TRIGGER WARNING: contains repeated scenes of emotional abuse with some violence
Elana and Jackson seem to have the perfect marriage. But it is a relationship based on fear. Elana is desperate to escape but is terrified that her daughter will disappear just like the daughters of Jackson’s previous two wives. Will she ever be free…?
The Ex Wives is a psychological thriller set in America in the present day.
Elana is hugely grateful to her husband Jackson for rescuing her from widowhood and financial issues. But she soon realises there is a price to pay: her freedom. She cannot choose her own clothes, has trackers on her phone and car, and is isolated from all old friends and family. Elana begins to plan an escape but she is scared of the consequences for her daughter as the daughters of Jackson’s two ex wives vanished.
I was really rooting for her to stand up to him but feared his reaction as much as she did. The menace and tension throb from the pages. There are some very gripping moments but there were also some points when it became almost unbearable and I wanted to walk away. The characters were so authentic that I really believed what I was reading and it was awful to see Elana’s situation.
The Ex Wives is absolutely absorbing but the emotive subject matter makes it difficult to ‘enjoy’.
Two ex-wives. Two missing girls. Will yours be next?
Pulling a batch of my husband’s favourite golden oatmeal cookies from the oven, I smile to hear my daughter Phoebe playing in the treehouse outside. I was once so close to losing everything, but since I married handsome Jackson, I have a perfect life. Jackson might tell me what to wear, but he just likes to buy me nice things. He says I don’t need a job, and why would I want one? I can spend all day taking care of Phoebe and running errands in the fancy car Jackson gave me—he knows everywhere I go, and I love how much he wants to keep me safe.
But my whole world shatters when I find out Jackson is a liar.
He never mentioned he was married before—twice.
I love him so much. But how can I trust him now? Desperate for answers, I search our pristine house top to bottom. I thought Jackson was caring: but is it a way to control me?
When I track down his ex-wives, I see fear in their eyes. Both these women had little girls just like me. And when they left Jackson, their daughters went missing.
Devastated I’ve put Phoebe in danger, I have no choice but to find the truth about those poor girls. To protect Phoebe, I must pretend to still be the perfect wife, even though fear floods through me at Jackson’s touch.
But how far will I have to go? And what will happen to me and my sweet child if my husband finds out?
An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that will have you racing through the pages late into the night! Fans of The Perfect Marriage, The Wife Between Us and The Woman in the Window won’t be able to put this down.
Author Bio:
Publishers Weekly bestselling author Jenna Kernan is a two-time RITA nominee and winner of the Book Buyers’ Best award. Prior to signing with Bookouture, she published over thirty novels including her popular APACHE PROTECTOR series, and is a member of numerous writing groups, including International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Florida Mystery Writers and Novelists, Inc. and frequently attends conferences on police procedure at the Writers Police Academy and MurderCon. Jenna currently lives on Florida’s Gulf Coast with her husband. A natural redhead, she has recently increased her sunblock to SPF 50.
