Complex, twisty, and unpredictable!

The Poison Garden is an unnerving, menacing, domestic thriller that delves into all the deep, dark secrets people keep even from those closest to them and highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally manipulated.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are secretive, unstable, and troubled. And the plot, told through an unreliable narrator, builds and unravels briskly into a story filled with unexpected twists, suspicious personalities, lethal vegetation, familial drama, deception, jealousy, violence, and greed.

Overall, The Poison Garden is a sinister, tortuous, cunning tale by Banner that keeps you guessing from the very first page and is fast-paced, highly entertaining, and eerily atmospheric.

The Poison Garden I read was a great book, it was enjoyable and exciting mystery!

A.J Banner was very good writing this book and does a great storyline...

I can’t believe the bad doctor did that to his wife and his other affairs...shocking! I’m glad that her and her daughter Bella got made it alive just in time that Chantal had to wake her up....

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I tried a handful of times to read this book. It just didn't work for me. I gave up after the fourth attempt at it. It felt over written. It 'didn't flow at all. The writing and plot are choppy. What I managed to read felt forced. This book wasn't for me.

Is Elise just unlucky in love or are all guys/husbands bad guys? We find out in The Poison Garden, a story of love had, love lost and love that grows. Also, there are herbs, spices and flowers which  make for all kinds of amazing potions which are used for wonderful reasons, and the there is Juliet. All Elise tries to and wants is to have a happy life with her doctor husband, Keiran. She has recently lost her beloved mother and very soon finds life is not the life she has been living. Thankfully, she is friends with her neighbor, Chantal, and together they forge a way to find answers to questions about Keiran. Never underestimate the  power of woman! Thank you #NetGalley #ThePoisonGarden #LakeUnionPublishing

Thrilling book.
I really enjoyed this one, the characters were stuck with me even when I had to tear myself away from its pages . 
I found myself going over and over this book in my head  trying to work out the plot, the twist and turns. 
Unlike some mystery or thrillers I nevere felt I had missed something, or skipped some text, it flowed so well and kept my attention completely until the final pages and beyond. 

Banner is a gifted writer and this is not the first book I've enjoyed by her. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elise Watters is full of excitement as she returns home to celebrate her first wedding anniversary to her second husband, a successful doctor. Her life appears perfect - living on a small island off the coast of Washington, running her late mother’s business, and happily married. 

However, her idyllic life soon comes crashing down when she comes home early to surprise her husband. Elise begins to question her whole life. Is her husband the man she thought she knew? Was her mother trying to warn her of something? Elise begins to wonder what she is capable of and who to trust. Is she giving in to paranoia, or are her fears legitimate?

The Poison Garden was an OK read; it moved quick and I was mostly engaged with trying to figure out the story. There were too many red herrings, however, and I felt like the story was over and then it was drug out and ANOTHER person actually was behind all the bad stuff. I think it could have been a little shorter and wrapped up in a more believable way.

The main character gets very annoying 20% through with her paranoid inner monologue. More character to character dialogue would have been a good fix for this story.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Poison Garden
By A. J. Banner

This gem of a suspense novel was terrific fun to read.  I think that A.J. Banner's writing is under-rated in the psychological suspense genre..  This is my second book that I have read and reviewed by her and I can't wait to read her two remaining books that I am going to enjoy as soon as time permits.  This latest installment by her was taut and had fast paced tempo that kept me riveted and captivated from the very beginning throughout the entire novel.

At must approximately around 200 pages, if anything it was tpo short.  I was disappointed that it ended so soon and I really wanted more reading pleasure.  That to me is the sign of a great book.  She has two more published that I haven't read that I will be getting to as soon as time permits.  

Thank you to Net Galley, A.J. Banner, and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book to read. I’m not sure what my thoughts are on this one. It was a really quick read and I finished it in a night. The book moved at a fast pace, which I really enjoyed.  On the other hand though, some of the events that happened were over the top. A few times it made me roll my eyes when something would happen. All in all though it was an enjoyable read! I think I would settle on ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

Title: Poison Garden
 
Author: A. J. Banner
 
Stars: 2
 
This book I really struggled with. I tried so hard to love this one and I have heard so many wonderful things from fellow reviewers, however this just wasn't the right book for me. I struggled with relating to any of the characters, I was looking for some more depth in the relationships, particularly in the romantic aspect. I also found things to be too far fetched for me, particularly with the ending. I enjoyed the concept of the garden being used to make natural tinctures and medicines, however I found the sleepwalking and sorting through the mothers diary to be too farfetched. All that said, I would still recommend this book to anyone who has been a fan of the author in the past or who is looking for a light read with some truly wild twists and turns.

2 Stars- The Poison Garden by AJ Banner
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Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing
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What I liked: I am not quite sure to be honest. I didn't totally dislike it, but honestly it just wasn't that good. Especially after I liked Banner's last book.
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What I didn't: The plot was very clunky and for 208 pages there were too many twists. None of the twists felt fully fleshed out nor did the plot seem believable due to all of these. It was too much in a such a short punch. The main character was a hot mess and had zero grip on anything.

