A psychological thriller that epitomises the saying be careful who you trust. A husband with secrets and willing to kill to keep them hidden is not someone you want to cross!

I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced and gripping psychological thriller!!

A fast paced and exciting storyline that kept me hooked throughout. Thanks for the opportunity to read. Enjoyed the different timelines and perspectives within.

This was a gripping psychological thriller for the most part. Zoe is married to Dan. Their relationship is toxic. He is abusive, manipulating and destructive. Every choice and movement he makes is dictated by him. He really is portrayed as a an evil, vindictive fiend. There is nothing likeable about him at all. As the story progresses we champion Zoe and will her to leave. Once we get to part two of the book we see things form Dan's point of view and there were some unexpected parts here which I really wan't expecting. The pace in the final part of the book dipped considerably though which was disappointing as the first two sections kept me gripped. For the most part it was very enjoyable. I give it 3.5 stars.

Very confusing and oh so slow. It didn’t seem to pick up at all.
I tried several times over weeks, months but my heart wasn’t in it

It’s taken me longer than usual to reach for this book but it certainly reminded my why I love this author so much! I hadn’t even read the synopsis when I started but a few pages in and I couldn’t have cared less.

Zoe shares a flat with her friend Lizzy and is working as a waitress when she meets Dan. He seems to be everything she had dreamed of however within the space of a few months her life starts to change. It’s clear from the outset that Zoe is in the midst of a very controlling and abusive relationship however what I enjoyed the most was the way the story was told. We see the extent of the abuse early on and I was wishing Zoe the courage to get away from the early stages, I just hadn’t realised just how wrong it could all go.

I was truly into the story when a curveball is thrown and the story switches gears and we see Daniels story beginning to be told. The relentless feeling of desperation seeps off the pages but then sadly a new element is shown. To that point I had enjoyed the book and the pace and had no criticism.

However the last quarter of the book although still enjoyable and something I read very quickly felt a little bit off kilter. The addition of Gabrielle, Zoe’s Step-brother felt a little bit like a last minute addition. With that small niggle aside this was a very different type of book comparing them to James Carol’s series of books. That said, it still was a very engaging book that I read in two days and enjoyed. I would say this is a great book but very different to his usual type of book

I really liked this book. It was written very well and had multiple storylines that all eventually tie together for a climax of an ending. Zoe was a very strong main character that was well rounded and had a lot of backstory to her that was revealed piece by piece. Her husband Daniel was most similar to a robot, void of emotion (besides anger). Lizzy was spunky, wild and fun so I liked her a lot and Gabriel….well he was just straight up creepy as hell.

There was an expectation where I thought the story was going to go and then the author threw me for a loop (which I loved). I found myself glued to my Kindle app reading into all hours of the night because I wanted to know what happened next.

Right up to the very end, I was super anxious for the main character and her struggles. Not knowing what was going to happen to her was like a fire building from a little spark to an intense flame, more and more just kept being added on to her life and you couldn’t predict where she was going to end up.

There were some parts where words were spelled a little differently than normal but I feel like they just might be the English way of spelling them so that was a minor detail.

All in all, this author kept me entertained with my nose glued to my Kindle app so it was a success! I would recommend this to anyone that wants a psychological thriller that will keep you continually guessing.

This is the story of Zoe, a normal Uni student working as a waitress. She meets rich, good looking Daniel when he walks into the place she works and sweeps her off her feet. She seems to have landed herself the perfect life but she did not expect it to turn into a dangerous, controlled, manipulated and heartbreaking one.

This author does a fantastic job of showing the way Daniel manages to completely controls Zoe’s life. It starts off subtly and gradually as he starts to achieve what he wants really does turn on the pressure. Zoe initially falls for his charms and is excited to be in a relationship with such a catch. He is a master manipulator and of that, there is no doubt. When she finally starts to see him for what he is, it is too late to get help. He has absolute control over her movements, eating, social life and finances.

There is such a good sense of suspense that comes from reading this book. I was suspicious of Daniel from the outset due the what the synopsis gives away, but the story shows the suspense from the angle of Zoe. It is easy to see how she was gradually cut off from her friends and her life. The treatment of her, by Daniel, was very easy to believe and was also shocking.

As the synopsis implies, she has escaped from Daniel’s clutches before and this is discussed withing the back story of the characters. The suspense of how she tries and if she succeeds this next time is one that had me rooting for Zoe.

This is a story that really did work well for me, it had the right amount of suspense and drama that had a real sense of controlling power to it. I found myself quickly siding with and willing Zoe on in her life. The manipulation was done in such a way that it blindsided Zoe and it shows how she was oblivious to the signs.

The story took some unexpected twists and turns and definitely kept me hooked. If you like crime, thriller, and suspense reads that focus on spousal manipulation then this is one you should read.

I do like mystery and thriller more than any other genre. That's why I am a bit disappointed because even though there were some twist and ups and downs, somehow it was confusing and slow.

When I requested this I thought it was going to hook me from start to finish, but I found it become a little slow in parts. However saying that, I did enjoy parts of the story and did like the ending.

I started this but just wasn't feeling it. There was nothing inherently wrong with it I just wasn't feeling it at the time, however having been really excited about this book beforehand I would like to try again sometime.

