Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of this wonderful debut novel by Rachel Koller Croft - 4.5 stars rounded up for such delicious fun!

Bea is a smart, successful career woman who knows what she wants - Collin Case, the only son of a very wealthy couple. She's not in love, but she is determined to have the life she deserves. His family is not thrilled with the match, but Collin's best friend, Gale, is downright terrible towards Bea and threatens to expose Bea's many secrets.

This was such a fun read and I raced through it. While Bea is definitely not a likable character, you can't help but root for her after reading the interspersed chapters of her childhood. Bea is desperate not to become her mother, or let anything ruin her plans, so the cat fight is on between Bea and Gale. Lots of manipulation, twists, and turns in this one and I enjoyed it all! Fabulous debut - can't wait to read more from this author!

STONE COLD FOX is Rachel Koller Croft's debut novel but she isn't new to writing which is evident in this book, Ms. Croft is a screenwriter and has written projects for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Comedy Central, and Blumhouse. Early on in the book I thought this would be great to see come to life on the big or even small screen unbeknownst to me there was already a deal in the works with Universal Television.

Bea was raised by her single mom aka the con-artist, she didn't have a typical childhood as her mother had her help with each of her con's and things only got worse as she got older. Now Bea is finally ready for her final con and this one will set her up for the rest of her life...she is determined to make Collin Case fall for her and marry her.

Bea is always the most gorgeous woman in the room so why wouldn't Collin fall for her, especially when she was so good at manipulation he didn't even realize he was being played.

This story is less about the romance between Collin and Bea and more about the conflict between Bea and the women that surround him, from his mother to his best friend Gale and everyone in between Bea finds an adversary in them all and is determined to be the most important woman in Collins life.

While I like the story and all of the twists and turns I felt the story lagged at certain parts and the ending left me with several questions and wondering if there's going to be a second book.

I would recommend this book to those that enjoy Mystery/Suspense Reads.

Happy Reading!!!

This book was so FUN. Bea is an anti-heroine I couldn't help but root for. When the book starts, she seems utterly "unlikeable" but as the story goes on and more glimpses of her past are revealed a more complex character takes shape. Her cat and mouse game with Gale was a delight!

Normally I don’t like reading books with swindler female leads. I read Pretty Things a few years ago and I didn’t love it. Since then I have been a little gun shy when it comes to books featuring female swindlers but something about this book just kept nudging me to pick it up. Maybe it was the cute title, maybe it was tiger sexy looking cover. Who knows by I finally decided to take a chance and read this one. After all, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover or by other books that might be entirely different than what the current book promises to be.

This is also a debut novel and sometimes those are the best. There are no other works to be compared to, no other expectations to maintain or hit. Just the single book to win readers over and for me there is a certain excitement in that and I was eager to see if Rachel Koller Croft would be a hit for me as a debut novel.

Honestly I wasn’t sure what I was in store for based on the summary. Would it be a murder mystery? A thriller? A psychological thriller? Women’s fiction? Suspense? The beautiful cover suggests a thriller but will it include a murder? I am already intrigued by this book and I have only read the summary and seen the cover—clearly my curiosity was peaked so naturally I had to add this one to my review calendar. I couldn’t wait to see what I uncovered in this one.

Summary

A compelling debut novel about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country’s wealthiest families.

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. After a lifetime of forced instruction in the art of swindling men by her mother, Bea wants nothing more than to escape her shadow, close the door on their sordid past, and disappear safely into old-money domesticity.

When Bea finds her final mark in the perfectly dull blue-blooded Collin, she’s ready to deploy all her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend Gale. Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous chase. As the truth of Bea’s past threatens to come roaring out, she finds herself racing against the clock to pass the finish line before everything is exposed. (summary from Goodreads)

Review

I went into this one intrigued but oddly enough, but also not expecting much. Like I was hopeful that I would like it, and I was hopeful that it would be good, but Pretty Things left such a bad taste in my mouth and this book just sounded like a knock off of that one, and I didn’t actually have the confidence that I was trying to sell myself on. As the time got closer and closer to start reading, I was like ‘ugh I’m not ready for that one’. Then the day came when it was like ok now or never. When I picked this one up, I had zero idea how much I would end up loving this book. While a little slow at the beginning, this book was full of things to enjoy.

