Book Review: Single by K.L. Slater

January 19, 2020

Single by K.L. Slater
Published by Bookouture on October 25th 2019
ISBN: 9781786819277
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological, General
Pages: 362
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

three stars - Book Review: Single by K.L. Slater

‘I keep feeling like I’m being watched – dropping the boys off at school, choosing wine at the supermarket – but when I turn around there’s nobody there…’

When single mother Darcy’s son falls from a rope bridge at a local playground, life stands still. She clutches his small, limp body, frozen, until a pair of strong hands push her aside, and she watches as George, a local doctor, saves her son’s life.

George is a single parent too, and with his twinkling hazel eyes, easy charm, and lack of wedding band is almost too good to be true, but coffee becomes lunch, lunch becomes dinner, and soon they can’t go an evening without seeing each other. When he invites her to move into his beautiful home with its sprawling garden for her boys, Darcy doesn’t hesitate.

But as Darcy is settling in, she receives a bunch of flowers with a chilling message. George says they’re from an obsessed ex-girlfriend, Opal, and days later Opal turns up at Darcy’s son’s football match. She claims to have shocking information that could threaten George’s custody of his daughter.

Darcy doesn’t know who to trust, but she’s starting to suspect that, whatever the truth, she might have put her beloved boys into terrible danger …

From the million-copy-bestselling author K.L. Slater this utterly gripping psychological thriller will make you gasp out loud as you race towards the unforgettable twist. If you loved The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you.

What everyone is saying about Single:

‘I would liken reading 'Single' to being strapped into a car with a broken axle on the Tilt-A-Whirl carnival ride. You're gonna get tossed around until you don't know which way is up. Yet, in the end, you can't deny that it was one helluva ride. All superlatives aside, this book stands out in its cleverness and execution. K.L. Slater knocked it out of the park. 5+ stars.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another stunning novel from KL Slater. .Loved every twist and turn. The only negative is what to read next as it won’t live up to KL Slater, fingers crossed her next novel won’t take long!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow, I LOVED this book!!! 5 stars easy!! This is my first novel by K.L. Slater and most certainly will not be my last. …This is the kind of book you cannot put down or stop thinking about. I often had chills and felt like I experiencing this story as the main character. There is no way you will be able to guess the ending.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘WOW WOW WOW!!! What a fantastic book!! I couldn't put this one down. Just when i thought i knew what was going on , I changed my mind, and yet again. Twists twists and more twists. i love this author but this book blew me away best yet from her!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Well a great big enormous WOW this was such a brilliant read, totally compulsive and everything you want in a psychological thriller !! ‘ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book kept me awake until the early hours, promising myself time and again that I would only read one more chapter until I was too far into the story to stop. All in all it's a really great read.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘K L Slater is a master of the psychological thriller genre and Single is yet another example of this. I read this book in just a few hours, not ready to put it down and determined to work out how it would end. Every scenario I came up with was wrong, and to me that is a sign of a great story. This one was so twisty and believable - fantastic. If you have not read anything by Slater before what are you waiting for? Seriously, you will not regret it.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What would you do if everything you knew was essentially a lie? We all have different ways of dealing and coping but it isn’t out of the realms of possibility to believe that some people would sink into depression. That’s what Darcy’s situation in Single has been like for the past four years. Her husband is dead, a fight with an illness took him quickly. But, whilst navigating the heavy, murky waters of grief, she discovers that her husband had been unfaithful. He hadn’t just had an affair, but he essentially was living a double life. He spent half the week with another woman. Her psyche broke and all that while trying to support her two sons who obviously no longer had their dad.

The story is principally told in the perspectives of Darcy and that of handsome, personable Urology Consultant, George Mortimer. He is also a single dad to Romy. Her mum also having passed away. They have so much in common. Two lives that seem ready to move forward, together, after having being dealt a really rubbish set of cards in life. As they become closer you can see that George has more than one skeleton in his closet. The story develops, and it becomes more twisty.

