Kate has secrets, and her secrets have secrets. Annie is new in town, with secrets of her own. Conceptually, this was a super interesting book and nothing that I expected! It was a fast read, I definitely needed to know what happened next, and though very good, there wasn’t quite enough “thriller” in this one for my tastes (I just like fictional murder, ok?). I also wish the Ace rep was a bit more loud and proud. That said if you like the domestic suspense genre, this is definitely a book you’ll enjoy!

I’ll start by sharing that this author reached out to me personally to ask if I’d read and review her book - she was kind in her email and the book sounded interesting to me, so I said yes, and while I’ll still be honest in my review I do think that’s worth disclosing!

This book took me for a bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of my intrigue and enjoyment. From the start, I was generally intrigued by these characters but was wondering when the thrill or suspense would come in to play. It took quite a while, so I’m not sure I would even say this is a mystery/thriller. Think more Liane Moriarty domestic/suburban drama. The main character in this book writes erotic novels so a lot of this book is learning about her process and then reading some pretty spicy excerpts from the book she’s writing. I think that premise was really interestingly explored (she lets her husband cheat and then tell her about his experiences so she can put them into her books - wild) but personally I didn’t need to read that much of the actual book-within-a-book. Then as far as the new neighbor/female friendship plot line, it took me a long time to care about the two women’s relationship, but around 75% I was pretty hooked and by the end was actually surprised by some of the little twists that took place.

Overall this was definitely a book unlike anything I’ve read before, which I appreciate. I’m not sure it perfectly aligned with my personal reading tastes, but I can respect what I think it’s trying to do and would recommend it to someone looking for a twist on your typical domestic thriller - as long as you’re okay with reading explicit spicy scenes and about consensual (?) cheating between a married couple.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Widow on Dwyer Court By Lisa Kusel
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded up to 4⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

The Widow on Dwyer Court is a fantastic book for those who really love domestic thrillers and also enjoy a fair amount of sexiness and spiciness in their books. The amount of sexiness in this book made this a different type of domestic thriller that stands out from its counterparts.

This was a pretty slow burn overall and the majority of the book was uneventful. I'm not even sure I'd really call it a domestic thriller -- it was more of a romantic suspense? I don't know, it just didn't feel like a thriller to me. I kept waiting for something thriller-ish to happen -- for basically the entire book.

As the book neared its conclusion, I kept wondering how everything could possibly wrap up quickly enough to resolve the storyline because it didn't seem like there were enough pages left. I read 90% of this slow burn book, and when something finally happened -- in the last 10% of the book -- it happened so fast and wrapped up so quickly that it felt thrown together and I didn't feel settled. And I was left with so many questions. Like, what just happened here and how did it happen, and huh?! I would have preferred for more of the book to focus on details of all the events that were smooshed into just the last 10% of the book.

I will say the writing itself was really good and I enjoyed the two alternating POVs of the female MCs -- I just wish the ending had more to it. While this book may not have been for me, I think fans of domestic thrillers about marital relationships with a spicy side will really love this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!

#TheWidowonDwyerCourt #LisaKusel #NetGalley #ARC #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #domesticthrillers #spicybooks #thrillerlovers #thrilleraddict #bookcommunity

if you're into mystery books with lots of sex but almost no thrill this is perfect. and don't get me wrong, it wasn't as bad as you would think.

when I requested this via NetGalley I was looking for a short-ish mystery and the title stood out to me. truth be told, my first reaction was "ah yes, another "woman in the window" or something, but it was a bit different.

I'm a huge fan of mixed media and here we have a book inside a book, an erotic romance inside a mystery. the mystery appears closer to the end, but it is a good mystery. i was actually not expecting that to be the ending! that's why the book deserves a fair rating of 3 stars.

the widow on dwyer court is a solid read, I had a good time while reading it and I'm sure that people who love this kind of subgenre of mysteries will enjoy it a lot.

2.5 stars

This book was billed as a thriller but at least half of it is about an erotic novel that an author writes based on her husband’s affairs. The husband and wife agree to him having affairs as she is sex-averse but finds that her husband ‘s affairs inspire her to write erotic novels. There are lots of descriptions of sex. The thriller part comes late in the book and it was okay. This novel had a unique premise but this was not my cup of tea.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was so different than what I'd expected from it, but not in a bad way at all. I was shocked by most of the characters behaviors and didn't always like them, but I'm so glad I waited for the conclusion to see how it all came together.

