Evelyn “Eve” is still in the early stages of a relationship with her professor boyfriend Gideon Rowe when she meets his parents, Malcolm and Marjorie, only to face the thinly veiled hostility and manipulation of his mother.
Gideon, though not exactly a mamma’s boy, believes that his mother is an amazing woman, all because she donated one of her kidneys to a stranger’s kid. So it’s all the more necessary to be accepted by her.
Marjorie does everything she can to thwart Eve and prevent her from marrying Gideon. The measures she invokes involve high-level melodrama and it seems that everyone, but Gideon, can see through them. Even Joe, the husband of Gideon’s sister, Helen, warns Eve to watch her back in the presence of Marjorie. He tells her that Marjorie thinks she alone knows what is best for her family.
But is Eve as nice as Gideon thinks she is? Not quite. She has her own secrets, which include a prior marriage, one that Gideon has no idea about. She makes it her business to find out more about the family, and stumbles upon Meg, Marjorie’s identical twin, who can’t get along with Marjorie at all and who hints at a deeper secret, one that might help find her way through the problem that is Marjorie.
But the enemy is a formidable one. Will Eve be able to marry Gideon? Or will she be yet another casualty?

The book is written in the past tense PoV of Eve. There is a self-deprecatory tone in her PoV that adds to her appeal.
I liked the author’s style of writing, the turns of phrases, the subtle humour, the observations about people that we read in Eve’s account.
Eve’s humour showed her felicity with the English language, a skill which reminded me of PG Wodehouse, though not quite at the same level. I liked the manner in which she casually used a particular skill, and then in an offhand manner, told us that she had worked there before. The list of places in which she has worked before include work with a detective, a lawyer, a researcher and even a realtor. These are all workplaces that she ended up leaving because she didn’t play by the rules, but the skills come in handy as she tries to find the chink in Marjorie’s armour. It is as if her whole life has been a preparation for her run-in with Marjorie.
The only thing I didn’t like about Eve was that she didn’t have a steady job and that made her seem like a sponge.

The characters are all well drawn.
Eve hasn’t known a happy family life and I could understand her need to want Gideon’s parents to like her. Having lost her parents at the age of six, she was raised by her aunt Audrey, who was emotionally distant from her. Younger brother Dominic was raised by other relatives. Eve hopes that the Rowes will be her own family someday.
There is a subplot related to Dominic and his ex-girlfriend Sophie, and their 9-year-old daughter, Pixie, who Eve is quite fond of, and to save whom she even jumps into the water. The jumping into the water to save a drowning person is a motif that is used to great effect here.
If there was one thing I didn’t understand, it was Eve’s friendship with Claire. Despite being a highly qualified person, Claire didn’t seem to have any great insights for Eve. Maybe her only reason for being a part of this story was so that Eve could use her as a sounding board.
At the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of Eve. There was so much she wouldn’t share with us, so many secrets she held. When she did share her secrets, there was no slow build-up to them, but a sudden full-blown revelation, indicating that she clearly enjoys shocking the reader. She also admits that Gideon’s posh house was a factor in the all-out move she made towards him.
I could sense that Eve wasn’t completely reliable as a narrator, that there was something she was hiding, but what that was I couldn’t tell. Also, Malcolm and Gideon too behave oddly.
But then a few chapters later, I began to warm towards her. Partly because of the insidious manner in which Marjorie plays a game. Believe me, you don’t want a mother-in-law like her.
Since this is a first person past tense PoV of Eve, we can’t look into the workings of Marjorie’s mind, but it isn’t hard to realise the lengths to which this woman might go to destroy Gideon’s romantic relationships. The hard-headed Claire insists they are all coincidences, but we’re smarter than Claire. We can see through Marjorie’s attempts.
There was a twist ending and I particularly liked the resolution.
The title was apt and gave us a foretaste of the fireworks that we could expect from the story.

I really enjoyed this book. We all have a fear that our future inLaws won't like us and the fact that Eve is living this drew me in. I lived this game of cat and mouse and seeing the lengths Eve and Marjorie would go to. I loved how Eve basically played everyone including Marjorie with them unknowingly being pawns.

Adorable story,. I had a very hard time finishing it but once a really got into it. i enjoyed the characters and the plot.

