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Maternal Instinct
Think moving in with your mother-in-law is your worst nightmare? You have no idea . . . A jaw-dropping novel of domestic suspense from the author of the critically acclaimed Brigid Quinn series
"Chilling, smart . . . and what a voice" Gillian Flynn on Rage Against the Dying
"A thriller that must be read" Lisa Gardner on Rage Against the Dying
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
"Chilling, smart . . . and what a voice" Gillian Flynn on Rage Against the Dying
"A thriller that must be read" Lisa Gardner on Rage Against the Dying
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2023
13 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Becky Masterman
15 books345 followersBecky Masterman created her heroine, Brigid Quinn while working as an editor for a forensic science and law enforcement press. Her debut thriller, Rage Against the Dying, was a finalist for the Edgar Awards and the CWA Gold Dagger, as well as the Macavity, Barry, ITW and Anthony awards. Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
November 14, 2023
A person’s character is shown through their actions, not where they sit on a Sunday. We are about to find out how very true this is!
Hal Deming, his wife Grace and their daughter Shyla have inherited Hal’s father Robert’s, not unsubstantial house, in a prestigious neighbourhood, but it comes with its own set of problems. Firstly it’s hours away from where they currently live, so it will mean moving, with Hal giving up a job that he loves, Grace having to leave all her friends and support behind, whilst Shyla will have to start a new school - basically they’ll all have to start a new life when they’re perfectly happy with the one they have.
So why don’t they just sell the house and stay where they are you ask? Well here’s the catch - Hal’s father stipulated in his will, that Hal’s stepmother Althea be allowed to stay in the house, and not only that, but Hal and Grace would have to move in and look after all her needs. Althea still manages to get to the shops, and attends mass at the Catholic Church every week, but she’s not quite as able as she was, and Robert wanted to ensure she was cared for in the coming years.
Everyone seems to like Althea, including Hal, but Grace has never liked her and thinks there’s something very dark beneath that sickly sweet exterior. Grace is right, because Althea may attend mass every week, but behind that veil there is a monster at work.
One can feel sympathy for both parties initially - Althea is no longer mistress of all she surveys, whilst Grace is having to live with someone she’s never liked. Grace tries her best to smooth the transition for both of them, but Althea is never going to let that happen. Welcome to all out war with the Deming’s!
A good domestic thriller featuring the mother- in-law from hell, who resents the changing power dynamics in a house that was once entirely hers and her husband’s.
*My thanks to Severn House for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Hal Deming, his wife Grace and their daughter Shyla have inherited Hal’s father Robert’s, not unsubstantial house, in a prestigious neighbourhood, but it comes with its own set of problems. Firstly it’s hours away from where they currently live, so it will mean moving, with Hal giving up a job that he loves, Grace having to leave all her friends and support behind, whilst Shyla will have to start a new school - basically they’ll all have to start a new life when they’re perfectly happy with the one they have.
So why don’t they just sell the house and stay where they are you ask? Well here’s the catch - Hal’s father stipulated in his will, that Hal’s stepmother Althea be allowed to stay in the house, and not only that, but Hal and Grace would have to move in and look after all her needs. Althea still manages to get to the shops, and attends mass at the Catholic Church every week, but she’s not quite as able as she was, and Robert wanted to ensure she was cared for in the coming years.
Everyone seems to like Althea, including Hal, but Grace has never liked her and thinks there’s something very dark beneath that sickly sweet exterior. Grace is right, because Althea may attend mass every week, but behind that veil there is a monster at work.
One can feel sympathy for both parties initially - Althea is no longer mistress of all she surveys, whilst Grace is having to live with someone she’s never liked. Grace tries her best to smooth the transition for both of them, but Althea is never going to let that happen. Welcome to all out war with the Deming’s!
A good domestic thriller featuring the mother- in-law from hell, who resents the changing power dynamics in a house that was once entirely hers and her husband’s.
*My thanks to Severn House for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
December 12, 2023
EXCERPT: 'We'll get past it. It's a hard time.'
Despite her hatred, she wished he would touch her, or maybe not. He did not. He never really had; it wasn't in him, though she knew he loved her. And for herself, she had lost the will to initiate that small gesture of forgiveness and affection. She said, 'I know, sweetie. I know,' without meaning it.
That's what she said to Hal, I know, sweetie. What she knew was that underneath his words and hers was the truth. Hal had just told her that the battle had already been fought and there was no knowledge beyond knowing that Althea had won. Althea's presence had taken everyone away from her: her mother, her husband, her daughter, her friends, and somehow herself. How strange that you could be part of a family of four and feel so lonely.
ABOUT 'MATERNAL INSTINCT': Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace. Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope. After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
MY THOUGHTS: A quick, easy, but not particularly gripping read. I felt out of touch with all the characters, although I did have a little sympathy for Grace. I once had my mother-in-law stay for ten days and that was too long! I think the problem for me was that none of the characters were really well developed. We have Grace, married to Hal, who is Althea's stepson. We know that Hal's father organised these living arrangements before his death to ensure that Althea was cared for in her old age. Neither Grace, Hal, their teenage daughter Shyla, nor Althea are particularly happy about these arrangements; they have all lost something important to them by acquiescing to Robert's wishes. And that is all we know about them. And I like to know my characters. I like to know what makes them tick. A lot of the things that happened in this book didn't make a lot of sense to me, particularly the last twenty percent or so. There was one point earlier on where it got really good, but then it just tailed off again.
An okay read that had the potential to be much better.
⭐⭐.9
#MastermanMaternalInstinct #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Maternal Instinct by Becky Masterman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Despite her hatred, she wished he would touch her, or maybe not. He did not. He never really had; it wasn't in him, though she knew he loved her. And for herself, she had lost the will to initiate that small gesture of forgiveness and affection. She said, 'I know, sweetie. I know,' without meaning it.
That's what she said to Hal, I know, sweetie. What she knew was that underneath his words and hers was the truth. Hal had just told her that the battle had already been fought and there was no knowledge beyond knowing that Althea had won. Althea's presence had taken everyone away from her: her mother, her husband, her daughter, her friends, and somehow herself. How strange that you could be part of a family of four and feel so lonely.
ABOUT 'MATERNAL INSTINCT': Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace. Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope. After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
MY THOUGHTS: A quick, easy, but not particularly gripping read. I felt out of touch with all the characters, although I did have a little sympathy for Grace. I once had my mother-in-law stay for ten days and that was too long! I think the problem for me was that none of the characters were really well developed. We have Grace, married to Hal, who is Althea's stepson. We know that Hal's father organised these living arrangements before his death to ensure that Althea was cared for in her old age. Neither Grace, Hal, their teenage daughter Shyla, nor Althea are particularly happy about these arrangements; they have all lost something important to them by acquiescing to Robert's wishes. And that is all we know about them. And I like to know my characters. I like to know what makes them tick. A lot of the things that happened in this book didn't make a lot of sense to me, particularly the last twenty percent or so. There was one point earlier on where it got really good, but then it just tailed off again.
An okay read that had the potential to be much better.
⭐⭐.9
#MastermanMaternalInstinct #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Maternal Instinct by Becky Masterman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 8, 2023
After an intriguing start, I’m all in with this latest from Becky Masterman. In the present day, Althea Deming clutches the urn containing the ashes of her husband Robert in one hand and her cat in the other, as she surveys the “renovations“ of her former home. This now belongs to her stepson Hal, her daughter-in-law Grace and their daughter Shyla, all of whom Althea regards as usurpers, albeit legal ones as per the terms of Robert’s will. She is now confined to a corner of the large house in a “grandmother suite“ while Hal etc occupy the rest. To say that Althea resents the changes is an understatement as she watches the three of them at dinner on the first night, not necessarily favourably. However, Hal thinks Althea is a sweetheart, but Grace is not so sure. Why are Grace’s instincts screaming that her mother in law is dangerous?? The story is told from Grace and Althea‘s perspective, so buckle up as this could be a bumpy ride.
