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The Man I Married

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Pub Date 26 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 26 Aug 2020


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Description

You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?

This is the story of Lucy and Paul.

They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married.

Lucy thought that she had everything she wanted.

Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide. Until she uncovered Paul’s darkest secrets.

Now Lucy realises she doesn’t really know her husband. She doesn’t know if she can trust her own mind. She doesn’t know the lengths Paul would go to keep his perfect life.

And worst of all, she doesn’t know that she’s in danger...


A gripping, dark psychological thriller with an absolutely nail-biting ending that will keep you hooked - the perfect read for fans of Behind Closed Doors, Mark Edwards and Lisa Jewell.

You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?

This is the story of Lucy and Paul.

They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married.

Lucy thought that she had everything she...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781912973491
PRICE £0.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 153 members


Featured Reviews

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This was an amazing and suspenseful drama that kept me fascinated throughout the entire journey. The characters were engaging and believable. Can’t recommend it enough!

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This was a very suspenseful and tense book! It was very intriguing and kept me guessing! I enjoyed it, as it was a gripping domestic thriller book. I do think some of the “red flags” in the main relationship were a bit too obvious, but enjoyed this book nonetheless.

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Thank you Hera Books and netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Wow- Where to start
What a rollercoaster this was.

Lucy works with offenders in Prison and meets Paul in a bar after work.

After a one night stand it all becomes very intense and within months they are married.

Lucy gets blinded by love, Paul is not all he seems until Lucy discovers the truth of his past.

Who is Lucy to believe? Or is Lucy just going a bit bonkers!

This was very gripping, dark and twisted, a great read. Shows you a great insight to emotional abuse and how blinded you can be and who can you actually trust.

Well worth a read and looking foward to more from Elena in the future.

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Twisty thriller asking how well do you really know your spouse or your partner?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it the characters. I would call it a psychological thriller that literally leaves you guessing until the last page

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Lucy has met Paul as she literally bumped into him in a pub. He is a psychologist whom she sometimes sees at work as she is a probation officer. One of her cases is getting rather close to her and she is having to pull back for her own safety. Meanwhile her relationship with the rather mercurial Paul is whizzing along and she finds things about his past that then just disappear. She realises that she really doesn’t know him and hasn't even met any of his friends. With Paul and Gould (the ex-con) her life is beginning to be on a knife edge. Who is telling the truth and can she trust Paul? Ooooh!! This is one of those books where the tension nicely builds and you have that sense of unease that something isn’t quite right. Why would a boyfriend hide things and deny things from his past? Surely a foundation of truth which is what Paul insists on, but maybe doesn’t abide by his own rules, would be better? A slightly creepy, well written read that made me sit on the edge of my seat. I did wonder how it was going to end. I won’t give anything away other than to say nicely done! A captivating read.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

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This is the first book I have read by Elena Wilkes and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It w as suspenseful and kept me guessing right up until the very end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I will definitely be recommending this one!

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Lucy met Paul as she quite literally bumped into him in a pub, Paul is a psychologist whom she sometimes sees at work as she is a probation officer. One of her cases, Gould, is getting too close for comfort so she decides to pull away for her own safety.. Her relationship with Paul is moving quickly until she finds things about Paul's past that just seem to disappear when she realizes she doesn't really know Paul at all she's never met any of his friends or family. With Paul and Gould Lucy's life is beginning to unravel. Who is telling the truth and can they be trusted?


WOW!!!!! This is one of those books where the tension builds as your heart quickly beats and you can just feel that something is wrong? Wouldnt Paul want her trust him? isnt that what relationships are founded on?
I wont give anything else away but i will say it was a creepy read that kept me on the edge of my chair and quickly reading to find out what would happen,.

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Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review. The Man I Married is a dark and twisty psychological thriller. Unlike many books in this genre the novel is told exclusively through the viewpoint of one character. That character is Lucy, a 34 year old probation officer from Yorkshire England. While on a trip with her co-worker/best friend Emma, Lucy bumps into Paul Webb. Paul is a criminal psychologist and the two embark on a whirlwind romance which quickly culminates in marriage.