I’m not really sure what I’ve read . It was meant to be a thriller and there was about 30 or so rushed pages at the end that would fall into that genre . Most of the book I felt like I was reading (bad?)erotica - which I do not like so hard to judge if it was good or bad I guess but it definitely was cringy

This story had so many twists and turns! I didn't know how it was going to end up! You know it’s going to end badly when the wife gives her husband free reign to sleep with other women. I tend to side with a character, but I didn’t know who to choose! One of the twists I could see coming from a mile away, but the one which I will call the big twist! Now that I didn’t see coming! If you like reading on the edge of your seat then don’t miss out! You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough!

I thought the book was really well written, I loved the premise of it and I think it was executed in such a way that doesn't bring anyone down.

THE WIDOW ON DWYER COURT
By Lisa Kusel
Pub Date July 16, 2024
200 Pages

There are so many good thrillers publishing in the next few months. THE WIDOW ON DWYER COURT is one you don't want to miss. Everyone at @thrillerbookloversthepulse is talking about this book.
Thank you to @blackstonepublishing @lisa_kusel
and @netgalley for the ebook.

Kate Burke is an sex averse erotica romance writer who is happily married to her sex loving husband Matt. They have an agreement that he can have one night stands with other women on his work trips as long as he follows her four rules. When he returns home he tells Kate every detail about them so she can put them in her new book.

A widow and herbalist named Annie and her daughter move into town. Kate and Annie and their daughters become fast friends. Kate trusts Annie with her secret that she is an erotica romance writer. Little does she know that Annie has secrets of her own that just might destroy Annie's marriage.

This was more of a domestic suspense than a thriller for me. They story is told in the POV of Annie and Kate and I liked seeing both sides. I also liked the book within a book as we get to see Kate writing her new book. There is spice in this book but I didn't mind it as it fit into the story. Even if I was sex averse, I wouldn't want my husband sleeping with other women. When I started reading this book I wasn't sure where it was going but then everything started to come together and I loved the ending. This book is a quick read that I read in one afternoon. Perfect reading for by the pool or at the beach this summer.

There is something about this book that I am just not drawn to. Maybe it's the characters. I know for me, a book needs to catch me pretty quickly, and I'm around 30% through, and nothing has caught me. I try hard not to DNF books, but after a series I read a few months ago from here, I quickly changed my thoughts on that. I may try and pick it up at another time and change my review, but as of now, it is a no for me.

1.5⭐️

Thank.you NetGalley and Blacktone Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a quick, fun, spicy 🌶️ domestic suspense! Very unique and nothing like I’ve read before.
I liked how the main character was an author, and how the story was told in alternating POV’s.
The idea of Kate allowing her husband to have sex with other women so she could use his “experiences” to help her write her books, was obviously a bit far fetched, as was the entire book in general. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing— it just may be helpful to go into this one with an open mind & know beforehand that it’s going to be extremely unrealistic.
That being said, I definitely liked how this crazy plot played out, and it kept my attention all the way through. The ending was satisfying and worked really well.
I just feel like there was a lot of “extra” stuff that probably would have been better off not being mentioned. And I’m not sure I’d categorize this as a thriller, or even a mystery. I would say a domestic suspense at best. Lots of spice, with all of the “action” happening at the very end of the book.
Also some of the dialogue gave me the ick 😂

Thank you NetGalley & Blackstone Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was honestly so hard to get through, the dialogue and writing were so cringe, there was no plot except sex and writing about sex and this was definitely far from a real thriller. It was just cheesy marriage drama. The characters were also all really flat and unexciting. Nothing happened until the very end and the ending didn't even really make sense. The "plot twist" was also just so obvious.

I walked into this book forgetting what the synopsis said it was about and was blown away. So many shocking events and twists and turns! I love a book with a shocking ending that I didn’t see coming and this book definitely delivered!!

Kate is a writer and her husband helps her to write her books. But all bets are off once the Annie moves in down the road. Kate’s perfect world is up lifted by these new events and now she’s not sure if she’ll be able to finish her book. Her life as a writer is in jeopardy will she let this woman ruin all she has worked for in her career and her marriage?

If you read the synopsis of this one you already know this is outrageous because that premise is insane 😂 so when I started this I knew it would be slightly ridiculous but I had no idea just how unhinged it would get. The author really went there in terms of outrageousness and I was here for it. This was fast paced, I could not put it down so there was an addictive quality to the authors writing. I really had no idea what the characters would do next but I was dying to know. There’s a bit of a book within a book as there are excerpts from Kate’s steamy erotica story interspersed within the chapters so that was fun. You also hear from Annie, the new neighbor in alternating chapters and she was quite the character. If you like domestic novels with unhinged behavior, a side of steam and some pretty surprising twists this was a blast. The publisher says it’s for fans of The Arrangement series and I can definitely see that!

