Okay, wow! There’s a lot to unpack here! I grabbed The Marriage by K.L Slater as a change of pace from all the romance I’ve been reading. The synopsis of this book had me hooked. While everything isn’t as it seems here, the build up kept me guessing. While it’s mind blowing to say the least that Bridget Wilson marries Tom Billinghurst, her son Jesse’s killer and childhood best friend - it’s understandable that all the people closest to them are shocked and trying to keep their own secrets hidden. Slater kept me interested the whole time trying to figure the motives behind the marriage, and what everyone was hiding from everyone else. The Marriage is written in four or five points of view, though not in first person and between flashbacks and present day. The ending was a little anticlimactic I thought, however I would still recommend this if you like to be kept guessing!

*Thanks to NetGalley, K.L Slater and Bookoutour for advanced e-ARC in exchange for review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is the first book that I have read by this author and although I enjoyed it I did feel that it stalled in places and could have been condensed a little. The story-line was unique but it didn't fire me up as much as I had expected from the blurb.

Another 5 star book by the wonderful author KL Slater. All of the books she has written are truly masterpieces and true to the genre of Psychological Thrillers. Highly Recommend reading this brilliant book.

My true rating for this book is 4.5 stars. This is the story of Bridget and Tom. Twelve years ago Tom went to prison for manslaughter of Bridget’s son Jesse after amateur boxer Tom dished out a single punch, now Tom and Bridget are getting married. We get to see the ripple effect that it has on their friends and family. Is it true love or does one of them have an ulterior motive?

This book was fast paced with lots of twists and turns. I had a fixed idea from the start of what I thought was going to happen This book was not as predictable as I thought it was going to be. Just when you think that you have it all figured out another possibility rears its head. I enjoyed this read immensely but I felt it petered out a little bit towards the end.

What a brilliant read from the very beginning to the end, the story line was brilliantly addictive and all the characters were believable and interesting.

I have read all books from this author and never been disappointed and she has just got better and better in my opinion.

I can most definitely recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

Whoa!!!!!!!!!! The twists and turns in this novel were AMAZING!!! A Fantastic read, I Loved it and didn’t want this to end. You felt right from the beginning that you were part of the story with the characters, it was soooooo good. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an Incredible read. You will Love The Marriage.

I have mixed feelings on this book.

On the one hand it was a really interesting story. And the premise was totally original. I mean a woman marries her son's murderer, who happens to be the same age as her son was? Totally different.

The issue that I had was I wasn't sure what type of book it was supposed to be. It stated it was a psychological thriller. However, the first half read more as literature - how this situation came about, how friends and family reacted etc. Don't get my wrong - it was really interesting - but it wasn't suspenseful.

Then the second half of the book was a suspense novel. I just felt like it was a bit disjointed.

All that being said, I read the whole book (I am notorious for quitting a book halfway when it bores me). And I was fascinated by the characters and the story.

Wow just wow! This book’s blurb had me shaking my head at first & saying “it’s not possible” - it became a must read! This book is so crazy! There’s a few main characters, but the author does a wonderful job differentiating them. Ten years ago a death changed the lives of two families; Bridget / her son Jesse and Jill & Robert / their son Tom. A night of drinking and secrets caused Tom to punch Jesse causing him to fall and hit his head on pavement. Jesse died from impact & Tom was sent to prison. During that time, Bridget and Tom began to correspond and visit thanks to the Restorative Program. They fall in love and get married 😳 before he is released! Family drama, friendships, shame, and secrets comes to play! There’s a few twists, one I figured out but then it shocked me cus it veered left OMG! I highly recommend this one for a quick psycho thriller! Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

A suspenseful read. I was hooked on this book from the moment I read the tagline. A cleverly woven plot which had me guessing continuously as to what was going to happen and exactly what the different characters motives were. A really good read

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookature for the opportunity to read this book. It was a very well written book. I felt that it was more of a drama than a thriller. The characters are credible & the plot is really interesting Why would someone marry their sons killer?! A good read just not a thriller

I would not call this book a thriller, because the pace and suspense is not what I expect from a thriller. This book moves very slowly and strategically towards the end. The ending is too abrupt for my taste. The story itself is intriguing, and I especially enjoyed the fact that it is a bit different. If your son's best friend kills your son, and you end up marrying him later on, that is for sure something people will have a hard time dealing with, and you know it will not be an easy journey.

