The Desperate Wife

by C.L. Jennison

Her affair was a respite from her vicious marriage. But escape attempts can be dangerous . . .

Trapped in her marriage to Rex, a violent and controlling man, Ava has one bright spot in her her online tutoring sessions with Ali. He is thousands of miles away but wants very much to return to the United Kingdom.

As Ava and Ali grow more intimate, Ava begins pouring her heart out about her miserable situation. Soon Ali is back in the country—and the pair become lovers. But when Ali makes a startling offer, Ava has a difficult decision to make.

However, what she doesn’t know is that Ali has his own agenda, and as multiple passions, secrets, and relationships become entangled, will she find herself in another, even more terrible trap?

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2023

Reviews

[Katrina (Catching up on Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fell a bit flat for me.

The Desperate Wife was a tough one to get into—I found it hard to follow at times, and the story didn’t fully pull me in. It follows a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage who begins an affair, but despite the premise, it wasn’t as juicy or gripping as I expected. It had potential, but just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

[Lin Perrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bloodhound books for the ARC copy in exchange for a honest review. Ava is is a abusive marriage to controlling Rex. She does some on line tutoring and meets Ali. Ava falls in love and they start a steamy affair. But is she playing with fire? A gripping twisty thriller that had me up late at night.

[Nisha Mathias castelino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by author C L Jennison and I quite enjoyed it. It was a gripping read with every chapter narrated from the PoVs of six different characters all of which fit perfectly into the story. I was not a fan of the female protagonist, Ava whose choices annoyed me a little.

There were a couple of twists that I did not see coming and I was happy with the way the book ended. Overall an entertaining thriller.

Thank you @bloodhoundbooks for providing me with a digital ARC to read and review.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Desperate Wife by C. L. Jennison.
Her affair was a respite from her vicious marriage. But escape attempts can be dangerous . . .
A really good read. Twisty and gripping and surprising. I did find this a little slow to begin with but once I knew the storyline It got quite hard to put down. 4*.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t even finish this. What a stupid book and characters.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

Easy five stars! Did not want it to end! Twists and turns throughout. Could not put it down! Will definitely read more by C. L. Jenison!

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨this was an excellent thriller!! it was a slower start but the characters were written well and it was interesting how layered and interesting each of them was (even if they were not all likable). the main character, Ava, is a broken woman simply unable to do anything right in the eyes of her craptastic husband. she falls for a man she is tutoring and lets herself get swept up in a possible romance…that’s not all there is to this story but i think it’s best to know as little as possible going into this!! the end is SO satisfying—highly recommend!!

i have already put the three other books that C.L. Jennison has written on my TBR list because although this is the first book i’ve read by her, i know it will not be my last!

[Trish D'agostino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for my advanced reader copy for an honest review. Ava is a lonely, wealthy married woman who is easily manipulated. Her abusive husband Rex is a nasty womanizer. There is nothing redeemable about him.Ava self esteem is so low she doesn't have the strength to leave her lonely marriage to a man who shows her nothing but hate. Rex has managed to isolate Ava from the world. He doesn't even "allow" her to have social media. All of this is done to control her. He makes it obvious he is only there for her money which he feels he deserves. Ava becomes involved with one of the students she tutors online, Ali. Her life changes when they meet in real life. Just when you think you know where this book is headed it changes course and then changes again! I really enjoyed how Ava's story ends.

[Angela Newby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, bloodhound books, for an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had guessed the ending, but I was so wrong. It definitely kept me gripped to the end.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book starts slow and somehow confusing, I'm glad I kept this several POVs book because once you get the hang of it it grabs you and you really want to know what is going to happens next.
The book, as mentioned is told thru several different points of views, each one of them different and with his/her own story. Stories that intercept and mesh at the end in an unexpected way.
The main female character, Ava, is not very likable and at times her behavior is annoying, but I did like the way her character grows throughout the story to the point of her committing acts that we would never dream bout at the beginning of the book.
The book does have several twists and unexpected situations that make it a good read.

[CammieOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a psychological thriller per the book’s blurb, but I read a soap opera with a whole cast of unlikeable characters.

[Jessica Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sooo happy I ran across this book! It is such a great story with a diverse cast of characters. A doormat housewife with a cruel & abusive husband who doesn't leave her due to her large inheritance, a plus-sized social media influencer with a IDGAF attitude, an actor with addictions who seems to think he has a future with the influencer despite having been given no indication that could be true, a homewrecker, and more.

In this book, the housewife secretly falls in love with her overseas student, to whom she is teaching English. She brings him into the country so they can meet and ultimately be together, which he instigates because he's not visited his beloved foster brother (the actor) and father, who live in her area, in over two decades. Her husband, who is conducting an affair of his own with the homewrecker (among others), doesn't know any of this.

I won't spoil anything, but basically everyone in the book needs something fundamental from the others, and they use each other mercilessly to get whatever that is. This makes it sound like it's awful, but it's not. We all need love, kindness, respect, etc. And we all go about gathering those things in different ways (whether they work or not.) My favorite thing about it was the unlikely alliances, hidden secrets and that each character either found their hidden strength or succumbed to their weaknesses-- in ways not to be expected. To find out what that means, READ IT! I highly recommend it.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very slow burner for me and took me a while to get into it, but I am glad that I persevere. I enjoy a book that dedicates chapters to the different characters as it makes you want to keep reading to find out what’s happening in their next chapter.
The book centres around Ava, who is stuck in an abusive marriage to Rex where her only escape is teaching English online. Rex who is stuck in a marriage with Ava, which he didn’t want and is having an Affair with Poppy. Ali who is living in Saudi and being tutored by Ava as he desperately wants to return to the UK where he lived with his parents before they died. Eadie who is a plus size model and influencer, who is a love them and leave them type of girl who met Ethan after winning on a teatime quiz, who was Ali’s foster brother for a short time after Ali’s parents died.
The book is full of twist and the ending was not as I thought it would be.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my first book by this author but it is one of my favorites for sure. I enjoy this author's writing style as well as how they are able to pull me into the story with her attention to details. I found this book to be well written and enjoyed the realistic parts as well. The characters pulled me in from the start. They are connectable, strong and supportive of each other. They have great growth as well as just added so much to the story. I found this book to be easy to read, hard to put down and entertaining. This is a story that has twists and turns that you dont want to miss for sure. A story where own agendas, secrets and relationships get messed up into one great story. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

[HB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started well with Ava trapped in her loveless marriage and I felt it had great promise. Each chapter is written from a different character perspective which I liked.

She meets Ali during her online tutoring and then for me it started to get a bit daft and unrealistic. Ali seems to throw caution to the wind and lose her mind, which I guess can happen in her situation. There are a few twists and turns before the conclusion which pushes the boundaries of realism but hey this is a novel and if it can't happen there, where can it happen!

An ok summer read, one for the sunbed definitely!

Thanks to Bloodhound for sending me the copy free to review.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and am grateful to Bloodhound books for sending me an advanced copy to read and review.
Trapped in a loveless marriage Ava falls for Ali a student she tutors online. When he arrives in England she thinks that she has found an escape route, but has she?
Each chapter of this book is written from the viewpoint of one of the main characters, and this gives a nice variety of perspectives to the story. I felt Ava was slightly weak as a lead, and found her slightly irritating at times, however overall this was an enjoyable read.

[Keeley Ribchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate Wife was given to me as ARC for my honest review so here goes. First book I’ve read by this particular author and I can honestly say I will be going back for more. The storyline had me hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down. It took me on a journey through Ava’s live and marriage to Rex with twists ans turns I didn’t expect ! I thought I had it all worked out but was a little off!
Fantastic read which i thoroughly enjoyed and recommended anyone to try and add this author to their read list.

