I’ve read all of K. L. Slater’s previous books so was pleased to be able to get this one, too.

Very enjoyable story - I thought, quite early on, that I knew what the twist would be... I was totally wrong! Not particularly fast-paced as K. L. Slater books usually are, but a very good read none the less. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

Bridget and Jill were two opposite people who connected while at a play group with their sons Jesse and Tom. They quickly became best friends and their boys grew up being like brothers. Until one night they had an argument and Tom punched Jesse and killed him. Tom spent 10 years in jail. While in prison he falls in love with Bridget and marries her. Secrets and lies and blackmail......

It took me awhile to get into this story and although I did enjoy it.....it was quite slow moving. Not a ton of action until the ending. The twist was not as shocking as I had hoped for such a slow build up.

Overall though it was a good solid read, well written but not very believable.

Omg… Hold on… Wait until I untwist myself to write this review.

The premise was so astonishing that I had to read the book.

Bridget, 48 years old, married Tom, 28 years old. That’s cool, right? We love love at any age.

But Tom had been in prison for manslaughter. That was a little difficult to digest, right?

Now for the shocker… Tom had been charged for the death of Bridget’s only son Jesse. Whaaaattttt…. Didn’t your jaw fall? Mine did too…

Through Restorative Justice program in prison, Bridget, who babysat Tom with her son Jesse, managed to forgive him and fall in love with him. And they got married. In prison.

The whole story began when Tom was released and he revealed the truth to his mother who was Bridget’s ex-best friend.

Then came another twist. Bridget was a grandmother to Jesse’s son Ellis, and she wanted Tom and Ellis to be friends. Befriend his father’s killer? Wasn’t this as twisted as a pretzel?

Wow. K. L. Slater managed to shock the socks off me with this story.

It was different as seen by the premise, suspenseful as I didn’t know whom to trust, quite thrilling as it kept me on my toes. The author did that with most of her books, but this topped it.

There were multiple POV and different timelines which were slightly disjointed initially, but I got used to it. Secrets hidden, drama shown, motives hidden, love shown made this a complex thriller.

I couldn’t even begin to guess how everything would come together as there was a hint of karma but I couldn’t plot this story in my mind ahead of the author’s writing. The ending was was explosive.

Another great read from KL Slater. There are so many twists and turns in this story with the final one on the very last page. Gripping to the end. I loved it. Highly recommended
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC

I loved this story twist. It keep my attention the whole book. The characters were wll described and quirky.
Would recommend this as a book you cant put down !!

What a complex and totally addictive book this is! As you can probably tell from the blurb, it’s one that instantly captures your imagination and it’s so different to any book I’ve read before.

There’s a lot more to this story than you would first imagine, it’s a clever and twisty plot and it’s really hard to figure out what’s going to happen. I just couldn’t understand how Bridget would ever want to marry Tom, who had killed her son. There is of course, a lot more to the story..

The story is told from several people’s points of view, and the timeline goes back and forth too. The characters are all so real, the plot is twisty but ultimately believable, and the whole thing just feels like real life events, rather than a novel, in spite of it being chilling and shocking.

The tension is unreal in this book, and it’s spine-tingling to read. A total page-turner, I found myself thinking about this book when I had to be dragged away from it. I’ve been recommending it to everyone. If you like psychological thrillers this one is a must-read.

Wow... I read this in one sitting. K.L. Slater really knows how to write an absolute page turner. This novel had so many twists and turns it had my head spinning.

An original, intricate tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very last page. A must read if you love psychological thrillers.

From page one of this book I was pulled into this wonderfully written book. The book flips between many different perspectives and is filled with so many twists that I did not see the ending at all. I loved the character development that the author achieved.
Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This book was good, but it didn’t have any twists that were surprising at all. The story and the characters were good, but it was predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

3.5/5

I found there were too many possible theories/potential villains in this story which was annoying and caused me to focus away from the storyline and instead double guess every character and their motives in a distracting way. At times I found myself skipping through paragraphs of boring character narrative and it was an utter relief to just finish the story so I knew the secrets and could be done with it. The discussion between two women at the end felt clumsy and too “tying up the loose ends and explaining the unexplained moments for the sake of the reader”.

