Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for allowing me to listen tot his audiobook!
First Wife's Shadow audiobook is going to be released on March 18th. Synopsis: Emma falls for Matthew, a charming widower, but as doubts about his past and his late wife’s shadow creep in, their love takes a dark turn. Soon, she’s left questioning everyone—including herself.
Narration: I really liked the accent and the voice of the narrator.
Unfortunately I was super bored and did not enjoy this one!

ARC review • pub date 03.18.25

Definitely want to read more by this author 😍

Emma is a 40-something woman content living a single life with a good job and health routine. Until one day she meets Matthew and decides maybe a companion isn’t a bad thing after all, even if he’s 11 years younger.
She soon finds out he is a widower, and as their relationship progresses, she becomes obsessed with his first wife - what she was like, how she died, and it becomes all consuming to her.

Such a great and bingeable book, I think fans of Alice Feeney and Sally Hepworth will enjoy this. This was such a fun read. Several twists that I didn’t see coming at all.

4⭐️

Thanks to Mira Books for my gifted copy and HTPbooks htp_hive for my ALC #hiveinfluencer

3.5 stars

There's nothing like a mystery/thriller to remind women who have romantic relationships with men that their partners may be absolutely wild and dangerous. Adele Parks boards that train to the men are out of hand town with this bonkers narrative.

Emma has managed to stay single in the face of all of her friends getting married, having children, etc., and she's pretty content with this life. However, when Matthew shows up, she starts to get what the fuss is all about and ends up in a rapidly evolving relationship with him. But while their relationship grows, she...does not. Emma starts to encounter some truly strange situations, and while she is sure they are happening, Matthew is there to let her know she is actually losing it, which, you know, is common for AFAB individuals and the hysteria our pesky uteri cause or whatever.

Fortunately, this book has a lot more going on than just this psychological element, which may not feel the freshest for those who read this genre regularly. There are other aspects relating to plot, character, and the past that add some needed spice to the more expected features here.

I found this an entertaining enough listen, and while it wasn't the most compelling example of its genre, fans of psychological thriller and domestic thriller may also find some enjoyment in this content.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

This was an interesting thriller. I think I liked the second half of the story more than the first but it was somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars for me. I honestly didn't see the biggest twist coming...and I have to wonder if I was the only one who didn't see it coming or not. Either way, I would look for more books by Adele Parks in the future.


As for the audiobook, I thought that Kristin Atherton did a great job and was the perfect voice to narrate this twisty thriller!