Bethan is an unreliable narrator and kind of awful but also absolutely intriguing. I really liked the author’s approach - fast, snappy dialogue and really descriptive text to land the reader right into the plot. There is a touch of humour, albeit often dark, which makes this an easy book to read and I found the pacing string even when not much appeared to be happening. A good, entertaining book.

The story is told from multiple POVs
I felt that it was missing plot and there were huge holes in the story.
However I did keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review. I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book but I wouldn’t necessarily read it again. The pacing sometimes felt slow and I didn’t always feel connected to the characters.

An entertaining read as Bethan plays hide and seek with her past, her present and the law. Her exploits as she works towards her goal.....her husband's death......are unique enough that I think Louise Mullins has had these same thoughts too often. Over all, the pace made it a quick read and the characters kicked the back story up a notch or three.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Kiss me, Kill me by Louise Mullins

There is a mix of funny and not and a mix of serious and not so. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I think you’ll enjoy it too.

First of all the main character (who is not the main character) is full of verve and energy and you’ll either immediately love her or loathe her, either way that’s part of the fun.

The story gets a little dodgy around the middle and if I wasn’t already hooked by the escalating mishaps you might have lost me around the 40% mark.

Like I said, I liked it. I had fun with it. I read it over a very unusually tepid weekend in California and it kept me busy.

The writing is quick, the pacing is great. It might have gotten a little muddled weaving all of the strands of the story together but a patient reader will enjoy the process.

At around the 60% mark I decided to look up Louise Mullins backlist as she was starting to really play with the reader a kind of game I like to play and haven’t played in a long time.

This book really surprised me!

It’s out where books are sold. I read it in ebook format and thought that format worked well.

KISS ME, KILL ME…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the advanced copy!

This one wasn’t that good to me. I had trouble finishing it. The plot was good but the execution was mediocre unfortunately.

I usually enjoy this genre and the premise of this one sounded great, but the main character I did not like at all or connect with. The story hasn't really held my interest so I've moved on to other reads for now. Will attempt this one at a later date and update my review then.

Wholly Entertaining Suspense…
Wholly entertaining suspense, written deftly with some marvellous characterisation, a pacy often fun plot and a compelling and often darkly humorous narrative. The female lead may not be an entirely likeable human being but she provides a hugely engaging antagonist. Dark, disturbing and enjoyable!

Bethan wants her husband, Humphrey, dead. Why? Because he’s rich and elderly, and this young vixen wants his money. She’s been plotting his demise for quite sometime, and can’t possibly hide her disdain and disgust for him. After careful planning, she is ready for him to die...but things backfire when he survives.

This was kind of a miss for me. It had potential but then petered out.

Overall, I felt kinda meh about this book. Not necessarily bad, but not particularly memorable either. Giving it 2.5/5 Stars.

Kiss Me, Kill Me is the second instalment in Louise Mullins' DI Emma Locke series.

This was such a marvellous read! Murder, mystery and intrigue all seep from the pages. The chapters and general format and the author's particular style all worked well for me in the context of this crime story. I enjoyed the back history of the characters, especially in the case of Bethan Phillips. There's some fantastic misdirection and twists in this tale leading to an exciting denouement. I'm grabbing a copy of the first instalment, I Know You and I'm counting the days until book three is released (if there will be one) so I hope I can fit them into my schedule!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Aria & Aries via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

WOAH!
A great thriller! I thought i had everything figured out but i in fact did not! Told from multiple points of view this was a great quick read and i look forward to more stunning work from Mullins. I did not realize this was part of a series as this is book number 2 i plan to go back read book number one.

Bethan cant wait for her husband Humphrey to die, why? Because she cant stand the thought of his old wrinkly hands all over her and she wants to spend his money. Bethan tries several times to kill her husband but he comes out each time with little to no injuries. Unfortunately for Humphrey he dies in a freak accident on holiday with his lovely bethan. Bethan decides to leave humphrey in the forest to die and tells his friends hes on business out of the country. But someone saw her leave humphrey lying there and this someone is now following her.

A fine mix of crime and investigation - such a great read!

Bethan Phillips married her elderly husband, Humphrey, with only one this on her mind - his money. She plans to bump him off as speedily as possible, but luck just doesn't seem to be on her side. That is, until a holiday accident does the job for her. Knowing that evidence of her previous attempts may well end up taking her down, Bethan pretends Humphrey is alive and kicking - well, for the meantime. There are a lot more reasons she doesn't want the police involved but DI Emma Locke is on the case and tends to get to the bottom of things.