The secondary characters in Single were extremely unlikeable. I know that was the author’s intention but at times I felt like they should have been genuine and caring and they would have got a lot further in their needs and wants. Take Darcy’s sister-in-law for example, she professed to being her best friend and having her best interests at heart, but her actions are in complete conflict with that. Who on earth tells their friend that considering dating again after four years is too soon? It’s just manipulative and controlling to the highest extremes.

Darcy had so much on her plate. When the five of them went to Yorkshire to stay in a lodge at Christmas it really started gaining traction. Odd occurrences, the feeling of being watched, letters, flowers being delivered, photos obviously being taken. George talks about a past girlfriend and Darcy wonders if it could be someone from her past? George’s explanation has the warning bells thumping a deathening beat. What is he hiding?

I did struggle to fully be taken in with the twists in Single and I really wanted to be. I wanted it to be more menacing, more shocking, a complete gasp moment when all was revealed. One incident happened, and I couldn’t help but think if it happened to me, I probably wouldn’t have given it two thoughts. I really wanted more tension, a feeling of balancing on a knifes edge that I just didn’t experience with this story. I enjoyed the story and wouldn’t hesitate on giving K.L. Slaters other books a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

kl slater 1024x511 1 - Book Review: Single by K.L. Slater

After years of trying to get published and never getting further than the slush pile, I went back to university at the age of 40 where I gained a first-class honours degree in English & Creative Writing and an MA in Creative Writing with distinction.

Although I also had a day job during the five years I studied at university, the courses gave me the time and space to try different writing and increased my confidence and belief in my writing. Before I graduated from my MA, I had secured representation at the Darley Anderson Literacy, TV and Film Agency who got me my first book deal. My literary agent is Camilla Bolton.

My first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’, actually started life as my dissertation on my English & Creative Writing degree in 2010.

The creepy voice of Anna came to me strong and insistent . . . she wanted to be written, she wouldn’t go away. I’m so glad I listened!

Please take a look at my ‘Books’ page for the full list of my titles.

I first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. My award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for my MA in Creative Writing in 2012.

I am now a full-time writer. I have a daughter and two stepsons and live with my husband in Nottingham and Yorkshire.

Website

Review: Don’t Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson

June 18, 2019

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

dont ever tell by lucy dawson - Review: Don't Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson

Don't Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson
Published by Bookouture on June 25, 2019
ISBN: 9781786819642
Genres: Fiction, Psychological, Thrillers, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, General, Crime, Legal, Women, Family Life
Pages: 278
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Review: Don't Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson

Never make a promise you can’t afford to keep…
This is a story about Charlotte – a mother and a wife with the perfect job, the perfect life… at least, that’s how it looks from the outside.
But behind closed doors, the marriage is breaking, and Charlotte’s husband Tris doesn’t even know how much. He has no idea what Charlotte has planned for him, who she has found. But he doesn’t have long to wait to find out…

Don’t Ever Tell will keep you gripped from the very first page and have you guessing until the very last. From the bestselling author of The Daughter and White Lies comes an unputdownable psychological thriller unlike anything you’ve read before!

Readers are obsessed with Lucy Dawson:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, what a book!… grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until the very last page… An absolutely fabulous, nail-biting thriller!!' Stardust Book Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘WOW.... I LOVED IT, best book this year, if you read one book this decade read this!!’ Goodreads reviewer

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I read this in a series of gulps, unable to stop turning the pages… Stunning.’ Cass Green
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gut-wrenchingly brilliant and addictive.’ Roz Watkins
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely BRILLIANT. Twisty and compelling, guaranteed to make the reader question who is telling the truth. I devoured it in one sitting.’ Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Omg this book was soooo good. I couldn't put it down… It was such a shocking twist at the end. All the revelations that came to light at the end were fantastic. This book had everything. Great characters, content and a shocking ending. What more do you want from a book?’ Goodreads reviewer

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A tense, emotional read with brilliant twists. I absolutely loved it.' Susi Holliday

