The Secret Mistress by Ellie Monago kept me turning the pages.
I felt this was well written because it did keep me engaged and wanting to find out the conclusion.
If you want a fast-paced, rapid page-turner and an itch to know more, then this is the psychological thriller for you.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my third read by this author and it's absolutely not going to be the last...Monago knows her stuff and how to engage her readers.

Still grieving the recent loss of husband Corey, Maren finds herself drawn into a nightmare of secrets, lies and deception as her life and the memories of her husband are tarnished forever.

It's a pacey read that's told from the POV of Maren and 'mistress' Jade. The twists got twisty and the suspense had me hanging.

Unreliable narrators are always a win and their unlikeabilty just added an extra layer of doubt.

I was hooked, sold and had to binge it immediately!

Enjoyable.

There have been a series of TV adverts in the UK recently for a big hotel chain. They feature two middle-aged parents who decide to visit their son at university. Clearly horrified by the house party, the over-loud music and the bizarre costumes, one of the parents just about manages to make their voice loud enough to say "better get a Travelodge".

Cut to a big, clean hotel room with a comfy bed and ... that's about it. It's not the last word in luxury, or quality, but right here, right now, for this couple, it's bliss.

I get the premise. The idea that there are functional, clean, comfortable and affordable hotel rooms available, at short notice if needed, at locations up and down the country. But at the same time, the message from the adverts seem to be "well, it's better than spending the night on the floor of a student flat". And if that's the best thing they can say, it doesn't really sell the place to me.

I admit that this isn't the best analogy I've ever used to introduce a book, not least because the author in this case is clearly based in the US and I'm not sure what their equivalent hotel chain is. But - in my mind at least - there are some similarities between this and The Secret Mistress by Ellie Monago.

I loved the premise. What if your husband - the man you thought you loved - died suddenly? And then, soon afterwards, another woman turns up on your doorstep, claiming to be his mistress and the mother of his child? A child that you hadn't been able to have together ...?

The book continues to tell the story from the points of view of Maren (the wife) and Jade (the mistress). I didn't find either of the two women likeable, but I didn't think that was the intention. Ellie Monago does however manage to convey why both Maren and Jade were motivated to do what they did. All whilst maintaining a rapid pace that had me wondering many times as the book progressed what the final outcome would be. I also changed my mind repeatedly about which scenario I'd be satisfied with.

The main problem for me is that this book is marketed - by no means exclusively - as "a breathtaking psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist". And I'm sorry, but judged by those criteria, it doesn't even get close.

I know I've said this many times before, but it's important. It's not enough for a psychological thriller to simply entertain the reader. It needs to involve them. I need to feel like I've been dragged, kicking and screaming if need be, into the lives of at least one character, made to feel all of their anticipations, tensions, fears and devastations, and ultimately chewed up and spat out at the finish. This didn't happen here. I found myself watching the two main characters' lives with the sort of enjoyment that you might get from a TV soap opera, but no more than that. It's perhaps because of this that I was ready to notice that the early chapters of the book, whilst they held my attention, felt somewhat repetitive and that the ending, even though it's explosive, felt rather too rushed.

If you're looking primarily for an easy, entertaining read, perhaps to take on holiday, The Secret Mistress is fine. In a similar way that a Travelodge hotel is fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep that night before leaving early the next morning. But in both cases, you'll need to look somewhere else for a memorable experience.

My thanks to Bookouture for my inclusion on the blog tour, and to Netgalley for the digital ARC. I'm sorry that my review is not more positive. I will post this review on my blog and Netgalley only, with social media posts limited to shares of promotional materials.

Greedy and grasping describes most of the main characters!
What this novel has is a very twisted story line, avaricious characters, lots of deception, and backstabbing galore.
I loved it because it kept me guessing who was going to blackmail whom next.
Keep your enemies at bay but what about if some of your worst enemies are cloaked as the most trustworthy people?!

Deceit, manipulation, obsession, blackmail and a whole lot more.

