Firstly, credit to anyone who can craft a story, put it in writing and get it published, especially a thriller which has so many twists. That said, this wasn't my favorite. The storyline had potential. Controlling abusive new husband, with a dangerous past littered with missing children and unexplained "accidents". There were enough dramatic twists and turns to keep me reading on and the plot had good momentum.

However, I had two main issues. One, the characters felt like stereotypes with very little depth to them. The main character, Elana, comes across as weak and a bit hopeless. The husband - all knowing, all powerful and all cunning. I struggled to find them credible.

Second, I found the writing very repetitive. It’s like the author wanted to make sure we didn’t forget certain key details and took every opportunity to remind us. Yes, we know Elana came form a poor background. Yes, we know she needs to escape and is counting the minutes. Yes, we understand her daughter's safety is paramount and driving every decision etc Even allowing for the obsessive internal thoughts of a paranoid women, it was too much. In a nutshell, it was gripping enough, but not rushing to recommend.

I normally don't read psychological thrillers because I don't really like to be scared, but I couldn't pass this one up. Our heroine, Elena, is married to the perfect man- a man who gives her everything she could ever want and cares for her 7 yr old daughter as his own. Only after the wedding does she begin to realize how abusive and controlling Jackson really is. Just as she begins to work up the courage to leave, Elena learns that Jackson has been married and divorced twice before, and that shortly after those women left him, their own daughters disappeared. Realizing that there's no way that she can outrun Jackson and keep her daughter safe, Elena must instead try to outmaneuver him.

This book definitely captured my attention, I couldn't stop reading! The ending seemed rushed, though. It left one important question/relationship unresolved, and introduced another character unnecessarily in the final pages. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this read! My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read, rate, and review this ARC. #TheExWives

Elena marries Jackson, the mayor of a small town in the Florida Panhandle on a very short timeline. After her first husband died in a horrific car accident, it left her and her daughter with very little to their name. Jackson swept Elena off her feet and was the wish that came true until it started to not. Jackson has several skeletons in his closet that he failed to tell Elena about prior to getting married - including two ex-wives and two step daughters that are missing.

Overall, this was a solid three stars. I felt the story had some peaks and valleys but did drag on a bit. Elena definitely was shortsighted in the beginning on how to get out of the marriage without any harm. The twist at the end was good but like I said earlier, it could have been a bit sooner as I was starting to get bored with the book. I do like how the author wrapped up the ending and didn’t just leave a cliff hanger.

Elana is desperate to get away from her husband Jackson. When they married, he seemed like the perfect man, everything she ever wanted, but she was wrong. Over time he has revealed himself to be controlling and unpredictable. The more Elana finds out about what happened between Jackson and his ex-wives, the more frightened she becomes. Elana is determined to not only escape with her seven-year-old daughter, Phoebe but also get justice for everyone Jackson has wronged.

Jenna Kernan does an excellent job developing the character of Elana. I felt like I was there with her trapped in her horrible, controlling marriage, desperate to find my way out. I also really enjoyed the past and present POV. I think it helped to develop the characters more. I found myself hooked the last quarter of the book, reading faster and staying up late to find out how the story would end. I just wish the first half of the story had as much tension and suspense as the last quarter of the book. For that reason, I rate this book 3.5/5 stars. I still highly recommend it to anyone that loves psychological thrillers! The character development was stellar.

This was completely over the top fantastic , I loved the larger than life villain , it had so much drama I couldn’t put it down . Make yourself a cuppa and be prepared to not do anything for a few hours , I read it cover to cover without putting it down

Overall, I really enjoyed this domestic thriller! I was hooked in from the beginning. I is definitely a page turner. I have read a lot of thriller and yet this one still found a way to shock me. There were lots of twists and turns, in which I saw, the more the merrier. I also loved the now/them chapters as it really helped build the suspense. I am a huge fan of cat and mouse thrillers and this one kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a quick read; I couldn't wait to get to the end- which I really enjoyed. I am a huge fan of endings that tie everything together. I would recommend if you liked Behind Closed Doors. It was a little slow at first but it picked up quickly and I did find some of the characters very unlikable. I also thought there was a little too much going on at times with the current situation and the past wives all intertwining.

