REVIEW: The Missing Husband by Natasha Boydell

Title: The Missing Husband
Author: Natasha Boydell
Narrator: Rupert Degas, Penelope Rawlins
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: September 2021
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Kate and Pete have been the perfect couple ever since they were teenagers. Fifteen years later they have two young daughters, live in a beautiful London townhouse and seem like they have it all. But one day, Pete leaves for work and never comes home.

In a note Kate discovers, he confesses that he’s been unhappy for a long time and that he’s met someone else.

Distraught, Kate later learns that he has left everything, including his mobile phone, behind and sets out to learn the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

But is she prepared for what she will learn?

When nothing is as it seems, who can you trust?

My Thoughts: So, yeah, my least favorite trope is at play here. Adultery… Pete the adulterer says to his wife that he didn’t go looking for it, but it just happened… How about just saying no, Pete? Guess that never occurred to you, did it? Obviously, not. You’ve been so unhappy and unsatisfied in your marriage for so long. I suppose it never occurred to you to talk to your wife and let her know if it’s something that can actually be resolved. You know, before you swan off to France with your little chippy to live that perfect life. Nope, not good ole Pete. Instead, his plan is to leave a note on the pillowcase and take off. No goodbyes, no explanations. How did it work out for the brilliant Pete? You have to read this book and find out.

Before we tie Pete to the stake and set him on fire, let me just say that Kate isn’t completely innocent in all of this either. She never bothered talking to Pete about the resentment and frustration building within her. Raising two small children, she feels like she has given up her whole life, while Pete gets to continue living his life and having no cares in the world. I understand that having children and being a first-time parent is a life-changing experience, a game changer. Feeling overwhelmed is a natural reaction to my way of thinking. Kate doesn’t ask for help and resists attempts for help for a long time.

So much anger, heartache and misery could have been avoided if they had just communicated and if they had just tried, any effort really. I saw zero effort being made on both of their parts.

I really wanted to despise the other woman, Claire and for the majority of the book I did. She didn’t cause the problems in Pete and Kate’s marriage, but she knew he was married and she should have nipped that right off the bat. It would be really difficult for Pete to enter into an affair with her if she isn’t entertaining his flirtatious behavior and encouraging his attentions.

So, the burning question is what happened to Pete? How does Kate pick up the pieces of her life and be the parent her daughters need and deserve?

I thought this story was riveting, though I absolutely hate adultery story lines. I believe there are some lines that one should never cross and this is one of them, but the author does a great job of drawing the reader in with just enough details to keep the reader engaged, sitting on pins and needles.

The chapters are broken up and narrated by the different points of view of Kate, Pete and Claire. Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life with the right amount of emotion that made their actions believable and kept the story progressing.

My Final Verdict: How can a reader expect a happy ending or any closure with a story like this? I had zero empathy for any of these characters. I found them all to be quite selfish and despicable in their own right. My compassion lay with the children, Lilly and Maggie. They are left to grow up without their father in their lives. He won’t be a part of all the milestones they will achieve.

There are no winners in this dynamic, just varying degrees of coping, moving on and survival. I highly recommend this story to fans of thrillers and suspense and books that surprise the reader.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Missing Husband from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

Title: A Thousand Boy Kisses (A Thousand Boy Kisses #1)
Author: Tillie Cole
Narrator: P.J. Ochlan, Katie Schorr
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication Date: June 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Teen / Young Adult
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune's heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

A stand-alone young adult tearjerker romance, recommended for ages fourteen and up.

My Thoughts: ”Life is fragile, yet in that fragility, there is strength. There is love. There is purpose. It reminds us that life is short, our breaths are numbered, and our destiny is fixed regardless of how hard we fight. It reminds us not to waste a single second. Live hard, love harder, chase dreams, seek adventures…” ~ Tillie Cole

The above quote, in a nutshell, sums up the message contained in this beautiful, heartbreaking story. At the age of five, Poppy and Rune meet for the first time after he moves in next door. They quickly become the best of friends and are each other’s shadow. Unfortunately, as life often does, circumstances separate them when they are fifteen and Rune and his family move back to Norway. Rune and Poppy are heartbroken, but vow to remain loyal and wait for one another. Two years later, Rune and his family return and he is determined to find out why Poppy cut him off without a word of explanation a few months after he left.

