillowRose for my ARC of #MyHusbandsMistress in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SO good! It kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
My Husband's Mistress is a fun, fast-paced, and chilling thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Willow Rose delivers a masterful blend of suspense, mystery, and drama that fans of the genre will love.

"Her Husband's Mistress” is a gripping detective mystery that plunges readers into a tangled web of deceit, lies and hidden agendas. The novel follows Detective Darcy White, who finds herself embroiled in a case that is as personal as it is complex. When a man is murdered—found by his wife, Charlotte, with blood on her hands—Darcy knows the investigation should be handed off to another Detective, especially given that she knows of Charlotte's affair with own husband. Yet, when Charlotte shifts the blame onto Darcy’s husband Bradley, Darcy simply can’t walk away.

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its dual narrative structure. Alternating chapters from Darcy and Charlotte's perspectives not only enrich the storytelling but also keep readers guessing. This clever narrative device allows the author to peel back layers of deception, as both protagonists harbor secrets and hidden agendas that gradually come to light. Although none of the characters are particularly likeable, their flaws and moral ambiguities make them intriguingly human and add to the overall plot.

The pacing is somewhat mixed. The first half of the novel sometimes meanders, laying a slow-burning foundation that builds suspense. However, once the story gains momentum midway through, the final chapters accelerate into a true rollercoaster of twists and rapid-fire revelations, culminating in a solid and satisfying resolution.

For fans of "whodunit" mysteries, "Her Husband's Mistress" offers a richly layered narrative filled with betrayal, deception, and a cascade of unforeseen plot twists. Despite occasional pacing issues, it is a highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys a challenging mystery that forces you to question what you think you know until the very end.

Cleverly crafted.
A conniving partner.
But who is telling the truth.
One character seems too,helpful and eager to share but I allowed myself to get sidetracked by other culprit possibilities that Rose threw my way.
It’s a twisted story where it’s good to remember things are not always what they seem.

This was a g0od book with several big surprises. While reading and trying to figure out who murdered the mistress's husband, I was sure I knew. Nope, my mind changed on the guilty party at least 6 times! How could this guy be cheating on his wife, he seemed like such a perfect husband and dad. I went back and forth between liking and disliking the women several times. I enjoyed the book and the ending was a great twist.