My Darling Husband
Kimberly Belle


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Jade Lasky knows she’s in danger. She has seen the guy with the scarred face and man bun far too often for it to be a coincidence. But when she calls her husband Cam to report her concerns, he is dismissive. Atlanta might not be a small town but Jade is a stay-at-home mom who follows the same routine every school day. It is likely that this man is on a similar schedule and that is why she bumps into him so often.

Cam doesn’t mean to be dismissive of Jade but he has his own set of (seemingly) much bigger problems. A popular celebrity chef, he’s opened a series of restaurants that had him dubbed Atlanta’s Steak King, but he’s drowning in debt and now the only one of his eateries that is an actual money maker – the crown jewel of his collection – has been destroyed in a terrible fire. Cam hasn’t told Jade just how deep in trouble he is and his only hope is if the insurance company comes through quickly with a check (Clearly he’s never had an insurance claim before).

When Jade pulls into the garage at home with the Bees (the cute nickname she and Cam have given their children Baxter (six) and Beatrix (nine)), she is already stressed about the evening. She’s worried she’s being stalked. Beatrix, a violin virtuoso who’s been taking expensive private lessons, wants to switch instruments. Baxter’s a tad crabby. It looks like it’s going to be a rough night.

She’s right because waiting for Jade in the shadows beside her usual parking spot is a masked man with a gun and a very specific plan. Jade, the intruder and the kids are going to wait for Cam to bring home $734,296.00. Cam has only hours to do this – or things will go very, very badly for the frightened mom and her two little kids.

My Darling Husband has numerous strong points. One is the pacing. The author moves her plot along briskly and rather than a monotonous but terrifying scenario of the four people in the house watching a clock tick down, we get non-stop action as Jade and her daughter Beatrix work on outwitting the home invader and Cam races around town trying to get the cash.

Cam and Jade are amazingly sympathetic. I expected superficial rich celebrities or the usual (for the current market) villainous victims, but that is not the case here. We meet two people who have worked incredibly hard for what they have and are surprisingly ordinary in how they conduct their lives. Jade might have a fancier house than most people but she does a lot of the cooking and cleaning herself and is a practical, down to earth, hands-on mom. She is terrified for her kids and immerses herself in creating a best-case scenario out of the nightmare she finds herself in.

Cam may have made a lot (and I mean a LOT) of poor business decisions but he is a loving husband and father who is willing to put everything on the line to save his family. He’s a bit brash, not what anyone would call a long-term thinker and he can be cold and callous when it comes to how he conducts commerce, but he always takes his wife’s calls, he looks after his mom and is kind to her even when he is stressed, and he makes time to talk to his kids even on his worst days. He’s a flawed but likable human being.

I would say this book is a lot like Cam – enjoyable but with some imperfections that keep it from being great. Fortunately, most of those faults don’t show up till near the end of the novel and they are almost entirely about believability issues. Cam, a businessman, is apparently clueless about how insurance works; in fact, all of the characters behave in a manner that shows they have no inkling of how insurance payouts are actually handled. I’m far from being an expert, but even I understand that some of what these folks believe borders on the ridiculous. There also seemed to be a basic misunderstanding about what being an accomplice to a crime would mean and no acknowledgement made of the fact that in Georgia, home invasions are treated as a federal offense. The aftermath of the event certainly doesn’t account for those factors. Beatrix is presented from the start as an extraordinary child, bright and capable beyond her years but since we spend only a few short hours with her, her exceptonalism seems mythical rather than authentic. As she becomes a more pivotal character in the story, I found myself believing less and less about it.

I think I was meant to find the home invader sympathetic due to what had inspired him to act – but I did not. He absolves himself of the truly foolish choices he has made, concocts a ridiculous scheme to solve the consequences of those actions, and terriorizes a woman and two young children to see that unlikely- to- work scheme come to fruition. In real life, his plan would have been more likely to backfire than succeed and only the magic of fiction gives his scheme any credence.

While I can’t go into details, I do agree with the author’s overriding point that in a just society, the villain’s problem wouldn’t have existed.

My Darling Husband is an adrenaltin rush of a book, a summer action blockbuster style novel – entertaining while it lasts, but not something that stands up to deep scrutiny. You are so engaged throughout though, that the flaws don’t really detract from the tale till you set it down. I would recommend it to fans looking for thrills (action) over chills (mystery).

