The Second Wife: The Second Wife Series, Book 1 - Book Review

Kishan Paul's audiobook, "The Second Wife," narrated by Shiromi Arserio is a dark suspenseful yet romantic love story about the trials and tribulations of Doctor Alisha Dimarchi who is kidnapped by Sayeed, one of her patients, and smuggled into Pakistan. Her kidnapper changes her name to Sara, and she becomes her captor's second wife. His first wife, Alyah, is believed to be unable to conceive and Alisha quickly realizes that her main purpose as Sayeed's wife number two is to bear Sayeed children.

Alisha's sudden disappearance devastates all who knew and loved her but it affected her husband, David, the most severely. After relationship issues early in their marriage, their lives had finally come together. Both David and Alisha had been enjoying professional success as doctors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and each other's love when Alisha disappeared without a trace. David copes with Alisha's disappearance for the first couple of years with the belief that she will be found but that hope slowly fades away. After two years without any real clues of her whereabouts, he starts to accept the fact that she is gone forever and begins to rebuild his life. It is around that two-year mark of Alisha's disappearance that a beautiful blonde named Kate walks into David's life. Will he totally forget Alisha and end his search for her? How can Alisha escape from her captivity in Pakistan and return to her husband in Philly or does she simply accept her fate and fall in love with her powerful captor?

The fast-paced psychologically stunning, intricately written piece of fiction also parallels the real-life dilemmas of the many women who are annually kidnapped in our world to be married off or to be used as sexual slaves. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC), reported that in 2010, the US had reported 355,243 women missing and unfortunately in 2018 the numbers will be worse. Whether Paul's intention was to speak out against human trafficking or not, her book brutally illustrates the horrors endured by kidnapped women moved thousands of miles from their home and forced to live as chattel.

If you are a person who enjoys fiction that is sensual and erotic and has an S & M edge to it then, "The Second Wife," will satiate your thirst. There is definitely a large bit of kinky sexual scenes peppering the book and the sultry voice of Shiromi Arserio, the narrator, makes the story even more seductive. If you like books that are about modern-day terrorists then this book is also for you. This story is a tragic tale. It is a story of gut-wrenching brutal sacrifices entwined in a thorny love story that is darker than "Shades of Grey." It's a gem of a love story that will embark you on a journey that you'll not regret.