The Good Widow is mixture of drama and suspense. As I saw another reviewer state, 90% chick lit and 10% suspense, I completely agree. Jacks husband James dies in an accident in Maui. Why was he in Maui? She soon discovers he was having an affair with a girl named Dylan as Dylan also died in the accident. Dylan's fiancé Nick visits Jacks at her house wanting them to find answers together as to why their significant others were having an affair.

The "remember whens" between them became a bit too much for me and bogged down the story. There is a lot of talk and remembering details of their past relationships. The suspense doesn't come until closer to the end of the book. However, this was a fast, well written and easy read that I still enjoyed and I give it 4 stars. If you want a little escape and don't mind a book absent of tons of twists and suspense, this will be an enjoyable read for you. A huge thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Shape Shifters.

Mythical creatures who possess the ability to transform themselves at will.

Hmm.........But it seems we have the human type here amongst us. They weave in and out presenting themselves in a far different light with far different intentions. Words spoken eye to eye tinged with the sting of lies.

That unexpected knock at the door never seems to be good news. It isn't. Not for Jacqueline "Jacks" Morales that day. Two police officers spill out the words that will change her life forever. Jacks' husband, James, has been killed in a vehicle accident in Maui. Funny thing.........James was suppose to be on a business trip in Kansas. Corn fields to tropical forests seems a bit of a stretch. And he wasn't alone in that jazzy Jeep.

Same door, but a different knock this time. Nick Ford introduces himself. James' fellow passenger that day was an attractive blonde by the name of Dylan Matthews. Nick and Dylan were close. Very close, indeed, since they were engaged to be married. Shape Shifters, once again, assume a transformation here. Dylan and James turn out to be a hot item. Shock permeates through Jacks and Nick like a wet finger touching a spot of sizzling hot voltage.

Nick convinces Jacks that they should travel to Maui for themselves to bring much needed closure. Perhaps experiencing the same trip and viewing that winding road will help them both to leave their pain forever in the spot where it happened and not in their familiar home base.

Following the trail of the shifting, both Jacks and Nick find bartenders and venue managers who give them snippets of information in regard to their own encounters with Dylan and James. What transpires here is eye-opening. Do we ever truly know these shifters who have taken up long residence in our lives?

I must confess that I was uncertain at first about this one. I like my mystery/thrillers with a heavier cut of beef. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke present a well thought out storyline here, but the explanations and fill-ins with excessive insets of "remember when" seemed to bog down the storyline a bit. Some were admittedly necessary and some a tad much. I know that The Good Widow will be a popular book because of the ease of the writing style and the titillating subject matter. Believe me, this one will hold your attention and you'll finish it in one gulp like a Maui Mai Tai.

I received a copy of The Good Widow through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity.

The Good Widow introduces teacher and wife, Jacks (Jacqueline) as she is notified of an accident that has claimed the life of her husband James. The first problem, that accident was in Hawaii rather than in Kansas where James had told her he was going on business. The next problem comes when she is informed that her husband was not alone in the rented Jeep when he had his accident. Another big problem is when a man named Nick appears at Jacks door introducing himself as Dylan’s fiance – the same Dylan that died in the accident with James.

I’m trying to imagine anything worse than two police officers appearing at my door informing me that my husband is dead. However, to learn that he was also having an affair and his mistress died along with him, that would basically rock any person to their core. Granted, James and Jacks’ marriage wasn’t perfect, but no one wants to learn all of these horrible secrets about their spouse while mourning their death. Nick tracks Jacks down and shares his own heartache and confusion about his fiance being with James in Hawaii in the first place, much less dying in an accident. Jacks initially sends him away but eventually agrees to accompany James to Hawaii to find out about the lovers’ vacation and try to determine how serious their affair had been.

A prominent character in The Good Widow is Jacks’ sister Beth. Honestly, I wasn’t really a big fan of hers. Not having a sister it may just be that I don’t understand the whole “sisterly bond” thing, but I felt like she was way overbearing. Beth had not liked James when he was alive and her distrust and dislike seemed to carry over to Nick once she learned about him and what he and Jacks planned to do. I think she meant well in everything she said and did, but something about her just bothered me.

