I was so excited for this sequel to Young Rich Widows and actually even may have liked this one even better! The story takes up about 2 years after the previous book. All the action once again takes place in the 80's and this 80's girl loved every word and description. The widows are struggling to keep their husbands' law firm open when the mayor is found dead in a club owned by one of the ladies and another lady was the last one with him. Just gonna leave it at that. Once again, the story is just so much fun! Great characters, story, Rhode Island setting and lots of suspense. I would love to see a series made of these books!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Vanessa Lillie; Layne Fargo; Cate Holahan; Kimberly Belle and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Publication date: Available now.

Truthfully, I almost DNF'd this. I just could not get invested in any of the characters nor the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and Sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy in exchange for a review.

I loved the nostalgia as this book catapults the reader into the 1980s with all that comes wit it - big hair, shoulder pads and all. I was surprised at how well the book was structured and how neatly it all fit together, noting the multiple authors, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they were working out plot points. It’s got real humour at its core, too, which makes for an extra layer of enjoyment as you read. Can’t wait to go back and read the first book to see if it gives me an even greater sense of these amazing characters.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #SourcebooksLandmarks for the book #DesperateDeadlyWidows by #VanessaLillie #KimberlyBelle #LayneFargo and #CateHolahan. The four widows are back and it’s two years after the deadly plane crash. When the Mayor is murdered, fingers start pointing to one of them being responsible. As they try to clear their names and struggle to remain friends, they uncover some big scheme. Can they all come out of this alive and stay out of jail?

Thank you to @bookmarked for my free copy of this book!

When I first got this, I didn’t realize it was the second in the series, and while I was pretty sure I’d be okay reading it as a standalone, I decided to go back and read Young Rich Widows first. I LOVED it and couldn’t wait to dive into this one!

This one can be read by itself, but I’d highly recommend going back and reading the first book because the dynamics between the characters really will make more sense and I think will add to the enjoyment of this story!

After two books, I have fallen in love with all four widows, each in their own unique way. I love the idea of four authors writing a book, with each one taking a different character and developing their character’s arc/story.

This book is twisty, campy, and humorous. It does not take itself too seriously at all. Yet I love the relationships the characters come to develop through shared loss and experience, and there are some tender moments sprinkled in throughout.

The plot kept me very interested and entertained and I certainly wouldn’t have predicted how the ending happened. This one is for sure a fun ride and I think people will love it so far as they don’t go into it taking it too seriously and are willing to suspend some belief!

I was hooked right from the first paragraph. Man it just YANKS you into this book. There is so much instant sass and snark from these FMCs.
The FMCs are all friends due to the mutual loss of their husbands. All INCREDIBLY different women but they are all out here hustlin' and girl-bossing after their losses.

These ladies have BITE, not only at their enemies but at each other too. I cackled sometimes at these women and their hilarious dramatics. They do what they want, when they want, and damn the consequences. (Except that time when in jail, god forbid!!)

Not only are the FMCs dirty and devious as all hell, so are all the other female characters in the book. All side characters have rich profiles and diverse personalities. So many relationships and deals going on in the background of this mid-sized town.

With all the chaos of these characters trying to solve a murder, you have a funny and complex suspense novel. I loved every moment - it was never slow and always something or someone was gasp worthy.

I did not read the first book in the series, but this book was fine to read as a standalone as it was easy to follow without knowing the history of the main characters. The concept of this book really drew me in and I loved the unique bond that Camille, Justine, Meredith and Krystle share. These women are strong and resilient as they team up to keep their dead Mafia husbands’ law firm afloat. I appreciated that each character had a different personality to make each chapter POV enjoyable and funny at times. The mix of murder, mystery and suspense added an extra layer to the overall story line which made it more entertaining for me. I will definitely be going back to read book 1 in the series.

Desperate Deadly Widows
by Vanessa Lillie; Layne Fargo; Cate Holahan; Kimberly Belle
Pub Date: Apr 08 2025

I came into Desperate Deadly Widows not knowing what to expect, with this in mind I appreciate the fact that there is reference back to the original story. The story is filled with humor, the girls have an attitude, and it's obvious they don't really like each other but when push comes to shove they are there for each other.

Synopsis: The widows are back! Big hair and bigger lies collide in the highly anticipated follow-up to Audible’s best-selling Young Rich Widows, where nothing’s more dangerous than a widow with nothing left to lose. Set in neon-drenched Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1987, just two years after a plane carrying four mafia-affiliated law-firm partners exploded over the Atlantic along with the cushy lives of their once wealthy wives.

Thank you #SourcebookLandmark #NetGalley and #DesperateDeadlyWidows for the opportunity to read an E-ARC of this book.

Fantastic book! I would highly recommend both this book and the previous book in the series. Be sure to read this book!