My favourite thing was the characters. they were all so human, yet quirky in their own ways. It is sadly easy to see that many of these things could happen, and probably do happen every day. One thing gets out of hand, and your world falls apart. You lose friends, your family, and probably your mental health. People are stubborn, and many of us do not forget or forgive.

I enjoy proper psychological thrillers or then action thrillers, and I found this one to be neither. It is worth the read, but I have to say I expected it to be different from what it turned out to be. 3,5 stars.

K.L Slater has done it again!! The M arriage is gritty, dark and leaves you with surprise after surprise.

Reading through you’re suspicious of every character, what’s their intentions / the bigger game?
I was desperately trying to figure it out as the plot drew together but the twist left me shocked! (And delighted - this really is a fantastic story!)
I’ve read every one of Slaters stories and The Marriage is yet another hit! A highly. recommended family thriller.
5/5

How does she do it? Every book I have read by this author I have really enjoyed. Every time one comes out I think surely its not as good as the last one, it hasn't been that long since the previous book. I love books that focus around relationships and the complexity of different types we have. Bridgit and Jill are best friends until Jill's son Tom kills Bridgit's son Jesse. The relationship of the two women is broken beyond repair. So why does Bridgit marry Tom? Jill feels something is not right. The book is an easy read with short chapters that make you want to read just one more. The characters become real and 3 dimensional. I finished it in a day.

I was shocked when I read the blurb about this book and had to pick it up because I just couldn't picture this scenario - still can't. "Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him." After reading the book, I still can't imagine this scenario! But, I couldn't put the book down even though it gave me the creeps.

As I turned the pages I found surprise after surprise. Nothing was what it seemed. Tom and Jesse were best friends, then Tom killed Jesse. Was it an accident or did he intend to kill him? Bridget was Jesse's mother. Then she marries Tom. Tom's mother, Jill was best friends with Jesse's mother, Bridget - until Tom killed Jesse. And then there's Coral who was pregnant with Jesse's son at the time he died. That's a whole other story.

This is told from different points of view and different timelines as well. The characters are over the top. The plot moved swiftly, keeping me on edge. Great thriller, K. L. Slater!

Thanks to Bookouture through Netgalley for an advance copy.

3.5 STARS

I'm a Slater fan and I'm always happy to read her entertaining mysteries filled with secrets and domestic drama!


The characters came to life and the story took me on a twisted litte journey. A shocking premise of a woman who married a man in prison for killing her son. Why would she even do that?! One character really got on my nerves!! Could that be the one who gets it in the end?

A fast, easy read with some surprising twists, drama, and that karma that delivers!

Another great book by K L Slater. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I read it over a weekend and could hardly put it down.

Part atmospheric thriller, part family drama, “The Marriage” by K.L. Slater is a fast-paced novel full of twists that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

Ten years ago, two best friends got into a fight outside a nightclub that led to tragic consequences. With one deadly punch from Tom, Jesse was killed and two families torn apart. Shockingly, after Tom’s decade-long prison sentence, Jesse’s mom Bridget has married her son’s killer!

This was my first K.L. Slater book, and I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty and original premise, especially in a genre where storylines are feeling a little stale these days. Told from multiple viewpoints, it’s clear that each character has their own agenda and secrets. Do Bridget and Tom truly love each other, or are there more sinister motives at play? And what really happened all those years ago that led to the deadly altercation? Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was another twist!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It definitely kept me guessing. Every guess I had was wrong and the outcome wasn't a guess I even had. Love books like that! Solid read and mystery.

Definitely recommend.

Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.

I absolutely LOVED this intriguing twisty tale. It had me guessing everything throughout as a lot of the chapters end with you asking more questions! Totally captivated me and I will be recommending this to others.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, KL Slater, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Marriage in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion. .
Such a roller-coaster plot. I was hooked. Each time I thought I had worked out where the author was taking me, another twist got thrown in.
Well worth a read.