Speaking of characters, the authors’ characterization in this novel was fabulous. Jacks, Nick, Beth, James, and Dylan were all so well developed that I could easily see their faces or hear their voices while reading about them. My impression regarding all of the characters changed several times well reading, just proving how intricately the authors’ peeled back layer after layer until each character was honestly exposed – some in good ways, some not so good.

Considering the blurb lays it all out there regarding James and Dylan having an affair and then dying in an accident together, I was pleasantly shocked at the surprises as the plot developed. Obviously, there will be twists here and there but rarely was there more than a page or two to go by without something new coming out about someone or some incident. I cannot express the depths of my love for suspense/thriller/mystery novels that truly shock me, and The Good Widow is one of the best I have ever read. I was completely floored as the conclusion to this novel neared, never expecting the events and information that were revealed.

For lovers of this genre, The Good Widow is an absolute must read that you will not be able to put down. I cannot recommend this enough and commend the co-authors for creating such a fabulous, suspenseful novel.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Another great book to read on the beach or bring along on vacation. This is a good one. Very entertaining and suspenseful. I devoured it in one sitting, it's a nice quick read that will keep you hooked from the beginning.

Jacqueline ("Jacks" to almost everyone) has just received devastating news. Her husband has died far from home. He had a car accident on a well-known dangerous road in Hawaii. Wait... wasn't he supposed to be in Kansas?

Turns out he wasn't on the boring business trip he told his wife about. He was on vacation... and Jacks soon learns that he wasn't alone. There was a (younger, blonder) woman in the car with him. Jacks and her husband had their issues, but she always trusted him. She never thought he would cheat. She was never one of those wives who would check phones and itineraries... should she have been? Would he still be alive?

Stunned and confused about mourning a husband who was apparently betraying her, she's at a loss. It isn't long before a young man shows up at her door with an interesting idea. The woman her husband was with was his fiance... and he's as confused as she is. He wants to travel to Hawaii to retrace every step they took those last few days and find answers. It sounds crazy, but Jacks is still intrigued. Much to the dismay of her concerned sister, she jets off to Hawaii to look for some kind of closure. Will she get it?

Some suspense and light romance, some mystery. I did predict quite a few plot points before they happened, which is what keeps this book from earning five stars from me. I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it. Even with all the crazy situations she's in, Jacks remains likeable and relatable. You might even end up feeling a little for the incredibly naive Dylan, the mistress. The book includes some chapters from before the tragedy, interspersed with the present. It's done well, and interesting to learn how they all got to the point of secrets and betrayal leading to death.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing, thank you! My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Jacks Morales thought her marriage was sound, not great, but okay. The two cops showed up at her door and informed her that her husband, who was supposed to be on a business trip had been killed in a car accident in Hawaii, and he had a passenger. Jacks is not alone in her grief, her husband’s paramour left behind a confused and hurt fiancee. Searching for answers, Jacks and Nick team up to discover the truth about the people they loved and lost….and whim, it seems, they knew nothing about at all. This is a twisted, roller coaster ride of a thriller that kept me reading late into the night

Fair warning : you may want to skip this one if you have trust issues!

Jacks thinks her husband is away on a business trip to Kansas. Until the police show up on her doorstep to tell her her husband has died in a car crash ... in Hawaii. On top of that, he wasn't alone either. Not only does Jacks have to deal with the reality of losing her husband, but she's also forced to take a look at her marriage. How well did she know her husband anyway?

It's hard not to feel sorry for Jacks. She's not the kind of woman who constantly checks her husband's emails or texts. And while their marriage wasn't perfect, she felt content and fully intended to spend the rest of her life with her husband. His betrayal comes completely out of the blue for her.

The Good Widow didn't quite turn out what I expected it to be. At its heart, it's a story about love, loss, deceit and betrayal. It manages to effortlessly combine drama with suspense. With chapters switching between Jacks in the past and the present, we get a good look at the state of her marriage and the reason she's now blaming herself for the way things ended. Dylan, the other woman, shares her points of view as well. I was gripped, especially when I realised I was going to end up with a psychological thriller. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. I love it when an author, or in this case authors, can keep me second guessing everything at every turn.

All in all a highly enjoyable, fast paced and compelling domestic thriller.

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for my advanced copy received via Netgalley, which I chose to review honestly.

Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales is a school teacher who while she didn’t think she had a perfect marriage she did think it was stable and comfortable that is until the day two police officers showed up on her doorstep. Jacks is told that her husband had been involved in an accident while driving the road to Hana in Hawaii. Now since her husband was supposed to be on a business trip in Kansas Jack’s is completely confused as to what happened.

Not only did Jacks get the information that her husband is gone but shortly after that she finds that he may not have been alone in the car when he died, there was a mystery woman with Jacks’ husband and it seems he may have been having an affair. As Jacks is trying to wrap her head around the death and affair a man shows up at her door claiming to be the ex-fiancee of the mystery woman and makes the proposal that the two of them travel to Hawaii to investigate the last days of their partners.

The Good Widow is a book that I would have a hard time putting an exact label on in terms of what genre this best fit. I felt while reading about the first 75% of so of the story it felt a bit more along the lines of a drama than a thriller read which wasn’t a bad thing though as I did get completely interested in Jacks and her story and how things got to the point that her husband was lying to her and on a trip with another woman.

However, while the first big portion of the story felt more like a drama read once you get towards the end the twists are certainly quite evident within the story and then comes the edge of your seat thriller section. At this point in the story I had a bit of an ah-ha moment on things that came earlier and definitely wanted to know the outcome. Since I like a wide variety of books I ended up really enjoying this one even though the beginning didn’t have that thriller edge to the story so I would warn of the slow start.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Wow, what a book!! I just finished and am still in awe of this story. I hope that I can do this book justice. First of all, it will take you on a ride. Filled with love, loss, betrayal and oh, the suspense! What do you do when your whole world seems to collapse around you? You need answers to your questions and so you go on a quest for those answers. That is what jacks (Jacqueline) does, along with Nick. I am trying to do this without spoilers of any kind. Told in alternating perspectives, it is very easy to follow. I liked getting both sides of the story from the two main female characters, Jacks and Dylan. The characters of Jacks, James, Dylan and Nick are richly developed , as is the character of Beth, Jacks sister. I felt what they felt. I felt the love, the pain, the fear and the heartache. I was on pins and needles at times. I wish I had never taken days off from reading it because this is a powerhouse read. This book is like nothing I have ever read before. I am still sitting here with my mouth open, saying "What?"! So I am sorry if my review does not flow as well as the book did and it did. The flow was effortless and it took me on the ride of my life. Words can just not explain how well written this book is. The authors make it seem effortless, but you can tell that they put their blood , sweat and tears into this book. This is their first suspense novel and I , for one, hope they keep writing these books. Unbelievable thrill ride! The last few chapters will catapult you out of your seat, but don't peek and ruin it. This book is simply exquisite and I look forward to reading lots of books from Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I am so happy to have received an ARC of this book because it is AMAZING!!! There is so much that I want to say about this book , however, I fear that I will give it away and I want you to read the heck out of this book!! Highly, highly recommend this one!

Love, lies, secrets, betrayal … THE GOOD WIDOW has it all!
Everyone’s favorite BFF author team, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are out with their fourth novel, THE GOOD WIDOW. It’s not only their first suspense novel, it’s their first book together in their new partnership with Lake Union Publishing.
In THE GOOD WIDOW, elementary school teacher, Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage isn’t perfect, I mean, really, whose is? It has its ups and downs just like any couple. But its predictable, familiar, Jack can rely on her husband and believe what he tells her. Or so she thought.
Her world basically implodes when two cops show up on their doorstep to tell her the shocking news – that her husband of eight years is dead, killed in a car crash. According to police, her husband, who Jack believed was on a business trip in Kansas, was killed in an accident in Hawaii, and he wasn’t alone.
Jacks barely keeps it together while laying her husband to rest, knowing he was with his mistress when he died. She’s completely blindsided again when that woman’s fiancé, Nick shows up on Jacks doorstep out of the blue. Clearly shocked, he also wants answers about what was going on. He suggests they team up and search for the truth together.
Nothing is as it appears. THE GOOD WIDOW is a pretty outstanding novel considering it’s Liz and Lisa’s first time writing a suspense novel. I wonder what they’ll do next. I loved that they spent so much time in Maui. My husband and I have been there numerous times and the Island holds a very special place in my heart. THE GOOD WIDOW is the perfect summer beach read. Or pool! I suggest drinking a yummy Mai Tai while reading out on a lounge chair. Remember the sunscreen. Aloha!

