This book was so good! I really loved the characters and how well developed they were! I enjoyed reading their story!

I just loved this book! It has such a good story and amazing characters. Once I started reading this book I just couldn’t put it down.

I would highly recommend reading this book and the other Ever After Agency books in this series as they are just amazing.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the books early.

😭😭😭 I'm not crying for any negative reason; it's because this may be the last in the Ever After Agency Series, and I have become so invested in the characters that reappear, story after story!
But let's not dwell on my sadness. Let's embrace the fun of the story!
There's a little twist in the tale this time, as Poppy, our favourite matchmaker from the Ever After Agency, engages in an activity for a client that is most definitely not matchmaking!
Poppy's client, Kate, is reeling from discovering that her fiancé, Jon, is a two (three?) timing serial fiancé. Having originally found him through a match with another agency, Kate contacts Poppy for some help with revenge!
Oh, but the plot thickens. Kate finds she has feelings for the Thor-like Nordic Willem, who opens her eyes to the deception she has suffered. And he happens to be fiancé #2's brother...
I'm not saying any more about the plot because you need to read the book, but suffice to say it was so engaging that I read it in one sitting.
We have a bit of travel, lots of 'will they-won't they?' moments and some great side characters in the form of fiancé #2, almost fiancé 3, and Kate's cousin Margot, who is hilarious!
I love that though the story is about a particular client, we get constant updates about Poppy, a pivotal character in all the series books. And her life is about to take its own new turn... are you sure this will be the end, Sandy B?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Let me start off by saying i tend to love Sandy Barkers books. This series has definitely been so fun. This book specifically has such a fun plot, and it's silly how much i enjoyed that. As always, the characters are fun, and the story reads fast and easily. I also love how the main plot of this story wasn't necessarily the romance.

However, I should mention that I’ve debated dnf'ing this book, let me explain why. I am dutch. This book has scenes in the netherlands and a couple of dutch characters, which also brings with it some dutch language. While that definitely made me excited at first, i was quite disappointed. Not only was amsterdam written as such a cozy place where people slow down, and you can relax (its really really not, i feel like amsterdam has the same vibe as london, but smaller and with some historical houses that people like. Other than the side that, its just as busy, workfocused, etc), but she also uses an extremely offensive dutch swear word (kanker is dutch for cancer, and its really frowned upon to swear with it). Apart from it being offensive, it's literally not used correctly. My recommendations as good translations for asshole would be klootzak, lul, or any english word bc dutchies know english well, and we often swear in english. Dutch people knowing english is also my last point; the dutch characters are often written to say dutch words in english convos, which isn't realistic. We wouldn't go around saying "ja briljant" in an english convo.
These things all annoyed me a bit and took away from the, otherwise enjoyable, reading experience. Now i have read in another review that Sandy Barker has worked with a dutch person to ensure that this would go well, but unfortunately, it didn't work.

Are you not dutch? I absolutely recommend this book (as well as her others). Are you dutch? If you're easily bothered by these things, i would recommend skipping this book and just reading her others.

All of that being said, i sincerely hope that these comments dont discourage Sandy Barker because i really enjoy reading her books. These comments in my review are simply notes for other readers like me or tips for future writing of international romances. I will definitely not stop reading these books and will be looking forward to her upcoming books.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read any books by Sandy Barker before, but I’m officially a fan and about to binge all of her books! It took me a second to get into the book just due to the British language, but once I was in it, I was in it!

Willem is a man after my own heart. The way he literally went to another country to protect his sister from marrying the wrong guy is so honorable.

I was truly never bored and honestly there were moments that truly surprised me. I definitely didn’t Jon with someone else as well!

Well done!!

This is the second of the Ever After Series I have read and was happy to get it from Netgalley for a review. Kate is a successful career woman and is engaged to Jon who is a pilot. He seems to do a lot of extra shifts,she will get texts saying he has been called away to cover. She hasn’t known him long but she hadn’t had great relationships in the past but he was very attentive. Kate met Jon through one of the dating agency’s she had joined. One evening her life changes when she gets a visit from Willem who has something important to tell her. So,it turns out,it looks like Jon is engaged to Willems sister as well. Willem has been looking into Jon and he wants Kate to come to Amsterdam and speak to his sister.Kate takes her cousin Margot with her and they all find out it’s the same Jon but this time he is a diamond dealer. Willem is easy on the eye and Kate can’t understand why she has feelings for him when her life is such a mess. The girls want to get back at him and Kate decides she is going to contact Penny who works at the dating agency’s she didn’t meet Jon through to see if she will help. Willem and Kate end up going to Verona as they find out there is Lucia and they think she is about to become fiancé no.3. You must read the book to find out how they catch Jon and how their lives intertwine. Loved it.

