While raising three children, one with a serious medical condition and starting a very successful cosmetic company, Tessa thought her marriage to Ethan was rock solid. But, she discovers he has been having an affair. Using subterfuge, she lures Ethan’s mistress, Lindsey, to her home while a hurricane rages outside. Both women behave shockingly as more and ore secrets are revealed.

Told in alternating viewpoints of the two women, I have mixed feelings about this book. As a longtime Florida resident, I found the implausibility of the beginning of the book disconcerting. Storms don’t come in that quickly. Even if Tessa was too busy to watch the news, potential storms are a big deal in Florida and talked about for days before landfall. If the family is so wealthy and the house has so many windows, why isn’t there someone they hire on a regular basis to help prepare for storms? And, where are there bluffs overlooking the ocean in Florida? Dunes maybe, but bluffs?

From that point on, I felt a lot of the book to be a bit unbelievable and, spoiler alert, the ending leaves some things unresolved. Yet, it was a fast, engrossing read….or perhaps I read it quickly to just get through it…….

Excellent story! It’s full of surprises and moves right along.
Recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers involving mistresses.

Tessa is preparing the house for a hurricane, fuming that her husband's business trip has been extended and that the romantic night she had planned for the two of them won't happen. Her annoyance turns to fury when she turns on his ipad and sees the naked pictures of his twenty-six-year-old mistress.



Almost immediately, Tessa decides to deal with the situation. She can't reach her husband, but she can lure the other woman to her home for a confrontation. This one is fast paced and over the top, not something that I think could ever happen in real life but it certainly made for an entertaining read.

Tessa is driving her children Connor, 18, and Ava, 15, to Atlanta for their annual 3-week visit with their grandparents. Her third child, Colt, is doing an internship for the summer.

Tessa’s husband, Ethan, is supposed to return tonight from a business trip to New York, and she needs to get back to her home in Florida. Tessa runs her own successful cosmetic business which means she travels a lot, as well as Ethan who is a successful architect.

On the way home, she hears on the radio that a storm heading her way has quickly turned into Hurricane Fiona. That’s when Ethan calls to say he is delayed in New York for another night. Arriving at home, Tessa quickly closes all the storm shutters and gathers together some candles should she lose electricity. Her daughter, Ava, inadvertently took her Mom’s iPad with her so Tessa grabs Ethan’s to keep up with the news. There, she sees texts from a woman named Lindsey who is obviously having an affair with Ethan. Furious, Tessa plots revenge. She texts Lindsey posing as Ethan and invites her to their home for some kinky sex.

What happens after that is a night readers will never forget. Whew. This was pretty intense and quite good. However, in my opinion, NO man is worth that. Kick the jerk to the curb. This is a good book. Enjoy!

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

Mine by Courtney Cole seemed to be a bit of a drama filled thriller in which there’s not a ton of guessing or twists galore but a flat out intense ride all the way. The story is told by switching the point of view back and forth between the two main characters, Tessa and Lindsay.

Tessa had some huge plans for her and her husband for the weekend while her children were going to be away but of course things do not go as planned. First, as Tessa is rushing home to beat a huge storm that is moving in she finds her husband isn’t even on the way but instead she will be alone as most have even evacuated.

Just as she thinks things can’t get any worse than her romantic weekend up in smoke Tessa picks up her husband’s Ipad when she can’t find her own only to realize he has been cheating on her. With the mystery mistress texting Tessa pretends to be her husband and invites her over.

As many other’s have mentioned already… Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…that is what you find in this book. The author mentions that this book came about from her own trying time in her marriage so this is like her version of therapy and I, for one, was thankful she shared it with us and it’s definitely a suspenseful page turner.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

As a native Floridian who's been through 98,32402.14 hurricanes, I read this book like it was a B rated movie, Sharknado without the sharks. A wildly exaggerated storm system in the background with cheesy acting and a situation that comes straight from the imagination of the writer that is just crazy enough that you can imagine it came from a dream or a dark fantasy. It kept me engaged the entire two hours I read it (yeah, I read it in one sitting, staying up way too late) but had me rolling my eyes the entire two hours. From the hurricane that no one was prepared for to the ending.

