Imagine you have the perfect life: money, position, influence, an enviable marriage. Then you awake in a hotel room – alone, unclothed, a splitting headache, and no idea how you got there. Welcome to Madeline’s world…Madeline Ridley had all she’d ever dreamed of: a handsome, successful husband, a place at the top of Santa Barbara society, every luxury money could buy. In all respects, her world … respects, her world was perfect…until one horrible night when everything unraveled.
When Steven Ridley comes home in the middle of a weekday and throws a sheaf of damning photos at her, Madeline’s comfortable world collapses in a swirl of blackmail, sabotage and deceit. Hoping to convince Steven of her innocence, Madeline drives to his office and unwittingly stumbles onto a scene that makes her realize who the real enemy is.
From that point on, Madeline Ridley deconstructs herself, reverting back to Madeline Dawkins in order to salvage what’s left of her life. In the process, she discovers where her true strengths lay, and with those, she steels herself for the battle of a lifetime.
YOU’LL HATE TO PUT THIS ONE DOWN! D. Paugh
Spouse Trap is the prequel to the Madeline Dawkins Mystery series.
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Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1)
By: Cynthia Hamilton
5 out of 5 stars
The story Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton is a thrilling mystery book. It hooked me in from the beginning and found myself caught up in the plot and characters. I loved reading about the character of Madeline Ridley. She is a woman who has a perfect life. That changes when she wakes up alone and unclothed in a hotel room with no idea how she got there. Worse is that her husband, Steven has received damaging photographs. She sets out to prove she is innocent. Madeline is finding out not all is as it seems. There are discoveries that are made. Will Madeline find out the truth behind the chaos that her life has become? Read this book to find out. Madeline is someone who has a fierce determination to uncover the truth. Her world is changing around her and so is she. She is a character that I grew to care about and I could root for her to succeed. Madeline is also a woman who has a love of fashion and has a good sense of style. There are characters that you are introduced to in this book that are helpful to Madeline and I enjoyed reading about them and their interactions with her. The story had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. You won’t want to put it down. Highly recommended.
In a word: fabulous! If you enjoy reading mysteries, SPOUSE TRAP is the crème de la crème. Cynthia Hamilton has created riveting, memorable characters to follow for 409 pages. I didn’t want the book to end. I’m a slow reader as I’ve said in some of my reviews, but I finished reading this novel in four days. It kept me up at night and when I finally had to put it and myself to rest, I couldn’t sleep thinking of the machinations and intrigues of Steven Ridley keeping Madeline, the main character, off kilter and completely imbalanced constantly.
Madeline is not just a mere trophy wife–she has a good brain, and her thinking processes aid her in numerous ways. I am grateful for a bit of comic relief and normality from the character Mike—a quiet hero in sheep’s clothing! And her PI is well-rounded. I don’t want to give away the plot with spoilers.
I can only say if you are an ardent fan of mysteries, I implore you to purchase this book—hop on this wild ride that will simultaneously thrill you, and exasperate you, frighten you, and keep you turning pages from the first sentence.
Kudos! Brava! Hamilton, you’ve created a marvel and I heartily commend you. If I could, I’d rate this 10 STARS!
What a riveting piece of literature!!! My only regret is that I hadn’t heard of this book and read it sooner! The author does a beautiful job weaving a spellbinding tale of intrigue, suspense, and a plethora of emotions that will exhaust and excite. This prequel does a fantastic job establishing the back story of the protagonist. And it whets my whistle to dive into the series immediately. Highly recommended!
This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it from beginning to the end. The story is creative, well written and had me sitting on the edge of my seat a couple of times. The characters made the story come to life and engaging. Madeline thought she had it all until one night when it all fell apart. She finds herself in a world of blackmail and deceit. What will happen when she realizes who is behind this whole mess and is there a cost? I highly recommend this book.
Spouse Trap is a fast-paced and fun read from the outset. Initially, I was drawn by the title. Judge me if you must, but I find it hard to resist a pithy pun. The rest of the story didn’t let me down.
Madeline Ridley is a bright and beautiful woman leading a privileged life with a husband who adores her. Or does he? For when she undergoes a harrowing experience that leaves her reeling and confused, instead of comfort and care from her spouse, Madeline is met with rage, accusations, and divorce proceedings.
Shocked and shaken though she is, it doesn’t take long for Madeline to realize that her best, maybe her only, resource is herself. With little more than a quick mind and an impressive ability to organize—honed through experience staging successful social and charity events—Madeline sets out to discover who the husband she’s loved for twelve years really is, and why he is suddenly pushing her out of his life. Along the way, she gets assistance from a private investigator and a long-ago lover-transitioned-to-friend, but it’s Madeline who makes the decisions, drives the action, and confronts the dangers of the tangled explanation she finds.
The climax was sudden, surprising, and believable.
I’m curious to find out where Madeline goes next in this series, so I’ve downloaded the next book already. I think if you read the first, you will, too.
