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Full Review Posted on my Blog: https://treatyourshelf.home.blog/

Alison James is a master at crafting compelling cliffhangers. The Man She Married is split into three sections, and the ending of each of the first two left me shocked. The first segment is narrated by sweet, trusting Alice as she is swept up into a whirlwind romance. It’s obvious that the relationship is unhealthy, to say the least, but Alice doesn’t have much of a support system in her life, and she embraces Dominic’s readiness to become her husband. Although she has a successful career running her own catering company, Alice is blinded by her apparent good fortune at finding a man as wonderful as her new husband.

Part two of the book is told by Dominic. His perspective of his courtship with Alice, and the backstory that led him to her, are both vastly different from the ‘Alice’ chapters. The layers of deception and deviance that sum up his life are shocking.

I enjoyed the way that James used Dominic’s section to go back and fill in the questions Alice posed through her thoughts and dialogue. It was done very neatly and cleverly, and tied the two perspectives together completely.

The third part of the story was slower than the other two, and dragged on a little longer than seemed strictly necessary. It became more of a detective plot at that point, as Alice tries to uncover the truth about Dominic, much of which the reader already knows. The setup felt like it may have been aiming to ensure that Alice had some semblance of a happy ending despite her (extremely) unfortunate circumstances, which I didn’t have a problem with. This was a very unique, twisted, and enthralling thriller that I highly recommend.

I get excited when I see another book from Alison James comes out so, I jumped at the chance to read this. All her books are gripping psychological thrillers, and this is no exception.
Alice Palmer has a beautiful home and owns a catering company. The only downside of her life is when her fiancé walked out on her which left her devasted.
Then she meets Dominic Gill, after a three-month world wind romance, she marries him. But, from the wedding things doesn’t seem to add up. No one from Dominic’s family turn up and the work colleagues are not close friends and hardly know him. He starts to go away on long business trips which at first Alice becomes suspicious and she thinks he is having an affair but when there is an accident and Dominic ends up dead. Things start to unravel, and her husband’s life suddenly becomes clear with the help of a private detective.
This is another gripping thriller from this author. I couldn’t put this down. It also got me thinking how well we know someone and how much trust we put in others. Just one thing annoyed me a bit of the character Alice. How gullible she was? How can you live with a person if you do not trust them and then want a child with them? I was a bit miffed. But I what did like is that the author wrote the story both POV’s. So, you got a better picture of the story. Very clever by the author. I Highly recommend.

This book was a wild and fun ride. It centers around Alice, who meets and quickly marries what seems to her like the perfect man, Dominic. The first part of the book is told from Alice's point of view and starts to hint at some things that don't make sense- Dominic spending late nights out, finding excuses for her not to meet his family, etc. Then you move into the 2nd part of the book which is told from HIS point of view, and things get really twisty. As the reader, you know something is going on but I had no idea the depth of it until I got to those chapters. The last 3rd of the book ties everything together, back again in Alice's POV.

This book had a ton of twists and was a unique story overall. Even though there was a lot happening, I couldn't find any point where a loose end wasn't tied off, which is really impressive in a story that had so much going on. My one minor nit was that Alice seemed almost unbelievably naive for someone of her age and life experience- she took what Dominic told her at face value and didn't really do much research into what might be happening. Even when she finally enlists the help of a private investigator, he tells her he's too busy and offers her another contact, but she says no and just waits and waits for him to finally come back to help her.

Overall, this was fun, though, and I didn't want to put it down. I'd strongly recommend this book to readers of the psychological thriller genre, and look forward to reading other books by Alison James.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Alison James for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Man she Married was simply brilliant. I could not put this book down. This book will have you hooked from the first chapter. When Alice Palmer meets Dominic Gill in a broken lift she is swept off her feet and a whirlwind romance ensues. Alice is a successful woman with her own business and home. She is a great catch but that is the problem. Is Dom all he seems. Do not miss the opportunity to read this book. Amazing

