This book was a slow starter for me but made up for it in the quick pace of the second half.
The story is told from both the perspective of the mistress and the wife which gave us the advantage of two very different perspectives on the same situation.
This story was dark and gritty and I very much enjoyed the twists.

Chilling, Compelling Domestic Suspense.....
Domestic suspense, both chilling and compelling. Storytelling is convincing and told from an effective dual perspective, characters credible and twists and turns aplenty along the way. A satisfying read.

I’m already a big fan of Jill’s books and know that I’m in for a good read whenever a new one comes out. This was yet another humdinger of a story. Told in two parts – the first being from the point of view of Laura, the mistress and secondly from the perspective of Helen the wronged wife. The man in the middle of all of this is Ralph, a charismatic man who loves poetry, the arts and women! Starting dramatically with the death of Ralph, (or was it murder?) and then the collaboration between the two women to dispose of his body and then attempt to carry on as if nothing has happened, adding to the general belief that he ‘just went missing’.  The women react in very different ways to losing Ralph, his mistress being completely broken by it, the wife appearing much stronger and able to cope. Was she hiding something? There were some very creepy and scary moments in the book which escalate as the story progresses. I read long into the night to discover all of the secrets and conclusions to this gripping story and the shocking revelation at the end was magnificent.  Definitely a full five stars from me for this fabulous book. My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the final page! A really great read, well written characters that I was interested in. Loved it.

I always find it funny that in most books regarding a wife and a mistress finding out about the other, that the mistress gets the blame - not the husband, and so it follow in this story too. Ralph is the epitome of a Lothario and when his wife comes home to find that his mistress has pushed him down the cellar stairs where he lies dead, it is Laura ( mistress) who gets all the anger from Helen (wife).  The story is told from both sides by the women in two parts and without revealing anything, there is something quite obvious to the reader by the end of part one, however as you continue with the story, the end will certainly surprise you.  First time of reading Jill Childs and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review independently.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Mistress. WOW!! I didn’t like the beginning at all and I was going to stop it since it seemed like it should’ve been the ending but Jill Childs obviously knew what she was doing.  What a great book!!! The main character really was despicable but what an ending!  Loved having a good read on a rainy day.

Laura Dixon is a plain-Jane type of school teacher who lives a very quiet life and basically keeps to herself.  She develops a crush on another teacher, Ralph Wilson, who teaches a writing class for people interested in poetry and Shakespeare.   Laura did not know Ralph was married and then things take many twists and turns when Ralph tries to break it off with Laura.   The first half of the book is from Laura's point of view and the second half from Helen Wilson, Ralph's wife's point of view.   I actually liked the second half of the book much better than the first half.  This book was very well written with the characters all well developed and likeable.    Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this edge-of-the seat book in exchange for an honest review.

Usually when a book starts with a defining event e.g a murder I lose interest in the remainder of the book as it can be predictable. This book however had constant surprises with one half of the book from "The Mistress" point of view and the other half from the wronged wifes point of view. The ending seemed a bit out there but it was still a good read and did leave me gripped until the end.

I really enjoy books by this talented author and I can certainly recommend this one.  Extremely well written with good characters, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and had a great ending to a brilliant book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Mistress was a really fun read full of twists and turns.  I loved it!  The author gave us two main characters that were fully developed and interesting.  Very well written.  READ THIS BOOK!  You won't be disappointed.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I loved reading The Mistress by Jill Childs. Page 1 I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down until I knew how the story ended. The Mistress is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time with one of the biggest twists I’ve seen!

The Mistress is a thrilling story, with plenty of twists and turns! 

Laura Dixon is a teacher, who is having an affair with fellow teacher, married man, Ralph Wilson. 
When their relationship started, Laura had no idea that Ralph was married and had a daughter too, but she soon found out. Laura believed Ralph’s story that things weren’t good between him and his wife. She forgave him and continued the affair as she was madly in love with him to the extent of being obsessed with him. 

However, some time later Ralph told Laura that he wanted to end their relationship and Laura was obviously very upset. One night she was at his house, (while his wife has no idea that she was there), and got into a heated argument with him. She accidentally pushed him down the cellar stairs in a crime of passion, and ended up killing him.

In a twist of fate, Ralph’s wife Helen saw this happen and was in shock. She said she would take care of the situation and asked Laura not to mention anything to anyone as it would cause disgrace for her and her daughter Anna, due to her husband’s cheating, and the way he died. Laura was extremely shaken up and terrified but agreed, as she had committed a crime and didn’t want to get caught. 

Then, things get strange for Laura as she starts getting mysterious messages from an unknown number, which seem like Ralph contacting her from the grave. 

Half the story is told from Laura’s perspective and the other half is from Helen’s point of view. In this way, we get a more in depth view of the main characters, and can actually feel for them and sympathize with them as well. 

The backstory of both characters is well developed and we get a chance to see how both women started their relationship with Ralph, in flashbacks throughout the book. 

