The Second Marriage - Jess Ryder

 ‘They’re lying,’ my little stepson whispers, his blue eyes shining with tears as I tuck him into bed for the first time. ‘They think I’ve forgotten, but I remember everything. I know my mummy is still alive.’

My best friend warned me that it was too soon to marry Edward, a widower with an adorable but troubled little boy. She said we were moving too fast. But all I could see was a kind, loving man, struggling with grief, who needed my help.

Yet as storm clouds gather above our small wedding ceremony, my hopes and dreams fall apart. None of my husband’s family turn up to support us. Instead of a honeymoon, we have a quiet night in. My wedding bouquet is placed on his first wife’s grave. And then my new stepson tells me he’s sure his mother is still alive.

What does Noah remember and why is his father trying to make him forget? Have I been completely wrong about my husband? What happened to the woman who came before me, and how far will he go to stop me finding out the truth?

An utterly unputdownable, gripping, twisty psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Before I Go To Sleep, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

Author Bio:

Jess Ryder is the pseudonym of Jan Page, author, screenwriter, playwright and award-winning television producer. After many years working in children’s media, she has recently embarked on a life of crime. Writing, that is. So she’s very excited about the publication of her debut thriller Lie to Me. Her other big love is making pots.

https://www.facebook.com/JessRyderAuthor/

https://twitter.com/jessryderauthor

Buy Links:

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Audible:

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Listen to a sample here:
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My Review

The Second Marriage by Jess Ryder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Second Marriage is a thriller that I just couldn't put down. It opens with Lily being proposed to by her employer and boss, Edward. After she began working for him, they had a whirlwind romance, despite the age difference of fifteen years. Once she begins to settle into married life however Lily begins to wonder if Edward is all that he seems to be and what really went on in his life before she arrived on the scene.
I enjoyed this gripping read. Lily is a little to trusting at times, certainly far more than I would be, but perhaps she needs to be in order to move the story along. There is plenty here for her to find out, with quite a few surprises as the story unfolds. Nothing as it first seems in her life with Edward and it isn't long before Lily finds herself questioning everything that he has told her.
The only thing that slightly annoyed me with this book was that forty-five was made out to be really old a couple of times. Yes, Edward is old for Lily as a partner, but the idea that he was too old to have an eight-year-old son or that Noah (said son) was a late in life baby, just seemed really strange. He would have been 38 when his son was born. (The average age for first-time fathers in the UK in 2019 was just under 34.)
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

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