This exciting novel was based on the question ‘Just how well do you know your husband?’
Alice meets Dominic and soon her disastrous past relationship is total history. They fall madly in love and she is ecstatic when a few months later he proposes in the most flamboyant manner, settling on an early wedding date. Dominic is charming, handsome and decisive. They move in together and the honeymoon is never ending. She cannot believe her luck.
Three years pass by and the day she discovers she is pregnant is the happiest day of her life. She is over the moon and feels that this is definitely the time for them to enjoy the fruits of their hard work and become not just a couple, but a family. Her business is thriving, Dominic is attentive and kind. Her life will soon be complete.
She hears a knock on her door and in the next few minutes her dreams come crashing down. The pair of police officers have come to tell her that Dominic is dead. She identifies his lifeless body. She is sure of the fact, yet when Dominic’s brother arrives he takes one look at the man laid out on the bed and he refutes her identification, claiming that the man is a complete stranger to him. What’s more he is able to prove that the body is not that of Dominic. Imagine that bomb being dropped on you. She knows it is Dominic, her husband of three years, the father of her unborn child. Alice is in denial, but the evidence does not expose a lie, more it categorically proves that her husband is not Dominic. So who is he?
This is Alice’s twisty, turny story, a psychological thriller full of mystery and unanswered questions. She is in for a rollercoaster of a ride; an intrepid journey; on a mission trying to find exactly who is the father of her yet-to-be-born child. The story is fast moving and totally absorbing. The storyline is very engaging and quite complex but also entirely plausible, exposing elaborate planning and smokescreens promising to baffle the most ardent lovers of this genre. Alison James has created some wonderful characters, both good and bad. The story had me guessing right up until the very end.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley in return for an honest review. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. I thought this novel was very good indeed. The plot was interesting, complex and uniquely twisted. This author really understands what the reader wants from a novel within this genre and has delivered it well. It’s a 4.5* review from me.

Loved this book!! I'm never disappointed by a Bookouture published title and this is no exception. It got me hooked right away and the twists just kept coming. Definitely recommend!

This is a fine psychological thriller, all the elements we love are there and it reads well and is one of those books that builds your fury as you read and you want justice to be served

BUT I have to say it, I wonder if any of these female leads ever read?, do they not know its a massive no-no to marry someone who invites none of his family or life long friends to the wedding?? ( as readers we all know this )

That aside it really is a tale of evil for poor Alice ( who I did like even though she was very easily fooled ) who meets Dominic in a lift when it breaks down, a whirlwind romance and all the trimmings follow but there is something off.....she starts to follow him and try and work out just what is going on, but then she is shockingly called to identify his body after an accudent, its him.....but it’s not him!

The journey then eventually leads to Oz and a small but easy to like set of characters unearth just what and
who Dominic is, or isn’t, with devastating consequences as the real truth of this maniacal psychopath comes to light

Parts of the book, are quite shockingly dark and there are sections of sexual abuse as part of the story ( not a massive part but it is there )

Narrated by Alice and part by Dominic, in the style of each telling their own version of events, it really did hook me in and kept me there right until the very fast paced ending

9/10
5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Man She Married!

I LOVED this book!! I’ve energetically read anything by Alison James and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. This is about Alice who meets the charming Dominic, and after a very quick courtship and engagement, gets married. There are so many red flags about Dominic and his excuses. I really hope in real life a female wouldn’t be this naive however we’re all blinded by love at some point so who knows? This book goes to show you seriously never know someone. The secrets Don kept from his wife were excessive and, to me, quite obvious they were lies but the whole story was still shocking! This is also an incredibly fast read; I finished in about 3 days!

Wow, what a fantastic book just my 'cup of tea I absolutely loved it and couldn't stop reading.

I have nothing negative to say about this book, well written with good descriptive characters and a brilliant page turner which I can thoroughly recommend.

I will be recommending this to my Facebook Book Groups and thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

TW: book contains multiple scenes of rape. (That is my only spoiler, but an important one to know)

The increasingly frustrating story of a woman who doesn’t notice a single red flag, and oh my gosh, there are so many. Alice doesn’t have one self-protective instinct, so from the outside looking in nothing that happens is particularly shocking, but I like her and want her to snap the heck out of it. She is likable, has a great support system, and I found myself instantly wanting the best for her.