It doesn't take long for Lucy to realize that Paul has isolated her from her friends and co-workers and she has no idea who her husband really is. The author does a fantastic job of building tension and there is a real sense of unease that permeates every interaction between husband and wife. I felt as though I were walking on eggshells with Lucy, as Paul deftly used his knowledge of psychiatry to make Lucy doubt her sanity.

Although I found the book to be a compelling and quick read., there were some plot points that were inexplicably dropped. I was mostly satisfied with the ending but if any book ever needed an epilogue this was surely it. I was left with some unanswered questions about Lucy and after having become so invested in her character I wasn't quite ready to part.

Overall, this is a solid and sinister domestic thriller. I do recommend it. and look forward to reading more from this author.

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A very readable book about emotional abuse. Very twisted, only thing that spoilt it for me was the part of Simon, thought it would develop more. Worth reading.

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So many twists in this thriller. Had me wondering who was the crazy one. Great read..kept me on the edge of my seat.
This author knows how to spin a tale!!

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

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I really loved the premise of this book. I love psychological thrillers, and this seemed to have everything I usually love in a book

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** spoiler alert ** This was good.
One of those books that has so many warning signs that you're almost shouting at the main character to wake up and smell the psycho.
But then there's also moments when they're so plausible that I wondered if I remembered something correctly.
Things were muddied by a case at work... making Lucy seem like she really was unravelling.
A slow drip feed of information and an explosive ending.
Definite page turner.

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The Man I Married is a twisty thriller. The first half of the book I was trying to figure out what was going to happen. The first half is really building the story and giving background. It is interesting but the typical thriller starts in the second half. The second half is a lot faster paced and an interesting thriller.

Lucy meets Paul and they quickly fall in love and get married. Then Lucy starts catching Paul lying and starts questioning everything. Lucy is left wondering what is true? Lucy doesn't know what is going on. Who can Lucy trust and how can she find out the truth?

I recommend this book to anyone that likes domestic thrillers. The Man I Married is Elena Wilke's debut novel. I cannot wait to read her future novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This was quite the read, I have to say!

Lucy and Paul are both very interesting characters, and a lot happens in the story that really had me scratching my head, thinking about all of it!

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I started this book and almost put it down because I was not sure where the author was going with the story. But I was glad I hung with it and finished the book. It somewhat reminded me of a movie I saw years ago called ‘Gaslight’ . I truly felt the main character should have seen the warning signs of her husband Paul and gotten away sooner. He definitely seems to be a bit psychotic. I loved the twist at the end. (I won’t spoil the story). Thai was a good read

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The man I married’ is a pretty unique and readable psychological fiction from Elena Wilkes.

It’s a bit of a whirlwind and would lend itself beautifully to book groups (this novel NEEDS to be discussed - I definitely feel the need to debrief after THAT ending!!)

Essentially the plot is a whirlwind romance that takes a turn for the unusual.

Probation officer, Lucy, randomly meets Psychologist, Paul, in a pub. After a disastrous previous relationship she falls head over heels for him. He seems to feel the same.

Quickly the pair become suspicious of each other. Dark secrets and mysterious characters emerge but who is telling the truth? Is Paul as manipulative as he seems or is Lucy paranoid? Having finished the book I’m still not entirety sure I have answers to these questions!!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

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When Lucy met Paul, she couldn't help but fall deeply in love with him. And when they got married, she thought that she had everything she wanted. Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide.

Now Lucy realises she doesn’t really know her husband. She doesn’t know if she can trust her own mind. And worst of all, she doesn’t know that she’s in danger...

This was quite a twisted read. I love the way the suspense develops slowly as the plot progresses.

The book focuses on the emotional abuse that some people go through in a relationship. At times they are so blind and trusting, that they ignore to recognise some of the obvious signs of warning that something is wrong.

I just wished that the story around Simon would have been better handled.

I also enjoyed reading the letter from the author, where she quite rightly points out that sometimes the people who commit the most deadliest crimes are the -" People who walk amongst us. They appear ordinary, not very different from us at all, but when you scratch a little deeper, you discover they hold some very dark and dangerous secrets."

