TW: Rape, physical/emotional abuse

1.5 stars

This book made me angry start to finish. Including that this is called a "Romance thriller" - definitely not what I call "romance". You get meh sex scenes ("he gripped my bottom") but even those weren't all that steamy, followed by controlling abuse.

We start with our main character, Tori, who works for a Christian television show. Reverend Joshua is a guest on the show. She goes into the green room while he's in hair and makeup and starts smelling his clothes, ya do. A few hours later, they're having sex in his penthouse.

We find out really quickly that Joshua is controlling, creepy, and abusive. He shows it the FIRST NIGHT with her, but she keeps ignoring all the giant red flags. I very strongly believe that no one deserves to be abused in their relationship, but good lord, Tori tested that belief. I find the stories so much more believable where the abuser isn't abusive right off the bat, and then their real side starts to come through. Not the case here - Joshua had more red flags than the United Nations building.

For example:
- Their first night together, they go back to Tori's house. Tori is a single mom and is very protective of her daughter. She tells Joshua that she's not ready for him to meet her daughter (what with only knowing him for 12 HOURS). He ignores her wishes and meets the daughter anyway, stating that he is going to be part of their lives.
- That same night, Tori's ex-husband comes over looking for money. Joshua tells Tori that she shouldn't be giving him any money or having any contact with him. Tori pushes back and when Joshua leaves, he kisses Tori in a way that is punishing (her words).
- The next day, she gets fired from her job for going off to sleep with a guest in the middle of the day. One of her male coworkers calls to check on her - Joshua forbids her from talking to him.

AND THAT'S JUST THE FIRST 24 HOURS!!!

They get engaged within a few days because they are so in love and they want to spend forever together. He then:

- Takes her to Tiffany's to pick out an engagement ring. He has previously invited the press to be there and he surprises her with a proposal in the middle of the story with all the reporters there. When she gets upset because she had no warning, he gets upset with her and tells her she's spoiling everything.
- They get back to his penthouse and he shows her the adoption papers he's had his lawyers drawn up so he can adopt her daughter so she's "their" daughter. She had no idea he was going to do that, but it's so sweet that he's committed to being in the daughter's life, so she signs them.
- She finds out in the next day or so that Joshua threatened and paid off the ex-husband to sign away his parental rights. But again - it's because he cares about the daughter so much.
- He tells the daughter to start calling him "Daddy" and forbids Tori to mention her ex-husband to the daughter.

They move to his house in Maine. He continues to isolate her, get angry when she talks to men, make decisions for "their" daughter or "his" daughter, use affection to manipulate her/mess with her head, attack her self esteem, all those fun things. But she knows that he loves her and he loves their daughter, so it's totally fine and she's just imagining things. And this is where I do become more sympathetic to Tori, since you can see the systematic way that he's controlling her. But, ma'am, the signs were there from the beginning.

I also was thoroughly bothered by everything with Mark at the end. Joshua has kidnapped the daughter, is threatening to kill the daughter if Tori doesn't take him back, and has shown that he's watching the house. So dumb-as-rocks Tori goes outside, Mark joins her, tells her he cares about her, and she freakin' kisses him! And then is surprised Pikachu when Joshua sees from where he's hiding to observe her as she already knew!

She also was so surprised that Joshua could possibly be killing people. First, her ex-husband says he's going to sue for custody. She tells Joshua and the next day, the ex-husband winds up dead. And she doesn't see anything strange about that. Or the creepy horse groom says he can never be fired because he has something on Joshua... a few days later, there's a barn fire in the middle of the night. Henry shouldn't have been in the barn, but he was and he dies. Nothing strange to see here.

There was one decent twist with the first wife still being alive but it was overshadowed by everything else.2 s Faith Hurst-Bilinski1,603 14

I had a horrible time getting through this. It was quite a boring disaster. Everything about it made me want to just stop reading.1 Tavia129

1.5 stars

Tori meets Reverend Joshua through her work, and they immediately fall into a whirlwind romance, followed by a quick marriage. Tori & her daughter Rikki move to rural Maine with Joshua. Tori ignores every single red flag that Joshua displays, and they are many. Almost immediately, he is controlling, violent, and all around just a total bad person. Tori discovers that things are not how they seem in Joshua’s home. She does one stupid thing after another before everything culminates in a battle Royale.

