I love the cover! Lying Beneath the Oaks is a romance mystery with a touch of Southern culture. Two strangers wake up hungover and married in Vegas. They decide to get an annulment. After that, a visit to South Carolina twists things around a bit. Family becomes involved, feelings grow and change and mysterious things come to light. The story is engaging and fun. The characters are loveable. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end. I recommend this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. From the beginning, this book pulled me in and was “unputdownable”.

Havecthe general plot, the twists, and the romance trope been done before? Yes. However, the authors take on those themes, the characters she created, introduce the reader to a well rounded and dimensional world that *feels* real. The chemistry of the H/h was sizzling off the pages but only enhanced the suspenseful mystery in the book.

This romantic suspense was like a mashup of Lisa Jewell and Linda Howard. A page turner with steam that provide the perfect bit of escapism I was looking for.

I look forward to this authors’ next release. I’m now a fan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this title. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

Lying Beneath the Oaks
By Kristin Wright
1/1/19-1/13/19
Rated 4 stars on GoodReads

The story follows Molly and Cooper who wake up, hungover, to find that they are married after only knowing each other a long weekend in Vegas. They decide to go back to Cooper’s family estate in South Carolina to look into an annulment. There you meet his uptight father, Ted, his loving and bubbly sister Caroline, and the eccentric Pseudo-mother Miss Aurelia who helped with them as kids after their mother died. Ted, Cooper, Caroline and her daughter Mia all live in the family home together and to keep the questions at bay Cooper and Molly decide to act as if they married for love verses the drunken induced haze. You wonder how they can make it work “faking it” through the family’s Thanksgiving weekend until they can get the annulment or if they really have what it takes to make it. You learn all about both their pasts and how they have shaped their lives now, and how that plays a factor in their marriage. I honestly want to keep it vague because there’s so much to the story and it plays off each things webbing together a suspenseful and beautiful story that I would hate to spoil for the reader.

What made me choose this book?

I found this book on @netgalley and requested to read it based on both the beautiful cover and the intriguing blurb available. I was super excited when my request was accepted and couldn’t wait to dive into the book ASAP. From the very first sentence it didn’t disappoint,

“Blood pumps between my fingers and trickles over my knuckles; it’s slower now.”

The first sentence drew me into an intriguing story I was excited to try and solve. Who was bleeding? What happened that they are bleeding? Who is it that is trying to stop the bleeding? The bleeding has slowed- is it stopping or are they dying? So many questions from just one sentence, I knew I was in for a treat.

What did I like about this book?

The author has a flow to her writing that made it easy and enjoyable to read. She set the scenes and places beautifully. I was excited to find out that McClellanville, SC is actually a real place. The descriptions made me definitely want to add this to this list of places to visit someday.

I also liked the characters. They seemed well put together and not too perfect or cookie cutter. They seemed to have personalities, flaws, and purpose. I liked the chemistry the main characters Molly and Cooper had, and how they tried to make their marriage work despite having just met each other and knowing nothing about each other prior.

What did I not like about this book?

This is a tough question, especially since I liked the book. If I had to choose one thing it would be it was a little predictable at times. I don’t want to give anything away but I felt like I knew the end before it came. But again, I liked the journey getting there. And I didn’t truly know I knew until loose ends were tied. That was definitely a plus as well- tying up loose ends. Nothing drives me crazier then when a book leaves you with unanswered questions. This book did not.


Would I recommend this book?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers. I could even see this coming out as a movie someday. I would love to see it and know I had the opportunity to read it before it was even released! This book would have a nice place in my library.

This story starts out as a cute, folksy little story about two attractive people getting very drunk and ending up in a Las Vegas chapel. I have heard this story before, and I thought "here we go, sad girl (Molly) with no money and no family accidently marrys a rich southern man (Cooper) with a loving family"......ho hum. But then it makes some very interesting turns. Both these characters have dark and interesting pasts. And then the mystery starts to grow with surprising developments. The characters are rich, the romance is realistic, and the mystery is compelling. The ending is exciting although a bit predictable.

This book kept me guessing the entire length.

After a night out in Vegas, two strangers wind up married. Knowing nothing about one another, the story begins to unravel. Lies are told, secrets are revealed, and hearts are broken. Can anything good come from this web of lies??

This is a fabulous book, with a very well built plot and a great story. It builds the suspense and romance from the beginning, and ends with drama and thrills. Great characters and setting.
A definite must read!.

