Let me tell you what this book is not. It is not a murder mystery or a romance novel, it isn't three wrongly used women getting together for drinks to think up devious revenge plots. Instead, it is a journey of self discovery and sanity when all hell breaks lose. It is about three dramatically different women all tied to the same man. Phillip is a charming and abuse man who has the backing of the Police Department behind him. Ruby is his ex wife who doesn't seem to want to let go. Imogen is his current wife and mother of his only child. Naomi is his new girlfriend and does not seem to realize how destructive Phillip can be. This novel is much more than how to survive abuse...it is the about what lengths these women will go to to enact their revenge and the discoveries they make along the way. It is well written, with a plot that pulls the reader into the lives of these women from the beginning.



I like how the author examines whether doing the right thing actually gets anyone anywhere, and how karma is interwoven within the flashbacks the women have. Sometimes it feels like the bad guys always win, and it makes me wonder what will happen to the ladies once the jerk is gone. I felt that the women reacted realistically to the abuse - they don't just instantly overcome years of behavioral patterns once they are no longer with Phillip. It helps put the patterns of why women go back to their abusive spouse again and again. The fear, the patterns, they felt real...as if author Jo Jakeman had slipped into the mind of the abused woman and grown in the novel with her.


Trigger Warnings: Emotional and Physical abuse.

Thank you to NetGallery and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy for me to review. My opinions, as always, are my own.

The Exes' Revenge by Jo Jakeman is exactly what it says and yet...not at all what I was expecting.

Imogen is in the midst of a divorce, and Phillip, her controlling and abusive husband, has given her an ultimatum: leave the house in two weeks or he will make sure he gets custody of their son. Phillip is a policeman and would be able to bring up Imogen's depression following a miscarriage. Currently, Phillip is living in another property he owns with his current, much younger girlfriend.

Although Imogen's personality is non-confrontational, Phillip's latest demands require her to stand up in order to be able to provide a decent life for their son.

In a visit to try and persuade Phillip to be reasonable, Imogen realizes that Phillip has been abusing his girlfriend as well.

When an irate Phillip learns of her visit, he storms into the house full of threats and ego, then goes into the basement to retrieve some belongings. Pushed beyond rational thought, Imogen does something drastic and completely unexpected. Now what?

Moving back and forth in time, Phillip's relationships with Imogen, his current girlfriend, and his ex-wife emerge. Unlikely allies and perhaps with different agendas, the three women learn more about themselves, each other, and the man with whom they have all been involved.

Expecting a typical revenge mystery, I was delighted to find a more complex and engrossing experience with a brisk pace and some dark humor.

Recommended.

Read in June. Review scheduled for Aug. 29.

NetGalley/Berkely Publishing
Mystery. Sept. 11, 2018. Print length: 352 pages.

We begin at the funeral of Phillip Rochester. This is a story of domestic abuse and revenge. Three women have been victimized by Phillip. Two were married to him and the other woman is his girlfriend. Phillip has exploited their vulnerabilities and has manipulated them throughout their relationships. He threatens Imogen (his second wife) who retaliates and locks him in her cellar. The other two women join her in trying to find a way to end his reign of terror. The author goes back in time to document events leading up to the funeral. We see how the effects of the physical and emotional abuse have allowed Phillip to continue to manipulate the three women and the strength they need to find within themselves in order to fight back. The book keeps your interest until the very end, but the subject matter may be unpleasant and difficult for some readers.

4.5 stars for Jo Jakeman's The Exes' Revenge! Nothing like a woman (or in this case women) scorned in this well written & developed fabulous psychological thriller. I was eh about the fact that Phillip was abusing his power as a police officer and using his fellow officers who were snowed to his abusive, controlling behavior I just think the profession has enough obstacles currently but hey it makes for a great story right so. That fact aside this is a page-turner that sucks in you from the funeral on page one Kudos to Ms. Jakeman and I look forward to diving into her other works.

A compelling story of the physical and mental abuse of three women (two wifes, 1 girlfriend) by the same man. You have to read the book to understand how it happened and to gain insight on how they finally came together to seek their revenge. The finale is not their revenge but it is a sweet justice. While this is a fictional book I am sure that the abuse mirrors life more than we can imagine.

I have given this book a four star rating.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

This is an outstanding psychological thriller with emphasis on the thriller. Imogen is the 2nd wife of Phillip, a controlling and abusive policeman. Separated, she is trying to make a new life for herself and her son, while maintaining some kind of status quo with her ex for her son's sake. Events, however, lead her to a place where she finally feels she is standing up for herself and fighting back, and that taste leads her to want more. Unfortunately, Phillip does not react well to being told "No".... And into the complicated fray enters the first ex-wife and the current girlfriend. And all H*** breaks loose, and keeps crashing and banging all through the book. It is an absolute humdinger of a roller coaster ride.
What really makes this a cut above are the in-depth characterizations of all three women and Phillip. You come to know very quickly and very deeply your fellows in crisis, and this foursome become very close. Who to trust and how far? These characters are believable and flawed, with hidden strengths and talents and need. The story starts fairly slow, but builds and builds right to the very end. I highly recommend it.

