This was a pretty good read. It centers on Dana, who is engaged to Sam, but Sam is just a little too close to his mom. The sale falls through on the house they were going to buy and they are stuck living in Sam’s parents’ house with them until their wedding, with Sam’s mom repeatedly overstepping on the wedding plans. Strange things keep happening to Dana and she fears that her jealous mother-in-law-to-be will ensure she doesn’t actually see her wedding day.

The things that happen to Dana throughout are pretty standard for the evil mother-in-law genre, but fun to read nonetheless. There are a couple twists in this story that make it stand out from similar stories, though, including a surprise ending that I enjoyed. My only real nit with the book was the characterization; I felt like I didn’t really KNOW Dana and also couldn’t figure out how she and Sam fell so helplessly in love right after meeting. I wish the author would have given me more into into what that connection looked like and what Dana’s life was like until that point.

Overall, fun and fast read with some twists that set it apart from similar stories in a crowded genre. I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Karen King's novel The Mother-in-Law is lies, deceit, shocking mystery, and fascinating suspense neatly placed into a beautiful book cover.

Synopsis:
Sam and Dana meet, fall in love, and get engaged. Their plans to buy their first home fail due to an unexpected glitch. Sam's parents let them live with them until they find a permanent home and are married. Sam's mother Evelyn overprotects Sam, her only child, and consistently overrides Dana's boundaries. Dana puts up with Evelyn's intrusions until sudden unplanned accidents befall Dana which point to Evelyn's sinister plan to get rid of her. What lengths will a jealous mother resort to in order not to share her son's attention with another woman?

The Mother-in-Law hooked me from the first chapter. It kept me motivated and I finished the book in one day. Domestic thrillers are my favorite and this one had outstanding head-scratching turns. Some may argue that the plot had a few tiny holes, but it did not interfere with my enjoyment of Karen King's work. I liked the novel and look forward to reading more from Karen King.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

The Mother-in-Law is available on July 29th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for allowing me to review this exciting book. Your kindness is appreciated.

Let´s be clear this book could be so much better! It has a great plot, but the concretization is so poor!

The main character is flat, without personality or attitude, she reminds us, the reader, that she is entirely in love with her fiance, even though their relationship seems a little too cliché and insipidus.

One point that I liked was the rhythm of the short chapters, those involved me and that was it that made me continue reading this book. Not gonna lie, the element of surprise was there all the time, but for me it was a clear NO for the characters!! They need to be developed!!
Otherwise, I think that was a good reading, a potentially excellent physiological thriller but, for now, it wasn´t a wonderful one!

I really enjoyed this! Your classic mother in law twisted story- makes me honestly nervous to ever get married! I'm looking forward to reading more of the authors books. Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the arc!

A very twisty thriller book but unfortunately not for me. The MC just winds me up too much, and I can’t get past it I’m sorry! I was lost since the moment Dana said she would say no to a job offer because the man she had known for 5 minutes worked there and wanted to date her. Big eye roll from me. I’m so sorry as I wanted to love it, and it just fell short for me.

The plot of The Mother -in-Law kept me racing through the pages, as every time I thought I’d figured the plot out along came another shocking twist! I had no idea who to trust right until the end, and that was some ending! Brilliant, highly recommended.

really enjoyed this story. just when you think you know what is going to happen, you are in for a surprise, read it in two days.

Wow! What a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed this crazy roller coaster ride by Karen King. The characters were so well developed and were perfectly placed in the story. Great twists and turns. Don’t miss this one!
Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

He loves you now. He loved her first.

This was my first novel by Karen King and I absolutely loved the premise. She hooks you from the very beginning and keeps you in suspense throughout the entire novel. King certainly knows how to write characters that are unlikable at times. I wanted to yell through the book to Dana at times that she isn’t overthinking things and she needs to go with her gut instincts! However, I do have to say that one thing that bothered me about the writing was that there were a lot of chapters that ended with simplistic questions or statements and I feel like those could have been left out at times and let the reader draw their own conclusions. I feel like since those were thrown in, it didn’t give the reader enough credit to come up with the thoughts on their own and I think would have made the book more suspenseful. Overall, I still really enjoyed the book. It was fast paced, had short chapters, and was overall intriguing. I would definitely recommend it!
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of The Mother-in-Law.
Synopsis
We hava Dana who has not been that lucky in love or even in life for that matter. However, after falling in love with Sam it seems life has truly taken a good turn. Except she still can't catch a break and finds out that staying alive is not a piece of cake.
This book took me on it's on whirlwind romance at some points I could not put it down at others I just got tired of it. But once I was over that hump I could not put it down. I loved the twist and turns the story had and found myself gasping in disbelief during one of the twists. Also I loved that all the characters and their motives came to a nice bow at the end.

The Mother-in-Law by Karen King is an intriguing story that is surprising and intriguing from the very beginning. It is a mix of psychological drama, domestic thrills, mystery and suspense...all with a surprising and clever end.