Kiss Me, Kill Me has had my mouth in all kind of shapes! I have gawped in horror, gasped in shock, had a perfect 'O' of surprise and grimaced with distaste as well as grinning at some lighter moments. Make no mistake, this one will play in your head long after you reach the end of the story. With some very clever writing the author had me on the edge of my seat more than once and it's fair to say I was gripped to the very last. I haven't read the first book about Emma Locke (yet), but this is a series well worth following. Beautifully crafted characters, none of whom I had any problem believing in, added style and panache to this well planned novel and it's one I definitely recommend. Be warned - it will play with your head and your emotions! 4.5* from me.

This book had a lot of potential. Louise Mullins is an able writer, and her prose sucks you in. Her unlikeable characters are fun to read, and she had a great premise here. Unfortunately though, the plot of this one went in too many different directions, and got a bit too convoluted for me. I enjoyed reading Bethan’s narrated portions of the book, but felt the points of view jumped around a bit too much, and it got confusing. The voices were not distinct enough at times and I got confused at whose point of view I was reading, and at what time. I also found DI Locke’s portions to be the least interesting.

I like this author’s voice and style, and would read a different book by her (perhaps more of a domestic thriller with a focus on the psychopath, as she was so good at that part!) but I think this series and/or this particular plot just did not work for me.

Thanks to Aria, NetGalley, and the author for the advance copy.

Oh dear I really liked the sound of this book, I also liked the fact it was set in Wales where I live when I started reading it I was drawn in straight away but by halfway through the book I was struggling. All the jumping about between characters and different scenarios threw me, and I became more unfocused on reading the book. In the end it was a book I didn't really enjoy. I hope other readers enjoyed it more.

Bethan plots to kill her rich, elderly husband. Young Melanie tries to survive her unstable home life. Detective Inspector Emma Locke investigates a horrific murder, while trying to connect the dots to understand how Bethan and Melanie might be connected to the crime.

Kiss Me, Kill Me seems like the kind of book I’d love with its three female leads and crime elements, but while I liked parts of it, as a whole it didn’t come together as strongly as I would have liked. I feel the book tried to be a little too clever with a plot that was a little too convoluted, relying too heavily on minor characters. For example, a female character is introduced well past the halfway point who ends up having a rather significant role in the story. The character didn’t work for me because I didn’t feel she was established well enough.

Bethan and Melanie are unlikeable characters and unreliable narrators, but were both a bit one note. Bethan is so driven to kill Humphrey, at times she’s somewhat cartoonish. I didn’t buy that her husband would put up with her behavior towards him. DI Locke comes across as detached, but I really enjoyed the moments that showed her family and her special needs stepson. I needed some humanizing element like that to really connect with Bethan and Melanie. Overall, the book felt a bit too overtly manipulative for me to be completely drawn in. However, the mental health aspects as well as how childhood trauma affects personality was nicely shown through characterization.

At the end of the book the author discusses the characters from the lens of forensic mental heath, which I found fascinating. She states the typical motives for murder and how they relate to the book. This made a nice little Easter egg of insight.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

A woman's body is found stuffed inside a suitcase close to the train tracks. DI Emma Locke is charged with the investigation.

Three women's lives intersect during this investigation. DI Emma Locke works diligently to identify the body and notify her family. Then she will have a starting point on what happened to this woman. Bethan is a gold-digger married to a much older wealthy man. All she wants is for him to die. To what lengths will she go? Melanie is a teenager longing to leave home and the men her mother keeps letting them into their lives.

Is one of these responsible for the death of the suitcase victim? Did she know or see something she shouldn't have?

The story is told from those three views ... one of them from the past .... and watch for the major twist when it comes.

This was a slow starter for me .. a tad confusing about the multiple characters. It was like trying to read three stories all at the same time. When the stories merged into one, it was much more entertaining. The conclusion was quite surprising.

There's quite a bit of action and the major twist turns the whole investigation upside down. Emma Locke is a determined detective and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Many thanks to the author / Aria & Aries / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

Bethan Phillips has only one thing on her mind: killing her rich and elderly husband for his fortune. But after several thwarted attempts, it is a horrific accident while holidaying together in Snowdonia that takes him down.

There are many reasons Bethan doesn't want the police to investigate his death or look too closely at her. Or the life she lived before becoming Bethan Philips. Unfortunately for her, DI Emma Locke is on the case.

The premise was definitely intriguing, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book that much. The main character Bethan was unlikeable and the narration of the plot was slightly off.

There were some twists, I just wished that those would have been dealt with in a better way, then this book would have been more enjoyable to read.

Thank You NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC!