Mine by Courtney Cole

Tessa was prepared for the hurricane. Lindsey was the storm she didn’t see coming.

When Tessa Taylor unlocked her husband Ethan’s iPad to discover nude photos from a twenty-six-year-old bombshell named Lindsey, her seemingly perfect life came to a screeching halt.

With a hurricane barreling toward Florida and Ethan stuck on a business trip, Tessa finds herself imprisoned in her own home with a choice to make: Does she ride out the storm until she can confront Ethan in person, or does she take matters into her own hands?

Increasingly restless and desperate for revenge, Tessa resolves to act. And when she lures Lindsey over a few hours later, there’s no turning back.

What ensues is a battle of wills between two well-matched opponents, blinded by love for the same man but driven by demons of their own. Like storm-ravaged Florida, neither woman will be the same when the skies clear.

 
Publisher: Gallery  | Release Date: 5/28/2019 | Genre: Psychological Thriller  | Source: Publisher | Rating: 5

Challenges Read For:  - 2019 Try Something New 

 

Let your tea grow cold and ignore the phone, once you pick up Mine you’ll not want to put it down until the last page has been read.

I scroll through the thread and find several pictures of a young, fit, and naked woman. And the texts…from him to her, which is paired with this iPad.

  The room spins as reality sinks in.

  This can’t be read. But I’m starting at the words, at the proof, and my stomach heaves.

  My husband is having an affair.

Atmospheric and thrilling, Mine is a riveting tale of what happens when a happily married woman discovers her husband of twenty years is having an affair with a younger woman and the rash decision to exact revenge that will ultimately change all of their lives.

 

  I try to imagine the look on her face when she sees me instead of my husband. Will she be furious? Will she be afraid?

  She should be.

  I can’t stop the odd smile that my mouth contorts into, and for a moment, I’m scared of myself.

  What have I just done?

  What am I going to do?

  Lightening cracks outside, and I see it flash in the small gap at the bottom of the shutters. All hell is breaking loose out there.

  In here, too.

  Like a predator, I creep out of the bedroom and wait in the shadows until the door opens a few minutes later.

When Tessa opens her husband’s iPad in the middle of a hurricane and discovers he’s been having an affair with a younger woman she lets her desire for revenge guide her. Acting before thinking—and pretending to be her husband—, she invites Lindsey over. Now Tessa has Lindsey right where she wants her but Lindsey’s not giving up without a fight. As the storm rages on and emotions are running high, both women are determined to claim Ethan as their own.

  The woman opening my front door thought she could steal my life.

  What gives her the right?

  I sharpen my claws against the wall.

  What made her think she could?

  Poised at the edge of the foyer, I hear her high heels tap across my stone floor.

  What part did my husband play?

  My heart quickens, and my rage flows freely in my veins.

  Why wasn’t I enough?

  Answers are within my grasp. I feel them within my fingers, and I will get every last one of them.

 What will I do to her?

 

There was such a rawness to this book that I couldn’t help but to feel invested. I was eager to see how this would playout and if they would be able to dig deep and figure out what they wanted.

I found myself feeling sorry Tessa. She had been a loyal, faithful wife and she didn’t see her own personal storm barreling down on her and, when she discovered it, there was so much hurt and anger she wasn’t sure what to do with it. Lindsey’s not a likable character. She’s selfish, manipulative, and just not a very good person. Yet I found myself feeling sorry for her at times because of how bloody naïve she was.

 

Overall, I was blown away with how much emotion was in this book. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say this should be one everyone’s to-read list.