The Perfect Hosts

Heather Gudenkauf is one of my go-to authors for guaranteed five-star reads, so I was super excited for this Advanced Copy! Once again, I was not disappointed. In this story, we have Wes and Madeline Drake, who own a massive horse ranch in Wyoming. The Drakes are the power family in their hometown of Nightjar. The couple is in the midst of hosting the most over the top gender reveal party imaginable. We are talking hundreds of guests, caterers, professional photographers, Reba McEntire as musical guest and shooting a gun into a truck of explosives to release a pink or blue powder for the actual reveal. Not surprisingly the firing of a gun into a truck filled with explosives does not go well, resulting in death. Is there more to the story than a simple gender reveal party gone wrong? Wes and Madeline are trying to figure out what happened and so is Jamie Saldano. Jamie is an ATF agent with previous ties to Nightjar and the Drakes. Many years ago, at the age of 12, Jamie's 16-year-old sister Juneau disappeared, and he was very badly beaten. Wes Drake saved his life. Juneau's body was never found, and the case remained unsolved. Now, present-day Jamie is investigating the Drake explosion. We also have Lucy, Madeline's ne'er do well sister and Mellie, a mystery guest. I really enjoyed this domestic thriller, and it was hard to put down. The Wyoming setting was different, and I think the author did a great job of making me feel like I was actually there on a ranch. I am eagerly awaiting another book from Ms. Gudenkauf now as all of her books are winners!Thank you to #NetGalley, Heather Gudenkauf and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Madeline and Wes Drake are hosting a lavish gender reveal party at their sprawling Nightjar, Wyoming, horse ranch for two hundred of their closest friends and family when things turn deadly. What was supposed to be a joyful occasion ends in flames, injury, and one dead guest. ATF Agent Jamie Saldano, a man with his own secret connection to Nightjar, is sent in to investigate what really happened.The Perfect Hosts is a juicy multiple POV thriller where everyone is hiding something from someone else, and no one is quite what they seem. The threads that weave these folks together are twisted and tangled, and I couldn’t wait to see how they would all unravel. Gudenkauf keeps you guessing right up until the very end and just when you think you’ve got the whole story, she drops one last bombshell! I would love to see a sequel or novella to find out what happens next!Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands do an outstanding job of narrating the audiobook version

I was all in on this story from beginning to end. A couple little twist at the end, made it even more explainable. There was some real evil. I am going to read more by this author. I really like the way she writes.

From the layers upon layers of secrets to the deft Hitchcockian plotting, The Perfect Hosts was yet another example of Ms. Gudenkauf’s undeniable skill. You see, not only was it a quick, easy read, but the twisty, twisty storyline revealed a whole host of suspicious, unlikeable characters, including one I loved to hate more and more with each page. Offering up plenty of believable red herrings, they kept me guessing about who was behind all of the villainous crimes. But it was the onion-like plot, which came complete with a huge dose of underhanded manipulation and cunning deceit, that had me flying through this delicious popcorn thriller at speed. And let me tell you, when everything finally came to light at the end, I had one heck of a smile on my face. After all, the events that transpired in that final cinematic scene were both shocking and satisfying in the best possible way.All said and done, despite the need to suspend my disbelief here and there, I was blown away by this tale of intrigue and heartbreak. With on-point pacing and a climax you’ll never forget, it was a rollercoaster ride of unbridled suspense. Perfect for fans of Liv Constantine and Lucy Foley, I didn’t know who to trust at any point in this fun, wild ride. You see, the multiple POVs were each just as morally gray as the next one, so I ended up side-eyeing them all. Add that to the many blind turns and jaw-dropping reveals scattered throughout this fast-paced, two-pronged whodunnit, and I just knew that I wasn’t going to figure out the story on my own. So now I’m crossing my fingers and toes that the mildly open-ended conclusion means there’s more in store for these characters. Please say that it’s so, my dear author? I’d be absolutely over the moon if there is. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Narrated by Brittany Pressley; Xe SandsThis is a review of the audiobookThis was a well written, suspenseful novel that kept me listening long into the night!I did get Yellowstone vibes in the beginning because of the Wyoming setting and the Drake’s dynasty in this area. The sprawling ranch is home to a large horse racing family who have enough money to basically do whatever they want.Into this mix we have a gender reveal extravaganza which goes horribly wrong. Not only has the planned truck explosion occurred but a second unplanned explosion wlhich leaves many of the 200 guests injured and one killed.Madeline and Wes are the second richest family in the area. Madeline is 7 months pregnant with their first child. She is thrown to the ground and injured.As the injured are taken to hospital we start to really learn about the four main characters. The book is written in four POV’s and I found each telling to be interesting.While there are several mysteries in the novel, the plot also involves physical family abuse and violence which may be a trigger for some.I was again impressed with this author and how she wove multiple storylines into the narrative. She also handled some sensitive topics with knowledge and sensitivity.I received the audiobook from Harlequin Audio through NetGalley.It was my pleasure to listen to and review this title. This book and audiobook are available right now!!