As a reader I’m not someone who reads crime thrillers very often, however C. L. Taylor is without a doubt one of my auto-buy authors. Her latest release follows Olivia Sutherland who was convicted of plotting to murder her husband. Olivia swears she is innocent and now she has finally been released from prison, she’s determined to do everything she can to fix her relationship with her daughter and clear her name. But will she be able to uncover the truth about her husband in time and how far will he go to protect his secrets?

When it comes to C. L. Taylor I have pretty much given up attempting to guess the plot twists. This book was razor sharp, fast paced, and had lots of surprising moments. How Taylor manages to continually come up with endings you won’t see coming I’ll never know, but once again I was left guessing right until the very end. Taylor’s writing style is very accessible and it’s so easy to get completely caught up in her clever stories. The Guilty Couple is no exception and I was absolutely hooked on seeing whether Olivia would be successful in clearing her name.

The story is told from both Olivia’s and her husband Dominic’s perspectives and I enjoyed seeing things from both points of view as the tension continued to build. Taylor has a knack for crafting these really believable characters and it was particularly apparent as we see Olivia attempt to rebuild her life and her relationship with Grace. Olivia is a really compelling protagonist but my favourite character had to be Smithy who stole the show just a little bit.

The Guilty Couple is an addictive and compelling tale, one that thriller fans will find difficult to put down. If you’re a fan of C. L. Taylor or you’re looking for something that will have you turning pages long into the night, this one is not to be missed.

I love C L Taylor she is a genius who writes in a manner which is so easy to absorb., it has the perfect flow. The guilty couple was brilliant, twisty and thoroughly entertaining. I devoured it within a day and recommended to all my Instagram thriller followers .
Believable, compelling characters combined with explosive situations set the tone for a tense and pacey thriller that held my attention from the first page to the last. I adored how the twists toward the end kept coming thick and fast like full body blows that left you feeling with little time to recover before BAM you were hit with another! Amazing read .

The Guilty Couple - C.L. Taylor
I went into The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor blind but suspecting it was a typical domestic thriller. And it was but also a game of cat and mouse. Olivia has been in prison for 5 years, wrongfully accused of hiring a hitman to kill her husband. Once released, she plots her revenge on her husband who had her framed! Yeesh! This was an okay book for me. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. Lots of drama and mostly fast-paced but I didn't find myself grabbing it so it took awhile to get through it. All in all though, good premise and definitely check it out if you're a fan of this author. I do look forward to reading more from C.L. Taylor in the future.

I always have quite high expectations of C L Taylor after reading some of the others and enjoying them and this one didn’t let me down. I loved the whole theme of revenge and wrongs that cannot be righted, it’s right up my street! The twists at the end just seemed to continue and keep on coming and I thought that was great! This was an easy to read, fast paced thriller that was enjoyable throughout, would recommend this one!

Wow just wow what a roller coaster of a ride. So side note domestic thrillers are one of my fave in thrillers and the writing here did not disappoint. I love this author anyway and when I was approved for this arc I was buzzing and knew I would love it. It was a 5 star prediction and it didn't disappoint.
5 stars

I'm such a big fan of C L Taylor's writing and I'm so happy to say that this book lived up to all my expectations for it. I do love novels where you're not quite sure who you can trust and are wondering how reliable the narrator is so this book was exactly my thing. I was intrigued as to whether Olivia was wronged or whether there was more to her story than she wanted to let on. This novel kept me on my toes and I loved it! I recommend this one.

Wow oh wow what a book! This is an author who gets better and better! CL Taylor can do no wrong and my fangirling continues.
Absolutely superb read.

This book in typical c l taylor fashion had lots of twists and turns with an unexpected ending.

You couldn’t help but feel for some of the characters, really enjoyed the push and pull of this.

C L Taylor is a master of creepy domestic thrillers and The Guilty Couple was no exception. She writes such memorable characters who you either love or hate - I was rooting for Olivia to get her revenge from the very beginning. I especially loved the fast-paced heist scene and found myself literally holding my breath! What a rollercoaster ride!

I have read other books by this author, but for some reason I found this story to be a bit of a slow burn.
It just did not interest me for some reason. Sorry. I did finish it, because I do not like to abandon books part way through.

I've enjoyed C.L. Taylor's previous books and was excited to hear she had another one coming out with such an interesting premise.

However I just did not connect with this one and I'm honestly gutted. I just couldn't get on with the characters and honestly couldn't care for them.

Honestly I'm upset I didn't enjoy this one but it will not stop me from reading more of her books in the future. You win some and you lose some.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars.

Well, wasn’t this just a fabulous bundle of betrayal and revenge?

I must say, I really enjoyed this one. It was incredibly easy to read, with snappy chapters and sassy characters. I loved Olivia’s relationship with Smithy. I’m all for dark humour and Smithy brought in a good helping of dry wit.

