Such a Good Wife is a Domestic Thriller/Mystery penned by Seraphina Nova Glass. Melanie Hale is the main character who the title refers to as such a good wife. Melanie seems to have it all, a loving husband, two wonderful children and works from home as a budding author. Melanie thinks she is happy and loves her family, but deep down, she is not as happy as she thinks. When she meets a handsome and successful author at the shop where a local writer's group meets, she finds herself flirting with with Luke. The next thing you know, they go out for drinks, back to his place and spend an evening together. They end up having an affair, but she feels so guilty she breaks it off a couple of times. They keep getting back together, but she is finally ready to call it quits. When she goes to his house for what she thinks will be the last time, she finds him dead on the patio below the terrace. She panics, takes everything she thinks might lead back to her and drives home. Now, she is worried that something might give her away and implicate her in the murder.

Melanie was one of those characters that you like one minute and dislike the next. She is a good mother and dotes on her children, and she tries to help a woman who is a victim of abuse. Then she takes chances and has an affair. She is selfish and she lies. Such a Good Wife was a slow burner. Melanie was constantly contemplating what to do next and that slowed down the story somewhat for me. As the story went on, there were some twists and thing happening that had me sitting up in my seat. You might have to suspend belief a bit for the final few twists in the story, but they tied the mystery up nicely of how Luke died, and had me saying "WOW". I will say that I had several ideas and suspects that I thought had killed Luke, but the one who did it, was not on my radar at all. Melanie also wants to save her marriage, so what she does was another of those WOW moments. Overall, I enjoyed this story, but this was not my favourite thriller or story about cheating wives.

Melanie is a stay at home mom. She takes care of her family and her ailing mother-in-law. She has a wonderful husband and a pretty good life. But, when she meets a handsome romance writer, it sends her on a crash course.

When Mel meets Luke the reader just knows what is about to happen next. Yes! They hit it off and it leads to an affair. Then Melanie finds his dead body…she can’t tell anyone. It will blow up her perfect life…or will it?!?!

I enjoyed the intricacies to this novel. It does keep you guessing. The story did slow down a bit in the middle. But that is just a minor situation. Because, believe me…you want to know who did what to whom!

Need a good cover-up thriller…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Going into this book I was a little bit hesitant. I struggled with this author’s previous debut novel, mostly because of the character work and the plot style. This book did have some of the same issues, but at a much more acceptable level. When I read Someone’s Listening, I was thrown off by the lack of real mystery in the first half of the book and lack of a likeable character. Then going into this book I was expecting that style and found it. This book features a very hectic prologue, similar to her previous work, that I was really excited to explore and I did get small moments in the first half pointing to the real mystery. I liked how this was done, but I would have preferred a bit more mystery in that portion. This was my biggest complaint with the first novel and I am happy that this has been improved upon in this novel.

The other major complaint that I had with the first novel was the lack of likable characters, or more accurately, a main character that does not constantly feel like they are judging people. Again I am happy that this was improved upon in this story, while it was still there for the most part. Other reviewers have pointed out how the main character was a little bit unlikable, but I can understand her motivations and her complains were much more acceptable. This could also have been because I was almost expecting this, so I hope this review will allow other readers to expect this portion of the story as well. If you did not enjoy the first novel for the same reasons, I hope that you will give this new novel a try, just for the improvement alone.

At it’s heart, this is a cheating story, and its also told from the perspective of the cheating party. As a reader I personally don’t really enjoy these stories often, but with the writing and the plot devices used I did end up enjoying this story. It’s difficult to understand how I came to not absolutely hate the main character for cheating, but its probably due to her situation and the way her perspective is portrayed. I’ve had the experience of really enjoying a book and then the main character does something unforgiveable, which the reader is expected to forgive and I just don’t mesh with those types of stories. This was different and I really don’t know why.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was the constant references to writing and literature and authorship, that I really like in almost any situation. If your novel has a library setting or features a writer, that’s automatically a plus. I don’t make the rules. The suspense was also a huge plus, with a well-executed constant state of unease for the back half of the novel, leading to the ending.

The ending was absolutely bonkers and I was not prepared for it. The slowness of the beginning was definitely made up for by the end and it ended the novel on a real high note. Glass can definitely write a great ending.

I’m happy to say that I will still be checking out the next book from this author as I’m sure these improvements will only continue. That book has a cover with a horror aesthetic that looks like exactly something I would read. I did end up enjoying this novel and I would again recommend this book to anyone looking for a drama-type mystery with a slower pacing. Leave a comment down below and chat with me about this book or any other. Happy Reading!