What a delightful story in the end. There are some parts of this story that are a little much, but do you know what I loved it, I haven’t read all of the stories in the series, and at times I wondered if it was making a difference, if I was missing some important details, but overall I didn’t feel that I was missing anything out. The story is great, and you get swept up in it, you get attached to each of the fiancée’s and lady friends, they each have their own story to tell, and I love how they each get involved. Willem is a lovely man, and you can see how much he loves his sister and just wants the best for those he cares about. There are some amazing secondary characters in this one, like Margot who makes me smile at every turn.

This was my first introduction to Sandy Barker and won’t be my last! What a clever storyline with the fiancé with multiple unwitting fiancée’s. I was into all of the tropes: will they/won’t they, only one bed, forced proximity. And how can you not fall in love with two characters who bring out the most in each other. I was kicking and giddy at the end. I loved the different sides of the story and how it was told from different points of view. I was thoroughly entertained throughout. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I Knew You Were Trouble was a light take on truly better for the world revenge (and a romance to boot). I had suspected, but wasn’t sure, that this was part of a series and now I’m eager to pick up some of the other books because if they’re anything like this one I’m sure they’re going to be the type of refreshing and fun romance you hope to be about to read.

In the case of I Knew You Were Trouble, Kate is stunned when a (very Thor like) stranger shows up at her doorstep with information that her Fiance, Jon, is in a relationship with his sister- and about to get engaged to her as well. It quickly becomes apparent Jon is a sleaze who has been lying and in fact seems to do ‘that kind of thing’. Kate, encouraged by her cousin Margot, decides to get even - with the help of the other women who were hoodwinked by Jon and with the support of a matchmaking agency she wishes she used instead of the one who set her up with Jon. While this doesn’t go deep, and Willem, the man who set the discovery in motion, is super hot but doesn’t seem to have more than that in terms of substance, the story is fun and funny, and the characters are easy to root for. Poppy, who works at the agency, was a bright point, and I would love to learn more about her own happily ever after!

I loved all the characters and have read other books in the series, but I must admit I do find that it wrecks the flow somewhat by the dual pov for poppy and whomever the other person is at the time ( the previous book was the same). It would be better if the other characters were featured slightly but it kept the single main pov as being the heroines. Otherwise a very nice talk tale which makes for a good holiday read

3.5🌟
I've read all the others of this series so it felt only right to read this one too. It has very similar vibes and storyline to the film The Other Woman but not in a bad way - just in a slightly repeatable way. That being said, the revenge they ensued felt quite satisfying and the friendships they made along the way were nice as well. A fun, enjoyable read!

I loved the premise of this book. I need to read more lighthearted comedic books, because I was giggling all the way till the end.

This book showcases the power of female friendship and understanding. It’s a quick and easy read. My main critique is that the revenge plot devised could have been more devilish or action packed.

I DNFed this book at 41% I would’ve DNFed it sooner but I kept thinking maybe I should give it a try, maybe it’s me. But no it’s not me
My first impression of Kate was what could possibly spark a curiosity for her to open a door for a stranger ? Then, how blind could she be so she couldn’t see all those red flags in her finance - whom she didn’t even live with - she didn’t stick out to me as a mature person at all, if anything her and her cousin’s relationship also sounded like a relationship between teenagers who are yet to be mature, not grown up women in their mid thirties or fourties’.

Also I left it at 41% and yet there were minimal interactions between the two leads ?? Like hello ? There was no chemistry between them other than “ intense silence” and the said silence addressed by her cousin.

And don’t get me started on the big revenge plan. I feel like it was just shoving characters from the previous books in my face. Idk it felt off

I’m not sure this book was my cup of tea. However, thank you for netgalley and Sandy Barker for giving me a chance to review this book.

This was my first book by Sandy Barker, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it is part of a series, it reads like a stand-alone.

In addition to being a romance, there is also the delicious plot line of 3 women getting even with the narcissist who committed to marrying them. The women are all accomplished and attractive and shows how anyone can be duped. The setting is London and Amsterdam, and the author makes these cities come alive.