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming at all... just when you thought you had it figured out... you didn’t!!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A scary psychological novel with an exceptionally well-written plot… the end was completely unexpected and left me open-mouthed.’ Goodreads reviewer

My goodness this was scarily real and relatable I just Couldn’t stop reading. If you seriously only read one book the rest of the year, do yourself and favour and make it this one! It really is a story of you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. Charlotte appears to have the perfect life, a loving husband, two gorgeous children, a job that she loves albeit struggling with the balance of it, the nice house and car. Life couldn’t be better, or could it? Under the surface, Charlotte and Tris’ marriage is struggling , it’s just a rough patch, isn’t it?

Charlotte – under pressure but rational??

Charlotte truly loves working from home. She’s a good writer but struggling juggling family life and her professional life – squeezing in time to write in between cooking teas, school runs and illness. Tris, is often working away from home, could he do more to ease her strain? Does he do more to cause strain? Absolutely.

One day at a book signing in Edinburgh, Charlotte is a approached by a young fan who hauntingly looks like a younger Charlotte. It is so striking that it stops Charlotte in her tracks…Apparently it hasn’t gone unnoticed by her husband either. The young fan called Mia is a struggling actress , struggling to make ends meet and has a disturbed past. She’s vulnerable and haunted.

The two women’s paths cross again when Charlotte’s sister, Flo reveals a secret about her husband, she really didn’t see coming. Charlotte turns up at a performance Mia is starring in and gives her a proposition she really can’t turn down. This reveals Charlotte’s darker side and her tenacity for her end game.

Mia is caught in the crossfire

Mia is the character I felt more empathy for. She had come out the other side after some extremely dark moments in her life. She worked to get herself into a healthy place and yet, the events that transpired in this book could have quite easily unravelled all her hard work. She was definitively a vulnerable character that in the end got played by them both.

Nothing breaks like a heart.

Plot – blown out the park

I haven’t read anything by Lucy Dawson before but by god this won’t be the last book I pick up from her. Outstanding, Psychological thriller at it’s best! This was by far the best take on the revenge thriller that I have come across so far. The plot is dark and twisted and executed oh so amazingly well! The main character was unreliable and darkly motivated herself and although you could surmise the way the plot was developing the ending was a surprise and it blew me away. Bravo Lucy Dawson, Bravo.

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

June 4, 2019

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall
Published by Bookouture on June 17, 2019
ISBN: 9781786819505
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Psychological, General, Noir, Women, Mystery & Detective
Pages: 350
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

‘I’m your husband, Chloe. We’re a partnership now and we do what’s best for us as a couple.’

Chloe finally feels like she’s got her life together. After a difficult childhood and losing both parents, she worked hard for the life she loves in lively Brighton, helping people as a physiotherapist. And then she meets the perfect man.

It’s a whirlwind romance, but Dan is handsome, funny, and simply the kindest man she’s ever met. When she sees him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knows this will be for always.

As they sunbathe on their honeymoon island, laughing over drinks, planning their future with their feet in the sand, Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever.

At first, Chloe couldn’t agree more. It’s tempting to imagine truly leaving her troubled past behind. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her…

Is he protecting her, as he claims? Or is it something more sinister? An utterly gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Clare Mackintosh, and The Wife Between Us.

Readers are loving The Honeymoon:
‘A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I loved how many twists there were… It made it so exciting to read and the whole book I was dying to know what was going to happen next… And I could never have guessed… Such a rollercoaster ride!... Exciting and twisty.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A 5 star book for me! It had that ball of mixed feelings, adrenaline, twists!... I absolutely loved The Honeymoon and cannot recommend the book enough! Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘An enthralling read packed full of secrets and lies. It’s one of those books that draws you straight in from picking it up and making it very hard to put back down again. Will certainly keep you on your toes and have you on the edge of your seat.’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars

‘Kept me guessing the whole way through… I absolutely loved this book, it was a real page turner… Bursting with mystery and deeply buried secrets.’ Ramblings of a Book Addict

‘I absolutely 100% loved this book! A 5 star read… The Honeymoon had it all...twists, turns, a beautiful setting, characters we want to hate and ones we want to love, paranoia, and a sense of something bad about to happen… CRAZY AND TWISTED!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A twisty book, full of surprises… I couldn't put down even if I tried, I was reading practically open mouthed at the way the finale picked up pace (well what I thought was the finale!). And still the shocks kept on coming, all the way to the last page.’

