Fatal Vows
Jennifer Davis is living a dream. As her first wedding anniversary approaches, life with her handsome husband, Cory, is pure bliss. With a lovely home in The Heights and a new business opening on Main Street, the pieces are falling into place. All she needs now is a baby to make her life perfect.
Grace McFadden is living a nightmare. As her first anniversary approaches, she has never been more miserable. She hoped moving to Hope Ridge would be the fresh start she prayed for, but looking at her future with Daniel, she sees only hell.
- Jennifer - Cory’s wife, yoga teacher, 35
- Cory - Jennifer’s husband, personal trainer, 31
- Grace - Daniel’s wife, 29
- Daniel - Grace’s husband, lawyer, 42
- Lance - Therapist
- Jake - Promotes Main Street businesses
- Michelle - New in town, fleeing her abusive husband
- Bruce - Michelle’s abusive husband
- Tia - Pilates teacher
- Grace is on depression medication but avoids taking it because she hates how it makes her feel.
- Jennifer is trying to get pregnant with no success.
- Grace tells Jennifer that her and Daniel had a baby who died at seven weeks from SIDS.
- Cory tells Jennifer about meeting a woman named Michelle who is running away from her abusive husband and says she can stay in the apartment above the gym.
- Jennifer hires Michelle to teach Pilates at the gym.
- Michelle is found dead in the apartment above the gym; Bruce admits to killing her and is arrested.
- Daniel tells Grace that the night their baby died, he heard the baby gurgling on the monitor, nudged Grace to go check on him, and went back to sleep.
- Grace is furious that he waited so long to tell her, knowing she had blamed herself all this time.
- Daniel drugs Grace’s food to prevent her from leaving the house.
- Jennifer hires Tia as the new Pilates instructor.
- Grace tells Dr. Lance and Jennifer about Daniel drugging her food.
- Daniel starts choking during dinner and dies after Grace deliberately doesn’t help him.
- Leigh tells Grace that she was Daniel’s estate agent and that Daniel left her millions in his will.
- Jennifer develops a close friendship with Jake.
- Grace sells her house.
- Dr. Lance shows up where Grace is staying and tries to rape her but she knees him in the groin and throws him out.
- Jennifer gets very ill and asks Grace to take her to the hospital but Grace refuses.
- Grace tells Jennifer that when she was fifteen in foster care, her foster father tried to rape her, but another foster child - Cory - pulled him off her.
- After that, Grace and Cory made a pact to marry rich, avoid having children, take the money, and be together.
- Grace called Bruce and told him where to find Michelle because she didn’t like the way Michelle looked at Cory.
- Grace tells Jennifer that Cory had a vasectomy years ago, which is why she hasn’t gotten pregnant.
- Jennifer was ill because Grace poisoned her with antifreeze.
- Cory goes to the house and leaves sleeping pills beside Jennifer to make her death look like a suicide.
- He finds a pregnancy test in the garbage and assumes Jennifer cheated on him with Jake.
- Six months later, Grace and Cory are living together in a tropical paradise.
- Cory can’t get over Jennifer's infidelity and Grace is getting sick of his whining.
- Grace gives Cory a margarita before he goes surfing, and he never resurfaces.
- Grace hints that she had something to do with his death.
As the second installment in the Hope Ridge Thriller series, this book is a nice improvement over the first. The story flow is significantly smoother than book one, keeping the pages turning with plenty of suspense and drama.
The character list is shorter, which makes it easier to keep track of everyone. Jennifer is incredibly likable, and Grace comes across as easy to sympathize with. These two main characters are a good anchor for the story as a whole.
What sets this book apart from standard thrillers is the structure. There is a lot of interpersonal drama happening and most of it doesn't actually connect to the final twist. Unlike the first book, all these side plots and dramas flow naturally and have clear, satisfying conclusions on their own. If you enjoy a thriller that balances suspense with heavy character drama, this is a solid pick.
- Michelle - Dead - Killed by Bruce
- Bruce - Alive - In jail for Michelle's murder
- Jennifer - Dead - Poisoned by Grace
- Daniel - Dead - Choked on food, Grace deliberately didn't intervene
- Cory - Dead - Drowned
- Domestic violence
- Murder
- Gaslighting
- Rape
Publisher: Independently published
ISBN: 9798338429563
Publication Date: September 5, 2024
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