4 stars.

Such a Good Wife is a bit of a slow-burn mystery. I was definitely curious as to who would have killed Luke, since we know that it wasn’t Melanie herself. Since this book had a mix of likes and dislikes for me, I thought I’d do a pro/con list for my review.

Pros-

* It’s not a case of an unreliable narrator. We can trust the POV of Melanie.
* I thought the unravelling of the mystery in the end was done rather well, even if the culprit was someone I’d guessed – I was never 100% sure.
* I appreciated the author really showing Melanie’s everyday life, with kids and a husband and taking care of her husband’s sick mother, etc. It’s easy to see how Melanie could get burnt out and long for a more exciting, adventurous life.

Cons-

* There was never any good reason for Melanie to cheat on her husband, so it just made you kind of dislike her for doing that. Collin is a really good guy – and Melanie states that over and over in the book. Obviously we aren’t supposed to feel too much sympathy for Melanie, but you kind of wish you could throughout the book.
* There’s some weird behavior from Collin’s mom. She has dementia, so she doesn’t always do or act in the manner you’d expect, but it felt like there was more going on with her throughout the book and that was never cleared up.
* As I said in the beginning, this is a very slow-burn mystery. That might work for a lot of people, but honestly, it was tough for me to keep reading sometimes. I just wanted things to move along!

All in all, I’d give Such a Good Wife 3 stars. I think other readers might enjoy it a lot more than I did.

I’m not one who generally enjoys slow burn psychological thrillers. I find they are too slow in the beginning but have all the action in the last 1/3 of the story. That wasn’t how Such a Good Wife turned out to be. The story seemed to have pulled me in slowly. Melanie is damaged and flawed. She seems to have it all on the outside (isn’t that how it always it?) but inside she feels like something is lacking and so begins her affair with Luke.

Colin, the husband, is totally buried in work. He seems to have no idea what is happening in the life he is living. His wife, Melanie, takes care of everything outside of working herself… a son who is on the spectrum of mental illness, taking care of the mother-in-law that suffers from severe dementia. The mother-in-law lives with them and as her dementia worsens so does the weight on Melanie shoulders compound. Then just for good measure add in a normal teenage daughter that is in the throes of adolescent rebellion.

Melanie’s plate runnuth over. Who could blame her for having an affair with a man that reminds her what passion is and what living is life? So, what happens when Melanie goes to break off her said affair and finds the vibrant Luke laying in a pool of blood. Dead. This is where the story escalates as you can imagine. It doesn’t get easier here for Melanie. Oh no, someone sees her leaving Luke’s house and decides to blackmail her. Her world starts to crumble around her and this is where the story starts to go on some twists I didn’t see coming. Happy reading you all!

3.5 stars

Mel appears to be the best wife. She has a son who is autistic and a mother-in-law who is close to dying. She shows compassion and patience in her care and comes up with solutions to soothe them while protecting her husband and daughter from seeing the worst of their conditions. Collin is a loving and kind husband. Mel honestly cannot complain. But she is unfulfilled. She steps out on her marriage and embarks on an affair with a local writing celebrity.

I do not believe that she really fell for Luke so much as she fell for his life. Being this carfree spirit that could travel the world. That was unihibited in expressing his creativity. It certainly does not help that he is a good looking successful man. That his books are salacious and erotic further piques Mel's interest. She is flattered by the attention. It has been a long time since she has seen herself as an attractive woman. But now having someone else looking at her that way it means something to her. So she quickly gives in to passion.

She knows all along that she is making a big mistake. She's conscious of what's at stake here, what she is risking as far as her family is concerned. She knows that when other parents' affairs were exposed that it has come back to hurt their children. They have become targets of bullying in the school and on social media. Mel does not want that for her kids. They are already vulnerable. Ben for the obvious reasons. Poor Rachel not only has to deal with the usual teenaged angst but has been walking around on eggshells lest she trigger one of Ben's outbursts. Then Mel inserts herself into other people's problems being fully aware of the danger it might pose. Perhaps she is drawn to excitement after having led what she feels is a humdrum life where her needs are always on the backburner.

The book opens up with Mel discovering Luke's body. We know SHE did not kill him. But then who did? And who knows her secret? Can it be used against her? Will she take the fall for a murder she did not commit? Will she be able to keep her family out of the fray of the murder investigation while keeping her crimes of passion a secret?

