THE VOW

 4 stars out of 5

This one came on strong at the start, with a frantic Amy trying

to locate her fiance Matt after he disappeared a couple of weeks before their wedding. Not long thereafter, a woman named Fiona reports her lover's disappearance. He was, she claims, about to ditch his fiance and move in with her. As I expected when the second woman turned up, evidence - including photos - prove that the guy reported missing by both is one and the same.

Also about the same time, I got a sense of deja vu; not all that long ago, I recalled reading a different book with a plot about two women claiming the other was lying about "her" man. Please God, I said to myself, don't let this one end the same way. Thankfully, it didn't, but I know my enjoyment of this book was dimmed a bit because my mind couldn't help constantly making comparisons. 

At any rate, each woman claims not to know the other one, and both insist Matt was a loyal, loving partner who would never dream of leaving them in the lurch. But clearly, at least one of them is very wrong. As Amy learns what her daughter and friends really thought of Matt, the chapters shift between the perspectives of the two women and readers learn secrets from their past lives that may be coming back to haunt them. The rest of the book follows their thoughts and actions as well as the police investigation that culminates in a sort of surprise ending (one which, I'm sure, would have turned out differently - and frankly, more to my liking - had the story taken place under the auspices of the U.S. legal system). I also noticed a bit too much repetition, especially as the various characters fill each other in on what's happening.

That said, it's an intriguing, fast-paced story that kept me swiping the pages of my Kindle right to the end - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Vow by Debbie Howells (Avon, October 2020); 368 pp.

THE SECOND WIFE

5 stars out of 5


When I first started this, I was afraid it wasn't going to be my cup of tea despite the enticing description. Mostly, that was because each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character - a popular technique, of course, but not a favorite of mine. And because the chapters are exceptionally short, I expected the journey to be a choppy one.

But wait, there's more!

And guess what: It's all good. The plot twists held my attention every page of the way; and yes, those frequent switchbacks actually made me eager to move along as well (let's just say that while I'm disappointed that "my" NFL team didn't make the playoffs for this year's Super Bowl, it did free up more time for me to plow through the last half of this book without stopping). 

Here's the scoop: Rebecca and Nicole are longtime best friends; when Nicole dies - her death ruled a suicide - Rebecca of course comes to the funeral. But she's got an even more important agenda; bolstered by messages over the past year or so from Nicole, she's convinced that she did not kill herself. Rebecca is aware, for instance, that Nicole's on-the-surface perfect second husband, Richard, has a grown daughter, Olivia, who lives with them and is at best snarky toward Nicole. As for Richard, well, let's just say blood is thicker than water. So on the pretense of looking for a new home in the U.K., Rebecca decides that the best way to see what's available - and ferret out the truth about Nicole - is to accept the handsome and charming Richard's offer to stay with him and Olivia (if you suspect something else might come of that, you'd be right - no big surprise there, for goodness sake).

In all honesty, I wasn't able to work up sympathy or empathy for a single character; I'm totally unable to identify with females who refuse to get up and run when it's clear they're being emotionally or physically abused in any way). Rather, my interest was in riding the whole thing out: What really happened to (and by) whom, and who, if anyone, "won" out. And boy, what a ride it was.

So if you're looking for an easy-to-read book of head games, don't hesitate to give this one a try. Meanwhile, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy to read and review.

The Second Wife by Sheryl Browne (Bookouture, January 2019); 349 pp.