Adam and Lydia on the outside look like they have it all, she runs a successful craft business, they live in a big house and he drives a Bentley. They have 2 children.

Adam has been having an affair and divorce is on the cards. When he dies suspiciously after being electrocuted in their swimming pool, the police suspect that Lydia may have had something to do with his death.

Lydia meets handsome, charming Patrick on a dating site, theirs is a whirlwind romance and they are soon married.

Fun but predictable. If you’re looking for a good domestic drama, I’d look to other authors for a more promising storyline and better character development.

This had a good premise and the story was a decent drama, but in terms of mystery, I solved it rather straight away. Character development was poor and everything else was predictable. 

The main thing that bugged me about this book was the way the main character lived her life as if her actions didn't affect anyone...when in fact, her actions directly affected her children and her own future. She appeared to be completely oblivious to what was right in front of her when it was obvious to the reader.

I was rather frustrated with the main character and the way she interacted with the other characters in this book. There were also several interactions that were not fully explained, such as the main character's daughter and the new stepfather. And many of the other interpersonal interactions seemed very unrealistic.

Thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐ 
Thrill factor: ⭐⭐⭐ 
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐ ½ 
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Loved this thrilling book!!!!!!!  This is my first by this author & it definitely won't be my last. It was so fast paced, it had me guessing until the last page.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, was hooked from the first page, loads of twists and turns, would recommend it x

I really enjoyed this story, however it was a tough read for me.  I spent much of the book questioning Lydia, why couldn't she see what was so plain to me!  Sadly, I imagine that anyone actually in this particular situation, cannot see what is so plain to others.  To me, this book wasn't just a thriller but a cautionary tale.  Will I recommend this to others? Absolutely, a great read! I think it was tough because it was true to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have cut and pasted to add to Goodreads manually.

The plot was pretty predictable. Husband dies, new guy jumps in and wins the woman over immediately. Family and friends can see right through him but woman is in love. Then it turns out  the new guy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Not saying it was bad, just another Lifetime Movie. Overall I liked the premise and how the characters were developed. I would definitely read another book by Miranda Rijks. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read via Netgalley in exchange for an honest  review.

She wanted a second chance at happiness. She got a first-class ticket to hell.
Lydia Palmer seems to have it all - a thriving business, a beautiful house, a picture-perfect husband and two wonderful kids. But things are different behind closed doors - Lydia is desperately unhappy and wants a divorce. Then, shockingly, her husband Adam dies.
When her grief eases, Lydia starts online dating and almost immediately meets Patrick. Handsome, successful, loving, he’ll make the perfect second husband.
But is Patrick too good to be true? Can you really find prince charming online?
These are questions Lydia is forced to ask when her world begins to collapse. First, the police say Adam may have been murdered. Then her daughter turns against her, her business disintegrates…
Lydia is convinced that someone is trying to destroy her happiness. She’s wrong. They want so much more than that

Roses Are Red is about a woman named Lydia, whose husband Adam dies suspiciously and unexpectedly. A few months after he dies, a new man named Patrick enters her life. He seems to be perfect and quickly sweeps her off her feet. Her children are initially dismayed by her new relationship but eventually warm up to him. As things advance, Lydia gets weird vibes from Patrick but constantly shrugs them off. 

The plot was pretty predictable. Husband dies, new guy jumps in and wins the woman over immediately. Then it turns out  the new guy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The build up to the reveal is great but doesn’t happen until about 90% into the book. Overall I liked the premise and how the characters were developed. I would definitely read another book by Miranda Rijks. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read via Netgalley in exchange for an honest  review.

When Lydia's husband Adam is horribly murdered in the pool behind their house, she quickly moves on with life, knowing that she hadn't really loved her husband for years and was going to divorce him anyway. She meets Patrick, and it seems as though everything in her life is coming together. She has finally met the true man of her dreams, she has her crafting company, and her two precious children are quickly growing up. However, someone is out to get Lydia, and she begins to realize that there is nobody she can trust.

