Ah! Nearly a very good read. A book of two halves. 2.5 stars from me.

Ben is a widower with two young sons having lost his wife to cancer a couple of years previously. He still calls around to his parents every Sunday for Sunday lunch and his mother Judi plays a huge part in his life, does the house work in his house, his washing, collects his kids from school and looks after them when needed. She loves her grandkids to bits and of course her son Ben. Her only child now after his brother died in an apparent accident when they were teenagers.

We are then introduced, and this is no spoiler as it's becomes apparent very quickly in the book, Amber. We know straight away from her narrative that all is not what it seems with her as she tries to manipulate a meeting with Ben so she can seduce him even though she has no feelings for him. She wants to become part of his family for some reason.
Judi of course is not overly impressed by the arrival of Amber and Amber seems to take great pleasure in upsetting Judi. Judi doesn't trust her one bit as she wriggles her way into the hearts of her son Ben and also her own husband. She's determined to find out what she's up to but Ben and her husband think she is paranoid and becoming obsessive with both protecting her grandchildren and discrediting Amber.
What secrets does Amber hold? Why is she obsessed with this family? Why can't Ben and her husband see through her?

This starts off as a really interesting premise. We get the end at the start and so know two women fight and one is killed(again no spoiler, it's in the opening chapter) then we get to know Judi and the family and finally get into Ambers world before they all come together. There is intrigue as we are wondering what Ambers motives are and what her end game is. We are rooting for Judi as she seems to be the only one that sees through her facade.
We go through chapter by chapter as this scenario is played out. Judi doesn't trust Amber. Amber does something sneaky to annoy Judi. Judis husband and son don't see anything wrong and think Judi needs to see a doctor. Rinse and repeat for a large chunk of the book and the story starts to become of course repetitive, wafer thin and irritating.

Both Judis husband and son seem completely stupid as Ambers antics escalate and they see no wrong. The only two male adult characters in the book and they are very two dimensional, dislikeable and frankly stupid.
That's another issue I had with the book. Amber obviously is a dislikeable character as "the baddie" and Judi being the central character was the one I had empathy with at the start and the one I was rooting for. As the book went one she became more and more irritating. Having no characters that you like or at least remain curious and interested in doesn't bode well for a book.

How it played out became fairly obvious quite early on. Not a problem for me usually as that shouldn't be the be all and end all of a novel like this but, when there isn't the characters or intruiging story there then that's the only hook left for me.

This started off really interesting and the author had me for the first half of the book but as it went on, for reasons stated above I lost intetrest and the book I felt lost it's way.

It's 2.5 stars from me unfortunately. Not one I could personally recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

Young widower Ben starts dating Amber. It appears Amber has been ‘stalking’ Ben in the hope that he will ask her out, but why is she so keen to be involved in Ben and his children’s lives? Ben’s mum, Judi, has been very involved in helping Ben and her grandsons out since Ben’s wife died. She cooks and cleans for them – in fact she does almost everything for them. Now Amber is on the scene, Ben is needing her less and less. Judi thinks there is something amiss with Amber and makes it clear that she doesn’t and won’t get on with her. She feels that there is more than meets the eye with Amber and is determined to find out what it is.

This is my third book by this author, and this one was as good as the other two have been. The story caught me from page one and kept me going right through till the end. The story had a good plot – Judi is an overbearing mum and grandmother who doesn’t like the widowed son’s new girlfriend. Her nose feels a bit put out of joint when Amber moves in and starts to take on the role of stepmother. Her husband feels she is ‘losing the plot’ and can’t understand her behaviours and mood swings. Judi thinks she is menopausal and attributes some of her behaviour to this, but is she wrong about Amber? She tries to get on with her for the sake of her son, but Amber seems to do everything possible to annoy her. I have to be honest and say that I don’t really like Judi’s character. I suppose in a way I did feel for her when the new girlfriend comes in, changes her family and can’t help but make little criticisms about everything Judi does, but then you begin to see that perhaps Judi is just as much in the wrong for not letting her son get on with his own life. I didn’t really like Amber either. She obviously has an underlying agenda for getting her feet well and truly under Ben’s table, but we don’t get to find that out until the end.