With many thanks to NetGalley, author Lisa Kusel and Blackstone publishing for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I was hooked from the very beginning. It is a fast paced page turner that will keep readers wanting to stay up to finish it.

I loved the character development in Kate! Wow, just wow. Readers will never expect her to do the things she did and I’m sure many who have experienced the betrayal she did will relate to her quest for pay back.

Matt is a character that most women will have a love/hate relationship with. He comes across as a great Dad and a loving husband who is just doing what his wife needs. So loving right? Until he decides his needs are more important than hers which creates the ‘hate’ factor.

Annie…omg Annie. Even though she’s a villain, I absolutely loved the way the author developed her character. She was a very new age woman, relatable with her holistic and natural path mindset and just the fact that she was so different made her quite the likeable character.

I felt the ending was predictable, but the build up to it was very well written. This was my first book by this author but I’m looking forward to reading more.

I would have given it 5 stars if it had just a little more twists or thrills but overall a great read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The widow on Dwyer Court
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I feel like this was more of a domestic drama versus the domestic thriller I originally thought it would be. And I think given this I felt the book was slower than I'd anticipated as well. However, regardless of those things the writing was good and I'd recommend this to others given they read this and know what to expect!

When a stay-at-home mom turns to a writer, the inspiration behind her steamy scenes happens to be none other than her husband. She writes all the little details about her Husbands's very real work trip affairs. And she encourages him to continuously get involved in these sexcapades to keep her creative juices flowing.

The premise is highly captivating, however, I thought there would be more m@rder involved, lol. That's entirely a "me" problem. I watch FAR too much true crime.

The Widow on Dwyer Court is pure entertainment. It blends genres, sprinkles in some spice and takes you on a totally unexpected journey.

The @thrillerbookloversthepulse crew was not lying when they said that the book is unique. Go in blind and enjoy the ride!

Lisa Kusel takes what could have been your standard thriller plot and turns it up to 11. It’s original, the characters are delightfully messy and the ending is spot on. I can’t wait to read more of her work!

Thank you to @netgalley @blackstonepublishing for the gifted copy.

I wasn’t too crazy about this one for the longest time. Most of the book revolves around our main character’s spicy (but incredibly cringy) novel she’s writing and then her husband’s sexcapades with other women, that she’s using to write said novels.

The last bit of the book did pick up, but there just wasn’t enough of the good parts for me to enjoy it all that much. That said, for people who do enjoy spicy books and domestic drama, you’d still probably enjoy it.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for my eARC.

Our main character, Kate, is an erotic writer who pens her spicy books under the name “Daphne Moore”. She otherwise is pretty normal - she has a husband named Matt, and they have a daughter, Finley. Matt is out of town for business a lot, so writing is a natural thing for Kate to get into. She can be home with their daughter, and spend her time writing about sex.

The odd part? Kate doesn’t like sex. At first I thought she was asexual, but in the book she’s called something like sex-adverse. Basically, she loves her husband, loves being married and having a family, but the actual act of sex does nothing for her. She played along and pretended to enjoy being intimate with her husband for a few years, then finally admitted that she can’t stand making love to him. She comes up with a compromise, and that’s when the book goes completely off the rails.

Kate doesn’t want to deprive Matt of a sex life, so she asks him for something very strange: every time he goes on a work trip, she wants him to find a woman, have a one-night-stand, then tell her every single detail when he gets home. Kate then turns his sexual experiences into her books - and sells plenty of them. Their only rules are that he is to be safe, and he is only to see the women one time - no emotional attachments.

I’m sure you can tell where this is going - a woman named Annie moves into their neighborhood after her husband dies, and her daughter Terra soon makes friends with Finley. This brings Kate and Annie together, despite Kate being bewildered by this sex-positive woman. Then, I probably don’t have to give spoilers - you’ll immediately see the problem, and what is to be done about it.

This book was relatively entertaining, and it was definitely unique - because THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. Like, couldn’t she just watch some porn to get ideas? It’s such a preposterous plot that I had to laugh in some places, and I didn’t care for also reading the “Daphne Moore” books as they were written. I can do without the bodice-ripping, Fabio-type books - even if they’re books within other books. As ridiculous as I found this though, I was still intrigued enough by the story to finish it. Three stars for a very strange read.

(Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Lisa Kusel and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 16, 2024.)