The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner

Cara is a mother of two children she is married to Michael. Michael previous wife died and he married Cara with his previous wife he had a daughter Laura. Michael takes the girls on a camping trip and one of the girls is kidnapped the story takes off from there. Nothing is as it seems Michael has a past that is unwinding as the story goes forth.

This is a domestic thriller it was a decent book but still kind of a far stretch of the imagination to what ended up happening in this story. Not that it is not possible I can see someone act this way but just felt like the story didn't come together as well as it could have. The ending was a bit much for me I have a lot of respect for Cara all she cares about is her two girls and I can respect that. Nothing stronger than a mothers love and she would go to the end of the earth to save them.

Michael is less then desirable he seems to have his own mental issues himself but as a bank manager you think all is ok in his world. Who is Michael is the question you need to ask and as you read you find out that Michael may not be who you think he is.

Natalie Duke & Wayne Mitchell narrated this story and did a great job bringing Michael and Cara to life and the rest of the characters. This was enjoyable to listen to and worth the time listening to it. If you like domestic thrillers this book may be for you. I rated this book 3.5 stars. It is worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a free audio version of the book for an honest review.

3.75 stars

Oooooookay. This story was a bit of a wild ride. It was dramatic, suspenseful, and twisty. The story pulled me in right away, some of the major characters absolutely infuriated me, and the ultimate conclusion was pretty satisfying. I really enjoyed this thriller-y adventure.

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and it has dual narrators (one male, one female), which is fine. I’ve listened to books from the male narrator before, and oh my god. I didn’t realize it was the same one until I had already started it, but I absolutely hate the way he reads female characters. He uses this awful tone of voice that absolutely grates on my nerves, and unfortunately, his voice for child characters isn’t any better. Yikes. Definitely not for me.

Not terrible, but not great either. The plot was rather weak and I really disliked the ending. The male narrator's female and child voices were truly awful. I found myself just wanting it to be over.

The Secret Wife
By Emily Shiner

⭐⭐⭐3.5*

[blurb]What happens when the perfect family trip becomes the perfect nightmare?
Cara is a devoted mother to two little girls. She loves her hectic life, but she looks forward to a relaxing weekend alone while her husband, Michael, takes the kids on a camping trip. But their dream trip turns into a nightmare when their daughters are taken, deep in the forest. One is returned safe. But one is still missing.

[Review]
I wish I could give half stars, but when I do think a half star is needed, I round up.
Cara and Michael are married with 2 little girls. It sets up from the beginning that Michael is kind of a creeper and kind of a douche. But as the book goes on, you’re soon second-guessing Cara. Is she an unreliable narrator? Can you trust her opinions?

It was a good book. But it wasn’t a great book. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. But it was a good listen!
Book:⭐⭐⭐.5
Narration:⭐⭐⭐
[The men trying to do women's voices and the inconsistency of both the woman voice and the male voice doing the tertiary characters]

Title: The Secret Wife
Author: Emily Sliver
Audiobook Narrators: Wayne Mitchel and Natalie Duke
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars

Michael and Cara are happily married with two young daughters. Before marrying Cara, Michael was married and has young daughter Laura. His wife died and left both he and his young daughter heartbroken. Now Cara is mommy to both girls and has been a very busy mom. Michael decides to give Cara a mommy break and is taking the girls on a weekend camping trip. During the camping trip, Michael leaves both the girls alone while he goes back to the car to find Mr. Purple, a much loved stuffed bear. When he returns to the camp site the girls are missing.
After a search, one is found but the search continues for the other. However, we know from reading the Prologue, the kidnapper only wanted to take Laura.
Story is told in the POV of Michael and Cara. Story kept me very curious. I had my suspicions and was very close ~ (I do read a lot of psychological thrillers and try my best to figure out the hidden twists!)
Although Michael and Cara the happy couple are such a mess, this story turned out better than I expected!
BTW: I love audiobooks but have to admit~ I am a narrator snob. Natalie Duke did a great job with performing the characters. Wayne Mitchel did a good job in performing Michael and the other males but not so much with the female characters.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this early Audio Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 5, 2022

This wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t my favorite. A dad brings his two girls camping and one goes missing. It sounds like the start of what could have been a great twisty thriller, but a good, developed story was lacking. I was wanting a lot more out of the story and the ending - the ending needed to be more climactic. I listened to the audio version and narrators weren’t great, which is a must for me with audio books, so I would suggest reading the physical book for this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

How a person can be manipulated without realizing it.
You might guess some of the plot but you will not expect the ending.
In some occurrences both husband and wife are acting irrational but unless you ever had a kidnapped child you don’t know how rational you would be when it happens. You are quickly aware that the husband is hiding something but does it have something to do with the current situation.
Wife has been told by her parents and doctors for ages to take her medications to keep her mental illness under control. Are the pills helping or making it worse. Is she paranoid or is the husband causing the problems. There are lots of twists in the story.
I listened to the audio version of this book and the two narrators made it a pleasure to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC of the Audiobook: THE SECRET WIFE be Emily Shiner and narrated by Natalie Duke and Wayne Mitchell. A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist!