[Sandra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story comes May 9th of 2023. The paperbacks is available April 26th of 2023. Ava has been marred to Rex for four years, Ava is under the cruelly of Rex trying to have control over her. Ava's mother was murdered by her secret's lover, and she cheats on her husband, Ava's father. Poppy is something to Rex's. And Ali is something to Ava. Ava and Rex have been married for four years. Barbara is Rex's mother. This novel s fantastic with drama, suspense, and so much more, the Rollercoaster ride of the twisted sense of affairs. you have to read the book 📙.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a exciting domestic physcological thriller! I literally could not put it down, the writing style is unique and fabulous. The male characters in this are manipulative and sexist to put it politely but I can think of a lot worse names but I'll keep it PG . The secrets and lies are unbelievable and the shocking suprise twists and turns had my jaw dropping. The ending was unexpected but I fully enjoyed it, the author has a clear talent.

[Sarah Westfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you bloodhound books for this ARC

If you’ve not read this yet… run out and buy it. I was hooked from the start, all the characters are so completely different to one and other but kind of all slot into the story perfectly.

I love how the story ended for Ava and eadie, I was hoping all along for that sort of ending and I wasn’t disappointed. I will certainly be looking out for more books by this author

[Mrs Bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this courtesy of Bloodhound Books advanced readers' copy in exchange for a honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this domestic psychological thriller. The author introduces various characters and the story unfolds through their individual POVs. The plotlines are clevery woven together, with a few twists and turns, to deliver a satisfying end. I would recommend.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Desperate Wife by C.L. Jennison was a very good book from start to finish which had great twists and turns throughout that will have you guessing right till the end, which made it a great page turner.

I highly recommend this book......It will have you up till the early hours of the morning of you start to read it before you go to bed!

Big Thank you, bloodhound books, for an advanced copy of this book.

[Josee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the advanced readers copy for an honest review

This is a story about Ava who is in an abusive relationship with Rex. She is an online English tutor to Ali. Ava and Ali get close.

This captivated me right from the start, was not expecting the end.
Give this one a read you’ll enjoy it.

[Susan Blissett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting psychological thriller with a great writing style. I couldn’t put it down! There were lots of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. Some horrid men are in this story; they are not very likeable, do not respect women and are quite sexist. The story follows several characters and swaps between then in each chapter but it was easy to follow each character without being confused about who was who or what was happening in the story. I was confused about the timeline with the age of the main character initially, but realised that the prologue should say ‘1988’ rather than ‘1998.’ Overall, a very interesting read that touches on domestic abuse and online scamming.

I received an ARC from BloodHound Books for an honest review, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.

[Janice Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of 6 people who’s lives intertwine to a twisted conclusion. A fascinating read I couldn’t put down. The main character Ava is a woman you really feel empathy for amidst a lot of characters that intrigue but not necessarily warm too. A tale of love, betrayal and revenge!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just read another psychological thriller with a controlling marriage as storyline, I wanted to see how this one compared. The Desperate Wife had a lot more grit and emotion, which I loved. Good read, lots of twists and I doubt many would predict the ending. Different perspectives given throughout. Everything you could want from a domestic thriller!
(ARC from Bloodhound publishing)

[Nanci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This grabbed my attention slower than I had anticipated as the characters unfolded in subsequent chapters but had me wanting to read “just one more” as it moved along as a slow burning thriller! Thank you to the publisher for my ARC. A gripping domestic thriller with an ending I did not anticipate!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told through multiple points of view this story unfolds slowly but interestingly. There are lots of mini plots within the main plot because all of the characters are trying to get their needs and wants met by using some of the other characters. It was a well written plot and the relationships between the characters were interesting. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

[Lisa Wosik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit unreal in parts but it had a certain charm about it that made me keep going and actually read it very quickly. I liked the characters, the domestic abuse was serious and made for uncomfortable reading but this was a good thing.
Thanks to bloodhound books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Kara Mega · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sleeper hit! It had an intricate plot that was so well written! It’s about a woman in an abusive marriage and how her life unfolds. It was so suspenseful and had me hooked throughout. The story really took an unexpected path. My hands-down favorite character was Edie- the gorgeous, conceited narcissist. It’s a guilty pleasure kind of book - enjoy!