I really enjoyed this one! It was very twisty and I did not see many of the turns in the story coming, which is always good for a thriller!

What worked:
- Fast-paced
- Plot driven
- You rooted for Elana

What didn't work:
- The book started very abruptly
- There were some plot holes - ex: Elana said Zoey didn't tell her the FBI investigated the family for Shantel's daughter's abduction, but Zoey had literally told her on the previous page

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. You HATED Jackson so much and were really rooting for Elana to make it out. This was my first book by this author and I'd definitely read more!

This one was so good! I was glued to the pages and wanted to shake the main character many times and tell her to open her eyes! The Ex-Wives by Jenna Kernan focuses around Elana, who is married to a wealthy man. After being widowed and left with just her young daughter, Elana never dreamed she’d meet someone like Jackson. But slowly she learns the truth about the man she married and all is not so perfect at all.

Synopsis:

Two ex-wives. Two missing girls. Will yours be next?

Pulling a batch of my husband’s favorite golden oatmeal cookies from the oven, I smile to hear my daughter Phoebe playing in the treehouse outside. I was once so close to losing everything, but since I married handsome Jackson, I have a perfect life. Jackson might tell me what to wear, but he just likes to buy me nice things. He says I don’t need a job, and why would I want one? I can spend all day taking care of Phoebe and running errands in the fancy car Jackson gave me—he knows everywhere I go, and I love how much he wants to keep me safe.

But my whole world shatters when I find out Jackson is a liar.

He never mentioned he was married before—twice.

I love him so much. But how can I trust him now? Desperate for answers, I search our pristine house top to bottom. I thought Jackson was caring: but is it a way to control me?

When I track down his ex-wives, I see fear in their eyes. Both these women had little girls just like me. And when they left Jackson, their daughters went missing.

Devastated I’ve put Phoebe in danger, I have no choice but to find the truth about those poor girls. To protect Phoebe, I must pretend to still be the perfect wife, even though fear floods through me at Jackson’s touch.

But how far will I have to go? And what will happen to me and my sweet child if my husband finds out?

I know we’ve seen similar plots before where a woman marries the perfect guy only to find out he’s not so perfect but this one was really compelling with tension and nerve-biting twists. Out on October 10!

4.5⭐️
When I started reading this, I was so so close to DNFing it but I’m so glad I didn’t because WOW! That was a thrilling ride I was not expecting. I pushed through and in the end, I found a great psychological thriller that I think has a lot of potential. I finished 75% of this book in one sitting because it was so good!

The first few chapters are dual timelines. We get to see the beginning of Jackson and Elena’s relationship and how it went all bad. It took some time to build and was so annoying because I felt the story wasn’t progressing. There was a lot of repetition and the chapters were kind of long (I hate long chapters) but afterward I realized it was vital to the story because we get to see the multiple personalities of Jackson.

As the story progressed, we get to see a stronger side of Elena because she’s desperate to leave the marriage. I was so shocked at how the author went with the story because it was so much better than I could’ve expected. I was infuriated at Jackson and how he was treating Elena. It felt like I was getting played. I couldn’t stop wondering where this all was going to lead.

The ending was perfect! My goodness, I didn’t see a lot of the things happening. It was a perfect example of how people will do anything when they have reached their limit. I loved Elena’s character and she represents a lot of people going through hardships. If the beginning wasn’t a but repetitively, this would definitely be a 5⭐️read.