I enjoyed this blast from the past, reading about the big hair and clothes I remember from the late 1980s as a young child. Also enjoyable was the multiple POVs from the four widows who banded together after their husbands were killed in a plane crash. Despite their differences, the women have banded together to sever ties from the mafia while keeping the law firm going, and Meredith has purchased the mafia strip club. With all this happening, the last thing they needed was to be framed for the mayor's murder that takes place around Meredith's club. I loved all the different personalities and the humor woven into the murder mystery. Fans of murder mysteries and popcorn thrillers will enjoy this book.

I loved Young Rich Widows and this follow up was just as good! I’m such a fan of all of these badass women authors and when they come together it’s a treat! I kept wondering how difficult it was to collab on this, how much input they each had and which portions they contributed! I imagine it is a big party to get together and bring these four widows to life! This book is so entertaining, twisty and filled to the brim with drama! So pour a glass of wine and get comfy, because once you start, you wont want to stop! Hope for more of this story or more collabs from these authors in the future!

WOW! This book was a wild ride from start to finish!
It’s dark, daring, and packed with drama. These women are fierce, flawed, and just a little bit terrifying—in the coolest way. I loved the mix of dark humor, suspense, and sisterhood. I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put it down. Each chapter had me whispering “just one more” at 2 a.m.
The twists? Absolutely killer.
If you love thrillers with attitude and edge, this one’s your next obsession.

Young Rich Widows was in my top 10 last year, and this will definitely make my top 10 this year! It was so good, and I absolutely loved it!

Providence, RI, 1987. It has been two years since the plane carrying mafia-affiliated law partners blew up over the Atlantic, leaving four women used to cushy lives—widows fending for themselves. Krystale is trying to keep the law firm afloat. Justine is going to school to finish her law degree so she can join the practice. Meredith now owns and operates the strip club, and Camille has become a PI to catch cheating husbands in the act. Everything seems to be working out until one of Camille's schemes goes terribly wrong in the champagne room of Meredith's club. Mayor Tom has dropped dead, and Camille was the last one to see him alive. The widows must work together to find out what really happened. Between his two ex-wives and the people who hated him, it could have been anyone! Will they be able to get past their differences and find out what really happened?

Each chapter offers a unique perspective from one of the four widows: Krystale, Meredith, Justine, and Camille. The women are unique and bring something different to the group. I seriously love them all!  This book is highly entertaining, incredibly engaging, and once you start it, you won't want to put it down! The mystery is intriguing, and the drama will keep you hooked! It's twisty, sharp, and so much fun to read! I seriously can't recommend this book enough!🩷  I'm really hoping for another book!

DESPERATE DEADLY WIDOWS is the follow-up book to the popular YOUNG RICH WIDOWS (The Widows #1) by thriller authors Kimberly Belle, Vanessa Lillie, Cate Holahan and Layne Fargo. It’s been a couple of years since a plane crash took the lives of the law-firm partner husbands of the four widows. Far from the cushy life they once led, the widows are struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Krystle fights for the law firm they now own. Justine is doing her best to drum up business as a lawyer in training. Meredith now owns and operates the strip club where she used to dance. And Camille has a scheme to trap the wayward husbands of important women. But everything goes off the rails when Mayor Tom is murdered in the champagne room of the strip club and someone is trying to frame the widows for his death. The scandal ends up pitting the widows against one another. Will they ultimately band together to protect each other, find the real killer and exact justice for the mayor’s death? Scandal, betrayal and mystery abound in this entertaining story of found family and loyalty. I enjoyed it and look forward to what comes next. Thank you to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Less Romp. More GirlBoss. Set in the aftermath of Young Rich Widows (though with curious timing, as that book was supposed to take place in 1986, this one is supposed to take place in 1987, and yet at least one character has had events happen that would mean this book would need to be in 1988 at minimum), this is less of the borderline comedic romp Young Rich was and far more GirlBoss now as the titular Widows all find themselves in various positions of power and influence themselves. Oh, and there is a complex murder mystery here with even more twists and turns - of more serious, if less life threatening, natures - than the first book.

And this is actually a good thing, as it shows a great deal of growth of our four lead characters even from the first time they show up in this book all the way through the end. The friendships they managed to create through the first book are going to be put to the test in several different ways here, and while there is a decent amount of comedy still left to be had... it is almost more of a Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants / Crossroads (the 2002 movie with Britney Spears) type tale here (and indeed, Spears' last line in Crossroads could well be the ending line here).

Ultimately this really was quite good and a remarkable follow up to Young Rich Widows... specifically *because* it didn't follow the exact same type of tale and instead went the direction of showing growth in all aspects, even as it remained true to the core of the tale and stylings of the book that came before. This noted, much like say a Big Fat Greek Wedding or a Mamma Mia, while a second tale works much better than one might expect given where the first tale ended... maybe the series ends here. Or maybe Belle, Fargo, Holahan, and Lillie find a way to continue it one more time that makes sense without being a blatant cash grab. But for me at least, this really does work as a finale to these characters and this world, so we'll see what happens going forward.