What a day!!

Cam’s restaurant burned down in the morning, and his family is being held hostage in their home with a ransom of some odd, outrageous amount.

How could Cam come up with $734,296 by 7 p.m. that same day when the banks were about to close in three hours and he didn’t have that kind of cash?

Can he get the money?

Why did the intruder choose his family?

What is the significance of that odd amount?

A terrifying read that brings out more than what is seen as a perfect family.

You will be with the characters sharing the terror they are experiencing.

Ms. Belle always keeps you biting your nails, and this book has nail biting galore.

Another great read her fans won’t want to miss or be able to put down. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book so much! I couldn’t wait for a free moment to dive right back in and yet when it came time and as I neared the end, I kept trying to slow down! I wanted to know more but yet I didn’t want it to end!

Anyone reading these thriller books knows that the title is a giveaway: the "darling husband" is not, in fact, so "darling". And in this case, nope, Cam certainly isn't. How he's kept his family and steakhouse chain afloat is... questionable. And it's clearly going to be a race against time for him to get the oddly specific amount of money that Sebastian is asking for and when (per Sebastian) bad things will happen to Jade and the children. No spoilers. Just, well, if you've read enough of these, there are few surprises here, right down to the use of the multiple POVs and the "lookback" interview.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Every time I pick up a Kimberly Belle novel, it's my new favorite, and My Darling Husband continues the trend. What starts as an idyllic family who has it all deteriorates over the course of a single day as Jade and her children are taken hostage and held for ransom by someone her husband has wronged. Jade is a completely relatable warrior mother who would do anything to protect her children, and even the characters of the kids are well developed and realistic. As a reader, I could see this scenario actually playing out, which is sometimes not the case in thrillers, but My Darling Husband checks all the boxes. It's so absolutely binge-worthy that it's hard to put down once you start!

How far would you go to save your family?

In what is an explosive start to Kimberly Belle’s newest novel, My Darling Husband, Cam’s wife Jade and their two children, Beatrix and Baxter, are victims of a push-in home invasion. In alternating chapters, we see the harrowing ordeal as both Cam and Jade experience it. The reason for the invasion is unknown, but it becomes increasingly clearer as the novel progresses. Not once does the suspense abate as we are on the journey with Cam to rescue his family and stuck in the house with Jade, the kids, and her captor.

We get to learn more about Cam through interviews with a TV reporter that take place after the story timeline. Juanita’s questions are pointed and allow us to realize that there is more to Cam’s story than we or Jade even know. What, if anything, that has to do with the home invasion is unraveled slowly throughout the novel.

I tried to put myself in Jade, Beatrix, and Baxter’s shoes. It’s hard to know how I would react in a hostage home invasion situation, and I hope I never have to find out. The way nine-year-old Beatrix handled it was my favorite, just the right amount of fear and fearlessness. While her reaction to the crisis is reckless at best, she makes the entire situation seem more tenable. The captor plays mind games with Jade, almost making it hard to tell if his intentions are actually hostile.

Having read so many psychological thrillers, I was suspicious of everyone at one point. The payoff in the novel was a nice, little twist. When I got to the point where I figured it out, I reread some of the earlier conversations. While it was an interesting (explosive?) ending, some of the reasoning was a little beyond the realistic grasp.

I eagerly await every new Kimberly Belle novel because she never disappoints, and this was no exception. If you want a hold-onto-your-seat novel that barely gives you time to wrap your head around what’s happening, this is it!

Every book I read by Kimberly Belle takes me away to a place that is thrilling and on edge. The deepest parts of my heart is always touched by her books. This one is one of the best yet. About a mother and what she will do to protect her children from a desperate man who is walking a fine line with reality. Yet he is also worrying about his child. But there are lines you just do not cross. He crossed the wrong one.

