Absolutely 5++ stars

Tess marries another man she believes to be the most handsome, chivalrous, and sweetest man out there and he just happens to be.a Doctor also. But, after they move his demeanor starts to change. He has taken her phone away from her and will not let her leave the house. He has become mean and possessive in such a way that only a psychopath could enjoy. An older woman shows up at the door and tells Tess that her Husband has a secret. One that he will most likely never tell. He was married before and they had a child and they both ended up dead and Daniel was the prime suspect. Except, that was not his name. He changed it but why would he return to the place that it happened? Why would he risk getting caught? This story is a gripping thriller that actually had me turning pages as fast as I could. I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew where this ride was taking me. Hold on to your seat because this roller coaster will take you on many twists and turns and then just when you think you are getting off, you get o go around again. This author knows how to write a psychological thriller.. it is in her blood. I will scream this recommendation off of the rooftop. You NEED to read this one if you enjoy a great thriller that keeps you guessing until the bitter end.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic book. If you read the blurb, you know a women and her child were killed and then Tess marries this brilliant surgeon and he moves her to this very big old house and his nature begins to change. From being a wonderful beau to a crazy, hurtful man. Also, there is an elderly woman who is a bit confused who lives across the street who tells her he changed his name but he is back and he killed his wife and son. The twist at the end of the book is unreal. I never saw it coming. This was a roller coaster of a ride. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers than I highly recommend this book. It took me a day and a half to finish it. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for the ARC I received for an honest review. BRAVO to the author.

5* Controlling Stars

This was a fantastic faced paced thriller with astonishing twists that kept me guessing until the last page read.

The story of newly married surgical nurse Tess and her handsome and well-respected surgeon husband Daniel was far from perfect! After 4 months of marriage Daniel’s true colours appear, he becomes obsessed and controlling towards Tess. His behaviour is cruel and violent, and he is not the man she fell in love with and married. He was despicable and cunning, and Tess was helpless as she had no family or friends to help her.

This was a roller-coaster of a ride with lies and deceit abounding. In parts it was not easy to read as it was dark and scary. The plot was brilliant and the storytelling gripping.

I loved this intense domestic thriller and the ending was perfect and surprising.

Oh my goodness what a rollercoaster of a read! I had absolutely no idea how this book was going to end. I'm actually speechless.
This has been addictive, gripping and completely unpredictable. I haven't been able to put this down at all. I have devoured this book in one sitting this afternoon.
I already need more! The coercive control and abuse in this book, has been a little uncomfortable to read. However, it's really added the element of tension and desperation of the main character.
I am so completely shocked by where this has gone. This is one of the best books I've read this year, without a doubt a five star read.
Public review to follow on blog tour

Nurse Tess is freshly married to a doctor Daniel, who after their move from London to a big manor in Bath, starts to act strange and hostile toward her. Tess slowly understands that she is married to a stranger. An old lady Martha tries to warn her about his first wife, but Tess is at first convinced that she is to blame for his behaviour and ignores the truth about him.

Will Tess survive and does this misterious first wife exists?

Absolutely gripping page turner! Stunning, dark and full of twists and turns.
Must read!

3.5 for me.

The Next Wife is a dark psychological thriller that will draw you in slowly.

If something seems to good to be true let that be a warning sign.

The main characters Tess and Daniel are not the nicest or most sympathetic characters you will ever meet.

I loved Martha who desperately tried to intervene and save Tess not only from Daniel but from herself.

There were twists and turns that will surprise you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Next Wife.

*Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Liz Lawler for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

There should be a warning that comes with this regarding spousal murder, sexual, emotional and physical abuse. If you can get past this, The Next Wife is a fantastic thriller with many windy roads and turn offs.

We are first introduced to Martha, who is an elderly woman, suffering from dementia. Every day she comes and looks at a house but we don't know why or what connection to the house. She is integral to the story, however, and we learn much more about her later.

Tess and Daniel have just gotten married after a whirlwind courtship. They have just moved out of London to a mansion in Bath, which comes fully furnished, though everything is quite dated. Immediately after moving in, Daniel's whole demeanor changes. He becomes Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Then, when a patient they have done surgery on falls ill, Daniel throws her under the bus, causing her to be suspended from her job as a Nurse. And so begins his slow grooming of her, including buying her clothes to wear and punishing her when she does not wear them.

I read this book in one sitting. It kept me mesmerized until the last sentence. Liz Lawler is a new Author to me and I am eager to read more of her books. If I had one suggestion, it would be to add in a few weeks of their courtship so we could see what Tess loved about Daniel because all the reader can see is why she should hate him.

Page-turning suspense with truly interesting twists! Liz Lawler does an excellent job of pulling you in and leading you down the path while dangling numerous carrots along the way - you can't figure the end until you get there and it all makes sense - it's definitely a satisfying treat when it comes. I'm a fan of the psychotic spouse type story lines, and many are typical, but this one definitely takes the plot and adds some new twists. The characters are well-developed and the story never drags - you want something you'll read in a day, go for it!

This is a decent psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep me entertained,
The ending was a little predicable but still enjoyable.
I’ll continue to read books by this author in future.

Most of the book felt predictable and way too detailed. a story of a woman in a bad relationship and someone trying to warn her about him. it did pick up towards the end with two twists that made it more interesting

I enjoyed this book a lot! It managed to have a twist that i didn’t see coming, which is getting rarer and rarer for me the more psychological thrillers I read. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. My first Liz lawler book but definitely not my last. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

This is a great read! Truly intense and gripping. I was invested in the main character and so badly wanted her to escape the clutches of her controlling husband. I gasped at some of the things she had to endure under his grip. I would certainly recommend this book, and will be looking at more from this author.

