If you want to live, you must let go of the past…Twenty-eight-year-old psychologist, Alisha Dimarchi, is abducted by an obsessed client and imprisoned in his Pakistani compound for over two years. Forced to change her name and live as his second wife, her life is filled with trauma and heartbreak. Thrust into a world of violence and oppression, Ally must fight not only to keep herself alive but … must fight not only to keep herself alive but to protect the lives of the people she now considers family. At night, she retreats into her memories of the only man she has ever loved—a man she believes no longer loves her.
Thirty-four-year-old handsome surgeon, David Dimarchi, has spent the last two years mourning the disappearance of his wife. After a painful and isolated existence, he begins the process of healing. It is then he is visited by a stranger, who informs him that Ally is very much alive and needs his help. In a desperate attempt to save her, David enlists the help of a mercenary. Together they find themselves in the center of more than just a rescue mission. Will he be able to reach her in time, and if he does, will she still want him?
Warning: This story contains elements some readers may find offensive: violence, rape, death
Accolades for The Second Wife:
Amazon 2016 Kindle Book Awards WINNER
The McGrath House Independent Book Awards 2016 WINNER
Maggie Award for Excellence 2016 Finalist
“This book goes to dark places but the healing interactions between all the people who love Alisha are achingly tender and the heart of the story.” -NPR
“Paul places the violence in direct contrast to Alisha’s Indian family,who have taken David deeply into their hearts, and who serve as his strength while he copes with her disappearance.” Sonali Dev, Award Winning Author
“The Second Wife is one of those rare novels that will lurk in the back of your mind for weeks. With stunning precision, Kishan Paul throws the reader into a world of clandestine organizations and brutal politics. The gripping characters wrench your heart and make you cringe with fear. A rollercoaster of suspense and emotion not to be missed. – Aubrey Wynne, Bestselling Author
“Kishan Paul has written a carefully constructed, emotionally impacting story I won’t soon forget…Kishan does not miss a beat in giving a full story with tragedy, suffering and then some deep healing” – Luv My Books
”…one of those books that will grab your attention and not leave you alone, it stays with you and makes you think…The story is seamlessly told from Ally/Sara and Dave’s points of view. this enhances the story and gives it more depth…This is the first book of Ms. Paul’s that I have read and it won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. ” – A Cozy Booknook
”…an outstanding read of survival, getting even, taking back your life, facing your fears as you face your past which you have lost and learning to start over again when you do not know which way to turn…It has been a long time since a story has touched me so deep that I feltit all the way to my soul…most who read this will not be able to walk away without being touched in some way.” -Cyn’s Reviews
“Alisha’s bravery is something we can all learn from and admire, and David’s love for his wife brought tears to my eyes and ache to my chest.” -The Perks of My Quirks
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Wow Wow Wow!!!
What an incredibly spectacular book. The Second Wife is a heart wrenching, raw and amazingly written book. From the first page I was mesmerized with Ali, who is one incredibly strong willed women. Abducted by a killer/terrorist . Ali was assaulted, battered, bruise, demoralized and still remained so incredibly brave. Two years plus later Ali’s husband David still is looking for her and will move heaven and earth to get her back. This is one of the most powerful stories that I have ever read. It made me feel so much emotion in one book. This is an incredible book and these events similar to or like this story are still occurring today. Kishan Paul has written a masterpiece here!!!
Love trumps terrorism in a modern thriller
I’m still reeling. Kishan Paul’s double tale of true love and hellacious terror kept me turning pages all night long. Imagine being a therapist, seeing a client who creeps you out, and then kidnaps you? It happens to Alysha, who wakes up imprisoned at his guarded compound in Pakistan, her life, her husband, her family, her colleagues all lost to her. She’s been ‘married’ to her captor, she has a new name, and she’s supposed to bear this monster’s children! The story follows, at different times and intervals, both Alysha/Sara in her captivity, and Dave, the physician/husband who can’t move on without knowing why she disappeared. HIs undying love for her demands that he grab the straws of hope offered by a mysterious Pakistani doctor whose dying wife is one of Dave’s patients. I’m not sure which thread of the story is more compelling – Dave’s frantic and desperate search for Alysha, or Alysha’s incredibly brave and unending attempts to protect herself and the other victims of the power-mad sociopathic monster who uses them all for his own gain and amusement. (If realistic depictions of unspeakable violence and psychological sadism bother you, be warned!) I am stunned by the depth of feelings this book brought up for me, by how invested in Alysha’s escape and Dave’s rescue effort I became. Author Paul’s characters exist in a sort of temporal vacuum, as brilliant video clips of selected episodes in their lives show us the qualities and inner resources they bring to bear on their situation. Intense action and violence punctuate the steady drumbeat of desperation that underpins the story. The ending is a bit protracted – there are loose ends aplenty to tie up, and Dave and Alysha’s lives are forever changed. The way back to normal is mined with PSTD, and healing is long, hard work. The author elects to give us brilliant video clips of that process and leaves us with a very real picture of the pain and the joy of their survival. I rate it 4.5 stars and an adrenaline rush.