Thank You to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC!

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A good thriller witj a crazy psychotic main character. Well written and crazy twists at times. Highly recommended xx

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I really liked this book it kept my interest through out the book the twist's and turn's were good found myself yelling at the main female character at times

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Thank You NetGalley & Publisher for this gifted e-ARC!

You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?
This is the story of Lucy and Paul.

They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married.

Lucy thought that she had everything she wanted.

Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide. Until she uncovered Paul’s darkest secrets.

I enjoyed the storyline told in this book.
It was a dark, twisted, thriller that really gets you drawn into the reality of abuse.
Shows the story of a toxic relationship and what it does to a person.

Enjoyed the book.
4/5 star review
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Do you really know someone? Or do you really only know what they tell you about themselves? Does anyone ever question if the person is telling the truth? Of course not we tend to believe what people tell us. Lucy has had bad relationships with men, until she met a charming man (Paul) and he swept her off her feet and quickly married her. Things were great for awhile until he started acting very strange. She started wondering who this man she married was. What did she get herself into. He started making her think she was losing her sanity because there were days he was normal and suddenly was controlling and angry. She wasn't sure what do. Then she noticed a women kept following her. Lucy knew this was so strange but things got creepy, even scary when she found out what this woman had to say about her husband. This book was amazing until the end. I would highly recommend it.

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When you’re reading this book you have a real sense of danger right from the beginning. This book is fast paced, intense and an edgy read and also a little bit provocative! This is a real psychological thriller and when I say that I mean it in a very real sense, you can feel the psychological manipulation and that someone is messing with your head. And at times you don’t know who is messing with who’s head. If it was a TV show I would have found myself shouting at the TV, instead I was shouting in my head!

Lucy and Paul meet, fall in love and get married. It’s a whirlwind romance. Lucy suddenly finds she has the perfect life, everything she’d ever wanted. But one day she finds a photo in Paul’s bedside draw, that leads her to realise she doesn’t really know much about Paul’s past life. But what does she really know? Can she really trust anything Paul tells her or even trust her own mind?

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Twisty and turny. Something I feel like I have read before but it was well written and enjoyable. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

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The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes is a dark psychological thriller that will keep you reading long into the night. Just how well do we ever really know those with whom we share some of our most intimate moments? And to what lengths will someone go to conceal the very darkest recesses of their soul?

When Lucy meets Paul, she believes that her prayers have been answered. After all, he is everything that she could ever want in a partner, and life seems to be idyllic. That is, until Lucy discovers a past that Paul will do anything to keep hidden from his adoring wife.

This is a compelling read that will leave you questioning all that is initially accepted at face value. It is probing, sinister, and creepy, and I loved every word of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

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Pooh this was a good book!
Such a twisty plot, an absolute page turner. It was predictable, but in a good way, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I don't feel this spoiled it for me at all.

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ucy had recently been in a relationship with Dan – she thought he was “the one”. Yet, it turned out badly. Dan was already in a relationship with his WIFE. This did a number on Lucy’s self-esteem. After all, her friend, Emma, had lots of dates. the greatest guys, yet Emma seemed OK with this.



When out/drinks with Emma, Lucy meets Paul. They have dinner and overnight connect with each other. He was nice, not really handsome, but he had not relationships, children. He really seemed like someone Lucy could be happy with.



But Paul had secrets – and those secrets weren’t so nice...



This read hooked me right in! A very well-written novel that will satisfy any reader of thrillers, mystery and suspense. There is always something happening in this book – no lag time here!



Many Thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for a great read!

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Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I love thrillers and this was good. It had the twists in it that I love but at points it was a bit slow. it did not stop me from reading this though.

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This was quite an intense read. Very psychological with a ton of mind-games. In fact, I remember shouting at a few of the characters, I couldn't believe the manipulation I was reading. Then calmed myself down thinking, it's only a book, it's not real. But to have that impact on me because I was so engrossed is a real positive thing.