First, people always know ahead of time about a hurricane, by like, a week or so, gas and prep aren't done the day of while wind is blowing (except for the procrastinators but usually by then there is no prep, just beer parties) the storm gradually happens, and usually by a category 2 power is out and there is no light anywhere. And the plane trip back into the disaster area would take days, not hours, and the spotty phone service i can see, but once its a cat 4, the chances of phone service coming up right away are like nil, and always, always ALWAYS, beachside is evacuated during a tropical storm, let alone a cat4, she never would have been able to get to her house that day. How is it that the rain is so heavy the wife won't drive, but the mistress drove right over? And the son? Okay. And the whole scenario, I feel like this is something I would have fantasied about with the other woman, and the ending would have been a lot different. The ending was a little bit of a letdown for me, you've got a whole book of crazy implausible fast paced angst, and then there was the ending.

I really liked that it gripped me and kept me up till late until I finished it despite having to work in 3 hours. The writer is a good writer you can tell, even with all the crazy going on.

Tessa lived a careful life and thought nothing was brewing under the surface. Boy was she wrong. When Tessa find images of another woman on her husband's phone she falls apart. What is she to do? Read the book to find out what happens next. You are in for a roller coaster ride. Don't miss out on the action.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The author penned a letter to readers on Goodreads and I would like to copy that and put right here for you to read....

Dear Reader,

Before you begin reading this story, I should tell you… this is about every wife’s worst nightmare. 
You think it can never happen to you. 
It can. 
You think you’re impervious to it because you do your best to keep your husband happy. 
You’re not. 
Trust me, I know. 
The title of this story, MINE, has a double-meaning. 
Ethan is Tessa’s, so from her point of view, MINE is self-explanatory. 
But also… this story… is mine. 
At least, parts of it. 
My husband was unfaithful. It was a crazy circumstance, a perfect storm of irony and tragedy. It gutted me and brought my world down around me in bits and pieces. 
When something like this happens to you, your mind plays tricks on you and turns you into someone you aren’t. I can’t tell you how often I fantasized about terrible things after I found out about the affair--- things I would never truly act upon. 
Then, one day, I decided to write this story. To unleash the darkness that dwelled in my heart, the things I would never actually do, in a cathartic way to channel my anger. 
I’ll let you wonder and decide where reality ends and my dark fantasies begin in this story. 

After reading Mine let me tell you what I will never do...and that is to cross Courtney Cole *insert wow face here*. I hope writing this novel was therapeutic for her!

The story is about Tessa, who discovers her husband of 20 years has been having an affair with a young bombshell.  She takes the opportunity when her husband is out of town to trap the mistress at her house.  How?  She sends her a text from her husband's iPad he left open at home (where she discovered nude pictures and messages).  The mistress comes in, finds notes "he" left her, and ends up handcuffing herself to his bed, just waiting for "him..."

The book is told through the perspective of Tessa, the wife, and Lindsey, the mistress.  I loved how the story was told in present time with Tessa and Lindsey in the same room with going back to the recent past to tie in to what Lindsey was telling Tessa.  At first I felt bad for Tessa, then bad for Lindsey, then really bad for Tessa, and nothing for Lindsey.  

I spent most of this book thinking that Tessa is going to end up in jail, if not prison.  She goes a little off the wall.  Tessa is very intense.  Then, the book takes an odd turn.  Suddenly Lindsey is free from being handcuffed to the bed and when you think bloodshed would occur, it doesn't.  It almost becomes too surreal and it loses the oomph it had in the beginning.  We went from crazy intense to all of a sudden we've worked through being the wife and the other woman in a matter of mere hours??  It just seemed unrealistic for what was happening at the beginning.

This was an OK read, very fast paced.  I read this book rather quickly and it's very easy to follow.  I think any woman faced with finding her husband in an affair would want to do what Tessa did.  I just don't think I would ever be as gracious as Tessa is in the end.  You'll have to read this one and be the judge for yourself.

Nothing like a good thriller to pull you out of a reading slump!

