Freya thought she had met the man of her dreams when she first shared a table in a busy coffee shop. Tall, dark and handsome, Phil soon swept her off her feet; roses, romantic lingerie and holidays - you would think she had it all. But her marriage had turned sour, There was abusive and arguments, with Phil regularly blaming Freya for “pushing his buttons” and Freya thinking that Phil will not compromise. . After 2 years of marriage and the abusive episodes escalating into physical violence, Freya decides she has had enough and packs her bags to leave telling no one of her intentions. However, a visit by the police telling her that Phil has been involved in a car accident changes everything. How can she leave him now? By a bizarre chance, Phil has amnesia and cannot remember any part of his married life from when they returned from honeymoon. Freya’s sister Daisy tells Phil that they had had an affair - now she is pregnant, calling round when Freya is at work. Is this true? Why would he have an affair when he loves Freya so much? Is this an opportunity for Freya to regain the man she married, or is it really Phil who is to blame? Add into the mix Phil’s ex wife, his mother Aileen and a young boy called Danny and you will find yourself wondering just who to believe. The stakes are high in this fast paced psychological thriller; who stands to lose the most if Phil’s memory of those missing two years returns? Complementary copy received fromNetGalley.

Karen King’s debut psychological thriller, The Stranger In My Bed, to be published November 23, 2020, explores the darker side of relationships. Cleverly told from multiple points of view, the expertly woven storyline keeps readers guessing which partner is the abusive one and which partner is in danger. Told gently, as only an accomplished children’s writer could do, King’s thriller highlights the complexity of abusive relationships and why many victims choose to remain.

Freya and Phil Keegan haven’t been getting along for quite a while now. Surely the bruises, remnants of broken china and guiltily gifted bouquets reflect that something is wrong in their seemingly perfect marriage. One of them has had enough – the bags are packed and in the car. Then the unimaginable happens. Phil is in a near-fatal car accident and, although recovering, seems to have amnesia. How convenient. With no memory of the abuse, can the Keegans start over? Should they?

Readers familiar with the traits of an abusive relationship will instantly recognize one of the Keegans gaslighting the other. One of them will try to deny any knowledge of fights and even go so far as to play the victim. But you won’t be fooled. Will you? See for yourself. You’ve been warned: there are unexpected twists!

Amazon has a deal for you right now: $1.99 if you pre-order this thriller. At less than the cost of a great coffee, will you deny yourself the chance to sniff out who’s lying?

Thanks to Karen King, Netgalley and Bookouture for a great gift of an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Freya and Phil’s relationship at one time was what every girl dreamed about. Until Phil started changing into a man that Freya no longer recognizes. He becomes hateful and abusive. Freya was leaving him for good. That is until she gets a call saying Phil was hurt in a car wreck. He could barely remember who he was anymore. Freya decided that she would stay and make Phil pay for what he had done to her. After all, he could not remember her or anything having to to do with how abusive he was to her. Now she could get her revenge. While the plot was easily figured out, it did not affect my thoughts while reading it. The writer did a great job with keeping the time sequencing in order and throwing in some twists. Overall I think it is a solid 4 stars.

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

This was an easy read for as I love thrillers, however this one fell flat for me. The writing was good but I found that I already kind of knew where the story was going, therefore leaving no real twists or surprises for me and I didn't particularly like or connect with any of the characters. Thanks to Karen King, NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Freya and Phil have been married just over two years, things haven't always been a bed of roses between the two of them.

With the marriage in turmoil and Phil becoming violent Freya decides to pack her bags and plans to leave, after another row Phil storms out and is involved in a car crash. As Phil comes round he has no memory since they got married can Freya put it all behind her and start again.?

I was pleasantly surprised by this read, I really enjoyed this I was hooked straight away and was really engaged all the way though, thinking who was playing who, kept me page turning and intrigued.

Highly reccomended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Many thanks as always to Bookouture.

Saw mostly where this was going. Was overall a good read. Didn't draw me in as much as I wanted it to. Was easy enough to follow what was going on. Just fell flat for me a little. There was no wow factor.