Roses are Red by Miranda Rijks was a captivating psychological thriller. I enjoyed it, especially the second half once the plot began to pick up and I was able to get more insight into the characters. I wasn't overly impressed with the beginning of the book, especially as the writing and story timeline felt choppy, but once I got into the action, I was hooked and read a majority of the book in one sitting. I would recommend Roses are Red to those who are looking for a quick, psychological read that will have people guessing on details until the very end!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of Roses are Red!

Well this did not go as well as I'd hoped. Normally enjoy a Rijks novel but this one was actually painful to read.
Lydia must be the least bright bulb in the house which really leaves you wondering how she managed to build a successful business. She definitely won’t be winning any mother of the year awards either.

I felt like she wasn't really a victim. A business woman that acts impulsively and ignores her gut feelings? I highly doubt it. Everything was so obvious. How could she miss it? I know I didn't. All the way to the end was predictable.

I will give read to a future Rijks book because I know she's capable of excellent writing but this one seemed rushed.

Thank you for the opportun ity to read this. My apologies for the delayed review.

Story started off interesting but then just seemed to drag. Not among my favorites for this author. I would not recommend this book.

This was quite the thriller! It had mystery, intrigue and romance. I thought I had figured out what was going to happen next, but many twists along the way surprised me. Highly recommend this book!

The perfect wife with the perfect life is at the forefront of domestic thriller ROSES ARE RED by Miranda Rijks. Classic domestic noir with unreliable characters, lies and secrets that will have you turning the pages into the night.

On the surface, Adam and Lydia Palmer have it all. Money. Wealth. Success. A lavish restored farmhouse, two children and a life of luxury. But things are never what they seem. Lydia is far from happy. Adam is a serial philanderer and the couple are on the verge of divorce. After discovering the identity of his latest conquest the couple have a massive row afterwhich Adam storms out to go for his nightly swim. And Lydia goes to bed. When Adam hasn't returned three hours later, she goes in search of him...and finds him at the bottom of their swimming pool, having been murdered by electrocution. The police swoop in and investigate, questioning both Lydia and her business partner Ajay. And then the trail goes cold.

Three months later and Lydia's best friend Cassie is encouraging her to try internet dating. After an unsuccessful date and vowing never to use internet dating again, Lydia meets Patrick - a warm and charismatic man who is kind and loving and everything Adam wasn't. Can this man be the calm amidst the storm of her life?

Patrick woos Lydia and by Christmas the couple are engaged, much to the shock of everyone...particularly her 15 year old daughter Mia who is outraged. Patrick wants a quick wedding without the usual fanfare but Lydia isn't so sure. She only buried her husband seven months ago and her children are still grieving. But Patrick is insistent and even manages to talk Mia round, begrudgingly, for she refuses to attend their very small wedding of just five people. Lydia wants her daughter to love her new husband so badly but she also wants her to be happy. Her son Ollie is content enough but becomes rather ecstatic when Patrick spends time bonding with him over computer games. At last, life seems to be good.

Then things start to fall apart...

Patrick travels a lot for work and Lydia finds herself the recipient of prank calls throughout the night. Then her business begins to suffer when she appears on a home shopping show to promote a product her business is selling only to discover the wrong product was sent to the network, which is a cheap knock-off version of the one they sell, and her demonstration resulted in a humiliating display. She is shocked to discover her partner Ajay had changed the instructions and so she confronts him after clarifying her paperwork had been in order but he denies having done so. But why would he do that? Then she discovers that the police have new evidence pointing to Ajay as being responsible for Adam's murder. Is this true? Could it have been Ajay? But why?

Then the silent calls begin again. And noises in the night. Shadows in the dark. A dark maroon car seen driving away from the house, matching Ajay's car. Is he stalking her? Trying to scare her? Before long, Ajay offers to buy Lydia's share of the company which she refuses. Has this been his ploy all along? To discredit her business only to buy her out at way below the market value? Patrick had warned her he might do this and it seems he was right. But is Ajay dangerous too?

But then nothing will prepare Lydia for what is to come...

Collapsing on the kitchen floor one morning eating breakfast, Lydia is unable to breathe, her tongue swelling in her throat. She knew at once what it was. She is highly allergic to peanuts and she has gone into anaphylaxis. Mia searches for her mother's EpiPen, none of which could be found, screaming in panic before Lydia fades into blackness. Who put the peanuts into Lydia's granola, knowing full well she is allergic? It seems whoever it is wants Lydia dead...and they will stop at nothing.

