The king of domestic suspense returns following Her Last Hour with his latest highly entertaining game of cat-and-mouse psychological thriller, THE BRIDE TO BE —an inside look at what goes on behind closed doors of two couples headed for the altar.

Set in London: Prologue—a clever, wicked twist of misdirection for readers—A wedding. Not sure whose marriage at this point, but a bride is being arrested during the ceremony. Another woman is onlooking as the bride is being hauled off in a police car. Someone had not heeded the warning.

Hurst knows how to grab your attention from the get-go and holds you captive until the satisfying conclusion. From here, we go to Before the Wedding.

An anxious bride is looking for the dream wedding dress at a bridal shop. However, it would be the day she saw something else she wanted.

Something forbidden.
Someone else's groom.

Chrissy is the clerk, with champagne in hand, ready to assist. Her job is to help brides choose the perfect wedding dress.

Kate is engaged to Mark. She is desperate to get married in her late thirties, but Mark is verbally abusive and controlling. How will she get out of this wedding?

At the bridal shop, she spots another couple. The woman and the man are stunning. The man seems so lovable and attentive. This couple would be Tess and Tristan.

Kate becomes OBSESSED with Tristan. Kate wants Tristan. She is delusional. She stalks his social media, follows him, and returns to the dress shop to gather more intel for her devious plan.

She tells Chrissy she wants to order a dress like the woman in the store the day she was in. The clerk looks it up, and the dress costs $6K! She excuses herself, and Kate quickly looks at the book to find their names and addresses.

From here starts the wicked game of cat a mouse. Let the stalking BEGIN.

From texting, lies, betrayal, and anything to get closer to this guy. However, Kate does not realize she has met her match. Tess is as controlling as Mark.

Kate is unaware of this and sets up a meeting. However, Tess shows up instead of Tristan. She had his phone and the one bantering with her. She warns her to stay away.

This warning does not deter Kate. She reverts to looking in the windows and witnesses the abuse from Tess firsthand. She must help Tristan. She and Tristan must find a way to leave their abusive partners. They cannot get married.

When Kate confides in her BFF, they develop a plan for her to tell Mark she is leaving and cannot marry him. However, her BFF Molly winds up DEAD!

Now, Kate knows Mark is dangerous. She also knows Tess is dangerous. Mark tracks Kate's every move with software and hacks into her emails. Tess is also controlling Tristan's every move.

They think they have a PLAN; however, the partners know more than you think.

Someone winds up dead.
Someone is getting married.
Someone will stop the wedding with a video.

Who knows what happened outside the pub that night?

Mr. Hurst knows how to write twisty, addictive, witty, and binge-worthy thrillers! This was a quick read in one sitting, a fun popcorn thriller. The twist at the end leaves something for the characters and readers to consider. SOMEONE always knows the truth.

A terrifying tale of duplicity that will have you side-eyeing your spouse. Wildly entertaining—and FUN!

Thanks to #InkubatorBooks for an e-ARC via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review Posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: May 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
May 2023 Must-Read Books

Kate is getting married, but she has doubts. Her fiancé, Mark, is controlling and she wonders if he really is the one, she wants to spend her life with. When trying to choose a wedding dress, she observes a happy couple and becomes obsessed with the groom, Tristan. She comes up with a way to get closer to him and realizes that he has his own relationship issues.

As the wedding bells are about to chime, Kate must decide if she wants to marry Mark or leave him. Could Tristan be the one for her?

I have read several books by Daniel Hurst, and they have all been 4 and 5 star reads. This one was enjoyable and had a fair share of twists, but this book did not wow me as his other books have. This book has a good premise and Hurst pulls it off very well. This was just lacking that little bit of something that would have elevated this book for me. There is a reveal at the end of the epilogue that I could have done without. I thought Hurst should have stopped while he was ahead. Many may enjoy the last few pages; I didn't feel it was necessary. But that's my opinion, others may like that part.

This book does evoke emotions which for me ranged from disbelief, shock, frustration, and had me smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

Enjoyable, fast paced, and shocking.

3.5 stars

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Bride to Be.
This book has everything- jealousy, envy, and a bride with second thoughts.
A bride starts to obsess about her upcoming marriage and starts to fantasize about another couples relationship
Soon she starts to think she may have the wrong guy and soon she will try to get her way. Or someone may die trying
Dramatic and twisted.
Good read

The Bride to Be by Daniel Hurst

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

What if saying yes was only the first mistake?

Kate is getting married. It’s an exciting time, but she has some doubts - her partner Mark sometimes mistreats her, and she is beginning to wonder if he is really “the one”.