Oh my goodness, do not let the somewhat benign start fool you. Initially, I feel all the sympathy for Althea as after all, she’s a cuckoo in her own former nest. Grace sets some rules that would definitely make me want to be naughty, and I’m no Althea. The scene is set really well, you’re jogging along at a steady pace, anticipating some sedate domestic drama. Then a few little bombs are dropped into the storyline which pulls you up sharply. However, it still doesn’t seem too out there and there is one scene where Althea has a delicious response to some tactlessness. The author does a good job at lulling you into a false sense of security.
You also realise that whilst a kind of domestic tug-of-war is going on between the two women, they are both outsiders. Althea in what was once her own home and Grace in a new area they have moved into when taking over the house. They are distantly polite and you start question who is the saint and who is the sinner here. It’s a Mexican stand-off but with handbags.
Then, it really is a brace yourself read as one character shows her true colours in one shocking scene in particular. The Mexican stand-off becomes much more the pistols at dawn variety. It’s very dark, extremely chilling, very powerful, and yes, most certainly disturbing. There’ are several scenes where you are left in no doubt who the sinner is but also what action others may be pushed to in response. The tension could be cut with a knife, although Hal seems somewhat oblivious to this, is he burying his head in the sand preferring not to get involved? He does have his own problems but really??!!
It does escalate, it becomes a little bit bonkers, but it’s bonkers in a good way, although this not necessarily the best choice of words as these characters are very far from good.
This is a tale of the unexpected, so be warned!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Severn House for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Oh my goodness, do not let the somewhat benign start fool you. Initially, I feel all the sympathy for Althea as after all, she’s a cuckoo in her own former nest. Grace sets some rules that would definitely make me want to be naughty, and I’m no Althea. The scene is set really well, you’re jogging along at a steady pace, anticipating some sedate domestic drama. Then a few little bombs are dropped into the storyline which pulls you up sharply. However, it still doesn’t seem too out there and there is one scene where Althea has a delicious response to some tactlessness. The author does a good job at lulling you into a false sense of security.
You also realise that whilst a kind of domestic tug-of-war is going on between the two women, they are both outsiders. Althea in what was once her own home and Grace in a new area they have moved into when taking over the house. They are distantly polite and you start question who is the saint and who is the sinner here. It’s a Mexican stand-off but with handbags.
Then, it really is a brace yourself read as one character shows her true colours in one shocking scene in particular. The Mexican stand-off becomes much more the pistols at dawn variety. It’s very dark, extremely chilling, very powerful, and yes, most certainly disturbing. There’ are several scenes where you are left in no doubt who the sinner is but also what action others may be pushed to in response. The tension could be cut with a knife, although Hal seems somewhat oblivious to this, is he burying his head in the sand preferring not to get involved? He does have his own problems but really??!!
It does escalate, it becomes a little bit bonkers, but it’s bonkers in a good way, although this not necessarily the best choice of words as these characters are very far from good.
This is a tale of the unexpected, so be warned!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Severn House for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
November 5, 2023
Okay, so you guys know that movie with Jennifer Lopez in it? The one called Monster in Law with Jane Fonda in it? This sort of reminds me of that movie just not as funny. I actually loved Jane Fonda in that! It’s definitely a classic.
Here we have ol’ Althea, mother to Hal. Hal and Grace are married and have a 13 year old daughter, Shyla. After almost two years after the death of an Althea‘s husband, she moves in with the family, in her old and newly remodeled home.
Grace is really going out of her way to make her mother-in-law feel right at home. Only things are not going so well. Her mother-in-law (monster-n-law) is just so hideous. You know….. one of those people who try to be a martyr and everyone seems to love them, but behind closed doors they’re just pure evil. Grace seems to be the only one who sees this. Everyone else is completely oblivious obviously.
There are a few other characters in the mix that I could mention, but you would just have to read to find out for yourself. I think this book had a lot of promise. It actually started to get really good. Somewhere towards the end, it started to get a little wacky. Some of the dialogue just seemed a little silly. Maybe that’s just me, I don’t know.
—- All in all I rate this 3.5 ⭐️
I would like to thank Severn house and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date December 5, 2023.
Here we have ol’ Althea, mother to Hal. Hal and Grace are married and have a 13 year old daughter, Shyla. After almost two years after the death of an Althea‘s husband, she moves in with the family, in her old and newly remodeled home.
Grace is really going out of her way to make her mother-in-law feel right at home. Only things are not going so well. Her mother-in-law (monster-n-law) is just so hideous. You know….. one of those people who try to be a martyr and everyone seems to love them, but behind closed doors they’re just pure evil. Grace seems to be the only one who sees this. Everyone else is completely oblivious obviously.
There are a few other characters in the mix that I could mention, but you would just have to read to find out for yourself. I think this book had a lot of promise. It actually started to get really good. Somewhere towards the end, it started to get a little wacky. Some of the dialogue just seemed a little silly. Maybe that’s just me, I don’t know.
—- All in all I rate this 3.5 ⭐️
I would like to thank Severn house and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date December 5, 2023.
March 17, 2024
After her husband Robert’s passing, Althea Deming discovers that he left his estate to her stepson Hal, under the condition that they allow her to reside with them in the inherited house. Despite Hal, Grace and their daughter Shyla selling their previous home and business to accommodate Althea, who had a mother-in-law suite added during the house’s renovation, she remains dissatisfied with her new living situation, felling confined to a small portion of the house that once belonged to her. Once Althea moves in with them, tension begins to escalate. While the rest of the household holds Althea in high regard, Grace harbors suspicions about her trustworthiness.
While initially drawn in by the appealing cover, intriguing title, and promising premise, I ultimately found this book to be disappointing and considered DNF, but curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see how it all panned out. It fell short in delivering the suspense I was hoping for and veered into unbelievability and was extremely over the top which I personally don’t enjoy. Additionally, none of the characters resonated with me, as they were all highly unlikable and two dimensional. The opening scene in Chapter 1 caught my interest, and I kept waiting to see how it would tie into the story, but was sadly let down by its significance when it was finally revealed.
Although Maternal Instinct by Becky Mastermind is listed under Mystery & Thrillers, I would classify it as more of a domestic drama with a splash of suspense. The audiobook was narrated by Gail Shalan who did a great job giving voices to the different characters making it easy to differentiate them.
While there are many 4 and even some 5 star reviews for this book, it just wasn’t a good match for me. 2 stars💫
Trigger warning: unnecessary animal cruelty.
My thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
While initially drawn in by the appealing cover, intriguing title, and promising premise, I ultimately found this book to be disappointing and considered DNF, but curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see how it all panned out. It fell short in delivering the suspense I was hoping for and veered into unbelievability and was extremely over the top which I personally don’t enjoy. Additionally, none of the characters resonated with me, as they were all highly unlikable and two dimensional. The opening scene in Chapter 1 caught my interest, and I kept waiting to see how it would tie into the story, but was sadly let down by its significance when it was finally revealed.