This is my first Karen King book but it won’t be my last, I loved her writing style and I found reading this book like watching a movie, fast paced and having me wanting more. I did work out the plot early doors, but this didn’t spoil the book for me one bit, I loved everything about it. Family drama, Freya and Phil have a lot of secrets within their marriage, but when Phil looses his memory of the whole time they have been married, is it a chance for them to start over and forget the past? Unfortunately the past always has a way of coming back to us..

Saw mostly where this was going. Was overall a good read. Didn't draw me in as much as I wanted it to. Was easy enough to follow what was going on. Just fell flat for me a little. Was mo wow factor.

Thanks to the Author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an early release of this book..

I try to never give spoilers in my reviews and I won’t on this one because it is a book with so much built up tension that the end is something you will have earned by the time you get there! It’s a fascinating idea - someone recovering from an injury with a changed personality because we know it really does happen. But does that make the person “new” and wipe out the sins of the past? The characters are both a bit hopeless at times in that their decisions seem odd, but that lends reality to their relationship. Readers who like Lucy Dawson will enjoy this author.

Raw portrayal of a very troubled marriage and events that follow the abusive husband's amnesia.

I usually reach for thrillers by established authors in this genre, but I was looking for an adventure and Karen King caught my eye - I see that she has written many romace novels before and this is her first psychological thriller. Woah, that should be interesting. I was in.

I honestly didn't expect that it was going to be this good! The Stranger in My Bed is a totally unique domestic thriller which touches upon some heavy subjects, as well as different perspectives in a troubled marriage...

In this book we meet Freya - a woman is a completely broken marriage with a monster of a man named Phil. It hasn't always been like this, as at the beginning of their relationship, Phil used to be a dream come true: romantic, patient, thoughtful, loving. But now, just as Freya has finally gathered the courage to leave him, Phil had an accident that caused him to suffer from total amnesia. There is the stranger in her bed who doesn't know who she is, that is, until he starts remembering things. But Phil's recollection of their marriage is all peachy and rosy, and suspiciously different from Freya's living nightmare. So she decides to tell Phil what she wants him to be like as if he had been this way prior to his accident as a little white lie.

I was completely emersed in this story, and as a fan of domestic thrillers, I really appreciated the fragile complexities of the main characters' relationship. It is clear that Karen King is a skilled romance writer in the fact that she knows how to portray emotions is such a raw way. At the same time, however, I was missing some of the promised suspense in this "thiller" - I would have like there to be a more significant twist for a book in this genre.

*Thank you to the Publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger in My Bed by Karen King is a foray into the domestic thriller genre for an author known previously for romantic comedies. I am here to testify that the transition is completely successful, and I will be the first in line to read Ms King's next psychological thriller.

Freya and Phil, we learn quite early, have had a tumultuous two year marriage. But when Phil is in an accident, it seems that he suffers a form of amnesia that has wiped his memory clean of the past two years. The last memory he can recall is of returning from honeymoon with his new bride, a time when they were blissfully in love. Yet Freya tells a very different story of the intervening years, and as Phil begins to recover from his accident, the sharp contrast between their recollections becomes apparent. In this he said/she said, just who is telling the truth?

This is a suspenseful read that plants a seed of doubt very early in the reader's mind, and lets it fester until the final explosive reveal. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

#TheStrangerInMyBed #NetGalley
Even the twists have twists in them.
Two can play a single game. If you toss a coin then sometimes head comes and sometimes tail. What would you choose?
Meet Freya and Phil, the man she thought was perfect for her to become the love of her life. They got married and went on a honeymoon after which things started to become worse.
Now the police is on the door of Freya telling her that her husband is involved in a horrific car clash and he lost his memory completely. He doesn't remember anything and now he needs you the moment you're planning to go away from your broken marriage. Now what would you do? Would you go to help your husband or you just get away from this marriage?
After all you know what your husband has done.
I loved the couple of Freya and Phil. They're pathetic but not pathetic at the same time. This book is twisty. Even the twists have twists in them.
I adored it's narration despite the fact that it has so many chapters.
I'm doing promotion on the release date of the book among my fellow Authors, Bloggers, Family, Friends and Followers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this twisty psychological thriller.