This was an okay book. It took me longer to read than expected. I liked the characters in theory and I liked the plot in theory but something didn't mesh for me. I will say I would pay money to see this turned into a movie either in theatres or on a streaming service. Make this a screenplay.

'Inlaws and Outlaws' is the story of Eve and how she met her boyfriend's mother, Marjorie, for the first time. The book comes with the tagline She knows what’s best for her son, and it’s not you. Needless to say, their first meeting doesn't go down that well and soon Eve learns that Marjorie has meddled in the past with her son's relationships. Eve's habit of 'exaggerating' the truth isn't helpful either.

The book comes with a colorful array of characters. First, there is Eve who could have been a likable character if she weren't into the habit of bending the truth to make her past seem more suitable. In fact, she literally tries everything she can think of to shape herself for her environment. The part of her meeting Gideon was a prove to that. Now, Gideon is another strange character. He seems like a good guy to date until you learn about his relationship with his mother. It was creepy to hear him talk about her at times. The 'antagonist' to Eve is Marjorie. Labeling her as an antagonist is difficult as she shares quite some traits with Eve. In fact, I would go as far as to say that both of them manipulate their surroundings that it's tough to call one of them a nice or likable protagonist. There are several other characters adding their two-cents to this cast - unfortunately, it's difficult to talk about them without giving the story away.

In the end, I believe it's actually this potpourri of flawed characters that make this book read-worthy. The story itself is a little foreseeable although there are numerous turns and twists to confuse the reader. The fast-paced writing style added to my entertainment. Large parts of the story felt like watching a soap opera and I love those. Meaning, the book was great for me but might not work for everyone.

So, why 4 stars? I am glad I read the book but even 2 months later I am still not sure about the ending. Yes, it was one way of wrapping up the story. Definitely not an open ending but I am not sure if it was the ending the story deserved. Maybe it comes down to have two opponents who, in my opinion, aren't up for a happy ending. I leave it to others to decide if they like it - it was a let-down for me but all in all, this is a book I would recommend to friends of the darker side of chick-lit.

Relationships - we all have them. Some just happen to be better than others, and some just happen to be worse than others.

Eve’s relationship with her boyfriend’s mother was a bit on the odd side but definitely warranted. Gideon’s mother, Marjorie, seemed to dislike Eve but wanted to know about her. Marjorie was a bit difficult to like but so was Eve.

Both of them seemed to be self-centered and BOTH were devoted to Gideon. They were quite the dueling characters and were characters to be concerned about.

Gideon also seemed to be someone who needed to be watched since his mother could do no wrong in his eyes.

INLAWS AND OUTLAWS actually had me laughing out loud at some of the things the characters said and did.

This book seemed to be a study in the personalities of the characters with most of the personalities being odd.

It was interesting how the family members warned Eve about Gideon’s mother and especially interesting about the comment about Eve needing to watch her back. As the book continued, the warning seemed to be something that needed to be heeded.

INLAWS AND OUTLAWS is an enjoyable book I would recommend if you like to look into the lives of characters and try to figure out just what is actually going on and what the author is really trying to say about each character and his/her life.

Along with everything else, mystery and attempted murder were also added to the mix.

The characters are indeed entertaining and really don’t seem to be who they make themselves out to be.

If you are looking for a different, but good read INLAWS AND OUTLAWS would be a good choice.

ENJOY if you read the book. 4/5

This book was given to me by the author. All opinions are my own.

I particularly enjoyed this novel. Which led me to remember a quote I read somewhere “Mother-In-law forgets she was once a daughter-in-law”
You wake up every day to the fact that you were never her ideal daughter in law.
In this book The In-Laws and Outlaws we see Eve the protagonist and major character of the novel fighting with her mother-in-law for the heart, care, affection as well as attention for the man she loves_ Gideon.
We also see her confiding in her friend Claire a psychologist as at why she thinks her mother –in-law is deceitful and wants her gone from the picture. While Claire doesn’t share in her conspiracy nor her theories Claire does tell her to relax and stop being intimated by her mother- in-laws, class, stature and taste. She tells her that with time she would warm up to her and the long suspended tension would drop. However, Eve is far from being calm, far from being relaxed and far from trusting her mother in law.
Consolation runs through her stressed spine when Gordons sister opens up to her on how her mother has made everyone who came as close to marrying her son give up on him, break up with him and never come back for personal reasons.
Gideon is blind to his mother’s cold character towards his fiancée Eve and views the women as though they co-existed peaceful and basked in equally shared fraction of his affection and love.
It is an interesting one. Though Eve’s constant stream of consciousness delayed the progress of the novel as her mind was an endless tunnel of thoughts she never failed to think her mother-in-law could be in her immaculate kitchen thinking of ways to nip her relationship at its bud. I would definitely like to see this as a movie.

