3.5 stars rounded up.

Your husband's dead. He's never coming back. So why is he on a dating site asking you to go out with him?

Then

Linda has a gorgeous home, a devoted husband, and two loving daughters. But she throws it all away to chase an impossible dream.

Now

Linda is alone and penniless, living in a shabby rented flat. With nothing to lose, she joins a dating site for the over 50s. But one man who responds to her profile, a man calling himself Tony Fortin, is not who he says he is.

It's not often we get a book where the main characters are in their 50s. The author did a great job with character building, even though some where unlikable. There's plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I did guess correctly where some of this story was heading. I d the authors writing style. This was my first read by the author, but I will be looking out for her books from now on.

I would to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #JaneEJames for my ARC of #HerSecondHusband in exchange for an honest review.16 s Jen897 88

I’m a bit torn on this book. It has some good twists, but much of it was spent inside the protagonist Linda’s head, which was not a place I wanted to be. The story centers on Linda’s life after her 2nd husband, Marcus, disappears and is assumed dead. Linda is now back in her hometown, where her family and friends are still mad at her for uprooting her life to marry him in the first place, when creepy things start happening that make her question what really happened that fateful night.

It was hard to empathize with Linda, whose thoughts were often rather scattered, and who I had trouble understanding how she could abandon her entire family due to some kind of mid-life crisis. To me, she came off as a narcissist masquerading as a victim and I didn’t buy it. I also had to suspend my disbelief a bit regarding what happened to Marcus and how it would appear in the eyes of the law. That being said, there were some good twists in the book and it kept me reading late into the night.

Overall, interesting read that I didn’t love but I definitely d. It probably could’ve been tightened up a bit in terms of how much of the narrative was in Linda’s head versus actual action. I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.11 s Olivia7 2

We meet Linda, a 50 something widow whose life has fallen apart following the death of her husband. Lonely and almost completely estranged from her children, Linda signs up to a dating site. It’s on this pursuit of connection that she receives a friendly message from a man named Tony Fontaine. Things aren’t as they seem though, and on closer inspection Linda realises that Tony bears a striking resemblance to her dead (yes, DEAD) husband.

This was your typical thriller - complete with exceptional character building and shocking twists. I couldn’t put this down for the first couple of hours of reading. The relationship between Linda and her best friend Gayle was the best part for me. It shone a spotlight on the complexities of female friendship. With a strong theme of betrayal woven into the plot, there were several jaw drop moments. Gayle was a BAD ASS - her character was believable (albeit sometimes annoyingly naive) and I was on her side the whole way through… even if I was forced to question her morality and judgement at some points.

My only criticism - this did feel a little dragged out. James is evidently great at descriptive writing - appealing at first but by the end it did feel a little fluffy.

I will definitely be reading more of this author. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

????????4 s Bethany Broome 122 5

This was a DNF..i could not get into it. The lady killed her husband by kicking off the boat then she finds out he aint who he says he is then she falls back in love with her ex husband it was so drawn out and boring.3 s Donna Mallery515 44

This book was a lot of drama. It was interesting even though it read a little slow at times. I enjoyed reading about a woman in her fifties and the “challenges” that go with that. It made me laugh at times. It definitely held an edge of mystery and the twist was good. All in all I enjoyed it!2 s Stina1,299 1 follower

Your husband’s dead. He’s never coming back. So why is he on a dating site asking you to go out with him...?

OK...so I was a little confused from the outset with this book. Who's the dead guy? Her husband, right? OK. But it's revealed that he was her second husband. So she had two husbands. So what happened with the first husband? How does he figure into the equation? And what's the go with her daughters? Are they angry with their mum or what? So Linda walked out...so she had some kind of mid-life crisis...get over it. The world doesn't stop and start with you!

I hated Linda's daughters but then I didn't much care for Linda either. And Gail? With friends those who needs enemies? That woman was so cruel in her conversations with Linda, it was more than just banter. It was mean. And then there was Marcus or Tony or whoever he really was. Self-obsessed narcisstic prat. The only person remotely able in the entire story was Jim. Poor old Jim. Good old trusty Jim. The one mainstay in Linda's life, despite walking out on him for adventure and excitement (which Jim did not do). Now he is branching out and discovering new things, namely his adventurous streak which he never had with Linda. But he still stood by her after everything. And what, pray, was all that? Much of the book kept alluding to "after all she put him through"...without actually saying what that was.