Very much recommended.

I love the concept of this book! Forced friends navigate a complicated world? Sign me up! The core of this book are the four protagonists. I thought this was a bit disjointed in the first book, and hoped for smoother sailing now that everyone is more established. It didn’t quite work for me. Maybe because there are still four different authors. The ideas are certainly intriguing, and I think people who loved the first one, will enjoy this too! It’s got mystery, but never reads like a thriller— maybe more of a cozy mystery? With 80s glam.

Okay, listen. If you love chaos in sequins and revenge served with a side of hairspray, Desperate Deadly Widows is calling your name.

This book picks up two years after the husbands of our fabulous (and dangerously underestimated) widows went kaboom over the Atlantic. And I mean literally exploded. Now the ladies are back—Krystle’s clinging to their crumbling law firm like it’s a designer handbag in a fire sale, Justine’s trying to pass the bar without losing her mind, Meredith is running the strip club like a boss, and Camille… bless her messy heart, she’s out here setting up honey traps and somehow gets tangled in a murder in the champagne room.

It’s 1987 in Providence, and you can practically smell the smoke, perfume, and political corruption wafting through the pages. There’s neon everywhere, trust is in short supply, and secrets spill faster than the champagne. It’s campy, yes, but make no mistake—these women are smart, scrappy, and absolutely not to be trifled with.

What I loved? The humor. The sass. The wild twists that made me shout “WHAT?!” at least three times while clutching my iced coffee. But underneath all the big hair and bad behavior is a story about friendship, survival, and women learning they don’t need anyone to save them—except maybe each other.

Bottom line: it’s juicy, it’s sharp, and it’s a total blast. Grab your lipstick, pour yourself something bubbly, and settle in. These widows aren’t just back—they’re out for blood (and probably wearing heels while doing it).

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for this copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review. #NetGalley #DesperateDeadlyWidows #SourcebooksLandmark

Desperate Deadly Widows written by four authors is the second book in a series, though it can easily be read as a standalone. The authors give a little insight into the events leading up to this installment.

Camille, Meredith, Krystle, and Justine are four friends trying to rebuild their lives (no spoilers for book one!). When the Mayor of Providence dies at a club in Camille’s presence, the four women are drawn into a web of secrets and power plays. They must unravel the mystery while protecting themselves and those they care about.

The book starts off a bit slow, and I found the friendship between the women a little disjointed at first. However, as the story progressed, the dynamic smoothed out, and I began to appreciate the bond forming between them. What stood out most to me was their determination—not only to get their business off the ground but also to protect their dependents. I also enjoyed the dash of humor sprinkled throughout.

If you like cozy mysteries featuring enterprising, sassy, and resolute women, this one’s worth checking out!

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for physical as well as digital copy of this book.

The widows are back! We got to know Krystle, Camille, Meredith, and Justine in Young Rich Widows when they were united by the deaths of their husbands in a fiery plane crash. Now it’s a couple of years down the road, and the widows are still bonded closely together. When Providence’s mayor drops dead next to Camille in the champagne room of Meredith’s strip club, you know we’re in for a wild ride. It turns out Mayor Tom is the ex-husband of the wealthy client that Krystle and Justine are desperately trying to retain in the family law firm, and things are about to get complicated for our four favorite widows.

Big hair, big shoulder pads, and bigger personalities abound in this catty, campy romp! The 80s vibes are spot-on in this multiple POV book that gives us the perspective of each of the four widows, each one written by one of the four authors, all of them coming together seamlessly. I love how the women are snarky and sassy while still being each other’s ride-or-dies, even when the “die” part seems imminent. The authors’ note seems to indicate that these lovely ladies will have future adventures together, and I definitely hope that’s true, because they’re such a hoot!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy of this book.

The widows are back! Big hair and bigger lies collide in the highly anticipated follow-up to Young Rich Widows, where nothing's more dangerous than a widow with nothing left to lose…

I am a huge fan of the 80’s and was excited to read this book! I loved the 80’s references and overall enjoyed this story! While this is a sequel I read it as a standalone and had no problem following along.

There are some really interesting characters in this book. Each widow is different and independent and I like how we get to know each one individually and as a group. They are smart and resourceful and oh so snarky!

They aren’t the best of friends on the surface but share a deep bond - they will show up for each other when it matters! I enjoyed the mystery and the twists and found myself laughing throughout the book.

✨What To Expect
💄Thriller
👠Set in the 80’s
🥂Murder Mystery
🛼Shenanigans
🎲Found Family