I really enjoyed this book. Funny and gripping, it held my attention and made me laugh.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Thistle Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This was a fun, light read which was just what I needed after a few heavier books lately. Perfect for a wet afternoon or beach read.

I know there is a raft of psychological thrillers at the moment, but this is a definite must read. A real head worker. Eve meets Gideon, but his mother won’t allow her son to leave her clutches so easily. However Eve has a murky past herself and is borderline psychotic if you ask her psychologist friend- so who can be trusted?

This was just an "okay" read for me and one that took me an embarrassingly long time to get through. Part of this was due to the writing style which includes extremely long sentences, compound sentences, and a myriad of commas. It took a while to get used to the style and a lot of concentration to follow what was going on in both action and conversation.
The plot took a very long time to finally get moving, and I'm just not sure it was entirely successful telling this girlfriend vs future mother-in-law battle of the wits. My first problem is Eve, the protagonist whom I assume the reader is supposed to side with. Though Eve herself is a mysterious figure with a backstory revealed only one tidbit at a time, I ultimately never connected with her. She's a self-described psychopath, so when she goes on and on about loving Gideon or being up to the challenge of figuratively battling his mother, it feels more like an obsession with winning than actual care for the man. Though, I also had a hard time believing why anyone would ever give this guy the time of day--he's arrogant, dull, naive, and a complete mama's boy. More than once I thought this was going to take a rather uncomfortable turn with all of the time Gideon spends talking about and visiting with his mother.
Another reviewer commented that this would be a far more successful stage play than book, and I agree. I can see some it playing out visually, but on paper it's just not as clever as it wants to be.
The ending is the perfect resolution to the conflict with the mom from hell, though the other storylines were a little too cleanly wrapped up--not that they were terribly interesting to begin with. Overall, this was still just okay for me. I would have liked to have a better feel for the characters, especially Eve, but could have done with far less with her self-congratulatory inner monologues. It's a book that should be a play.

I was attracted to this book by it's title; I expected it to be more of a family affair than it turned out to be.

Eve - if indeed that's who she is, I'm still not sure (so many lies!) thinks she has found her one true love in Gideon. They seem to be very happy together, and then he takes her to meet Marjorie, his mother. Marjorie calls Gideon 'Ian', treats his father with disdain and is much more interested in belongings than people but her son is clearly perfect in her eyes. As the story progresses, there are many references to jobs Eve has done in the past; a strange mish-mash for anyone and at this point I began to wonder if her friend Claire had a point when she referred to her as a borderline psychopath. Eve doesn't trust Marjorie but, just for a minute, put yourself in Marjorie's shoes - would you trust Eve? Marjorie was portrayed as a nasty piece of work, but I don't think Eve won any awards either.

I struggled a bit with this novel - it never gelled with me. The only thing I felt on reaching the final page was a sense of relief. The writing didn't flow well; neither the characters nor the situations seemed believable or funny to me, coming across as rather far-fetched. It will, perhaps, appeal to those who tend to read a book without pondering on where it's going?

My thanks to Thistle Publishing for approving my requested copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

It took me a while to get into this book, I am still not sure why. I think I loved the mental war between the MC and the mother-in-law, it was certainly interesting and not your run-of-the-mill version. There were moments when I truly thought that the book was pretty awesome however those moments are scattered throughout the book and there aren't enough of them in there to make me want to give it a five star.

It might not appeal to everyone and I think, a little bit of that thought always sat in the back of my mind as I read on. There is nothing wrong with this book, frankly, to the right audience it must be awesome. Its plot is pretty good and almost different to what I am used when I think of matters like these, for that I have to give kudos to the author.