Buckle up, dear readers, you are in for a very intense ride. This book broke my heart, put it back together and then broke it all over again. I loved Rune and Poppy individually and as a couple. What really stands out for me is how Rune evolved from someone Poppy knew and loved to someone she barely recognized then back to the person she always loved. Obviously, this book’s primary focus is on relationships, but not just the relationship between Rune and Poppy. The relationships they have with their families and friends was also poignant.

I went with the audiobook and the performances of P.J. Ochlan and Katie Schorr just enhanced the complete experience. The depth of raw emotion infused the performance with an intensity that brought me to tears more readily than if I had read the printed book.

Despite the emotional roller coaster this book put me on and how much I loved this story, I absolutely hated the ending. The story could have allowed me the illusion that everything worked out in the end as it was meant to and ended it there. Unfortunately, it did not. It left me with more questions than answers. Ironically, as much as I am less than pleased with the ending, it fits. Life, love, joy and sadness all come full circle. I am now struggling with whether I want to read the next book in the series. I don’t know if my heart can take another beating, but I have so many unanswered questions with this book that I wonder if any of it will be resolved.

My Final Verdict: If you want a book that will make you feel all the feels, if you don’t mind a book that makes you cry, full-on ugly crying, snotting all over yourself with a pile of tissues next to you, this is the book for you.

REVIEW: Driving Me Wild by Maria Benson

Title: Driving Me Wild
Author: Maria Benson
Publisher: ATG Communications
Publication Date: August 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction

Description: In a dating scene full of well-educated, ambitious and attractive players, is the “terminally single” woman her own worst enemy?

That’s the accusation hurled at Aimee Chase, a young Chicago sports marketing executive who finds herself confronted with professions of love from Michael Blake, a handsome but bland high school classmate. When Aimee tries but fails to let him down easy, habitually nice Michael hits below the belt, implying she’s too damaged to appreciate a good man. Check, An insulted Aimee showers Michael in her glass of sweet-but-smoky Merlot.

Truth is, Michael's accusations drew blood. With a romantic history littered with cheaters and bad boys–including a married one with a very big job who is still in her life–Aimee fears that she has sabotaged her chances of ever finding the right guy. Months later, as her career implodes and she finds herself enveloped in a high-profile scandal, she’s not sure what to think when a suddenly captivating Michael reappears.

Thrilled to find that this “safe” guy now makes her weak in the knees, Aimee ultimately has her ecstasy interrupted by the revelation that Michael has transformed into a promiscuous, cold-hearted pick-up artist he thinks women like Aimee want. When he’s caught with related baggage but declares his fidelity, should Aimee toss aside a promising relationship, or just accept that “it’s complicated?”

My Thoughts: Can you see the dent in my forehead? I had high hopes this book would be witty and entertaining, but it fell way short of the mark and now I have to see a neurologist for the possible brain damage I have caused myself for beating my head against the wall. I should have DNF’d this book and saved myself the ultimate disappointment, but I kept hoping these characters would pull their heads out of their posteriors and grow the eff up!

Aimee Chase, a young, intelligent, ambitious person who works in the sports marketing arena could probably have any man she wants. When the nice guy from high school is all but proclaiming his love for her over dinner, what does she do? Stomp all over his emotions telling him he doesn’t “do it for her.” No, she would rather continue seeing the guy who cheated on her and ended up marrying the other woman. Where’s your self-respect, Aimee?

