The shaming and humiliation of the wife on top of the graphic details of the rapes were too much for me.

 

The Gubernatorial race of North Carolina is at stake and suddenly a mysterious woman is stalking her husband’s political rallies.  A dedicated wife gets concerned and all sorts of dark secrets come out.  Shanora Williams’ The Bitter Truth was my first experience with her writing and it’s been a bit since I read an absorbing, domestic thriller.  I was primed and ready and I was not disappointed. 

 

Jo Baker is the perfect politician’s wife.  She’s personable, bright, a successful and strong woman of wealth and a successful business in her own right.  Her marriage has everyone sighing and backing her charming husband and their team for what they stand for and their engaging persona.  That’s the outside…and a lie.  She’s been talking to Dominic about a split for some time when he drifted away and prioritized everything else above their marriage.  Lately, she doesn’t suspect, but knows he’s keeping secrets and that was before the drama started with the mysterious woman. 

 

As with most domestic thrillers, it isn’t long when readers get a heads up that all isn’t what it seems.  Of course that startling Prologue of a horrific experience in Dominic’s childhood setting the stage for what was to come and right on into the dark deeds of Dominic’s more recent past that he must keep covered up at all costs if he wants to win re-election.  Dominic is a narcissist, but he’s a charming one that has others convinced he cares about them and only lately has Jolene worked this out about him. 

 

The Bitter Truth hooked me from the start and I was well into the book before I came up for air.  There are multiple point of views including Dominic and Jo, but also Brynn, the third main character who is telling an earlier timeline of events.  I liked getting to know them warts and worse- particularly when it comes to Dominic.  It’s not a matter of this is going to be bad, but to what depth.  This is a revenge plot and there is some serious drama and stunning twists in the end before all is said and done. 

 

When it comes to domestic thrillers, I don’t tend to like the characters and have realized that one isn’t necessarily expect to.  It’s about reading a personal train wreck of lives and not being able to look away.  I usually don’t like books associated with politics, but I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy that element because it gave just the right amount of high stakes to all Dominic was trying to protect and achieve by his loathsome actions.  Jo and Brynn were both gals with a lot of fire and willing to see Dominic’s despicable actions and raise the stakes.  Jo impressed me and left me in awe at her chess-like moves against her husband. 

 

All in all, this was one that took me on a dark journey of the soul and I liked how it re-emerged (eventually) into the sunshine.  Shanora Williams’ writing style was easy read for me and I look forward to more of her thrillers and would definitely try her romances.  Domestic Thriller fans are the target audience and I can definitely recommend this one. 

This is an entertaining, fast-paced domestic suspense/thriller. The two main characters are Dominic Baker, who is the governor of North Carolina, and his wife Jolene. On the campaign trail for reelection, they seem to be the perfect couple who have everything, but those close to them know their secrets. Jolene can tell her husband is hiding something, and she is determined to find out what it is. The book is told from both Dominic and Jolene's points-of-view, as well as from another person in a past timeline. It's interesting to see the story from other sides and helps you get to know more about the main characters, for better or worse!

I appreciate that the author lists trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. There were three scenes of mental and physical abuse as well as assault that were disturbing, but they were brief and I was able to skim over the parts that bothered me and continue with the story. Unlikable characters are the rule, not the exception in this book. However there is a friendship between two people who play a large part in the book that shines through the other dysfunctional relationships. There are several twists and although I was able to predict a couple of them, there were plenty of other plot turns that surprised me.