My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle

Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying the holiday season with family and good books! Today I want to share about Kimberly Belle’s newest book, My Darling Husband. The print release has been delayed to March but you can read the book on digital formats starting today.  I have great appreciation to Park Row Books for providing me an ARC and the chance to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book. Keep reading for my thoughts on the book and a Q&A with Kimberly Belle. 

My Darling Husband is a story about Jade, Cam, and their children Beatrix and Baxter (the Bees as their parents call them). The book opens with a total loss fire at Cam’s most successful steakhouse. While he is dealing with that a stranger breaks into his house and holds Jade and the Bees captive. His demand is a very specific amount of money which Cam has until 7pm that day to bring to the house or the stranger will kill Jade and the Bees.

Talk about a great setup to a suspense novel! The story is told from the present with Cam giving an interview to a reporter and from the past, the day of the fire and the home invasion. I love dual timeline books as they normally provide background. This dual timeline seemed to support the present more if that makes sense.

My favorite character is Jade. Jade is a fierce woman and mother and her primary goal throughout the story is to protect her children. As a mother I can relate. This story is so captivating, I had a hard time putting down it down. Lies and secrets are revealed and makes you realize Jade does not know Cam as well as she thought she did.

 

Q&A

Q: What is your elevator pitch for My Darling Husband?

A: My Darling Husband is the story of a mother held captive with her two children in their own home while her husband scrambles for the ransom, and the masked invader who’s about to turn their family secrets into a public scandal.

Q: Which came first, the story or the title?

A: I turned this book in as “Book #7” so definitely the story came first. Seven books in, and not one of my titles has ever stuck, so I’ve stopped worrying about what the story will be called when I’m writing it. My publisher has a fabulous team of experts who are so much more versed in the process than I am. While I’m only thinking of the story, they’re looking at big-picture items like comparable stories, market trends, which words are hitting a collective chord (remember all the books with “girl” in the title?). All this goes to say, they know what they’re doing, and I am happy to let them work their magic!

Q: Your cover really draws you in. Are you involved with the cover process? What do you hope this cover tells potential readers?

A: Thank you! And I agree; the designers at Park Row really nailed this one. Typically, I don’t have a lot of involvement with the cover until it’s nearly finished, which means it’s already gotten approval from my editorial team as well as the folks in sales and marketing before I get to see it. That moment when the email lands in my inbox – A sneak peek at your cover! – is always so exciting. 

In my mind, what makes the My Darling Husband cover so strong is that it gives us a view of Jade’s face but none of her husband Cam’s, only a slice of his shoulder. For me, this makes Cam feel somewhat elusive, and it hopefully puts the reader on alert that things with him may not be what they seem. Especially in combination with the title, the image lets the reader know that the husband in this story may not be so darling after all.

Q: What research did you need to conduct for this book and how did you do it?

A: I did a lot of research around a couple of plot points that if I mentioned them here, would give a big chunk of the story away. What I can mention is my research around raising a child prodigy and the kinds of stresses that degree of talent can put on both the family and the child. Beatrix is nine and has played violin since she was a toddler, when she picked up one in the toy aisle at Target. As amazing as her talent is, it’s also a daily hurdle. Lessons, practice time, the drive to succeed, the pressure to not “waste” your talent by frittering away your time with normal childhood pursuits – it can all feel very isolating. She’s a brilliant, brave kid who is much more mature than she should be, as illustrated with this line: “Most parents want their children to grow up. Cam and I should have spent more time coaxing Beatrix to grow down.”

 

Author Bio:

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her latest, My Darling Husband (December 2021). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.kimberlybellebooks.com/

Facebook: @KimberlyBelleBooks

Twitter: @KimberlySBelle

Instagram: @kimberlysbelle

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kimberlybelle