My first book by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke and it won't be my last! Suspenseful, sad, and thrilling! Jacks is faced the worst nightmare and walks through it, finding herself! Do you truly know the one you love or the one you think you love?

I was beyond excited when I found out Liz and Lisa were publishing a book on this genre, one of my favorites, their suspense debut novel, another gem by the Authors, a Must-Read. One of my best reads this year.

In the Good Widow we meet Jacqueline "Jacks", and all the events following the news that her husband, James had a car accident in Hawaii. Devastating news for Jacks of course and not a very pleasant ones giving the fact that James was supposed to be on a work trip in another city and not in Hawaii and accompanied by another woman. We also get to know Jacks's husband James, the mysterious woman, Dylan, and her fiance Nick and how their lives come together throughout the pages.

This read was a total emotional roller coaster for me, I couldn't put it down. Full of suspense, twists and with very interesting characters. My favorite, Jacks, a wife, a teacher, a woman who even though does not have the perfect marriage, the perfect life, she is determined to find the answers she needs to understand what happened to her marriage, to her husband, his death. For me Jacks is a brave character, she tries to make sense of everything happening to her, how her life changes in a matter of minutes, all that she thought was the truth no longer is, all the lies, all the questions, she desperately needs answers and she decides to go to Hawaii to find them.

In terms of the story, I enjoyed it a lot, I liked that it kept me engaged, interested, all the twists, and the ending, unexpected and satisfying. A very good job by the Authors, you can see they took the time to do their research, how we not only get to know the characters but also the places, how they describe those. I love Liz and Lisa's writing style, the way they present the story, something about the way they write, makes this book a different one from all the others I have read on the same genre. Different in a very good way.

I loved the book, one I totally recommend. Thank you to the Authors for sharing this story, for exploring this genre and I can hardly wait for more new books to be published.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union for sending an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5 stars) I listened to two of this duo's previous novels - The Year We Turned Forty and The Status of All Things - and really enjoyed how fun and just a little bit magical they were. The Good Widow is complete head spin from those previous works, and I applaud the authors for making the leap to a new genre! I adored the Hawaiian setting for much of this story, and loved Jacks' and Beth's sister-relationship, and definitely did not guess the twist to this book until the authors led me to it. It was a lot of fun to go back and forth between before and after the death of Jacks' husband, as it gave the different perspectives on the events and kept me trying to figure out who and why and where????? I can't wait to see what Lisa and Liz write in the future - no matter what genre they write next, I'm on board with it.

Thanks to the authors for providing me with a digital advance review copy of this title!

This book is a suspenseful, engrossing, thrill of a read with some twists and turns and surprises that had me at the edge of my seat! Especially the last couple of chapters. My heart was pounding during those last few pages. Great storyline and cast of characters. I liked the way it was written with both Jacks' (the wife) and Dylan's (the mistress) perspectives and sympathized with the two characters, but I found myself saying to both while reading, "what are you doing?" This emotional thriller is sure to be a summer hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

3-3.5 stars!
I was really sucked into this story and I could not put it down. Poor Jacks has just found out that her husband has died in a car accident but not only that there is mystery that surrounds his death as he was supposed to be on a business trip yet died while in Maui.
I have to say that the unraveling of the secrets for Jacks really hurt my heart. I would be EXACTLY like her and go all CSI/Private I trying to find out all of the answers because how could you not want to know what happened, what went wrong, how did she miss everything that was happening around her? Were there any clues?
I enjoyed the dual POV's so that the reader could be inside the minds of both leading ladies in this story.
But through it all, I found everything questionable. I wanted the answers but everything that Jacks found out while returning to the scene of the crime only hurt her heart more. I didn't trust some of the people she surrounded herself with though in the end when answers were finally found, I was somehow still surprised.
The ending is as it should be but I couldn't help but wish there were more concrete answers rather than leaving it up to what could have been. I felt bad for Jacks because she didn't really do anything wrong. Marriage is hard work... nothing is ever perfect... I wish her husband had remembered how the good outweighed the bad before he made his bad decisions... I am a romantic at heart so of course I can't help but wish it ended differently for her.
This book was good... the authors first thriller that left me on the edge of my seat wanting to uncover the clues and get the answers. Was it the best I have read—no, but would I read these authors again—most definitely.

