From the publisher: "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."

Bea is sick of running cons with her mother. She decides to get what she deserves by marrying rich. She has a mark and everything. That's when the games begin.

If you love books about rich people behaving badly, this is for you. I thought it was a lot of fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I love a problematic narrator, and it was hard not to root for her throughout this. There were some solid twists and it was a great concept. That said, it felt so wildly improbable that it made the story feel unbelievable.

Thank you to the publishers at Berkley and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Stone Cold Fox!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
💋 love to hate the MC
👥 have a dangerous relationship with your mother
📖 enjoy long chapters
👯‍♀️ have little to no girl friends

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

Bea is determined to become the newest Case family member, no matter what it takes.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Bea is dating Collin Case, a plain, boring man, but, one who has plenty of family money. Determined to make him her husband, Bea has invented the perfect life - dead parents, no siblings, nobody to question her and her motives. But Collin’s best friend, Gale, has other plans because Gale has always loved Collin and isn’t about to let him go so easily. But Bea is hiding an unsavory past, one that, if discovered, will leave her with nothing, forced to start all over again. Will Bea be able to pull off this long con?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a fun read. A bit of a slow burn, but well worth the wait. I loved all of the new discoveries, though I did suspect a few and was pleasantly surprised by others! The long chapters were a bit off putting for me (only because I prefer shorter chapters) but I think they worked well for the story. We really got to know Bea. She’s someone you love to hate, and she became more likable as the novel progressed. She definitely does a lot of growing up, in a good way! I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future!

Rich people behaving badly? I’m all the way here for it. STONE COLD FOX follows grifter Bea and her quest to marry Collin, a lackluster love interest that conveniently comes with obscene amounts of money. With a mother committed to a lifetime of climbing the social ladder, Bea came by her desire for the finer things in life honestly.

This is a fun cat-mouse story as Bea tries to hide her sketchy past from Collin’s friends and family. I enjoyed how debut author Rachel Koller Croft explored mother/daughter relationships and the ways in which the past is never too far behind. The author is also a screenwriter and her talents shine through in this novel with a strong sense of place in the upper echelons of society.

With a combination of print and audio I flew through this story. Narrator Carlotta Brentan brought Bea’s conniving antics to life. Pick this up for your galentine on 2/14!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: February 14, 2023

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

This was slightly disappointing for me on a couple counts. One, Bea's narrative voice wasn't super engaging to me for some reason? Her dialogue (and some of the other characters) felt really off to me to the level of being distracting. Second, where the plot ended up going and the ending. I feel like there were some red herrings throughout the book of where things might end up, and I would have preferred any or all of those over what actually did happen.
This book does earn points for taking a trope that usually focuses on a male character and expanding that focus to the women in his life. That aspect makes it more refreshing to read. I'd compare it to Janet Fitch's White Oleander over anything else.

What a compulsive and addicting debut! If you enjoy stories about con artists, anti-heroes, the rich and powerful, manipulation, extreme cat and mouse mind games… then you’ll want to add this to your TBR!

This story follows Bea, a woman raised by her swindling mother who’s looking to escape her dark past by marrying Collin Case and joining his uber wealthy family. Bea’s ambition to claim what she wants and believes she deserves has her facing off against other members of the Case family as well as Collin’s best friend, Gale, in the biggest cat and mouse game where the stakes are high.

Bea is an extremely complex character. She is absolutely flawed and damaged because of the horrible things she dealt with when younger and because of her toxic mother. Present day Bea is our narrator and she does not come off as particularly likable. Sure she’s extremely confident in herself, but her words and actions also make her seem very vain, pretentious, and her ambition to manipulate anybody and situation to her desires. We do also get glimpses into her past and as the story progresses you see some cracks in her facade and really begin to understand what she’s after and why. Admittedly, I tend to struggle with unlikeable characters, however Bea was very well developed and the very definition of an anti-hero that you hate to love.

The book also dives into the society of old money/ the wealthiest families. There’s a theme of “protect your own” and shunning outsiders into this world. It really showcased how different and how these groups really do operate in their own little rich world.

As for the battle of wits, it was interesting seeing Bea and Gale go head to head trying to outsmart each other. Plus it was suspenseful wanting to know all the secrets these two were fighting to bury or reveal. And then on top of that there was a little twist at the end that brought things to a new level and was just like !!!

Though I can see this be a bit of a polarizing read, overall I thought it was clever with lots of psychological elements to keep you invested!

First 15%: hooked. Bea started off strong w bitchy/caddy vibes galore trying to con a wealthy family.

Middle: this part dragged. It was very repetitive and a lot of internal dialogue that got a little eh.

Last 15%: yes, we are back in! Twists did surprise me! Also possibly set for a sequel?

This is a debut so I will be reading the second I hopes the pacing/flow gets a little better.