This is an easy read but it didn’t have me hooked. It’s a slow burn that takes a long time to pick up pace and the twists are pretty predictable. The Then and Now chapters show us how Jackson sucks Elana in but I still struggled with her character. Some of her actions are just so frustrating. I was intrigued to see how she was going to get out of the mess though as she didn’t go the route that was offered to her. I definitely prefer Jenna’s Agent Nadine Finch series.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a decent thriller with a constant thread of suspense woven in. However, the MC's naïveté really bugged the heck out of me. I know that many women end up in dysfunctional relationships, and maybe, just maybe I'm too suspicious of a person, but come on! If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and other people tell you it's a duck, then... what's it gonna take for you to realize that IT IS A FREAKING DUCK?!?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness - I LOVED this book!!! I was grabbed from page one and could not wait to listen to more, I went to bed at night thinking about the book and excited to wake up so I could finish. There was no mystery to really solve or "twist" that shocked me it was just a well written book that I enjoyed.

Synopsis per Amazon:
Two ex-wives. Two missing girls. Will yours be next?
Pulling a batch of my husband’s favorite golden oatmeal cookies from the oven, I smile to hear my daughter Phoebe playing in the treehouse outside. I was once so close to losing everything, but since I married handsome Jackson, I have a perfect life. Jackson might tell me what to wear, but he just likes to buy me nice things. He says I don’t need a job, and why would I want one? I can spend all day taking care of Phoebe and running errands in the fancy car Jackson gave me—he knows everywhere I go, and I love how much he wants to keep me safe.
But my whole world shatters when I find out Jackson is a liar.
He never mentioned he was married before—twice.
I love him so much. But how can I trust him now? Desperate for answers, I search our pristine house top to bottom. I thought Jackson was caring: but is it a way to control me?
When I track down his ex-wives, I see fear in their eyes. Both these women had little girls just like me. And when they left Jackson, their daughters went missing.
Devastated I’ve put Phoebe in danger, I have no choice but to find the truth about those poor girls. To protect Phoebe, I must pretend to still be the perfect wife, even though fear floods through me at Jackson’s touch.
But how far will I have to go? And what will happen to me and my sweet child if my husband finds out?

This is a domestic suspense thriller. I was rooting for Elana the whole way through and could not put the book down! Her husband, Jackson, is probably my most unliked character of the year! He is insane! I loved how the book was written in alternating time periods leading up to present day and so…much…suspense! Loved it! This is a first from this author but will not be the last!

This book discusses domestic violence so if this is a trigger for you this may not be the best book. It is an action packed book with a dual timeline. The story is told in the present and about a year ago when the couple was getting married. The past timeline gets closer to the present, which is a very interesting writing method. I could not put this book down and read way to late at night to finish it. I highly highly recommend this book if you love characters that fight for what is important to them and writers that come up with unique storylines.

A sinister, tense read that will send shivers down your spine.
Jackson is everything Elana could hope, charming, wealthy, and persuasive. But he’s also controlling and she and her daughter are virtual prisoners. She has to escape, but how? And what about his two ex wives and their missing daughters.
I read this book feverishly, wondering about the back story and hoping Elana would prevail in her endeavors.
It’s a bone chilling read about ending trapped and the desperation to escape a horrible situation.

Elana lost her first husband in a tragic accident. She was a single mom to her daughter, Phoebe, and worked hard but they were just getting by. Then she meets the charming Jackson Belauru. He's successful, has money, is handsome, and is the mayor of Bald Cypress. After a whirlwind courtship, they get married. Just before her wedding one of Jackson's ex-wifes (he has two) warns her off and tells her he isn't what he seems. Elans brushes her off as a jealous ex.

It isn't long before Elana starts to realize that the reason Jason seemed too good to be try is because he is. She learns that both his exes' daughters went missing, one after she divorced him. She wants out, but she's afraid of what might happen to Phoebe if she runs.

She is along on a trip to NC where Jackson and his brothers are in a fishing contest. She has made plans to leave then, but another situation arises that she takes advantage of and hopes it works out in her favor.

Things don't quite work at as she hoped and then it's a wild ride as she struggles to prove Jackson is who she says he is and not the charming man everyone sees. It is a wild ride! I won't go into details on what happens the latter part of the book in fears of spoilling. But definitely recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for both an eARC and an audio ARC, which allowed me to finish this book in a day, in exchange for my honest review.