Imagine the love of your life dies suddenly and whilst grieving, you find out he had a whole other life before his death. How would you cope?

The Secret Mistress is such a good read.

The Secret Mistress by Ellie Monago is a slow burn domestic suspense that explores the themes of secrets, lies, and betrayal.

Maren and her husband Corey seem to have a perfect life together. When Corey dies, Maren's world is shaken when a woman named Jade approaches her claiming to be Corey's mistress and that her son Tai is Corey's. At first Maren is adamant that this woman must be a fraud. But as the story progresses we realize that both Maren and Jade both have their own secrets to hide.

The beginning of this story is gripping and sucked me right in to the premise. I love a good "mistress" trope and I thought that this had potential, but it just didn't land the way I wanted it to. I felt like after the first couple of chapters the story became a bit repetitive. It slows way down and the action doesn't pick up until after 60% of the way through the book. There are a cold of good twists but not anything wildly unpredictable. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a slow burn domestic thriller with emotionally complicated characters!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellie Monago, and Bookouture for this ARC! Publication date: June 10th 2025.

It definitely is not a case of happy families when Maren discovers that her deceased husband had been having an affair for years and fathered a little boy. Maren meet Jade. And Tai.

Maren is torn between her desire to have nothing to do with Jade and her growing feelings for the four-year-old Tai. However, her feelings are not born of kindness; in fact, her actions reveal the opposite. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that Jade has an agenda, and both women are at odds. The wife. The mistress.

Secrets and lies run deep, presenting a strong emotional story. Both Maren and Jade are interesting protagonists. The story begins slowly but builds in intensity. Meanwhile, there is a surprising twist that breaks away from the growing drama between Maren and Jade. Having read three previous books by Ellie Monago, I kew that I’d be in for a great ride and that definitely was the case with this latest novel.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I really wanted to love this book; it started out really strong but then I found it too be repetitive. It didn't have that "wow" factor for me. I did like it but I couldn't say I loved it.

A story full of terrible people. Suspenseful but also kinda frustrating. Maren is trying to grieve but then Jade turns up. Clearly a gold-digger trying her luck. It all feels a little cat and mouse with them all being losers in the end. I felt sorry for Maren but also annoyed at her weakness. She tries to portray herself as having it all together and knowing what she's doing but ultimately she's a flake!

This is a slow-burn that switches between the two main characters. The switch is easy to follow which helps. I was annoyed by the women as both were quite weak and I'm not sure either really had anything in mind but their own needs. All very selfish! I did feel sorry for Emmanuel and felt he deserved better. His wife was the clear voice of reason.

THE SECRET MISTRESS BY ELLIE MONAGO.
Release day is today the 10th of June 2025.
Oh this one was very interesting.
Multiple Povs and so easy to follow along with.
I'm looking forward to seeing what other books this author has out

When Jade turns up claiming to be the mistress of Maren’s late husband she is shocked. Especially as the other woman has a child in tow. Could this really be true or are there secrets that both are hiding?

I liked the premise of this and felt like it would be an interesting read. It started good enough and I was intrigued to see where it would go, however it soon became a bit predictable and felt like it took a long time for it to get anywhere. I was hoping for a big twist which I found didn’t really materialise. Even though this wasn’t a favourite of mine, it was still a solid enough, intriguing thriller and quick easy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

The Secret Mistress by Ellie Monago was a psychological thriller, and I really enjoyed it, it did take me a while to get into it. But, then bang i could not put this book down, it became interesting with lots of twists and turns. I ended up reading it to the early hours of the morning. The ending was very good.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

When the book says A Heart Stopping Psychological Thriller with a Jaw Dropping Twist, you would expect a high standard in the book. But unfortunately, I didn't really think that this was a heart stopping thriller.

Before her husband's death, Maren and her husband Corey seemed to be a picture perfect couple. But after Corey's death, Maren's life suddenly turned upside down when a woman named Jade comes to Maren with her son Tai who she claims as Corey's son. Jade wants money while Maren, who has been struggling with motherhood is desperately looking to have a child. This is a story of two women, both affected by Corey and how they fight for what they actually want.