Although Maternal Instinct by Becky Mastermind is listed under Mystery & Thrillers, I would classify it as more of a domestic drama with a splash of suspense. The audiobook was narrated by Gail Shalan who did a great job giving voices to the different characters making it easy to differentiate them.
While there are many 4 and even some 5 star reviews for this book, it just wasn’t a good match for me. 2 stars💫
Trigger warning: unnecessary animal cruelty.
My thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
November 27, 2023
I hope everyone;s belly is full of turkey and love from being surrounded by family.
I personally, can only stomach "guests" for a certain period of time, then I need to go hide with my books in the closest bathroom.
Maternal Instinct
This book has been on my radar for quite some time and boy oh boy my only regret is waiting so long to pick it up. What the heck was I thinking?
Becky Masterman, is quite literally, a mastermind.
Masterman, has taken the book world by storm and I am so here for it.
Check out this teaser :
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
I personally, can only stomach "guests" for a certain period of time, then I need to go hide with my books in the closest bathroom.
Maternal Instinct
This book has been on my radar for quite some time and boy oh boy my only regret is waiting so long to pick it up. What the heck was I thinking?
Becky Masterman, is quite literally, a mastermind.
Masterman, has taken the book world by storm and I am so here for it.
Check out this teaser :
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
After all, Althea Deming is a sweetheart. Everyone says so. Her husband. The neighbors. And soon, so does Shyla, the once vibrant and happy child now a shadow of her former self. What's wrong with Grace that she can't trust her? But all her instincts are screaming at her that Althea is dangerous, and if she doesn't fight to protect her family from her malign influence, she'll live to regret it . . .
September 5, 2024
Talk about a slow start… I had a hard time getting into this book and I had to take a break about 1/4 of the way in thanks to a creepy, animal-related incident. (A trigger warning would’ve been helpful.) The story started to gain momentum about halfway through at which point it really drew me in.
The characters gained some depth as the story progressed, but I didn’t end up liking or connecting with any of them. The end of the book held a few surprises but didn’t offer the satisfaction of a big reveal.
This was my first Becky Masterman book and though I didn’t love it, I really liked her writing style. I’ll likely try one of her other books soon.
3.4 rounded down to 3.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc.
The characters gained some depth as the story progressed, but I didn’t end up liking or connecting with any of them. The end of the book held a few surprises but didn’t offer the satisfaction of a big reveal.
This was my first Becky Masterman book and though I didn’t love it, I really liked her writing style. I’ll likely try one of her other books soon.
3.4 rounded down to 3.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc.
November 9, 2023
A twisty domestic drama that sees two women circling one another in a house where the power dynamic has dramatically changed. Althea was shocked that her husband left their home to his son and that she's now been pushed in the corner, Grace, her daughter in law, finds Althea as grating as Althea finds her and they both have their day in this novel of escalating behavior which, unfortunately, impacts young Shyla. Mastermind is a good storyteller and this pops along. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You might guess how this is going to go but it's all about the journey.
November 28, 2023
When Althea‘s husband ROBERT died all her belongings went to her stepson Hal and his wife Grace with the agreement Hal and Grace will take care of his stepmom Althea at first Grace tries to make the best of it and what she considers an honest attempt at making Althea happy… Althea sees it as a slight. Grace knows there’s another side to Althea and she is concerned. She has nowhere to turn except her mother Fiona because everyone loves Althea from the priests to their neighbors and she’s even swaying her own daughterShiloh into camp Althea. Throughout the book Althea talks to her dead husband who from the readers point of view she can see and hear but who doesn’t talk to their deceased spouse right I mean Althea is doing her best to get along and at first I could really empathize with Althea but as the book goes along and something from Altheas past pokes its head it will be the beginning of the end but not before someone gets hurt. I really enjoyed this book and at first as I said I didn’t know who was the bad guy but by the end OMG forget the bad guy there’s a bad ass woman and she’s had about enough. I can honestly say I have never read a book by Becky Masterman before but I can also equally honestly tell you I will definitely be looking for them in the future this book was really good and I love that at the end when Grace was woken up at that point I did not know what to expect but I definitely got a satisfying ending in a great thriller. I want to thank severin House and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
December 9, 2023
Oh, the tangled webs that families weave!
Althea Deming has buried her husband, Robert. His will left their house to his son Hal with the provision that he and his wife Grace will move in and take care of Althea. But when Althea sees all the changes they made to her house and that they are now sleeping in her old bedroom, well, it’s just too much. Sure, they made her a new, lovely suite,but everything they say or do makes Althea see red. She doesn’t blame her stepson, oh, not at all. Obviously, this debacle is all Grace’s fault. I had no doubt after reading the first chapter that this was not going to be a family with a happily ever after ending.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that Althea on the outside seems perfectly pleasant and it’s hard to see why Grace distrusts her. However, Althea’s internal dialogue is, shall we say disturbing. It doesn’t take long for traumatic events to surround and threaten to destroy this family.
Buckle up because it’s going to be a heck of a ride. I may not have been a huge fan of how this ended(though to be fair, it seems like I don’t really enjoy how many books end), but I really enjoyed the Cray Cray journey.
Althea Deming has buried her husband, Robert. His will left their house to his son Hal with the provision that he and his wife Grace will move in and take care of Althea. But when Althea sees all the changes they made to her house and that they are now sleeping in her old bedroom, well, it’s just too much. Sure, they made her a new, lovely suite,but everything they say or do makes Althea see red. She doesn’t blame her stepson, oh, not at all. Obviously, this debacle is all Grace’s fault. I had no doubt after reading the first chapter that this was not going to be a family with a happily ever after ending.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that Althea on the outside seems perfectly pleasant and it’s hard to see why Grace distrusts her. However, Althea’s internal dialogue is, shall we say disturbing. It doesn’t take long for traumatic events to surround and threaten to destroy this family.
Buckle up because it’s going to be a heck of a ride. I may not have been a huge fan of how this ended(though to be fair, it seems like I don’t really enjoy how many books end), but I really enjoyed the Cray Cray journey.
November 8, 2023
A good domestic thriller featuring a MIL from hell and a very disfunctional family full of danger and fear.
A good novel even if a bit over the top at times
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
A good novel even if a bit over the top at times
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
February 15, 2025
Took forever to get thru, not worth the time!
February 11, 2024
I didn’t like this it all. Just dark and disturbing and every character was unlikeable
February 19, 2024
DNF at 20%
Too much Catholicism for one but the story isn’t interesting or moving forward plus the two MC are complainers and annoying
Thanks netgalley for my ALC
Too much Catholicism for one but the story isn’t interesting or moving forward plus the two MC are complainers and annoying
Thanks netgalley for my ALC
November 16, 2023
I loved the premise as who hasn't had to deal with a partners insane mother but the book wasn't quite what I had expected. The characters are pretty unlikeable which is fair enough but it all gets a bit bizarre and strange. And I'm not sure if that's in a good was or not lol. It was a decent enough read, well written, stuck to the premise and certainly entertaining. I had just hoped to get a bit more fron the characters perhaps. A good book though of you take it with a pinch of salt
February 3, 2024
This book has one of the most narcissistic, annoying, evil villains I have ever seen. Grace, the main character, definitely had all my sympathy in trying to deal with her. My mouth actually dropped open a couple times while reading this - there were some unexpected shocks for sure. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and very engrossing.
January 2, 2024
MATERNAL INSTINCT
BY: BECKY MASTERMAN
Spoiler Alert!
About 4.5 Stars!