However, I feel like this book could have better served as a TV drama or on stage, certain parts of it made me think that it needed visual representation, more than the words. That's just my opinion. This was an in-between book for me, I appreciated the writing and the plot but not quite the book itself? I will have to give it a very solid three stars.

The demon mother-in-law.

Eve was orphaned at a young age and had to live with her aunt who had no parenting skills. Gideon, who Eve thinks she might love, comes from a family where the mother reigns supreme and who will do anything to ensure that her beloved son, remains single. The thought of having to share him with another woman brings out her demonic side.

Eve quickly susses out that if she is going to marry Gideon she is going to have to find a way to persuade his mother Marjorie, to back off, but has Eve, also quick to manipulate situations to suit her needs, met her match? It seems that Marjorie has been successful in destroying all his previous relationships and appears to be just as determined to use all the tricks she knows to get rid of Eve.

There are lots about this book that I loved. It reminded me of my own scheming mother-in-law who spent most of her time in my life, praising me while stabbing me in the back. What spoilt it for me is that Eve herself is such a deceitful schemer who seems to flit around doing all sorts of strange jobs. Gideon is a real “mummy’s boy” who will not see anything at all wrong with his mother. Malcolm, his father, has been beaten into submission and gave up his fight to stand up to Marjorie very early in the marriage. Marjorie’s twin sister, Meg, is a breath of fresh air but with a personality which is so over the top, that I found it hard to accept that she could possibly end up being Eve’s ally and dare I say it, saviour.

Maybe I’m being mean deducting two stars. It is because I felt the characters were so extreme, either so awful or so trusting or in Eve’s case, someone who manipulated the truth to suit herself.

Imbali

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Blackmail. Pettiness. Complete hilarity.

If I had to use three words to describe this book, those would be the words. It was an absolutely fantastic read, and I don’t have the words to explain how fantastic and hilarious it was!

In-Laws and Outlaws is the story of Eve, a woman like any other, who unwillingly finds herself drawn into a battle of wits and blackmail by her boyfriend’s mother Marjorie. This prospective mother-in-law doesn’t like Eve (or any girl Gideon’s brought home, really) and sets out to scare Eve away. But Eve’s a Gryffindor with a decidedly Slytherin side, and she doesn’t back down. What ensues is complete war between Eve and the despicable Marjorie, replete with espionage, ill will, and even attempted murder.

Eve’s narration was just the cherry on top. She had a very relatable voice, dropping anecdotes here and there, with neat quips and quite a bit of sarcasm. Eve also loves to lie (for ex: her name is Evelyn, but she likes the name Evangeline better, and so uses the latter), and is borderline sociopathic, but that just made her so much more likeable. (Maybe I’m weird that way?) Whatever. I LOVED the narration. I mean, who wouldn’t with such gems:

You can, in London, go for literally years without seeing anyone you know but as soon as you are either somewhere you shouldn’t be, or with someone you shouldn’t be with, it is guaranteed that friends and acquaintances will start to rain down on you like confetti.


The Lord Of The Rings reference (Eve could be my best friend, seriously):

“Why don’t you let me have that, I can make sure it’s safe.” I reached for the ring, gently so as not to alarm Meg, but she was too quick for me. Her fist snapped closed around it.

“Oh no you don’t,” she said. “This is mine.” She didn’t go so far as to call it her precious, but there was more than a whiff of Gollum about Meg as she clutched the ring to her chest.


But my absolute favourite had to be this:

I have never bought anything in Harrods, it’s not really my kind of shop. I was once there with a friend and thought that I might as well buy some teabags. I needed them and it sells them so it seemed a feasible idea. A few moments later and I was standing open mouthed and speechless with shock as an assistant picked out a box of fifteen teabags that cost thirty pounds. That’s two pounds a bag! Sensing that she was on the verge of losing the sale, the assistant tried to justify the price on the basis that the bags themselves were made of cotton. I was still unable to speak, so she went on to tell me the thread count of the cotton out of which the bags were made. It was higher than that of my bed sheets. So, as I say, not my kind of shop.


I only had only two problems with the book. Firstly, the tense — it kept swapping between present and past tenses in the midst of narration — and secondly, the lack of commas. I’m a bit of a punctuation Nazi, I’ll admit, but the story was so good, it slipped to the back of my mind. ME, A PUNCTUATION NAZI, UNBOTHERED!

