I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am happy I had a chance to read a preview. The focus on herbalism was very interesting to me and not a subject I typically encounter in thrillers. The dynamic between Vera and Ana was one of my favorite parts; it felt like a genuine depiction of a normal sisterly bond and its challenges, all woven into the story.

While I thought the book was excellent and a definite must-read, I couldn’t quite rate it five stars because I would have liked to see the plot developed a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

** spoiler alert **



Ana has always been a bit of a wildcard, but with her history, who can blame her? Her mother poisoned her father and she and her sister, Vera, had to go live with their aunt Agnes as young girls. But now her ex-boyfriend, Paul, has been found murdered. And it looks like poison is to blame. To make things look worse, she finds out during a luncheon to ex-orcise him from her life with her friends.

Vera has always had to watch out for her little sister, but maybe Ana has gone too far this time. Ana says she is innocent, but is she telling the truth? This wouldn't be the first time an ex of Ana's has gotten hurt.

Now one of the women who was at the luncheon is fighting for her life in the hospital, having ingested something toxic.

All roads lead back to Ana, and the detective on the case, Tim, can't ignore that. He also can't ignore the heat between them. Is he falling for a murderess?

There are also claims of witches and a secret society called The Cove. Could there be way more going on than meets the eye?

The book was classic Lisa Unger- it drew me right in and kept its claws in me until I could finish it. I loved the different POVs so we could see what was going on behind the scenes in the before and after.

My biggest complaint was that it felt like there was A LOT of repetition. It made it a bit of a slog to get through at the end.

Overall, fantastic, gripping, everything I love from Lisa's books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!!!

This is a complicated review to write. On one hand, this book has a strong opening and some compelling themes. On the other hand, I felt this book lacked cohesion.

I found the character of Timothy to be fascinating. How he gets involved in the story and the subsequent fallout from his position in the narrative was strong and compelling to me. In addition to this, the bond between the sisters felt fleshed out and purposeful. But everything else unfortunately fell a little flat for me. The formatting could have been more aesthetically pleasing, the pacing felt slow, and different sections of the book didn’t seem to gel with each other. There was a repeated theme that was more or less “men are bad” (which can be a powerful theme when used effectively), but I found this message to be overused and thrown in random places where it didn’t REALLY add anything (at least in my opinion), and ultimately wasn’t serving the plot in any tangible way. Though I admit as a male myself, perhaps I am biased and ignorant of the points the author was trying to make with this.

With that said, the mysteries that are introduced in this book were still enough to provide me with enjoyment. I found the ending both satisfying and fun. While it’s not something I would personally recommend - if this is a genre you really enjoy, you may get more out of this than I did!

I really enjoyed this book, again so glad I got a preview of it. I thought the herbalism angle was very cool and untouched in a lot of books that I read, specifically thrillers. I loved the relationship between Vera and Ana and life struggles of a normal sisterhood, with this wound all together. I couldn't quite give it five stars, but only because I would have liked to see it expanded on just a bit more, but it was a fantastic, must read.

A pair of sisters skilled in potions might be connected to the death of one sister’s ex-boyfriend. But of course, there is more to it as he had plenty of enemies who would have wanted him gone, which means lots of suspects. Still, Ana and her sister Vera seem to be caught up in everything and end up in the middle of every strange situation. Is it really just coincidence?

I enjoyed the drama these sisters brought to nearly every chapter. It did feel a little long at times, but I was fully here for all the chaos Ana was serving. Vera’s daughter also added a fun, sassy touch, and the involvement of the so-called coven made things even more intriguing.

Overall, this was a binge-worthy read for me.

I’m so bummed. This is only my second Lisa Unger book and I have DNF’d both. They feel scattered. Like she starts writing on one thing and her focus is lost and branches off into all these subcategories instead. It starts off really good and intense with a female staying late at work and her boss, who she always respected despite all the negative rumors about him. He ends up spiking her drink and assaulting her. Then we go into the this web of females, literally like 4 different POV’s and maybe I’m impatient but it just keeps getting further from the premise that grasped me in the first place. Also very over descriptive.

