Book ~ "The Last Affair" (2019) Margot Hunt

From Goodreads ~ Nora Holliday is not that kind of woman. Not the kind who has an illicit affair with a married man. But Josh Landon is everything Nora’s alcoholic husband isn’t. And now she and Josh are so infatuated, they can’t stay away from one another.

Abby Landon, Josh’s daughter, is home from college nursing a broken heart. She’s seeking solace, not more scandal, so when she catches her dad kissing Nora, she vows to take the homewrecker down.

And as for Abby’s mother and Josh’s wife, Gwen? To anyone on the outside looking in, the mother of two appears to be living the ideal suburban life.

Until she winds up dead.

The serene seaside town of Shoreham has always been the perfect place to raise a family - not somewhere housewives are brutally murdered. So who killed Gwen Landon and how many twisted secrets will be exposed as the vindictive plot comes undone? 

We know right away that Gwen gets murdered.  Gwen is not a nice person so there could any number of people who kill her.

Nora and Josh are from the same town and happen to run into each other at a hotel where their conferences are being held.  They have dinner together and there is an attraction.  And so begins their affair, which continues after they get back home.

Nora is the mother of three children.  Carter, her husband, is an alcoholic and there's no longer any love between them.  Josh is married to Gwen and they  have two children.  Josh realized many years ago that despite her outward appearances, Gwen is all about Gwen and there's no love between them.  No wonder Nora and Josh get together.  Josh also had to deal with the return of his daughter, Abby.  She was at university and abruptly quit and came home with her heart broken.  Once Abby catches her Josh kissing Nora, she becomes obsessed with finding out who she is.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is written in third person perspective in Nora, Gwen, Josh and Abby's voice.  It could have been many who murdered Gwen and I was okay with whodunnit.  As a head's up, there is swearing and some violence.

Despite their cheating, I liked Nora and Josh and it seemed like there was real affection between them.  The author did a good job in making Gwen hateful.  I wasn't a fan of Abby ... I found she was a bit extreme.  She left university because of her boyfriend and then was a big baby while she was living back home.  I found her a bit unbelievable given her age.

Book ~ "Best Friends Forever" (2018) Margot Hunt

From Goodreads ~ Kat Grant and Alice Campbell have a friendship forged in shared confidences and long lunches lubricated by expensive wine. Though they’re very different women - the artsy socialite and the struggling suburbanite - they’re each other’s rocks. But even rocks crumble under pressure. Like when Kat’s financier husband, Howard, plunges to his death from the second-floor balcony of their South Florida mansion. 

Howard was a jerk, a drunk, a bully and, police say, a murder victim. The questions begin piling up. Like why Kat has suddenly gone dark: no calls, no texts and no chance her wealthy family will let Alice see her. Why investigators are looking so hard in Alice’s direction. Who stands to get hurt next? And who is the cool liar - the masterful manipulator behind it all?

Alice and Todd are married, have two young children and Alice is a stay-at-home mom.  Their marriage hasn't been perfect, as they have always struggled financially.  Kat and Howard have been married for years and are wealthy.  She has an adult daughter from a previous relationship.  Kat and Howard also don't have a great marriage ... Howard's not a nice man.

A chance meeting at an airport brings Alice and Kat together.  Though they come from different backgrounds and circumstances, they become best friends when they get back home.  A couple years later, Howard is found dead, apparently falling off a balcony.  It's assumed it's accidental until a witness steps forward to say he saw Howard pushed and police look at Alice.  When Alice tries to contact Kat, she gets nothing.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is written in first person perspective in Alice's voice.  The story bounces back and forth from the present to the past (it's noted at the beginning of the chapters) so everything is slowly revealed to us.  It's not until the end that we find out if Howard did, in fact, drunkenly fell off the balcony or was he murdered.  As a head's up, there is swearing and some violence.

I thought the characters were okay.  I found the friendship between Kat and Alice a bit odd.  Kat was rich and used to getting her way and it seemed that Alice gave in to her quite often ... and in return Alice didn't mind and accepted the finer expensive things that Kat provided.

Book ~ "For Better and Worse" (2018) Margot Hunt

From Goodreads ~ On their first date back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke bonded over drinks, dinner and whether they could get away with murder. Now married, they’ll put the latter to the test when an unchecked danger in their community places their son in jeopardy. Working as a criminal defense attorney, Nat refuses to rely on the broken legal system to keep her family safe. She knows that if you want justice ... you have to get it yourself. 

Shocked to discover Nat’s taken matters into her own hands, Will has no choice but to dirty his also. His family is in way too deep to back down now. He’s just not sure he recognizes the woman he married. Nat’s always been fiercely protective but never this ruthless or calculating. With the police poking holes in their airtight plan, what will be the first to fall apart: their scandalous secret - or their marriage?

Natalie and Will started dating in law school.  Seventeen years later, they are married with an 11-year-old son named Charlie.  Natalie is an criminal defense attorney and Will is an estate lawyer.  Of the two, Natalie is more the controlling and structured while Will is more laid back.  Over the years, the two have drifted apart.

When it's discovered there is a pedophile in their community, Natalie knows the justice system will probably not punish him and it will be the children who were victimized who will have to suffer even more.  So she decides to take matters into her own.  When things go wrong in progress, she calls Will to help her and against his better judgement, he does.  The two of them have to live with what they've done and and do whatever it takes to keep their family together.  For Natalie, that is no problem ... for Will, it's a big problem.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I thought the storyline was intriguing and it was interesting to see how Natalie had planned things out and handled it when things started coming out.  I didn't find Natalie likable, though.  Though it was obvious she loved her son, I found her cold.  I thought she was good as a defense lawyer because she was able to turn off her emotions with her cases.  Will, on the other hand, was the opposite and had a hard time handling everything that was going on.

The book is written in first person perspective ... the first and third chapter are in Natalie's voice and the second chapter is in Will's voice.  This worked for me as I got to see what was going on in their heads as things were happening.  I thought the ending had an interesting twist.  As a head's up, there is swearing and some violence.