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The House Guest: A Novel
An aspiring chef finds she has bitten off more than she can chew when her gig as a private cook to a bestselling author turns deadly in this propulsive, whip-smart suspense novel.
Brett Novak is a young upstart chef, with real, raw talent—if only she could catch a break. After getting dumped by her married girlfriend and losing the perfect job offer, Brett accepts a temporary position as a live-in, personal chef of a reclusive, bestselling author, Carson Smart, who resides in a mansion on a secluded beach in Cape Cod.
Carson immediately seduces her, but things get complicated when Carson's wife, Vera, arrives home from her trip, and the love/hate relationship between the two spouses erupts, leaving Brett caught in the middle. Brett, starved for attention, craves Carson's affection and yet is oddly drawn to Vera's seductive and destructive charms.
As Brett becomes an unwitting pawn and weapon, she questions how far husband and wife will go to wound the other. With nowhere else to turn, she has no choice but to stay—even as her hold on reality begins to slip. Can she survive her employers’ dark appetites?
Brett Novak is a young upstart chef, with real, raw talent—if only she could catch a break. After getting dumped by her married girlfriend and losing the perfect job offer, Brett accepts a temporary position as a live-in, personal chef of a reclusive, bestselling author, Carson Smart, who resides in a mansion on a secluded beach in Cape Cod.
Carson immediately seduces her, but things get complicated when Carson's wife, Vera, arrives home from her trip, and the love/hate relationship between the two spouses erupts, leaving Brett caught in the middle. Brett, starved for attention, craves Carson's affection and yet is oddly drawn to Vera's seductive and destructive charms.
As Brett becomes an unwitting pawn and weapon, she questions how far husband and wife will go to wound the other. With nowhere else to turn, she has no choice but to stay—even as her hold on reality begins to slip. Can she survive her employers’ dark appetites?
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
If you like slow burning thrillers that are deeply character driven then this might work better for you than it did for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.
It follows a young woman called Brett Novak. She is desperate for love and for a job. She heads up to the Cape for a head chef interview only to find out that the position has been taken. But there is another job vacancy, a short term live in personal chef position with an Uber wealthy couple. The money is too good to be true, and she will wish she had listened to her gut.
These people were all hideous! Talk about toxic relationships and people. Wow! It is unsettling and disturbing to read at times. Brett who had seemed to be a strong woman becomes weak and submissive, taking what this couple do to her, all for the money. It was slow going getting to know these people and the thriller part of the story doesn’t really kick in until about 60% in.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the chance to read this book. Out on July 7th.
It follows a young woman called Brett Novak. She is desperate for love and for a job. She heads up to the Cape for a head chef interview only to find out that the position has been taken. But there is another job vacancy, a short term live in personal chef position with an Uber wealthy couple. The money is too good to be true, and she will wish she had listened to her gut.
These people were all hideous! Talk about toxic relationships and people. Wow! It is unsettling and disturbing to read at times. Brett who had seemed to be a strong woman becomes weak and submissive, taking what this couple do to her, all for the money. It was slow going getting to know these people and the thriller part of the story doesn’t really kick in until about 60% in.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the chance to read this book. Out on July 7th.
Displaying 1 of 1 review