This book left me with mixed feelings, there were some parts that were fantastic, had me hooked and i couldn't put it down. Then......the main character became pathetic, made stupid decisions and the story became repetitive. It all came down to the ending and sadly that was very blah. A disappointing 3/5

A romp of a read, great suspense, though very scary in parts and with dreadful outcomes for some of the characters!
For Emma and her family there was a happy ending, and the gangster husband gets his comeuppance. Well written, with great descriptions of events and situations.

This is a great read that definitely had me racing through the pages.
An absolutely addictive, compelling and gripping true page turner!!!
The writing is terrific, the dialogue is realistic it felt like I was walking around inside this book!
I enjoyed how Emma pulls you right into her story!
This was one of those that kept me up all night turning the pages! Recommend to all!

The premise of this book was intriguing. A menacing read to begin with. Tommy Driscoll, gangland boss is convicted for 5 years, his wife Emma has her reasons for wanting to escape from the criminal family. The plot slowed so far through the book with some quite unbelievable twists. An enjoyable read on the whole .

Thank you Avon Books UK, Avon and Netgalley fir this arc. A slow burn but with a reason. The family dynamic was maybe traditional but was a great suspance anyway. I could totaly conetct with the wife.

When Emma meets Tommy she is swept off her feet and after a whirlwind romance they marry. Emma quickly realises she has married a manipulative, controlling gangster who isolates her from friends and family. When Tommy is arrested and jailed for 5 years Emma thinks freedom is on the horizon but she hadn't reckoned that Tommy's family would step in on his behalf to ensure she kept in line. Quite a slow burn read which took time to pick up pace.

The Prisoners Wife is a3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️.
Emma is married to Tommy, it was a whirlwind romance and she thought she’d hit gold but things soon turned sour and Tommy’s real character came out and Emma soon learned that he was head gangster in his family led gang in London. Emma realises he is a bully and violent and takes away her freedom, dictating who she can see, where she can go and what to wear. Tommy is sentenced to five years after being found with a firearm so Emma thinks this is her escape but he has written down rules she must abide to and will be watched over by his mother and brother. If she is found not to abide by his rules her family will be under danger.
This was a slow read at first, it did pick up and I enjoyed this different type of read for me. I wish Emma didn’t spend quite so much time deliberating over her circumstances and what she should do. The storyline was good if a bit far fetched but I don’t mind that in a book. This is an author I will look out for in the future after reading this.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The prisoner's wife by Ali Blood.
She’s married to a monster.
Till death do them part…
Emma’s husband is in prison.
Emma’s husband claims he is innocent.
Emma’s husband is a liar.
And he’s not done with her yet…
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did feel for Emna. Loved the cover. 5*.

The Prisoners Wife
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I felt dejavu reading this book. The pacing is slow.
Emma is a weak character, and I could not connect to her. Tommy is just a typical criminal who has a control issue, therefore causing Stockholm syndrome for Emma. The family structure was similar to that of numerous similar novels/TV dramas, with the hating mother-in-law and the dimwitted brother. Tommy's hitman Jack, the strong man with a soft spot for Emma, was also noticeable.
The story had several twists and turns, but it was, generally speaking, a well-written, straightforward read. I believe The Prisoner's Wife is Ali Blood's debut novel, and while I couldn't give it more stars, I would be interested to see what she comes up with next.

Gangster husband In jail but still has ways to control her. Manipulative and possessive. Was a slow paced page turner that ended rather quickly. Too much pondering on her part rather than making decisions she should have made but it a slow paced read. Would have liked it to evolve faster.

After a whirlwind romance followed by a luxury wedding, Emma soon discovers her marriage to wealthy businessman Tommy Driscoll isn’t the happy ever after she thought it would be. Tommy soon reveals himself as a controlling bully, who treats her as a possession and takes away her liberty. When he is convicted of the possession of a firearm and given a five year sentence, she thinks this will mean freedom. However, she has no idea what Tommy has put in place to make sure he retains control of her.
Written from Emma’s POV, I found this a little slow to start. At first she perceived Tommy as a slick suited charmer, someone who knocked her off her feet and she couldn’t believe she’d ended up as his wife. Young and naïve, she was so wrapped up in him, she failed to see the speed at which their relationship went from dating to marriage. And successfully hid so well his true nature as a controlling bully. The family structure followed that of many similar novels/TV dramas - the hateful mother in law and the not so smart brother. There was also Tommy’s henchman Jack, the hard man with a soft spot for Emma.
There were several twists and turns in the story, but all in all, a well written straight forward read. I gather The Prisoner’s Wife is a debut novel and although I was unable to give it more stars, I would definitely be interested in seeing what Ali Blood comes up with next.

I would like to thank Avon, Ali Blood and Netgalley for an ARC of The Prisoner’s Wife in exchange for an honest review.

Emma is married to a gangster who is in prison for five years. He issues her with a list of what he expects her. He also instructs his mother and brother to keep an eye on her and report back to him. We’ll written and highly recommended

The book opens with Emma's gangster husband being sent down for 5 years. Emma breathes a sigh of relief because her husband is a narcissistic, abusive pig she wants nothing to do with. However any thoughts of divorce quickly dissipate when he and his family control her every move, and manipulate her into staying faithful to Tommy. Emma feels completely trapped and with her secret to contend with, she needs to find a way out....but how?