Michael Blake is a nice guy and has carried a torch for Aimee since they were in high school, but after Aimee’s scathing rejection, he enlists the help of his friends to teach him how to be a bad boy and leave a trail of one night stands behind him. Of course, now Aimee finds him interesting. Shame on you, Michael. A woman who doesn’t accept you for who you are isn’t worth knowing and changing yourself into someone you think Aimee will go for just makes you weak. Where is your self-respect, Michael?

I had a very difficult time mustering up any empathy for these characters but I kept going just to see how it all played out. There was some redemption with the characters at the end, but it was too little, too late. I suppose the one good thing to come out of Aimee’s train wreck of a life was the potential for reconciliation with her estranged father who was never there for her growing up.

My Final Verdict: Unfortunately, a book that I thought would be interesting, witty and entertaining was just OK. Fans of contemporary romances and women’s fiction will find more satisfying choices elsewhere.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Driving Me Wild from the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

Title: You Can Never Tell
Author: Sarah Warburton
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Joshilyn Jackson, Sarah Warburton's chilling thriller, inspired by the Moors Murders, explores the twisted side of suburbia.

Framed for embezzlement by her best friend Aimee, museum curator Kacy Tremain and her husband Michael move from New Jersey to a charming Texas suburb to escape their past. Kacy quickly makes new friends--preppy, inscrutable Elizabeth, chatty yet evasive Rahmia, and red-headed, unapologetic Lena. But good friends aren't always what they seem.

As she navigates the unexpectedly cutthroat social scene of her new town, Kacy begins to receive taunting postcards--and worse, discovers cameras hidden in the wall of her home. Lena and her husband, Brady, reassure her that the cameras are just relics of the paranoid previous homeowner . Once the cameras are removed and Kacy's fears are quelled, Kacy and Michael make the happy discovery that they are going to be new parents.

Months after the birth of their daughter, Michael accidentally makes a shocking discovery about Brady's past. And when Lena suddenly goes missing, Kacy and Michael begin to uncover the truth about their neighbors--and it's more terrible than anyone could have imagined.

Interlaced with transcripts of a chilling true crime podcast that follow the tangled threads of the drama, You Can Never Tell is a taut and complex psychological thriller that never lets up until its breathless conclusion.

My Thoughts: New to me author Sarah Warburton offers up a twisted and dark tale about a woman who is reeling from the aftermath of being betrayed by her best friend, set up for a crime, fired from her job only to move to Texas to start over only to realize that it isn’t easier to trust people in a new place either, especially with serial killers in your midst.

A fresh start is what Kacy and Michael think they need to get past the trauma of the previous year in New Jersey. They relocate to Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston, buy a house in a charming subdivision and Kacy begins to make friends with some of the neighbors. Elizabeth, a Canadian transplant who appears to have the perfect life, Rahmia, a Middle Eastern woman who is overtly friendly but also evasive and Lena, who lives directly next door and is outspoken and blunt.

For the first time in a long time, Kacy begins to feel her life is finally getting back on track. She joins a charitable women’s group and learns she is pregnant, but their sense of safety quickly turns into one of horror when Lena goes missing several months after Kacy’s baby is born.

The way the story is told both from Kacy’s perspective and the interspersed transcripts of the podcast, the identity of the serial killers is revealed fairly quickly, but the reader is left with high anticipation of what the killers will do next, giving the reader a heightened sense of tension. It was also evident to me that the killers were possibly stalking Kacy and her husband, but that fell a little flat too. It’s assumed that they are potentially the next victims, but the reader doesn’t know for sure.

I enjoyed the story and thought Kacy’s actions, for the most part, were believable and realistic, but I wish the ending had a bit more bite for all the build-up the story gives. I came away after finishing feeling that the story lacked a final punch.

The audio narration by Jorjeana Marie was quite good. The performance drew me into the story with the right amount of emotion and personality so that I would connect to the characters and empathize with them

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a good story that cautions us to be careful of who we trust and invite into our lives. You may have a serial killer in your inner circle. Fans of mysteries, thrillers and suspense novels will enjoy this, as well as fans of true crime podcasts.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of You Can Never Tell from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.