REVIEW: The Bride to Be by Daniel Hurst

The Bride to Be by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Domestic thriller

Read: 10th May 2023

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Published: 7th May 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

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 THOUGHTS:

"What if saying yes was only the first mistake?"

I am a huge fan of Daniel Hurst and know that anything of his will keep me entertained and riveted until the very last page. THE BRIDE TO BE was no different. It is, however, one book that makes you think twice about tying the knot! How can one come through such an experience and not be affected, you have to ask? And for much of the story it does make for some uncomfortable reading as the reader can feel the claustrophobia, of being trapped and the see-saw of emotions that always come from a situation such as this.

A wedding day is meant to be a happy occasion. The prospect of said wedding equally joyful. But for Kate, it is anything but. Approaching forty with all her friends now long since married and raising families of their own, Kate feared that she might be left on the shelf. That is, until she met Mark who swept her off her feet, romanced her and now here they are...planning their upcoming wedding. Kate should be excited by this prospect and yet still three weeks out from the big day she still hasn't found a wedding gown. So it's not unusual that she would find herself in a bridal shop trying on a variety of dresses that on the surface look good but when she gets them on, they don't feel right. 

Until she sees the perfect dress. Only problem is, it is one another customer is wearing for her fitting with her husband-to-be in tow. The man smiles appreciatively and appears to love the dress his fiance is wearing and Kate knows in that moment she wants that dress and she wants that man.

She may be engaged to marry Mark in just three weeks' time but, let's face it, she's not happy with him. And who would be with the way he speaks to her and treats her? It's only a matter of time before his psychological abuse becomes physical. So why wouldn't she be looking for a way out? And for some reason, she sees Tristan as her escape route, deciding that he is her ideal man and devises a plan to get closer to him. But as she does, she discovers that his seemingly perfect life is far from rosy. Unfortunately, things are not all that they seem to be on that front either.

So as their wedding draw nearer, Kate knows she has some big decisions to make. Should she leave Mark? And what about Tristan and his upcoming nuptials? How can Kate help him without making things worse for them both? And when she discovers a dark secret about the man she's to marry, how will that affect the outcome? 

THE BRIDE TO BE is a fast paced page turner typical of Hurst's standards. As stated previously, it does make for some uncomfortable reading at times...particularly when I've been in the same situation and know exactly what it feels like and to hope for that chink of light that offers some hope of something better. I could really feel myself in Kate's shoes in that respect...her stalking of Tristan? Not so much. I did find her decisions in that regard a little out there but then she was desperate. And how can she not be? Mark is controlling and abusive. He spends most of his time moody and belittling every small thing only to love bomb her afterwards to keep her second guessing herself...and to stop her from leaving him. He is clever, manipulative and dangerous. He gaslights her at every turn. Is it any wonder she's confused?

So Kate must devise a plan of escape. But can she go through with it?

An entertaining and addictive read, THE BRIDE TO BE is actually quite a terrifying tale of manipulation and duplicity that will keep everyone second guessing themselves. The tension is taut, the plot addictive with several twists that will leave you shocked and awed. While the epilogue leaves readers (and Kate) with something to consider, I can't help but feel it was superfluous and I felt I could have done without it. Having said that, someone always knows the truth. But to what end?

Enjoyable, entertaining and fast paced, THE BRIDE TO BE is everything I expect from this brilliant and witty author. It is the type of thriller that just begs to be read in one sitting...

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheBrideToBe in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

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