It’s the tagline for me!
....Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him.

I mean... it certainly got my brain going and once you read the full blurb you can’t quite get around the fact she marries her sons killer.

It certainly got me intrigued!

I love this authors novels! Every one I’ve enjoyed and this one was no different. I always find her novels engaging, yet I’d say this one wasn’t quite as good as previous. I found there to be less tension but it still hit all the things I love in a thriller and was very deserving of its rating.

I loved that every character was shady. Suspicious characters are always great in a thriller and this oozed them. Each one portrayed a hidden agenda that scrambles your brain. You think you know what their motives are and a few pages later your thinking has changed.

From the first chapter I was pulled in to the world of Jill whose son killed Jesse. But what follows when he marries his mum really flips everything on its head.

You doubt the intentions of the characters and wonder if they are true to who they say they are.

Full of surprises and a fabulous storyline that got me thinking about scandalous relationships. I think there should be more fiction novels about them!

Outstanding. This author never disappoints. Thrilling from start to finish. Packed with the mind boggling twists you don't see coming that is this wonderful author's trademark. Just brilliant.

Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him.

Ten years ago my darling son Jesse was murdered and our perfect family was destroyed. My strong, handsome boy, so full of life, became a memory, a photo I carried with me everywhere.

But today I’m finally close to finding happiness again. My ash-blonde hair has been curled into ringlets. Carefully placed white flowers frame my delicate features. The small, drab chapel has been prettied up with white satin, and there are tiny red hearts scattered on the small table where I will soon sign the register with my new husband.

I am a big fan of KL Slater, so I was very excited to have been given a review copy of this book from Netgalley. I love the chapters each being from different perspectives, and this book was such a quick read! (I do believe all of KL Slater's books are quick reads!) There is a past/present storyline, with drip fed bits of a story until it meets in the middle! Wonderful book for fans of this great author, it will keep you guessing until the very end,

A domestic psychological thriller packed with twists. Tom is imprisoned for 10 years after killing his best friend Jesse. Shortly before the end of his prison sentence, Tom marries Jesse's mother causing an inevitable backlash from their families. The plot unfolds across multiple POV with switching timelines as we untangle the events leading up to Jesse's death and the real reasons behind their marriage.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for my honest review.

Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him.


Juicy!

So juicy that I recommend going in blind. The blurb tells you everything you need to know. Tom and Jesse were best friends who went to a bar one night and one was left dead and another sentenced to ten years in prison. When Tom is released, everyone is shocked when he announces that he has married his dead friends’ mother.

A whole lot of juicy.

But that is only the beginning. This is a tangled web that slowly unravels and gets juicer by the page.

If you think you have things figured out, think again!

This was a pleasing (juicy) tale which did not disappoint! This book is full of likeable and unlikeable characters. Each has his/her own issues. Each has a tale to tell. Some characters are sympathetic, some not so much. Some I wanted to shake and some I did not trust.

There is a lot of food for thought here. A woman marries her son's killer. A young man married his dead friend's mother. A mother fears that her son made a wrong decision. Another mother wants to protect her child. The characters here really did save that drama for their mama. Whew!

Be warned, the book jumps around in time. The chapters are headed with the character who is giving POV and year, but if you are too busy flipping the pages to find out what is going to happen, you may miss it.

Jumping timelines aside, this was a fast entertaining read. Pure drama. As the plot unfolds, the pace picks up and I was turning the pages at breakneck speed. Karma is everything, my friends.

Another winner from K.L. Slater

Dramatic, entertaining, and Juicy.


Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Marriage was twisty!!! A great thriller, Bridget’s son Jesse dies after his best friend Tom punches him, and then she marries him!! The plot twists and turns so many secrets and lies. The description of the book is spot on and reels you in before you start to read it

I was particularly eager to read this book because I had read KL Slater's 'The Girl She Wanted' last year and absolutely loved it.

The plot of this book is very interesting and intriguing. It starts well but then it gets very slow and repetitive, all about everyone's emotions and memories. The book has 60 (short) chapters and it goes on like this till 30th. I almost gave up but then it picked up, thankfully.

The second half is interesting and engrossing. It keeps you guessing for some time but then it gets predictable. The ending didn't impress me.

The tagline says, 'An absolutely jaw dropping psychological thriller'. It didn't feel like a thriller, to be frank. It felt like a suspenseful (in the second half) drama. Also, there are a few editing glitches. I hope they corrected it before publishing.

