The Widow's Keeper

Second Wife, Book 2

By: Kishan Paul

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

No matter how fast or far you run, your past will follow.

Three years have passed, and Ally's memories of her kidnapping and torture still haunt her. Determined to keep her demons at bay, David refuses to leave her side. Until....

The lies woven to protect come unraveled.

Ally has no choice but to return to the land that once imprisoned her. This time, instead of the sociopath who tormented her years ago, she faces his angry brother. A brother whose thirst for vengeance threatens to destroy everything and everyone she holds dear.

©2017 Kishan Paul (P)2017 Tantor

Angst, action, sorrow, and hope!

Full of angst and action, this thriller is another epic page-turner. Ally once again faces her fears in this sequel but this time to save those she loves rather than herself. I appreciated the back story of David and Ally and enjoyed getting to know them as a couple. His steadfast loyalty and love gave her the courage to face the horrifying events she thought were behind her.
Ally is given a rare opportunity of redemption and grabs it with both hands. Kishan Paul maintains a true, believable heroine who swallows her uncertainties and forges ahead with intensity and determination. The reader will cheer for her small successes and cry along with her bouts of sorrow and loss.
Shiromi Arserio did a fantastic job on this sequel. I thought she was even better than in the first installment, The Second Wife. She knew the story better, understood the characters and added another layer to this amazing book.
The Widow's Keeper resonates with the anguish of "what-ifs" that are sometimes more horrific than reality. Yet in the end, we smile with Ally as we realize there is always hope for that second chance.

A touching heartbreaking story I couldn't put down

Just when I think if she goes the way I think she will she is going to piss me off she turns the tables goes that way and makes me enjoy it. This doesn’t have as much action or darkness as the first one had but it is just as good with an ending that will lead into the next book in the series. It was hard for me to get a handle on Shariff his emotions or mind was all over the place which made it a great read. At times I didn’t care for him and others I felt sorry for him. David and Alyah story along with their friends just about broke my heart. There is a recap on the past book where my heart broke all over again for the little boy sent into the mall to find his death. I felt the pain just as much as I did in book one, I loved that little boy. Rizwan you hear a lot about but only meet him for a short time, he and his son have a lot in common. This was a suspenseful read that has drama with lots of twists and turns that I was totally hook on from one page to the next.


The narrator does a wonderful job with the narration. Her character voices are wonderful all though some sound very close together. She pulls you in with the emotions she puts in her voice you can hear the angry, sadness, happiness, excitement, fear and so much more. I have also read this book when it first came out I am not sure which one I like more both add so much and I see a different side from both. I loved the accents she used which made this feel realistic and real. It really is a very powerful audio that pulls you in hooking you and keeping you invest throughout. It was another one I had trouble putting down. There are no background noises, no volume changes, if any breaks were taken I could not tell. Her character voices were great, I always knew who was talking and what they were feeling. It will be an audio that I will listen to again.

You learn a little more about David and Ally's after the kidnapping how hard it was for them to hang on working through their problems well mostly Ally’s issues which was hard for David. This leads up to the here and now which is filled with pain, sorrow, regret and learning to live again, I guess you could stay starting over. There is a dark side but not as dark as the first book. A lot is lost but a lot is gained between these pages. The book does have a happy ending for the here and now but leaves it open to what will happen in the future. There is a love interest kind of which is done in a way that you are all for it.

The writing style pulls you in with a powerful hold on your heart. It is a book you don’t want to put down. It is written in a way that it was easy to picture each scene. It wasn’t long before I became a part of the story and each character held my full attention. Ally and I had long talks as I tried to pull her one way but she was hell bent on going another. She is one stubborn woman when she makes up her mind it is made no matter how much anyone tries to talk her out of it. David and I had a few chats too, I spent some time yelling at him. He made me just about cry. As much of a heart puller as book one was this one was is as well but in a different way and for different reason.

When you come to the ending you better grab some tissues it just about made me cry, in a good way. Ally really shows us what she is made of and just what the true meaning of love is. She has some very hard choices to make but never blinks once, she makes her stand and sticks with it. It has been a pleasure getting to know such a strong women who just about always puts others first. I would not trade places with her for nothing in this world. I liked, loved and adored her, she is way stronger than I will ever be.

In closing if you haven’t read The Second Wife you should I picked it as my favorite read the year it came out. If you are thinking about reading The Widow’s Keep think no more pick it up and give it a read you will love it. Both of these books are a keeper and a book you will want to read again and again. From the characters to the plot it is a book worth buying. I doubt you will be able to put it down.

To the author: I really have to say you did it again giving me a read and characters I just adore. Going back to the end of book 1 I thought of many ways book two would go. I thought if you go one way I will not like you much. What I found is it didn’t matter what way you went you have always been able to pull me in giving me an entertaining read I can’t put down. A book I want to reread over and over again. Tears, sadness, and sorrow is filled with hope, love and survival. I JUST LOVED IT! I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

So dark, but ultimately fulfilling!

So. The first book would have been amazing as a standalone book. BUT...The author decided to mess with us. Now, after massive heartbreak and trauma, I am going to download the third book. I can't help it. I'm a masochist. Mind you, I've been catching up, so I'm ready. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Hopefully, this will bring an end to the series, as I don't think my heart can take another iteration. <3

So much suffering, but not as dark as the 1st book

Story:
I thought The Second Wife was a stand-alone but I thought wrong. And my god, this book begins like Up and I’m sobbing at the sorrow Ally has to go through again. The title gives it away. The first half goes back and forth to past and present and really fleshes out how supportive David had been, how he was a goof but loved with a thousand suns.

I actually connected with this book’s villain, Shariff, Sayeed’s half brother. He was sarcastic and I appreciated his plot out tragic back story. His goals were more concrete than Sayeed, so the way he was defeated was underwhelming. He didn’t torment Ally like his brother, so I suppose there wasn’t a strong enough vendetta for Ally to mark her soul with him like she did with Sayeed. He was portrayed as an emotionally underdeveloped man so I suppose in a way his ending was apt.

Ally is the best heroine I’ve listened to in a long time. She’s vulnerable but confronts her demons to protect the only family she has left. It takes real strength to be good instead of the bitter hatred that is the Ifrani gang. As a psychologist, she’s in tune with her emotions and tries to process them. She actively listens so I can see her allure.

Narrator:
Shiromi did an excellent job giving life to Shariff’s mercurial yet manipulative attitude. Her British accent was whipper sharp and I could really picture him sounding like that. Again, Shiromi doesn’t express Ally’s grief with over the top drama but with restrained sorrow characteristic with Ally’s perseverance.