I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I really enjoyed this book and the characters in it. When Freya's husband, Phil, is in a car accident, he does not remember the last two years of his life. As some memories start to come back, he questions himself if he had an affair and if he was physically abusive. This book had me guessing who was involved in tampering with the brakes in Phil's car to cause the accident and had many twists and turns until the very end.

I'm afraid this book wasn't for me. It felt stilted and the characters unlikable. I struggled to finish it.

Favorite Quote:

‘Determined, not stubborn,’ she corrected lightly. ‘Determined is a good trait; stubborn isn’t always.’


My Review:

This is the type of story that has me wanting the shake sense into the characters and give them a good pinch for being so obtuse they annoy me. The women knew better, yet they still fell repeatedly for the Irish charm. The intriguing storylines were twisty, well-paced, and taut with impending peril, domestic abuse, family drama, lies, betrayals, and secrets aplenty. This was my introduction to Ms. King’s work and I was astounded to see her Goodreads listings packed with multiple genres including children’s books, rom-coms, suspense, poetry, and even some naughty erotica. Oh, my. I do believe further research into this talented scribe is now required.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns and underlying menace as the author explores an abusive marriage and the questions that arise after the husband loses his memory. What is true, what is a lie, and can someone ever truly change? Had me guessing and getting it wrong all the way through. Great last line!

𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢.

I sometimes forget why I'm here, with all the stack challenges and super cool reels and impressive bookmail. But it's because I am a reading junkie - the rest is just a bonus! A few weeks ago I absolutely decimated my NetGalley percentage by requesting...all the books. Literally, all of them. Whoopsie 🤷🏼‍♀️ I just binged this one in less than 24 hours and it's definitely worth the read! @karenkingauthor is a romance writer who branched out with 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗱, her first domestic thriller. Phil is in a car accident that wipes out his last two years of memory, conveniently placing him right back at the beginning of his marriage. Freya is all too aware of the violent outbursts and abuse she's endured at the hands of her husband, but chooses to give this new-seeming man a second chance. Obviously that's a big fat mistake. The story plays out in a somewhat predictable and frustrating, although probably fairly accurate, way. I was rooting for Freya and would love a sequel for her, tbh! Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for my copy; this one hit shelves last week and it was a perfect dreary weekend read 🙂

This was a great read and kept me gripped from page one.
When Freya met Phil it was love at first sight but the dream quickly changed to a nightmare. Now Phil has been in a car crash and has amnesia. Phil remembers nothing of the violence in their marriage. Freya feels like she has to stay with Phil to help in his recovery.
The book is written from several POV including Freya and Phil’s. As the story unfolds you’re not sure who to believe or if Freya is safe. I read this in one sitting and was so glad I did as I loved how the story unfolded.
I would definitely recommend this book.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheStrangerinMyBed #NetGalley

Holy Hell! What did I just read. This was amazing!

When Freya gets a visit from the police informing her that her husband, Phil, has been in a car accident and is in a coma, Freya rushes to his side. But, is Freya making the right decision to stand by her husband when he wakes up with amnesia, not remembering the two years they have been married? Is Freya taking a chance with an abusive husband hoping things will turn out differently? Or is Phil really the abusive husband Freya claims him to be?

Reading this story will leave you mightily confused, but in a good way. Who is telling the truth and who is telling lies? At one point it seems both are unreliable narrators especially when the truth seems to get muddled in with misdirection. Which one are you going to trust? Is it Freya, the supposedly battered wife or Phil, the supposedly loving husband who wants nothing more than to get to the truth. Going back and forth between the both of them will leave your head spinning as you race to the end trying to figure it all out.

Make no mistake, there are some heavy trigger warnings during the course of this story in regards to physical and emotional abuse. At times, they become very heavy and not easy to read and I found myself getting angry. I may have even let out a few curse words! Okay, more than just “may” I definitely let drop a few F bombs and “what the F’s.” I have such a potty mouth!

Will the reader figure some things out on their own? Sure. But boy oh boy that ending rocked! I definitely did not expect that. I think my jaw dropped open! Simply brilliant!

