Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of The Widow by Kaira Rouda.

Jody Asher has a plan for her husband, Martin, to be a political icon and for she to fuel his success for life. They did this for fifteen congressional terms - Life was really good, until it wasn’t.

I’m going to stop my synopsis there as I think it spoils a bit of the storyline. There’s some juicy drama in this one - secrets, lies, death, etc. but I found myself bored by just how political this storyline was. I should have gone into this one prepared for that, but wasn’t. The book is really well-written and is interesting, but I’m just not into politics and found myself getting overwhelmed with some of those details. If you’re a lover of politics and suspense, this list he perfect novel for you! I look forward to seeing what Rouda comes up with next.

Jody Asher strive for many years to have the perfect life in Washington DC.
On the eve of her daughters wedding weekend she is appalled to see her future daughters in-laws announced they are supporting a man planning to run against her husband Martin Asher. And to make a bad situation even worse rumors come out about shady money dealings and Martin’s best friend and partner is arrested. It seems right at the pinnacle of the success someone seems to be out to take them down, but who? Martin is a very respected member of the house and is liked by Republicans and Democrats alike but right when everything seems like it’s going to come crashing down he collapses at his daughters wedding dinner. Jody’s grief at the loss of her beloved husband and her daughters father soon becomes anger and she wants to know who was trying to take her husband down and the only way she thinks she can do it is by taking the widows chair in place of her husband. It has been done many times in history where a husband dies and the wife takes his place in Congress but it has never been done the way Jody Asher is going to do it. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but then again that person had never met Jody Asher. She is a woman on a mission and it is a mission she will complete. This was an awesome book I found super hard to put down a real thriller and the total five star read. I loved this book and now I will be reading it again in the future and I don’t do that often with thriller books but I will definitely do it with this one. I received this book from NetGalley and publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I love this authors work. She really knows how to tell a story. I thought this book was amazing and written really well.

Jody is a stereotypical career congressman’s wife and she does everything she can to keep her husband in power.

Her husband, Martin, is quickly getting caught up in various political scandals when he suddenly passes away. Now Jody has to figure out how to keep her standing.

I didn’t quite feel that this was a thriller or a mystery and I always struggle with books that feature unlikeable characters. I didn’t feel for Jody and don’t root for her either. I also felt that the twist at the end fell a little flat for me.

A juicy and deliciously mean political thriller.

Synopsis –

Jody Asher loves the limelight as the spouse of Congressman Martin. Everything they touched turned to gold all these years on the Capitol Hill, until recently when his reputation started getting tarnished with a few scandals looming over him. But with Martin’s sudden death, Jody has a chance to take control and turn things around, but for the nagging reporter threatening to bring her down.

Review -

Jody hits you right away with her ice-cold demeanor, emotionless tone and her killer political instincts. God, she is an ice queen! 😁🌬. Alternating with her narrative, we also get the POV of Mimi, the founder of Smith Institute, the largest think tank in DC, friends with Jody and Martin from college days, as well as their political backer.

What I enjoyed, were these little snippets between chapters giving tips for Congressional spouses and new members of the Congress – by Jody, Mimi and anonymous staffers of the office. These were greatly entertaining, witty and often hilarious, which made me grin at the inner workings of the Capitol Hill bureaucracy and the kind of expectations.

The Widow is largely a cat and mouse game between power hungry politicians (Jody, Martin and others) and their sponsors/backers (Mimi). There are secrets, lies, betrayals, disloyalties and evil mind games at work - with the ultimate goal of gaining the upper hand, the desire for unending power, money and control.

Although Jody comes across as unruly, ruthless, brutal and greedy at the best of times, I was really impressed with her confidence, domination and never look back/can-do attitude. 💃

It was amazing how she pulled off what she did with her unquenchable thirst of superiority and achieving more.

The momentum dropped a bit by mid-way after Martin’s death and that’s when the plot dulled for me. But, it did pick up towards the end, thanks to Jody and her unbelievable demands and antics. Yes, wicked is probably the right word for it 😆😈.

It did get a bit over-dramatic and unrealistic – but that much’s needed in a thriller I suppose.

On the whole, this was an enjoyable thriller albeit not heavy on the violence and gore. You can say it is more of a power play at its meanest best!

Thanks NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Lies, deceit, secrets … all this is going on in Congress? No surprise there! This book is very different than anything else Kaira Rouda has written. And that ending I did not see coming!! Way to go Kaira! If you love politics you’ll love this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Martin and Jody Asher are a political couple. He is a Congressman and she is his wife. They are ambitious and spend way beyond their means. Just before their daughter's wedding negative press articles are printed about corruption. This is a political thriller. Is Martin guilty of corruption and more? After 32 years in Congress can his career be saved?

The book is a page-turner with inside knowledge of how Washington works. It is a very interesting read and will make you wonder what really goes on in Washington. If you are looking for a thrilling rollercoaster of a read this is a great place to start.

Thank you to #netgalley, #KairaRouda, and #Thomas&Mercer for a copy of this book.
#TheWidow

A husband with secrets, a wife who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, political scandal, and drama. A total page-turner for me.

3 stars ☆ did I like this book? sure. but was it great? well... it's okay. It started off strong but as I read through, I started to get bored which made me skim a lot especially with the politics stuff but it did picked up at the every end, it's just the wow factor that we're waiting for when it comes to mystery/thrillers wasn't hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC !!

The author's style in this book was short, staccato sentences, and it took me a minute to get used to rhythm. But once it got going, and knowing the author's background (her husband was in politics), I appreciated the background knowledge she brought to this story about (fictional) power and deceit in Washington.