Don't Let Althea fool you. Her motto is don't let anyone know what you're really thinking because that's her best defense. She comes across as a nice 70 year old step- grandmother to Shyla. Hal's step-mother. Grace's Step-mother-in-law. Althea has been living in an assisted living place after her husband Robert died. Robert left their grand home in Florida in a prestigious neighborhood to his son Hal. Him and his wife Grace and their only daughter Shyla have left behind their friends and Grace's mother to renovate Althea's and Robert's home.
They have remodeled and made renovations to completely change this two story home most likely to Grace's taste. They have included a suite for Althea to live in a corner of her former home. As Althea walks in inspecting the new furniture and with everything redecorated she lets the reader know that she doesn't like the changes one bit. She blames her step-daughter-in-law Grace for replacing most of her furniture and the pieces that are kept are not the way Althea likes them. In her mind she silently scoffs inside to herself that everything is in bad taste and not to her liking.
In the beginning of this crackling whip smart novel Althea is carrying an urn of her deceased husband Robert's cremated ashes and her cat named Ruth as she walks through the door of her house. She is thinking to herself that all of the new decorative features are beneath her good taste from when this used to be her home. She doesn't approve of any of the new changes that have been made while she inspects everything on the walk through on her way to her new bedroom. She has now been relegated to a fraction of space on the first floor where she will reside. She is thinking of how terrible everything looks now in this new version of what used to be her domain only. Althea is thinking to herself how wrong every new decorative feature is. From the new paint on the walls, to the replaced ornaments on the Christmas tree to the flooring that she views is just wrong.
Althea was Robert's second wife and he has left the house to his son Hal with the stipulation that Althea be given a place to stay on in the house. Hal is a baker and he doesn't think that there is anything wrong with the way Althea acts. She treats Hal a lot nicer than his wife Grace who Althea blames for all of the rules that have been put in place. Hal is very passive and Grace has made it a rule that Althea isn't allowed to go upstairs on the second floor of the house where they have Althea's old master bedroom.
At first I felt sorry for Althea because of her losing her autonomy of keeping her home the way she had formerly lived. She raised Robert's children from young teenagers in that house and I thought that the house should have gone to her instead of Hal and his family. Althea had converted to the Catholic religion when she married Robert and she attends church regularly and says her prayers regularly to her rosary beads. She is friendly with the priest and bakes brownies for her neighbors who all love her.
Grace who is close to her mother Fiona who she often faces time regularly on her cell phone is the only one that seems to see through Althea's facade. She confides to her mother often how things are not going well and they joke about Althea. Then I found myself not liking Althea or her step-daughter-in-law Grace or Grace's mother Fiona. The restaurant where Hal worked closed so now he is without a job and seems checked out of life because he is depressed. Grace who cleans vacation properties on the beach is the only one with an income and tries to urge Hal into opening his own business as a bakery. She is worried about the money running out of their savings as she is the only one working.
Before Hal lost his job and while everybody wasn't home Althea ignored Grace's rule of going upstairs. Althea again is unhappy with what she sees and while she snoops in the master bedroom's bathroom cabinet noticing that the expensive perfume that she gave Grace is unopened. Not only that Althea sees her gift and is unhappy that it sits behind what Althea calls Grace's perfume "toilet water." So she takes Grace's perfume everyday outside and spritzes the atomizer in the back yard. That way nobody will be the wiser by being able to smell that she is slowly draining Grace's cheaper perfume everyday. Why didn't she just ask her daughter-in-law if she liked her gift?
Shyla has a tortoise that's cage sits on top of a piece of Althea's furniture. She has watched Shyla feed it a strawberry often and Althea coaxes it out of its cage with a strawberry while nobody is home. She lets the tortoise loose and it grabs onto Althea's cat Ruth's ear and chews a piece off. Althea gets revenge on Shyla's pet tortoise by coaxing it out of its cage with another strawberry and cuts the tortoise's head off with a knife. She returns it to its hut inside the cage hiding what she has done. When Shyla who isn't making friends easily discovers what has happened to her pet tortoise she is devastated, but nobody knows that Althea did what she did.
Christmas comes and Grace skimps on gifts trying to stretch out their money. Althea is always thinking that her clothing is superior and her taste in gifts also she feels are of a higher quality. Fiona Grace's mother arrives with glossy Christmas wrapping with perfect ribbons and bows on her abundance of gifts. With morale being low Fiona urges Grace and Hal to take a little getaway away from home promising to watch Shyla. Grace is lulled into a false sense of safety, thinking with her mother staying at the home keeping an eye on things Grace agrees to go away with Hal. Grateful for some time away together Grace thinks it will be good for both her and Hal. She thinks it might help Hal to take the initiative to either open his own bakery or find another job.
Althea has right from the start known that Fiona and her daughter Grace talk about Althea on their phone calls because she has been eavesdropping. Althea is jealous of Fiona because she has swooped into their lives on a Christmas visit and promised to take Shyla out to buy her a new tortoise. Althea also overheard Hal saying to Fiona how he considers her a mom. Althea overhears another phone call between Grace and her mother making fun of Althea.
Things take a turn from the worse to a horrifying new level while Hal and Grace are gone. To say that Althea is a nightmare is putting it mildly. I've never come across a mother-in-law that seems to fool everyone in the community how wonderful she is when she is anything but innocent. She's either evil or insane. She talks to Robert and he responds by talking to Althea in her bedroom suite. Grace's and Shyla's life is irrevocably turned into a nightmare all because of Althea's jealousy. Hal is the only one besides Shyla and the community to think that Althea is harmless. What she has already done and what she did while Grace and Hal were away, left me wondering how can this religious 70 year old woman like Althea grow increasingly more dangerous? While she gets away with shattering both Grace and Shyla's life to the point of no return from trauma again.
Grace grows suspicious but can't talk to her passive husband about what she suspects because he thinks Althea is wonderful. She left all of her friends and her mother to move into a nicer home but is it worth it when you're afraid for your daughter's safety? Grace thinks that she'll sound like the crazy person because Althea has everybody fooled. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this wickedly clever suspense driven domestic family thriller. Even while reading it the only person I liked was the friendless adolescent daughter Shyla. Things continue to spiral and I was feeling like the person driving by the scene of an accident not wanting to witness it, but finding myself unable to look away. I'm so happy that I took a chance on this *Read Now* on Net Galley. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my Good Reads friend Maureen E. for her terrific review leading me to discover this. I really enjoyed this even though I feel guilty admitting it. There is quite a bit to discover that I've purposely left out so as not to give away spoiler territory. Let's just say that being held captive while reading this in one sitting was a guilty pleasure. Trigger warnings are cruelty to animals, murder, elder abuse, and kidnapping. I still would highly recommend this if you can read it without getting triggered.
Publication Date: December 5th, 2023
Thank you to Net Galley, Becky Masterman and Severn House for generously granting me my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#MaternalInstinct #BeckyMasterman #SevernHouse #NetGalley
BY: BECKY MASTERMAN
Spoiler Alert!
About 4.5 Stars!
Don't Let Althea fool you. Her motto is don't let anyone know what you're really thinking because that's her best defense. She comes across as a nice 70 year old step- grandmother to Shyla. Hal's step-mother. Grace's Step-mother-in-law. Althea has been living in an assisted living place after her husband Robert died. Robert left their grand home in Florida in a prestigious neighborhood to his son Hal. Him and his wife Grace and their only daughter Shyla have left behind their friends and Grace's mother to renovate Althea's and Robert's home.