The first half of Such a Good Wife builds around the sexual tension between Luke and Mel while the second half was more fast paced and centered on the mystery. This is where the twists and turns that mystery lovers crave are found. There were plenty of suspects and juicy motives.

Recommended for readers who like steamy romance mixed in with their murder.

Seraphina Nova Glass, Such a Good Wife

Such a Good Wife is a well-written story of a woman who gets herself into trouble with the unintended help of her husband.

Life has thrown some difficulties at the protagonist, Melanie. Her dementia-stricken mother-in-law lives with Melanie and her husband. They have agreed that he will focus on his job and she will care for his mother. This, unfortunately, involves some pretty revolting tasks. Further challenges come in the form of a teenage daughter and an autistic son. Then we learn that Melanie is nearly forty, that she dropped out of a degree in writing when her son was born, and that her husband works a lot. We are, in short, set up for a story about a woman who needs to do something for herself and who needs a break from caring for others.

In one of those in-retrospect-that-was-a-bad-idea moments, the husband encourages Melanie to join a local writers’ group. She does, but while there she sees, at a distance, a professional writer, Luke giving a talk. She meets him, he treats her like someone with intelligence, and you can see where the story is going. Luke represents what Melanie wants—a carefree life and a life of writing.

If it were not for the prolog, which tells us that someone discovers a body, you might think that Such a Good Wife is about Melanie’s struggles with marital fidelity and her need for escape. The description that accompanies the book, however, spills the main plot point: It’s Melanie who discovers the body and the body belongs to Luke. From that moment, we leave behind Melanie, the suburban wife who longs for escape, and focus on Melanie, who is forced to become an amateur sleuth because evidence begins to point to her as the killer.

Such a Good Wife contains some fine strengths: a plot that moves along with good pacing, has good atmospheric descriptions of Louisiana, and gives us credibly-drawn characters. It sustains a sense of drama and peril throughout. It paints a good picture of a woman who longs for a different life and wrongly pursues it. It also succeeds as a mystery involving a woman who is forced to become an amateur detective to protect herself and her family.

There are a few weak points. For one, Melanie comes up with several potential suspects; however, only one of these really seems likely. The others (members of her writing group) seem to included only because a mystery with just one suspect does not seem like much of a mystery. For another, the character of Luke could use more development. Except for the fact that he represents a life that Melanie wishes for herself and provides pretty good sex, it is not clear why Melanie would fall in love with him. We don’t learn enough about him to justify Melanie’s feelings for him—unless the point is the Melanie simply wants good sex and someone to provide a few moments of escape now and then. If this is the point, it should be made more clear, especially since Melanie frequently tells herself how good she really has it with her husband and how wonderful he is. Melanie, in other words, has some very conflicted feelings and the story needs more about them and about her attraction to Luke. Of course, he is not around for long before he inconveniently dies, so perhaps we can’t expect too much from the story. Finally, some readers might balk at the extent to which Melanie undertakes her own investigation and the means she uses to foil the cop whom she believes to be the killer. A few points border on contrivance; however, everything she does remains within the bounds of possibility and shows her to be a resourceful woman, so no complaint from me.

In short, Such a Good Wife is an entertaining read about a main character with interesting conflicts who finds herself in a desperate situation.

Melanie Hale is a good wife. Caring for two children, one on the autism spectrum who’s just about to start school, and a mother-in-law on the last stages of the downward slide of dementia, she keeps the home fires burning while her realtor husband Collin is the breadwinner. Unfulfilled - and probably depressed - she allows herself to be seduced by Luke, a successful author staying in town to write for a while. When she’s the one to discover Luke’s body, however, everything suddenly snaps into sharp focus; she can’t let this blow up her life.

Someone knows she was at Luke’s house that fateful night, though, and she starts getting threatening messages blackmailing her - pay up or else. There’s a police detective who won’t stop sniffing around too, but Melanie’s not too sure if he suspects her or is trying to hit on her. Especially since she knows the guy has a habit of not taking no for an answer from women.

Things take a pretty wild turn when Melanie finds out who actually killed Luke, and why. No spoilers, but she basically has to double down on defending her family. One wrong decision, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the only way out is through the other side of the mess she’s made.

It’s sometimes hard to summon up sympathy for Melanie - a yummy mummy gorgeous enough every man who meets her seems to lust after her, who owns a Birkin bag and whose problems are a lot of her own making. If you can afford a Birkin bag, you can afford some help around the house, is my point, and I didn’t get why she didn’t have someone coming in to help with the mother-in-law, at the least. I also don’t get how she had time to have an affair, considering that someone with advanced dementia cannot just be left alone for hours at a time as Melanie seemed to do. It was a bit of a puzzling plot hole.