I did have a hard time with Bea’s childhood and the extremely dysfunctional relationship she had with her mother, but I thought it really added to her overall character and story. I really didn’t think I would connect with her based on the fact that she truly was the anti-hero and had this cold hardness about her that I worried I would never get through and connect with her. But as we start to really explore her background, we start to understand why she is the way she is. While I didn’t necessarily sympathize with her in a traditional, manner, I could understand why she was the way she was and I felt like her background and how the story shifts between her childhood and the present, readers will understand and in some ways sympathize with her character. It’s difficult to describe Bea she is not a nice person but at the same time she is the hero of this book, so all I can say is READ THE BOOK. It’s a very good character study and well written.

For me this book was more suspense than thriller. It was fast paced like a thriller but it had more drama than a thriller if that makes sense. Suspense is more about the build up where as thrillers are more action driven for me, this book read like a thriller with a lot of things happening but the drama and build up was more in the suspense category for me. This one was very unique and stood out as one of the first big reads that I have read this year. It fully held my interest and really had a lot of unexpected things to enjoy and love. I can fully say this book was dynamite and I cannot wait to see what’s this author comes up with.next if this is her debut!

Book Info and Rating

Format 368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 14, 2023 by Berkley Books

ISBN 9780593547502 (ISBN10: 0593547500)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, suspense

If ever there was a character built to dish out the best mike drops ever, this is her. This was a clever and stunning debut thriller that grabs you with both hands from page one and never lets go. The thrill of the game, the smart twists, the luxurious life of the 1%, and the slow burn was nothing short of spectacular. The ending was perfect and leaves the door open for another book which I for one am hoping that’s what it means. The main character was perfectly flawed based on her haunting wicked past but also so much brutal honesty and I couldn’t help but love her and root her on in her twisted games. Highly recommend this one!

Happy pub week to what is guaranteed to be a top book for me this year! Think Heartbreakers movie from the 90s meets Cover Story meets some other bizarre storyline! While I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller, I would say it is an entertaining read. There is definitely mystery with some spice sprinkled on top. It has gotten a lot of buzz lately and already optioned for a TV series, which will only boost the talk! So I won’t go into all the details that are out there, but if you’re looking for one sign to pick it up and read it now.. this is it!! I kinda loved Bea, the main character, and I think I should be ashamed to admit it because I’m not sure she is one to look up to 😂 She is smart as hell, driven, not afraid to speak her mind and gets what she wants, but at what cost? I was a fan because she was put through some sh*t growing up and came out determined to be a better person and prove that she could be independent. I was rooting her on the whole way! You could tell the whole time that some disaster was coming around the corner, but it was such an enjoyable read! I was laughing at Collin’s uptight family and friends meeting Bea. This book made me want to cuddle up with a glass, or bottle, of wine and just read!

Wow what a ride!

This book hooked me from the first page. And it never let up. There were no slow parts of this book.

This book … my goodness… are people really like this? Am I like this? Are you like this?

Loved this book.

Thanks for this advanced copy. It was insane.

So, I absolutely inhaled this one sitting. The very first sentence starts with a bang and I knew after that everything on my to do list was in trouble. I truly couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me all day including the bathroom. 😂

Cue T Swift “Anti Hero” song here please.

This debut has it ALL:

👹A sociopath con artist with mommy issues
👹Manipulation
👹Toxic mother
👹Twists on twists
👹Elite 1% old money
👹Clever
👹Devious

Was I over here rooting for the anti hero? YES!

annnnnd the TWIST(S)! OMG you’re not ready for the twists! 🤯🤯👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I can 1000% say this is my favorite debut book I’ve read thus far.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short synopsis: Bea is determined to get what she deserves, she’s dating and hoping to marry one of the Country’s most wealthy and available bachelor. But will her past that she’s tried to bury get in the way of her future wealth?

My thoughts: Such a great debut, I found myself totally loving to dislike Bea. She’s a very complex character with cringe worthy internal dialogue.