‘A must-read gripping, twisty, addictive, brilliant read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I devoured this book in one night—it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! There were many unexpected twists, right up to the very end! Highly engaging book, I definitely recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Five big shiny well deserved stars!… A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘So many twists and turns; right when you think you know what is going on, the author throws another twist at you to prove how wrong you are. Wow the ending was amazing I never saw it coming and it hit you like a ton of bricks. I wish could read this story again for the first time just to get that huge shock. Great read ,I loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Well, you know that moment when you close a book and you just have to take a moment to sit and think over what you have just read…Yes, you say. Well this is just one of those books. Gripping, Scream at the pages and Intellectually satisfying is how I would instantly describe this book. I haven’t rated a book as 5 stars in a while, this just ticked all of my boxes, it was just that amazing. Here is a few reasons why;

Chloes character arc goes from needing to be wanted by anyone to a strong and powerful force.

We meet Chloe, a practising physiotherapist within the NHS, treating Dan’s mother, who has taken a fall and needs assistance in regaining her strength. Chloe is immediately taken with Dan’s looks, we have a narrative of her failed relationships, her failed relationship with her brother and sister and gran (reasons will be revealed) and she is carrying guilt and responsibility around with her like a ton weight around her neck. She is sucked into Dan’s charm and almost can’t believe her luck that we would be remotely interested in her. They have a very quick courtship that leads to marriage within the space of two months (I know right?!) The wedding arrangements are made and the rest is history or is it? Is it possible that Chloe’s married bliss could be now filled with seeds of doubt?

Dan is more than a bit bat-shit cray cray

Dan seems like the perfect gentleman. Dan wine and dines her every night. Dan wants to spend every minute with Chloe. (RED MASSIVE WARNING BELLS HERE, SURELY?) He cares for his mum, surely that says more about his character than the claxons that were going off in my head? Dan proposes so soon and the wedding is rushed along in a few months with only around 6 guests. They both head off on their honeymoon and things start to go wrong. He alters decisions without having a discussion first, he does some hugely irrational, counterproductive, dumb assery things. Halfway through the book, I just found myself shouting at Chloe for being so damn niave.

Secrets are kept between the two of them leading to a catalyst of it all exploding out. One particular moment being when Dan has nightmares that give Chloe more insight than Dan would either like or want. Chloe shows admirable loyalty to those she loves but there has to be a point where she figures out 2+2=4.

The writing is outstanding

The initial few pages of the book just completely grabbed me and I knew I had to keep reading. The subject matter was very intense but it evoked such emotion from me and that alone in my opinion made this book a success. The story flowed brilliantly, it didn’t feel stagnated or slow. It went along at the pace it was meant to. It had my heart in my mouth and I just had to keep reading to find out the outcome of the story.

Plot – Well Executed

The plot was a serious and intense and for some it could be a trigger when reading. The author handled it appropriately and made it very believable, but in a very fear inducing way. It left you thinking that this could easily happen to you or I. You knew as soon as Chloe arrived in Menorca with Dan that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing and there would be difficulties along the way, just how extreme these difficulties would be were a bit of a shock. The author executed the dialogue and the emotions so well that I could feel anger and fear on behalf of Chloe. The twists and turns weren’t confusing, you had those a-ha moments and just utter shock at some of the actions. The plot was intricate but easy to follow.

Overall, this was an amazing, fast -paced book to read. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting lost in Psychological Thrillers.