My Lovely Wife

. . . on many different levels, with numerous elements at play here. Karma, no doubt, at least at first, before the real reality kicks in. Jealousy, guilt, control all the classic human "charms". A solid storyline with more than breathable characters, this book was an epitome page turner. My first read by Samantha Downing and I'm sure it won't be my last. Read this book, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Now that I've come to the end of this <b>4 Star</b> Thriller, I'm just sitting here with my mouth dropped open thinking "holy crap!" What a mind blowing, twisted, disturbing plot.<b>SUMMARY</b>Before I get into the plot, it needs to be said that I was so absorbed in the story, it wasn't until I began to write this review that I noticed author, Samantha Downing, never actually gave us the name of main character / narrator. Such a clever, strategic move.Millicent, her nameless husband (we will refer to him as Nameless from here on), and their children, Rory and Jenna seem to be living a nearly ideal life. They live in <i><b>the</i></b> neighborhood in Orlando; a prestigious, gated golf course, country club community. Millicent is one of the top real estate agents in the area, Nameless is a tennis pro at the country club and their children are happy, healthy teenagers.Millicent runs a tight ship; homemade organic dinners made every night, no cell phones allowed at daily family dinners, no junk food, homework done immediately after school and no one in the family would have the nerve to argue!Sound pretty upstanding and proper? They sure seem to be! Unless you happened to know the shocking, terrible secret Nameless and Millicent share; they enjoy killing young women! Yep, you heard that right! The perfect couple next door has added a little spice to their lives by becoming serial killers. Forget taking dancing lessons or sneaking off to a hotel for date nights, the only activity they truly enjoy sharing is painstakingly planning and then executing the kidnapping and murder of a carefully chosen young, female victim. It's pretty twisted.Not surprisingly, as things escalate, their hobby begins to create issues for the family. Who could have foreseen that? The first half of the book is pretty fascinating but the second half really got me. I could not out it down!<b>WHAT I LOVED</b>The most impressive part of this book is that it's author, Samantha Downings, first novel. Wow!! I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next. If her next book is anywhere near as good as this one, she will be added to my favorite list. I cannot forget to mention the cover. Loved it! It really sets the tone for the book.The plot was fascinating! I loved the way I was led little by little into their world, given little tidbits of information explaining how they got into this "hobby."The character development was spot on! I have referred to this book as "mind blowing." The parts that really messed with my mind were related to the characters. I did not fail to notice the irony of how people who took such good care of their children; worrying about every aspect of their lives, could actually kill someone for the sheer fun of it. These serial killers were so darn normal in that way. I cannot stop thinking about the way Downing "conditioned" me to compartmentalize the crazy murdering side of Millicent and Nameless so that there were times when I forgot how sick the whole thing was. When they were at home parenting their children, it was easy to forget. There were many times throughout the book when I actually hoped they would get away with everything so their kids would be able to continue their lives with these caring parents. At one point, I actually chose a side, going with the lesser of the evils and completely rationalized the behavior of one of the two of them, forgiving their role in the whole horrifying mess. Yes, it was that well plotted.<b>WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE</b>While there is not any legitimate explanition as to why anyone would choose to kill strangers, I never really felt like there was a convincing reason why Nameless for into it. I also do not u understand why, if nameless was as into Millicent as he claims to be (and he spends a LOT time talking about how much he adored her), why h cheated on the first place. It didn't fit with his singular dedication to her and obsession with her.<b>OVERALL</b>Although this is a fairly dark story with some level of disturbing content, it's not overtly graphic. I wouldn't recommend it for young adult readers or people who are pretty squeamish. Again, not bad, but there is a certain amount of grossness to it.

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored. We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with. We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.My Thoughts: Our first-person narrator is the husband in My Lovely Wife, and in a little game he is playing with his wife, he identifies himself as Tobias when he meets potential prey. He also claims to be deaf.At first, we are unclear about the nature of the game. But slowly we learn more, and even come to understand the origins of the events that transpire. Or at least we think we do.As the story moves along, with all the expected twists and turns, I know that I didn’t anticipate how things would play out. I should have known, as there were red flags waving all over the place.Millicent, the wife, seems a little too put together and willing. So agreeable. So lovely, if you will. Could she be the person she seems to be?The pace quickened shortly after the real game was revealed, and near the end, I was rapidly turning pages, with one hope in mind. Probably not the hope you are imagining, but sometimes the best kind of denouement is for one “bad” person to win out over the other. 5 stars.

I don’t even know how to review this. I sensed the twist that was coming a little less than halfway through. However, the implications and the way it played out (especially the last 20% of the novel), were really great.Ok, so we know the premise. Husband and wife’s idea of foreplay is killing women. But this story is not that simple. Aside from being killers, this couple also have 2 kids and a community with which they are involved. So there’s a house of cards effect that takes place as the couple’s actions impact their family and those around them. There are also issues related to communication and trust within the couple’s dynamic. I keep saying the couple because I don’t think we ever get the husband’s real name (though he is the only narrator). Not having the husband’s name was cool because it gave a sort of removed effect to the reading. The wife’s name is Millicent, which appropriately reminded me of Maleficent.There were things that I’m sure were supposed to be a big reveal, but I didn’t experience any twists or surprises. Nevertheless, this is an interesting and fun ride, in that amoral, “killing people is wrong but it’s the whole plot line so let’s just see how this all plays out” sort of way. At one point toward the end, I also found myself sort of, kind of, almost rooting for a scurrilous character. The lesser of two evils.The ending was a miss for me; it’s the reason for 3 stars instead of 4. I mean, I get it. It makes sense, it’s clever in a twisted sort of way. It’s on brand with the rest of the story. It just didn’t float my boat because it seemed to contradict earlier character explanations. Also, heads up to the fact that this novel has a quiet sort of feel to it, which could make it feel like a slow burn. I don’t mind this approach when the narrator is easy to follow and the chapters are short (which is the case with this book).

I loved this book! It had me guessing to the very end and I was shocked!! Definitely a great thriller!

Apaixonada por esse livro, é muito fácil de entender, diria que é uma leitura pre-intermediate. Além de ser envolvente e ter personagens bem intrigantes.

this book fascinated me from the beginning. there are lots of twists, lots of weird and dark storylines and the action is going under your skin. The style is easy to read but not simple, so it's a pleasure and a thrill to read. It's a pageturner you can't put down easily. great.

My Lovely Wife is everything I was hoping it would be !Throughout my entire read, I was thinking that someone should call to report Samantha Downing as a nut bar because whoa --- dark and twisted writing and I'm here for it !!!Told from the pint of view of get this - the husband who's name is never mentioned...we are taking into the evil doings of Millicient , the evil wife, who clearly dictates the rules of the game !The hubby participates in violent acts against unsuspecting women but it is Millicent who ends up with blood on her hands.What we , the reader witness is a major train wreck that we can't look away from. Such a compulsive read. I couldn't even believe what I was reading and yet I just had to keep going.When I got to chapter 60 I plowed through the rest right up to the very last word and I was like whoa !!!!!No way ?? what ??? what an evil, conniving, genius and manipulative spouse to set up the other in this way....Well played ...The last quarter grabs you and you hold your breath in anticipation of the end !!!Absolutely devoured this book and can not wait to read more from this author. Happy reading !

Clever plot that keeps you engaged.A couple of twists and turns.

Need a twisting and unexpected end? Need excitement and a one day reading novel, this Is your book, the debut of this author deserves more than 5 stars and a movieI loved ever single page, incensed you open this Be ready to spend the rest of the day attached to this piece