Her concerns only grow when she spots a ridiculously happy couple during a wedding dress fitting. Realising that they have everything she wants, she becomes obsessed with the pair.

She decides that the groom, Tristan, is her ideal man and becomes fixated on getting closer to him. As she does, she discovers more and more about him and his seemingly perfect life with his bride-to-be, Tess.

And realises that below the surface they have their problems too.

As the wedding draws nearer, Kate has some big decisions to make. Should she leave Mark? Is Tristan the one she should really be with? And what will happen when the dark secrets that both couples are hiding come out into the open?

My Opinion

Kate is due to marry Mark in less than a month but she has yet to find a wedding dress. On a trip to find a wedding dress she spots Tess and Tristan and she becomes obsessed with the pair. She soon learns that they also have problems. Is getting married the right thing to do? We start the book by finding out that a bride has ben arrested, but which bride and for what?

Another great psychological thriller from Daniel Hurst. Daniel's books are addictive - once you start you can't stop. A nice read with a surprise ending.

Rating 4/5

What an intense story line with my twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as the character development and the plot was just so interesting I couldn’t put the book down and another winner for me that it was also short chapters.

You have some loveable characters all throughout the book and then the absolute nasty characters that give the story more juice but you know you will end up hating them.


This was my first book by Daniel Hurst and I absolutely adored the writing style as it was easy to read and gripping I will 100% be reading another book by him!

EXCERPT: A bride is not supposed to get arrested on her wedding day.
The fact that such a shocking and strange thing was happening was the reason that dozens of guests were standing around outside the exclusive country manor on this sprawling estate gawking and gossiping as they watched the unusual scene unfold.
The dazzling white of the woman's wedding dress was in stark contrast to the dark uniforms of the police officers who were leading the bride to one of the vehicles, their flashing blue lights reflecting off the windows of the impressive building behind them.

ABOUT 'THE BRIDE TO BE': Kate is getting married. It’s an exciting time, but she has some doubts - her partner Mark sometimes mistreats her, and she is beginning to wonder if he is really “the one”.

Her concerns only grow when she spots a ridiculously happy couple during a wedding dress fitting. Realising that they have everything she wants, she becomes obsessed with the pair.

She decides that the groom, Tristan, is her ideal man and becomes fixated on getting closer to him. As she does, she discovers more and more about him and his seemingly perfect life with his bride-to-be, Tess.

And realises that below the surface they have their problems too.

As the wedding draws nearer, Kate has some big decisions to make. Should she leave Mark? Is Tristan the one she should really be with? And what will happen when the dark secrets that both couples are hiding come out into the open?

MY THOUGHTS: The Bride to Be was so very nearly a five star read. It certainly felt like it in the first 50% which I devoured avidly.

Full of the possibility of betrayal, suspense, psychological abuse, and stalking, Daniel had me, as he so often does, on the edge of my seat and eagerly flipping pages.

The second half didn't have quite the same impetus for me as the first half had, though quite why I couldn't put my finger on.

I admit to becoming just a little frustrated with Kate, her obsession with Tristan and her indecision over her relationship with Mark, although I could understand her fear of him. I also became a little frustrated with Tristan although again I have known men in his position and realise that their embarrassment at the reality of the situation is very real.

There some really great twists in The Bride to Be, but the epilogue wasn't entirely unexpected.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheBrideToBe #Bookouture

I: @danielhurstbooks @bookouture

T: @dhurstbooks @Bookouture

THE AUTHOR: Writer/wanderer.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Bride To Be by Daniel Hurst for review. All opinions expressed in the review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This book kept me interested and wanting to come back for more. I grew more invested in the characters as the story went. I’m happy with the ending and that everything worked out for the main characters but was a little disappointed at the very end. It seems slightly pointless to add in that last twist. Especially because it didn’t lead to anything else. Overall it was a good read.

I was hooked right from the beginning so naturally I read the entire book in a day. This book ended up being unexpected but in a good way

Kate is planning her wedding but just can’t get excited about her wedding. Her fiancé Mark started as a nice guy she fell in love with but with time his true colors started showing and now she just doesn’t know how she’s going to go thru with the marriage. While trying to finally find her wedding dress she sees what maybe a perfect couple. Soon her focus slowly is on getting to know Tristan, the other groom and she finds Tristan is being abused as well.

This book was an easy read and had characters that I felt strongly about. The biggest problem I had was even the main character, Kate, was not likable to me. She was not one I rooted for. Overall though it was enjoyable and I thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This was such a fast paced, twisted read. I devoured it in one day and I'm dying for more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC in return for an honest review!

The Bride To Be is a great read. It is fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns - a real page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my ARC.

"A bride is not supposed to get arrested on her wedding day."