This book was a huge let-down. The story is unrealistic and all over the place. The characters don’t feel like real people. Elise is whiny and needy and got onto my nerves immediately. The book is very short and it felt like it was rushed. 
This is my second book from the author and I think it would be my last. There are a lot of 4-5 stars reviews out there so it is probably me not liking her writing style.

The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner is a slow paced story with so many twists and turns and suspenseful moments that will keep readers easily engaged.

Elise Waters is happily married to a local doctor, just about to celebrate their wedding anniversary and she decides to surprise him by coming home early from a business trip, only to find him in their bed with another woman.
Devastated by his betrayal she throws him out of her house only to have him reappear again. She asks her ex husband, who is a contractor working on a next door neighbor's house to change the locks. 
Elise keeps having this blackouts where she doesn't know what she's done and where she's been.
She thinks her husband is trying to kill her an inherit her money, but the local policeman isn't able to help her out without any evidence.
Lonely, scared and utterly confused she is trying to find her way out of the dangerous web she's found herself in but it's immensely hard as no one and nothing is what is seems.

I have to say that at times the book was so confusing that it was really hard for me to follow. There was simply too much of everything and it was spinning out of control. Everyone had secret agenda but it was so convoluted that it was impossible to follow the story.
There were twists and turns and twists and turns on top of twists and turns.
Some things were simply left unexplained.

It is a good idea but the mystery was not well presented. 
I liked that it was very suspenseful and dark.
The end was not surprising but that didn't ruin the story for me.

THE POISON GARDEN is a book that has a twisted and fast-paced plot.  It is a suspense tale about a woman who is married to a man who is unfaithful.  Returning from a trip to the mainland, Elise inherited a small fortune from her mother when she died and married her mom’s physician Dr. Kieran Lund. Ready to celebrate her first anniversary, Elise is caught unaware when she walks in on a very disturbing scene.  She continues to run her mother’s herbal remedies garden and pharmacy while dealing with the infidelity of her husband and his pleas to be accepted again.  This is a domestic thriller like no other!  It will keep the reader up late trying to find out what Elise decides to do about her marriage and her life in general.  There are other very important characters, including Elise’s neighbor and friend Chantal and her ex-husband Brandon.  All play an extremely important role in bringing this book to a satisfying and surprising conclusion.  Fans of domestic suspense with some psychological drama thrown in will love this book!  I know that I did!  It is basically a clean read, although there is some violence although it is not graphically described so it is not off-putting.

Thank you to NetGalley, A,J. Banner and Lake Union Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Elise Watters seems to have it all; a loving marriage, a large beautiful house with lavish gardens and a dream job running her mother’s boutique. But one Elise’s first wedding anniversary, she discovers something that will turn her life upside down. She begins to doubt everything and everyone that she knows and she is forced to wonder if paranoia is getting the worst of her.

I needed something to keep my attention after my latest book slump and I’ll tell you that this one definitely did. Right from the beginning there are shocks for the main character and you are left feeling terrible for Elise and wondering what she did to deserve this. I loved how she lived on a little island in the cutest little house and I could just picture the boutique and the gardens! I loved the many shocks that we receive throughout this novel and I wouldn’t have been able to guess most of them! Definitely another page turned by Banner!

Out October 22nd!

Too much of a soap opera to be a real thriller, but a good beach read.  Nice island atmosphere, stock characters.

eARC provided by publisher.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Poison Garden" by A.J. Banner, Lake Union, Oct. 2019

WOW! A.J. Banner, Author of "The Poison Garden" has written an intense, intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, and page-turning novel. The Genres for this novel are Psychological Thriller, Psychological Suspense, Mystery, and Fiction.  There are twists and turns, betrayals, danger, and murder. This is a thought-provoking novel and has some gaslighting moments. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the events or characters. The author describes her dramatic characters as complicated, complex, manipulative, and psychologically unbalanced.

Elise Watters is a pharmacist that has taken over the responsibilities of her deceased mother's herbal gardens. Elise is extremely comfortable and wealthy.  She is now married to a doctor, who is her second husband. For her first wedding anniversary, Elise gets quite an unexpected traumatic surprise. Elise now questions everything and everyone. Somehow, Elise manages to sleepwalk and is not aware of her actions and activity. The people closest to her try to convince her that they are there to help her. Do you really believe that?

I would highly recommend this thrilling and chilling novel for those readers who enjoy a psychological challenge!

A really interesting, highly gripping thriller, with fascinating characters and a fast pace. My heart was pounding as I read, desperately trying to work out what was going on.

I own every book by A.J. Banner and yet again this is why. A very well written thriller that keeps you guessing. Obsession, deception and an unputdownable domestic thriller that will be a one sitting read because of the fast paced and captavating ride and a satisfying ending. Bravo. Loved it.

The Poison Garden is a fast-paced, compelling and chilling book. When Elise catches her husband in bed with another woman, it sends her life and her psyche spiraling out of control. Add in an obsessed ex-husband, a mysterious journal left written by her deceased mother, and a deadly plant, and you get a twisty, heart-pounding story. The setting adds an unsettling atmosphere as we follow Elise on a roller coaster of emotions, devotion, paranoia, and revenge.