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A review by saltygalreads
The Second Mrs. Strom by Kaira Rouda
4.0
Summary: This is the follow-up novel to Best Day Ever about the ever-charming psychopath Paul Strom. After the implosion of his first marriage to Mia in Best Day Ever, Paul took some time to get his life together and then spent a year in Palm Beach pursuing lonely, elderly ladies with too much money. Yes, Paul was basically a gigolo. He struck gold with Esther Babcock, an octogenarian with millions. After Esther shuffles off the earthly coil, Paul is the sole inheritor of her massive wealth and then meets stunningly beautiful Cecilia. They fall madly in love and one year later, Paul has whisked her off to Paris for their anniversary where, as usual, he has planned the day down to the last second. Frustratingly, the day does not go as Paul meticulously planned and Cecilia has suddenly become obstinate and uncooperative, which is totally unacceptable! Their best day ever in Paris is about to take some unexpected twists.
Thoughts: Can you tell from my summary how much fun I had reading this novel? After Best Day Ever, I couldn’t wait to see what Paul Strom would do next. He is so confident in his ability to charm and manipulate that it never occurs to him that perhaps he could actually be someone else’s target. One of my favourite quotes from him occurs when he is contemplating his wife’s attitude in Paris and concludes that it is selfish and narcissistic, “I hear that personality trait is quite prevalent these days.” I was reading and chortling to myself as Paul struggles to comprehend what is happening with his compliant second wife. The pace is quick and the eye-opening developments keep coming to keep the reader engaged. I would highly recommend that you read Best Day Ever prior to this novel as one flows neatly into the next.
If you enjoy a novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously and resembles an episode of Dallas or Dynasty on steroids, then I highly recommend The Second Mrs. Strom and the precursor, Best Day Ever. As a member of @thrillerbookloversthepulse, we are all fans of Kaira Rouda and hope you enjoy this one as much as we did.
Thoughts: Can you tell from my summary how much fun I had reading this novel? After Best Day Ever, I couldn’t wait to see what Paul Strom would do next. He is so confident in his ability to charm and manipulate that it never occurs to him that perhaps he could actually be someone else’s target. One of my favourite quotes from him occurs when he is contemplating his wife’s attitude in Paris and concludes that it is selfish and narcissistic, “I hear that personality trait is quite prevalent these days.” I was reading and chortling to myself as Paul struggles to comprehend what is happening with his compliant second wife. The pace is quick and the eye-opening developments keep coming to keep the reader engaged. I would highly recommend that you read Best Day Ever prior to this novel as one flows neatly into the next.
If you enjoy a novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously and resembles an episode of Dallas or Dynasty on steroids, then I highly recommend The Second Mrs. Strom and the precursor, Best Day Ever. As a member of @thrillerbookloversthepulse, we are all fans of Kaira Rouda and hope you enjoy this one as much as we did.