Thanks to Berkley and Let's Talk Books Promo for the copy of this ARC.

Stone Cold Fox is a spectactular debut from Rachel Koller Croft. I was immediately sucked in through the past and present timelines, straight up haughtiness of Bea, and all of her (honestly kind of terrible) internal thoughts. This is a book where you know the main character is gonna throw out some cutting words and do whatever it takes to get what she thinks she deserves, but you're also gonna root for her the whole time. There are some great twists, con artist schemes and drama galore. I had a lot of fun getting sucked into this one!

Read if you like:
- con artist stories
- drama with old money families
- rooting for devious and haughty characters
- ongoing cat fights
- the show Ginny and Georgia

This book unfortunately did not grab my attention and felt the characters to be rather flat. I was also under the impression from the marketing that this was a period piece and found the pop culture references to be forced.

Bea hasn’t had an easy life. Raised by a cold, emotionally distant mother who drifted around the country conning men, she has always had to fight for things. Now she’s still under 30 and gorgeous, and she has finally left her mother behind. Bea has her eyes on the prize–marriage to Collin Case, scion of the wealthy and prestigious Case family. This will gain her entrance to a life-time of comfort and protection, not to mention provide distance from her mother and her own past self. She has no problem conquering Collin, but a much harder time gaining the approval of his family.

Her biggest nemesis proves to be Gale, Collin’s childhood friend who obviously wanted and expected their childhood to deepen into something more. Bea views Gale as a welcome diversion, a chance to fight and win something else, but she’s met her match. Gale proves herself willing to fight as dirty as Bea has ever managed. Gale’s alibis approach Bea on their own. There’s Dave, all animal appeal and danger with a reputation. There’s Syl, Collin’s new assistant. Something about her appeals to Bea. Could Syl be her first real friend? Or is she hiding her own secrets?

When things come to a head, Bea will have to choose who she is, and how far she is willing to go to keep her hard-earned gains. Is she like her mother after all? Or will Bea strike her own path, make her own peace with the past? Sometimes life just surprises you.

Stone Cold Fox is a thriller that keeps you on your toes. How much can we trust Bea’s narrative? What about these other rich women, who surely have their own secrets to hide? A gripping read.

Bea is a fox. Definitely a catch. She is outrageous, vivacious, absolutely gorgeous, and tremendously smart. Unfortunately, these assets are not working in her favor. For the past year, she has dated millionaires and billionaires and they all had one thing in common … they were boring. Old men looking for a trophy wife which is what Bea thought she wanted to be but now she is looking at her future differently. Old guys have too much baggage and hang-ups, they are too much work. For a change, Bea decides to look at trust fund babies.
Through her work in an advertising agency, Bea meets Collin Case. His family is loaded. He is tall and handsome, charming, attentive, and best of all, he finds Bea attractive. They begin dating and their romance is hot & heavy. It’s not too long before Collin invites Bea to move in with him. Within a short time, Collin is ready for the next move, inviting Bea home to meet the family. She is not sure about this but knows she will have to some time.
Meeting the future in-laws is as awkward as she expected. The night isn’t even over and they are offering her money to go away. Bea feels certain she can win them over – it is the best friend who will be a problem. Gale doesn’t view her relationship with Collin to be platonic and she plans to get rid of Bea any way she can. The gloves are off, the claws are out … who will be the winner?

For a debut novel, Rachel Koller Croft writes very confidently. Her voice is strong. Bea is a wonderful character. You cheer for her, hope she mops the floor with Gale, and want to give her the 3 Stooges salute as she takes on the future in-laws. I found her writing very similar to Liv Constantine’s. Way to go, Rachel, I look forward to your next book.

A solid four-star entry in the "manipulative woman infiltrates high society" genre. Bea (not her real name) is in her mid-twenties, and she's decided it's time to settle down with as secure a nest egg as she can find. And what's more secure than marrying into NYC's upper crust? Sure, there's a prenup, but Bea's not planning on stealing any cash and escaping into the night. She's in it for forever: she'll be the best wife possible to Collin. She just needs to make sure no one ever finds out the truth of her past.

Unfortunately for her, she's got a rival in Gale, Collin's childhood BFF. Gale has been in love with Collin forever, and if she can't have him then she's going to at least make sure that whoever he falls for is a Good Person. At first, Bea enjoys their rivalry. But soon enough she realizes that Gale has some inside knowledge that she shouldn't have. With shades of "You" and "Gone Girl," this is a fun thriller for everyone who roots for the bad girl once in a while.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The story was top notch, and I really liked Bea as our lead. I couldn't put the book down. I felt the ending fell somewhat flat after the rest of the story, but it seemed like the ending might have been changed to set up a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft is a wickedly creative thriller that I just loved. I found the book impossible to put down.