Let me just say that the story goes into places that you will not expect and it will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages in anticipation. 

I would definitely recommend this book for people who like the mystery, thriller and suspense genres! 

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.

The beginning drops us right in the middle of the action! 

Once we have had time to take a breather, the book turns in a romantic story when we are taken back in time. The charming husband forgets about his wedding vows and acts like he is still a happy single. But often things are not what they seem and it becomes clear very fast that it's also true here...

The author knows how to add some passages that are creepy with capital C that had chills running down my spine. How I love that!

Once a cheater, always a cheater apparently and you keep on doing it until that final drop hits the bucket and makes it overflow, because that's when the cat and the mouse change roles...

Playing mind games can be fun until you are on the receiving end. I loved this book and give it 5 stars without a doubt.

Thank you, Jill Childs and Bookouture

Everyone who works at the school knows that Ms. Dixon is infatuated with Ralph. Ralph's wife also knows. Poor Ms. Dixon has not heard from him in months until one evening when she receives a text from him. Their affair is rekindled and what happens next is a thrilling story of what those who love someone will do to protect them. Ms. Dixon spends the next months in despair broken hearted and sick over her involvement in the cover up about what happened to Ralph. Ralph's wife slowly uncovers the mystery of the man she was married to and this book takes the reader on an adventure into deception, cold blooded calculation, and heartache. Really good thriller with lots of twists and turns and changes. Once mean and vindictive the wife uses her courage to become a hero in this novel of deception. Look for publication date Sept. 14, 2020. Thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me to read and review #NetGalley#TheMistress.

Laura knew that work romances (particularly affairs with a married man) never worked. In fact they were doomed... Ralph - a teacher at the school she worked at. managed to charm her and led Laura into a (selfish?) affair. She became infatuated with Ralph, in fact.

Ralph had both - a wife, Helen, and a daughter, Anna. This, of course, adding to the complexity of Laura's feelings. Yet, Laura fell in love with Ralph.

Things were fine until Ralph dumps her. Still obsessed with him, Laura is shocked when she receives a text from Ralph to meet him at his house! Another chance! Was he ready to dump his family for Laura?

A divided perspective - particularly in the last half of this read - is wonderfully worked out. This is the type of book that will grab the reader in from the start!

Plenty of suspense!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a wonderful read!

Wow! The Mistress, by Jill Child’s, is awesome! Just when you think you have things figured out, another twist! Rich characters drive a well crafted storyline.

I love any thriller with multiple povs and unreliable narrators,such as this one. also,the first chapter itself was so intriguing.
The book is well written and the plot is well thought-out. i was able to guess the ending though,but maybe that is because i have read far too many thrillers than someone should. 
This book also has an open cliffhanger style ending..which just plays with my mind.

I loved the dual perspective of this, getting Laura's version, the mistress, and then the wife's version at the end. And that first chapter? Wow.  It truly pulled you in. 

While I was able to guess at what had really happened, I couldn't figure out the how or why.  It had me guessing and I was definitely wrong each time a new twist would come along. It had my heart pounding at times, especially towards the end. I felt almost as if I needed to watch my back and listen for someone sneaking along the house. 

I did think it ended too soon. I wanted a little more from it. For instance, who was Mike, really? I have my own theories but I hate that I'll never know. Though, I guess from the last line, my theory is probably correct.  Either way, I'd love to have just a little more from it for closure.  And of course, my heart broke for Laura and Meghan. All the women, really. Each of them had their lives ruined by Ralph. No female in that story ended up not being messed up by him, in some way.

Ms. Dixon is enthralled with Ralph. His voice when he reads poetry is so sultry. It touches something deep inside her being. She is in love with him. Then she finds out about Helen. His wife and Anna, his little daughter. She knows it's wrong to continue but it's too late by the time she finds out he's married with a family she's fallen in love. He says he loves her too. He knows how to pull the strings. She won't hear from him for days at a time. She begs for another chance. She tells him she's sorry for pushing.  Then he reels her back in. Until she finally snaps. She shoves him, next thing she knows he's in the cellar with his body bent at impossible angles. It may have been an accident, but his wife Helen has just walked in the door.
Twists and turns that keep you occupied to the very end!!

Ooh, this book starts with an action where there is no turning back, a life changer of the highest order, and I found myself thinking, “Laura - what the hell happens next? Nooo!” And that was all in the first few pages. 

I loved the school and home settings, they were so authentically written and I feel as though we have all known a Ralph at least once in out life. Helen appeared as normal as can be, and Laura, her emotional expressions were unnerving and I felt the weight of her descent. Then the other characters came cleverly into play.

This story was a web that got more intricate as I read on until the metaphorical spider came for its meal. Did the spider devour everything or was there a bit of light left? This is a no spoiler review so you’ll have to decide for yourself. All I can say is I didn’t expect that to happen?

A steady psychological thriller with surprises, perfect for lovers of this genre. I really enjoyed this book!