This book sounded so intriguing from the premise but oh my gosh...we spent way too much time in Linda's head. WAAAAY too much time! It was a place I didn't care to be, listening to her mope on about did she do this or did she do that? Was she hallucinating? Was she imagining things? And over and over it went. Rehashing and rehashing what she imagines happened to what may have happened to maybe it not happening at all. And this guy on the dating app is Marcus reincarnate come to torment her once again. Or did she imagine that too? Honestly, I didn't care for any of them and skipped to the end to see how it all turned out. Only to find I didn't really miss anything at all.

I would to thank #JaneEJames, #Netgalley and #JoffeBooks for an ARC of #HerSecondHusband in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.2023 british british-thrillers ...more2 s Hannelore Cheney1,251 27

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
The very beginning of the book was a bit over the top, a bad popcorn novel. But as I got into the story it started to even out into something better. The story was pretty good and the characters interesting, if not all that able. I did that most of them were older, which makes a change.
Even though it wasn't great, all in all it was a decent read, good for the beach.2 s Nicole308 16

I honestly found Linda to be insufferable but somehow that didn't take away from how great the story was. The first half was sort of a slow burn but interesting enough to keep you going, then once the twists started coming they didn't stop!1 Jenna83 8

Took me a while to get into this book and some parts were a struggle to get through but overall I did it.1 1 comment Courtney263 122

Her Second Husband by Jane E. James is a captivating psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. The protagonist Linda is a relatable character who has lost everything following the death of her husband. Her journey to find love again leads her to a dating site where she comes across someone who appears to be her dead husband.

The plot twists and turns, kept me engaged throughout the story. The character development is well-done.. The theme of betrayal also adds another layer of complexity to the plot, keeping me on edge. Although the descriptive writing was well-done, the book did feel a little drawn-out at times. Overall, Her Second Husband is a gripping novel that is sure to keep you hooked until the very end. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller.netgalley-uk1 SurvivalWhorror19

I want to start off by thanking Jane E. James, Joffe Books, and NetGalley for this ARC read, while it might not have been for me, I could see a lot of other people loving this book!

**LET'S GET TO THE SPOILERS**

Okay so let me just start off by showing how I felt reading this book..






We follow along with the main character Linda, who happens to find Marcus, her second husband who she believes died, on a dating site. She proceeds to get weird messages from him and the only person who can help her is Jim, her first husband. Speaking of, Jim's and Linda's relationship was the worst, she never seemed to love or care for him and was only going to remarry him for convenience and we are better than that girl, never settle because being alone is better! Other than that I really don't have much to say about Jim because he felt underdeveloped.

Jim and Linda do have two daughters together, Abbey and Rosie. There was this unnecessary drama between them I don't need to go into. I don't feel they played a really big role in this book... Linda definitely treated them shit and they just forgave her nothing happened.

Also, we meet Gail who is supposed to be Linda's best friend...

Listen, if my best friend told me she murdered her husband you better believe I would be helping my best friend, not trying to turn her in and steal her life! TF Gail? Although, Linda did get her revenge on Gail in the end.

Just to clarify

My best friend would only hurt someone if the person actually deserved that because she is a fucking sweetheart!



Let's talk about Marcus a/k/a Tony... He definitely was a piece of work and I was happy to see him go. I feel him surviving drowning is silly as that should have been the way he went, but we all know how those ex's to hang on, am I right?

It's starting to feel a few soap operas put into one book.

This book could get better if some of the story is reworked, take out some twists or change them a little. Also, working on a lot of character development, would be such a game changer! I want to be in TEARS from all the stuff our main character has been through, not hating her as it happens as well!

I will check out more from this author as I think this book just didn't do it for me. If you loved this book then I am so happy you enjoyed it and would love more recommendations from this author!This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Ligibookishmind77 2

Her Second Husband by Jane E. James. It's an absolute page-turner! Linda, the protagonist, hits rock bottom and ends up living in a rundown flat after sacrificing everything for a dream that never materialised. But then, she joins a dating site and comes across a bloke who looks her supposedly dead second husband!

The story is packed with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Although I could predict some of the plot points, I was still thoroughly hooked on the story. The characters are so well-written and fleshed out that I felt I was living in their world.

The writing style is really easy to follow, and the descriptions of the settings are so vivid that I felt I was right there with Linda, whether she was in her fancy house or her rubbish flat. I couldn't put the book down!

I'd totally recommend Her Second Husband to anyone who loves a good thriller. It's a solid four-star read, even though some bits were a little predictable. But, honestly, it didn't even matter because I was still so invested in the story!
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