King writes an incredibly addictive and dark psychological thriller that I could not put down! Wow this book had me short of breath and my pulse palpitating with this intensely suspenseful read. I loved everything this story had to offer!
The characters are amazingly developed and realistic.

This is one of those books I cannot recommend highly enough. It's gripping and emotional and leaves you wanting more. THE MOTHER-IN-LAW is a fantastic read that does not disappoint.

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

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

I love a nasty mother in law story. I'm lucky to have a lovely mother in law now but in the past I've had some awful experiences!

I was so stressed on Dana's behalf as things just kept going wrong for her. I felt the frustration that she knew she was being targeted but had no proof. She's a very lucky character, if the events had happened in real life she would be dead for sure. I had my suspicions about what was going on but was never entirely sure so I was pleasantly surprised by the reveals.

The only thing I would have liked is more character development from Dana and Sam. I don't think we were ever even told what Dana looks like? It was hard to picture her. Also we were told how 'in love' they were but never really shown it, their only scenes together were when they were arguing.

Overall I did enjoy this and would recommend it.

I Don't Give A HuffleFluff! 😳😯🤯

Well fluff sakes! Family drama at its heightened sense! This was unreal with all the twists, turns & don't get me started on the cray-cray. Love has no boundaries. Whether that's good or bad. This was absolutely incredibly dark & loopy and as the truths unveil, be prepared for some real shockers.

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Dana has been so lucky to be caught up in a whirlwind love with Sam. After a random meeting and a quick connection, they've become inseparable and deeply in love. Within months they're engaged for a summer wedding and after having moved in temporarily with Sam & his parents before their own home is ready, Dana realizes his mother, Evelyn, is smitten with her son. While polite and kind, Dana sees things with Evelyn that makes her feel inadequate. And as accidents start happening with her, & as she learns things, she realizes Evelyn may not be so keen for her and Sam to be married. So much so, she wonders just how far this all could go.

An absolute mind-bender that leaves you with whiplash. The lengths a mother will go for her son she loves to no end. I loved to dislike Evelyn. It caused major emotions provoked out of me by this lady and I loved it! A sensational salacious dark game that I sank my teeth into like a gooey cinnamon bun! The saying is true - you don't just marry your significant other, you're marrying the family.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC.
Release Date: July 29, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4 / 5 Beach Waves! 🌊

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic book - first I have read by Karen King. It kept my interest to the end and made be wonder who the true culprit was more than once. Great book - I recommend it!

This was a DNF for me. I couldn't get into the story, and I thought the writing was too simplistic. Sorry.

What a thrill ride! This one sucked me in from the get go and I absolutely devoured it!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. 3.75 stars rounded up

Accidents can happen, but do they really? Wealthy Sam Corbett meets Dana and it’s love at first site, only problem is Sam is 35 years old and still lives with his parents. Sam asks Dana to marry him within a couple of months of dating and for her to move into his parents home before the wedding. Dana agrees and all seems to be going until the Mother-In-Law starts meddling in the couple’s plan of moving out. Suddenly Dana can’t seem to be doing anything right and mysterious events plague Dana’s health and safety. There is a big twist appearing about half way through the book. Read closely!!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Sam and Dana meet and it is love at first sight! There is a whirlwind courtship and marriage proposal. Sam's family is very wealthy and Dana feels intimidated. Dana is shy with no close family and friends. Sam is in his thirties and still lives at home in his family's sprawling mansion. Things are going well until Dana meets Sam's family.
Strange accidents start to happen. Dana suspects her mother-in-law, Evelyn. Why is Evelyn trying so hard to keep the marriage from happening? What secrets is this family keeping?

This was a four-star read for me. I could have kicked Dana for being such a pushover and letting Sam's family run all over her. Grow a backbone, please! And Sam was a little too good to be true. Always saying the right thing, but not believing his wife when he needed to. I kept thinking there must be another side to him.
I enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged from the beginning and there were some surprises along the way.
Highly recommend and would read more books by Karen King.

"Too perfect to be true, a little voice whispered in my head. I ignored it. That was my first mistake."

At first, Sam seemed like the culprit because he was just too perfect, too ready to jump in the deep end with Dana. And then his parents were introduced and it was easy to see where that came from. His mother, Evelyn, was so passive aggressively manipulative. Then I began to wonder if poor Dana was at the mercy of them both . . .

The mystery was thick, deep, and I was intrigued. The writing felt a but juvenile but it was good enough that I kept reading. The twists were small but surprising until the halfway mark and then they were earth shattering. The characters were mostly a bunch of wealthy jerks, and poor Dana, I liked her and related to her, wanted to know what happened to her and who was responsible. Who would set up such a sweet girl trying her best to fit in? And why?

The ending . . . was pretty underwhelming. I had guessed most of it and the rest was interesting but not terribly surprising. So, a bit of a let down but not too bad.

This was a very entertaining and engaging read. The characters were intriguing and as the novel developed showed more depth with every twist and turn. I was not expecting the ending at all and really enjoyed the unfolding of the family's secrets.