Wow!!! This book was so awesome! Lisa Unger was one of the first authors to lure me into the chiller/thriller genre. Served Him Right is her latest jewel in a long line of jewels

Sisters Vera and Ana, along with a few close friends, gather together for a Sunday brunch to say good riddance to Ana's narcissistic ex-boyfriend Paul. When brunch is interrupted by a detective announcing Paul's demise, the group is speechless. Ana, of course, an obvious suspect, denies having any role in his death. When a guest from brunch becomes deathly ill, the finger pointing at Ana is unmistakable. As the race to find the killer speeds up, the tensions, lies, and secrets ratchet up at a daunting pace.

The pacing was perfect, giving the reader time to gather their thoughts and take a breath. I liked the dabbling into witchcraft and the herbalists with the details of the poisonous plants. The suspense was palpable, as a number of the characters could be the guilty party. While neither sister was particularly likable, they were quite interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row for the advanced copy

So this book was really good I will say that it has a lot of POV’s so you have to pay attention because you might get lost. We’ll have to come back to a certain thing. It was pretty good. It was fun fast pace very twisty.have some magic and potions in there this is my first from this author and will not be my last I actually loved the storyline and the characters were annoying lol but I love a book where I’m still thinking of the characters when I’m done with the book this book is brunch with mimosas and drama lol

What starts as a celebratory brunch turns into a nightmare in this tense, twisty thriller from Lisa Unger. Ana Blacksmith just wanted to toast to her breakup, but when shocking news about her ex surfaces and her best friend suddenly falls gravely ill, she becomes the prime suspect. Secrets, revenge, and a chilling underground network all come into play as Ana and her sister race to uncover the truth before everything crashes down on them. Dark, addictive, and full of surprises! I couldn’t put it down. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

A dark, mysterious, twist-laden thriller.

I kept thinking that this would be a perfect Fall thriller with vibes like Salem, Halloween, and Hocus Pocus. It also reminded of the deep connections in the novel "Weyward" by Emilia Hart, which I really enjoyed. So, cuddle up on the couch with a black cat, an apple cider, and this fast-paced mystery. Regardless of when you read it, get ready for a twisty read. (And a little spice, too!)

The story is told from multiple POVs including a pair of sisters, their good friend, their late Aunt, the detective, and others. With that being said, there are a lot of characters. However, I had no trouble following as the character development was superb. I instantly formed a picture of each character in my head and it sustained through the last page. This would be a perfect book for a full cast audiobook!

There are several little storylines throughout, which had me questioning how it would all come together. But I had nothing to worry about, as the ending had a great finality and weaved the web to completion. I also appreciated the "after" part where we get one last chance to see how it all shakes out for the characters we've grown close to throughout the pages.

As a scientist, it was clear that the author did her homework; the accuracy of the botany and biochemistry references was impressive. Don't worry, Humanities-lovers, it doesn't get too far into the science weeds. Ha!

I was given access to an advanced reader copy in exchange for my feedback. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Lisa Unger for allowing me to read and review.

Lisa Unger is one of my go-to authors so knew I would love this one! It begins with Paul raping a woman in her office, and then suddenly--and seemingly unrelated--Ana meets a guy in a restroom that she found on the website Hookup and they have fast, unemotional sex very quickly. And then Paul is found dead in the woods. What connects all these things? The novel is about the Wiccan culture, magic, poison, and the mixed blessings of social media. It's fascinating and I couldn't read it fast enough!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Lisa Unger hooked me from the start with Served Him Right! What starts as a casual brunch quickly spirals into a nightmare, and I couldn’t stop flipping the pages. Ana is such a fascinating character. She’s messy, sharp, and constantly walking the line between victim and suspect. I loved how her complicated relationship with her sister Vera added so much tension to the story. Their shared history kept me guessing who was really protecting whom. The twisty network of vengeance rumors gave the whole story this eerie, almost secret society vibe, and I found myself questioning every single character! I was fully in conspiracy theory mode, trying to piece it all together. The pacing is fast and the suspense is sharp. If you love stories that feel like gossip gone dangerously wrong, add this one to your TBR!

