Publication date: March 11th, 2024
Page count: 331
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: small town

Roselyn promises her dying brother that she would look after his wife Melanie. Roselyn sets Melanie with her husband’s friend Blake. And the roller coaster ride, twists and turns begin! I DID not see the jaw dropping twists and turns coming!

I really enjoyed this book- and plan to read more books from this author!


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

I'm a little in two minds about this one.
It was, for the main part a brilliant, twisty psychological thriller - with all the elements to have me keep guessing and I never saw what was coming from one minute to the next.

When Rosalyn's brother was diagnosed with cancer, she promised that on his death, she would look after his widow, Melanie.
After some time, she introduces Melanie to Blake, Rosalyn's husband's best friend - and things moved swiftly from there - but all was not what it seems and soon Rosalyn fears that she may have done the wrong thing.

The story is quite a complex one with a couple of different storylines running together along with a then and now scenario too.
These were clearly labeled so it was easy to keep up with which timeline we were following, however, some of the chapters were then anonymous or took a little time to work out which of the storylines we were in.
After a while though, it became easier to work out where we were and follow the different plots.
I knew that eventually these storylines would converge, but when this happened it was definitely not in the way that was expected, which came as a shock.

Overall the storyline works well and I found it a gripping read, I had to keep on reading to find out what was going to be thrown at us next ...
I just felt that some of the transitions were a bit abrupt or confusing - I totally get that it was trying to be suspensful and shocking, but just a couple of times I thought hang on...what just happened there!?
I was also left with a few questions about the events that happened which just didn't seem to fully play out - it wasn't too frustrating though and they were easy to move on from in light of the overall read.

This was the first book I've read by this author and found it an enjoyable read. I'd be interested to read some of their other titles too.

Roslyn promised her dying brother to look after his wife when he was gone. She did just that, and set Melanie up with a friend, Blake.
It was a mistake. Blake was controlling and Roslyn had to help Melanie get out of the toxic marriage.

Wow! It has been a while since I read something with twists that I didn't predict - well, without giving anything away, I was suspicious of one character, but that was only close to the end.

The characters are well developed, and some are extremely unlikeable.
I liked Roslyn's loyalty to her brother, and to her husband, she is a very caring person. I was in two minds about her husband, Ashton - he did seem to be spending a lot of time with Blake, and he was very loyal to Blake as well.

But this book! It was a roller coaster of a ride, twisting and disturbing as well. It is suspenseful, and
the twist at the very end!! I was NOT expecting that! It was jaw dropping.

I highly recommend this psychological thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

When her brother dies, Rosalyn fulfils her promise to look after his widow Melanie. However, things get complicated when she remarries Blake and Rosalyn begins to doubt Blake's intentions.
The characters are interesting and well developed. They draw you into their relationships in such a way that we are in for a surprise or two, however the flashback chapters with different points of view confused me at times.
Overall an entertaining novel for lovers of domestic thrillers.

Interesting story but a bit repetitive.
You do need to pay attention or you may get lost for a bit.
The end was one that I didn’t see coming and that’s why I gave this 3 stars.

The Widow Bride wasn't a book I enjoyed. It was difficult to get into the story and I hoped that the cluttered storylines would pay off. The reveal ended up being okay. The characters don't have much depth and the dialogue feels unnatural. Thanks for the ARC, this one wasn't for me but I plan on reading more from this author because I've enjoyed their books in the past.

I love this author. This book is a page turner. It didn't end like I expected it to. It has a twist you will not see coming.

After the death of her brother Philip from cancer, Rosalyn feels a sense of responsibility to look after her sister-in-law Melanie, who mourns the loss. To make Melanie happy, she persuades her husband, Ashton, to set up his friend Blake with Melanie. At first, the couple is shown as very happy, and they run away together after a passionate love affair. On the other hand, as Rosalyn notices the alarming alterations in Melanie’s behavior, she seems frightened and withdrawn, and Blake becomes a controlling husband.

The author masterfully weaves all the storylines together, which makes the plot full of suspense and mysteriousness. When I thought I had a good grip on the plot, two giant plot twists at the end knocked me over.

I could not put this book down. The story’s intricate, believable characters and unpredictability had me from the first page. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Read this enthralling mystery in less than a day. I loved the characters and the flashback format was done really well. The shocking twist got me and I didn't even see it coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Rosalyn and Ashton are happily married. Rosalyn feels that she has to look after Melanie her sister in law after her brother Philip died from cancer. She’s persuaded to set her up with Ashton’s friend Blake. After a whirlwind romance the new couple elope. Rosalyn is worried, Blake seems controlling and Melanie seems scared.