SPOUSE TRAP: Madeline Dawkins Mysteries (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton
4-Stars
SPOUSE TRAP: Madeline Dawkins Mysteries (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton was an intriguing and exciting read. Madeline is accused of cheating when her husband shares pictures of her having a so called affair. Madeline claims something fishy occurred and that she did not. So much more was behind what really happened.
I felt that the story easily pulled me in as a reader with the opening scene. Madeline was overwhelmed and trying to figure out what was going on. This scene easily transitioned into her trying to figure it out. I was amazed with her character and the development she experienced as the story progressed. It was easily enjoyable and realistic. Great read!
4.5 Stars. This is a page turner and keeps your interest all the way. It is well plotted, flowing logically with no forced areas needed to hold it together – very important to me. It would be five stars if I liked the main character more. If she came from a plebeian background her inability to give up cavalier spending habits when under stress was a hard buy in. That’s my own personal perspective though, and I admired how intelligently she handled her situation. A character who intelligently takes on challenges and goes for it is right up my alley. If she were more likable, the book wouldn’t have been as good because well drawn characters need some flaws. It sets up well for a series and I look forward to reading more. Thank you to the author for a well done introduction to a series, one that doesn’t leave you hanging but leaves you intrigued to find out what she does next.
I fell in love with Madeline immediately. She has the perfect life and is devoted to her husband, Steve, but one pinch of jealousy from him seems to have a cascade effect including her waking up naked with no idea what happened. Steve somehow comes up with compromising pictures from that time (which screamed set up to me) and with an adultery prenup clause, things are looking as bad as they can get. But my girl Maddy will not go down without a fight!
Her need to know what happened instead of crawling in on herself shows so much strength and I love her for it.
The fact that this took place in Santa Barbara was hilarious to me since I am a huge fan of Psych and I was hoping half the time that Shawn and Gus would show up, just for the giggles.
Cannot wait to dig into the next book!
5 Star
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton is a wonderfully written story that will grab you from the beginning and doesn’t let go till the end. The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. Madeline is a woman who thought she had it until she didn’t. What happens when she wakes up in a hotel room and doesn’t remember exactly how or what happened the night before? I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens next with Madeline I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1)
by Cynthia Hamilton
This book hooked me from the beginning. The author did an exceptional job detailing Madeline’s feelings throughout the story. There were so many moments that had me on the edge of my seat and there were other times I wanted to hit something because I was so angry at everything that kept coming at her, it seemed never ending. I couldn’t put this book down until I found out what happened, because I became so invested. I came to really like some of the other characters and some of them I wanted to throat punch. This was a wonderful read that was full of action and suspense from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book.
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton is a thrilling mystery. A page turning story that begs to be read in one sitting, I couldn’t put this down! As the sequence of events unfold within this story, the author leads the reader on a energetic adventure of sorts that will leave questions, but give answers in the most unexpected ways. Madeline is magnificent in this story and is a remarkable character with the chain of events that proceed to occur throughout. The mystery elements were expertly done creating a must read story/series!
Spouse Trap is the opening act of Cynthia Hamilton’s Madeline Dawkins series and it is an act to be remembered! It is the first I have read by this writer and it will be not the last (I already have the next book in the series downloaded)!
We have highflying power couple that is THE couple to take after – Madeline Ridley and her husband Steven. Madeline is organizing a charity ball that goes off smashingly until … her husband starts an argument with her and she ends up waking up alone in a strange room the next day remembering nothing … I am sure you can guess what comes next and yes, it might be a bit predictable but the way how Madeline reacts and deals with the situation, that is what you can take away from the story. When it comes down to it, she proves what she is truly made of and whatever gets thrown her way, she will survive it!
I am excited that this was just the first book and there are many more adventures to look forward to!
Spouse Trap by Cynthia Hamilton was definitely a five star read for me. I was
Literally blown away by this book and I can’t say that very often. This book had it all. I’m typically a romance fan and even though this book was lacking in romance it touched on everything else.
Madeline Ridley had the perfect life. She had money, friends, organized social gatherings and a perfect marriage as she thought. One night at a function she gets into an argument with her husband Steven and he leaves her there. She wakes up the next morning in a hotel room with no memory of what happened the previous night. She starts looking for Steven only to find she is alone.
When Steven approaches her with incriminating photos of her from the night before with a strange man and tells her he wants a divorce, her life begins to crumble. She doesn’t understand what is going on and thinks she was taken advantage of and possibly drugged.
Madeline hires a PI to help her figure out what happened and who the mystery man in the photos is. Steven is a high profile person with a security detail so she needs to be very secretive. She knows she is being followed. When she finally meets with Burt Latham her new PI, he helps her stay under the radar. When they are unable to find any information on the mystery man, Burt looks into other scenarios. During the week or so since the pictures surfaced, Steven has cancelled Madeline’s credit cards and froze their joint bank accounts. Now she has limited funds and is trying to stay in hiding.