It was a very well written story and it kept me guessing what was going on right until the end, with a great twist!! Definitely a case of Crazy vs. Crazy! Well recommended!

Five stars!

Wow!! Simply Wow!! What a book, totally fabulous. This book is like a magician doing a card trick, I am staring hard at the cards, trying to find out the sleight of his hand, looking in one direction, when WHAM... From the opposite direction, I am hit by a whopper of an end to this trick. I loved it all, it was expectedly unexpected. Reading Slater's previous books, I did know there are going to be twists.. But, just not the ones, which are there in this book.
K L Slater has dealt with the sensitive, love/hate relationship between the mother-in-law and the new daughter-in-law, one trying to maintain her reign in the family and the other trying to overthrow her and gain a foothold, all this with the other family members seemingly unaware. The mother, Judi likes her place as the indispensable loving mom to Ben, ever caring Nanny to Noah and Josh and wife to Henry. She manages both the households, while working part-time and going through menopausal symptoms. Enter Amber, a new love interest for widower Ben and a power struggle ensues between Judi and Amber. Is Amber really who she says she is? What is her motive?? Why is she cutting Judi out of the family??? How did this whirlwind romance happen right under her eyes..???? All these questions trouble Judi, she becomes insecure and lonely so sets about finding out the truth about Amber and exposing her to her love-blind son.
A fast paced thriller with short chapters, real but slightly psychotic characters, clever twists which play with the mind and leave you dazed. It does what a psychological thriller is supposed to do. I loved this book from the get go. Each chapter hooked me further. There are smokes and mirror, illusions and reality which kept me from guessing . Trying to outguess the ending made me read the book faster, till late at night, on the edge of my seat. Captivated me totally.. Unputdownable till the end.
K L Slater is a brilliant author who kept the suspense and intrigue going in every chapter. She has also dealt with the symptoms of menopause sensitively. She maintains her pace giving away little hints, increasing heart rate slowly till the end when the heart is pounding hard... Such is the thrill of this book... Totally recommend it to everyone...
Will review on Amazon once book released..

Omg.......i am truly lost for words ive just finished this book i was so excited about this book as i love the auther shes fab. Ive read blink and its one of my favourite reads ive read this year so when i received a copy of liar i couldnt wait to get stuck in this is a psyhcological book with a twist i was not expecting, dont wanna say to much or i will give the whole book away. but all i can say is wow what a fantastic 5 star read this book joins blink in my top 10 of 2017 reads.

The best word to describe this book: AWESOME!! I loved the story and devoured it!!!

This book was so, so good. If I could give this book seven stars I would. It kept me guessing from the first page. This is the story of two women who battle over being important to their families. But, the way they do it and why makes this a page turner.

I defiantly liked this book a lot I appreciated how it hooked and reeled me in through the whole time. I will say that the cover is ok but doesn't do the book justice, also the mother and her overbearingness was really driving me crazy but I know that's part of charm of the book.. Now the twist at the end it was like I saw it coming but didn't at the same time but it was a great surprise to the end that made the book worth the read. do I recommend this thriller yes I do!

In my years I have dated a few guys and have had the pleasure, or displeasure, of meeting most of them. I am not a daughter in law and after reading this, I admit I'm a bit grateful the hubby is not a momma's boy.

Judi prides herself working part time at a health clinic and also taking care of her son Ben's two sons. When Ben meets Amber, the claws come out and momma bear is ready to strike. However, Amber has her own ulterior and devious motives for getting close to Ben. So the question is which lady is crazier?

I actually still can not decide that. I felt sympathy for both of them, especially Judi, but other times...wow cat fights.