That said, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this. The reveal of the killer surprised me - even though it made perfect logical sense in terms of motive, I was deeply immersed in Melanie’s PoV, and it hadn’t even occurred to Melanie that it might be a possibility, so it never occurred to me either, and that’s a testament to the quality of the author’s writing. As a story, it’s all eminently plausible. I also liked that Melanie was an absolutely reliable narrator and the author wasn’t tempted to go for ‘one final twist’ that has the effect of invalidating everything that’s happened before, something I’m seeing far too much of in domestic thrillers lately. A great read and I’m happy to give it five stars.

Think of your worst nightmare. Now imagine the worst way of your spouse finding out you are having an affair. Combine these, and you have Such a Good Wife!

Mel is a "good wife'. She takes care of her kids, house, and her ailing mother-in-law. She is proud of the fact that she manages her household well, but her husband encourages her to pursue her desire to write by joining a local writer's club, she is captivated by the author doing a book reading across the room. The author notices her and gifts her his book, which she proceeds to hide in her nightstand when she gets home. She's already feeling guilty and that isn't even the tip of the iceberg. But Mel is a terrible liar. Even while she can feel the blush creeping up her chest, she still thinks she's pulled off the lies that follow. But her husband can tell Mel is troubled and he gives her every chance in the world to tell him what's going on.

When Mel is finally forced to reveal her secret, the secrets that follow are explosive.

I was slightly troubled by the fact that the mother-in-law seemed to be left alone (sleeping) much of the time, and it also seemed like Mel had a lot of disposable time. But if you can ignore that because the story was so suspenseful, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. It was well worth the wait!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin/Graydon House for an advance reader's copy.

3.5 stars!
Melanie loves her husband and her two children dearly but finds herself unfulfilled with her life as a stay-at-home mom. Encouraged by her husband to branch out, she tries joining a writing club at a local bookstore. While attending a meeting, she encounters a local author named Luke. The two begin an affair that takes off rapidly. When Mel realizes she doesn’t recognize herself anymore, she goes to break it off with him. When she arrives at Luke’s, she is devastated to find that he has been murdered. She quickly retreats from the scene and spends the next while trying to keep her secret while finding out who killed Luke.

I loved the set-up of this one. You were sucked in by Melanie’s likeability and how easy it was to relate to her situation. She is overwhelmed by the monotony of her every day life and the struggles of caring for her high-needs son. When she begins the affair, you want to hate her but have a hard time because the author’s writing style allows you to empathize so well with her. I was rooting for her even when I didn’t want to be. This one did follow the archetype but I enjoyed the characters so much that I wasn’t too disappointed in the ending. A gossipy wild ride that I would recommend to any domestic thriller lovers!

When I was reading Glass’s bio I wasn’t surprised to see that she is a playwright because this book felt like it could have been broken down into three acts. And each act was more intense and dramatic than the last. There is a lot that happens in this book and there are major trigger warnings for physical abuse and allusions to rape. Our main character, Mel, also has a son with autism and while I can’t speak to how well that it is portrayed, I did appreciate how Glass normalized it. The gist of the story is made up of a lot of the familiar bones of a domestic thriller but this one really ratchets up the theatrics.

At first, this book felt like it was going to be the typical domestic thriller where our main character is disillusioned with the drudgery of family life and strays and whoops someone is murdered and she is trying to protect her secrets. This book is definitely all of that but the inclusion of the sensational moments kept me not only interested but also trying to figure out how exactly Mel was going to get out of her situation unscathed. I did figure out one part of the ending but I was really wanting it to happen so it actually made me enjoy the book more. The other part of the ending I was completely shocked by and I will probably remember this ending for a very long time. It is over the top and probably belongs in a Lifetime movie but it did wrap things up in a conclusive way. I did have a few issues with this book. Mel isn’t always the most likable character and at times she can be annoying with how paranoid she is. She is also very judgmental of other people which is eye roll inducing considering what she is doing to her family. There were also a few tendrils of story that just felt like they got dropped and left in an unsatisfying way.

While this wasn’t a perfect read for me, I still had a lot of fun reading it and reveling in all the drama. If you are a big fan of domestic thrillers then this is one that you should put at the top of your list. This would also make a fantastic weekend read since it builds so richly to such a volatile ending.