Review on Amazon and my blog on Publication day.

After a whirlwind courtship, Tess and Daniel move from London to Bath. Tess has no friends - her closest friend is about to head off to Australia for her dream job. Until an elderly woman begins staring through her windows. At first she runs, but Martha lets slip a few secrets about Tess' new home.
In an effort to be less domestic, Tess gets a job at her husband's hospital - Daniel is a vascular surgeon while Tess is an OR nurse. After a tragic incident, Tess find herself homebound again. This time without her phone, bank card or a car. And Daniel has bought her a new wardrobe. New shoes. An etiquette book as well as diary listing her areas that need improvement.
Who is this man?
As a woman who lived with a narcissist, the author does a great job peeling away Tess' access to life via Daniel's control and behavior. She does a great job setting up Daniel as an amazing catch - and allowing his monster to show through.
Tess' reactions are realistic, frustrating and relatable. Honestly, I just wanted to stab Daniel through the entire book.
Great twists, Great plot movement and development. Great ending.

A domestic thriller about a seemingly perfect marriage that will leave you wondering what you really know about the people you love.

This book starts off with a bang in a gripping and terrifying scene. Certainly puts you on the edge of your seat from the get go. I am a huge fan of domestic thrillers with exciting twists, and this one was definitely just that. A pleasant bonus was the medical/hospital part...made me feel like I was watching an exciting medical drama (which I also love) in a few parts.

The story was wrapped up nicely and left me feeling satisfied. However, the middle of it got a little slow for me. Also, the main character was a little lacking in depth and gall that I wanted her to have. Jim and Martha were wonderful characters, though.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys domestic suspense thrillers. Perfect read for an October fall evening. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Liz Lawler for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely loved this book all the twists and turns it drew you in with the story which was believable I love to work out the ending of books but this one I couldn't some endings feel rushed but this one wasn't it was a really great ending I would definitely recommend this book!!

"Truth and lies are often told together. The truth to hide the lies and the lies to hide the truth." That one quote should tell you everything you need to know about this wickedly spine-tingling, well-written book by Liz Lawler. The Next Wife is the story about a newly married couple who move from London to Bath to start their new lives together. As they settle into their new home, the husband's behavior changes, leaving his new wife to wonder if she had ever really known her husband at all. I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a thrilling, suspenseful read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for providing an ARC for me to read and review.

I loved The Next Wife!

I found myself racing through the pages trying to put the mystery together but I was wrong! I found myself pleasantly surprised with the ending, unexpected but fantastic!

I felt so sorry for Tess and wanted to save her! The twists were brilliant and I did not see them coming. The Next Wife is a clever little thriller that I will recommend for anyone wanting a dark, shocking read!

5/5

I love a good domestic thriller as much as the next, but I am not such a fan when it is unbelievable!
The coercive control begins really quickly and Daniel is horrible to Tess, jeopardising her career, making her think she is going crazy! Then we find out just what happened to him as a child to make him this way! Good ending - just goes to show you can’t know everything about everyone.

Per usual, let's start with a content warnings so you're immediately aware of if this is a book that is appropriate for you right now - a content warning for spousal abuse, both sexual and physical; an additional content warning for a suicide attempt.

Now, on to the story! When we jump in to the book, there's an opener where it's clear something very bad is happening to someone's wife and child, and that the person making this bad thing happen is her husband. Then, we meet our first POV, an older woman who's convinced that the perpetrator of that just-read opening scene has returned to town and has brought with him a new woman. We know she's somehow connected to the family that previously lived in the home, but have no context as to how she would know them. Our next POV introduces us to the woman he's brought with him, his new wife.

The majority of the book is told through the new wife's POV, and we're meeting this couple right as they're moving in to their new home and starting their married lives together. Immediately, things start to change. No longer is it acceptable for her to be wearing her pajamas around the house, instead, she should be dressed properly for dinner. When her husband sends new clothes for her after the dress for dinner mandate, they're very much *not* what she would've selected for herself. Following an incident leaving her suspended at work, he takes away her cell phone and bank access, leaving her basically imprisoned in their home. It gets very controlling, very fast and the abuse ramps up quickly.

We're still getting the POV of the older woman, who eventually warns the new wife that she should ask her husband what happened to his old wife. This older woman is also experiencing dementia, so at times you're left to wonder at how much of what she's saying and thinking can actually be believed.

Here's the thing, though - I think this book had the potential to be really, really good. When everything sort of comes together towards the end (maybe the last 15% or so, I was very much skimming by the time I got there), it got interesting! But the problem was that there isn't enough connection with the characters at the onset of the book to get you involved. I think if we had gotten to see even an abbreviated version of their whirlwind relationship - even just a few chapters! - to see the dynamics of who they were before they moved to this house, it would've really given the story a huge advantage when things started to change dramatically. I really felt like I just needed more time to care about these characters before things got dark!

All in all, it was pretty meh for me. Like I said, it did eventually come together in a way that was interesting and not what I thought was coming, but I could've easily DNFed this and not felt sad about it.

Tess was a surgical nurse who married Daniel, a handsome, respected surgeon. They met on the job and had a whirlwind courtship and were married . They moved to a different city and both found jobs at the same hospital. Tess was happy until Daniel started to act strangely. Why was he acting so differently than the man she dated? Why was the house they lived in already decorated and felt like someone else lived here? Why was there an old lady snooping around their house acting strangely? Soon she finds herself doubting everything and fears for her life. I enjoyed the pacing of this book, it was a slow intense read. I felt like I was Tess at times and wondered what I would do if I was in her shoes. I enjoyed the twist at the end and was totally surprised.