This was the third book I have read by this author and definitely the best so far! I did NOT see that ending. One of my tops this year!

I've read all of this author's books and they are all gripping psychological reads including this one.
Judi is fifty six and works part time as a receptionist in her local doctor's surgery, She is married to Henry and their son Ben and his two young sons are her life. They lost their other son David some years ago and Judi keeps his room as a shrine to him.
Ben is a widower and Judi is going to make sure that her grandsons and son are well looked after to the point of controlling them. But then Ben meets Amber who wants Ben and his sons to herself and is not going to put up with Judi's interfering. The battle between Judi and Amber commences!
This is a great read and the thing I love about this author is there is always an unexpected twist!
Definitely looking forward to the next book.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for my arc of this book. I really enjoyed this book, more so than the previous one. I had no trouble getting into it and enjoyed it right the way through. I kind of guessed the twist but this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of it and I will definitely read more books by this author.

I honestly do not like it when the cover of the book promises a twist at the end, but this twist did not disappoint. Amber comes on to the scene and takes up with widower Ben, becoming a stepmum to his two sons. However, Ben's mom Judi does not trust Amber, and that's where the trouble begins. The characters are pretty well developed, and the story moves quickly. The side story of Fiona was interesting, but really not necessary. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader. I look forward to reading more by KL Slater.

Liar by K.L. Slater is the story of a woman named Judi, who takes care of her son Ben and his two children after the death of Ben's wife Louise. That is until Ben finds a new girlfriend, Amber, and Judi gets shoved to the curb.

Amber is the perfect partner for Ben, it seems, she knows exactly what he likes, dislikes, and can do everything that Judi was doing for Ben, like picking up his children from school, or doing the laundry and cleaning the house. Of course, this irks Judi, and Ben tries to explain to her that it's all for the best, the boys need a mom, and Judi is getting up there in age.

But there is something about Amber that Judi just doesn't like. Maybe it's the way she picks at the Sunday lunches that the family always has, or maybe it's the way she snaps at the boys when Ben isn't around. Something sinister is going on here, and Judi is bound to find out.

Of course Amber knows exactly what Ben wants, she's only been following him for months. Her whole plan is to get into his life, and destroy anything she can possibly get her hands on, that includes Judi's relationship with her grandchildren.

As soon as you pick up this book you won't want to put it down, it's definitely a page turner. The beginning of the book starts with the end, and although you can try and guess what really happens, you won't really know until the very last pages. This is my first K.L. Slater book that I've ever read, and I was really impressed. She created a villain that got under your skin, but also made you feel sorry for, and her characters were real and engrossing. One other thing that I really enjoyed about her writing is that she created Judi in the first person, and Amber's narrative was in the third person. So that you really understood where Judi was coming from, but Amber was very allusive. I plan on checking out more of this author's work in the future, but for now, I think you will definitely enjoy this book if you are into psychological thrillers.

With each book, I am definitely seeing Miss Slater as one of the best authors in the psychological thriller genre. This third book, Liar, is an incredibly well written book which will grab the reader and not let go, foregoing all else until the twist filled end.

Overbearing mother or the obtrusive new girlfriend. The ultimate battle for control of a family.
Recent and lonely widower Ben starts dating beautiful and mysterious Amber. He feels like his life is finally getting back on track. He’ll have more stability for his 2 young sons and thanks his lucky stars. But if it seems too good to be true. Well…you know. Does Amber have an ulterior motive for inserting herself into Ben's life and creating a rift within his family? His mother Judi sure as hell thinks so! But we are left guessing what that motive is. Judi is determined to dig in her heals and fight to save her son and entire family.
I felt anger toward Amber and deep hurt for Judi, intensifying as Amber continued embedding herself into their lives. I don't know if I've ever read a book that has evoked such a visceral response. I absolutely hated Amber! A true sociopath. I actually had difficulty reading it because of my pure loathing for her. My anxiety level was peaking as the book went on. And of course, I couldn't stop reading!
The title of the book includes the dreaded "A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist" Normally, when I see that header I cringe! Knowing it will never live up to that hype. Well, this time it was spot-on as advertised. Left me speechless. The book pulls you along at an alarming speed. Basically read it in one day, and was kept in the dark throughout most of it. I knew something huge was coming but seriously?! Ahhh!!
A must read for all thriller fans!!
Thank you to NetGalley, K.L. Slater and Bookouture.