I would describe this book as twisty and intense. I had a love/hate vibegoing on with some of the characters and it's quite thought-provoking. The story starts off slowly and I was unsure at first what direction it was heading in, but then about half way through I was totally hooked. I found the chapters to be very long, so I was often stopping and starting halfway through them.

Overall a great book and a recommended read.

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Wow! What a ride!
When Lucy first meets Paul she is swept up with him and is able to become someone she has always wanted to be. She falls deeply into love, and everything seems perfect, until it isn’t. Lucy finds a picture of Paul’s and things start to unravel as she realizes that she may not know as much about her new husband as she should.
I loved this book and rushed to finish it.
Highly recommended!
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

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3.5 stars rounded up to 4

When Lucy and Paul met they fell deeply in love. They got married and Lucy thought she had everything she wanted. But then she finds a photo from Paul's past life and reads the text messages Paul's desperately trying to hide. Now Lucy realises she doesn't really know her husband.

It's true, we don't really know someone until we marry them and this story only proves this. Lucy has had bad relationships with men in the past. So when she meets Paul in a bar one night, she is swept off her feet and the pair are quickly married. But Paul started acting strange. He made her think she was loosing the plot. He was controlling and angry most of the time. The story is told from Lucy's perspective. The tension builds with every turn of the page. This is a gripping, dark and twisted insight into emotional abuse. The ending leaves a few unanswered questions and we are left to assume what had happened. The pace is decent in this really good debut novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hera Books and the author Elena Wilkes for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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My thoughts about this cleverly written, outstanding debut thriller,was fantastic.What you do if you begin, to discover your partners darkest secrets.what I loved about this brilliantly written twisted thriller, was the first half of the story, starts to builds up for the 2nd half with full of suspense,was just fast moving with full of suspense, which I thought was just brilliant.The 2nd half of the story defiently tooks my breath away. Debut author Elena Wilkes's has written a powerful story,that truly deserves appreciation, and applause,love how she manages, and balances the story and its fantastic characters together, which is just incredible. The characters are brilliant, be it Lucy, who I thought was just fantastic,and  Paul's character who has a dark past, that will shock you. I so much loved this book  that is something different, I've read over the past one year. This is one of the debuts, to watch out for that is just brilliant, this will take you on a journey, to find your partner who you married, has a dark secret past. Highly recommended.I would like to say thank you to Author Elena Wilkes, Hera Books,Netgalley and Sarah Hardy of The Bright Side Publicity for giving me a chance and review this outstanding thriller.💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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How well do we really ever know anyone?

Even the person we exchange vows with and sleep next to each night?

Lucy loves Paul but Paul is a douchebag with some spicy secrets. But is he crazy or is she?

Love, love, loved this dark and cray-zee story!

Thank you to Elena Wilkes, Hera Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this one!
I’m obsessed with words like husband/ wife/ sister etc... so I was excited to dig into to this one and was not disappointed !
You know when two strangers meet in a bar and have a whirlwind romance - followed by a wedding within months - things are bound to go array ! And they did !!!
Paul - psychologist and Lucy- probation office have what seems to be all the tools for a successful marriage other than the fact they married quickly !
It doesn’t take long for Lucy to notice some not so favourable behaviours from Paul!
He is controlling and manipulative - so much so that soon Lucy is questioning her own sanity !
Remember he is a psychologist - but what else is he ?!
I love how the author manages to get her readers involved into Lucy’s day to day life and inner monologues ! At one point I was questioning my own sanity !
Will Lucy ever be able to sort through her muddled brain ?!
Is Paul really just trying to help her?
I loved the twists and turns , the interconnections between the characters was really well developed ! I’m a hard customer to please with my endings and I’m happy to say this one left me satisfied !
Definitely not my last read by this author !

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I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
And what a thriller it was - with a startling conclusion
Lucy and Paul fall in love and marry. Lucy thought her life was perfect except for Paul's change of character now and then. And when she found texts on his phone and a picture of another woman - the cat and mouse game began.
What lengths will Paul go to keep his secrets? What is the story of the texts and picture? Will Lucy survive?

