Category Archives: Seraphina Nova Glass

Review: Such a Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass

Title: Such a Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Betrayal was just the beginning…

Melanie Hale is a devoted mother to her two children, a diligent caregiver to her ailing mother-in-law and a trusted neighbor in their wealthy Louisiana community. Above all, she’s a loving partner to her wonderful husband, Collin.

Then there are the parts of herself that Mel keeps hidden. She’s exhausted, worried and unfulfilled. So much so that one night, after a writers’ group meeting, Mel begins an affair with a successful local author named Luke. Suddenly she’s transformed into a role she doesn’t recognize—a woman who deceives with unseemly ease. A woman who might be capable of just about anything.

When Mel finds Luke’s dead body in his lavish rented house, she realizes just how high the stakes have become. Not only does she have to keep her affair a secret in order to preserve her marriage, but she desperately needs to avoid being implicated in Luke’s death. But who would want to kill him? Who else in her life is keeping secrets? And most terrifying of all, how far will they—and she—go to keep those secrets hidden?

Review:

Such a Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass is a clever domestic mystery.

Melanie “Mel” Hale is a wife, a mother and her mother-in-law’s caregiver. She loves her family but she feels as if she has lost herself over the years. Her husband Collin is a workaholic so the brunt of the work at home falls on her shoulders. Their daughter Rachel is thirteen years old and just beginning the angsty teen years. Their son Bennett is very intelligent but he is also neurodiverse so he can be quite a handful when frustrated. Mel loves her mother-in-law and she mourns the vibrant woman she was before the cancer and dementia diagnoses.

At Collin’s urging, Mel joins the neighborhood book club only to be disappointed to discover no one is interested in reading the books.  Her husband very thoughtfully finds a local writer’s group that might just be what Mel needs to spark her creativity. They meet at a local bookstore where popular romance author Luke Ellison is promoting his latest release. He and Mel enjoy chatting with each other, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and impossible to resist. When she finally decides to end their affair, Mel discovers Luke’s lifeless body and she is left hoping the police do not uncover their illicit relationship.

Mel is completely overwhelmed by the weight of her responsibilities. She sometimes yearns for the life she planned to have before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She is friendly with their neighbors but Mel is not close to any of them. Once she embarks on her affair with Luke, she experiences guilt at betraying her loved ones, but she cannot find the strength to give up the relationship. Mel also tries very hard to act normal but she is distracted by her memories of her stolen hours with Luke.

After Luke’s death, Mel dreads the local police finding out about her affair with Luke. However, it does not take long for them to learn she knows him. But instead of being honest, Mel lies to the detectives in order to protect her secret. Mel is shocked when it becomes obvious someone does know about her and Luke’s relationship. She is under considerable stress as she tries to uncover the identity of the person threatening to destroy her life.

Such a Good Wife is a deliciously engrossing domestic mystery with an intriguing storyline. Mel really is a good wife and it is easy to relate with stressed she is. Collin is a sweet man but even when he is home, he is preoccupied with work. Luke is a charming man but how well does Mel know him? The plot is engaging and full of tension. With stunning plot-twists, Seraphina Nova Glass brings this domestic mystery to an unpredictable conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Graydon House, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Seraphina Nova Glass, Such a Good Wife

Review: Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass

Title: Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

She wrote the book on escaping a predator… Now one is coming for her.

Faith Finley has it all: she’s a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, Someone’s Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley. She’s married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic.

Until the night everything goes horribly wrong, and Faith’s life is shattered forever.

Liam is missing—gone without a trace—and the police are suspicious of everything Faith says. They either think she has something to hide, or that she’s lost her mind.

And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith’s own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like “Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door.”

As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam’s disappearance intensifies. And Faith’s very life will depend on finding answers

Review:

Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass is a suspenseful domestic mystery.

Psychologist Faith Finley’s life imploded months earlier with a shocking accusation and the unexplained disappearance of her husband, Liam. Unable to move past her grief, Faith relies on alcohol and pills to cushion her from her pain. Ready for a change, she makes a snap decision to move from their house in the suburbs to their apartment in downtown Chicago.  After making a shocking discovery, Faith hopes the police will take her assertions that Liam did not abandon her more seriously.  And when sinister notes begin appearing in her mailbox and at her apartment, Faith takes matters into her own hands to try to unearth the truth about who is stalking her and what happened to Liam.

Faith and Liam are happily married and she is stunned by the realization that her beloved husband does not instantly discount the accusation leveled against her.  But Faith gives him the space he needs in hopes that he will realize she is telling the truth. By the night of her anticipated book release, their marriage is in a much better place.   Which is why Faith is so convinced that Liam did not leave her following the accident on their way home from the book release party.

Uncertain whom to trust after returning to Chicago, Faith tries to avoid new neighbor Hilly Lancaster. She has an unexpected tie to Liam but Faith cannot decide whether the woman is just eccentric and harmless or hiding a devious mind.  Faith is grateful for neighbor Marty Nash who provides her unexpected assistance as she tries to find out more information about her husband’s life. And although a little uncomfortable, Faith turns to old friend Will Holloway for legal advice as she continues to be a suspect in Liam’s case.

Detective John Sterling is suspicious of Faith’s account about what happened but they do go through the motions of investigating the accident. When evidence points toward Liam leaving of his own accord, the case is soon closed. But an astonishing finding changes the course of the investigation.  Faith remains under suspicion but will the increasingly menacing threats she is receiving change Sterling’s mind?

Someone’s Listening is a perplexing mystery with an intriguing storyline. Faith’s history is interesting but considering her profession, she does not always make the wisest choices.  A bit slow moving at first, the pace picks up steam and Seraphina Nova Glass brings this clever mystery to a twist-filled conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Graydon House, Rated B, Review, Seraphina Nova Glass, Someone's Listening, Suspense