“Relax. Reconnect. Renew in the peaceful setting of the Andalucian countryside. We’re offering six of our followers a 50% discount on a five-day stay at our Relaxation Retreat in April. Don’t delay, book today!”
This was part of the ad Eva and her partner, Jose, used to entice people to come to a week-long retreat in his grandparents’ rundown house that they had turned into a beautiful villa. It was even called El Sueno – the dream.
But….the dream soon turned into a nightmare when she found out her college friend, Saskia, was one of the ones who had registered for the retreat.
The other guests were the seemingly snooty mid thirties couple, Adrienne and Sean; mid-twenties Bianca, a librarian, and Nathan, a policeman; and Carlos, Jose’s estranged cousin.
Were they all there to have a good time, relax, and enjoy themselves, or did they all have ulterior motives for being there? It was clear someone was trying to sabotage the retreat, but who was it?
I love the way authors can cause you to jump back and forth and try to figure out who the person is that causes all the problems in the story. Karen King just did that – I devoured the book in two days – bravo!

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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Relaxation. Recovery. Revenge…

The sunlight sparkles on the bright turquoise of the pool, next to the freshly painted house with its trailing pink flowers and terracotta roof. I feel a jolt of pride. My partner José and I have dreamed of this moment, opening our perfect home nestled in the mountains of southern Spain to its first guests for a few days of total relaxation.

We’ve worked so hard for this, pouring all our energy and our savings into renovating the old farmhouse. I’ve started over, begun a new life. This place is my escape from everything that happened before.

But a stab of fear pierces my happiness as our guests arrive and I recognise Saskia. She was my best friend many years ago… before she betrayed me. She says she’s truly sorry and wants us to start again. Maybe she’s telling the truth – but can I really forgive her?

Then things started to go wrong when I discovered our beautiful water fountain stained a deep red. It feels like a warning. And my worst fears are confirmed when I find a note in my bedroom. My heart pounds as the black capitals scream at me, revealing my terrible secret.

Saskia swears she has nothing to do with it. Which means that someone else here knows the truth about me. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their revenge…

Oooooh, what a thriller of a read – utterly unputdownable (is that actually a word?) it will suck you in and keep you thrilled until the very last page. It is wonderfully crafted and has an unforgettable ending! I am finding that all the thrillers that I like lately are from the publisher #Bookouture - here's a shout-out for you to check them out!
#shortbutsweetreviews

I really enjoy Karen King’s the retreat it had a bit of myster, intrigue and lots of secrets there was lots of red herrings. The setting of the book was lovely. It is told from the alternating perspectives of Eva and Jose, as well as the ominous musings of the unknown perpetrator, this one definitely had me guessing until the very end. Highly recommend this to everyone fantastic fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

I couldn’t put this book down, some good plot twists and loved the characters. Brilliantly written and kept me hooked, did not guess the ending!! I loved the setting too, one of my favourite places in the world, it took me to sunny days!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I felt it was slightly drawn out but at the same time I still enjoyed it. I definitely was wondering about each guest and if any of them were the guilty party. I found that Eva and Jose were likable characters but both hiding a lot. A lot of the guests were not as likable.
I did like the setting of the retreat.

Eva and Jose have renovated and turned the property Jose inherited into a retreat. Their first six guests are treated to a massive discount, in case there are any teething problems.
One thing after the other goes wrong, and Eva suspects one of the guests of trying to sabotage the Retreat.
There are links from the past between Eva, Jose and some of the guests, and Eva is stumped as to which guest is taking revenge for past transgressions.

This novel is gripping and twisty and has the reader itching to know who is behind the increasingly terrible acts that take place.
I certainly did not expect the ending, despite suspecting every guest at the Retreat.

Definitely a good read!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely location.
Mystery and intrigue galore with enough twists to keep you on your toe's.
Overall a really enjoyable read.
Karen King does it again.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

The Retreat by Karen King has all of the elements of a closed room mystery. A Spanish retreat, run by couple Jose and Eva, hosts six guests at a reduced rate for a soft opening of sorts. What Jose and Eva do not anticipate, however, are the identities of the six guests, most of whom are in some way connected to the individual pasts of the host couple. When things begin to go amiss, escalating to dangerous, it becomes clear that at least one of the guests has come to the retreat with more than relaxation on their mind. They want revenge.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Eva and Jose, as well as the ominous musings of the unknown perpetrator, this one will keep you guessing until the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

I really enjoy Karen's book. I like how the chapters were told by different people, and how I had to constantly guess how everyone was connected. At the end of each chapter, I thought I had the culprit figured out...until the next one! It flowed nicely. It could have had a little more suspense in my opinion, but there were a lot of shocking moments and it ended nicely.

this was my first karen king novel and it was okay. I enjoyed the premise of the story and the characters she has created. I was not a fan of how Eva's secret was revealed very early on in the story and then I found the rest of the plot very predictive. It was a easy, quick read I would recommend to mark towards your monthly / yearly goal.

I'll start with what I really liked about this book: The location was lovely and I really enjoyed reading about El Sueño and the local area. The pacing was very good and I found the relationships between the guests and family dynamics very interesting to read about.

I do think the two leads, Eva and Jose were a little lacking in personality. If I was more invested in them as characters, it would have ramped up the tension for me personally. I did also guess quite a few of the 'secrets' that the characters had, so the ending didn't come as a huge surprise.

Overall I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for the ARC. The publication date is the 13th Oct 2023. Where do I start with this book.. I loved everything about it there were lots of twists and turns and it was full of mystery. I thought many times that I figured out the ending but I was so wrong! The characters were well written and likeable my favourite one was Saskia as I would always wonder when she would do next.

Overall, another fantastic book by Karen King can’t wait for the next one!

Realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. This talented author has written a cannot put down page turner. Mystery and intrigue with secrets and red herrings. Don't try to easily discern the ending of this novel. It is simple. I tried often. Enjoy an afternoon with these characters and their secrets. Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

When Eva and José open their retreat in Spain it is a soft opening for a reduced rate. The couple has been working hard for 2 years to renovate the property and prepare to offer rest and relaxation and luxury. The two are surprised to learn that they know a few of the bookings - Saskia is an old high school friend that knows a secret,
Carlos is José's cousin and his side of the family is estranged. Strangely enough, Adeline and her husband have a connection as well.

It isn't long before things start to go wrong and the opening weekend seems to be headed for disaster. Who is behind this sabotage? And will it turn deadly? I am a sucker for a vacation gone wrong and while this did not hold the tension throughout, The Retreat was a fun read. #Bookouture #TheRetreat #KarenKing