I’ve just finished this book and I’m honestly stunned. A captivating story that had me hooked form the first page. Believable characters that were easy to like (or dislike in some cases). A side story about a missing girl and a boy she befriends. This had it all. And then right at the end an absolute shocker of a reveal. I didn’t see it coming but it made everything fall into place. And I. The last pages another shocker. I almost eant to read this again immediately it was that good.

this story was so addictive. Mel s husband has passed away. Her sister-in-law Rosalyn is making sure she is ok as she promised her brother she would look after her. her husband's best friend Blake askes Rosalyn for advice as he in love with Mel. and it happens so fast they are married. but Rosalyn is worried for Mel. she thinks he is controlling. Rosalyn makes a new friend. And they meet every week.in a coffee shop. Who she tells her worry's to won't say no more but this is an addictive and very twisty read so good.

WOW WOW WOW! Normally I give a small overview of the book in my reviews, but I am left speechless after reading The Widow Bride! It is excellently written, with so many twists that the reader could never have guessed. It will be a while before I can pick my jaw off the floor from this book. Major kudos to the author, Carey Baldwin, for this masterpiece! I will definitely be seeking out more books by this author. Don't hesitate! This book more than delivered and surpassed my expectations. Just WOW!

When I read a book, I base my reviews on several factors: overall writing, character development, believability of the events, and whether or not I would recommend this book to others. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

A twisty and tension full tale. This story was full of promise but felt it lost its way a good way through. I became rather confused and had to concentrate on what was happening. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This is a book i did not quite enjoy.
There were multiple characters whose point of view was used throughout the novel and usually that does not bother me but somehow here i felt it was jarring. But i do get the author wanted to introduce these characters as they are central to the plot.
I figured out who Melanie was about 1/3 rd into the book but doubted myself later briefly because of the deliberate misdirection used by the author.
We dont really get much insight into the thoughts and motivations behind some of the characters’ actions and it just made me feel as if the storyline was perhaps stretched beyond the point of reasonable belief and one would have to suspend their disbelief to enjoy this book. That or accept the characters are just plain dumb,
At the end of it nothing from this book left an impression on me.

This is a twisty and tension filled story about two couples and their swiftly deteriorating relationship. Before his death Rosalyn promised her brother that she would look after her sister-in-law Melanie after he was gone.

And soon enough, Rosalyn watches as Melanie gets engaged to Blake, to whom she has introduced her sister-in-law and friend. But something feels a little off.

Rosalyn never expected things to move so quickly between the two of them. And increasingly, she begins to feel that Blake is somewhat controlling of Melanie.

But the truth is, no one is quite who they seem in this story. There are multiple twist and innumerable red herrings, and the right a keeps you guessing until the very end. Worth a read if you like psychological thrillers. It gets 3.5 stars.

This is a real page turner, mysterious and thrilling. I got into it straight away and enjoyed it from the start. A tight plot and lots of twists made this a really satisfying read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting and I was excited to read. This book left me mixed - it was fast paced with several twists and turns, but I felt like it may have been too many twists. Things were intriguing and left me wondering how things would go for most of the book, the last 1/4 or so was where the reveal happened and things just got crazy. It was like one thing after another, trying to be really shocking and almost left me confused. Overall it wasn’t bad, but not a fav either.

Talking about an incredible book. Well this one certainly belongs in that category. The author took me for a ride and although towards the ending I felt suspicious about a certain person, I did not expect that to be the outcome...

To be honest I trusted the women and distrusted the men in this story. Was this the right thing to do? I was convinced it was, but did the author prove me right or wrong...?

I  can only invite you to read this amazing book too. Sit tight and enjoy seeing this tangled web of intrigues being untangled threat by threat. I was intrigued until the last full stop and my mouth fell farther and farther open whilst the story progressed. I was totally shocked in the best possible way and I can not thank the author enough for producing such a great book for me to enjoy. 5 stars

Thank you

A depiction of a twisted kind of love. Somewhat deadly and deceptive. Nothing is what it seems.

Rosalyn promised her deceased brother that she would take care of Melanie, her sister-in-law. But after more than a year of sulking, Melanie decided to abruptly get married. The thing is, Rosalyn doesn't trust Blake and she would do anything to make Melanie see the kind of man she married.

I enjoyed this for the most part. The twist was plausible and made me rethink everything I know about a certain character. I guess I was not totally impressed with the build-up before the twist reveal but it earned a few "oohs" and "ahhs" which is a good thing.

This is my second book from Carey Baldwin and I'm starting to warm up to this author. We'll see.

Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

The Widow Bride by Carey Baldwin had me guessing and second guessing myself and what I thought was happening until the end.

The book is full of tension that had me turning the pages (or clicking them on my e-reader) as fast as I could, going layer through layer of the story. Every time I thought I had a character figured out, the author would throw a wrench in that theory.

The ending was terrific and very unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All views are my own.