They have remodeled and made renovations to completely change this two story home most likely to Grace's taste. They have included a suite for Althea to live in a corner of her former home. As Althea walks in inspecting the new furniture and with everything redecorated she lets the reader know that she doesn't like the changes one bit. She blames her step-daughter-in-law Grace for replacing most of her furniture and the pieces that are kept are not the way Althea likes them. In her mind she silently scoffs inside to herself that everything is in bad taste and not to her liking.
In the beginning of this crackling whip smart novel Althea is carrying an urn of her deceased husband Robert's cremated ashes and her cat named Ruth as she walks through the door of her house. She is thinking to herself that all of the new decorative features are beneath her good taste from when this used to be her home. She doesn't approve of any of the new changes that have been made while she inspects everything on the walk through on her way to her new bedroom. She has now been relegated to a fraction of space on the first floor where she will reside. She is thinking of how terrible everything looks now in this new version of what used to be her domain only. Althea is thinking to herself how wrong every new decorative feature is. From the new paint on the walls, to the replaced ornaments on the Christmas tree to the flooring that she views is just wrong.
Althea was Robert's second wife and he has left the house to his son Hal with the stipulation that Althea be given a place to stay on in the house. Hal is a baker and he doesn't think that there is anything wrong with the way Althea acts. She treats Hal a lot nicer than his wife Grace who Althea blames for all of the rules that have been put in place. Hal is very passive and Grace has made it a rule that Althea isn't allowed to go upstairs on the second floor of the house where they have Althea's old master bedroom.
At first I felt sorry for Althea because of her losing her autonomy of keeping her home the way she had formerly lived. She raised Robert's children from young teenagers in that house and I thought that the house should have gone to her instead of Hal and his family. Althea had converted to the Catholic religion when she married Robert and she attends church regularly and says her prayers regularly to her rosary beads. She is friendly with the priest and bakes brownies for her neighbors who all love her.
Grace who is close to her mother Fiona who she often faces time regularly on her cell phone is the only one that seems to see through Althea's facade. She confides to her mother often how things are not going well and they joke about Althea. Then I found myself not liking Althea or her step-daughter-in-law Grace or Grace's mother Fiona. The restaurant where Hal worked closed so now he is without a job and seems checked out of life because he is depressed. Grace who cleans vacation properties on the beach is the only one with an income and tries to urge Hal into opening his own business as a bakery. She is worried about the money running out of their savings as she is the only one working.
Before Hal lost his job and while everybody wasn't home Althea ignored Grace's rule of going upstairs. Althea again is unhappy with what she sees and while she snoops in the master bedroom's bathroom cabinet noticing that the expensive perfume that she gave Grace is unopened. Not only that Althea sees her gift and is unhappy that it sits behind what Althea calls Grace's perfume "toilet water." So she takes Grace's perfume everyday outside and spritzes the atomizer in the back yard. That way nobody will be the wiser by being able to smell that she is slowly draining Grace's cheaper perfume everyday. Why didn't she just ask her daughter-in-law if she liked her gift?
Shyla has a tortoise that's cage sits on top of a piece of Althea's furniture. She has watched Shyla feed it a strawberry often and Althea coaxes it out of its cage with a strawberry while nobody is home. She lets the tortoise loose and it grabs onto Althea's cat Ruth's ear and chews a piece off. Althea gets revenge on Shyla's pet tortoise by coaxing it out of its cage with another strawberry and cuts the tortoise's head off with a knife. She returns it to its hut inside the cage hiding what she has done. When Shyla who isn't making friends easily discovers what has happened to her pet tortoise she is devastated, but nobody knows that Althea did what she did.
Christmas comes and Grace skimps on gifts trying to stretch out their money. Althea is always thinking that her clothing is superior and her taste in gifts also she feels are of a higher quality. Fiona Grace's mother arrives with glossy Christmas wrapping with perfect ribbons and bows on her abundance of gifts. With morale being low Fiona urges Grace and Hal to take a little getaway away from home promising to watch Shyla. Grace is lulled into a false sense of safety, thinking with her mother staying at the home keeping an eye on things Grace agrees to go away with Hal. Grateful for some time away together Grace thinks it will be good for both her and Hal. She thinks it might help Hal to take the initiative to either open his own bakery or find another job.
Althea has right from the start known that Fiona and her daughter Grace talk about Althea on their phone calls because she has been eavesdropping. Althea is jealous of Fiona because she has swooped into their lives on a Christmas visit and promised to take Shyla out to buy her a new tortoise. Althea also overheard Hal saying to Fiona how he considers her a mom. Althea overhears another phone call between Grace and her mother making fun of Althea.
Things take a turn from the worse to a horrifying new level while Hal and Grace are gone. To say that Althea is a nightmare is putting it mildly. I've never come across a mother-in-law that seems to fool everyone in the community how wonderful she is when she is anything but innocent. She's either evil or insane. She talks to Robert and he responds by talking to Althea in her bedroom suite. Grace's and Shyla's life is irrevocably turned into a nightmare all because of Althea's jealousy. Hal is the only one besides Shyla and the community to think that Althea is harmless. What she has already done and what she did while Grace and Hal were away, left me wondering how can this religious 70 year old woman like Althea grow increasingly more dangerous? While she gets away with shattering both Grace and Shyla's life to the point of no return from trauma again.
Grace grows suspicious but can't talk to her passive husband about what she suspects because he thinks Althea is wonderful. She left all of her friends and her mother to move into a nicer home but is it worth it when you're afraid for your daughter's safety? Grace thinks that she'll sound like the crazy person because Althea has everybody fooled. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this wickedly clever suspense driven domestic family thriller. Even while reading it the only person I liked was the friendless adolescent daughter Shyla. Things continue to spiral and I was feeling like the person driving by the scene of an accident not wanting to witness it, but finding myself unable to look away. I'm so happy that I took a chance on this *Read Now* on Net Galley. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my Good Reads friend Maureen E. for her terrific review leading me to discover this. I really enjoyed this even though I feel guilty admitting it. There is quite a bit to discover that I've purposely left out so as not to give away spoiler territory. Let's just say that being held captive while reading this in one sitting was a guilty pleasure. Trigger warnings are cruelty to animals, murder, elder abuse, and kidnapping. I still would highly recommend this if you can read it without getting triggered.
Publication Date: December 5th, 2023
Thank you to Net Galley, Becky Masterman and Severn House for generously granting me my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#MaternalInstinct #BeckyMasterman #SevernHouse #NetGalley
April 11, 2024
Maternal Instinct
By Becky Masterman
Audiobook :- 10 Hours & 40 Minutes
Narrator :- Gail Shalan
Book :- 288 Pages
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
Review...
well well, starting this audiobook i was not expecting much but maybe a woman who's a little bitter, but this book is more then that with the main character Althea Deming (I see her as a toxic character) after moving in she points out changes and also you can feel her disgust for daughter-in-law Grace. During the book slowly you see Althea doing small steps to twist and manipulate the situation and also the people around her ( in as well as out side the house ). The way Althea is written comes off as off settling as well as toxic, with some of her actions making my mouth fall open ( turtle ) (if you know you know ), I also have my suspicions that Althea killed people and felt no remorse... I even have had thoughts that maybe Althea is a sociopath. Once I started this audiobook i could not stop & the narration by Gail Shalan was greatly done really helping with the submersion and it really helped me get into the story being told ( I find it hard to get along with all audiobooks, certain voices don't work for me ).