Thank you Gallery Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do when you find evidence of your husband’s mistress while preparing for a hurricane? Tessa is headed to her parent’s house to drop off her teenage kids for a visit while she spends an overdue weekend with her husband. Turns out that her husband Ethan can’t make it after all. Tessa wasn’t aware that a hurricane was coming, but gets caught up in trying to weatherize the house when she comes across Ethan’s iPad full of text messages and naked images from another woman. Looks like there is more than just a hurricane storm brewing…

I have not read “Saving Beck” by Courtney, but have heard amazing things (and a book I will have to read very soon). Because of the rave reviews, I was really excited to come across this read! Courtney is a really talented writer. This novel does not disappoint! I read this in one night – I just HAD to know what happened! Was she going to confront her husband or the mistress instead?! This reminded me a lot of “For Better and Worse”. If you’ve read it and enjoyed it, you’ll like this one a lot! Perfect late night thrill ride that you don’t want to miss out on!

This book was crazy pants! The premise of the story is that while preparing for a storm, the main character, Tessa, finds out that her husband has had an affair with a much younger woman, Lindsey. Tessa (while pretending to be her husband, Ethan) convinces Lindsey to come over. She does, and Tessa has to figure out how she is going to react.

The story is told through alternating views of Tessa and Lindsey. We find out how the affair started, and essentially what was going on in Tessa's life at the same time, along with current day happenings. I think by alternating the characters, it allows the reader to get a bigger picture of what is actually going down, because you hear both characters' sides, rather than just that of the scorned wife, or the lover.

Honestly, I didn't really understand Tessa's reaction. I understand her frustration, and her anger, but to react that way toward Lindsey seemed pointless to me. Lindsey wasn't the one who owed her any loyalty, her husband was. Lindsey wasn't the one who broke up her family, HER HUSBAND WAS. If you want to get mad, sure, get mad AT HIM. If she needed "answers" she could have had a phone conversation with Lindsey, or just waited until her husband got home. I guess, had she not done what she did though, there wouldn't be a story.

I also read that the author wrote this after having found out that her own husband was having an affair. I hope that she was a lot calmer than Tessa was, but that writing this gave her some peace.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Courtney Cole for the opportunity to read this book - 4.5 stars for a good, quick read!

Tessa has the world by the tail, or so she things. She's been happily married to Ethan for decades and they have 3 great children. She has a beauty business she started and Ethan is a successful architect who designed their beautiful home in Florida. As she drops off two of her children for their annual visit with their grandparents in Georgia and heads home, a hurricane is bearing down on her and Ethan is on a business trip in New York. Little does she know that the hurricane will be the least of her problems. When she discovers nude pictures from her husband's alleged mistress on his iPad, her fury matches the power of the hurricane. And she becomes someone she never dreamed she could be.

Told from the viewpoints of Tessa in present time and Lindsay, the mistress, going back over the last year of their affair, this is a story of revenge. However, once the storm passes, both women will never be the same.

This was a good read - we can probably all imagine how we would feel in this same situation. But it's also a cautionary tale that we should never take our relationships for granted.

I was expecting more thrills and chills from Mine. I based my expectations on the synopsis and the cover. What I read was a very good novel about relationships and a reminder that there are two sides to every story. This story reflects the lives of two women, the wife and the mistress. The chapters are narrated in those two voices. Once I got used to the narrative styles and times (the mistress' story starts with the affair beginning and the wife's story starts with the discovery of the husband's infidelity), the book read quite smoothly. I appreciated the way Courtney Cole let the reader make their own judgement and conclusions. I would read more from Courtney Cole.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Most people who have experienced infidelity have at least thought about confronting the other woman or man, about getting answers, and about some kind of revenge. Most people have to think about the consequences of certain actions, about how doing what they really want to do would affect their children and others around them, about where they go from here - but what if they didn't? That's where Mine comes in. Some things about the story were a little over the top, and in all honesty, I didn't agree with the actions of any of these characters. However, having been in Tessa's shoes, I can understand what drove her. As for Lindsey, the other woman, we get her story in a series of flashbacks throughout the book. Of course, we aren't meant to like her, but it's pretty clear that she's a bit unhinged. Oh, and let's not forget that everything other than Lindsey's flashbacks are happening in the middle of a category four hurricane, and the man in the middle is stuck in New York, so intervention isn't coming any time soon. All of that creates a tension-filled atmosphere, and regardless of how I felt about any particular character, I couldn't help but cheer a little for Tessa at times, and even though I hate to admit it, I felt a bit sorry for Lindsey at certain points in the story. In the end, we don't exactly get a clearly defined outcome, especially for Tessa, but it is fitting given the circumstances, and if you're like me, you'll put yourself in Tessa's shoes and ponder what you think should come next.