This book is about a mother, Jade, who sees a strange man everywhere she goes. He makes her feel creepy and afraid. Her husband , Cam, sort of brushes her worries off, at first. Jade is fiercely protective of her two children, Beatrix and Baxter nine and 6 years of age. When she is faced with the worse kind of fear any mother would face she does not hesitate to let the man know that she will fight to the end for her children. She is the kind of mother everyone needs and every mother should be like. She will take a bullet for her children. A day of horror. And she will endure almost anything. She's a strong woman with a weak spot too. She's a loving wife. A devoted friend. She has empathy for even this stranger in ways. Until she thinks her daughter is in danger. Then the fight is on.

This book shows you what it is like to have a home invasion. To have your everyday life uprooted at the hands of a stranger who you may or may not know. It will show you the strength and weakness of a woman who is fighting for not only her life but also her children. The love she has for her husband. The faith she has in him. Cam is the love of her life no doubt. But he also has a few weaknesses that do not look good on him. He is totally about business except he does love his family. He loves them enough to do anything to save them.

This story talks about how unfair the healthcare system is in the USA. And it's so true. How a child can lose their life because of an insurance company refusing to help. Refusing to pay for a treatment that can save their life. What a person will go through to save this child. Any child. The desperation and total helplessness.

This is a very emotional story in places. It's a touching story and a very tense one too. Edge of your seat. You feel like you are there. Like you are in that chair. Listening for a child's voice. Listening for that possible gun shot. Or that scream. Tears. So many fears. This is a book that takes you where you hope to never have to really go. It's so good. So edge of your seat good.

I really liked this family. Cam and Jade seem to be so happy. So together. Yet there are things about Cam that were not so good. He could be cold in so many ways. But he does love his family deeply. It's others that he tends to treat bad. He's a businessman through and through.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KimberlyBelle, #Harlequin for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 huge stars. I highly recommend this one.

LOVED. This book was suspenseful, the characters were unreliable, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours, and that only took so long because I had to sleep. 🥲 Incredible, amazing, 10/10!!!

Thank you to the publishers at Harlequin and Netgalley for this e-ARC of My Darling Husband.

My Darling Husband is a fast paced page turner involving a family held hostage while a father races to save his wife and kids in the knick of time.

Jade has just picked up her prodigy daughter from her latest violin lesson. A man that has been following her around for the last few days is also there. A coincidence? In a big city like Atlanta? Jade doesn’t know what to think. When she and her children arrive home though, the worst thing imaginable happens. A man is there, waiting for them, armed with a gun and demands. Cam, Jade’s husband, must scrounge together over 700 thousand dollars by 7 PM, or watch his family die. Jade doesn’t see a problem with this, but Cam has been hiding things; money problems, and worse, like the man holding his family for ransom. What is Jade missing from this picture, and will it end up costing her and her children’s lives?

I really enjoyed the fast paced storyline that this novel offers. I was immediately taken in with the plot, and loved how realistic it all felt. As a mother, I don’t even want to imagine being in this kind of situation. I also loved the setup of the storyline, with the interview sections, as well as viewpoints from not only Jade, but Cam and Sebastian. The reasoning behind the ransom was really sad and involves issues that a lot of Americans deal with.

My Darling Husband releases December 28th!

This book was an interesting read as I wanted to first read it as I have enjoyed this author's previous works and I love my thrillers. As I started reading it, it was written in the format of an interview with the husband aka Cam. The book then jumped to months prior when Jade is picking her daughter up from music and she swears a guy is stalking her. She calls Cam and he says it's nothing to worry about and we see Cam dealing with a fire at one of his restaurants. When Jade gets home, a man is standing there with a gun and so begins a journey of a home invasion as Jade and her kids are held hostage by a masked intruder. The masked intruder we learn knows the family too well and wants Cam to pay. As he reveals his story, we discover that all isn't happy and perfect with Jade and Cam and that he has been keeping a truckload of secrets from her and the Bees aka Baxter and Beatrix. When the kidnapper asks for money, can Cam rustle it up or will the truth of his debt come to light, and by the end of the night - it will be Cam who loses his family? My Darling Husband is a past/present novel as we have the present which is Cam telling his side of the story to a reporter and then the past which is the events that took place on that fateful day of August 6th. I enjoyed this book as with the interview, it left lots of speculation right through the book and had you guessing how the story was going to end. If you love mysteries and psychological thrillers and family suspense stories, then you will love Kimberly Belle's new upcoming story "My Darling Husband" and one to add to your lists for 2022.

My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle is definitely a heart-pounding thriller of a read! I would recommend not reading this one when you are home alone as it gets quite scary. Jade and her two young children are held at gunpoint inside their luxurious home. Her husband is running around town on a very short time limit to gather up the ransom money being demanded by the gunman. During the course of one evening, their lives are turned upside down as secrets are revealed that leave Jade wondering just how well she knows her husband. A very fast-paced and well-written plot makes this story move right along. Read and enjoy!

This book hit the ground running and really never let up until the end. Cam, a jerk famous chef, has a problem or three: the burning down of his prosperous restaurant, the unprofitability of his other restaurants, lots of debt, oh and his family is being held ransom. Whoops! That makes four problems! A lot of time was spent on trying to get money and his wife, Jade, getting to know the kidnapper. I liked that the female characters were strong and played major roles. Beatrix could be a scene stealer if/when this is made in to a movie. The plot was very nuanced and I like that even the supposed bad guy was sympathetic. A lot of what was going on made the reader think and reflect a little on this world we've created. Despite my complaint in the next paragraph, I really enjoyed this book!

Soapbox time: At one point in the book, Cam goes to a bank to get cash advances on all his credit cards. The bank teller takes him aside to give him the cash and tells him the bank will have to file a Suspicious Activities Report. Yes, this is true. They will. However, it is illegal to tell a customer that you are filing a report! The teller could be fined and/or imprisoned for mentioning it to Cam. Likewise, the bank could be fined and/or sanctioned. I felt like nurses and doctors must feel when they read/watch medical dramas. But, in addition to the blatant problem with this interaction, I don't understand why this little section was even included. Cam could have gotten his cash advances and gone on his merry (not really) way. In the real world, the teller would have reported it (and not to the IRS like the book says - but who can expect a chef to know the intricacies of the government's financial crimes agencies?). The cash advances never come back up so why include it to begin with? I don't think it amped up the suspense or indicated Cam's stress level. We already knew how bad that was. All this did was make me sad that it was inaccurate. Thanks for coming to my Anti-Money Laundering talk.

3.5 Stars

This was a fast paced, page turner! I didn’t want to put down.

Jade and Cam Lasky are happily married. Cam is a famous chef and restaurant owner in town. Everything changes when Jade is confronted at gun point by a masked man and is held hostage in her own home with her two children. Cam is called for ransom and Jade starts to realize that her husband has been keeping secrets from her over the years. Will Cam be able to come up with the ransom money? Will Jade and her two children survive?

What a wild ride! The story was told via a detached interview from Cam after the incident and also the multiple POV’s of Jade, Cam and the home invader throughout the day of the incident. It was filled with suspense, and I just couldn’t wait to see if Cam was going to pull through and save the day. I really enjoyed the book, until the last page. I’m not going to give it away but I hate when books leave things unanswered and this is what happened at the end of this one.

Minus the ending/last page, it was a great thriller full of suspense and secrets!

A huge thank you to the Park Row and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book literally propelled my eyes through the pages since I really wanted to know who would break into a family’s home and threaten the wife and children for such a strange amount of money. Cam Lasky is a renowned chef who has secrets that he is keeping from his wife. What he doesn’t know is that he has crossed the wrong person and that man has taken his family hostage in their home, a home with alarms, cameras and up-to-date security that did nothing to keep them safe. The action is fast-paced, written like a why-dunit in a spectacularly mesmerizing style. With the narration switching between Jade and the kids who are hostages, then to Cam, trying to get the money for the bad guy, I just didn’t want to stop reading even to fulfill other obligations (like shopping for Christmas). The characterization was spot-on realistic, with the mother determined to save her children no matter the cost to herself and the father getting more and more desperate as the clock is running out on the deadline given by the hostage taker. My pulse was pounding each time the scene went to Jade since her children were priceless to her and the villain was stubbornly demanding, unwilling to even consider any kind of compromise. Surprisingly, by the end of the book, I was actually understanding the bad guy’s motives and even wanted him to get what he needed from his encounter with the Lasky family. Great characterization…could not have been better! This was a book that made me think “what if” and then my imagination went wild as I read. What a great book to escape into, with characters that I cheered for or yelled at as I read. Fans of domestic suspense will devour this book and be surprised at some of the twists that made the story move along quickly.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