I found this book really good dealing with a toxic In Law & trying to do the best you can but nothing you ever do being any good, you are the villain no matter what... but the actions of lies, manipulation, gas lighting and so much more done by Althea has made Grace think she is losing her mind and also that she is the only one who is suffering but she is not because even her daughter at times gets unfair treatment but to others it looks like Althea cares when she doesn't... the book mentioned in this book (how to deal with people with borderline personality disorder & not walk on eggshells - I have a book in this series but for dealing with bi-polar or narcissism ).
I give it 4 stars out of 5
highly enjoyed and was able to draw allot of emotions out of me
By Becky Masterman
Audiobook :- 10 Hours & 40 Minutes
Narrator :- Gail Shalan
Book :- 288 Pages
Don't let them know what you're thinking, Althea Deming tells herself. It's your best defense. Althea didn't want her good natured but thoughtless step-son Hal and manipulative daughter-in-law Grace to move in with her, relegating her to a corner of the house that was once just hers, but she doesn't have much choice. She's been powerless since her beloved husband Robert's death. According to the will, everything that was hers now belongs to Hal - and to Grace.
Grace Deming didn't want to uproot her family to care for her difficult mother-in-law, but she's determined to make the best of it for the sake of her daughter Shyla's future. Their new home is enormous, the neighborhood prestigious. If the worst of it is that Althea dislikes her, she can cope.
Review...
well well, starting this audiobook i was not expecting much but maybe a woman who's a little bitter, but this book is more then that with the main character Althea Deming (I see her as a toxic character) after moving in she points out changes and also you can feel her disgust for daughter-in-law Grace. During the book slowly you see Althea doing small steps to twist and manipulate the situation and also the people around her ( in as well as out side the house ). The way Althea is written comes off as off settling as well as toxic, with some of her actions making my mouth fall open ( turtle ) (if you know you know ), I also have my suspicions that Althea killed people and felt no remorse... I even have had thoughts that maybe Althea is a sociopath. Once I started this audiobook i could not stop & the narration by Gail Shalan was greatly done really helping with the submersion and it really helped me get into the story being told ( I find it hard to get along with all audiobooks, certain voices don't work for me ).
I found this book really good dealing with a toxic In Law & trying to do the best you can but nothing you ever do being any good, you are the villain no matter what... but the actions of lies, manipulation, gas lighting and so much more done by Althea has made Grace think she is losing her mind and also that she is the only one who is suffering but she is not because even her daughter at times gets unfair treatment but to others it looks like Althea cares when she doesn't... the book mentioned in this book (how to deal with people with borderline personality disorder & not walk on eggshells - I have a book in this series but for dealing with bi-polar or narcissism ).
I give it 4 stars out of 5
highly enjoyed and was able to draw allot of emotions out of me
February 26, 2024
Thanks to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great premise: Althea, stepmother to Hal, widow of Robert, has spent the past year in an independent living facility, waiting for renovations to be completed on the house she once shared with her husband. As part of Robert's will, Hal has agreed to take possession of the house only if Althea may also live there in a MIL suite outfitted with her favorite pieces from the old house. Hal's wife, Grace, and teen daughter, Shyla, complete the family unit. But Althea chafes in her new suite: she is not allowed upstairs on her own and she dislikes the modern renovations on her former home. Shyla, at 13, is a handful and not ladylike or humble enough for Althea, who is a hardcore old-school Catholic of the type Mel Gibson would find impressive. Althea has been permitted to bring her beloved cat, Ruth, to the house, but Shyla's pet tortoise and Ruth don't get along.
The reader feels bad for Althea at first, but she goes off the rails quickly: she starts indoctrinating Shyla straightaway, and takes advantage of Hal's milquetoast personality to run roughshod over the whole family, Grace in particular. Things start getting real when Althea, who may or may not realize that she is doing things and not just imagining herself doing them, Althea also spends most of her time talking to a hallucinated version of her late husband, who assures her that she is perfect and her interactions with her family are reasonable.
Just when you want to jump into the book and strangle Althea yourself, Hal's missing-presumed-dead sister, Joan, arrives on the scene. Joan claims to be there to help Grace deal with the Althea problem (by this point Althea is all but accusing Grace & Hal of elder abuse), and Althea thinks she is dead . But Joan has other, darker ideas than Grace, and suddenly we are in Bizarro World
I got the sense that Masterman didn't know how to wrap up the story and so introduced the boogeyman of Joan, but didn't know quite what to do with her. Honestly, her appearance could have been pretty great, but she mostly just hangs out being vaguely evil. And then Masterman unites her two MCs against a common enemy, and boop! The end. It keeps the book from being really great after three quarters of it being a lesson in entertaining dread.
3.5 stars rounded up before I second guess myself
This is a great premise: Althea, stepmother to Hal, widow of Robert, has spent the past year in an independent living facility, waiting for renovations to be completed on the house she once shared with her husband. As part of Robert's will, Hal has agreed to take possession of the house only if Althea may also live there in a MIL suite outfitted with her favorite pieces from the old house. Hal's wife, Grace, and teen daughter, Shyla, complete the family unit. But Althea chafes in her new suite: she is not allowed upstairs on her own and she dislikes the modern renovations on her former home. Shyla, at 13, is a handful and not ladylike or humble enough for Althea, who is a hardcore old-school Catholic of the type Mel Gibson would find impressive. Althea has been permitted to bring her beloved cat, Ruth, to the house, but Shyla's pet tortoise and Ruth don't get along.
The reader feels bad for Althea at first, but she goes off the rails quickly: she starts indoctrinating Shyla straightaway, and takes advantage of Hal's milquetoast personality to run roughshod over the whole family, Grace in particular. Things start getting real when Althea, who may or may not realize that she is doing things and not just imagining herself doing them, Althea also spends most of her time talking to a hallucinated version of her late husband, who assures her that she is perfect and her interactions with her family are reasonable.
Just when you want to jump into the book and strangle Althea yourself, Hal's missing-presumed-dead sister, Joan, arrives on the scene. Joan claims to be there to help Grace deal with the Althea problem (by this point Althea is all but accusing Grace & Hal of elder abuse), and Althea thinks she is dead . But Joan has other, darker ideas than Grace, and suddenly we are in Bizarro World
I got the sense that Masterman didn't know how to wrap up the story and so introduced the boogeyman of Joan, but didn't know quite what to do with her. Honestly, her appearance could have been pretty great, but she mostly just hangs out being vaguely evil. And then Masterman unites her two MCs against a common enemy, and boop! The end. It keeps the book from being really great after three quarters of it being a lesson in entertaining dread.
3.5 stars rounded up before I second guess myself
March 25, 2024
I love Becky Masterman's Brigid Quinn series, and have been hoping for another one, but sadly, I fear Brigid Quinn has truly retired. So when I saw that Masterman had a new book coming out, I jumped on it. It's a different type of book, more of a domestic thriller and an excellent character study. It's also a good modern look at the friction that can come from having three generations suddenly living in the same house. Those frictions are only exacerbated by the fact that the "matriarch", Althea, is now living in the newly renovated house she and her husband once owned, but living with her stepson and his wife and teen daughter in an arrangement engineered by her dying husband. It's an arrangement that no doubt seemed perfect on the surface. But no one left to deal with the consequences of the arrangement is truly happy or comfortable with it. Althea feels displaced in the home she once owned and isn't happy that she's no longer the "Queen Bee"; her stepson Hal misses the the job he loved and had to leave; his wife Grace misses her friends and her old job. Their teen daughter, Shyla, also misses her friends and school. Most of all, though, Grace is increasingly distrustful of Althea - and with good reason. As events escalate Grace becomes increasingly concerned about Althea's stability and for Shyla's safety. The narration of the audiobook by Gail Shalan was very well done - she did an excellent of giving the main characters their own voice. I'll continue to hope for more of Brigid Quinn, but now I know I can safely look for more of Becky Masterman's books, even if there's no more about Brigid.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
November 22, 2023
This is a novel told from the dual perspectives of Althea and Grace - two women suddenly placed in uncomfortably close proximity to each other, with neither of them happy at the prospect.
