Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I enjoyed it! I found the story started out a little bit confusing, but as you read on, it starts to make sense. I found that the story was picking up steam more in the last 2/3 of the book. The characters were sometimes hard to like, but overall the story was intriguing enough to keep me interested. The story basically revolves around 3 main characters. The first being Hannah, who is the one we meet first. She is fleeing an abusive relationship and wanting to reclaim a former love she had, but basically threw away when she was younger. You learn pretty quickly what Hannah's ultimate motivations are and what she's after. The love that she threw away was with her former boyfriend Mark. It appears that he's now married to Susan and they have a child. Susan is the 3rd main character. As the wife of the man that Hannah is after, we learn what Susan will and will not put up with. Susan appears at first to be a bit of a weak character, but we learn that she's stronger than she seems. Hannah is more than she seems as well, and meanwhile, Mark really is the weakest link in this trio. He's fairly one-dimensional and is not a strong character or man for that matter. When Hannah makes up her mind that she wants something, she doesn't seem to let anything, or anyone stand in her way...but Susan isn't going to simply lay down and take it either. Although there are no big twists or explosive moments, it was still a quick, easy read. 3.5 for this one. I'll be checking out other books by this author too.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Hannah has always gotten by on her good looks, but as she got older, she decided marriage was her best option Not just any marriage though, an old, rich man, one who would keep her in the custom is used to, and hopefully not live too long. Hannah does not choose wisely though and Ivan, is a bully who abuses her and almost kills her. She comes across a photo of an old boyfriend,Mark, and remembers how much he loved her, she decides it is time to recapture that feeling. Hannah makes it her mission to win Mark back, but mark's wife, Susan, is not willing to give him up. Susan decides she will do whatever is nescessary to protect her family and wonders how far she is actually capable of going to keep Mark where he belongs.

This was a fun quick read with a great twisty ending. I liked tha pace of this book and the storyline was a classic mistress story but then again it wasn't. Will definitely read more books by this author.

This author has quickly become one of my favorites!

Hannah Parker is a confident, and a very determined woman and it doesn’t matter how far will she go to reclaim what she believes is hers she will get it!
Hannah is extremely unhappy in her marriage to Ian. She wants to recapture her old love Mark Shepherd. The only flaw in her dream is that Mark is now married to Susan and has a grown son. Hannah won’t let that stand in her way and continues to hunt down Mark’s affections without a care for the consequences or lives she’s messes with.
But Susan suspects Mark’s infidelity but is not going to give up without a fight to claim what is hers. Who will be the winner? What will be the consequences of the infidelity, and of all the lies and deception in the marriage? The chapters alternates between the woman and boy oh boy I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

This story is told from dual POVs, and it also contains glimpses into the past. The characters were well-written. I truly got to know them, especially Hannah. This book had it all - lies, deception, drama, and betrayal. This was a great, page-turning domestic thriller! The characters weren't lovable, but I did feel for both women and their situations. There were twists and turns throughout. There weren't many things that caught me off guard, but it was a very compelling story nonetheless. My first book by Valerie Keogh, but definitely not my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fast paced, snappy book. It had me gripped throughout. The twists are good. The alternating POVs kept it engaging too.

I really enjoyed this book, The Mistress, written by Valerie Keogh. The chapters were short enough to keep my attention and I liked how they alternated between Hannah and Susan’s POV. Some of the twists were expected but the ended was not. I would recommend this book.

The Mistress by Valerie Keogh is another twisty, bingeable read from an author who is very firmly on my must read list.

Susan and her husband Mark have just sent their son off to college, and Sue is devastated to lose her only child. Hannah, meanwhile, has found a picture of her old flame Mark and decides to get in touch, confident that he will be more than willing to fall back into her bed. Will Sue lose the two men in her life at an already very vulnerable time?

Ms Keogh's writing style and well-crafted character development through dual POVs will have you flying through the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

I am really enjoying Valerie Keogh books, they are fast paced with a good storyline and well thought out characters. This was a really good read, I found it hard to put it down and thank goodness for the slow cooker as tea was prepared whilst I was glued to this story!

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

A gleefully sociopathic read, featuring Hannah, our first person POV narrator, who is best described as a sort of female Mr Ripley, - as emotive as a lizard, for Hannah is as self-obsessed and calculating as she is stunningly beautiful.

Hannah’s curves, her glossy hair, her absolute focus, and her finely-tuned acting skills, coalesce to fabulously equip her, with very little effort, to attract men (all men, virtually, or any man, young or old). These skills have allowed Hannah, now pushing forty, to enjoy a life replete with luxuries. So much so that Hannah, in fact, has led her entire adult life with no other means of financial support - finding, using and discarding wealthy lovers, as needed, without the need to worry further.

All this, until the day Hannah finds herself on the receiving end of a violent encounter she is ill-prepared and helpless to control.