I’m lightly embarrassed to admit this, but I could SO relate to Melanie’s bougie white lady angst. Feeling safe and secure but kind of bored and like you’ve given something up or lost part of yourself because now you are just a mom and wife —HELLO! — HOWEVER — her decision to cheat on her sweet husband and get it on with a hot writer dude is something best left to the imagination. Especially when hot writer dude ends up dead and Mel cannot stop lying about everything to everyone. This was twisty and fun. I tend to find domestic thrillers irritating a lot of the time, but this one really worked for me.

SUCH A GOOD WIFE is the first book I’ve ever read by Seraphina Nova Glass but it certainly won’t be the last! Once I started reading, the twists and turns kept on coming and I could not put it down. Ms. Glass has a talent for creating gripping plot lines and books that practically demand to be read in one sitting –and SUCH A GOOD WIFE is no exception. I took my time with this amazing and mind blowing story as I wanted to make it last. Seraphina reels in her readers with quite a hook. I am kicking myself for not reading this story the minute I received it! She starts by putting the reader on a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions.

I was so frustrated because I couldn’t figure out who did it. I was annoyed and I loved every minute of it. SUCH A GOOD WIFE flows smoothly. I was quickly caught up in the story-line and found it difficult to put down. This book just flew by! SUCH A GOOD WIFE was such a thrilling ride for me! This story is filled with mystery and many secrets. Your heart will be in your throat throughout most of this gripping story and you won’t believe how it ends! That’s all I’m saying about that! SUCH A GOOD WIFE had me yelling at the characters in the book over and over again! My emotions were all over the place and just when I thought I had it all figured out, Seraphina Nova Glass showed me just how wrong I was. SUCH A GOOD WIFE is crazy good and everyone should read it! I am now on a quest to read all of her previous books and can totally understand why so many of my reading friends love this author so much! I applaud Ms. Glass for not making Mel “rise above” her past and for writing a character so perfectly, that my heart literally felt like it was broken while I read SUCH A GOOD WIFE.

If you feel emotions like I did about these characters, that is good, it means the author did her job. I forgot to mention the other characters in the book- you will love them even if you hate them. Again, this is what is so great about the author- her characters. The author is brilliant in her character development. SUCH A GOOD WIFE is a suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final pages. I highly recommend SUCH A GOOD WIFE! This book is a well written novel that hooked me from the very first page. I do not want to tell too much because I don’t want to give anything away, but while reading, I felt every possible emotion I could think of and loved every minute of it! There is so much going on in this story, but Ms. Glass does a wonderful job of weaving all the pieces together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Graydon House through Harper Collins and Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

Well.

Wow.

Good wife Melanie Hale spends her time raising her two children, one a teen and the other on the spectrum, along with being caretaker to her physically and mentally ailing mother-in-law. Her husband is a good man who cares for his family but is strapped by the demands of providing financially for his family.

When her husband encourages her to join a neighborhood group, Mel thinks she is going to a book club engagement only to find that her neighbors aren't really nice people. When she tries the local writing group suggested by her husband, her impulsive actions end up having far reaching consequences. There -- I hope I haven't spoiled anything.

I was absolutely engaged in this story and really couldn't put it down to the very end. Things move along fairly quickly and while I found myself scratching my head over Every. Little. Thing. that Melanie does -- Such a Good Wife shows how one mistake leads to two and so on and so on and so on. It's a book that is making me wonder about many things even after I finished and I really liked that aspect of the way the story was presented to me as a reader. This is a story that could work nicely for a book club read because many of the characters motivations and even some of the characters actions are left to the reader, and are so very questionable they would make excellent discussion topics.

That being said, the ending in this underwhelmed me. For me, it was a case of more wrongs don't make a right, and it was yet another (more than) questionable decision from Mel. I wasn't surprised by the killer's identity but I was surprised by the lack of remorse from a number (all?) of the characters. I was never quite sure about some of the secondary characters and their motivations either.

So overall, this book kept me engaged and reading until the last pages. Such a Good Wife is a disturbing accounting of infidelity and how things can escalate into something out of control. If you are looking for a book for discussion, this book might be it as it leaves a lot of the deep motivations to the reader. This was an interesting and sometimes frustrating reading experience for this reader.

Thanks to Harlequin for a complementary review copy.

TW: Cheating, Betrayal, Bullying, Murder, Sexual abuse

Sometimes, the truth will not set you free.

This one is a slow-pace thriller with a surprising plot twist. It's all about how far you will go to keep the secret hidden.