I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Having read and enjoyed Blind Love, I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to read an advance of her latest book. While the two books could not possibly be more different, I have to stay I absolutely loved this book. The Second Wife is a dark psychological thriller that may actually trouble some readers due to the intensity of the subject matter. The main character, Alisha, is kidnapped and held captive for over two years in Pakistan. Her captor is determined that she must bear him a son and actually claims her as is second wife. Meanwhile, her real husband is left to mourn his wife who has simply disappeared without a trace.
As much as I enjoyed her romance novel, I think Kishan Paul has created a riveting thriller that is even better.
This book has dark subject matter, but it also gives us a look into what the human spirit can endure to survive.
She was abducted by an obsessed man who forced her to become his second wife. Ally/Sara endured so much under this mans influence but it was the memory of her husband that gave her the strength to go on each day not to mention the others that were also in there with her. When her husband is approached by a stranger and told about his wife, he gets help from a mercenary and together they set out to save his wife but will he reach her in time? This story is an emotional thriller that will touch you on so many levels. The story gives us insight into a culture where women have very little value and are at the mercy of men. It is descriptive and written in such a way that you feel like you are right there in the story as it unfolds and can feel the emotions coming off of the characters. After reading this all I can say is WOW!
This book was recommended to me and I am really happy I followed the link to discover this jewel at the end. The realism and genuine character of Ally/Sara captured me immediately. It was written with so much depth and emotion that I struggled to put it down.
The moment Ally was kidnapped and taken away to a life so different from her own and she had to adapt to a life filled with brutality and pain. But through it all, a family was formed that learned the value of love.
David’s character lived on the other side of the coin and for two years he had to process his wife’s disappearance. His character learned to continue amidst the uncertainty of his wife’s whereabouts.
A heartfelt story is written with so much empathy and sincerity that I wish I can give the author more stars. A brilliant story I want to read more about.
An exceptional story filled with fear, suspense, abuse and heart wrenching emotion. Ally is strong and a fighter, Dave not so much. The Second Wife will keep you hooked from start to finish!
This is different than my normal read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There were lots of emotional, intense parts that made me read faster to see if good and just things would happen. The book ends well and I would be content to leave it there, but there is also a hint of more to come which is making me reach for the next book in the series.
Wow this was not what I expected but what a page turner it’s stays with you long after you have finished reading will keep you up nights
This is a book that packs a deep emotional punch.
The two year ordeal of a woman in terrible circumstances is narrated with relentless accuracy. Although she is constantly tormented, and suffers devastating harm, she also grows into a stronger version of herself.
The aftermath is far reaching and takes patience, empathy, and the love of friends and family to slowly ease.
Having lived in a country where situations like these are not necessarily fictitious, this story touched a raw nerve for me.
This book is not an easy read. I had to put it aside a few times because it was so realistic, scary, foreign. This is the first in a series. I won’t read the rest of the series because I’m comfortable with where this one left off. The characters, even the bad and scary ones, were very real. The descriptions seemed believable. I read every book in the Game of Thrones series and nothing in any of them comes close to the way this one made me feel. It’s a very well-written book but too intense for my taste.
Alisha [Ally], a psychologist, is abducted by one of her patients and taken to Pakistani to be the 2nd wife to her patient. Her husband David doesn’t know what happened to her and believes she is dead. Sayeed the kidnapper threatens to kill David if Alisha does not cooperate. Sayeed gave her a new name/identity and her new name was Sara. Sayeed is a very bad low life and abuses Ally and wants to get her pregnant as he wants an Heir [a son]. His 1st wife wasn’t able to produce a boy [that’s why he kidnapped Ally]. Sayeed is a man who thinks he is better than anyone else that he deserves to have what ever he wants when he wants it and if you said no to him he either killed them or took them. Ally started to think of some of the people around her as family. No has been able to stop Sayeed but, Ally believed she could or she would die trying as she felt she had nothing to live for. After 2 years David had begun the healing process, then one day a stranger visits David and he tells him Ally is alive and needs his help very badly. David and some other guys decide to get Ally and he will not leave Pakistani without her. To find out how this books ends you really need to read. This is a well written book as the author did a great job writing about the danger, rape and abuse that took place.