Like what the Eff did I just read!!! A much too close look at the Putrid and rotting side of marriage - adultery!
"Is adultery an inevitability of life? Do men just get tired of their wives and cheat?"

What an Unusual story of double cross & revenge that bounces of like a slinky, upending numerous times. I've never read a cheating trope like this before. Or seen A simple subject treated so distinguishly that it is still lingering in my mind. I'm a little more sceptical, a wee bit more cynical towards happy statuses and wholesome family pics that I see everywhere. Who is to say whats hiding behind closed doors in these happy families.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,”
Courtney is a master at writing fine psychological thrillers. I've been her fan since Nocte series and I'm forever confounded that she doesn't get lost in her own mind. Cause I surely do! One thing to always expect is The Unexpected Factor present in all her books. This story is signature Tate style, Pandora's box of secrets. Every chapters opens a new box and you keep disovering new layers. The face of the villain keeps changing multiple times and characters move like chess pieces. By the time book ends, you'd be astonished that your loyalties have changed too.
Simple story of a couple-Ethan & Tessa Taylor. Their idyllic family is encroached upon by a siren intruder- Lindsey.

Love doesn’t know boundaries.”
“Maybe not,” I answer.
“But people do. Or people should. Married people are out of bounds.
At least, they should be for any decent person.”
And what happens when lines DO get crossed
Well....Courtney writes a book about it.
I got severe whiplash. The story twisted at EVERY PAGE...legit every page!!
There is NO FIGURING out this story. You will have a delicious or horrendous surprise awaiting at every turn...depending upon whose side you're rooting for
But yanno what, it doesn't matter, cause EVERYBODY loses in the end.
I mean there can be no legible end to such a pretzel-ine story.
Three souls, linked together by Greed and jealousy
Greed- to snatch what the other has.
jealousy - why can't I have that.
They get caught in a cat 4 hurricane.....inside the house. It's definitely more dangerous and deadly to stay inside than be out and risk your life

This whole time, I’ve wanted an answer to one main question . . . one unthinkable question.
What does Lindsey have that I don’t?
But now, it seems that it wasn’t the right question in the first place.
The right question is . . . what is wrong with my husband?
Courtney has totally changed the meaning and context of the cliché -MINE.
Tessa was inspiringly level headed, Lindsey most unreliable and Ethan was simply a man!!

The whole time my heart was beating wildly, it's pace is so fast and course so unpredictable, I was on tenterhooks throughout.
If you want to read a book that you want to remember days after you close it...go pick up this one
5 stars for Dumb Charades

I am in a book hangover after reading this. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t stop reading. I ended up reading it in one sitting. I have many mixed feelings about this book. I thought it was very well written. I like how the past and present are intertwined to form a complete story. I did not like Ethan or Lindsay. I’m not sure how I feel about Tessa. The ending, though satisfying, did not offer complete closure. An epilogue would have been a nice addition.

I read a lot of books in this genre, so I had high hopes for this, based on the blurb. It's told from two POV's, which I enjoyed. There was a lot of action, as well. However, there's very little character development, and the dialogue was annoying and repetitive. It was just a bit too unbelievable for my tastes.

Let me start by saying, if cheating is a hard no for you, pass on this book. It is an awesomely written story and there is no actual current cheating, but it talked about in great detail.

Tessa has it all and Lindsay wants it. How well do we really know the one we’ve married? How easy is it for them to keep secrets?

This is a story that makes you think about your relationships. Grab it and devour it as I did!