Thank you so much to Bella Rosa Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness, you need to stop what you're doing and read this book. This had romance, suspense, crime, drama, thrills, and oh so much more. I have not enjoyed a book this much in so long and I'm absolutely in love.

This book is about Molly who wakes up in a car in Las Vegas with a stranger sleeping next to her. She glances down at her hand and to her surprise she is wearing a wedding band, as is the stranger next to her. When Cooper, the said stranger, wakes up and they both realize they have no idea what happened the night before he takes her back to his hometown to get an annulment as soon as possible. As Molly starts meeting all of Cooper's family she quickly realizes there's something off about Cooper's dad Ted and he feels the same way about her. When Ted starts digging deeper into Molly's past, Molly realizes she must confess to her tainted past and also out Ted for the person he really is.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book. I had never heard of the author Kristin Wright before so I had no idea what to expect going in. I definitely did not expect to love this book as much as I did. This was not your run of the mill romance novel, it had a lot of suspense and thrills wound into it also. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next you get thrown for a huge loop and I mean that in the best way possible. I did figure out what happened to Cooper's wife about 65% of the way through the novel but that still did not prepare me for the ending and all the craziness that ensued. I absolutely loved the character of Molly and her background and how that formed and shaped how she is today.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Thank you again to Bella Rosa Books and NetGalley for the copy of this book. I will definitely be purchasing when it goes on sale!

I really liked this story and enjoyed reading it. It has a good plot with good characters. You really delve into personalities and peoples motivates in life. Not sure on the title though or the cover as it did make me question reading the description of the book. However I did read it and look forward to reading more from this author. A completely different beginning and lovely way to write,.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Nope. Molly and Cooper wake up hungover and married!

I love Molly’s character for her vulnerability, it makes her “real.” Cooper is a southern gentleman, through and through. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop, their trust build and their care for one another grow.

Well! That escalated quickly! Just strolling along already ensnared in the story and the richness of the writing when I turned the page and BAM! After that the book just took off full speed. The suspense raising my adrenaline levels higher and higher. I easily and deeply connected to these characters. I laughed, I cried, I gasped. I passionately recommend this book. I look forward to future reads. Below are a couple points that threw me off a little but nothing that affected the intensity of the book.

The first scene where Molly and Ted speak alone is too sudden. Molly is quick to jump to a dark thought that sort of seems far stretched. This scene could use a few other build ups to make it more plausible that it would even take place. The conversation seems too revealing for two people who just met 48 hours before. Considering events up to that point this conversation is an extreme leap. The scene with Molly walking in the cold to climb the tree seems unfinished.

I appreciate the opportunity to indulge in this book before its release. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers!


Fawn

Another WOW!!! A superb read! Do not miss this one!!!

Actually I chose this book on a lark - not expecting much - but it is great.

Molly and Cooper wake up in a car in Las Vegas. They are very hungover and have matching wedding rings - also a marriage certificate. They had been strangers when they met 2-3 days ago. After a wild couple of drunken days (with Cooper's former college friends) they ended up married. Neither of them really remembers it, though.

Molly sees the South Carolina gentleman in Cooper. Cooper sees the beauty and intelligence in Molly. They cannot remember if the marriage was even consummated.

Cooper tells her that he has a buddy in Charleston who is a lawyer who can give them an annulment. The problem is that it's late Sunday - the week of Thanksgiving. They both figure this will be easier than sending paperwork back and forth to Las Vegas. She tells him that she is from Michigan; and that she is an interior designer. He is a realtor. Since we do not know much about Molly at this point (except she lost her last job in housekeeping in Las Vegas) we learn about her (along with Cooper) past.

Cooper lives with his father, sister and niece in what most would consider a mansion. Jet-lagged, Molly meets the family - Cooper's sister, Caroline (Caro) is very nice and his father a formidable figure.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Molly and Cooper get their annulment sorted only somewhat due to the approaching holiday weekend. At a restaurant, Caro introduces Molly to Miss Aurelia who has been her and Cooper's surrogate mom since Cooper was 11 and Caro was 6 when their mother passed away. Of course, Molly and Cooper continue to develop a strong attraction to each other. Molly fights him on it because she has secrets to hide. She is afraid if Cooper found out about her secrets that he would reject her, at best.

A brilliant read!!!!! Do not miss this one.