Dominic was an utter bum bogey - I couldn’t stand him. But I do love to hate a character.

This was a pacy and thrilling story of a wife set out to exact revenge on her husband, after going down for his attempted murder. I couldn’t help but read one more chapter (and another, and another!) It was my first by Taylor but I’ll be making a point to read her others.

Recommend!

I really enjoyed this new book from Taylor and wished I had read it sooner. It was an ‘on the edge of your seat’ thriller and there were frequent moments where Taylor’s writing raised my blood pressure. I couldn’t read it fast enough.

The novel starts with closing the court case between Olivia and her husband, Dominic. Olivia protests her innocence: she did not plot to murder her husband. Yet, the jury is against her and she is sent to prison. Fast forward several years and Olivia is determined to prove her innocence. I liked how Taylor portrayed how differently Olivia is treated when it is clear she is on probation. Her financial difficulties seem never-ending, even with a cleaning job, and matters are not eased when she cannot get access to her daughter.

As the tale unfolds, it soon becomes clear there is more to this story than just Olivia’s apparent framing. Focusing on several significant characters, I love how Taylor establishes the different identities, creating plausible motives about why they might have wanted to see Olivia imprisoned. As Olivia tries to track down clues that will prove her husband’s guilt, Dominic seems also to be trapped in his circumstances which are not helped by his relationship with Dani. There is corruption running to the core with this book.

Having finished the novel, I enjoyed contemplating the significance of the title. Despite what the cover suggests, the ‘guilty couple’ are not just man and wife, Dominic and Olivia. There are plenty of couples that are guilty of crimes and Olivia’s comment about having to commit more crimes to prove a crime, was incredibly apt. For example, the surprising relationship between Olivia and Smithy, her old cell mate, created an interesting angle to the story and I was bemused about how Olivia used her new friend’s influence in order to try and prove her innocence.

This was another enjoyable read from Taylor, making me even more determined to try and read her older books too. A jolly good thriller, I enjoyed the power play that carried out between the characters and loved the tense scenes, wondering whether Olivia would ever succeed in clearing her name.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

A wonderful cast of characters that were all suspicious in some way throughout the novel. The short chapters made for a heart-racing plot, as I just kept wanting to read ‘one more!’ A fantastic blend of plot and characters equaled a gripping and twisty storyline.

Some frustration from the plot line amped up the heart-racing element which I thoroughly enjoyed! I did find that halfway through I had guessed the ending which does take a tiny bit of enjoyment away but overall it was still a fantastic read.

"He framed her...Now she'll destroy him!"

This book is an addictive, enjoyable read, with plot twists and multiple viewpoints chapters. I was gripped by this book very early on, and I loved the tension that this author creates. Her writing style is hugely entertaining and absorbing. The storyline would make a fantastic screen adaptation.

I loved Olivia's character, a hard-faced powerful woman who loves intensely under her rugged exterior.

This release is a four-star read for me because there are other reads by this author that I enjoyed more. However, this is my personal preference.

'The Guilty Couple' is a highly recommended psychological thriller, perfect for fans of this genre.

I love C L Taylor’s writing ..in particular the way she juggles multiple character narratives and perspectives.

Olivia has been released from jail after serving 5 years for plotting to kill her husband. Olivia is adamant that she has was jailed for a crime she did not commit and she is determined on revenge…and reunion with her beloved daughter.

I ended up listening to this on audiobook as I love the narrator C.L. Taylor uses for her audiobooks - she really helps to conjure up the individual voices and characters..

The story is driven by Olivia’s desire for revenge and her wish to make peace with her daughter…and I felt a strong sense of her anger and her despair at missing out on her child’s life. This is a fast moving plot which swings backwards and forwards with you wondering at who is innocent…and who isn’t. The plot keeps you guessing and has several surprises!

I really enjoyed reading this. I think my main reservations was I didn’t really like any of the characters who all seemed to be rather self-serving and I also felt that some of the female characters - ‘friends’ of Olivia felt a bit indistinguishable.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for my digital copy of this exciting read.

First time that I have read CL Taylor and won't be the last!

Olivia is released from prison after serving 5 years for plotting to murder her husband.
Olivia still protests her innocence and wants to reunite with her daughter.
Olivia starts to look into what happened and finds out more than she bargained!

A good page turning novel that keeps you guessing to the end.

I love that this story started off with a bang. I was immediately pulled into the mystery! I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what actually happened! Great ending! C.L. Taylor is a really talented writer, and I will continue to pick up and read their books!

Solid 4 star thriller. Olivia is framed for the attempted murder of her husband. When she is released from prison 5 years later she sets out to prove her innocence. This was a fun read!