Now this is what I call a phenomenal psychological thriller! Betrayal, treachery, lies and even 'kidnapping'! Mine by Courtney Cole is the reason I have serious trust issues when it comes to relationships!

After twenty years of marriage, Tessa Taylor is looking forward to a romantic weekend alone with her husband, Ethan. Suddenly he calls and says he is stuck in a meeting out of town and can't make it home. With a category 4 hurricane heading towards her, she races back home devastated their weekend is ruined.

With the storm raging outside, she goes searching for her iPad but stumbles upon her husband's. To her horror she finds raunchy messages and photos with a 26-year-old woman named Lindsey. In shock, but vengeance, Tessa pretends to be her husband and invites Lindsey to come over in the middle of the hurricane to ride out the storm. As everything she thought she knew about her marriage comes crashing around her, she becomes overwhelmed with rage -- and it all is focussed on Lindsey. How far will Tessa go to take out her bitterness over her husband's infidelity on his own mistress?

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned -- so what happens when there are two? Shit get crazy people! This book literally kept me on the edge of my seat, swiping through the pages on my kindle like a madwomen, and within a couple of hours, my jaw hit the ground. Like my other reviews on thrillers, what really makes a fantastic book of this genre is pacing. Courtney Cole has this down to a T!

What really kept me intrigued with this book were the alternating POVs. We are given Tessa's story in present day and Lindsey's in the past with how she met Ethan; the two eventually converge as the massive plot twist unravels. By having both sides of these two characters I was able to stay unbiased with the women. I felt like I was in a tug of war trying to figure out which one I was rooting for. Eventually, I realised the man is always to blame in this case!

The only reason I am giving this less stars is because of the too cosy of an ending. Again, I think I've read too many suspense and thrillers, and I wanted something darker and more sinister than what we got with Mine. Maybe it's my drab, ominous heart that wanted the two women to go target the husband in the end, but I'll just leave that for my own book one day!

Mine by Courtney Cole is a fast-paced thriller that makes you second guess whether you're ready for commitment -- let alone crazy desperate women who want to steal your man! With rage, heartbreak, betray and even revenge -- this book gives you whirlwind of emotions, leaving you contemplating; who will win the battle to affirm Ethan is theirs? You'll want to put this book on your summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Courtney Cole for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when you find out your husband is a cheater and you have the opportunity to face his mistress? That's what Mine explores. Told in alternating perspectives between Tessa and Lindsey, and in both present time and flashbacks over Lindsey's affair with Tessa's husband, this is a real page turner! I read this book in two days because it kept me on the edge of my seat as the story of Lindsey and Ethan's affair unfolded and as Tessa and Lindsey came head-to-head. I was a little disappointed in the ending of the book but overall felt it was a solid read. Some may find the overlap in the alternating perspectives a little annoying. I enjoyed seeing both perspectives and didn't feel the overlap was that bad.

What happens when a wife and a mistress meet during a hurricane? Explosions and fireworks!

Tessa Taylor discovers by accident her husband Ethan has been having an affair with a twenty-something year old. Alone in their home she takes it upon herself to invite Ethan's "girlfriend" Lindsey over pretending to be him. As a hurricane battles the Florida house, inside the women battle each other over who Ethan really belongs to.

And nothing is really what it seems as the women rehash their different relationships with Ethan.

Is it Tessa, his wife of twenty years, the mother of his three children or Lindsey, the girl in nursing school who has a young son staying with her mother in another state as she tries to better herself and to whom Ethan has told he loves and would leave his wife for? Should Tessa really believe her? Should Lindsey really believe Tessa?

As the night progresses and Ethan who is out of town and unable to get back to Florida due to the hurricane finds out that Tessa now knows his dark secret he. tries to keep tabs on both women not realizing they are actually together. But in Mine it becomes a dance of sorts between Tessa and Lindsey as to who loves Ethan more, and which woman he really loves and finally who will win him in the end.

An incredible book of betrayal, love and forgiveness I could not put it down and finished it in two days!

Thank you #NetGalley #Gallery Books # Mine #Courtney Cole for the advanced copy. Mine is out now. Go out and get your copy fast!