I absolutely loved this book. It was just wonderful, sad, happy, sad again and the twist that I did not expect just made it even better. I would love to read more from this author. You will love this story. I had the hardest time putting this book down.
I had to give it 5 stars and would have given it more if possible.

If you’re looking for a perfect, super addictive, summer read you can thank me now because I found it for you! The Good Widow was a highly entertaining, twisty read that is ideal for reading poolside, bonus points if you can read it on the beach. I had planned on reading it when I go to Mexico next month, but I’m bringing my kids and just knew it wouldn’t happen. I’m so glad I read it early, it was an ignore your family type of read, one where you cannot put it down until you finish.

It opens with a fantastic prologue, an unknown couple is cruising in Hawaii and she has a secret. But what is she hiding? Why is she so scared to tell him (whoever he is?) I was obsessed with getting the answers to these questions, hooked after two pages. We skip to After where Jacks is getting the devastating news that her husband died in a car accident. He had been traveling for work, but the cops inform her he wasn’t in Kansas like he told her, he was in Hawaii, with another woman named Dylan.

I loved Jacks and felt so awful for her, first she loses her husband, then on top of trying to deal with her grief and heartache, she realizes she didn’t really know James at all. When Nick contacts her and suggests making their own trip to Hawaii, she accepts, though she’s hesitant. She needs closure and hopes this is the key. As she starts to find some answers she also discovers that she has more questions as well.

There are also Before chapters narrated both from Jacks and Dylan. I loved how you slowly find out more about how Dylan and James began their affair and you also find out more about James and Jacks relationship. Their marriage was far from perfect, it shows an ugly, hidden side and things eventually start to form a clear picture. The pacing is spot on and relentless as you follow both women and try to figure out where it all went wrong.

It all culminates in an explosive manner with a pretty shocking twist, I sure didn’t see it coming! I had one of those gut punching, breathtaking moments where I had to stop for a second and soak it all in. This is perfect for fans of The Marriage Lie and Everything We Keep, if this is the dynamic duo’s first (impressive) foray into suspense I’m SO excited to see what they come up with next.

THE GOOD WIDOW by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is one that will keep you up at night just to finish it. I love the way these two best friends write because there is always a little magic and a lot of "what if" that plays out in their novels. While there is no direct magic in the plotline of this story, there is magic in how it's told. The suspense in this novel slowly builds to where you are racing through the last pages to figure out exactly what happened and why. I like the twist at the end. While I believe I'd read anything these two write, I have to say I was happily surprised at how good they did with this genre and hope they explore it again.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from Great Thoughts' Great Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this tautly written thriller, my 2nd book by this author duo. Jacks Morales' marriage is floundering. She receives word that her husband of eight years has been killed an auto accident in Maui. The only thing, he told he was on business in the Midwest! Then Jacks finds out her husband was not alone in the car. A female was killed too. Now she's really wondering what was going on! She meets Nick, the fiance of the woman killed when he shows up at her door one day. Together they both bond over their mutual grief and confusion over what happened. Nick suggests they head to Maui to bring themselves closure. Things turn decidedly stranger when they reach the tropical paradise. There are plenty of twists to keep even a hard core thriller reader like me guessing. Thank you to the publisher, authors and Great Thoughts Great Readers group for the opportunity to read & review this ARC.

It happens all the time. You hear stories about it or you may even know someone close to you whose spouse is secretly having an affair. How well do you really know the people around you? When your husband leaves for that business trip, do you trust that he is going to be where he says he will be? This is the question presented to Jacks, as she receives the worst kind of news a wife can get. Her husband has been killed in a terrible accident, but he was not in Kansas at his business conference. He was killed in Maui while sightseeing with another woman. Devastated by his death, and crushed by the news of an affair, Jacks struggles to make sense of it all. Yes they had their problems, every marriage does, but at the end of the day they were fairly happy. Weren't they?

The Good Widow examines the relationship between a husband and a wife and the lies that we tell ourselves and those around us. This book started out as a slow burn for me, but midway through @lisaandliz turned up the heat and I found myself racing through the last half, eager to see what was going to happen next. While this is not a "sleep with your lights on" type of thriller, the plot line will certainly mess with your head. I don't want to say too much about what happens and give anything away -- you need to read it and see for yourself! This book is out June 1, just in time for your beach vacay! Thank you so very much to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.