I'm a bit disappointed. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I am pretty sure I am in the minority with rating this a 3 but I just felt the synopsis was more mysterious than the actual book was. I felt slightly deceived on where this book was going compared to where it went. It was fast paced and lots of characters to keep up with which I did enjoy. Multiple point of views with different timelines which may sound overwhelming but it worked well. Overall it just didn’t grip me and seemed a bit long winded for what it was.

I don’t want to spoil the story so I won’t relay the characters and the specifics on how her son died etc. I just personally felt it sounded more sinister than it really was.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

With this author you are always guaranteed a great read, and this was no different.

Would you marry your child's killer - that is what this story centres on.
I found this a really interesting and gripping storyline with exciting twists and turns.

As with the authors other books I highly recommend this.

THE MARRIAGE but KL Slater
Thriller fiction
356 pages

The Marriage is the story of two different families.  Entertwined from childhood Tom and Jessie are best friends as are their mothers Jill and Bridget. Tom and Jessie do everything together as do their mothers. Until the day in their early twenties when a night out for Tom and Jessie end up in tragedy.  Tom goes to prison and Jessie is buried. Fast forward ten years later- Tom is set to be released and he & Bridget are married. The whole town and his family are wondering why he married the mother of the man he killed years ago.
Oh Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!  The characters in this book are crazy and so manipulative that you get sucked into their deception!!!!!!!!!!  I read this book in two days. It is an unput downable story that grips you from the first page & doesn't let go until the last one. I Hightower recommend this book.

It’s based on the concept that many of us can’t comprehend – marriage to your child’s killer. Which makes it unique and of course unputdownable like the rest of her books

K.L. Slater really pushes the moral boundaries with this one! 48-year-old Bridget has married Tom 20 years younger than her. That part isn’t so bad. BUT Tom has just got out of prison for a 10-year sentence for murdering Bridget’s son Jesse. You get all sorts of thoughts running through your head. What is Bridget’s ulterior motive? Can you fall in love with a person who has taken your child away from you? Deprived your child of seeing his son grow up. Yes, Jesse’s girlfriend was pregnant when he died.

One scene that was the most awkward to read was when Tom has to tell his long-suffering mum, Jill that he has married Bridget. Bridget was Jill’s best friend when the boys were small. The author really keeps you on your toes with this one. You will want to keep reading and reading until the very last page.

The Marriage is superbly written. There are twists, plots, secrets, family heartbreak and more! This one is a winner for me!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tom Billinghurst and Jesse Wilson were long-time best friends from childhood. Their moms, Jill and Bridget, respectively, were also best friends. Their lives were intertwined in the way that happens when another’s child is as much your own as yours by virtue of their constant presence in your life. Sounds rather idyllic, doesn’t it?

Flash forward to Tom and Jesse at 18-years-old at a club. Drinks have flown freely - at least for Jesse. Words have been spoken that the reader isn’t privy to. Tempers flare. A potential weapon is pulled. A punch is thrown. Now Jesse is dead and Tom is in prison. What happened?

Now jump ahead again 10 years. Bridget and Jill, bitterly divided by this horrible event a decade prior find themselves in the most unique and bizarre situation: Bridget has married Tom - the man who killed her son.

Excuse me … WHAT???!

If that wasn’t the mother of all complications - no pun intended - throw in Ellis, the now 9-year old son of Jesse and his one-time girlfriend, Coral, who can’t understand why his beloved grandmother has married the guy who killed his father.

Needless to say it’s a mess, as is every character in this book. Dive deeper and there are secrets, betrayals and darker truths at work, as all parties cast a suspicious eye on the other, trying to figure out why they’ve been thrust back into each others’ lives, and what potential motives are at work.

For 90 percent of the book, I was entranced. What are these characters up to? Is there a more sinister plan afoot? Who can I trust? What’s real and what isn’t? K.L. Slater strung me along and left me grasping for truth at every step and I was there for it! Whereas I don’t normally love a book full of unlikable characters, these were so compelling I wanted to follow their every step and figure out what and who I could trust. The use of the ever-changing POV, switching between Jill, Bridget, Tom, and several others allowed me to see the story from multiple angles, which I loved. As for the big reveal - I only put it together in the last moment before the reader is shown, and it was GOOD.

Now - here’s where the story lost a ½ star: the part after the big reveal. In the big picture, this is a minor complaint, since I’ll walk away from this book having thoroughly enjoyed it, but the wrap-up felt way too convenient and “clean” after such a twisted journey. I had a hard time believing the characters would end up where they did after so much complicated history together, and the tone felt too abruptly different from the rest of the book. As I said, a minor gripe and certainly not one that should put anyone off from reading this taut, compelling story!