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Suspenseful book. Well written. Good plot twists that keep you guessing till the last page of the book. Liked the husband's character, but slowly made you start to suspect he wasn't who he said he was. I would recommend it to others.

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I was privileged to be given an early edition to read via Netgalley. What an emotional book two people who love each other so much and how things can change after reading a text. Gripping psychological book

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A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different.

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The Man I Married is Elena Wilkes' debut novel. Lucy is a Probation Officer who meets, forms a relationship with & very quickly marries Dr Paul Webb, senior psychologist. Lucy is a likeable character, although at times I found myself questioning some of her behaviours, and reactions to the situations she found herself in. It soon becomes apparent that Dr Webb is perhaps not who or what he seems, or is Lucy actually losing her mind, or suffering psychological illness herself, as he would have her believe.. Paul's lies, controlling and manipulative behaviour and the discovery by Lucy of a photograph from Paul's past lead to a story full of twists and turns and the emotional abuse of Lucy by Paul

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

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This was a suspenseful page turner and completely believable even though this is fiction. Lucy and Paul are well developed characters, but the question is, how well do you really know your spouse? This book had many twists and turns and surprises throughout. Some parts were predictable and other parts were not but it was a thrilling and chilling read overall. I would definitely read more from this author and recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Elena Wilkes and Hera Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 8/26/20

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A page-turner that was hard to put down. I didn't know what to expect when I picked out this book but ended up being pleasantly surprised. Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for my copy.

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I don't even know how to write a review after that whirlwind. All I can say is this book has totally messed with my head throughout. I was just like eh? What? Confused. I think it's meant to be like that too. Poor Lucy got it worse than me. I really felt for her throughout this. I kept second guessing myself is the problem her or him? Hmm.

The story soon turns dark and deadly towards the end. Bringing it to an explosive all out ending and the truth finally set free. It's tense, chilling, fast paced, gripping and brilliant written a real page turner. Not a marriage I'd like to be in.

A story I won't be able to forget in a hurry. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me.

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<center><b><i>A gripping, dark psychological thriller with an
absolutely nail biting ending that will keep you hooked</b></i></center>

Well in this case the blurb was correct. This was my kind of thriller even though parts of it are far-fetched. Secrets, lies, twists, who's crazy and who isn't, a missing child...all the elements that are enjoyable to me in a novel. The Man I Married was a very twisty and quick read that I read in an evening and I enjoyed it very much. It had such a fast pace and the writing captured my attention and didn't let go.

I usually try to puzzle out and think about how realistic things are as I can't suspend disbelief very easily, BUT I like what the author did here...So I was caught up in Lucy and Paul's story. This was such a fun romp and a great debut, I'd definitely read more by this author.

<font color="#000080"><b>I do have a little niggle though, these are a couple of excerpts from the book...</font></b>
<b><i>1) What happened, what didn’t happen, lies, truth, all re-invented, re-told, re-packaged. Whoever knows, really? Black becomes white and then becomes black again.</i></b>
<b><i>2) Otherwise you’ll say I never said it, or mishear me, or some other nonsense.</i></b>

If my man was saying/doing this all I would see is red...So Four Stars Instead of Five.
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This is a twisted story where the tension just builds and builds. I did wonder how it could possibly end, but a well written conclusion. Highly recommended

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I thought this book started out slowly, and sometimes I worry that I won’t finish books that start slowly. So I figured I’d read a few chapters and then go to sleep. That was about 10pm. Before I knew it, it was 5am, and I seriously had to force myself to stop reading! (I finished it the last night.)
This book is THAT good!
I’m not one to give out parts of the story. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. This is my honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

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4 stars
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Me reading this book: What the heck am I reading?!

Paul Webb (the male lead in The Man I Married) could be the poster child for gaslighting narcissistic psychopaths.

You guys have no idea what you’re getting into when reading this book. Having read The Wives by Tarryn Fisher, I too found myself doubting the female lead Lucy. But after one suspicious event after another, I could see how truly terrifying Paul was and now scary it was to imagine being in Lucy’s shoes, married to a man who is seemingly perfect.