This is definitely a book that you surely do not want to miss! A definite five star read for me!

What a fantastic read. A few pages in and i was hooked! So I had to keep on reading. Recommended to a few of the girls who I think will love it, its gripping and kept me on my toes, well done author!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review. I gravitate towards books with title and covers like these and will usually read them without even looking at the summary. The book is well written however I didn’t feel as pulled into it as I could have been. It seemed to hit on the major plot cliches but it was still a good read. For this one I rated it 3 stars.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

First, I want to thank Karen King, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Ohh Stranger in my Bed by Karen King is a twisted book that surely lives up to its title! This is a must read for all of you Psychological Thriller fans out there! It is so twisted, gripping, incredibly evil at times, mind blowing revelations to hidden secrets you don't see coming. Plus, oh so much family drama! Amazing read by such a talented author.

This book is dedicated to Sharon. Karen thanks you for all of your years of friendship and support.

Ohh Karen’s prologue is oh so good and yet so evil!! It instantly hooks you into the storyline. Plus, it leaves you wanting to know why this sinister act happened. What possessed this character to do what they did.

Warning: This book contains triggers of abusive relationships and those who choose to stay in those relationships. If this offends you this may not be the book for you.

My heart goes out to Freya (love that name) who’s husband is in a coma after being in a terrible car accident.

For me personally I had a love hate relationship with the character Phil. I wanted to like him and give him a second chance but he so rubbed me the wrong way in so many ways. Something was not right about him.

Stranger in my Bed fascinated me with the memory loss storyline due traumatic brain injury Phil suffered from the car accident. Not remembering two important years of his life with Freya was devastating on Phil and heaven sent on Freya.

Smiles came to my face as Freya and Phil were looking at old photos and reminiscing over the fond memories they shared together as a couple.

I enjoyed learning how Freya and Phil met and their love story.

Ohhh what a dirty, twisted, evil bombshell Karen throws at her readers in this book’s storyline. I never saw this plot twist coming. So many reasons this was so wrong but so right to reveal at this time! So evil too!

Someone definitely has it out for Phil and wants him dead but who and why?

Throughout this book there were some incredibly graphic and detailed scenes. Karen did an incredible job bringing out all of the emotions in each of the characters in these scenes. Some of them pulled on my heart strings and wanted to stop the abuse that was going on. Many were totally shocking scenes that were unthinkable in real life.

I am so thankful Karen took a chance and stepped away from the Romance genre to write this Psychological Thriller! I have not had the pleasure of reading her previous books but can tell you she has mad talent in this genre. I absolutely loved this book-and would read more of in this genre!

New author for me and I am glad I requested this book. I had no idea how it was going to end. Ms, King had me at the edge of my seat till the end. Ms King wrote the characters so vividly. I could actually see the marks on Freydas body after a fight with Phil. How he pleaded with her all the time and begged for her to forgive him after their fights. It was at times hard to read because of the subject matter but I found myself not being able to put the book down. The ending surprised me. I did wish that the back ground of how Daisy and Phil got together was written in. Plus a little more background of how Phil got to where he became so violent. All and all I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to my fellow readers. I would also like to see what else Ms. King will be writing.

In this book we follow Freya and Phil who have been married for 2 years. Freya thought Phil was the man of her dreams but things went drastically wrong. Freya packs her bags, deciding it's time to leave Phil and his violent ways until she gets a knock on her door from the police. Phil has been in an accident and can't remember the last two years of their lives. Has Phil changed from the cruel man he once was?

As I said I loved this book.
It starts right in on the action and straight away pulls you in.
I really enjoyed the way the story progressed, there were times I was sure I had the ending sussed, other times I wasn't sure and sometimes I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.

The only fault I could say if I was being extremely picky is that I was slightly disappointed at how one of the relationships turned out and maybe the writing was very slightly repetitive at times. However, it certainly didn't affect my enjoyment and I'd still recommend this book!