This book started out slow and picked up speed a third of the way in I pitied the three poor women in that they kept making the same mistakes with this crazy narcissistic man! The decisions they made had bad consequences but they kept making the same bad choices over and over! I don't know if this is realistic. I liked that the author kept us guessing until the very end on how the husband died but it took so long to get there in my opinion. Overall I enjoyed the book and it kept my interest and would recommend it to others.

This was a well-written, engaging story. The characters were developed in a way that made you care for all of them...all the women, anyway. A great read!

4.5 stars.
I thought this was a great fast paced read, from page one. I definitely got entwined and truly thought it was a great thriller and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Will be reviewing more thouroughly in Chapter Chatter closer to date of release!

Divorces are often messy and Imogen's is no exception. Her husband, Phillip, is abusive, controlling, and determined to make things as difficult as possible. And now he has given Imogen an ultimatum: get out of the family home in two weeks or I'll take our son away from you.
The book starts out with a funeral and then the days that lead up to it and some of the years before. Phillip abuses his power as a police officer and has the other cops on his side everytime Imogene had filed a complaint. Now seeing how he treats his new girlfriend she is out for revenge and including his first wife. Some things were funny but most of all I really despised Phillip and he had what happened coming to him. Now the 3 women have come together .

This is a fast paced story of a not so nice man and the women in his life (ex wife, estranged wife, and now girlfriend) who want to take revenge for how they were treated. Phillip is abusive and threatens his soon to be ex wife with losing custody if she doesn’t do what he wants. When Phillip accidently falls, Imogen takes advantage and locks him up. Team in with the other women they decide how to handle the situation. A great read even with the darkness of domestic abuse. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

Heartfelt, funny and a purposeful book - the author really got into each character and made them real.
The unneccessary suffering that each woman went through from the same controlling, abusive man was a little hard to read at times, but it always rang true. I think that many women will see something of themselves in these characters and situations. The reader will be rooting for these three women and the ending is so very satisfying!

Lou Jacobs's Reviews > The Exes' Revenge
The Exes' Revenge by Jo Jakeman
The Exes' Revenge
by Jo Jakeman (Goodreads Author)

M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review
Jun 01, 2018 · edit

really liked it
Read 2 times

An emotional tour de force .... featuring the opening scene of a funeral of Philip Rochester .... police officer and sneeky physical and psychological abuser. The funeral sets the tone... with the reactions and thoughts of the three woman afflicted by his presence in their lives. A dark and richly satisfying thriller told in remote degusting events leading up to the eventual show down. It involves Ruby .... the supportive mothering long time ex-wife ... a free spirit , flower-child who was the first to taste Phillip's bitter medicine. Who is thrust into an unexpected encounter with both Imogen - the present day wife facing an impending messy divorce, and Naomi - his most recent gorgeous trophy girlfriend. Imogen in an unexpected bold move to protect her 6 year old son, Alistair, is able to lock her tormentor Philip in the basement of their home with shackles and hand cuffs. The other two woman are serendipitously drawn into the situation. A novel and satisfying denouement ensues with unexpected twists and turns ... and builds to a justifiable conclusion.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this marvelous Debut novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was even better than the description! Imogene was a great strong character who was fiercely protective of her son Alistair, and I surprisingly also really liked Naomi. Ruby, Phillip’s first wife, took some getting used to although she redeemed herself in the end but she definitely isn’t my favorite character! I also loved Imogene’s friend Rachel, who is definitely a keeper! I loved that she saw through Phillip’s deception and saved the day somewhat. This was a great revenge story with a few plot twists thrown in to keep the reader on their toes. Definitely a book worth reading!

Review is posted to goodreads and linked below.........................................................................

This was a very good book with lots of twists and turns. Thanks Netgalley and Berkley for the advance copy!

The author has come out of the gate with a bang. I have to admit this is more of a novel for the female readers, but she led me along with intrigue, twists, and turns of the plot. The antagonist, Imogene, is an abused spouse of a supposedly well-liked policeman, or copper, as they say in England. Philip, her husband and protagonist, uses both physical and mental abuse on Imogene. There is a divorced wife and a current girlfriend who play important roles in the story.

This book is crazy. We read about this horrible man Phillip and at his funeral are three woman who are all exes, two were ex wives and the third his girlfriend or mistress. Not one of them is really there because they are sad he died no, this man was abusive and held info on them as blackmail. As you read you can't believe what you are reading and what these woman went thru and had to do just to survive..Totally a page turner.

The author has come out of the gate with a bang. I have to admit this is more of a novel for the female readers, but she led me along with intrigue, twists, and turns of the plot. The antagonist, Imogene, is an abused spouse of a supposedly well-liked policeman, or copper, as they say in England. Philip, her husband and protagonist, uses both physical and mental abuse on Imogene. There is a divorced wife and a current girlfriend who play important roles in the story.

Throughout the novel, Imogene, the protagonist, is desperate to separate from her husband and keep him away from their son, who she is afraid will be hurt by Philip. She is afraid to contact the police because they have a reputation of hiding domestic abuse when the cop is the guilty party. My only complaint is we know she survives and Philip dies because the novel opens with his funeral. Still, the story moves and the author's writing provides the description and detail that puts the reader in the story.

This book presents a nice twist on the concept of vengeful ex’s. I enjoyed the story line and characters. Lots of twists and surprises through out the novel. Highly recommended for your beach read list this summer.