I could not describe this book better than how it’s described above: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist.

That’s exactly what it is. I enjoyed the story plot, the pace , the characters and all the twists that kept me up at night because I just couldn’t stop it.

The narrators are good when they speak in the voice of the main characters but when they speak in the children’s voice or of other characters, I found it disturbing a bit.

I would still recommend the book and give a well deserved 4 stars.

When Michael decides to take his two daughters Laura and Olivia on a camping trip, Keira is excited to be without the children. Although Laura isn’t her biological daughter she couldn’t love her more but when both the girls go missing her life comes to a crashing halt. When Olivia is returned and talked about the nice man who brought her back to the tent Keira can’t help what do you think of that man they saw in the restaurant the night before the camping trip and how he was in her front yard the day they left. Could this man has something to do with Laura being gone and who is he? This book was pretty freaking good and when Kiara stops taking her bipolar medicine it gets even better. I thought I kind of knew what was going to happen but I had no idea. At first I didn’t think I liked the female narrator but as the chapters went on I saw that it was part of the first characters persona and I really came to like her I thought both narrators did a great job. I did think the book started off very slow but this is a true mystery and really worth listening to. I was given this audiobook by net Gally and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

3.75⭐ rounded up for the audiobook.

So I feel like I've read many a book with a similar plot, but Emily made it her own and I can't fault her that.
Cara is looking for some alone time, so she sends her husband, Michael and 2 girls on a camping trip without her. When she notices that Laura has forgotten her beloved stuffed animal, Cara drives to the campsite to give it to her.
Michael has left the girls alone in the tent while he goes to the car to look for the stuffed animal. On his way there he runs into Cara. When they get back to the campsite they discover the girls are gone!

There were some heart pounding moments when they made the discovery and are frantically searching for Laura and Olivia. Olivia is returned, but who still has Laura?

Told by both Cara and Michael and dual narrated by Natalie Duke & Wayne Mitchell and they did an alright job. I didn't love their opposite sex voices, his was worse than hers. 7 hours and 13 minutes and easy listen at 2x.

Overall, I enjoyed this fast paced domestic/psychological, suspenseful thriller. There are plenty of secrets and lies ~ some good, some blah. I ​would give this author a whirl again.

You know - this was absolutely fantastic…….until the end.

This entire book was exciting. I couldn’t wait for the twist the cover promised. Not only did that twist never come (or maybe it did and I just thought it was obvious from the start, could go either way), but the book itself felt like it ended in the middle of a thought! I was listening so intently and then “we hope you enjoyed…” - excuse me, what?! I mean I did - but that ruined it. I understand open or cliffhanger endings but this was just an entirely different level. I do not understand ending a book in the middle of a thought - at least that’s how it felt to me.

The audio itself is as great. Having the multiple narrators for the dual POV was great. I absolutely love it when books do that!

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because other than the ending, this book is incredibly suspenseful (even if it is predictable), the audio quality is fantastic and the story is interesting.

Shoutout to NetGalley for the audio of this one!

A family camping trip turns into a nightmare for one family when their oldest daughter turns up missing. I listed to this in one day! So many twists and turns!

This audiobook is very easy to listen to! There are twists and turns and the suspense builds throughout the story as more and more unfolds as the main characters look for their daughter. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, but overall enjoyable book!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This book started out good, but became very predictable and not as enjoyable. The male narrator sounded terrible when he tried to imitate a child or woman...reminded me of Cartman on SouthPark,.....just awful to listen to.

The father leaves his two kids in a tent well he goes back to the car to get something, when he returns back they are gone! This book is a thriller with a great audio , I couldn’t put it done!

Michael and Cara are married with two kids, one of which is only Michael's, he had her with his departed first wife. One day, he takes the two girls camping. He leaves them alone in the tent for a moment while he walks back to the car to get something, but when he comes back with Cara (who joined him in the meantime), the girls are gone.
I was hooked pretty early in the game. I liked the double POV (Michael and Cara, read by a man and woman respectively in the audio book). This was fast paced and I listened to it in one sitting. The ending was a bit disappointing and I would've liked to see more character development. Michael's possessivness was a bit annoying to me. But over all, I loved the premise, and this was a great thriller.
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was enjoying this book until out of nowhere mental illness was used as a plot device. This is lazy and I'm tired of this being the scapegoat for villainy. Not what I was looking for.

GRIPPING. INTENSE. UTTERLY BINGE-WORTHY!

THE SECRET WIFE by Emily Shiner is a wickedly plotted CHILLING cat-and-mouse psycho-thriller brimming with dark delicious surprises and characters that won't let you go. Behind this perfect family are dark secrets, lies, and manipulation.

Darkly funny, I loved CARA! Her character is so bloody good! Going from the mild-mannered subservient wife to the powerhouse and one controlling the narrative.