Loved this book! Wow. I'm not typically a huge fan of pyschological thrillers. Most of them tend to drag and let me down; at some point I lose interest and set the book aside unfinished. NOT the case with this book! It was incredible and I kept turning the pages, not able to get enough. I swallowed it in a couple of sitting. I kept asking "What's going to happen?" and "What's going on?"

The story was told through multiple POVs and sometimes dipped to the past, then back to the present day. It was all done seamlessly and bravo to the author for pulling this off.

I never saw the ending coming either. Fantastic twist and such a satisfying conclusion. Loved this book! (Have I said that aready?)

I received an advanced reading copy of this book for honest review. Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley.

*thank you to Netgalley, bookouture and K.L. Slater for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

This story was such a great ride! After about half way through my thoughts took a complete flip and I was suddenly aware of a very different possible outcome for how this was going to end. I love it when a story can open up a new path completely by surprise.

A well written and interesting story from the amazing Author, K.L. Slater. She's definitely done another masterpiece and I wasn't disappointed at all. Definitely recommend.

If you are a thriller and suspense lover, this is a great read! This is a page turner and I stayed up late finishing this one. There are a few twists and turns which keeps your interest. I love the multiple point of views! Pick this one up!

"Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him"
With a tag line like that how can you not want to read this book at lightning speed?
What a action packed read this was!
I couldn't read it fast enough. A main protagonist that you loved to hate. And characters that are more shadier than each other.
My second 5 star read from this Author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the Author K.L. Slater for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The most intriguing blurb award goes to...
Its filled with secrets, lies and revenge. I did guess a couple of the twists but I was equally shocked by some others a good 4 star read. This is my first read by K.L. Slater and I have already got another two waiting to be read in my kindle 👍

K.L. Slater is an amazing writer and this new book is another brilliant example of her layered story telling. Loved the characters and the way that you really start empathising with some and despising others. Kim's novels draw you in, churn you about and make you think. Loved every page.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Marriage" in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts with the Prologue in April 2019 when Bridget (48) is getting ready to marry Tom (28), in the prison chapel because he murdered her son Jesse 10 years ago.

From there the story goes back to October 2009 and tells how Jesse Wilson (18) was killed by Thomas Billingham (18). They had been friends since childhood and a fight between them ended Jesse's life.

The story then returns to 2019 and tells how Bridget started visiting Tom in prison 2 years ago under a Restorative Justice program. 6 months ago Tom proposed to Bridget and they decided to get married in the prison chapel because they knew that even though Bridget had found it in her heart to forgive him, their families would not understand.

We also meet Coral McKinty who was 6 months pregnant when Jesse died and she now has a son named Ellis. The story continues to travel back and forth in time and it's told in several voices.

There are some unexpected and shocking twists before the end of the book.

I’ve read a few of K.L. Slater’s books, some I enjoy some not so much.

This one was mediocre for me. I was drawn in by the premise that someone could marry their son’s murderer is beyond belief and I believed it must be revenge, even though that seemed a step too far!

There is more to the book than that and other sub-plots are revealed along the way. Most of the book for me was too slow moving for my personal taste but there are some surprises and twists along the way.

My thanks go to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you for my copy of this book to review.

KL Slater is an author I’m unfamiliar with but the blurb of this book really got my attention. What possible reason would you have to marry your child’s killer?!

Unfortunately though, the story really didn’t grip me and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. I was expecting it to be more about the reasons behind the marriage rather than Toms big secret.

However, it was a unique storyline and I did finish it within a couple of days but, and I seem to be in the minority here, it just wasn’t for me.

"10 years ago, he killed my son. Today I married him." Does that synopsis not just grab you?

Bridget's son Jesse was killed by his best friend Tom. But through a restorative justice program held at the jail, Bridget learns to forgive Tom and the two fall in love and get married before Tom is released from prison. 20 years his senior and old enough to be his mother, Bridget also used to be Tom's mother's best friend once upon a time. Once news gets out of the marriage, Tom's mother Jill believes Bridget is seeking revenge for her son's death.

I have to say, as I started this psychological thriller, I kept thinking how bizarre it was. The storyline was so crazy and I thought for sure it was going to be a predictable read. But there were a few twists towards the end which I wasn't expecting which really threw me. I'm not sure I loved the twists either as it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book. Overall though, this book was so gripping. I've just gotten the author's new one on my kindle too which I'm excited to dive into!