BOOK REVIEW: The Second Wife by @SherylBrowne @Bookouture #blogtour #blogblitz #thesecondwife

Do you ever finish a book and just wonder how you got to that ending sequence??? That is how I felt reading Sheryl Browne’s latest domestic thriller, The Second Wife! I read Browne’s last novel The Affair over the summer. Actually it was one of my first reviews when I started my blog! I loved her writing then, and I loved this one even more! This one cranked up the volume on those twists and it was a wild ride all the way to the final sentence! Fans of domestic noir and psychological thrillers will be sure to love this book!

About the Book

She made her bed. You’ll lie in it.

Rebecca only wanted to help out – to be kind. Richard seemed so alone after his wife, Nicole, died, and Rebecca wanted to make sure he knew he had someone to rely on.

But now she’s in Nicole’s immaculate house. Drinking from her favourite crystal wine glass. Keeping shoes in her orderly closet. Comforting her sweet and grieving step-daughter. It feels like Rebecca is living another woman’s life.

And as she gets to know the neighbours, Rebecca hears stories that make her wonder: was free-spirited Nicole happy in this perfect life, or did she feel trapped? Did she feel, as Rebecca is beginning to, that something wasn’t quite right?

The book everyone’s talking about! If you loved The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and The Girl Before, you’ll be totally gripped and unable to put down this twisty page-turning psychological thriller.

Reflection

Well, this book starts with a positively haunting scene! A watery grave, a whispered taunt, confusion over what is real and what is delusion. It’s truly a fantastic opener to a book! As we flash over to present time, when Rebecca is at the funeral for her best friend Nicole, we begin to learn that all was not what it seemed with Nicole’s last few months. Was her death suicide, or a tragic accident?

Flipping backwards in time to Nicole’s story and then forwards to Rebecca’s was so interesting. Like reading a distorted mirror version of the other woman’s story. Nicole is some who came across somehow as strong and fragile at the same time. And as events unfold, her character becomes more and more tortured. I really loved Nicole. She’s an artist and the way Brown wrote about her artist’s soul was quite a delight! Of course, Nicole has some darkness as well, but I’ll leave that for the reader to find out for themselves…

And then there is Rebecca. Oh, Rebecca! What are you doing, slipping into your best friend’s life? I absolutely adored Rebecca. She’s such a contrast to Nicole, who is whimsical and impacted by moods, emotions, and feelings. Rebecca is much more grounded, and she doesn’t really get carried away the way Nicole does. They were such a delight to read together in comparison, particularly in Nicole’s letters to Rebecca. Nicole had such a unique voice, and even though she is passed away for much of the novel, I thought she sang out through her narrative and through Rebecca’s reflection on her life.

Finally, we have the other leading duo—Richard and his daughter Olivia. Oh boy, these two! Richard is almost too good to be true, and so is Olivia for that matter. When things start to become a bit twisted, well just you wait! I don’t want to spoil it, but these two characters sparked one of the most fascinating dynamics (and I’m referring to Nicole and Rebecca as well) I’ve read this year. I hope you enjoy reading about this father and daughter!

I was so honored to get to be on the final stop for the blog tour of this wild thriller!!! I am excited that this book is published and out in the universe. I’ve already been seeing some great reviews from other readers that delights me!

Congratulations to Sheryl Browne on another fantastic book! And many thanks to the incredible team at Bookouture for including me in the tour.

Don’t forget to check out these other stops! And make sure to order your copy:

Amazon
iBookstore
Kobo
Googleplay

About the Author

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, brings you powerful psychological thriller and contemporary fiction.  A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and previously writing for award winning Choc Lit, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.

So why does Sheryl write in two genres? Quoting E. L. Doctorow, Sheryl says: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights…” This she thinks sums up a writer’s journey, you never quite know where you are going until you get there. You might start with an outline, but a strong character will always divert from the plot. If Sheryl’s not sure where a character is going, she simply has to trust him to show her the way. Plus, according to one reviewer, she also has a scary insight into the mind of a psychopath. 

To find out more about Sheryl’s novels, go to www.facebook.com/SherylBrowne.Author/ or follow @SherylBrowne on Twitter. 

To find out more about Sheryl, go to www.sherylbrowne.com

Mackenzie