The Mother in Law by Karen King
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller
Read: 28th July 2022
Published: 29th July 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Today is my wedding day. And I don’t know if I’ll make it out alive…
As I put my beautiful white wedding dress on, I try not to ignore my fears. I look in the mirror and feel more beautiful than I ever have before. I know marrying Sam is the right choice. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I reach for my bright yellow roses, and I force myself to be as cheerful and sunny as those flowers. I won’t dwell on everything that’s happened recently – ever since we agreed to stay with his parents for the weeks ahead of the wedding.
Glancing down at my sparkling engagement ring, I pretend to myself I can forget about the ‘accidents’ I keep having, that I can’t believe are coincidental. Or about his mother’s barbed comments, and the dark looks she gives me.
And, just for today, while I walk down the aisle towards the man of my dreams, while I say ‘I do’, I’ll try to put the secret I know about the family I am marrying into right out of my mind.
Even though that’s one secret that – if I was my soon-to-be mother-in-law – I might just kill to keep…
An absolutely thrilling and gripping psychological suspense novel, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Shari Lapena, and The Woman in the Window.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Karen King's tense domestic thriller THE MOTHER-IN-LAW.
"Too perfect to be true, a little voice whispered in my head. I ignored it. That was my first mistake."
The story opens with Dana all aglow in her beautiful wedding gown and her maid of honour beside her in her own lemon Grecian style dress. The day has finally arrived when all is said and done, Dana finally married Sam and becomes Mrs Corbett. Despite everything that has gone on before, why would Dana think that the day would run smoothly? After all, nothing has since their engagement was announced and she'd moved into Sam's suite of rooms in his parent's sprawling mansion in the Malvern Hills. But this was her day and she was determined NOT to let anything ruin it.
And everything did run smoothly...the ceremony, the service, the reception, the speeches, the meal...everything up until the happy couple cut the cake. Sam places her hand over his as they cut into the bottom layer of their three tiered cake and playfully fed each other a couple of crumbs and luscious icing. And then everything changed. Her world suddenly falls out of focus as she falls to floor, the voices yelling seemingly in the distance. The last thing Dana saw before she passed out was the triumphant gleam in her mother-in-law's eyes.
Rewind back to six months previously when, having just left her interview at Corbett and Sons Accountants, she meets Sam who had been chasing his favourite trilby hat which Dana had inevitably caught and returned to him. After a coffee, the pair exchanged numbers and before long began dating. Sam would text Dana 'good morning' and 'how was your day' each day and she was thrilled as she had never known such attention before. After a couple of months, Sam gets down on bended knee with a stunning sapphire and diamond ring and asks Dana to be his wife. "Yes! Yes! Please!" was her answer that the other patrons of the restaurant all clapped and cheered their congratulations.
And then it was time to meet his parents. "They'll love you" Sam assured her. But Dana wasn't so sure...particularly when she saw their house. Sam came from a very different world to her and she was sure his parents wanted more for him. But they were in love and not only were they engaged but they had both decided on a summer wedding...in just a few months time. His parents were stunned but accepting of their decision. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Too perfect to be true, a little voice whispered in my head. I ignored it. That was my first mistake."
The couple are adamant at wanting to buy a home together but when something happens to their impending purchase, Dana has no choice but to move in with Sam and his parents. And anyway, it will only be for a little while till find another place. But then little things begin to happen. Small things at first that Dana wondered if she had imagined them. Or was she just being silly? But then a few more concerning 'accidents' occurred. And yet, still Dana talked herself out of anything more than an accident or misunderstanding.
But one thing is more than clear. Sam's mother Evelyn is a dominating force who is controlling and would do anything to keep her son from leaving home. Wouldn't she? But as sweet as pie as she at first appeared, Evelyn was a force to be reckoned with. Particularly when she started bringing Tamara into everything. The unbridled conflicts between Dana and Evelyn, no matter how big or small, continue to rage although Sam is convinced his mother only means well. Dana is not so sure but doesn't want to come between Sam and his mother. Needless to say, whenever she does try to air her concerns, Sam dismisses them. No matter what happens, Dana just wants to marry Sam so she endures it all as she can see the end in sight when they will finally marry and move to their own house.
But if Dana thought it was going to be that easy, she was sadly mistaken. Gaslighting is prevalent in this wild thrill ride that both infuriated and had me glued to the pages until the end. Dana was a little annoying and very easy to allow others to walk over her but then I'm guilty of the same thing to keep the peace. If Dana is anything like me, she hates confrontation so her complacency and compliance would be to keep the peace.
Despite its title, you just know that THE MOTHER-IN-LAW was going to more than just another mother-in-law tale. It was going to be something deeper with twists to shock and leave you reeling. Evelyn was naturally unlikable, of course, she was penned that way. As was Tamara. But I had my suspicions elsewhere that I hadn't wanted to be true.
Compelling and addictive, THE MOTHER-IN-LAW is a dark and twisted tale as well as being an easy read that I devoured in a matter of hours. And I naturally loved the short snappy chapters that are always a winner for me as they keep the pace moving at a rapid speed.
While it may not have been as brilliant as her two previous thrillers "The Stranger in my Bed" and "The Perfect Stepmother", it was still a fantastic thrill ride worth 5 stars that I enjoyed every delicious minute of.
I would like to thank #KarenKing, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMotherInLaw in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. Currently published by Bookouture and Headline, Karen writes about the light and dark of relationships. Her eleventh romantic novel, The Spanish Wedding Disaster, has recently been published and her third psychological thriller The Mother In Law is out in July, with a fourth one in February 2023.
Karen has also had 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines published. Her thrillers The Perfect Stepmother and The Stranger in my Bed and her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became International Amazon bestsellers.
Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
Social Media Links:
PUBLISHER:
Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.
Thank you so much.😘
ReplyDelete