Lydia and her husband Adam have a thriving business, amazing house, expensive cars and two children. Their relationship has ended and they are talking about divorce when Adam dies in their swimming pool. After a few months Lydia decides to try internet dating when she meets Patrick. He sweeps her off her feet and within months they are married. When things start to go wrong in Lydia's life her business partner appears to be trying to destroy her happiness. Brilliantly written psychological thriller.

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?

I’m a fan of mysteries, but this book was not a hit for me. The storyline was just average. Worse than average, the storyline was something out of a bad made for TV movie that’s not plausible and just makes for a ridiculous story. I never connected with any of the characters and I predicted the ending, as well as the “plot twists.”

2.5 stars but I’m rounding lower.

roses are red was an amazing tale. I enjoyed this book so much and look forward to reading more from this author

This was a gripping and exciting book, one that I raced through! It's got lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing :)

This book had me trying to guess who did it after chapter 1! It started off pretty good, i was convinced that the MC Lydia was the one who did the deed but of course, WRONG.

Lydia is trying to divorce her husband Adam who she fell out of love a long time ago. Lydia is frightened when she's presented with the coroner report stating her husband was electrocuted in their own home back yard pool. Who did it? Could it be the woman whom he was having an affair with? The pool maintenance man?

As much as i liked the book, the pace of the book, and the whole story in general, there wasn't many plot twists or anything really. The plot was pretty cliche. A little after half ways thru the book i already had my suspicion on who was at fault for the murder and at the latter end of the book, i was right. Aittle plot twist that i didn't see coming was from Lydia's "friend." That character i would have not guessed she was involved. The story made me think of Fifty Shades Freed when Christian Grey was being stalked by a foster home room mate of his who was "supposed" to have Christian's life of being rich and all. It gave out those vibes. But nonetheless, the book was entertaining and had me wanting to read it during lunch.

This was a really fast read, but unfortunately, too predictable for me. It centers on Lydia, a wealthy business owner whose husband dies suspiciously, but who recovers quickly to meet the man of her dreams online a few months later. Scary things start happening and Lydia has to figure out who is out to get her.

My primary issue with this book was Lydia herself- she was so self-absorbed and shallow that I didn't care if something bad happened to her. The way she treated her kids, and her business partner of 20 years, had me shaking my head. I also didn't know how someone who started a multi-million dollar company could possibly be that gullible. She seemed to have bad judgement and no logical instincts throughout the entire story. The plot itself is predictable- I kept hoping I was wrong and that the author would shock me with new revelations as the story went on, but it ended up pretty much as I envisioned. There were a couple surprises but I had figured out the majority of what was going on by the time it was revealed.

All in all, this just didn't do it for me, between my dislike of the protagonist and the predictability of the storyline, but I did read the book cover to cover in about 3 hours, so it held my interest. I wish the author had done more to take what was an interesting premise and build out the mystery further.

Thanks to Netgalley for the providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the mysterious death of her hubsand Lydia meets Patrick on a dating website. Patrick is charming and seems to be too good to be true. This story is a classic thriller romance where nothing is what it seems. While the plot can be a little predictable the writing style and the characters make up for it.

As someone who loves a good "on the edge of your seat" storyline I found it to be a little lacking but at the same time I could not put it down. Definitely a good book to read when you're looking for a quick story.

Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and the publisher for an advance copy of this story! I can't wait to see what others think about it as well.

Rose's Are Red by Miranda Rijks
I flew through this book in one day, and really enjoyed it.
I did want to give Lydia a good shake though and shout, wake up woman! Yet this book still kept me guessing right until the thrilling end.
I found myself with kindle in one hand and making the dinner with my other hand.
All in all a great read.

Here is my review of Roses Are Red by Miranda Rijks. It’s the first book by her that I have read. The setting is Horsham, not far from Brighton.

Lydia and Adam Palmer had been married a few years and had two children, Mia and Oliver. Things weren’t going well between them. One lunchtime when she went home unexpectedly she caught Marianne coming out of the shower and the game was up for Adam, Lydia then said she wanted a divorce.

That same night, Adam suddenly dies whilst taking his nightly swim.

Lydia and the children find it very hard after losing Adam. Cassie helps Lydia a lot, they have known each other years and have a good friendship but she has only just met Fiona.
They suggest she should try online dating and set her up a profile, as they are trying it too. Lydia soon gets a hit and she is very surprised. He is everything she could have wished for, handsome, loving, hardworking and successful. Every time they meet, he gives her a red rose. He is called Patrick and he looks gorgeous.

Then the police believe that Adam was murdered and start questioning Lydia in connection with how he died, about his movements on that day. Did he have any enemies? They want details of the will and the accounts that he held. She doesn’t tell them she is seeing someone.

Meanwhile Mia is turning against her mum, she doesn’t like Patrick. The police are questioning Ajay about Adam’s murder. He wasn’t aware his wife was having an affair, they are trying again.

Lydia and Patrick get married. She still can’t believe her luck at getting lucky twice but Patrick reminds her of someone, she just can’t remember who. Not long after this, the business started being affected and weird things started happening.

Lydia had a product shoot so she had reread the instructions and used the machine the night before. She went to London by train. Just before going on set, she got a call from Mia’s school, she was needed there but after ringing round, no-one else was available, she would go when she got home. When she got on set, it was the wrong machine, apparently Ajay had confirmed it, she didn’t know. This would lose them the contract. Ajay denied it.
Then she found out Mia was taking drugs at school.