Story Recap:
Bea knows what she wants in life, and she’s determined to get it. And Bea is used to getting what she wants. She learned from the best, her mother. She taught Bea how to swindle men and get what she deserves. Except, Bea has more aspirational goals, she wants to marry an extremely rich man and be set up for life.

Bea has set her sights on Colin a very wealthy man from a family of old money. Bea doesn’t believe in love and that makes Colin a perfect candidate, he’s boring, loyal, and completely besotted with her. Bea is confident she can get Colin to pop the question, her only challenge will be his doting family and his best friend Gale.

My Thoughts:
After reading just the first few pages, I knew this book was for me! The book is told from Bea’s POV, and her thoughts are disturbing and calculating. Bea is not a likable character, but she’s fascinating, intriguing, and very compelling. I couldn’t stop reading even though she’s a cold-hearted, and disturbed woman. And, even though she’s not very nice, I was rooting for her the entire book.

The book flashes back to her childhood with her mother, and these flashbacks definitely made me more sympathetic for Bea, she’s a product of her unorthodox and disturbing childhood.

Stone cold fox is a fast-paced, exciting thriller that I couldn’t put down.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend Stone Cold Fox to anyone who enjoys thrillers. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Bea was raised by the ultimate con artist and has followed in her mother’s footsteps. She’s set her sights on marrying Collin, who belongs to an ultra wealthy family, and living out her days in comfort. She’s on the brink of everything she’s always wanted- but Collin’s best friend Gale seems to know more about her past than she should.

Things I loved:
-the banter/competition between Bea and Gale. TENSE!!
-the character of Bea. She is SO complex and well written. You are somehow rooting for her despite the “bad” things she’s done
-complicated family relationships
-the pacing. I thought this was really well paced. I was super engaged and intrigued throughout the entire book
-dual timelines. I love a good dual timeline and thought this was very well utilized to build tension

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the advanced reading copy!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you @berkleypub for my #gifted copy. This book publishes 2/14.

I am completely obsessed with this book. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.

Bea is a true anti-heroine (cue Taylor Swift music). She is narcissistic, relentless, gold digger, grifter, and a con artist. She has an extremely dysfunctional childhood with her even bigger con artist of a mother, and lacked stability and overall care and love. This is so sharply written and addicting, with a character that is nuanced and a background that had me fully invested to learn her story. truly FUN. I loved the snarky, biting inner monologue. I was cackling throughout at Bea's brutal commentary and how horribly judgy she is, especially of her arch nemesis Gale Wallis Leicester . I love a con artist story and love the camp and cat and mouse vibes.

This was truly incredible and a new favorite of mine!! 👏👏👏 @rachkollercroft

Reminiscent of The Lies I Tell and Pretty Things - two others I loved!!

Pub date: 2/14/23
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Bea was born to be a con artist - and after spending her childhood running cons with her mother, she's about to cash in by marrying an insanely wealthy man. But first, she has to get past his BFF Gale.

Bea is the ultimate unlikable heroine/anti-hero, and I flew through this story with a text/audio combo. I enjoyed how the narrative went back and forth between Bea's childhood and the present day. I kept wondering where the story would go, and if Bea or Gale would prevail. The ending didn't wow me, but I enjoyed the ride. A fellow reader suggested there might be a sequel - and I would definitely read that!

If you love books about rich people behaving badly and social climbing, this is the story for you!

Thank you to @PRHAudio for my complimentary audiobook and @letstalkbookspromo and Berkley Publishing for my e-ARC.

This is a wickedly good read. From the start, I knew I'd be rooting for Bea. She is complex, smart and witty. You'll want her to get everything she wants too!

I already knows this is going to be my favorite debut of 2023. Everything about this book is razor sharp from the commentary on 1%era to Bea’s ruthless and still charming inner monologue. Stone Cold Fox blends a witty anti-hero with nail biting suspense that’ll have you staying up late for all the answers.

WOW what a debut - Salaciously FUN!! I throughly enjoy novels with conniving women and drama.

Stone Cold Fox is an addictive read full of caddy, manipulative wealthy women. Did I root for the villain, hell YES I did! Bea, not her real name, hooked me in the first chapter. Needless to say I couldn't stop listening as I had to know if she ultimately gets her happily ever after.

Bea's con is perfect as she's marrying into a filthy rich family until someone uncovers her deception. The obstacle is another women, and they become ruthless enemies pretending to be friends. Let the cat fight begin, claws out bitches!

Bea didn't just acquire these skills, she was taught by her mother from a very early age. This mother from hell always had her eye on the prize, and dragged her daughter along from one rich man to the next. Bea's youth was sacrificed to aid her mother's dreams.

These rich people behaving badly was the perfect read. This femme fatale will be everyones hero.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the complimentary e-book and PRHA for the audiobook.