Jody believes she's the power behind her husband's climb to political office, and she didn't mind wearing her congressional spouse pin and pasting on her fake smile - after all, she learned from the best. But when a reporter threatens to uncover secrets about her husband, Jody goes into overdrive.

But the Hill holds more secrets...and soon Jody's will be revealed.

The characters were well developed and you'll find a few characters you love to hate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reader's copy.

This book was OK wasn't keen on all the politics in the book would have kept my interest better with out it but that's OK the characters were strong

The Widow was Such a great read. I loved the switching viewpoints and the tips sections. I am now a fan of this author.

If you like drama than this is the book for you! While it is not my favorite style of book I was excited to give this a try. It starts off strong and grabs you in but I felt myself struggling as the story went on. To me this was mainly a book full of drama and politics, it could make for a decent TV Movie but as a book it was hard to stay engaged in.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC.

Jody and Martin Asher have been married for 30 years and are the parents of Charlotte. Martin has served as a congressman for 15 terms. While he doesn’t have a whole lot of accomplishments under his belt, he has dabbled in some unsavory things that are about to bite him on the butt.

Jody loves being the wife of a congressman and relishes all of the things she gets to experience because of Martin’s job. She has been planning Charlotte’s upcoming wedding and it is geared to be an exquisite event. But that day is not as Jody had hoped and it comes to a shocking end.

But the end is not here for Jody. Oh no. She is one ambitious woman and willing to play a very dangerous game to get what she wants.

This is is about American politics and I’m betting that real life is just as dirty as the book portrays. I did not like Jody but admired her determination. Unfortunately, I believe that’s what it takes to be a successful politician. The author has penned a fascinating tale of what’s happening in Washington, DC and it isn’t pretty. Oh, but the book is great. Don’t miss it!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

For not really liking political based stories, I enjoyed this. I read it because I have liked the authors' previous books and was not disappointed. Unlikeable main character who I was still rooting for, lots of political drama and intrigue, pretty good twists.... what's not to like? Look forward to the next book from Ms. Rouda!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kaira Rouda and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

The Widow by Kaira Rouda The story brings to light the dark underbelly of the political realm of Washington D.C. Story relates the ugliest sides of politics with all corruption, deceit, bribery, blackmail and the ruthlessness that it takes to survive in that world. Jody is an thoroughly unlikeable, selfish, mean and toxic person. She is only out done by Mimi. While it was hard to like any of the characters and their actions, the story was fast paced and well written.
Thank you to the author, publisher, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book

Well that was a big ball of drama! This novel is filled with volatile characters, volatile actions, circumstances, and a whole bunch of twists. Everyone is a power hungry, self-centered egomaniac and I was here for it!!! @kairarouda really knows how to bring that juicy train wreck.

I will say the beginning of this took me a minute to get into. I do not read too many political thrillers but once it started, it was a nonstop hot mess express. Even though all the characters a despicable you cannot help but root for Jody. She is a woman who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it.

It’s broken up with Jody and Martin’s POV in the beginning of the story and then Jody and Mimi’s POV in the second half. I liked that it changed the dynamics and the feel of the story. It packed a lot of corruption into it, which really did keep me on the edge of my seat.

The ending and the final “twist” completely blind sighted me and that is saying something for this air chair detective. I liked that this was different then the “normal” thrillers we have seen recently. It was refreshing, so much so I read it in one sitting. So –thanks @kairarouda for entertaining me last night! It was fun!

Twisty, turny, politically savvy, snarky, unreliable. Yep! That was this book in a nutshell. Jody, the main character, knows she is different than those around her, for good and for bad. I had serious Lady Macbeth vibes! Politics is the perfect world for her and she takes the reader along for the wild ride that it is. And as each puzzle piece falls in to place, for Jody and the reader, the picture evolving is one even deeper and more twisty than imagined. Worse yet, the plausibility that something similar could actually take place is frightening. The only complaint I had was that it took forever for her to actually become a widow.

I have some thoughts about Jody.... in the military spouse community there is a group of people called "Dependas" (sorry, not sorry -- it is definitely meant to be derogatory). This is 100% the vibe I get from Jody. She likes the status that comes from her husband's job FOR HER. It is very strange. She's a whole ass woman separate from her husband and his job; but she doesn't act like it? Weird. I feel like it works pretty well in the story line for what she goes on to do but still. I felt like screaming at her: "get a life of your own" for 98% of the story.
The political aspect was well done in the context of the plot. I don't particularly care for political thrillers but this one was well written. So many unlikable characters that come together into this cast of horrible people. Their clashes are what make half of the drama so real.
I definitely didn't see that last twist coming (I knew a particular character wasn't what they seemed but not the full extent). I like that. It brought together all these seemingly unrelated relationships/ situations beautifully.

Overall I liked and thought it was a good, quick read.

Jody and her husband Congressman Martin Asher have been a political golden couple for over thirty years. Until Martin loses his shine and Jody sees the life she deserves slowly slipping away. Only Martin’s untimely death at his daughters wedding reception and the eve of his scandal becoming public saves Jody’s standing in society. But she’s not done yet; she hasn’t had the life she dreamed of in college. And if she couldn’t quite get there with Martin, why can’t she step into his shoes and become a political power in her own right?

Entertaining, though a bit shallow, and very repetitive here and there. Plus, what begins to unfold as a political thriller turns into the midlife crisis of a woman, who is not ambitious but just selfish and annoying.
This is categorized as a thriller on Netgalley, but I do have to point out that there are no thrills in this book.
I cannot lie, I did not really it like it. I found it dry and uninteresting and a super slow burn.
I would however recommend this book to anyone who enjoys political fiction, and the themes in this book were reminiscent of House of Cards and Scandal.
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Kaira Rouda for the advanced copy of The Widow in exchange for my honest review