Library Journal
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Much is made in this work's publicity of its homage to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which is not surprising. There's an almost scarily magnetic husband, a somewhat gauche second wife gingerly following a universally admired first one, and a misty, strikingly beautiful estate-though it's high in the North Carolina mountains and has a nocturnal garden instead of the sea. But while the narrative is pushed along by the question of what really happened to Emmet's first wife, who died in a mysterious accident, what's distinctive and intriguing here is the taut, taunting way that many of Emmet's old friends and grown daughter resist Helen and what they consider a too swift second marriage. Sadder but wiser after divorce from an abusive first husband and the successful host of a TV cooking show when Emmet becomes boss and needily seeks her out, the appealing Helen still isn't prepared for the waspishness she encounters after insisting that she and Emmet move to beautiful Moonrise, the family home of Emmet's first wife. King (The Sunday Wife) nicely focuses on untangling these complex emotions, which makes for the real suspense. VERDICT Though occasionally too stiff in the Rebecca parallels, this is a fresh and charming read.-Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Newly married Helen is eager to spend the summer with her husband, Emmet, in Highlands, North Carolina, on an old estate known as Moonrise. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the home's restoration was a labor of love for Emmet's late wife, Rosalyn, killed in an accident less than one year prior. Emmet, a well-known television newsman, is wary about returning to Moonrise but agrees to the whims of his younger bride. Surrounding the estate are the vacation homes of Emmet's longtime friends, who are still distraught over Rosalyn's death. When Helen comes to Moonrise, her visions of a romantic getaway are quickly dashed. Not only are Moonrise's infamous, eerie gardens in need of repair, Emmet's friends and daughter want little to do with her. As Helen struggles to gain the trust of the group, rumors surrounding the couple and questions about Rosalyn's accident begin to swirl, and Helen finds her marriage at a crossroads. Best-selling King (Queen of Broken Hearts, 2007) presents an animated tale laced with ample intrigue as secrets surrounding Moonrise are slowly revealed.--Strauss, Leah Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After divorcing her abusive husband, Helen Honeycutt is proud of her newfound independence, and marriage to charismatic Emmet Justice is the last thing she wants. A whirlwind romance, however, sets the stage for the nave bride to confront Emmet's past. A rhododendron tunnel leading to a beguiling ancestral home, the strange death of a first wife, an increasingly confused heroine--King's (Queen of Broken Hearts, 2007, etc.) latest alludes heavily to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. After finding an album filled with photographs of Emmet's late wife's home, Moonrise, Helen becomes obsessed with seeing the mansion and its gardens of night-blooming plants. Once ensconced in Rosalyn and Emmet's former bedroom, however, Helen begins to regret her decision as she hears bumps in the night and spies shadowy figures in turret windows. She is eager to fit into Emmet's social circle, yet constant reminders of Rosalyn's elegance make her only more keenly aware of her own shortcomings. The glamorous set includes kindly Linc, who recently suffered a stroke, and his shrewish wife, Myna, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who spends most of her time in New York. Willa, a childhood friend, tends to the properties as well as to Linc's physical therapy, bonding over lessons in lepidopterology. Tight as lovers, Tansy and Noel are only friends. Lastly, there's Kit, Rosalyn's best friend, who likes to needle Helen by obliquely questioning Emmet's faithfulness. Each chapter shifts perspective, from Helen's hand-wringing to Tansy's suspicions to Willa's struggle to hide the secret of her drunken, abusive boyfriend. These narrative shifts, however, deflect attention from Helen's mounting fears, deflating du Maurier's haunting psychological thriller into a predictable tale of romantic obstacles. The reader may well wonder who is gaslighting Helen, but the Gothic echoes of Manderley and the first Mrs. de Winter set up unfulfilled promises.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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King's latest novel (after Queen of Broken Hearts) takes inspiration from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, keeping the best of the latter's atmospheric tension without falling into melodramatic cliche. Helen Honeycutt is swept off her feet by Emmet at the small Fort Lauderdale, Fla., television station where she works. She also falls in love with the idea of Moonrise, his family home in North Carolina, even though its preservation had been the "driving force" of his first wife, Rosalyn's life. Helen and Emmet summer at Moonrise, where Helen encounters the back-biting, two-faced machinations of the tight-knit friends once shared by Emmet and Rosalyn. Fascinated by the overgrown gardens, trying to maintain her career, shut out by Emmet's friends (and increasingly by Emmet), Helen wonders if Rosalyn's ghost haunts the house, or if there's something more sinister and human going on. The way that Helen uncovers the truth, and the way several of the circle discover what really happened the night Rosalyn died, are interwoven to create a suspenseful modern Gothic that gives a nod to its predecessors while still being fresh. The choice of present-tense narrative is an unfortunate distraction, but King's light touch even in scenes that could have bogged down, and her deep understanding of her characters' motivations makes this an exciting read. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff & Associates. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.