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.1 Inishowen Cailín822 44

A poorly executed mash-up of Rebecca and Jane Eyre.
I struggled with the first few chapters because of the poor writing and absence of character development. The too-stupid-to-live female protagonist excelled herself in these opening chapters but I persevered as I wanted to see how Reverand Winters, the creepy love interest, could possibly get any worse.
I did read the book to the end, so there were elements of it that had potential but it definitely needs to be revised and rewritten with help from a good editor.1 Rachel Gebhardt228 1 follower

Tori Hamilton is a single mom in New York City working as a production assistant for a religious TV network when she meets Joshua Winters who is a guest speaker on the show, Winters is a charismatic, well d preacher who is known for his powerful, motivating sermons. Winters sweeps Tori off her feet in a whirlwind romance, Within 2 weeks they are married and getting settled in his mansion in Maine. Tori begrudgingly leaves the city to start a new life in Maine with her new husband and 5 year old daughter Ricki. Right off the bat something feels off about her new home and surroundings in Maine. From the way the house staff look at her, her husband being controlling and possessive, and the secrets she keeps finding out about at every turn; Tori is unsettled and constantly second guesses if she made the right decision marrying Joshua and bringing her child to Maine. Soon Tori finds herself as a suspect in a murder investigation, Joshua continues to become unhinged, and strange things keep happening that come to a head in an explosive finale that leaves Tori fighting for her life.

Suzanne Hoos wrote a thrilling novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. I devoured this book in a day and could not sleep until I knew what happened between Joshua and Tori. This plot kept me engaged from the very first page until the last sentence. The characters were so well developed. At times I felt Tori was naive and made dumb decisions concerning hers and her daughter’s safety, but she was a likable character that I hoped would find her happy ending. I d Joshua at first, but as he became increasingly more volatile and controlling towards Tori and secrets of his past life began to pour out, I was ready for Tori and Rikki to get away from him. The plot was a little out there by the end concerning Joshua’s relationship and obsession with Emily, but it was a well written plot that I will recommend to my peers and fellow readers. Solid 4 star read. Kim128 5

Very good thriller! I don’t understand why it is described as a Romance Thriller though. Although predictable, it was still a good book. Naive woman and controlling dominating man get married and she can’t get out of the marriage. Tori was so naive it was frustrating at times- but the book was very well written and definitely held my attention. It just felt too similar to others I have read in the past. I definitely enjoyed the writing style of this author! Enjoyable read with periods of frustration!!! I will definitely look at her other books as I really enjoyed her writing style. Thank you to NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing and Suzanne Hoos for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Tripip742 4

I had a difficult time with this story. Maybe because I knew about Joshua’s controlling behaviour but there were so many red flags which Tori ignored that I got unbearably frustrated with her. I ended up skimming most of the book because I knew that while Tori questioned Joshua’s vacillating behaviours, she still stuck around. It is also quite steamy since sex is one way that Joshua convinces Tori that he loves her. What was interesting was how similar behaviours without the evil intent are deemed as romantic. “The rich guy sweeps the struggling single mother off her feet to a country estate via private jet.” It was reading a traditional romance through a distorted mirror or an upside down world.

I received a free copy from Netgalley. this is my unbiased review. Denice Langley3,432 34

When she meets, falls in love and marries the man of her dreams in such a short time, Victoria "Tori" ignores the warnings and follows her heart, bringing her young daughter and moving to a small town in rural Maine. Her new husband is a TV Reverend of some reknown who swept her off her feet. It's not long before Tori begins to find cracks in her happily ever after when she finds her husband's history is not as rosy as she assumed.
This book reminded me so much of the Victoria Holt and Dorothy Eden books I read when younger. Suzanne Hoos has given me a great afternoon and evening of reading. Inishowen Cailín822 44

A poorly executed mash-up of Rebecca and Jane Eyre. I struggled with the first few chapters because of the poor writing and absence of character development. The too-stupid-to-live female protagonist excelled herself in these opening chapters but I persevered as I wanted to see how Reverand Winters, the creepy love interest, could possibly get any worse. I did read the book to the end, so there were elements of it that had potential but it definitely needs to be revised and rewritten with help from a good editor.
netgalley1 Gavin Johnson255 13

A Good Read!

It is a riveting tale that seamlessly blends romance and suspense. Victoria Hamilton's journey from a struggling single mother in New York City to the complexities of her relationship with Reverend Joshua Winters in the quaint town of Northport, Maine, is both captivating and emotionally charged.
The narrative skillfully unfolds, revealing hidden truths and secrets that keep readers hooked until the gripping conclusion. A compelling read for those who enjoy a mix of love, mystery, and the strength of the human spirit. Feyre Stark47 1 follower

This is the very first book of mine of the author and she didn’t disappoint me. Tori is a naive to think that Joshua is the one for her. He is controlling and a dominating man at that. They get married after meeting …. 48 hours. Then she realizes step by step that she can’t get out of the marriage. Tori was so naive it was frustrating at times and I wanted to punch her. But the book was very well written.thriller Annemarie WilliamsAuthor 11 books10

The beginning was not for me. I thought it was just a little ridiculous because of the insta love that happens between the two main characters. way way too unrealistic, and ignoring all the walking red flags. The ending however saved it from being a dnf bc it has all the good thriller stuff that you expect lies, secrets, murder, kidnapping. Shannon FettersAuthor 1 book

Awesome!!

I loved this book! The characters were interesting and had depth and the storyline kept me up way too late last night. Highly recommend!! Jenn Sernoskie39

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