Posted on Goodreads under Kaceey 5/29/17

Where do I start, this book had me hooked right from the beginning. I literally read it in a day I could not put it down. The only trouble is with the tagline shocking twist is there are so many books that say that you start to believe there cannot be a different one, then suddenly there is. Judi is a typical mother who thinks her boy Ben is the best thing to walk this earth. Add to this the loss of another son when he was only 14 and the death of Ben's wife who Judi adored and could manipulate and two lovely grandchildren when Amber comes into their lives things become really difficult. Judi is menopausal and confused, most of the time she is not sure what's happening to her and her family but what she does know is that she doesn't like Amber and wants her gone. Amber hates Judi anyway and will do anything to come between Ben and his mother. A brilliant story that shows the difficult relationship between mother and daughter in law and how it can be a minefield. I love every book of this author but I think this is the best one!

This is the first book I've read by this author but I'll definitely be looking out for more. I love a good psychological thriller and this book didn't disappoint. The characters and their relationships with each other were portrayed very well and the plot was interesting too. Nice twists to the story too

This was an interesting story. The beginning sets the stage for the suspense and intrigue of a compelling psychological thriller. The descriptions of Judi as a manipulative and possessive housewife and mother was excellent. You can feel her loneliness and desires to be wanted as her husband wonders yonder. However, I didn't think her state of menopause was realistic. Although the effect of creating an atmosphere of unease and discomfort did its work. Amber, on the other hand, started out as the evil person and ended up being pitied for her suffering. The ending was excellent. I did not see that coming. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. I also find the title interesting as it could refer to either one of the protagonists, and it makes the reader wonder on the book after having finished it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Liar in return for an honest review. A few years earlier Ben's wife died from cancer and he was trying to raise his children on his own and his mother Judi offered to help Ben to look after his children and all was good until Ben started dating a woman called Amber but his mother doesn't like her much to Ben's surprise as Amber steps in to help his mother as much as she can but Judi's nose is put out of joint and she sets out to find out more about Amber as she is convinced she is up to not good. This book was very creepy and brilliant and kept me hooked the whole way through.....an addictive read.

Let's just say I'm glad I love my mother-in-law and she loves me back! This book had me up all day and all night, I could not put it down. I was gasping for air as scenes unfolded. Well done! I can't wait to read the rest of your books!

K.L. Slater is a fantastic author and someone who I would just be a teeny tiny bit afraid of. What goes on in that head to produce a book like this??? A book that actually makes your heart rate spike, produces an uncomfortable anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach and yet you cannot stop turning the pages....
I read this in one sitting today. From the very first chapter which opens on what you know is the final scene of the book you get a really good feel for this.
The book jumps back in time from that point and you read what happens up until that moment.
Judi is a loving grandmother to her two grandsons, doting mother to Ben, who tragically lost his wife two years ago. Judi didn't hesitate for a moment to step in and help her son after the death of his wife, picking up the boys from school, cleaning his house and washing his laundry. Still hurting from the loss of her other son when he was just 14 she pours all her love and energy into her remaining family. Then one day Ben drops a bombshell....he has met someone. Her name is Amber and she is wonderful.
Amber waits patiently for him to arrive, she knows exactly who he is and she has to make this work, she is hell bent on revenge. That day she and Ben met he thought it was a chance meeting but Amber knew what she was doing right from the first moment.
Without spoiling the plot this book describes what happens when utterly crazy and delusional meets completely crazy and delusional........and it is fantastic.