*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

Good book with a few twists that will keep you guessing for most of the book. I loved the way the author presents the story and lays it out for the reader.

I never heard of this author and wanted to try out this book, because the summary sounded really good. But as I was reading, I found that I just couldn't continue the book. The author didn't tell the greatest story and it was very generic

Lauren Kaine has it all: a great home, loving husband with a high-paying career, a smart 16 year old son, and a shiny new car. While out with her husband celebrating their 22 years of marriage, a black Audi comes up and chases her husband onto a bridge. He jumps to his death after yelling "they're here for the card". She is determined to find out what happened, and a stranger keeps calling her demanding a card. All the characters are a little screwed up, Lauren having anger issues, her son being in the closet and not wanting to come out, her brother-in-law being a recovering alcoholic. Overall this was a great fast paced read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I couldn't enjoy this because of the writing style. Too much repetition. It was very distracting. Too much telling, not showing.

This book really had me guessing the whole time! I had no idea what was going to happen next!

I love this Author; he has the ability to capture the reader, from the first page, hardly able to put the book down. Powerful, moving, personal.

Lauren Kaine has struggled with acute anger issues in the past and they have returned after the death of her husband William. Lauren's son, 16-year-old Mason, is struggling with his sexual orientation and wants to be his true self. Lauren's brother-in-law, Ryan Kaine, is struggling with his addiction to alcohol and is battling his 'demons'. The novel is cleverly divided by the three main characters, Lauren, Mason and Ryan and the story takes a darker turn after Lauren tries to understand Williams last words: “The card,” he says. “They want the card. It’s in St. Croix.” Twists and turns in the story take the reader on an exciting journey as criminals endeavour to locate the card at any expense.
Some of the timeline was a bit confusing. Now there were twists and action sprinkled throughout and the plot premise was brilliant.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

Oh my! This book was so good ! Very well written, characters are so well detailed, you get to “be there with them!”So many twists and turns, keeps you guessing, then , it flips! I’m going to look for more books from this Arthur!!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of The Resentment by T.O. Paine.

"Addiction, mental health, a misunderstood teenager, greed, and grief are all at play in this suspenseful book!"

This book really had me guessing the whole time! I had no idea what was going to happen next!

This is the first book I have read by this author, I rated it 4 stars.

This was such a good book, and a bit different than I was thinking it would be from the synopsis. The story does start out with a woman losing her husband on a bridge; she tries to save him from falling off the edge, but he plummets to the river below and drowns. The rest of the story is about, well, her resentment over the matter.

The cast of characters in this is great. We get…

Laura, wife of the deceased and mother to their teenage son, Mason. She is terrified after her husband was killed in front of her, but most of all, she’s mad. Laura has a bit of an anger management issue, and when she gets mad, she literally sees red. Staying safe after her husband’s death, remembering things from the past, raising her son alone now - all these things keep pushing her into that dangerous red zone. Can she push past the anger to be of use to anyone?

Mason, above-mentioned son of Laura and the now-deceased William. Mason is a bit of a loner, he’s in the closet and scared to tell his parents the truth about his sexuality, and he also has some rage and resentment. He sees his angry mother as an evil dragon, he sees the world as a place that’s against him. Can he find the self-esteem to make it in life?

Ryan, brother to William, and uncle to Mason, is a recovering alcoholic, eight years sober. He attends AA religiously, is a sponsor to other alcoholics, and wants to become a successful computer programmer like his brother. Unfortunately, everything keeps coming at him, making life without alcohol more and more difficult. Can he stay sober to be of help to his nephew and sister-in-law?

These people were all written wonderfully, and there are a few more characters (in their black cars) that make this pretty suspenseful. Why did that car push William over the bridge? Why is the family seeing more everywhere they go? What do they want, and will everyone survive their stalking?

I thought the overall plot of this was average, but the characters are what made it a great book. They are all people who struggle with various addictions and compulsions, and the book was on the quicker side because I got so into their stories. The suspense was there, the ending wasn’t what I saw coming, and the whole thing was quite enjoyable. Four stars.

(Thank you to NetGalley and T. O. Paine for the complimentary copy in exchange for my review.)

T. O. Paine has written a creative crime thriller novel. Lauren Kaine has struggled with acute anger issues in the past and they have returned after the death of her husband William. Lauren's son, 16-year-old Mason, is struggling with his sexual orientation and wants to be his true self. Lauren's brother-in-law, Ryan Kaine, is struggling with his addiction to alcohol and is battling his 'demons'. The novel is cleverly divided by the three main characters, Lauren, Mason and Ryan and the story takes a darker turn after Lauren tries to understand Williams last words: “The card,” he says. “They want the card. It’s in St. Croix.” Twists and turns in the story take the reader on an exciting journey as criminals endeavour to locate the card at any expense. Well written and a great storyline that is worthy of five stars.