Before I start my review I do want to say a trigger warning - this book contains serious domestic violence so be aware before reading.
This was by far one of the best domestic thrillers I have read in awhile. It was an emotional roller coaster and there were times that I had to put the book down because my anxiety was through the roof. This story is an incredibly accurate portrayal of domestic abuse - the relationship between Elena and Jackson has all the trademarks of an abusive marriage. There’s a wide cast of characters and you will be blind sided by who is good, who is bad, who is brave, and who is just lucky to be alive. I read this book so quickly because I needed to know what happened - I will be reading more from this author!

This was not an easy read. Very similar too Behind Closed Doors by B.A Paris but only because of the abusive husband. . I was on the edge of my seat the whole time rooting for Elana.

Many twists and turns and I enjoyed the ride despite the sociopath in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture

All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else

Quite often I find myself so absorbed by a story that I read it in one sitting - but that wasn't my experience with The Ex Wives. Kernan's story is so tense, so claustrophobic, that I found myself reeling and needing a break - and that is an equally great compliment.

The Ex Wives follows Elana, the third wife of a deeply dangerous husband who must save herself and Phoebe, her daughter from a previous, from their oppressive and abusive home.

Elana has already worked out that her perfect husband from the whirlwind romance is not the man he pretended to be, but it's the arrival of the FBI that makes her realise just how dangerous he is. Both his ex-wives had young daughters, and both young daughters went missing shortly after they divorced Jackson.

Phoebe's father passed away, and Elena's only family are his elderly parents - too far away to help, and too easily deterred from visiting by her husband. As the book progresses, both Elana and the reader are dragged deeper into Jackson's web, with more and more avenues for escape slowly shut off.

I loved the opening of this book - particularly the setting. I read so many UK crime writers that reading something American felt like a novelty. The small-town America setting of Bald Cypress only piles on the pressure on Elana, our protagonist.

Kernan makes an interesting choice to take us out of the domestic setting very quickly. I won't spoil the first third of the novel, but the events that unfold early on had me totally gripped. Early on, Kernan sets us up for the book to go in one of two directions, and along with Elana, we are on a precipice, with no idea what we're about to head into.

I'm generally quite unsympathetic to passive characters in novels, but I didn't feel that way about Elana. Kernan's lead is passive, but only because she has very few options available to her. On a technical note, I think I find passive characters more frustrating when the prose is in first person, but Kernan's close-third is a masterclass in getting into the character's head, without having to live in her head.

My only caveat to reading this novel would be I hope you like properly villainous-villains. Jackson has no redeeming quality and he is not granted any sympathetic moments. In some cases this can feel clumsy, but in Kernan's case she pulls it off, because the supporting cast of Jackson's associates are nuanced. His brother Sawyer and sister-in-law Zoey were particular favourites of mine.
.. oh, and it's also great for dog lovers...

Thrillers are only ever as good as their endings (I don't think that is a saying, but it should be). I approached the ending of The Ex Wives with trepidation, after enjoying the book so much, but I needn't have worried.

Kernan pulls off several twists and a suitably shocking ending. I was left feeling immensely satisfied, and more than a little unsettled.

I really enjoyed The Ex Wives. Bookouture rarely put a foot wrong when it comes to pacy thrillers with a domestic setting, so I had high hopes, and wasn't disappointed.

Overall, I think Kernan has created a pressure-cooker of a book, that kept me held in suspense and a state of slight despair. If that isn't a pleasurable way to spend a few hours of down-time, I don't know what is.

Wow! Just wow! This book has left me reeling, and will be one I think about long after I’m finished! This is the kind of book that sticks with you.

Elana is a young struggling widow, who lives with her daughter Phoebe, when she meets the wealthy, handsome and charming Jackson. After a whirlwind romance and wedding Elana learns that Jackson’s two previous wives had little girls too, and theirs went missing. As his control on her tightens, and her suspicions grow, will she and Phoebe make it out?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page until the very last, and What a wild and intense ride it was. I will heed there are several triggers of a wide variety of abuse. It’s a hard read, but a very well written domestic thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!