An absolutely sensational twisted psychological crime thriller. I was sure the author had got inside my head having experienced DV. The characters emotions and incidents were terrifyingly realistic. Then I thought I knew how it would go, with most of these themed titles, but I was very wrong indeed. This is bit another Girl On The Train or Before I Go To Sleep. It's dark, twisted, and unpredictable. An absolutely stunning novel full of twists and suspenseful.

WOW....absolutely brilliant!
Wasn’t expecting That at all......this book had me on tenterhooks and had to read it all in one sitting.
The plot was phenomenal I was hooked!
Daniel got what he deserved Zoe was so brave.
Amazing big fat 5 stars
Please let there be a sequel....he’s stull out there!!!!!

Thanks to netgalley for the Arc of this thrilling and psychological killer read. Imagine you meet you perfect life partner. He's everything you want in life.... until he takes over each and every aspect of your being. I think the parts where he even Skyped her during meal times were the worst for me.... Creepy read, highly recommended.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and J S Carol for the opportunity to read and review a copy of Kiss Me, Kill Me.
Secondly, I have to commend the author for his portrayal of Zoe. Having been a victim of domestic abuse myself, I found Zoe to be very relatable. The way she was portrayed is exactly what it is like.. I always thought that it was something only another survivor could relate to. Mr Carol, thankyou. You have given your readers an insight on what domestic abuse sufferers experience and why it is so hard to just leave the situation.
Overall, I could not put the book down. I found it to be chillingly realistic, spine-tingling page turner with twists and turns until you reach the dramatic conclusion.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this novel. If you love the genre, you can't go past Kiss Me, Kill Me.

This one really wasn't for me, I struggled to connect with the characters and the formatting on my copy was not the best either. I found the pacing also to be quite choppy. Full review on my Goodreads profile!

I absolutely love a good psychological thriller, especially ones that involve a psychopath that is absolutely perfect and charming in public and a completely different person behind closed doors. Following that kind of a dynamic throughout a book is always so interesting.

However, Kiss Me, Kill Me left me frustrated most of the time. I couldn't picture everything happening the way that it was written, so it almost felt a bit over the top and unrealistic. I couldn't connect with it as much as I have other books, so I was left wanting more throughout the entire story.

But it was also very entertaining, and I did want to know what happened. There were twists that I didn't see coming and situations that kept me on my toes.

I'm in a place where I was hooked, but didn't necessarily enjoy the book; I needed to know what happened next, but then didn't feel satisfied after finding out. Three starts from me because I really don't know how I felt about this. But there are many, many psychological thrillers that I'd recommend over this one!

Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Zoe and Lizzy are very close friends who wait tables at a small restaurant. The money is not significant but they cope. Zoe’s life changes when business partners, Daniel and Josh, decide to eat there. Within a few months, Zoe has moved in with Daniel and lacks for nothing, except friends and family. No-one’s life will ever be the same again.

For the first half of the book the chapters alternate between “then” and “now”, which not only allows the reader to compare how life has changed for Zoe but also enables the author to give us some background to the principal characters; except he doesn’t take that opportunity, which is a great shame.

Daniel is the ultimate controlling partner to the point where Zoe has all the trappings of a luxury lifestyle but no freedom to live her own life. She has no money or credit cards; Daniel even controls her diet, and she is not allowed to develop any friendships of her own. I was desperate to know more of his backstory but the most the reader gets is a mere few pages which gave a skeleton outline but no flesh on the bones. The same is true of Zoe and I found myself questioning her actions or rather her non-actions.

I only ever check other reviews after I have completed a book by which time I have reached my conclusions. One of the other reviewers commented that it was almost as if the plot had reached its logical end but was too short so Mr Carol tagged on the second half. There was nothing wrong with the writing which was fluid and tight. The dialogue felt right too but in the main, I could not understand the motivation of the characters and the ending instead it left the reader hanging.

My heart lifted as the twist came in the middle of the plot. Frankly, the first half had started to pall and I was starting to get bored. Unfortunately, the opportunity was missed to introduce some good detective work into the storyline and instead of injecting some pace we were back to the same kind of dismal kidnap scenario. So, more of the same in the second half!

If the author intends to write a sequel I shall not be rushing to read or review it.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Kiss Me, Kill Me is an addictive, clever psychological thriller with some truly challenging, provocative characters. Told through various points of view, we slowly unpick more about Zoe's life with her awful husband Dan, and the more we find out, the more I hate him and feel for Zoe. 

I don't want to give too much away about the story but you're really rooting for Zoe to escape this awful life with him, but Dan makes it incredibly hard to do so - and he's managed to stop her before. Will she finally manage it - or is Dan one step ahead?

There are surprises along the way, which meant that even when I thought I knew what was going on and had a handle on things, I suddenly found I had got it all wrong - and I love those sorts of novels!

In some ways the pace is fairly slow, for example when we're learning about how Zoe met Dan and their younger life together, and at times I wanted to get back to the present tense so I could find out whether Zoe's plans to escape would be successful. However, the background all helps you understand the bigger picture, so it's worth it!

This is the first novel I've read by J S Carol and it's certainly piqued my interest in other titles. I'd recommend this novel to anyone looking for a clever plot, convincing characters and great writing!

4.5 stars. Such a great book full of twists and turns. Very clever and well written psychological thriller that I would absolutely recommend