The past mixed in with the current timeline gave us a great insight into how Bea was shaped into the woman she is today. The further you get into the story the more you can see who she is, and why she is the way she is. And boy…. Her mother is something else. A narcissist, conniving woman who will disrupt anyone’s life in order to better her own.

I did a mix of reading and audio with this one, the narration was done so well! I especially enjoyed Bea’s “southern accent” the narrator helped tell the story so well. Such a fantastic debut by Rachel Koller Croft, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Read if you love:
* Con artist stories
* Unlikable Main characters
* Past/present time
* Old money and wealth
* Cat fights and sharpening of claws

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for the advanced copies of this book. Publication date was Feb 14, 2023.

this was such an incredible read!! i absolutely adored this and i am so grateful to netgalley for letting me read this book early!! it was fun and lovely and sweet and precious. pick it up!!

There were some things I really enjoyed about this book. The main character, Bea, knows who she is and what she wants. She also doesn't hesitate to do what it takes to get it. She's smart, innovative, and always three steps ahead of everyone.

That's why it was kind of hard for me to reconcile the way she went after everything with such ferocity and how she couldn't stand up to her own mother about wanting to settle down for good. I also found it kind of weird that she couldn't use her smarts against her fiance's best friend, Gale, in the most effective way. It's like she had a blind spot where Gale was concerned. In the boardroom or anywhere else, Bea owned the space. Around Gale, she just kind of folded like a cheap tent in some scenes.

There were some parts of the book that were really enjoyable, yet others that left me wondering what happened to the strong, self-assured, self-made woman we meet in the opening pages. This one is okay.

3.5 Nothing As It Seems Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Oh, how the child can learn from the parent...This is a tale using this idea and running hard with it. Lots of deceit, lots of fun figuring out where things were going, and a mostly satisfying finish with a tease for more.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since this isn’t my typical genre; however, I enjoyed this. This book showed me that I enjoy psychological thrillers. Bea was quite the character. I didn’t think I would root for her, but I wanted her to win so badly.

She didn’t have a great mother, but everything she learned, she learned from her mother. She was completely robbed of her childhood, and that made me want to root for her.

I was really interested in the interactions between Bea and Gail, the best friend of the young man Bea is trying to marry. The women in this story are quite fascinating, especially the interactions between them.

The writing was nice, and it kept me engaged. It made me want to know if Bea would get the life she always wanted. It was a bit dark, but that was fine. “Stone Cold Fox” is a wonderful debut.

The premise is fun and interesting, but overall, I thought this book was overhyped. I saw plenty of great reviews for it, which led to my high expectations. I thought the twists were predictable and the pacing at the end was so much faster than the first 75% of the book that I was left feeling confused.

Considering Bea’s upbringing by her con mother, her ambition to escape her past by marrying her wealthy boyfriend Collin is understandable. However, Collin’s family sees her as a dangerous gold digger, pitting Bea against the women who love Collin. This twisty thriller about legacy and jealousy is full of compelling, flawed women. For fans of "Pretty Things" by Janelle Brown.

This book was such a highlight for me. Wow!

Bea is the daughter of a con artist mother, but wants to be anything except like her mom. She seemingly has it all. A high-powered job, a wealthy boyfriend…and a past that’s filled with dark secrets.

I absolutely loved the character development in this book. Bea, Syl, the sisters, the entire Case family, and even Gale—I feel like I knew them intimately by the end, for better or for worse. Bea’s singular focus throughout is commendable. Nothing gets in her way.

The back and forth with Gale really was an incredible game of cat and mouse. And wow, was it ever easy to lose sight of who was the cat, and who was the mouse. I spent almost the entire book holding my breath as I waited for the next shoe to drop (I can’t say the other shoe…there were a lot of shoes 😅).

Overall, suspenseful read that I would recommend to anyone who could use some drama in their lives!

“Collin Case came from supreme wealth, which was the initial attraction for me. Priority number one. Sorry not sorry.”

HOLY SHITBALLS. This is a stay up past your bedtime book. This is an UGHH STOP TALKING To ME I AM READING book. This is a defer adulting responsibilities because I 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 to know what happened book. Five stars all. The. Way.