Most of us want to believe the best in others, especially when a dashing man comes up to us.. saying all the right things, acting in a way that makes us feel seen but.. when you rush into things, that perfect reality you imagined can be broken in a myriad of ways.

The Man I Married is one book that you definitely to not want to miss! TRUST me when I say that this book is a must read that’ll keep you paranoid for days to come.

4 stars
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Loved this book, I found it to be brilliantly written which had me gripped from the start. My only complaint is I read it too quickly as I just couldn’t put it down!

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The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes is a pyschological thriller that kept me definitely busy for a couple of days! Lucy works in the probation office and deals with the types of prisoner that give her the creeps, never mind anyone else. She meets, by accident a psychiatrist, Paul, who sweeps her off her feet. Lucy goes from living in her own place and spending her time with Emma, her best friend, to spending every moment with Paul. They marry after weeks together and have everything they ever wanted, as a couple. Then comes the day when Lucy discovers a photograph of who she presumes is an ex. She then realises he is receiving texts from someone, she presumes it, again,
his is ex but he denies it. Paul begins to act odd, reacting one way them denying he ever did. Lucy begins to think she is going crazy especially when she is contacted by a man who has been released from prison and he starts sharing things with her that the police and work say he couldn't be doing.
A true psychological thriller with so many twists to the story you have no clue where it is going. I was really immersed in the book and the found it a suspenseful story that kept me turning the pages! I loved Lucy, and understood her trains of thought. I wanted to give her a hug half the time! Paul is one of them characters you just want to smack in the face, a horrible man who pretends to be everything everyone wants, but is sneakily working behind the scenes with his own agenda. Emma, Lucy's best friend is a woman who really cares about Lucy and is dragged into Paul's games and causes Lucy so much heartache when she comes to the realisation. I will say I was almost shouting at Lucy and wishing she would just belief in herself and do what she needed to do for herself!
In conclusion a psychological tale that will definitely have you thinking about that one decision or that one meeting that could change the course of your life, forever and not for the good!
Thank you to Books On The Bright Side, Hera books and Netgalley for the copy of the book to give you my thoughts today.

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4 stars
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What an amazing read! It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

This psychological thriller follows Lucy, a woman who has horrible taste in men. She meets Paul, who says and does all the right things. She finds the relationship moving really quickly. Eventually, cracks begin to appear; Lucy is often confused and doubting herself. Paul isn't the great man she once thought after all...

This book was so gripping, I couldn't put it down. I had no idea where the story was going. It is a dark love story that shows how emotional abuse can be somewhat subtle and how people might stay in such situations.

The only criticism I have is that a couple of the story lines, while they were really interesting, don't really go anywhere. Like what was the point of Simon? And her doubting Emma? I was waiting for all of it to tie together.

4/5

Thank you to Hera and NetGalley for the free eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

4 stars
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4 stars
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Most of us want to believe the best in others, especially when a dashing man comes up to us.. saying all the right things, acting in a way that makes us feel seen but.. when you rush into things, that perfect reality you imagined can be broken in a myriad of ways.

The Man I Married is one book that you definitely to not want to miss! TRUST me when I say that this book is a must read that’ll keep you paranoid for days to come.

4 stars
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The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes

Dark disturbing psychological thriller that left me wondering at the end of the book. So many times, I wanted to shake Lucy then sit her down and have a LONG talk with her about…a LOT of things. I kept thinking, “You are thirty-four, well respected in your field, capable, see the truth in others…wake up!” I will be thinking about this book for a while.

What I liked:
* The introduction to Lucy as she met soon to be paroled Simon
* The respect Lucy had at work
* Being intrigued by the way Lucy and Paul met at the pub
* The slow unveiling of the backstories of both Lucy and Paul
* The building chill I felt as the story progressed
* The questions I had throughout the story – what was real and what was not
* Wondering what I would have done faced with a similar situation


What I did not like:
* The manipulation and how easily it was accomplished
* Did and did not like that I wasn’t SURE that I knew what REALLY had happened when I finished the last page.

Did I like this book? I believe I did…though it was definitely different
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, Hera Books and BOTBS for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

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