★★★★ ½
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author K.L. Slater for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. It will be published tomorrow: May 20th, 2021

A domestic drama that follows the story of Tom as he is released from prison after serving a ten year prison sentence into the loving arms of his jail bride, his victims mother!

As the story starts to unravel you think there's only one way this plot is heading "seeking justice & revenge" but not everything is as clear cut as it seems.

Wonderfully written characters, full of drama, suspicion, lies and secrets.

I've read several of KL Slaters books and like the others this doesn't disappoint!

Absolutely loved this book , read it in 2 days . I did guess part of the ending but that maybe as I’ve read so many psychological thrillers. I loved the characters and the way the circumstances made us view them differently throughout the book . I would definitely recommend this book . Love all of this authors books . 5 star

I found this to be way too slow and also very predictable. By chapter 11, I had to DNF. The plot hadn't picked up and even though I didn't read far enough to confirm it, I'm pretty sure I figured out how the book progresed.

As always, K.L. Slater delivered a plot twist filled, gripping psychological thriller!! Loved the characters, loved the way I accused each of them of being guilty throughout the book, loved the ending. 5 stars!!

Oh wow. Another brilliant psychological thriller from this amazing author.

I devoured this book in two sittings as I just didn't want to put it down.

The twists kept coming and although I guessed one of the secrets, the rest had me hooked til the very last page!

An easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me.

2 stars ⭐️ ⭐️

Ten years ago Bridget’s son, Jesse, was murdered by his best friend, Tom, after a scuffle outside a nightclub. Now Tom is getting out of jail and moving on with his life… with Bridget as his new wife. Is it love, or is it some kind of twisted revenge?

I don’t really have much to say about this book, as I was not a fan. I skipped around and caught a quick summary of the end. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

<b><i>Ten years ago, Bridget Wilson thought her own life was over when her eighteen-year-old son, Jesse, was killed by a single punch issued by his best friend, Tom Billinghurst, also eighteen. Six months ago, Bridget and Tom secretly married in a special ceremony at HMP Nottingham, and now Jesse’s killer is her husband.</i></b>

Wow...It's hard to believe anyone could fall in love with the person who killed their son. This domestic thriller follows the complex situation and is filled with enough twists to make your head spin. I thought I had the storyline figured out. Nope! Once the secrets start surfacing, it is a wild ride.

I’m a fan of Ms. Slater and was drawn to the cover and the outrageous synopsis. I'm glad I stuck through the sluggish beginning because once the pace picked up it was hard to put down.

The story follows numerous characters, along with jumping between the past and present, but flows pretty smoothly between POV’s once you become familiar with all the personalities.

By all rights, Jesse’s death seems like a tragic accident. But Tom still gets sentenced to 10 years in prison. During his sentence, he enters the Restorative Justice program; thus spending a lot of time with Jesse’s mother.

During their time together, they somehow fall in love and end up married just before he completes his sentence...despite the expected backlash from their families.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Ms. Slater for the opportunity to read this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

<b>My Rating: </b> 4 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> May 20th 2021 by Bookouture
<b>Pages:</b> 356
<b>Recommend:</b> Absolutely!

@KimLSlater @bookouture #NetGalley #TheMarriage
#InExchangeForReview #domesticthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #MustRead #BigTwist

This was my first book by K.L Slater and I can't wait to read another book by her (already added another 5 of her books onto my tbr list since finishing this book).

Tom and Jesse have been best friends since they were toddlers. One night during an alcohol filled argument Tom punches Jesse and kills him by accident. Fast forward to ten years later and Tom has just finished a 10 year prison sentence and 6 months before his release Tom marries Bridget, Jesses mother. Everyone wants to know how could she marry her sons killer? Well read the book and find out.

This book was brilliant! Jut 4% in and I was already hooked wanting to know more. At the start I didn't like Jill but as the story went on I warmed to her especially when Ellis started opening up to her. I disliked Bridget because I didn't really know what she was up to. However I think that's the way the author wanted me to think so that the twist came as a big surprise and it really did. My mouth did gape at what the DNA revealed. I absolutely loved Mavis in the story.

A really good read and I highly recommend this book! If you are a fan of psychological thrillers you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and KL Slater for my advanced reading copy. Due out 20th May 2021.