My Darling Husband is one of those cleverly plotted books that a reader lives for.
It starts with an interview where the interviewer lays the groundwork for the story to come and then the author drops the reader into the events that precipitate the “main event.”
And it’s off to the races we go.
The action takes place over the course of one day. One horrific day for Jade and her kids. I suppose for Cam as well (the “My Darling Husband” in question). But as he is the one in the interview that opens the story, the reader knows that he survives the incident, whatever that may be.
Even though the reader goes through Jade’s day along with her in “real time,” there is a nebulous feeling surrounding the interview. There are no real context clues. Do Jade and her kids survive? Where are they? Where is Cam giving this interview?
We know he feels remorse for how “it” all happened. But other than that, the reader just has to take his word for it as to how things went down – and what precipitated it all.
It is almost like watching a tv show containing flashbacks. The commentary from the interview sets up the action from the past.
It’s effective and requires the reader to actively pay attention.
The author drops several hints that cast doubt on Cam’s reliability as a narrator of the past event. That’s another reason the interview format works so well.
Jade’s parts of the story, where the real action takes place, have excellent pace and palpable tension. Her desperation, along with her disbelief that something like “that” could happen, are relatable and not overly dramatic.
In fact, she is much stronger than she thinks she is, and more than how the author sets her up in the beginning. I really liked her character arc and growth.
It feels like two books in a way. There’s the detached interview where the reader gains insights, but then there’s the “smack dab in the middle” tension of Jade’s experiences.
What it boils down to is a roller coaster of a ride where the reader is eager to attack each chapter to discern exactly what happened and why. There are surprises, twists, and more than a few gotcha moments.
And I loved the ending. Authors have a tendency to wrap things up neatly, and there are books where that is appropriate. Not to give away the ending, but let’s just say that it fits the uncertain feeling of the rest of the book.
In other words, you’re still left with questions. It’s a bold choice and it works for the story.
I highly recommend My Darling Husband as a good suspense thriller.

Kimberly Belle has once again written a fast paced, plot driven domestic suspense that begs us to ask ourselves how well we know the person sleeping next to us at night. The structure of the novel was excellent, and I love that we see the kidnapping unfold while also receiving some interview tidbits from friends and such about the family. My biggest gripe is that there's really only one way that this story can end, so there wasn't the level of suspense I've come to expect from the author in wondering what might happen. Overall, a fun popcorn thriller that fans of the author should try for themselves!

Hold on to your seat, Kimberly Belle has written another heart pounding thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor! My Darling Husband is an intense story that takes off on page one and never gives up until the final page. It is told in multiple POV’s and has a dual timeline. The characters are very real and unforgettable. A perfect marriage, so you think, that has so many secrets and lies that your goosebumps will have goosebumps!! The events are disturbing and heart pounding! You will not be able to put this one down! I highly recommend you pick up your copy on December 28, 2021 and then buckle up for the ride of your life!

Thank you NetGalley, Park Row, HTP and Kimberly Belle for an advanced copy of this extremely thrilling book.
# netgalley #mydarlinghusband #kimberlybelle. #parkrow. #htp. #arc. #HTPinfluencer

I accepted this book without reading the synopsis closely because Kimberly Belle is an amazing author. The book had me holding my breath most of the time. It was intense from beginning to the very end. There were a few twists and turn along the way.

Had I known the extensive involvement of the children in this story I may have decided not to read it. This is the second book in this genre that involved children that I have read recently - I do not enjoy reading this type of story. The ending also left me wanting more or maybe a different outcome. Now this is just me and my thoughts - please read other reviews. Also, let me say, I would read Kimberly Belle again. She is an amazing writer.

Wow! What a book! This had me at the edge of my seat from page one to the very last word! Such a page turning, heart pounding read!

And Beatrix is a fire cracker! Loved her sass! Jade was such a headstrong mama bear and i loved her character as well. And while the book paints the husband, Cam in a light that isn’t flattering.. as secret after secret gets revealed, i still rooted for him.

Such a riveting book with so many twists and turns!

Really enjoyed this one! I enjoy reading Kimberly's books and this was no exception I was really engrossed with the story the entire time! Thanks for the opportunity to read!