Upon her husband Robert's death, his widow Althea's life is turned upside-down as she discovers that living with the arrangement whereby Robert has left his home to his son and daughter-in-law is far from easy.
Hal is Althea's easygoing stepson and is reasonably fond of her, but his wife Grace is an entirely different matter. She is intuitively suspicious of her mother-in-law. As it turns out, with good reason.
One condition of Robert's bequest is that his son's family move in and help to look after Althea, as she is getting on in years. But the latter sees them as usurpers, and comesincreasingly resents their presence in the home that was once hers and Robert's.
Meanwhile, as the stakes get higher in the simmering conflict between Grace and Althea, the fallout will include the effects on Hal's young daughter, Shyla, who is transformed from an outgoing young girl into a shadow of her former vivacious self. But why...?
While this story is in a way predictable, given the likely outcome, the journey that unfolds is interesting enough. Brace yourself for a real monster-in-law tale from a writer that embraces the darker side of human nature.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Upon her husband Robert's death, his widow Althea's life is turned upside-down as she discovers that living with the arrangement whereby Robert has left his home to his son and daughter-in-law is far from easy.
Hal is Althea's easygoing stepson and is reasonably fond of her, but his wife Grace is an entirely different matter. She is intuitively suspicious of her mother-in-law. As it turns out, with good reason.
One condition of Robert's bequest is that his son's family move in and help to look after Althea, as she is getting on in years. But the latter sees them as usurpers, and comesincreasingly resents their presence in the home that was once hers and Robert's.
Meanwhile, as the stakes get higher in the simmering conflict between Grace and Althea, the fallout will include the effects on Hal's young daughter, Shyla, who is transformed from an outgoing young girl into a shadow of her former vivacious self. But why...?
While this story is in a way predictable, given the likely outcome, the journey that unfolds is interesting enough. Brace yourself for a real monster-in-law tale from a writer that embraces the darker side of human nature.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
February 14, 2024
3.5 rounded up.
This is Monster-in-Law (the JLo movie) x murder. It’s a lot of fun, even if the story gets increasingly far fetched - whacky, even - from about 50% on.
Premise - Hal inherits his father’s house with one major line of fine print: they have to let his stepmother, Althea, live there with them and must take care of her to the end of her days. No one is happy with this: not Althea, who’s been tucked away into a small corner of what was her home for years. Not Grace, who hates living under her unpleasant MIL’s thumb. Not Shyla, who misses her old school and old friends.
The antics escalate gradually, eventually up to lizard beheadings and murder, but Hal retreats into depression, so it’s up to Grace to protect her family.
📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no
✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of the Heiress
💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 3/5
💕 Pacing: 3/5
💕 Unputdownability: 3/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 3/5
Thanks, NetGalley and Severn House, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is Monster-in-Law (the JLo movie) x murder. It’s a lot of fun, even if the story gets increasingly far fetched - whacky, even - from about 50% on.
Premise - Hal inherits his father’s house with one major line of fine print: they have to let his stepmother, Althea, live there with them and must take care of her to the end of her days. No one is happy with this: not Althea, who’s been tucked away into a small corner of what was her home for years. Not Grace, who hates living under her unpleasant MIL’s thumb. Not Shyla, who misses her old school and old friends.
The antics escalate gradually, eventually up to lizard beheadings and murder, but Hal retreats into depression, so it’s up to Grace to protect her family.
📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no
✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of the Heiress
💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 3/5
💕 Pacing: 3/5
💕 Unputdownability: 3/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 3/5
Thanks, NetGalley and Severn House, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2024
Poor Althea. Her husband has passed away and left their home to his son, Hal. Hal has a wife, Grace, and daughter, Shyla. Althea finds herself moved to the "Mother-in-Law suite", where she once had the entire house. Oh, but don't count her out yet! Grace finds herself uprooted from her friends and community and does have a few rules of her own. Everyone loves Althea and thinks she is just the sweetest, but Grace has her doubts. Why does everyone put up with any of this, you ask? Well, Dear Hubby stipulated in his will that Althea be allowed to remain, and that Hal and Grace take care of her. Oh joy. We soon learn that Althea is NOT just the sweetest, but then neither is Grace. Let the games begin. This one was fun to read in a disturbing sort of way and I would read more from this author.
Thank you to #NetGalley, Becky Masterman and Severn House for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to #NetGalley, Becky Masterman and Severn House for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
August 7, 2025
I’ve enjoyed other books by Becky Masterman but Maternal Instincts was a miss for me. The story revolves around Althea, a mother who, because of her late husband’s will, has relinquished her home to her stepson and his family. The stipulation is that she’ll always be cared for. The minute she walks into the newly refurbished home there are problems. Things only get worse as tensions mount, especially between Althea and her daughter-in-law, Grace.
The story is told from two points of view – Grace and Althea. While this might have been an appealing book, I just couldn’t become invested in it. The characters were unlikable and there were more ruminations about the overall situation than I felt was necessary. As the story progressed the events became more unbelievable. Ms Masterman is a good writer and this book is no exception in that regard. It’s simply not the book for me and I would give it 2.5 *s. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.
The story is told from two points of view – Grace and Althea. While this might have been an appealing book, I just couldn’t become invested in it. The characters were unlikable and there were more ruminations about the overall situation than I felt was necessary. As the story progressed the events became more unbelievable. Ms Masterman is a good writer and this book is no exception in that regard. It’s simply not the book for me and I would give it 2.5 *s. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.
March 13, 2024
From the author Becky Masterman (Brigid Quinn series) comes a wicked domestic suspense - psychological thriller MATERNAL INSTINCTS —A husband's death, a widow (a step-manipulative mother-in-law), his son, wife, and daughter all in one house. Which one will survive this nightmare?
Robert Deming (was rich, powerful, handsome, and menacing) has passed away. Hal will receive the inheritance and the house.
His second wife, Althea Deming (ten years younger), has been living in a senior Onceview while they renovated. The house was left to his son, Hal Deming, and he has moved back into the house where he grew up with his wife, Grace, and 13-year-old daughter, Shyla
According to the will, along with the house, they must take care of stepmother Althea (she has been assigned a suite in the home), so they move her back home.
However, they have no clue how opinionated, hypocritical, judgmental, and resentful Althea is. (passive-aggressive). At first, Grace thought moving into this stunning, prestigious home in Delray Beach, FL would be a great idea.
Grace and Hal have rental property. Grace is a property manager and takes care of the vacation rentals (cleaning). There are some very funny scenes.
Soon, they realize what life will be like living within these walls. From Althea's cat, Ruth— and Shayla's tortoise, Gonzo (creepy), an urn with Robert's ashes, and imaginary talks between Robert and Althea.
What happened to Joan, the daughter (Hal's sister) who ran away from home as a teen? Hal and Althea had traveled all over Europe to find her. What happened to Clare, his first wife?
The living arrangements are tension-filled (total family dysfunction), resulting from lies, deceit, manipulation, religious differences, gaslighting, and secrets. Althea thinks Grace is manipulative and dangerous. No one trusts anyone. However, Althea fools all the outsiders into thinking she is a saint. Does she have Hal fooled?
