Well this was a dark, disturbing and crazy story. Two psychopaths married to each other. Unlikable characters.

I loved this story and yes I did read the best day ever. This could be a stand alone but it's preferred you read the best day ever first.

A definite recommend

Thanks Bookouture and Netgalley
All thoughts are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else.

✨ Review ✨

@kairarouda always delivers fun thrillers and The Second Mrs. Strom is no exception!

We first meet Paul Strom in Best Day Ever (if you haven’t read it yet, this is your cue to pick it up ASAP!) and I’m so glad we get more of him in this book. While you can read The Second Mrs. Strom as a standalone, you’re going to want to read Best Day Ever because it’s awesome. And that’s all I’m going to say about the story- this is a book you should just jump into and enjoy :)

While I’m keeping my lips sealed about the plot, here are a few reasons I loved the book:
🌼 Unlikable characters with lots of personality. Not saying I’d be friends with most of them … but they are delightfully readable
🌸 Epic mind games
🌼 Shady morals
🌸 Snarky sociopaths
🌼 Dual narration and POVs

I know I’m in for the best kind of wild ride whenever I pick up a book by Kaira Rouda.

Don’t forget to join the squad @thrillerbookloversthepulse and add #thesecondmrsstrom to your #augusttbr . In the meantime, head to @goodreads and check out her backlist!

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for the arc to read and review.

🔲📚𝙴-𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠📚🔲

"𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲."

"ᵗʳʸⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ʳᵉᵃᵈ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵇᵒᵒᵏˢ. ⁱᵗ'ˢ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵒᵘ, ʳᵉᵃᵈⁱⁿᵍ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱᵗ ᵒᵖᵉⁿˢ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵐⁱⁿᵈ.... ᵀʰᵉʳᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ᵇᵒᵒᵒˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶜᵃⁿ ʰᵉˡᵖ ʸᵒᵘ ᶠⁱᵍᵘʳᵉ ᵒᵘᵗ ʷʰʸ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃʸ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʷʰʸ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵖᵃʳᵗⁿᵉʳ ⁱˢ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃʸ ʰᵉ ⁱˢ."

"ᴹᵘʳᵈᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵃʸʰᵉᵐ ᵃʳᵉ ˢᵒ ᵃᵖᵖᵉᵃˡⁱⁿᵍ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿᵃˡ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ"

I finished reading this in half day. It's dragging at first and the plot keeps going around in circles. It makes slow progress halfway, although the twists and turns are somewhat predictable.

What i like about this book is the 2nd Mrs Strom's way of dealing Paul. I like how Cecilia bullies Paul, her sarcasm is over the top, Paul doesn't know what struck him 🤣

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘳𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘮 by @kairarouda
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date: 16 Aug 2024
⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you @bookouture @netgalley for this copy.

#TheSecondMrsStrom #NetGalley #ARCReview
#mysterybooks #mystery #thrillerbooks #thriller #psychologicalthriller #kindle #kindleoasis #strapsickle

Who loves a good psychopathic sociopath? Anyone? Just me? Okay then. Wow this was a killer read! I went in blind because that way I'm extra extra surprised when it comes to the twists and turns and the BIG KAHUNA of the piece de resistance 👏👏👏 Well done Kaira! Just when I think the last book by you I read was amazing? BOOM💥💥💥 you come out ablaze aglory and your fists swinging. I had read Best Day Ever way back and was excited to see there was a sequel featuring Paul Strom and his new wide. I'm actually gonna re-read Best Day Ever and then re-read The Next Mrs. Strom. Why? Because 95% of the time I forget what I read so it's like I'm reading the book again for the first time.

I haven't read the first book but I felt like I knew enough to explore the growing tension in this relationship that made this a read that kept me hooked.

Can you get mad at an author when the bad things you want to have happen don't but they are replaced by other bad things? That was me and this book. Maybe I shouldn't have read it back to back with the first book. I had leftover feelings to get out. Better than the first book, I liked that we got more points of view than just Paul. He was hurting my head! But I didn't like that the timeline bounced around. It wasn't just two timelines but an interweaving of various points in the past with the current. The look backs were generally done to explain something that was taking place in the present, but it still got a little confusing at time. And, of course, the excessive epilogue wasn't a favorite of mine. I want a short wrap up not a drawn out explanation. But, it did hint for another book in the series. Maybe then the bad things I wanted to have happen will get to take place?

This is a dark and twisted story about a married couple who seem to have it all. However, underneath the surface, nothing is as it seems and no one is telling the truth. Told from two different perspectives and two different timelines, The Second Mrs Strom combines Paul’s narrative in the present with Cecilia’s narrative at a variety of points in her past.

I’m not sure either character are particularly likeable but I did enjoy their vocal sparring and Paul’s reaction to the changes in Cecilia’s behaviour. The development of their dynamic against Paul’s inner dialogue made for an interesting read which kept you turning page after page to see where their story ends. As there is no doubt that it is ending, the question is when, where, and how.

When everyone is lying and have ulterior motives, who can you trust?

Was this my favourite book? No. But it was a solid summer read that kept me gripped until the final page.

Well, alrighty then! I had previously read and enjoyed Best Day Ever. I did not realize the is a continuation of that story. How cool!! Extremely wealthy Paul is newly married to Cecelia, a former foster child. She can't believe her luck at marrying this wonderful man. Or is he? For that matter, is she a wonderful woman? This was a fun, quick read, much like all of Kaira Rouda's books. I don't want to give too much away so I will just leave it at that! This can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading Best Day Ever first for a true feel of the characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kaira Rouda and Bookouture for this ARC.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication day.

The tension starts with a simmer...and keeps building and building until EVERYTHING comes to a boil. Absolutely gripping! Read in two sittings!

