The Deadly Match

The Second Wife Series, Book 3

By: Kishan Paul

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Our past is proof we survived....

Equipped with a new identity and a new family, Ally shut the door on her past and refused to look back. But when her new life falls apart, she discovers the key to protecting her future lies in the hands of the very man who forced her into hiding.

Eddie stayed away for her sake and his own. But when elements beyond his control come into play, he has no choice but to step in before she winds up dead.

Eddie and Ally find themselves sucked into an international game of cat and mouse where the line between love and hate becomes blurred, loyalties will be challenged, and a past that refuses to stay buried threatens to destroy them all.

©2019 Kishan Paul (P)2020 Tantor

Brilliant Conclusion!

Ms. Paul crafted a perfect ending to the Second Wife trilogy. Once again, the reader is taken on an emotional rollercoaster of love, laughter, fear, and tears. Ally remains the strong heroine we have grown to love, and Eddie unflinchingly persists in being her protector, hiding in the background and stepping up when needed. But the past several years have inextricably woven their lives and those of "her boys" into a frayed knot. Throughout this nail-biting and heartbreaking story, Ally and Eddie work to cut this knot and retie it into something safe and lasting.

Once again, Ms. Paul educates the reader on human catastrophes, this time including the medical condition of Aplastic Anemia. In The Deadly Match, Ally desperately tries to find the matching donor who can save her young son's life. She will jeopardize her own life, risking the happiness of her loved ones if she fails, as she takes chances only a mother could understand.
This book has all the physical and emotional conflict we have come to expect in the Second Wife series. I laughed, cried, bit my nails, closed my eyes a few times and prayed before finally turning the last page. The sizzling moments of passion and longing between Eddie and Ally threaded throughout the chapters were a nice surprise that added a sweet fragility to both hero and heroine.
The narration was superb, the accents authentic, and really helped maintain the fast-paced plot.
I will miss this series but cannot wait for the next. The next generation can only be improved upon after being shaped and molded by Ally and Eddie. Now go get swabbed so you can be the next hero on Jayden's shelf.

Evokes panoply of emotions: humor, sorrow, love, panic, suspense, and the list goes on.

Do you even need a review? Go get this book! What are you doing!? And if you haven’t read the other first two books, get on it!

Story:
The stakes are higher, the danger more treacherous. Unlike Sayeed or Shariff, there is no mercy from her enemy Haseem (I think that’s how you spell his name 😖), in addition to another figure from the past that wants her dead. There is no emotional leeway Allisha can use for her survival. And protecting her is even harder for Eddie and his team. There are too many lies and betrayals that test the trust of everyone.

This book is extremely long. At the crux of the conflict, there were still 4 hours left. But all those hours are necessary to understand how vulnerable this experience has left Allisha. It’s not like other stories where the hero saves the heroine and they proceed to live out their love immediately. There is trauma to deal with and more emotions to process. Her logic about what she needs from Eddie makes too much realistic sense. And it takes Eddie time and immense effort to squash those insecurities for that HEA we desperately crave.

All in all things work out but the journey there is one that helps you as a reader grow too. Makes you really think about life and what you can do to survive it if tragedy ever struck you like Allisha.

Character:
Allisha is so different from any heroine I’ve ever listened or read to. I can’t shout it to the heavens enough how much I love and admire her. She is wise and isn’t hot headed, hence her nickname Ice. Her experiences gave her the strength to know who she is and how much her heart can endure. As a therapist, she respects people and gives them a platform to speak even if she doesn’t agree with them. She doesn’t shut anyone down and gives them a voice. Not to mention her overflowing compassion and protective nature that’s on par with Eddie’s.

And Eddie is one of the best self-proclaimed asshole heroes there ever was. For a stick up his ass, he has a great sense of humor for the right times. His love for Allisha is one of the realest portrayals I’ve read. I can understand why he fell in love with her. I hurt when he feels undeserving and understand why. Why he also keeps his distance, but also why he is the best person to support her from there on out. Despite it all, his love for her gives him the strength to try (of course with the additional support from his team as well).

Narrator:
Shiromi does fantastic giving each character life. I love how she portrays heartbreak with understated finesse. Just the right amount.