AUDIOBOOK: I could not tear myself away while listening to the audio in one sitting throughout the day and evening. It was SPINE-TINGLING, narrated by Natalie Duke and Wayne Mitchell, perfect for all the voices. Downright creepy, in fact.

If you LOVE strong women (that you think are docile in the beginning) and ones who can get the upper hand, flipping it around on a misogynist manipulative evil man and outsmart him,—you are going to love this one!

From alternating POVs of Cara and Michael, we learn the innermost thoughts of both.

As the book opens, we briefly are at a campground in a tent with two girls. Someone is leading them out of the tent.

Back at the house, before the camping trip with Cara and Michael. He plans an overnight camping trip with the two daughters, Laura from his first marriage (deceased), and their biological daughter, Olivia.

Cara is looking forward to some R&R and a weekend of stay-at-home reading, bingeing, relaxing, and eating a lot of junk food without interruptions. This is Michael's first overnight trip with the girls, and Cara wants to ensure they have everything they need.

Right before they leave, the couple has a discussion. Michael (bad childhood) wants a ton of children. He is very controlling and thinks he runs the show. He must have a perfectly orchestrated life. A narcissist, he thinks very highly of himself, and things must go as he plans. He is also a bank manager and the breadwinner.

What is he hiding? PLENTY!

Cara is now a stay-at-home mom and a great mother. She married him after his first wife died and has done an outstanding job raising his daughter. She does not want any more children. Cara is secretly taking birth control pills as well as her other little pill to keep her intact (mental health). He must keep her in check.

However, right after they leave, she learns Laura has forgotten her stuffed animal, Mr. Purple, that her mom gave her and will not be able to sleep without him.

Also, there is a strange man in front of her house and Cara realizes it is the same homeless-looking man they saw at the restaurant the night before and Michael seemed weird. She also is in the attic and sees something that is also strange.

With poor cell phone service in the mountains, she decides to drive to the campground with Mr. Purple. However, when she arrives, the girls are missing. Michael left them alone in the forest away from other campers next to the river in a remote area, while he went to the car to look for the stuffed animal.

Cara is beside herself why Michael left the girls in the middle of the woods alone. A full-blown investigation by the authorities is now underway. Michael of course does not take the blame. Not his fault, of course.

Cara saw things and as a child, they put her on medication - the pills. Now she decides she does not need the little pills in order to deal with her missing daughter and what her husband is hiding She needs to think clearly. Focus. She needs to be alert.

Two pills. Each morning she takes them to protect her. One keeps her from having another baby. The other pill keeps her from succumbing to the sorrow that can grow and take over. But she must find her daughters.

"Only one tiny pill stands between me and that darkness, and I'm not sure if I took it this morning."

And man, when she goes off the pills, her personality changes from the sweet little wife that Michael thinks he can run over and manipulate to the focused and determined Mama Bear terminator!

Then later, back at the campground, Olivia mysteriously shows up in the tent, zipped up, but Laura is still missing.

Gosh, I love her new personality! Watch out, Michael, TICK TOK! Your lies, secrets, and past are about to be unraveled. The scene in the attic and at the inn was priceless!

While they frantically search for Laura, it becomes clear that this is no random abduction —her disappearance is linked to shocking secrets that are only now being revealed.

How far will Cara go to find her daughter? How well does she really know her husband? Is she paranoid, crazy, or right on? Time is running out. A tenacious mother fights for her children's lives while trying to unravel her husband's secret life.

"Riveting suspense, shocking revelations, and pitch-perfect dialogue make this one a WINNER. With multi-twists and a breakneck pace, THE SECRET WIFE is an utterly compelling thriller where nothing is as it appears to the satisfying conclusion."

What I love about #NetGalley and #Dreamscape is the opportunity to discover new authors and titles that generally would not be on my radar. In addition, the audiobook had some negative reviews about the narration, but thank goodness I did not let those influence my decision to request the audio. Just an example, you cannot always go by reviews. Everyone has a different take on books, genres, and narrators. I loved the KILLER TWIST and looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I read a lot of thrillers (118 thus far in 2022) and many are audio. I adore ones with dark humor. Fans of Kaira Rouda, Hannah Mary McKinnon, and Kimberly Belle will enjoy this one.

A special thank you to #DREAMSCAPE Media and #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen, enjoy, and review this one. I also loved it so much that I purchased the e-book.

Blog Review posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 5 Stars ✨✨✨✨✨
July 2022 Must-ReadBooks List

This was pretty good. A good solid read, I had the ending wrong. There is suspense, kidnapping and excitement. I would select another one from this Author. It kept me intrigued.

3/5 ⭐️
Okay so this was just okay for me. I legit thought both the parents were assholes, and I can’t believe the dad left his two little girls along for a HALF HOUR to grab something from the car and when he comes back they’re missing. What would you expect?? This actually reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode, but it was enjoyable enough to keep reading.