As Hannah, in response, finds herself retreating, seeking to relive a lost and memorable time with a former lover, Mark, who cherished her (a married man now, last encountered twenty years ago), it’s not at all clear if Hannah will find what she is looking for.

Meanwhile, a different POV, adding dimension to the intensifying plot, is provided by Susan, the dull and emotionally needy long-time wife of Mark. Susan, dealing with empty-nester syndrome as her son escapes to University, struggles to enact her belief that some marriages are worth fighting for. And some, perhaps are not.

A terrific read with a humdinger of an ending, I read this book in an easy afternoon, enjoying pretty much every minute of it (a reader’s inevitable annoyance with the clingy wet blanket who is Susan, in stark contrast with stonyhearted Hannah, in all her glorious amorality).

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

The Mistress had me hooked from the description alone and the story did not disappoint. It had plenty of twists and turns and a wow of an ending that I did not see coming at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Wow, if you aren't happy with what you have then go after what you want no matter what.
Hannah is evil and she could have had a lot with who she was married to but it seems she is never happy. How she goes after an ex boyfriend and the wife suspects something is going on, I just wanted to throttle her.
I received the ebook from NetGalley for review,

3.5 stars. Definitely better than a 3 read for me, but can't quite bump it up to 4 stars. It was very engaging. The wife character is a tad bit annoying with her internal thinking. I still don't get why if you think your spouse is cheating that you don't confront them and get some answers rather than spending oodles of energy on all the wondering. Better the devil you know, I guess!! And the mistress...ahhh, she was rather a piece of work. Very hard to like or have sympathy for, which I guess is the point. The end I did not see coming or at least happening that way.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m backlogged with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. This book really shows how deceptive some woman can be and how easily manipulated some men are. Not a whole lot surprised me but the story was well written and compelling, and I still read to the last page needing to have all the answers. As a mom myself that is preparing to have an empty nest, parts of this terrified me! I like to think most people are better than this and have the best intentions but I know there are still people out there that think like this. I would recommend to anyone that likes domestic and psychological thrillers!

The Mistress is a standalone psychological thriller full of desire and deception with a dual POV that takes us on a twisty ride through the intertwined stories of two women who are dealing with cheating partners.

We embark in a ride full of secrets, lies and revenge plans with a fast pace and such a dark atmosphere that made this story so addictive since the start. Keogh creates such additive stories. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t rest until I knew the full story.

Overall, this was perfectly done and is such a sheer escapism for the day-to-day life. And the twist at the end? It was so satisfying. The writing is sharp and engaging and made me dive completely into this wild ride of a book. I recommend it to fans of thrillers specially those who enjoys dark rides.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

This author never disappoints. Another roller-coaster of a story with unexpected twists and a gripping ending, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one.
Many thanks to the NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion

This is the first Valerie Keogh book I’ve read, and it’s told from the perspectives of two women, Hannah and Susan, both with their own set of baggage and problems. I would say the next major character is Mark, who is not lovable in any way, shape or form. I was entertained while reading, but I wasn’t wowed in any way. Unfortunately, I found it somewhat predictable - except for the last couple of chapters. It was such an abrupt and random ending, I found it almost odd? I felt like there could have been some real good twists thrown into the mix, but it read (for the most part) like a typical “cheating husband” trope.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this and lending me the ARC. Really good thriller, the end was for sure surprising. The reason I didn’t give it higher rating is because it seemed to make a rather abrupt jump from Susan killing Hannah to she was just picturing it but the characters were good, they had good back stories and I like the way they intertwined

This book kept me from doing what I needed to do. I was totally hooked. It earned 5 stars because of the twists and turns!

That ending!! Wow I was absolutely not expecting it. I thought maybe there would be a ‘backstabbing’ twist coming from Susan or Hannah and then I assumed everyone would get a relatively happy ending… nope! I’m still curious and want more specifics into Hannah’s dad and her mom but it doesn’t take away from the story at all. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

This is a book I picked up on the basis of having previously enjoyed a novel from author Valerie Keogh, - my last read from her ('The librarian') was utterly gripping, and I was delighted to discover the 'The Mistress' is cut from the same cloth (in terms off quality rather than plot!).

The story centres around the mysterious and enigmatic, Hannah, a beautiful woman and something of a trophy wife, who is unfortunately beaten-up by her thoroughly despicable sugar daddy husband on discovery of her continued use of the contraceptive pill. During her recuperation, Hannah comes across a photo of 'the one who got away', her university boyfriend, Mark. Not one to be put of by the small obstacle of a spouse, Hannah sets her sights on winning Mark back. Mark's wife Susan is feeling bereft following her sons fleeing of the nest to attend university in Glasgow and though aware of the signs that her husband may be playing away, is utterly unprepared to give him up without a fight... to the death!

The plot is fantastic, the characters fascinatingly alluring, and the writing is chef's kissly superb! This is a novel I would give 6+ stars to if I could!

My thanks to author, publisher and netGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.