After a lifetime of forced instruction in the art of swindling men by her mother, Bea wants nothing more than to close the door on their sordid past and disappear safely into old-money domesticity. When Bea finds perfectly dull blue-blooded Collin, she’s ready to deploy all her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend Gale. Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous chase. As the truth of Bea’s past threatens to come out, she finds herself in a race to pass the finish line before everything is exposed.

“Collin gazed at me like I was the queen to his king…At the same moment, Gale noticeably flinched, showing her hand. So she was still in love with Collin. Oh, now my ears were up, my heart was aflutter. Some recreational sport presenting itself? Excellent.”

To me, it is the testament of a good author when they write a character that is so devious and wicked and so, just, 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈…and yet you root for them anyway. You hope that they get what they want, even though in real life you would never allow that type of person in your circle. Bea is that character. I just loved her and her tenacity. I could not possibly recommend this book more. Add this to your tbr now, you can thank me later!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another debut! This was much more my speed. Bea is an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry into one of the country's wealthiest families. She was an unwilling participant in her mothers schemes, and she wants nothing more than to escape her shadow, close the door on their sordid past, and disappear safely into old-money domesticity.


Then she finally meets Collin and he’s perfect- he's dull, but blue-blooded, and best of all, he adores her. The challenge isn’t getting the ring but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend Gale Wallace- Leicester.


Bea’s an expert so Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous chase. Gale sees right through Bea’s fake identity and will do whatever she has to prevent her best friend- and the one who got away- from marrying her.


This was a lot of fun. If you like books with a psycho to root for you’ll like this. I loved that she took no crap from anyone- she dresses people down with the best of them. I want to be just a little more like Bea. The rivalry between her and gale was great- it was popcorn, but had depth. Also, this cover is perfect.

“The most fun games are the ones you already know you’re going to win”

Mini synopsis: Bea has it all. The man, the money, the high society lifestyle. She’s fought & conned to get to where she is now. But, after Collin proposes, she’s ready to give it all up for some stability. But the past always finds a way to creep back in, this time in the form of Collin’s childhood friend, Gale. Gale knows Bea isn’t who she says she is and will stop at nothing to take her down.

Bea is a snarky & sarcastic character. She’s unlikeable, but I found myself rooting for her 🤷🏻‍♀️ I never highlight quotes on my kindle, but some of her inner thoughts were so funny to me I couldn’t resist! Bea refers to her fiancé as “a sad grilled cheese sandwich of a man” and “a mediocre man with a lukewarm personality” which just gives you a little snippet of her personality 😂

It also features past and present timelines, which I loved. It gives some more background on Bea and her relationship with her mother and the reasons why she’s marrying Collin. If you like con artist and the classic cat & mouse suspense, then give this a try! Also if you liked the YA book The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe, then you might like this more adult version story!

In this incredible debut novel by Rachel Koller Croft, Bea is a woman who uses her past to shape her future. Raised by a conwoman of a mother, Bea knows all the tricks. However, she doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Instead Bea plans on marrying into a very wealthy family. Having set her sights on Collin, an average man in many ways, except for the fact the he and his family are mega rich, Bea is determined to get what she wants. While she might not even love Collin, Bea has her entire future planned with him.

Things don’t go easily for Bea. While Collin is easy, his family notsomuch. Then there is Gale, Collin’s best friend since childhood. They all believe that Bea wants to marry Collin for his money. Well, she does. But, is that the point? No, not really. She know what she wants, and that is all that matters. The problem is Bea’s past. She needs to get the deed done, to become Collin’s wife, before her past is exposed.

Bea is a character that you love to hate. In fact, I couldn’t help but think of Joan Collins’ character in the TV show Dynasty. However, there was just something about Bea that brought out my empathic side. The more I read this book, the more I liked her. With her scheming and conniving nature, she definitely gave me pause, but there was so much more to Bea as the story was developed. It was impossible not to be drawn to Bea. To connect with her. To see her side of things. Kudos to Ms. Croft for penning such a stunning debut novel.

Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review -

https://youtu.be/6wkAaf2QIQo