Paul, Cecilia, and a diary tell this tale of a couple with secrets. I missed the first book but that didn't matter as Rouda establishes early on that there's something not quite right about Paul, who more or less swept Cecilia off her feet after their meeting at a-wait for it- funeral. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Some of this is a tad predictable, other parts not so much but it's a good read.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

I approached The Second Mrs. Strom without realizing it was a sequel, which may have impacted my experience. Without the context of the prior book, I found Paul’s character less intriguing than others who were familiar with his backstory. This left me somewhat disconnected from the emotional stakes of the story.

The book itself was largely predictable, with only one early twist offering any real surprise. Unfortunately, the predictability was compounded by the fact that the plot often felt far-fetched, and none of the characters were particularly likable or engaging—there wasn’t even one of those love-to-hate characters to latch onto.

One issue that stood out was the repetition in the narrative. Paul’s repeated bouts of illness from the rich sauces became almost a running gag, but not in a good way—it felt more like being hit over the head with the same detail again and again.

Overall, The Second Mrs. Strom didn’t quite work for me, finding it largely in unmemorable. Though, I suspect fans of the first book may have a different take.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

The plot of this book had me intrigued so I was excited to read it- I did not, however, realize that this was a sequel. I definitely would have read the first book before diving into this one if I had realized. I really liked the writing style and the changing POVs in this book. A super quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

he Best Day Ever as the best book I have ever read. Which is saying a lot. I had just read-read it prior to reading this book- something I never do re-reading a book! This book continues the story of the “troubled” Paul Strom. He is married and rich after inheriting a lot of money from an older woman. His new wife Cecelia has her own special issues in the past. She was a foster child who got replaced and had a lot to friends and family questionable motives for being married to a multi millionaire. The book is told in the usual addicting way where you don’t know who is fooling whom. It is so satisfying to read yet another of Ms Rouda’s gems! Bravo!

Paul has patiently been beside Esther's side, an elderly women who relied on Paul for companionship, until she took her final breath. Finally, he can get his hands on her outrageous fortune. But at Esther's memorial service, he spots someone so beautiful, it takes his breath away. Cecilia helped design the programs for Esther's memorial, and she ends up leaving designs on Paul's heart..
Beautifully written

This is a quick thriller under 300 pages that will keep you on your toes.

Paul and Cecelia are in Paris for their one year wedding anniversary. What they both don’t know is they each have their own secrets for this trip.

This was a quick read. I was able to easily fly through it and stay interested in the story line. We get 3 POVs from Paul, Cecelia and mysterious dairy entries.

This isn’t a super twisty book that will leave you gasping at every turn but it still had some good twist coming towards the end.

What I do want to know is more about Paul’s first marriage. We get some information about how he left her and took his kids but that’s it.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 289
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone.

I absolutely loved this novel! I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. It was like peeling away layers of each one of the characters. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I realized I hadn't.

All of Paul's plans are working out. He's inherited a fortune. He's met the girl of his dreams, Cecilia, whom he can mold to his specifications. Cecilia has plans of her own. It's a Battle Royale for a 1st wedding anniversary celebration.

One of the best books I've ready this summer. I have not read this first book so I feel it reads well as a standalone. A big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy.,

Paul inherits a fortune from his first wife, an elderly woman that he dated for a year. He met his new wife at the funeral for her and they began their whirlwind romance and quickly wed. But Paul is keeping many secrets from his new wife and he suspects that she has a few of her own.
They make it to their first anniversary and decide to celebrate with a trip to Paris to enjoy the best the city has to offer, topping it off with an elegant dinner at the Eiffel Tower with neither of them knowing that the other has plans for how the night is going to end.
The story takes place over the course of the day and from the POV of both Paul and Cecilia but both characters are quite vile and hard to root for, but such as the author intended I believe.
I was able to listen to the audiobook and read the ebook and while I enjoyed that experience, I have to say that the male narrator was much better than the female.

I didn't realize this was a sequel at first, and think it would be helpful to read Best Day Ever first to have a bit more backstory on Paul.
Overall this is a decent thriller - greed, narcissistic main character, revenge, all the things that make a story suck you in quickly!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The Second Mrs. Strom By Kaira Rouda

A Slow Burn with a Satisfying Payoff

If you're a fan of The Best Day Ever, The Second Mrs. Strom is a must-read. This sequel delves deeper into Paul's story, offering a slow-paced yet rewarding exploration of his character and the world around him.

The first quarter shines with its well-developed characters and immersive world-building, reminiscent of its predecessor. While the story initially unfolds at a leisurely pace, the payoff is well worth the wait. The explosive ending delivers a thrilling conclusion that will leave readers feeling the closure they've been seeking.

If you're seeking answers and resolution after the Best Day Ever, The Second Mrs. Strom is your ticket.

**Key Points:**

* Sequel to "The Best Day Ever"
* Slow-paced start with strong character development
* Explosive and satisfying ending
* Recommended for fans of the first book seeking closure

Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse for hooking me up with both the e-arc and the audio arc for review 🙏

#qotd Have you ever been to Paris?

#thesecondmrsstrom #kairarouda #bookreviews #thrillerbooklover #thepulse

Although I’m the person who will always insist you HAVE TO read the first book to be able to enjoy the sequel, this is not the case. The 2nd book gives enough insight into what happened during the 1st book, so you can jump aboard and devour the frosting only without eating the whole cake.
I kind of knew that Kaira Rouda is a skillful crafter of characters you love to hate passionately (think of the Kingsleys), but this book – it takes it to the next level and then cranks up the volume even more.
The entertainingly delusional owner of the world’s largest ego Paul Strom is back, and… he is horrible.
And the new Mrs. Strom? Yeah. They deserve each other and all the lovely things they do to each other.
It’s, like… what? WHAT? Crazy!