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It’s no secret that I’m a little obsessed with flight-based thrillers at the moment. I think I’ve read most of the new releases (that I’m aware of!). But I was thinking, perhaps I should take a mini-break from planes for a while. And then I saw this beauty – The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton – being discussed on the socials. I couldn’t help myself! A thriller based around cruise liners and an exclusive superyacht. I had to read The Ex-Husband. It called to me. And I loved every second of it.

Charlotte and Sam are a couple…and a couple of con-artists! They work the cruise liners, selecting wealthy targets, convincing them to part with large sums of their cash. Sam is a master of the con. Charlotte is learning the ropes but she’s a natural. She’s happy to do whatever it takes (within reason, of course) to achieve the lifestyle she believes they deserve. Plus, they’re not actually hurting anyone. Not really. Their targets are extremely wealthy so what does it matter if Charlotte and Sam siphon off a little for themselves. But not everything is perfect in paradise and tensions build between the couple, to the point where their marriage dissolves and they lose touch. Charlotte is trying to rebuild her life – on the straight and narrow – as an events planner when she discovers Sam has gone missing. Threatening anonymous messages begin to arrive. Could it be Sam trying to frighten her? Or one of their marks perhaps? She desperately tries to contact her ex-husband but to no avail. Someone knows what they did and they’re going to make Charlotte pay…

Absolutely flipping marvellous! I loved The Ex-Husband. With its pacey storyline, luxurious Caribbean setting and well-drawn characters, I became instantly hooked. It was the perfect escapist read for me. Whisking me off to the beauty and elegance of a superyacht on a tour of the islands. Granted, I’m not sure I would swap places with Charlotte as the situation she found herself in was quite hairy but I thoroughly enjoyed watching from afar and soaking up the opulence.

Charlotte is a great lead character and I enjoyed spending time in her company. She was perhaps a little naïve (they did nothing wrong, honest guv!) and her obsession with Sam was quite intense, despite their break-up, but I was rooting for her all the way. The other secondary characters all add to the story, leaving the reader constantly guessing who is behind the mysterious threats. There are plenty of possibilities, let me tell you! Who can Charlotte trust? Where exactly is Sam and how much danger is Charlotte in? Time is most definitely running out…

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the Caribbean with Charlotte and the crew of the Cleobella. The Ex-Husband is a twisty read which I was more than happy to lose myself in over a couple of sittings. I loved the impending sense of doom, the threat on the horizon the author conveyed and the way in which the tension builds as the clock ticks down. This is the first book I have read by this author but I can guarantee it won’t be the last. A well-written psychological thriller with a beautifully exotic feel which I adored. Fabulous escapism fiction, exactly what I needed. Highly recommended.

Charlotte and her husband Sam had an unsavoury past, living the lives of a con man. Charlotte planned on leaving him before things got out of hand. And then Sam disappeared. As Charlotte tries to create a new live, she discovers that her last may not be fully in the past. As she struggles to find answers and find her missing husband, she is pulled deeper back into the past.
Good read. Slow at the beginning, but as the plot unfolded, I was hooked.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Have pandemic restrictions kept you grounded this holiday season? How about an armchair travel on a luxury yacht or a cruise to a tropical destination? Hop aboard the Cleobella and see for yourself – paradise isn’t all it’s made out to be.

Sam and Charlotte set their sights on living the high life – villas and luxury yachts – but when their job on a cruise line doesn’t provide enough income to fund their dreams, they look for easier ways to make it happen! Convincing each other that their plan is harmless, they relieve wealthy cruise passengers of their money and expensive possessions. It’s going well until….it isn’t.

When they divorce, the reformed con-artist, Charlotte, starts up her own business. However, it isn’t long until she discovers that her past has come back to haunt her. She can ignore the menacing texts, but when the towel art on her bed takes on a sinister meaning, she realizes she’s trapped in paradise on a superyacht and a former victim is seeking revenge!

The author has crafted an intricately plotted narrative, stuffed it with glitz, glitter and glam, and just when readers are dazzled by the trappings of a luxury lifestyle, she pivots to show that everything isn’t as it seems. When the tension ramps and a foreboding atmosphere sets in, you’ll realize that being trapped on the high seas isn’t anything you’d like to experience. I was desperately flipping pages trying to find out who was behind the threats and why Sam dropped his nefarious gig so quickly. What happened to him? Who can Charlotte trust?