What a great opening line, right?

The cover and description of the The Bride To Be caught my attention immediately. All the books around the wedding days that I read so far were romantic and cosy, so I thought a psychological thriller around this theme would be quite interesting.

It is a very easy book to read, I really like that it is a fast-paced story, full of twists and turns. After reading the prologue and a couple of chapters, I thought I knew where the story was going, but it ended in the opposite direction! Clever!

I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I kind of hated all of them, especially Kate. There is something very off about her! That normally means I will DNF, but the chapters always ended in a question or cliffhanger, so I just kept going and very glad I did.

Overall, quick, easy, and good storytelling, first by the author but will not be the last. Thank you, @netgalley , for the ARC copy!

Thank you NetGalley. How many women want to be the most beautiful bride, have a fairytale wedding and, in reality, that’s far from what’s really going on in their relationship. Quick, easy read. Spoiler alert…I found it hard to believe that no one saw the fight or heard the fight and, in this day and age, there would have been a video camera to record the incident

A bride to be meets who she thinks is the perfect couple while shopping for her wedding dress. She becomes obsessed with following the groom because her fiance is far from ideal. But she learns that the perfect couple isn't either.

Kate is getting married to her seemingly perfect fiancée, Mark. While out wedding dress shopping she spots another bride to be. Tess is beautiful but what’s even more beautiful? The man standing beside her.
Kate wants what they have and she’ll do anything to have it.

A slow burner but overall very enjoyable.

I did struggle to like the main character Kate, she acted much more like an over emotional teenager instead of a 30 year old woman.

REVIEW: The Bride to Be ⭐⭐⭐

“Less than forty-eight hours ago, I was just a woman on her way to find a wedding dress in a shop. But today, I am a woman on her way to find the man she saw in that wedding dress shop.” -Daniel Hurts, The Bride to Be

When I first saw this book and its description, I was really intrigued: a thriller based on wedding planning, um yes, please. I have not read this author at all so I was excited to jump in.

From the prologue and the first chapter, the story grabs you immediately. The prologue drops you right into the climax while still keeping it vague enough for you to want to read more. I loved that this story was fast-paced and had many twists and turns along the way. Many elements of the plot surprised me and made me want to know more.

The character development was pretty good too. There are definitely characters that you will love to hate and some that you will definitely root for. There were a few side characters that I felt could have been developed a little more, but as a whole, I was pretty happy with the characters.

The main reason I gave this book three stars instead of five was due to the fact that there were many parts of the story where I just couldn’t buy into what was happening. Some events weren’t believable to me and pulled me out of the story. It can be hard to embrace the story when some things just seem a little too farfetched for me.

Overall I enjoyed the journey the book took me on. It still had some great twists and turns and I liked trying to figure things out. Even with the parts that I couldn’t quite believe, I was still able to appreciate and enjoy the story as a whole.

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for my ARC for an honest review!

I’ll be honest I struggled to like any of the characters in this book and didn’t really care for any of them. As much as it was unfortunate that Kates fiancé was controlling I don’t think it justified her stalker ish and nosey behaviour with Tristan. The conclusion was an interesting twist though but this book just didn’t do it for me.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t totally love it.

The premise and the prologue draw the reader in brilliantly. We quickly learn that bride-to-be, Kate, is in an abusive relationship and feeling trapped. After seeing a happy couple wedding dress shopping, she becomes obsessed with them and basically stalks them. So far, so good.

Towards the end, the death of one of the characters is just not realistic and believable - on a busy London street, in rush hour, after a brief physical altercation and guess what? There were no witnesses! That and the weak epilogue, definitely took away those last two stars for me.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

4 stars
The secrets have secrets.🫣
A super engaging read by Daniel Hurst! I was sucked in almost immediately and just NEEDED to know how things ended up.

So we have Kate, a 38 year old woman who is engaged to Mark. When she is trying on wedding dresses, she spots a happy couple in the dress shop. This is when her obsession with them begins, or rather, an obsession with the groom; Tristan. She sees things in this relationship that lacks in her own, so she begins to stalk and obsess over them. But nosing in on another’s business just might reveal secrets of the not-so-perfect picture.

Since this was a thriller, I was always suspicious of EVERYONE, including the narrator! So I’m glad with how things ended up, and seeing the twists too. I’ll admit I was even Suspicious of those twist too, not even believing them, because HEY, I was just suspicious of everyone and everything haha!

Kate was an embarrassment and a pathetic liar. No matter what spin was put on things, she was a stalker. I thought she was missing a few of her marbles. She created an avalanche of confusion and deceit that gave me a headache. The characters in this book had me thinking they all were missing a few of their marbles.