The story is incredibly well written, I think the frustration I felt was built in intentionally, I sped through my reading - I couldn’t wait to see how it all wrapped up and I was not disappointed. A solid 4 star read. Do recommend.

Many thanks to netgalley, Alison James, and Bookouture for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I started reading the book this morning and was glued to it until i was finished. It's a great read full of twists and no idea of what was coming next. It's my first time reading anything by this author and I will definitely be reading more. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased

What if the person you vowed to love and trust isn’t who they say they are? The book is split into three parts with the characters telling their side of the story it starts with Alice Palmer in the present and then moving to the past. The book starts off quiet fast paced and then slow a bit in the middle but picks up towards the end.

Wasn’t expecting this book to be as good as it was. It was brilliant. Told in three main sections. The book is the story of Alice meeting and Marrying the man of her dreams. She sometimes had her doubt about her husband Dom but they were always put aside. But was Alice in real danger from him!.
The second part is the story told from Dom’s perspective. The third is the aftermath and bringing everything together.
A very cleverly written book. Once picked up you won’t put it down until you’ve turned the final pages.

This is a quick, compulsive read. A whirlwind romance hurtles into a whirlwind story with so many twists and turns that you just can't stop reading! The lesson here is to listen to that little voice in your head - it could save you heartache and just possibly your life.

This was a extremely suspenseful and engaging book! It was nearly impossible to put down once I started! There were a number of unexpected moments that I did not see coming. Highly recommend it to any fans of thrillers!

The Man She Married... Alison James

Alice owns a catering company....Dominic works in finance.... when the two meet they have a whirlwind romance and are married a short time later. Alice thinks she has the perfect marriage until Valentine’s Day a few years later she texts her husband she’s pregnant and then he goes missing ......

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my advanced copy for an honest review!!! Publish date is January 13!!

I was caught up in this book from the very beginning! The first 2/3 of the book I couldn’t put it down.... the first part was told from Alice and the second part Dominic ...... the third part of the book fell extremely flat. I wish the suspense would have been drawn out until the end. There is a tiny twist at the end but nothing that was super exciting. I am still giving this 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars because it was written well, I loved the characters and I was still enthralled 2/3rds of the way just wish the end was as fast paced as the rest of the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book. The characters were so intriguing and the story flowed brilliantly. I just couldn’t put it down. Alice Palmer has a business and lovely house, and now a new husband. From the outside her life looks perfect. What could possibly go wrong? Or is the question who could possibly go wrong? A definite 5 star rating from me.

After a bitter breakup, Alice Palmer meets the handsome Dominic Gill. They have a whirlwind courtship and get married after three months of dating. She ignores numerous red flags that come up while they are going out and even after they are married. After a series of ups and downs in their marriage, Alice decides she wants to fix her marriage and make a fresh start with Dominic. but then she receives shocking news that turns her life upside-down.

This story is told from two different points of view. Most of the book is from Alice's point-of-view both in the present and the past. I like Alice and was rooting for her to get her happy ending, however her naivete and willingness to ignore some of Dominic's blatant lies gets frustrating. In spite of this, I was glued to her chapters and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. A few chapters in the middle of the book are told from the point of view of Ben. His narrative is important to the overall story, but are hard to read in places because he is such a disturbing character.

The book had several twists and turns. Some made the story better and more interesting and others were so hard to believe they detracted from the book. It was obvious Alice's husband was keeping secrets, but my suspicions were way off. I enjoyed some of the reveals more than others, but I do like the ending which is very hopeful after all the tragedy occurring throughout the book. All in all, this is a suspenseful book. It's the first I've read by Alison James but I would definitely read more by this author.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Bookouture. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a great read! Crazy twists and fast paced story. Exactly what a thriller needs.
I like the two points of view for both characters. You get an inside look of what each character was thinking and wondering.