I hate cheating stories, so I was kinda reluctant to start reading this, but the more I read the more I get excited. It was really slow at the beginning and the suspense almost none existent, but when the murder happened, everything is escalating and the pace quickly changes, from zero to a hundred miles per hour, then the plot twist hit me and wow I just can't stop. Yup surprisingly I enjoyed this book.

As for character, I totally hate Melanie Hale, from the beginning until the end I still hate her, everything was caused by her stupid decisions, but surprisingly in the end I'm on her side, I'm rooting for her, I respect what she did to make things right, still hate her but hey she did her best to make things right.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and recommended it to a light thriller readers.

I had high hopes for this one but I was disappointed with what I read and didn’t finish it. I found the main character to be unlikeable and that really threw me off. I also didn’t love the storyline and expected more. I’m sure this will be a favorite but others but it wasn’t the book for me.

Such a Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass is a story of secrets and betrayals. Melanie is a happy, wife, mother and caretaker, right? But we quickly learn not everything is as it seems. Melanie is not a bad person, just not where she thought she would be and is a bit lost and lonely. When she attends a writing workshop, the last thing she expects is to meet the charming and attractive author Luke. So begins her affair, but does she really want to destroy everything she has? When she finds Luke dead, her life really begins to spiral. Now she will do what it takes to ensure her life is not affected, but at what cost? This was a thrilling read that kept me captivated from start to finish.

Happy reading!

Melanie Hale appears to have it all. Two beautiful children, a devoted husband and a beautiful home in a wealthy community. However, things aren’t always how they seem. She’s dealing with a special needs child and she is the primary caregiver for her mother-in-law. It all takes a toll on Melanie.

With the encouragement of her husband, Melanie joins a writing group where she meets a local author. It’s not long before she does the unthinkable and has an affair with him. When she discovers his dead body, her whole world is turned upside down. She quickly tries to cover her tracks so she isn’t the prime suspect in this murder case.

I have to admit, I didn’t find Melanie particularly likeable at first. Eventually I did warm up to her, although there were a few times I wanted to scream at her.

This is an intriguing story filled with so many twists and turns, I couldn’t keep it all straight. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, you find out that you don’t. I could not stop reading until the last page and what an ending it was! I won’t say more but it left me stunned.

This is a new-to-me author, but it won’t be the last book I read by her. There was the perfect mix of intrigue, suspense and it kept me captivated throughout the entire book.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Major struggle with this one. The main character, Melanie, is supposedly caring for a son on the spectrum, a teen daughter, and her dying mother in law. I say supposedly because it feels like her mother in law has basically been abandoned to the attic (along with a story line that was never actually finished). I assume this is all here to make us feel sympathetic towards Melanie and understand how she could be so easily drawn in to her escape/affair. But it never felt plausible to me and it doesn't make up for her just not being a nice person. If nothing else, her attitude towards Lacy really annoyed me. I am not sure a woman who has an affair and then dumps the guy has any call to be upset when he finds someone else. And Melanie's thoughts regarding Lacy's clothing, lifestyle, etc, are incredibly prejudiced. Likewise, the story and investigation itself were full of holes.

This psychological, domestic story didn’t start with a bang but did manage to slowly suck me in.

Melanie Hale loves her family but at the same time is suffocating with stress which consists of a teenager, a mother-in-law with dementia who lives with them, and an autistic child who can be triggered into a meltdown quite easily.

In an effort to destress, Melanie joins a writing group in the evening. But when she meets Luke, a romance writer, things get out of hand quickly. This leaves Melanie more stressed than ever and confused. Her behavior is completely out of line since she loves her husband and family. But it only takes one major discovery, finding Luke’s dead body, for Melanie to really know the meaning of stress. And fear.

If you want a thriller that starts with a bang, keeps you breathless, and the pages flying, this isn’t is. Though I liked the plot a lot, it did move slowly, and certain places felt a bit repetitive.

My Concerns
I’m not that familiar with dementia, but I feel the story didn’t portray the care and watchful eye that are always needed. It was almost like Mother-in-law’s character was an after-thought, and she was added to only make the point that Melanie was busy.

I like stories with twists and surprises, but this ending really fell flat and didn’t work for me.

Final Thoughts
Though I like stories that catch my interest quickly, I’m finding I do like well-developed character-driven stories as well. However, this one felt like something between a hit and miss for me. Sometimes it was fine, other times I needed it to move on.

My bottom line is that it may or may not work for you. For me, it was just okay.

My thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy so that I could post a review of my honest opinion.