The Resentment
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/10/22
Author: T.O. Paine
Publisher: Dark Swallow Books
Pages: 450
Goodreads Rating: 3.69

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dark Swallow Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

TW ⚠️: Addiction, violence, loss, homophobic, and sexual content.

Synopsis: Lauren Kaine has everything she ever wanted. A mysterious black Audi comes out of nowhere and chases William onto a bridge. Still mourning, she sets out to find her husband’s killer when a stranger calls and demands the card. William never mentioned a card, and she doesn’t know where it is. The stranger follows her. He torments her. He threatens to kidnap her son and throw him into the same river that killed William. Black cars lurk around every corner. William’s co-workers refuse to talk to her. Her brother-in-law resurfaces after years of silence, and he knows something, but she’s running out of time. She searches for the card, and the past pulls her back to the first time someone kidnapped her son. Back to her resentment. Back to the truth.

My Thoughts: The story starts out with thrilling pages and then is a bit of a slow burn for some of the book, then the past picks up again. I love thrillers, just as I love Literary Fiction, Romance, Horror, and some historical. This book is marketed as a thriller and I think it maybe better served as literary fiction, as this is what it felt like. The story is told from a multiple POV perspective with various timelines. The characters were well developed, however, the story line was more about overcoming emotions and addictions as well as miscommunication. For me, none of the characters were likable. Some of the timeline was a bit confusing. Now there were twists and action sprinkled throughout and the plot premise was brilliant. However, the end was just too rushed and I did not care for it. Do not get me wrong, this was not a bad book, overall I enjoyed it and would read other books by this author.

The Resentment
An Emotional Thriller With a Shocking Twist
by T. O. Paine
Just a brilliantly written book, I was so into it that I almost missed cooking dinner. From start to finish, it never slowed down. I was a wreck, it was that good. I was cheering for Luara . Best wide awake read in a while.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

The Resentment is one of those books that is a slow burn book but it has enough ammunition to keep the reader engaged and turning the page.

**TW at the end of review **- maybe a bit spoilerish

My heart went out to Lauren and her son Mason after losing their husband/father William. Reading their story made me think of one of my favourite quotes - “It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”
But could their light be strong enough to face what comes to them next? Or will it shatter?

I love the way the story was told and in the end it took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting what actually happened. I thought it was carefully plotted out and it’s a fantastic cozy thriller book for the sleuth reader out there.

Thank you Netgalley , Dark Swallow Book and TA Paine for the digital copy of The Resentment for reviewing purposes only.

**TW**

Death, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Violence, Choking, Sexual Content, Homophobic, Blood.

Wow! I enjoyed this one a lot! This book follows a very unlikeable woman named Lauren. She is married to a man named William and he works in computers and technology. Top secret things and while out William is basically run over by someone in a black Audi. Before he dies, he tells Lauren that “the card is in St. Croix. They are looking for the card.” She has no idea what this means but shortly after, Lauren starts being followed and then a man calls her demanding the car. He threatens to kidnap their son, Mason, who is already struggling in life and was kind of kidnapped before. And they approach, William’s brother who estranged from the family. After reading so many thrillers with so many possible twists, I did figure out what was happening but I still enjoyed it immensely!

Thank you to Negalley and Tony Freeburg for the ebook ARC. This book was good but the main character gave me mix feelings there were times she would annoy me but that is what makes it a good book when they get something out of you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Resentment by T.O. Paine!!

This story is a psychological thriller that doesn’t stop once it starts. It does get kind of confusing in parts but maybe that was just me. The book was more about getting over emotions. I thought it would have more twists and turns. Not a bad book, but maybe not the book for me

What would you do if a mysterious black Audi killed your partner on your anniversary?

That's what Lauren Kaine has to deal with in THE RESENTMENT by @t.o.paine.

Before William dies, he tells Lauren, "The card is in St. Croix." Then while Lauren is left with the murder of her husband, she and her son (Mason) have a mysterious group of men following them and threatening them for William's work.

This book is pegged as a psychological thriller but it's more focused on overcoming emotions and addictions. There were times things were unnecessarily repeated. The one ~big~ twist had me like 🤔 but then things started making sense. For me, the end was wrapped up a little TOO nicely.

Thanks to @netgalley for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing, clever, and suspenseful thriller. Lauren Kaine has a picturesque life, but when her husband, William is killed her perfect life is ended. It sets of a chain of events. A mysterious person begins to stalk her, and saying her son will be killed if a card is not handed over. Everyone knows what the secret is; she will do anything to find the answers and her husband 's killer. The book was full of twist.