There is a lot of criminal activity surrounding Steven and now it just needs to be proven. Steven sends Madeline to Guam with 1/2 million dollars to get a quick divorce. While she is away her PI ends up getting himself into some trouble.
When Madeline returns early to try to get a jump on things everything goes south.
This book honestly keep me so entertained that even while I was lying in bed, I had the urge to read another chapter.
I couldn’t believe how much action, suspense and heartache could be found in these pages. You definitely don’t want to miss this gem. Looking forward to the next book.
Spouse Trap by Cynthia Hamilton is my first book by this author. I found her writing technique in depth and fresh. Her characters are believable and personable. This storyline is enjoyable so much that i could not put it down once I started reading it. It is a mystery with a crime drama mixed into the plot line. Madeline is a “trophy wife” until one night when it comes crashing down. Madeline needs to start from square one and rebuilt from nothing. Will once a “trophy wife” now broken and beaten be able to rebuild her life?
Spouse Trap – A Madeline Dawkins Mystery by Cynthia Hamilton is the first book in the Madeline Dawkins series. This book is an absolute page turner and one that will have you hooked.
The blurb for this book had my interest piqued immediately. What had happened for her to end up in the hotel room? What was going to happen now her husband had those photos? And what does she see at his offices? All these questions before I had even opened a page, I knew this was going to be interesting. I wasn’t disappointed.
This is a new author to me and I loved her writing style. This is the kind of book that, once I picked it up I was half way through it without realising. The story just flowed so easily. I was intrigued and wanted to know more.
This was well written with great characters – it is a strong start to a new series.
I am absolutely hooked on Cynthia Hamilton and her character Madeline Ridley. I am so stoked to get my hands on the rest of the available novels in this series as I anxiously await the newest addition this summer. Spouse Trap is the high paced and gripping first novel in the Madeline Dawkins series from Cynthia Hamilton. I find it hard to believe anyone could pick up this novel and find fatal flaws. I had never read anything by Ms. Hamilton prior to this book, but I can tell you that I am now a full-fledged fan and will be devouring everything from her as soon as possible.
Madeline and her husband Steven Ridley are considered the couple to be by all who know them. Madeline’s got a few jobs she juggles but importantly most lately is planning a perfect and enchanting charity ball. Everything seems to be going smashingly until her husband decides things aren’t so perfect. Throw in the fact that she wakes up the next morning in quite the precarious situation and you already have some pretty fabulous reading material. Things never take a dull moment on and I found myself finishing this is record timing. Now off to the next book in the series, A High Price to Pay. Thanks for the fabulous read Ms. Hamilton!
This is my first book by Hamilton. Completely enjoyed this adventure. The main character, Madeline, is one tough cookie. She may not have thought she was but she proved that no matter what was thrown her way she would survive.
Her husband, Steven, is easy to hate. His actions make it too easy. It’s hard to image someone as vile and evil as he is. The secondary characters of Burt and Mike added to the adventure of Madeline’s life.
I am glad that this is just the beginning of this series and look forward to seeing what happens next.
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by
Cynthia Hamilton is a very clever thriller, and it doesn’t ease off, it holds you captive and I
read it in one sitting. I wasn’t sure what to expect but Cynthia has created something that is
addictive and there was no way I could put it down. I had to know what was happening. It is
a chilling ride and there are plenty of twists that make it psychologically compelling and
thought provoking.
Madeline has the perfect marriage but she never imagined she would be fighting through the
level of lies and deceit that would lead her to fight for her name and life.
I can’t wait to read more of Madelines’ and her besties adventures in this series.
Spouse Trap (Madeline Dawkins #1) by Cynthia Hamilton was an engaging, thrilling read that gets the brain working and the blood flowing.
My first read by this author I went in with an open mind and just fell into this story. I was a little skeptical at first, because I have read stories like this before, but my worries were soon squished the second I started reading this gem. It was a different kind of mystery, and it had those crime drama feels that just pulls you in. I loved how the author sets you up, weaving the puzzles pieces, and making you wonder who is right, wrong, and who is playing who. I was hooked hard, and the strong MC ties all the elements together making an already strong plot, concrete. There are somethings that I’m a little hung up on, but I think that it was meant to be that way, so we’ll keep coming back for more.
Overall this book is a must read and it gets my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval.
Happy Reading.
-E.A. Walsh
Spouse Trap: A Madeline Dawkins Mystery (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 1) by Cynthia Hamilton is a five star novel. I loved the way this story unfolded and how much suspense I found. This is my first novel by this author, but I cannot wait for the rest of this series to happen. Madeline has the perfect life until her husband gets his hands on some photos of her cheating on him. She has no idea how this happened and wants to get to the bottom of it. She doesn’t even remember what happened that night. How could she not remember? She remembers everything…except this night. What happened to her and how did she get in this predicament. When she loses everything, she decides to take the journey to figure it all out. What else does she have to lose? Absolutely nothing.