I liked how strong the female characters were, the very interesting supporting characters provide humor, the romance and sexual tension is swoon worthy, and the setting is charming.

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I love a good revenge rom com, but this one fell a little flat. It was a quick and entertaining read, but there were definitely some pacing issues, choppy transitions, and a general lack of cohesion. I realized as I was reading, that this is #5 in a series. While it is a standalone, having not read the other books made the multiple POV with a prior character seem random rather than intentional. I think this is what led to the cohesion issues. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous titles in the series.

"I Knew You Were Trouble" is the perfect rom-com full of emotions, laughs, betrayal, revenge, and stories about finding your place in the world.
The book is the last (for now) from the author's romantic Ever After Agency series but is the first I am reading from Sandy Barker. I enjoyed it; the story was well and fastly developed without redundant text.
Kate Whitaker has always believed in true love and believes she has found it. Until the day a god-like-looking man comes to her door with intriguing news that will change her life forever. It turns out that her fiancé is also engaged to his sister.
At this point, Kate realizes the situation and how she has ignored all the red flags in their relationship. Kate agrees to help Willеm and goes to Amsterdam to reveal the situation to his sister.
What starts with the idea of ​​a simple conversation and revealing the cards turns into a hellish plan for revenge.
Together, with the help of Poppy, the owner of a matchmaker agency, they begin to dig deeper and uncover more and more curious facts and stories related to the polygamist.
It is a story that shows that you never know what the future brings, and sometimes what breaks our hearts is part of the path we must pass through to reach happiness.
A huge thank you to Boldwood Books, Sandy Barker, and NetGalley for the opportunity to be among the book's first readers.

I knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker is not the first book in the series. It usually doesn't matter, but I feel it needed a bit more backstory or the reader should start with an earlier book.

Kate thought that everything was going well in her life. She had a job she loved and a fiancé who doted on her. She gets the shock of her life when a Dutch man named Willem shows up on her doorstep and tells her that fiancé is also engaged to Willem’s sister. Kate is shocked at the news and reluctantly agrees to help Willem convince his sister that she’s real. After meeting, they learn that there is another soon to be out there. Instead of being sad, the women decide to get even. With the help of Poppy, a matchmaker that Kate has employed in the past (although she is not the one who set her up with the fiancé), the ladies set up a sting operation to get back at the man who lied to them all.

When I chose this book to read, I saw that it was book 2 in a series that I had not started. (Actually, it looks like it is book 5). As no characters other than Kate or Willem were mentioned in the summary (other than the philandering fiancé and Willem’s sister), I figured it would be ok to jump in here. As I started reading, I quickly became a bit confused. After a chapter or so, Kate brings up some matchmakers by name, without much other information. I assumed that they were mentioned in the first book. No bother. Then, I reached a point in the chapter where the POV changed and went to one of those matchmakers (Poppy). Maybe if I had read the first book, this would have been a welcome surprise, but as I had not and she wasn’t mentioned at all in the book’s provided summary, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I had expected that characters from the first book might get a mention, but if they character is important enough that they get their own POV chapters, I should be told about them in the summary. I found myself frequently irritated by the Poppy chapters and it took me out of the story.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way. I thought that the story was fun overall. I liked the fact that instead of the women getting into cat fights or calling each other liars, they accepted the truth pretty quickly and recognized the actual bad guy in the situation. This was pretty refreshing. An overarching theme that happened in this book over and over again was “women supporting women”, which is always a big plus for me.

I found the romantic lead nice enough but a little flat. I feel like Kate probably would have fallen for any guy who came to her rescue like Willem did. Another slight annoyance in this department, Kate spends a lot of time thinking about the sex she could have with Willem, but then when the time came it was mostly closed door. Expectations were set up that were not met.

Overall, this book was a light read, that I think I would have appreciated more if I hadn’t gone into it so blind.

3.5 Stars

Funny, quirky, and sometimes revolving around clueless, but almost a 1930's comedy vibe - with multiple players, multiple fiancé's, new crushes, and revenge in the shape of a con that just keeps growing. Everyone wants to see the hapless rake caught, and it is entertaining getting there. An amusing amd cozy weekend read for sure.

Dont get wrong.

Get even.

Ugh I loved this story!!! The characters were simply perfect and I found myself squeezing in any spare minutes to dive into the story.