Many thanks to Bella Rosa Books and NetGalley for a top of the line read!!!!!

The story moves along at a good pace. Characters are well scripted - either you like them or you don't!

As a South Carolinian who thoroughly enjoys every trip to the low country to our 'Holy City' ( known to others as Charleston), I found this book delightful!
I was especially pleased when the author cited her respect for our own late great Pat Conroy, one of the greatest Southern writers of our time.
The description and other reviews give enough plot information so I want only to arrest to the accuracy of her descriptions of the setting and atmosphere of the area and the content. There is a surprisingly a great deal more detail of steamy bedroom scenes than one usually sees in current low country books and low country authors. I suppose it was pertinent to the plot, however, I prefer some things left to the imagination,
It is a great rainy day or beach read. The characters are likeable,the setting sublime, and enough dialog, twists and turns to have you feeling you are watching as it occurs. I don't give 5 star ratings lightly, but this books gets all 5 despite the descriptive sex.
This book was provided by the publisher as a complimentary copy via Net Galley for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

I love the cover ! That and the description is what pulled me to the book., I thought it was well written, it was a bit predictable but I really liked it!

Being a South Carolinian, I loved the lowcountry setting of this book. I could see the marshes, feel the humidity, and smell the pluff mud. The story itself was just as moving—full of suspense, romance, and twists. The characters were well-developed, and the plot draws the reader in and doesn’t let go until the dramatic conclusion. I highly recommend the book and look forward to more by this author!

I did not want to put Lying Beneath the Oaks down even for a second. It totally made me lose sleep and pulled me in from the very start. It has a mystery hiding behind each page that begs for you to read and discover it. I enjoyed the Southern setting of South Carolina, and the writer’s ability to create work that was modern and relevant to current culture. It would make a really great movie, and I kept picking out the cast as I read (do you ever do that when you read a book, too?) It has some steamy romance scenes that made me blush and a lot of chilling suspense going on. The secrets are revealed in bits as you go, and it remains at a good pace throughout. There were some things I found a little problematic in the storyline but overall I really liked this as a quick easy read. You’ll want to read this one, it’s an excellent thriller for the new year.

A gothic romance thriller set in the south. What more could a girl ask for? This book made me question whether I really knew my loved ones and what, if anything, are they hiding from me? I was hooked from the beginning.

Very enjoyable romantic suspense. What happens in Vegas—is definitely not all there is to the story!

Molly wakes up to find herself in a car outside a chapel in Vegas and married to hunky Cooper. Good Lord, What has she done?

Turns out, Molly asks herself that about far more than simply getting married. Also turns out her questioning nature may be the very thing her new husband needs in his life, whether he knows it or not.

When they travel to his home in South Carolina, things turn a bit sinister as Molly encounters those in Cooper’s life who have secrets of their own. Though to Molly’s knowledge, none have greater—or worse—secrets than the one she carries. She needs an annulment before things go too far; before Cooper has to be burdened with her own past. And yet, the attraction is deep. Somehow, despite a lifetime of hardship, Molly may have stumbled onto a keeper. But how can she allow herself to taint him with her past? On the other hand, how can she allow herself to leave without sharing her growing suspicions?

This book is a real Southern Gothic page turner to the end with plenty of twists and turns, like the old oaks themselves. Thankful to have received an arc so I could read in advance and share my honest review. Congratulations Kristin Wright on an excellent debut!

This was a great beach read. Secrets, romance, waking up married in Vegas...The Southern setting was magnificent. What are the secrets in Cooper’s family? Thanks to Bella Rosa Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Kristin Wright, Bella Rose Books, and Netgalley for the pre-pub access to this book.

I thought this was going to be yet another romance with mishap: two strangers get drunk and get married in Las Vegas, etc. It sounded light-hearted and fun, but there was more to the story. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is intrigue, danger, and a mystery or two to solve, as well as some good old fashioned romance here.

Kristin Wright delivers an outstanding read with this Southern Gothic Suspense novel. The writing is superb, and the characters are riveting. I read the entire book in a day because I couldn't put it down. Molly is is tough, strong, and hardened by life thanks to her heartbreaking secret. Cooper is kind, tender, and persistent, but his family harbors a secret that is just as heartbreaking. I couldn't wait to see how their story unfolded amongst the beautiful descriptions of the scenery and people in the low country. An absolutely fantastic read.