This was a great psychological book to read. Very well written and thought out. I enjoyed reading it and will look at the authors other books as well.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. It was a well written book. I have read other books by this author and liked them too. I liked the variety of characters in it. I look forward to the next book by this author.

This book truly encapsulated how it feels to have the walls closing in around you and the protagonist, and the way the various elements all came together to create a scary but somewhat realistic feeling horror. A true 'you can't trust anyone' domestic, this book is guaranteed to make you distrustful of the people in your life for a couple days.

Oh Miranda, you did it again, and possibly even better than I Want You Dead, my all time favorite. Planning to start the story one morning last week, it was twilight when I finished stopping only to gasp and the essential bathroom/kitchen trips. Kept me riveted to the spot to thoroughly enjoy this crazy story of Lydia who lives a storybook life - from the outside and truly shockingly spirally life behind proverbial closed doors. Oh what a deliciously, devilish and disturbing mind you have to keep me disturbed and surprised at the same time.

I really wanted to love this book. But for me the character was so unlikable I just didn't want to invest in her story. Whenever a lawyer tells someone not to answer and they do anyway, it just makes me roll my eyes. From that point on I just lost patience with her. To be fair I did read other reviews and saw that a few of them agreed with me so I didn't forge through like I normally. I wonder why weak women drive me nuts? Just not my cup of tea.

Lydia Palmer has a thriving business and two wonderful kids, but she is not happy in her marriage to a man she has brought into her business, so she knows asking for a divorce will be difficult. Before she can do anything, her husband dies.

Months later, Lydia starts online dating and meets a wonderful man named Patrick. They have a whirlwind romance and get married, then her perfect life starts deteriorating.

While this is a common story and it seems obvious who is causing all the problems, this story is very well written and detail oriented. It really kept me interested throughout and the ending had a unique twist.

I highly recommend giving this one a try. You will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started with a wild burst of activity when the husband of a well off couple is suddenly murdered in the family swimming pool. As the local police investigate his suspicious death, his widow Lydia meets a man named Patrick on internet dating only mere months after Adam dies and they quickly fall in love.

Of course, Patrick instantly charms his way into her world and those of her friends and family as he lavishes her with gifts and continous red roses, but this behavior quickly changes after they get married. Sinster things start happening to Lydia, mysterious phone calls, what appears to be her business partner becoming a stalker and trying to get her to sell her half of the business, vehicles being tampered with, a mysterious illness which suddenly appears for no reason, you name it, Lydia goes through it, until she's finally had enough and tries to go talk to her business partner's wife to clear him of any possible wrongdoing, this is where the book gets interesting.

Now, I am not going to ruin it for you, but in all honesty, I was able to figure out who was doing this to her and why before I got to the end of the book, so where is was a suspensful, addictive read, it also became highly predictable quite quickly. Thank you NetGalley for another sample, these are my honest opinions. I give this book a 4 due to the high predictability.

Lydia Palmer seems to have it all on the surface: a loyal husband, beautiful children, a thriving business, and a picture-perfect house.

Behind closed doors she is miserable and wants a divorce after discovering her husband’s affair. And then, her husband dies in a mysterious freak accident.

Problem solved.

Lydia starts online dating and meets Patrick, who happens to be handsome, well spoken and witty. Is he too good to be true?

This novel hooked me from the first page, it was full of clues from the very beginning, which I enjoyed trying to put together to solve the mystery.

The love story between Lydia and Patrick is intriguing, and Lydia was so cleverly written. I kept wanting to talk to her as I turned page after page, wanting to shake her and give her a reality check. I can’t believe how involved I got with her story!

Roses Are Red is one of those books that you read in one sitting -it’s captivating, fast-paced and will keep you guessing until the very end.

Disclosure: I’d like to thank Inkubator Books for an ARC of Roses Are Red by Miranda Rijks. This is my honest review.

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Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my netgalley request to read. This is a new author for me.

This is a book that will make you angry and fruststed. Lydia needs her head examined! However i know what love can do to rationale.

Very twisty and fast paced.

Incredibly claustrophobic and suffocates you as the web moves in. Dark and thrilling!

Whizzed through this and albeit predictable in some parts it is still a exciting addictive book. You will go on a real journey through the pages.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Lydia lost her husband Adam. Now there is a hole in what once was a perfect life. Eventually, Lydia decides to try online dating, and almost immediately she meets someone. And not just any someone, but Patrick, who appears to be a perfect match for her. Her friends have been searching for a significant other for a while, and now it seems that lightning has struck twice for Lydia. Patrick is perfect. Or is he?
Lydia marries Patrick after a very short courtship to the surprise of her friends and children. And once they are married? Well, it seems that the honeymoon is over. Someone is trying to make Lydia’s life miserable. But is that all that they want? This is a psychological thriller at its best. Although the plot is one that I have read in various forms multiple times, Rijks places some interesting spins on this storyline. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I read this in two sittings, I couldn't stop reading such a suspenseful read. Although I did work the twist it is enjoyable and well written.

I enjoyed this book. Loved the characters but about half way through I could almost guess what was going to happen...too much was suspicious and didn’t sit right. Almost like too many clues were given to figure out things. But was a good read.