Is Althea dangerous, a killer?
Grace is at the end of her rope. Her mother, Fiona, suggests Hal and Grace get away for a weekend away from the tension. (Watch out for the pool, drinking, and meds.) They would have Althea and Shayla, and finally, Grace would give in since her mother would be there to oversee things.
However, when they are away, a tragedy occurs. Was this an accident, or is Althea a liar? Can they trust her? Is she a monster stepmother-in-law?
MATERNAL INSTINCTS is darkly comic, twisty, and wicked—madness and Mayhem and very entertaining. A woman you do not want to be living with!
I have lived in Palm Beach County for many years, only 15 minutes from Delray Beach, and was expecting to see a suitcase murder (Althea's body parts thrown in suitcases in the Intracoastal waterway- an actual murder)!! I loved all the familiar local mentions.
AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook narrated by a favorite narrator, Gail Shalan, who did a great job with the creepy Althea and all the character voices! Laugh out loud, snarky banter!
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ALC for an honest review.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (audio)
Pub Date: Mar 12, 2024
March 2024 Must-Read Books
March Newsletter
Robert Deming (was rich, powerful, handsome, and menacing) has passed away. Hal will receive the inheritance and the house.
His second wife, Althea Deming (ten years younger), has been living in a senior Onceview while they renovated. The house was left to his son, Hal Deming, and he has moved back into the house where he grew up with his wife, Grace, and 13-year-old daughter, Shyla
According to the will, along with the house, they must take care of stepmother Althea (she has been assigned a suite in the home), so they move her back home.
However, they have no clue how opinionated, hypocritical, judgmental, and resentful Althea is. (passive-aggressive). At first, Grace thought moving into this stunning, prestigious home in Delray Beach, FL would be a great idea.
Grace and Hal have rental property. Grace is a property manager and takes care of the vacation rentals (cleaning). There are some very funny scenes.
Soon, they realize what life will be like living within these walls. From Althea's cat, Ruth— and Shayla's tortoise, Gonzo (creepy), an urn with Robert's ashes, and imaginary talks between Robert and Althea.
What happened to Joan, the daughter (Hal's sister) who ran away from home as a teen? Hal and Althea had traveled all over Europe to find her. What happened to Clare, his first wife?
The living arrangements are tension-filled (total family dysfunction), resulting from lies, deceit, manipulation, religious differences, gaslighting, and secrets. Althea thinks Grace is manipulative and dangerous. No one trusts anyone. However, Althea fools all the outsiders into thinking she is a saint. Does she have Hal fooled?
Is Althea dangerous, a killer?
Grace is at the end of her rope. Her mother, Fiona, suggests Hal and Grace get away for a weekend away from the tension. (Watch out for the pool, drinking, and meds.) They would have Althea and Shayla, and finally, Grace would give in since her mother would be there to oversee things.
However, when they are away, a tragedy occurs. Was this an accident, or is Althea a liar? Can they trust her? Is she a monster stepmother-in-law?
MATERNAL INSTINCTS is darkly comic, twisty, and wicked—madness and Mayhem and very entertaining. A woman you do not want to be living with!
I have lived in Palm Beach County for many years, only 15 minutes from Delray Beach, and was expecting to see a suitcase murder (Althea's body parts thrown in suitcases in the Intracoastal waterway- an actual murder)!! I loved all the familiar local mentions.
AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook narrated by a favorite narrator, Gail Shalan, who did a great job with the creepy Althea and all the character voices! Laugh out loud, snarky banter!
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ALC for an honest review.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (audio)
Pub Date: Mar 12, 2024
March 2024 Must-Read Books
March Newsletter
March 2, 2024
#MaternalInstinct #NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the early copy of the audiobook version of this book.
This was a bit slow-paced for my taste. I feel for Althea. I have a bias toward elderly characters in books. She was traumatized in her childhood years and was able to bring it with her even into adulthood. I wasn't expecting a lot of religious talks here, which makes me wonder whether Althea was good or bad. Who knows? It's for the reader to decide, I guess. I believe this would be a good book to choose for a book club.
I loved it when Althea corrected their grammar whenever they were arguing. It was realistic, and I couldn't help but giggle. I loved reading from her POV.
I would recommend this to all the mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws who don't mind reading slow thrillers.
Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the early copy of the audiobook version of this book.
This was a bit slow-paced for my taste. I feel for Althea. I have a bias toward elderly characters in books. She was traumatized in her childhood years and was able to bring it with her even into adulthood. I wasn't expecting a lot of religious talks here, which makes me wonder whether Althea was good or bad. Who knows? It's for the reader to decide, I guess. I believe this would be a good book to choose for a book club.
I loved it when Althea corrected their grammar whenever they were arguing. It was realistic, and I couldn't help but giggle. I loved reading from her POV.
I would recommend this to all the mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws who don't mind reading slow thrillers.
December 5, 2023
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. My mother-in-law and I got along very well. But I never moved into what she considered her home and started changing everything. And she certainly never stirred up as much trouble as Althea does for Grace. In this fictional story of a blended family thrown into guaranteed turmoil by the death of Althea's husband, who leaves their home to his son and daughter-in-law, each day brings new surprises. Neither Grace nor Althea are happy at this situation, but Althea is determined to insure Grace knows who is Queen of this roost. As they carefully manuever around each other, the tension builds and.......well, you really are going to have to read the book. It's very good.
February 29, 2024
Maternal Instinct is a creepy thriller that will keep you wondering what will happen next. The dynamics between the two women (daughter in law and mother in law) are very interesting. How they view situations from their own perspectives is contrasting and intriguing. The mother-in-law does some things that keep the reader guessing why and whether she’s imagining.
This is a creepy one, and if you love thrillers, definitely check this one out. Definitely check out content warnings though.
I listened to the audiobook which was well done by the narrator. She did a good job creating distinction between the two women as well. I listened at 1.75x speed - 2x speed (my normal).
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audiobook.
This is a creepy one, and if you love thrillers, definitely check this one out. Definitely check out content warnings though.
I listened to the audiobook which was well done by the narrator. She did a good job creating distinction between the two women as well. I listened at 1.75x speed - 2x speed (my normal).
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audiobook.
December 13, 2023
I have enjoyed other books by Becky Mastermind, and this one is very different. If you have a good relationship with your mother-in-law/daughter-in-law be grateful as you read this book. Grace, the daughter-in-law is not happy because then her father-in-law died he left the family home to his son and wife together, and Grace is not happy in her new neighborhood. Althea, the mother-in-law feels uprooted from her house. Grace makes an effort, but Althea is determined to not be happy. The son stays out of the whole thing. My personal sympathies were with Grace, but I will leave your decisions up to you. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc, and for not influencing my review.
January 24, 2024
First I felt for the house. I don't get the desire to redo and modernize all the houses all the time. You can just not. It is a lot easier and cheaper. Grace gets a huge house and she just does all this work on it but she has to work so hard to pay bills. She could have not and the house would have kept its original character.
I imagined it was gray with those gray floors I hate so much.
The MIL is evil. The thing with the turtle sealed the deal. How she can hurt an animal and child that way is too much for me.
And Hal is just a loser.
I need I think about this one. I hated everyone but usually that helps me like a book but I don't think it worked that way this time.
I imagined it was gray with those gray floors I hate so much.
The MIL is evil. The thing with the turtle sealed the deal. How she can hurt an animal and child that way is too much for me.
And Hal is just a loser.
I need I think about this one. I hated everyone but usually that helps me like a book but I don't think it worked that way this time.
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