Yet another positive about this book was the twists! Like I said at times I thought I had it sussed but I was so wrong! I could never have guessed the ending and definitely not that absolutely perfect last sentence.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Karen King for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge psychological thriller fan, and I am always on the look out for new authors to add to the wish list and new titles to get absorbed in!

This was my first read by Karen King and it did not disappoint. I was completely pulled in by the characters – you have sweet, lovely, but determined and opinionated Freya, who I admired throughout for her strength and bravery. Then you have creepy, malicious Phil and questionable Daisy, who is Freya’s sister. The characters completely made the story and gripped me from the beginning.

Phil is involved in what is thought to be an accident, until investigations by the police and insurance company seem to prove otherwise. Freya has fallen out of love with Phil and wants to leave him, but she knows that even for her, that would be one step so far. So who is responsible for trying to kill Phil? (Totally had an Eastenders flashback there haha).

I really identified with Freya as I have also been at the receiving end of manipulative, aggressive, deceitful behaviour by a man who is so clever, cunning and trusted that it’s hard to believe what goes on behind closed doors…

This book kept me hooked, and at times I found myself a little frustrated as I just wanted to know the truth! The book is full of amazing twists and complications that really make the story original and engaging.

This has been a great psychological thriller read and I am sure I would return to this author again in the future.

The first book I have read by Karen King.

Freya fell madly in love with Phil when she met him however after the marriage becoming a violent nightmare she is packing her bags to leave.

Then comes the news Phil has been in an accident and has lost all memory of the last 2 years.
How will this change things now?
Quite a slow paced book but interesting book with twists and lies throughout. I enjoyed the story.
A good read

What a book! I enjoyed the suspense of this one. Trying to figure out if the Freya is the bad guy or if Phil is. And all the while Phil has amnesia from a car wreck and doesn’t know who to believe or trust.
This book was a little slow in places, but still kept my attention because I needed to figure it all out.
Well I didn’t figure it out, which is what I love in a book. It kept me guessing right up to the end.

This is a complete departure for the author having previously written romance and she has totally grasped gaslighting and coercion. I loved the premise of this book and the idea of turning the tables on the abuser.

Freya was a totally believable character who wanted to voice her opinions while trying to avoid the inevitable fallout. I could almost hear the eggshells cracking as she walked all over them. The fact that her husband has managed to charm everyone, in particular her mother means she has kept the abuse mostly to herself. However she eventually confides in her sister Daisy who it seems also doesn’t have a perfect marriage.

While there were no surprises for me as I had figured a lot out fairly early on, I can say that the final sentence did knock me over sideways. This is a taut domestic thriller which would make a great book club read. As on finishing the one question that stuck with me was what would I have done?

Rating: 4.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷1/2
Book: The Stranger in my Bed
AVAILABLE NOW- Released YESTERDAY November 23, 2020
Author: Karen King
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
⚠️ Trigger warning

Sipping Synopsis: An accident or attempted murder? Who is the dangerous one? Freya? Phil? After Phil loses the last 2 years of his life and coincidentally the entire time of his marriage, Freya thinks it could be a new start. But who is telling the truth? Should Freya stay or leave? I sped through this book because I just had to know who was telling the truth. I picked a side and stayed with it the entire time even though King made me second guess myself quite a few times. I was incredibly mad at pretty much every character in this book because of their actions.

Final sipping thoughts: This book is such a gripping, full of suspense psychological thriller. If you have read a few thrillers in your time, then you probably will figure out a few of the twists but it does not lessen the journey’s enjoyment. The last page, the last reveal was everything!! I enjoyed reading the author’s note and her message to readers about the content of the book (not to give away anything). This is also King’s first thriller…slow clap!! This book is a must read that you can fly through! Let me know what you think!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @KarenKingThrillers and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheStrangerInMyBed

#TheStrangerInMyBed #KarenKingThrillers #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #bookreviewer

This book was decent but very predictable. There were no surprises or twists for me. The writing was good, just needed my twists and oh my gosh moments!

I was excited to read this book based on the blurb but it didn’t live up to its expectations. It’s actually very easily predictable and I can’t agree with the protagonists choices. Overall a decent read but not impressive.