This domestic thriller is the perfect escapist read and needs to be on your radar come January 18, 2022.

I was gifted this advance copy by Karen Hamilton, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was really excited to read this book, but sadly it just didn't live up to expectations.

The Ex-Husband is split between two time frames - 'then' and 'now' - and tells the story of Charlotte. We learn that Charlotte meets Sam and is swept up into a whirlwind romance; the couple make their money by working together to con passengers on the cruise ship they both work on. In the present story, Sam has disappeared and is presumed dead, but Charlotte keeps getting little hints to suggest that he is still around, but are they clues or warnings?

I listened to the audiobook of this story and I thought that it started well, I was hooked from the first chapter. However, as it went on, I just found it a bit dull and honestly almost gave up on it numerous times. The story had potential but it just didn't hit the mark for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Charlotte and Sam started off small, but their lives as con artists grew exponentially. But, Charlotte intended on starting over - without Sam, the man that melted her heart. From cruise ship to luxury yacht, the pair developed the best cons. Now Sam is nowhere to be found, but Charlotte must go on.

With her newest job, that of a personal assistant on a smaller, yet incredibly luxurious cruise ship, Charlotte tries to go straight. That does not come easy for her as she begins to receive threatening notes. These notes prove that her past is not a secret. In fact, her very life might be at stake. Someone on the ship is out to get her, but who? And, what did happen to Sam?

Who is after Charlotte and what do they want from her? She is not sure she wants to know. In fact, this new job proves a good opportunity for her. She finds herself well suited to the job. If only her stalker would leave her alone.

Will Charlotte be able to stay straight and also find out what happened to Sam? Also, the cruise ship has a limited population so then the issue also means that someone she is in contact with might be the one after her. What a mystery this book is, especially as the story seamlessly blends together two timelines, that of the past and of the present. This engaging book was wrapped up with a fabulous conclusion.

Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A beautiful yacht in a tropical sea, a con artist surrounded by wealthy, beautiful people. A mystery to be solved. This was a premise that didn't live up to its classification as a thriller. The book moved a bit slowly and ventured back and forth from the present voyage to the main character's past with her husband, who was also a con artist. The ending was a bit unrealistic although I didn't guess who-dun-it. I liked this one but I didn't love it. Thank you Net Galley for the chance to review this one.

With The Ex-Husband, Karen Hamilton presents a riveting tale of crime and the rationalizations criminals make as they spiral deeper into their lives of lies and deceit. Charlotte, the main character who has been swept along in her boyfriend-turned-husband's schemes, tells herself they are only taking from those who deserve or can afford it, excusing her behaviour in such a way that the reader actually finds herself empathizing with her as the consequences of both her actions and those of her ex that she hadn't been aware of come home to roost.
The book is well-written and suspenseful, the cruise ship settings are intricate and often recognizable for those who have travelled, And the underlying warning to travellers concerning their security while away is one not to be taken lightly.
I did, however, find the ending to be abrupt after the detailed events that preceded it. It left me feeling like I'd missed something somehow.
I am grateful to #NetGalley. and @harpercollinsca for the advanced copy of #TheExHusband .

Karen Hamilton delivers one heck of a mystery, focused on two grifters who so cunningly lead their targets into trusting them all while they plan ways to steal. Centered on Charlotte as she reflects on the life she built with Sam, the ex-husband-to-be, and told in both past and present, the reader is plunged into a world of deception and greed. I love the way the story unfolds as Charlotte begins a new chapter of her life, one in which she is haunted and hunted by the choice she made in being with Sam. I really enjoyed the intrigue built by Hamilton as Charlotte contemplates Sam's disappearance and the threat she is under to "payback" the money that she lost to Sam. She finds herself in essence, back in her old life, working on a private yacht and deeply distracted by both the guests and crewmates. There's action on every page and each day Charlotte passed in the company of someone out to get her makes for a very thrilling read. Charlotte is not an entirely deplorable character and you will find yourself rooting for her sanity and safety. 5 Stars and my recommendation

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*