It's a slow paced book which definitely feels like it should go a lot faster. I was interested in how Emma was going to mastermind her way out of this dilemma, but she remained more of a passive character, There is a lot of airtime where Emma is just sat pondering on what she should do about her 'urgent' situation, which I found very frustrating, I just wanted her to make a decision and get on with it. There's a couple of nice plot twists I appreciated, but I don't think they were fully fleshed out, so were left lacking. The author definitely got the level of anxious tension and mystery right. However, I was also very anxious for the story to move forward more quickly than it did. At one point I noticed only a few pages left to the end of the book when the story hadn't progressed yet, and was disappointed that the book may end on a cliff-hanger. When it didn't and the ending was rushed, I still felt a level of disappointment as I knew the author could have done better here. Overall a decent story, but I wished some things had been done differently.

Emma is coming to understand the saying "marry in haste , repent at leisure" . As the book begins, the scene is the Old Bailey trial of her business man husband and he has nbeen sent down for 5 years. Hoping that she is now free from his clutches, she is devastated that he has left her rules and has ways of ensuring that she lives by them . THe descriptions of Emma's situation are good, though I was suprised that she could be so naive about him. The suspense builds up and you come to understand the hopelessness of her situation and why she has to toe the line. Told entirely from her viewpoint, the character descriptions do not include much depth. The pace is great and I read this book quite quickly. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed, the only negative about this book in mine opinion
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
I wondered if this might be a little bit "girly" for me.
Couldn't have been more wrong if I tried.
The main character, Emma, is married to a gangster sentenced to five years in prison. He issues her with a list of demands relating to how she behaves/conducts herself whilst he serves his time and has his brother and mother reporting back to him on Emma. The interesting thing about this is that prior to his imprisonment, Emma wasn't aware that her husband was a criminal.
Emma starts to fight back against all the rules and things become really interesting as the story unfolds.
Loads of twists that I didn't see coming.
A story that is just perfect for a TV mini series.

Holy smoke…..what the hell did I just read! Wow, OH MY GOD this book is freaking awesome. So many things I want to tell you, where do I begin?! This book is nothing like I thought it was going to be. It is way much better than I anticipated. With a very intruguing blurb I thought this was going to be another Domestic noir.It really is not!

Emma’s husband is in prison. Emma’s husband is a gangster. Do I need to say anymore?! Gangland fans are going to love this book because I certainly did. For that reason and the fact this book grabs you from the start and doesnt let you go until the very last page. From start to finish I was taken on a white knuckle ride with Emma. Gosh….I loved her.

You can feel the power, the tension, antiexty, the terror every page you turn with the plot and the charcaters. I literally could’nt put this down and devoured it in one sitting. The whole time wanting to know what was going to happen next. This is a full on, totally engrossing on the edge of your sit read.

So many twists, turns and OMG moments this book will blow your mind! Not forgetting the ending….I wasn’t expecting that! I cannot praise this book enough giving it all the stars.

An ok book. Emma's abusive gangster husband is jailed for five years but still controls her. Good story well written but no suspense, never felt she was in real danger.
I received this book from Avon books and Netgalley for a review.

Well written and easy to read, this novel follows the story of Emma, who is in an abusive marriage with a leading gangster who has just been sentenced to five years in prison. Her husband continues to attempt to control her from prison, with the help of his brother, now in charge of the criminal enterprise, his mother and his trusted henchman. My main criticism of the book is the lack of intrigue or complexity to either the plot or the characters, with Emma, the lead character not really being in the driving seat of her own destiny. Enjoyable but forgettable at the end of the day.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Emma’s husband Tommy Driscoll is in prison, he has just been sentenced to 5 years.
They met 2 years ago after a whirlwind romance, Emma then realises her husband is not always the kind thoughtful romantic man she fell in love with. He is the head of a crime gang involved with drugs and will do anything to get what he wants. He is a controlling, manipulative bully.
Emma sees his prison sentence as a chance for her to get her independent back and perhaps escape her marriage, however Tommy is still controlling her life from his cell, his brother and right hand man are constantly checking up on her, threatening to hurt her family if she is disloyal to Tommy in any way.
It’s an easy read, told from Emma’s point of view between past and present, a bit predictable and beyond belief, Emma herself ends up with blood on her hands, there are a few twists to the story which then comes to a very tidy ending.
A good debut novel and I will look out for more from this author .
Many thanks to Avon Books UK and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Based off of the premise of this book, I went into it with really high expectations. I love a well-written novel where the husband is incarcerated but still manages to wreak havoc on his wife's life, but this just wasn't it.

To begin with, the plot moved about as fast as a snail going in reverse. I felt like I would read chapter after chapter and never really feel that the story was going anywhere or feel the tension that I think the author wanted us to feel. This was made even more upsetting by the fact that this story is told in dual timelines (the past, where Emma met her husband, up to him getting arrested, and then the present time with her dealing with the fallout of his conviction).

I could have potentially overlooked that had all of the characters not been very flat and one-dimensional. Emma was a very "let me play the naive victim" type of character. Yes, she fell for the bad guy, but I felt like when she had options, she either did nothing at all, or made the worst possible choice ever. And then there was her husband, who, despite being every mobster trope thrown into one character, was ultimately laughable. Somehow he had access to a personal cell phone (sure, he had some officers supposedly on his payroll, but it certainly wasn't all of them), and he loved to throw his weight around and threaten her, but it was really just.... annoying.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.