The story started out strong. I did really have high expectation for this book as the story started out interesting, intriguing and strong. A woman is widowed and another woman claiming to be her husband's mistress comes to the doorstep with her husband's son. Both Maren and Jade have their own agenda--Jade wanted Maren to give her and her son a part of Corey's estate and wealth. Maren meanwhile believes Jade is not fit to be a mother and is determined to get Tai as her own child. However, by the middle of the book, the story started out getting repetitive and boring. There wasn't OMG moment in the book, which I really did expect from the book. As a reader you might feel sympathetic towards both the main characters but then couldn't help that these mentioned incidents in the book might not really happen in real life. Overall, the ending seemed rushed and confusing in my opinion.

Overall, this book is only worth 3.5 stars. Although this book wasn't as great as I thought, I am looking forward to read more from this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This was a really interesting book. I loved the dual perspective. And the concept. I was very surprised at the end!
The characters are really well written, I found myself smitten with Tai, and empathising with him a lot throughout this book! It was a roller coaster of emotions in terms of Maren and Jade!

Wow! This book was suspenseful and kept me wanting more! My jaw was on the floor with that twist! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves a good thriller!

Knock knock… What would you do if you were recently widowed and one day some random lady appears at your door with a child she claims is your dead husband’s? This is exactly what happened to Maren… a childless rich widow. Even though Jade claims that Tai is Corey’s, Maren can’t believe it’s true. Jade is demanding a large portion of Corey’s estate for Tai, and Maren isn’t so sure she's ready to just fork over the amount. She offers compromises, offers herself as a “nanny” for Tai, and even offers to pay for schooling and some expenses, but Jade is relentless in her quest for the large portion of the estate. I mean, what mother wouldn’t want the best for her child… but how do we know Tai is really Corey’s? After all, Corey was cremated, so DNA tests aren’t possible. Betrayal, twists, and turns keep readers engrossed in the Secret Mistress. Will Jade get the money? Is Tai truly Corey’s? Will Maren ever be able to trust anyone around her ever again? Find out by getting your own copy when the book hits shelves on June 10, 2025.

OMG! This was so good. Amazing cat and mouse thriller that will keep you intrigued till the end. A must for your summer TBR

2.5-3 ⭐⭐💫

The description promised “a heart-stopping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist.” Unfortunately, the only jaw-dropping moment I had was realizing how flat the story ended up feeling.

The premise? Very intriguing. A grieving widow, a sudden knock on the door from a woman claiming to be her late husband’s mistress... with a child 😱, no less. It had all the ingredients of a juicy, twist-filled domestic suspense. The beginning showed some promise and I was ready to be hooked.

But then… it just circled. Repeated thoughts, little forward momentum and revelations that felt more like small stumbles than gasp-worthy shocks. I kept waiting for the big twist or shift that never quite landed.

That said, I did feel for Jade and Maren: two women caught in the emotional wreckage left behind by Corey. Both were vulnerable in different ways, and honestly, both deserve healing and a clean break from the chaos. One wants money, one wants a child, and somewhere in there, things got a little too bananas for me.

On paper, this story had real potential. For readers who enjoy slow-burn domestic drama and emotionally complicated characters, it may still hit the spot. But if you're looking for something truly twisty and tension-filled, this one might not quite hit the mark.

This was the first book I have read by Ellie Monago. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, yet I’m not sure I would call this a psychological thriller. The book is written from two perspectives - the wife/widow and the mistress. I enjoyed the different perspectives as little secrets were revealed along the way. Both women are fighting for what they want…it was hard to like either character. One seemed a bit soft and the other hard as nails. In the end, there was a final twist that I really didn’t see coming which wrapped up the story nicely. I would definitely read another book by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book held my attention from the first page. Lots of twists and turns. Enough suspense. I couldn't put this down once I started it.