This is Kate Fullord’s authorial debut, and if this is anything to go by, I genuinely can’t wait to read anything else she comes up with. She’s so bloody good! I feel I can’t reiterate how much I loved Eve’s narration. I can’t wait to read more of Fullord’s writing, so yeah, I’ll definitely be on the look out!

Note: I was given an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I love a book full of dysfunctional relationships and clever writing. In-Laws and Outlaws has both in spades. Kate Fulford created a story layered in deception, lies, and manipulation in maybe the most hilarious take on the atrocious behavior of a (soon-to-be) mother-in-law.

The characters in this book were outstanding. I really loved reading from Eve's point of view and found her to be a wonderful character full of quirky thinking and "oh-no-she-didn't" action. The lengths she goes to in order to uncover Marjorie's secrets are incredibly fun to read about and I found myself zooming through the chapters, eager to learn the outcome of their below-the-radar (of Gideon) squabble.

Speaking of characters, Marjorie is the baddest B I've had the pleasure of reading in quite awhile. Her manipulation and lies are A level. Meg's idiosyncracies and unlawful tendencies are the perfect balance in opposing twin personalities. I didn't find one character that I thought was underdeveloped or not worthy of their portion of the storyline. The character interactions and conflicts were very well done.

The ending was surprising but in the best way. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained from beginning to end and I would definitely read it again. It gets the full 5 stars from me!

*I was given a free copy of the book through the publisher/NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Thistle Publishing for sending me this book - they seem to know already what kind of books I like.

I liked this book obviously, although it doesn't merit the full five stars. I feel that I'm missing something with each character. Gideon is too ignorant on the behaviour of his mother, and why oh why did he never ask Eve what her job is? Marjorie indeed is the 'mother in law from hell' - and I have some experience with someone like her. She is very lifelike but still I would have liked her to be more a real person. Now, she sometimes acts and talks like a cartoon character. Malcolm is just there, his role is a very small one and that us partly understandable and party absolutely not. He could have done so much more to keep Marjorie in track. The sideline about Dominic was interesting but could have been worked out more evenly. And Eve... well, Eve... I don't know what to think of her exactly. She is, apart from the fact that she loves Gideon very much, not a very likable person.

It is very easy to sit here, having read the book, and find small flaws. I do realize that it would be much, much harder to sit down at the computer and wríte a book like this. There are many good and interesting things in it, and it is the kind of book that is difficult to put down once you started reading. The ending, although somewhat predictable, is indeed a very good one. It is very well written with a good balance and pace. There is anger and there is humor and there is love. Not a standard 'cozy mystery' and I would definitely like to read more of this author.

Having been contacted by the author to read this book on the heels of my review of “The Other Woman,” I thought it would be a different take on in-laws – and I suppose it was to some extent. Both books dealt with dysfunctional families and marriages. Both books dealt with “mama’s boys”. Both books featured brides who couldn’t seem to get their fiancés to the altar because of the interference of the grooms’ mothers. And both books featured brides who were determined to marry their fiancés come hell or high water. I tend to think that by the middle of each book, neither bride is thinking about what life will be with this mother-in-law or married to this mama’s boy, it’s just a contest to see which woman will win.

And yes, there was a twist at the end, but somehow I’m thinking the “twister” is more likely to blackmail our bride than she is to be an ally – long term.

This is yet another book about a modern miss making really stupid decisions about her own life.

My thanks to NetGalley and the author for making this book available to me. As always, these opinions are mine alone!

I enjoyed this book although I would say, to some extent, expect the u expected! Secrets and lies are the main themes in this family drama / comedy although the comic parts are quite dark! Some secrets are never revealed paving the way for the next book which I would definitely read. If you like a few twists and turns but don’t necessarily like thrillers then this is for you. Read it!

A very entertaining book! In-Laws and Outlaws is a hilarious spiral of events, as a future daughter in-law and mother-in-law struggle over the son/groom, without his knowledge. I really enjoyed this book, made me laugh, as the art of power struggles, blackmail, lies and deceit unfolded, with very funny side notes. thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for this early reader edition.