Lisa Unger has recently became one of my auto-buy authors, so I was very excited to see I got approved for an arc of her latest book, special thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing!

Ana and Vera are sisters and they've always been close, but perhaps closer than the average family after losing both their parents at an early age. Ana recently breaks up with her latest boyfriend, Paul and decides to have a "ex-communication" party at Vera's house on Sunday. She invites all the girlfriends, but gets an unsettling call mid-way through, that Paul has been killed and they suspect foul play. As the light shines on the case, it seems that Paul had a lot of enemies and perhaps Ana isn't the only one who'd want him dead.

Shortly after that, Iggy, one of the guests in attendance also becomes very ill and needs to be hospitalized. All suspicions are shining in Ana, who also is known to be a local herbalist and having the knowledge in her family for many generations. Is Ana the true killer or how will this story unfold?

I really enjoyed this book, again so glad I got a preview of it. I thought the herbalism angle was very cool and untouched in a lot of books that I read, specifically thrillers. I loved the relationship between Vera and Ana and life struggles of a normal sisterhood, with this wound all together. I couldn't quite give it five stars, but only because I would have liked to see it expanded on just a bit more, but it was a fantastic, must read.

I’m a huge Lisa Unger fan and this book exceeded my expectations! I loved the writing, the pacing, the themes, the story. I think it’s my new favorite Lisa Unger book. I can’t wait for it to come out in March so I can read it again and talk about it with everyone.

I love Lisa Unger and have read a lot of her other books but this one wasn't a favorite of mine. I felt pretty disconnected to the characters. While the story was twisty, it all got to be a bit too convoluted near the end. Interesting premise and a fun story about witches, though!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Seved Him Right.
This is a woman’s dream book wi the plenty of interesting characters with diverse backgrounds.
The plot centers on two sisters wi to secrets of their own who are celebrating the breakup of a boyfriend. Alls well till he turns up dead and the plot begins.
Lots of POVs which can be a bit confusing at times but all in all the truth will be revealed with a satisfying ending. 3.5 stars

This favorite author has written a page turner. At times. It is difficult keeping up with the voices, but the characters are realistic and keep the story moving quickly. Red herrings kept me guessing. Family dynamics…children who do not understand other family members…friends getting together and trying to solve friends’ problems…thanks Netgalley.

Served Him Right felt wrong to me as it just didn’t work for me. The premise had potential — a celebratory brunch that spirals into murder, secrets, and suspicion — but I struggled to stay engaged. The story follows Ana and her sister Vera after Ana's ex-boyfriend turns up dead and someone at the brunch gets seriously ill. With Ana as the main suspect, Vera steps in to protect her, uncovering more than either of them bargained for.

Unfortunately, I found most of the characters frustrating and hard to connect with. The plot felt slow, and the themes of revenge and secret justice networks just weren’t my thing. I’ve never read any of Lisa Unger’s books before so this may be par for the course — I don’t want to give up on her but if they follow this style, she may not be for me. However, readers who enjoy messy relationships and darker themes of retribution may still find something to like here. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

I read this book in just about 24 hours and really enjoyed the classic murder mystery approached combined with a new feminist angle. The relationships between generations of women are complex and the topic of what really makes a witch and overaching themes of control were extremely well-done. I will absolutely be recommending this one. 4.5 Stars! :)

Am I into witches? Absolutely not. Did I need all the details about plants, flowers & all the dangerous herbs? Absolutely not.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes!

I have to admit I did a whole lot of skimming through the herbal part and skimmed through some of Agnes’s parts because quite frankly, I don’t need to know what these herbs do, and I just want to know WHO DID THE DIRTY DEED?!

I really like several of the characters, including Ana, Vera & Iggy. Ana is a bada**, and boy did she have an unexpected run-in with that broad shouldered man. 😉 Vera is also a tough cookie and runs that household like a boss. And, sweet Iggy. A sweet mama and wife.

I enjoyed this one and quite frankly couldn’t put he down. Witchcraft and herbal remedies are not for me, but I did enjoy this one! 3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dances copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.