Is it Ajay? Or is it someone closer to home?

Told solely in Lydia's narrative, except for the opening chapter, ROSES ARE RED is a fast paced thriller that will have you scratching your head...and not always in a good way. It was well written and was a heart-pounding read but for me it was all too familiar. In fact, I had to stop reading to search for the book that it did remind me of because it screamed of such similarities to Alison James' "The Man She Married", albeit with a few differences.

My biggest issue with this book though was Lydia herself. How someone with the nous to build a multi-million pound crafting empire could be so gullible...really? How could she be so blind to be unable to see how she is being played? How could she doubt her business partner and friend for over twenty years and take the word of her new husband whom she has known just 5 minutes? For these reasons I found the story a little too predictable and the shock twist promoted with the book really wasn't. ROSES ARE RED wasn't a bad book but it wasn't the greatest either. It was still intriguing and held my interest throughout as I was interested to discover "why", despite the "who" not being such a great shock. There were a couple of surprises but I had figured out the majority of what was happening by the time all was revealed.

What wasn't so cliched as it was real is the whole internet dating thing. I may be old fashioned but for me that's just playing with fire. You don't know who you are talking to, who you are meeting or what you are opening yourself up to. It is scary as hell and incredibly frightening that intelligent people are willing to open themselves up to complete strangers without knowing anything at all about them. Online, people can be whoever they want to be...and none of it is real.

ROSES ARE RED is still an enjoyable read though I don't think the "twist you won't see coming" tagline is at all apt. You can spot it clearly a mile away.

Although I did enjoy the book, it is not one that will stay with me as some books do. It is, however, a perfect read for something quick and mindless that is uncomplicated and still enjoyable. And sometimes that's just what one needs. ROSES ARE RED is a great book to escape into with its fast pace and easy reading style.

I look forward to Miranda's next book "The Arrangement" .

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #RosesAreRed in exchange for an honest review.

A good read with plenty of action. I thought though that it was a bit predictable in places. I also did not like Lydia. She seemed selfish and shallow in a lot of her decisions.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Now this is a strange one to review... I couldn't put it down, I was almost addicted to it BUT it was highly predictable!

A dark, twisty noir that will have you sat zombified to its pages BUT full of cliches.

In all honesty alot of what happens (no spoilers) is WAAAAY over the top and the ending had me rolling my eyes.

The characters weren't overly likeable or relatable but I still couldn't put it down

Overall an enjoyable read but overly predictable.

3*

With thanks to netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

Adam and Lydia appear to have the perfect life. But in reality Lydia is deeply unhappy and wants a divorce. But then Adam dies and leaves her to raise their two children alone. Within months of Adam's death, Lydia is married to new man Patrick. He's handsome, smart, loving... the perfect man. Or is he just too good to be true?

Okay, so the story was great. Suspense and twists in all the right places. It was gripping and I struggled to put it down once I started. But I am so annoyed with Lydia! She seemed like such a smart woman, is aware of men who scam wealthy women, yet she falls for it hook, line and sinker. I mean, really. Who marries a man they met online a month ago? Especially when their husband has only been dead for four months. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, I don't know. But it really did annoy me. Other than that, I loved this one. I look forward to reading more from this author.

After having devoured Deserve to Die, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book very much. The story captured my interest in the beginning but then it dragged on for so long that by the time I got to the lackluster twist, I didn’t much care anymore. This one just wasn’t for me.

I love a good love story gone psycho and Roses Are Red had me up way into the night for "just one more page".
It was sad, it was emotional, it was dark, it had secrets and lots of wealth, and it had a twisty ending!
Very well written. 
Love the cover art too.
Thank you for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. Posted on goodreads as well.

3-4 stars, this was one of those that was good enough for me to stay interested in throughout and finish, but not one that blew my mind!  I think it was well written, had the normal things I look for in thrillers; thrills, chills, twists & turns, and shocks.  I think it may have been one that just seems to have that way too familiar theme, we see in many thrillers, which is why it didn’t blow my mind, but I definitely think most will enjoy the quick suspense ride!